The Sword and the Swindler chapter 1
Gunfire echoed in the city block around her. It was closer now but fewer shots were being fired. That was how it went. They shot at each other until they ran out of bullets. But, they wouldn’t leave until everyone was dead.
Bela wouldn’t make it on her own. A time would come when she’d run out of bullets and the Croats would get her.
She slumped against the wall and slid to the floor wondering how long she would have to wait this time. What she wouldn’t give for a nice bottle of wine while she waited. The wind rattled the boards on the windows and she shivered. She’d sell her soul for a hot bath. She laughed to herself. Been there done that and a hot bath wasn’t quite worth it ...yet.
Upon hearing footsteps on the floor below her, she froze. She drew her gun from her pack and stood up slowly. She could hear voices. Faint, soft voices, and then shushing. Shushing?
She peeked out the door and found the hall empty. She crept silently to the end and listened.
The shuffling feet had stopped but a tiny cry cut through the silence.
Without a second thought, Bela raced down the stairs. A woman, a young boy and an infant huddled against the door. “Get away from the door,” she whispered and waved them to her.
The mother raised a pink plastic squirt gun and shot Bela in the chest.
“What the hell?” Bela wiped a hand over her soaked shirt.
“Holy water,” the mom whispered.
Bela shrugged her admiration for ingenuity and opened the door behind her. “Come on, get in here, it’s safe.”
Dean rubbed his forehead hoping to ease the headache blooming behind his eyes. If one more person came to him with a problem, if he got one more question about their situation, just one more demand on him and he would tear someone one a new one.
He hadn't signed on for this. Dean Winchester was a hunter not a den mother. He shouldn’t be making decisions for a whole community. And yet, here he was double checking rations and ammunition stores.
If no one else joined them, if no other survivors or hunters landed on his doorstep, Dean figured their supplies would last for six to eight weeks. That was if everyone stuck to their rations, if they weren't attacked by Croats and if his brother didn't bring home any more strays. Dean sighed, Sam was always bringing home strays.
What had started as a group of five hunters grew to a small community of over thirty survivors because Sam took in everyone he found.
The radio crackled drawing Dean from his thoughts. “Dean?”
“Garth, what's going on? Where's Sam?” Dean demanded. Anyone on the radio besides his brother meant something was fubar.
“Take a breath Dean, let me assure you that Sam is fine. I just wanted to tell you we found some survivors.”
“More survivors, great. How many are we talking here?” Dean scowled at their meager supplies. He didn't know where to house these people let alone how he'd feed them.
“Thirteen. All women and children. The good news is they have supplies. They were sitting on an arsenal and a shit ton of canned goods.”
Dean's eyes widened in surprise. If they had all that why did they want to join him and Sam. “Okay. I’ll get the others started on getting rooms for them. Where's Sam?”
“He's having a bit of a fuss with the group leader.”
“What kind of fuss?” he asked sounding both protective and suspicious.
“Well the group won't leave without her and Sam kind of wants to kill her.”
“Her?”
“Yeah, I think ya’ll worked with her before. Sam called her Bela.”
Sam kept his gun trained on Bela and tried to ignore the kid who had a shotgun aimed at him.
The first word out of his mouth when he saw her was “Christo.” Bela Talbot should be dead, ripped apart by hellhounds. If she was standing there, she wasn't human.
Bela raised her perfect brow in an amused smirk. “Really, Sam, I'm quite human.” She turned to the boy. “Logan, you can lower the gun. Mr. Winchester and I are old friends.”
The boy shook his head. “Not ‘til he puts his down.”
Bela looked expectantly at Sam who shook his head, too. “Kid's gonna get tired arms.”
Bela sighed. “Very well. You two boys be macho.”
“How is it you're even alive?” Sam demanded. “Last I heard you were puppy chow.”
“Yes and how many times have you died, Sam? Or that brother of yours? And yet, like cockroaches, you come back.”
“Not helping yourself.” Sam glanced at the boy and saw him struggling to keep the gun level. Sam cocked his gun. “Answer the question.”
“I made a deal. Like I always do.”
Sam's brows narrowed. “You made a deal to get out of your deal?”
Bela shrugged. “What can I say, I was very good at what I do. Still am, actually if you're taking these people with you.”
Sam lowered his gun. He wouldn’t kill Bela, at least not in front of the boy. Tucking his gun into the waistband at the small of his back he asked, “Why are you helping these people?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Bela replied and nodded to Logan who gratefully lowered the gun. “Go on, Logan, join your mother and the others.” When he left, she continued, “I admit I am out of my league here. I can't save these people. I don't know the first thing about leading a group like this. When I learned you and Dean had a camp of survivors and hunters, I knew these people would be safe if we could get to you.”
“Right. Sure. You're the least altruistic person on the planet. What are you hoping to gain from this?”
“Survival. You and Dean are my best shot at that.”
Sam grabbed her arm and dragged her along with him. “You're coming with us because your group needs you, but that doesn't mean you'll survive Dean.”
As he waited for his brother and the new arrivals, Dean thought about the many times Bela had double crossed them. From stealing the rabbit's foot to stealing the colt, there was never did working with Bela lead to a win for the brothers. Sam would have tested her, Bela wasn't a demon, but Dean wondered how she had gotten out of hell. An angel pulled him out but nothing holy saved Bela.
When they arrived at the camp, Cas and another survivor met Sam, Garth, and Bela to help unload supplies and show the new arrivals their new ‘homes’. When Bela headed to the truck to start helping, Sam stopped her. Once again he grabbed her by the arm and led her away. Bela noticed some of her group eyed her suspiciously, but she couldn’t let that bother her. They were safe here.
She wasn’t so sure about herself.
“Hey, I’m sure Garth told you who we found,” Sam said instead of a usual greeting.
Busy studying a map, Dean hadn’t bothered to look at his brother. “Yeah. Is it really -- Bela.” His eyes settled on her and his emotions ran the gamut of anger to relief and back to anger.
“Hello, Dean. Long time.”
He nodded. “Yeah, it has been a long time. I thought for sure I would have seen you in hell.”
“I’m sure you still will.”
He smirked at that, amused that Bela hadn’t lost her smart mouth. He turned to his brother. “How many strays did you bring home this time?”
“Bela had twelve people with her. Mostly families, women and children.”
Dean’s eyes widened at that. It felt like forever since he dealt with a child. “I’m impressed, Bells. What’d they have to give you for your help? Money or their souls?”
Bela’s jaw clenched. She deserved that, she guessed. They didn’t know she wasn’t like that anymore. Saving Logan and his mom had changed her. “Neither.”
The brothers scoffed at her answer.
“Of course you wouldn’t believe me,” Bela snarled.
“The Bela I know and loathe doesn’t care about anyone but herself.” Dean crossed his arms and waited for her snappy reply.
Bela sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Look, I don’t want to be their hero. That’s not what I set out to do, I figured we could watch each other’s backs. And,” she shrugged, “I couldn’t send Logan and his mother away, Lilly is just a baby.”
Dean understood. It was the same with Sam. Sure, survival would be easier without taking in others, but …
“What about that night, back in Erie?” Sam asked. “The hellhounds were right outside the door. You said so yourself. What happened? How’d you escape? You didn’t have the Colt.”
Bela took a moment. She remembered the phone call. The one in which Dean had said that he would have helped her if she had asked instead of tricking them. And she confessed to making a deal to kill Sam to save herself.
“Crowley.” She took a deep breath. “You’re right. The hellhounds were there, outside the room. I thought I was done for, then Crowley called them off. He said he’d give me an extension as long as I kept getting him what he needed.” The brothers exchanged doubtful looks so Bela continued. “Not everyone wants to make a deal for their soul. Some want money or companionship or the chance to talk to a loved one long since dead.”
“How long did you get?” Sam asked.
“I don’t know,” she replied. “My soul or my life was always held over my head. You know ‘if you don’t get this bone or this artifact it’s off to hell.’ I just kept doing what he asked and then all this happened. I haven’t seen Crowley for nearly a year.” She looked from one Winchester to the other. “Should I thank you for that, boys?”
Dean dragged a hand over his face. If she was going to stay awhile, she was going to have to know the rules. “Okay look, since you’re here, you gotta do your share. No one gets a free ride. You know your people, I expect you to help them find the work best suited for them. Also, this ain’t the four seasons. Food and supplies are rationed. So is water.”
Bela looked like she won a lottery. “Hot water? You have showers here?”
“Warm on a good day,” Sam supplied. “We haven’t had families here before. We’ll have to work out some sort of schedule or something.”
Dean agreed. “Bela that’s on you. They’re your people. You handle them.” She nodded but was still thinking about how good a hot shower would feel. “Go get settled, but I swear if you try anything, if you so much as cheat out of your chores, we will kick your ass out of here. Understood?”
Bela paused, fighting the sudden urge to spew a smart ass comeback. Instead she nodded. “Understood.”
A week later Bela watched Dean return from a reconnaissance run less two men than he had left with. She saw the pent up rage and frustration and nearly pitied the next demon to cross Dean Winchester’s path.
Ten days after that, Bela saw the Winchesters arguing. Their voices would go loud for a moment, then when they realized they could be heard, and they’d go back to angry whispers. But Bela had had enough. Not used to being sidelined, she decided to interrupt the brothers and offer to help.
They both stared at her in silence for a beat. “No,” Dean barked and turned his back on her. Sam huffed and made a gesture telling her to wait. “Why not?”
“‘Why not?’” Dean repeated. “Because she’s not even a trained hunter like Jesse and Cesar were. Because all we would do is watch her back and not our own and because she’s Bela, man. When was it ever a good idea to trust Bela?”
Before Sam could argue, Bela spoke. “You’re right, Dean. I’m not a hunter. But I do know my way around a gun, and a crossbow, I’ve even handled knives when necessary. You took me in when you could have easily turned me away. I would like to repay you by offering my assistance.”
The brothers exchanged annoyed looks. Dean walked into his cabin, but Sam and Bela followed.
“You know I can do more than distribute rations. Tell me what is going on and maybe I can help.”
“How much do you know?”Sam asked.
“Sam!” Dean growled.
Bela cleared her throat. “Crowley said you killed Lilith which started the apocalypse. Demons are spreading some kind of virus that turns regular people into demons. And angels are real but want us dead as much as the demons do.”
“What do you know about Lucifer?” Sam asked.
“Lucifer?” Bela paused, unsure what answer the brothers wanted. “Archangel. According to legend he fell from grace after quarrelling with God. Ruler of hell.” As far as she knew, Lucifer was a fairy tale.
“What about Michael?” Dean asked.
“Michael who? The angel?” The brothers nodded and she shrugged. “Nothing other than the stories I learned in Sunday school. Why?”
“They want a battle royale with Earth as the prize” Dean explained dismissively.
Bela was sure the brothers were joking. Lucifer and Michael were real? “Wait, what are you saying? This is all a fairytale, isn’t it? A story to keep church goers in line? Surely it’s not real.”
Sam gave her a disapproving look. “When has it ever not been real?”
Bela staggered back to lean against a countertop. “Dean, what did you mean ‘battle royale to win Earth’? If that’s what they want, what’s stopping them? Why don’t they do it?”
“Angels,” Dean began, “unlike demons, need permission from the human vessel they want to possess. So far they haven’t found vessels strong enough to hold them for very long.” He looked at Sam. “Their true vessels have said ‘No’ and have been marked to stay hidden from them.”
Bela raked a hand through her hair as she tried to make sense of Dean’s words. “So these two extremely powerful beings are just burning through people until the right vessels says ‘yes’?”
“Even if they say ‘yes’, Michael and Lucifer’s battle will be powerful enough to destroy the planet,” Sam added.
“But the world is being destroyed. I mean, look around boys. What we’re doing now isn’t living. It’s barely surviving.”
Angry at her tone, Dean snapped. “If you have any suggestions, we’re all ears.”
Bela sucked in a breath at Dean’s harsh retort. “Did killing Lilith really raise Lucifer?”
Sam nodded.
“Is there anyway to send him back where he came from? Any spell or weapon?”
“We have a way of opening the cage, we just don’t have a way of getting him in it,” Sam replied.
“Believe me, sister, we’ve been over this a thousand times,” Dean sighed and poured them each a shot of whiskey.
“Yes, I’m sure you have, but not with me and all that I know.”
“Oh, you think you’re just that much smarter than us.” Dean swallowed his drink and rolled his eyes.
“Not smarter, Dean. Just better connected.”
“Yeah, well do your connections know what to do with Michael after we lock up Luci?” Dean snapped.
“They might,” Bela replied slowly as she thought about the many deals she worked and which contact had certain items. “Do angels respond to magic and spells the way demons do?”
“Well, certain sigils can send them away and others can ward an object or a place or a even a person,” Sam explained.
Bela’s eyes lit up. “I know this man who was part of a secret society. He’s not far from here and he has a horde of specialized weapons and spellbooks. I’m sure that with certain spellwork these weapons could be used against archangels.”
Sam looked hopeful but Dean frowned. “Is he still alive? And if he is, why would he help us? What could you possibly have that he would want?”
Both Bela and Sam deflated at Dean’s words, but Bela wasn’t willing to give up. “Obviously I don’t know if he’s alive, but if he is, he’ll make a deal just to have me in his debt.” She could tell they needed more convincing. “When this all began, I delivered something to him called a hyperbolic pulse generator. He told me it was a specialized weapon against angels. This secret organization in England called the Men of Letters created it.”
Sam’s jaw dropped at the mention of the secret organization. He read about them on clandestine websites dedicated to the paranormal. They were supposedly extremely powerful.
“Where does this guy live?” Sam grabbed an old road atlas and opened it to Kansas.
“Jefferson City.” Bela moved next to Sam to study the map.
“We can make it in less than a day,” Sam said a hopeful look in his eye as he turned to his brother.
Dean stared back at him as if Sam had grown two heads. “Okay so now we’re wasting resources, risking our lives for a guy who may be dead, for a weapon that may not exist because Bela told us? Since when do we trust Bela? She stole the Colt and sold it to the demons, Sam!”
Sam backed away. He recognized the argument Dean was putting up and didn’t feel like fighting. However, Bela stood her ground. “Dean, I told you before, I’m here for survival. I know I won’t survive if the two of you don’t. I’d go by myself, but I’d much rather have a Winchester as back up.”
“We can leave in the morning and be there before dusk,” Sam suggested.
“No.” Dean stood up, features full of anger and determination. “You’re staying here. Jefferson City is in the war zone. Bela and I will go check this out.” Before Sam could argue Dean added, “If the demons or the angels get you it’s game over. Me and her can fly under the radar.”
Sam accepted Dean’s decision with a nod. “Let’s get you ready to go at sun up.”
Chapter 2