In Which Sam Goes on a False Trail for Answers...
In his long, seemingly endless existence Castiel could only remember being afraid a few times. His first battle, going into Hell, and sometimes in the presence of his father those were times that had made him fearful and nervous. At first, he had coped well with his loss of power. Jo had guided him through those first few days of humanity gently and with patience. His patience was rapidly wearing thin. It had been weeks now and no one had any answers for him.
They still didn't know who Adam was. They didn't know what the mark on his flesh meant and they didn't know how to release his powers again. He was tired of all the details that came with being human. He wanted his power back, he wanted his Grace back. With his power trapped, Castiel felt useless, weak. He had to eat, sleep, do all the human things that came with a human body but what terrified him most was the silence.
He couldn't hear Heaven, couldn't feel the presence of his brothers and his father. There was just him in his thoughts and in his mind. It was so... wrong. The silence made him privately very uncomfortable. Every day this existence dragged on, the more Castiel felt uncomfortable, impatient and angry. No one knew, of course. Castiel kept it all to himself, letting Dean and Sam do what they did best and hunt.
To pass the time, he began to read almost obsessively. He needed something to take his mind off his humanity and books were a perfect answer. He was always reading something when he wasn't trying to help with the hunt. Today, he was reading Bobby's collection of Clive Custler novels. There was one stack to his right that was unread and a stack to his left that was read. The read stack was smaller than the unread currently, but by the end of the day that would change.
Sam, meanwhile, had his nose buried in another symbol book, this one going back to ancient Tibetian rituals. They had been sticking with the civilizations that had some root with a Christian faith system - the pagans, Norse, Grecian-Roman, and Egyptian - as they all tended to have similar beliefs in gods and powers, even if it wasn't set up the same way the Catholics were. Now Bobby was working on the Muslim sect while Sam was busy with the Buddhist symbolism.
It was tiring, and after awhile the symbols were swirling in his head and he had to lean back and rub his eyes. He was going to need glasses soon at this rate. And he would really rather be spending time with his young wife than researching... but it wasn't Cas' fault he was trapped and Sam owed it to the angel to help. He got up so he could take a walk and wake back up, otherwise he might miss something. "Hey Cas, want to join me for a quick walk? I need to stretch my legs."
He wanted to refuse. It wasn't because of the book being very interesting either. He was sick of walking or being driven places. Humans were so confined and Castiel was used to flying. He had no wings and walking was beginning to re-enforce that. Sam had asked nicely though and Sam was helping him, he could be polite and somewhat friendly for that.
"Sure," he said, folding the book closed and laying it aside delicately. He rose and was mildly annoyed with how is body ached in places. He had never ached before.
Sam grabbed his jacket and slipped it on, then looked at the cane and hesitated. He had been doing good now that he probably didn't need it, and that it was more like a crutch in the fact he relied on it without a real need. Deciding that it would be better not to, he left it and opened the door. "Bobby, we'll be back," Sam shouted as he started outside. He waited for Cas to join him before heading off to walk around the junkyard.
"I'm running out of faith bases," he admitted softly. "My internet scan recognition sites are not coming up with anything conclusive either. I've even tried to ask Ben is he remembers anything from before he was taken to link Jake... Adam... to a religious group and he doesn't remember."
Castiel put on his trench coat, which looked awkward with the jeans and t-shirt Jo had bought for him. Without being able to repair and clean his suit through his Grace, it had quickly become dirty and there was still a hole burned in the leg. He was grateful his coat was holding up well. It's weight was familiar and comforting on his shoulders. He fell into step with Sam once they were outside, his hands in his pockets because he felt cold for the first time in his existence.
"It's alright," he said, though he didn't feel it was right deep down. "You are trying."
"I was wondering if there was anything else you might remember. Something about the room, or what you felt when you felt the tug to him?"
He didn't like to think about it, but over the past few weeks he had told the story so many times it was almost automatic to answer. "He prayed to me and he felt... familiar. It was like you or Dean called to me. Before Dean accepted Michael."
Sam knew about that. He had no idea what it meant, but that was what he was going to work on next. "Was there anyone else there that you could sense? A demon or other humans?"
"He was not... human. Fully at least." Castiel thought back to how Adam had moved and the way he had felt. "He must have had help to ward the house as he did. There are many creatures that would help trap an angel, but demons are most likely."
It wasn't enough, and Sam knew that he wouldn't be able to get full answers because Adam would have been careful to give things away, and no one could track him down if what he had done to Ben was any indication on how he could hide himself from angel's eyes. But there had to be a weak link. A demon who could be turned. Something.
Wait... "Did he mention anything about having a source? Someone who would be able to feed him things?"
"I didn't ask." He shrugged.
"I should have thought of this sooner." He shook his head. "Bela. For the right price, she'd sell all of us down the river. I wouldn't be surprised if she's involved in this." He turned and started back for the house.
Castiel turned and followed. Left out on his own he tended to get into trouble as he forgot his new limitations. He didn't require constant supervision, but it was better that he stayed indoors where it was less likely he'd catch a human illness.
"Bela has aided you before," he said, somewhat confused as to why Sam suspected her. "Would greed really drive her to help capture an angel? Demons are usually very fearful of us."
In his own opinion, he couldn't imagine an inconsequential demon such as Bela turning against them. Not when Michael was reclaiming Dean, Lucifer was defeated and angels walked the Earth with a great deal of impunity. It would be... suicidal for a demon to even try.
"The thing about Bela is that she's usually out for herself first, and others later. We've saved her life many times and she still sold us out. If Adam had the right price, I don't doubt she would."
Castiel frowned, though he supposed he shouldn't be surprised by a demon being greedy and betraying them. It felt oddly personal this time though, like all along he was the target, not the Winchesters. He knew that was a foolish thought and put it aside.
"Michael should be able to find her easily," he offered, still trying to be helpful even if he was weak. "Unless this Adam is hiding her as well, there are very few ways to hide from Heaven's General."
"That or I can just call her. She also loves to flaunt her actions." He had left his phone on the table at the house. "Before we head back, do you need anything?"
He shook his head. It was easier to lie if he didn't speak. His voice seemed to give him away every time he tried. What he needed was his power back, his Grace, but there was nothing Sam could do right now to make sure that happened. He had to be patient but oddly he was quickly become more impatient as he struggled with his state.
"I will let you hunt," he said and turned to get back to the books he was reading.
Sam watched Castiel a moment, wishing he knew how to talk to the man. Sam remembered how it felt when he was trapped and unable to access his powers. It wasn't the same, and he knew it, but he wished Castiel wouldn't let himself suffer alone. "Alright. Need anything, I'm in the other room."
Castiel nodded to acknowledge Sam's words and settled back into his chair to wait for salvation.
Meanwhile, Sam grabbed his phone and searched through for Bela's number, hoping that she hadn't changed it since before the Lucifer time.
Bela was surprised when she saw Sam's number on her caller ID, but she didn't ignore it. She hadn't heard from the Winchesters in a while, and she had to admit she was curious. "Hello?"
"So I'm curious about something," Sam's voice was a bit on the angry side. "Just what is the going rate these days for selling out the Winchesters?"
Bela froze for a moment, jaw tightening before snapping back. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Listen, I don't have time to play games," Sam stated. "Right now we're dealing with a big problem here and in the history of our lives there's only been one person who enjoys selling us out, and that's you. Ben's had been kidnapped, and now Castiel is suffering from some kind of mystical brand on him we can't figure out."
"I'm not playing games, Sam," she said, stalking through her apartment, but managing to maintain an even tone, though it was clear she wasn't happy. "I don't even know who this Castiel person is, for one, and I've never had any issues with Ben. If I was going to sell someone out, darling, it'd be you or Dean. And I haven't had reason to as of late. So while I may enjoy leaving you hanging out to try on occasion, I wouldn't do it to the next generation, or someone I haven't even met."
Sam took a deep breath. He believed her, mainly because while Bela was a bitch, she didn't have a reason to lie. "Great, then I'm back at square one."
"Sorry," she said with a bit of a sigh. There was a bit of a pause, then: "What kind of mystical brand?"
"No clue. It's being used to block an angel's powers within his vessel. We've gone through every symbolic text in every christian based faith, then the other major old world religions, and now we're hitting the Asian and Muslim ones."
She was quiet again. "Mind if I have a look? I do have sources you don't. If nothing else, I can get you a step closer to whoever did this." She'd bet cash money that whoever had access to that kind of magic had killed people on the way, and if nothing else she'd at least be able to get him a location.
"At this point, I could use all the help I can get. Hold on, I'll send you a text with the image." He switched his phone over to a camera to take a photo of the sketch of the brand, then sent it to her. "You should be getting it any second."
Her phone beeped and she put the phone on speaker before going to look at it. "It doesn't seem like anything I'm familiar with right off the bat, but I'll look into it. Maybe the spirits know a direction to look in."
"It feels almost familiar, like I've seen parts of it before. But for the life of me I can't place it anywhere." He looked over at Cas reading. "If you can figure it out, I would appreciate it."
"I'll let you know what I find," Bela sighed. "If anything, I might be able to get you a location as to where to find the person who did."
"Thanks." Sam thought a moment. "Also, if the spirits connect a name 'Jake' or 'Adam' to it, any additional information they can tell you about who they are would come in handy."
"Got it. I'll call you once I've got something."
"I appreciate it. Sorry for the finger pointing. It's just been hectic these last few weeks." And he was sincere in that.
"It's fine, Sam. I'm used to it after all these years."
"Yeah," He rubbed the back of his neck. "Talk to you soon then." He hung up the phone and sighed. Another dead end, but maybe Bela would find something helpful. But he was still no closer to solving this mystery.
They still didn't know who Adam was. They didn't know what the mark on his flesh meant and they didn't know how to release his powers again. He was tired of all the details that came with being human. He wanted his power back, he wanted his Grace back. With his power trapped, Castiel felt useless, weak. He had to eat, sleep, do all the human things that came with a human body but what terrified him most was the silence.
He couldn't hear Heaven, couldn't feel the presence of his brothers and his father. There was just him in his thoughts and in his mind. It was so... wrong. The silence made him privately very uncomfortable. Every day this existence dragged on, the more Castiel felt uncomfortable, impatient and angry. No one knew, of course. Castiel kept it all to himself, letting Dean and Sam do what they did best and hunt.
To pass the time, he began to read almost obsessively. He needed something to take his mind off his humanity and books were a perfect answer. He was always reading something when he wasn't trying to help with the hunt. Today, he was reading Bobby's collection of Clive Custler novels. There was one stack to his right that was unread and a stack to his left that was read. The read stack was smaller than the unread currently, but by the end of the day that would change.
Sam, meanwhile, had his nose buried in another symbol book, this one going back to ancient Tibetian rituals. They had been sticking with the civilizations that had some root with a Christian faith system - the pagans, Norse, Grecian-Roman, and Egyptian - as they all tended to have similar beliefs in gods and powers, even if it wasn't set up the same way the Catholics were. Now Bobby was working on the Muslim sect while Sam was busy with the Buddhist symbolism.
It was tiring, and after awhile the symbols were swirling in his head and he had to lean back and rub his eyes. He was going to need glasses soon at this rate. And he would really rather be spending time with his young wife than researching... but it wasn't Cas' fault he was trapped and Sam owed it to the angel to help. He got up so he could take a walk and wake back up, otherwise he might miss something. "Hey Cas, want to join me for a quick walk? I need to stretch my legs."
He wanted to refuse. It wasn't because of the book being very interesting either. He was sick of walking or being driven places. Humans were so confined and Castiel was used to flying. He had no wings and walking was beginning to re-enforce that. Sam had asked nicely though and Sam was helping him, he could be polite and somewhat friendly for that.
"Sure," he said, folding the book closed and laying it aside delicately. He rose and was mildly annoyed with how is body ached in places. He had never ached before.
Sam grabbed his jacket and slipped it on, then looked at the cane and hesitated. He had been doing good now that he probably didn't need it, and that it was more like a crutch in the fact he relied on it without a real need. Deciding that it would be better not to, he left it and opened the door. "Bobby, we'll be back," Sam shouted as he started outside. He waited for Cas to join him before heading off to walk around the junkyard.
"I'm running out of faith bases," he admitted softly. "My internet scan recognition sites are not coming up with anything conclusive either. I've even tried to ask Ben is he remembers anything from before he was taken to link Jake... Adam... to a religious group and he doesn't remember."
Castiel put on his trench coat, which looked awkward with the jeans and t-shirt Jo had bought for him. Without being able to repair and clean his suit through his Grace, it had quickly become dirty and there was still a hole burned in the leg. He was grateful his coat was holding up well. It's weight was familiar and comforting on his shoulders. He fell into step with Sam once they were outside, his hands in his pockets because he felt cold for the first time in his existence.
"It's alright," he said, though he didn't feel it was right deep down. "You are trying."
"I was wondering if there was anything else you might remember. Something about the room, or what you felt when you felt the tug to him?"
He didn't like to think about it, but over the past few weeks he had told the story so many times it was almost automatic to answer. "He prayed to me and he felt... familiar. It was like you or Dean called to me. Before Dean accepted Michael."
Sam knew about that. He had no idea what it meant, but that was what he was going to work on next. "Was there anyone else there that you could sense? A demon or other humans?"
"He was not... human. Fully at least." Castiel thought back to how Adam had moved and the way he had felt. "He must have had help to ward the house as he did. There are many creatures that would help trap an angel, but demons are most likely."
It wasn't enough, and Sam knew that he wouldn't be able to get full answers because Adam would have been careful to give things away, and no one could track him down if what he had done to Ben was any indication on how he could hide himself from angel's eyes. But there had to be a weak link. A demon who could be turned. Something.
Wait... "Did he mention anything about having a source? Someone who would be able to feed him things?"
"I didn't ask." He shrugged.
"I should have thought of this sooner." He shook his head. "Bela. For the right price, she'd sell all of us down the river. I wouldn't be surprised if she's involved in this." He turned and started back for the house.
Castiel turned and followed. Left out on his own he tended to get into trouble as he forgot his new limitations. He didn't require constant supervision, but it was better that he stayed indoors where it was less likely he'd catch a human illness.
"Bela has aided you before," he said, somewhat confused as to why Sam suspected her. "Would greed really drive her to help capture an angel? Demons are usually very fearful of us."
In his own opinion, he couldn't imagine an inconsequential demon such as Bela turning against them. Not when Michael was reclaiming Dean, Lucifer was defeated and angels walked the Earth with a great deal of impunity. It would be... suicidal for a demon to even try.
"The thing about Bela is that she's usually out for herself first, and others later. We've saved her life many times and she still sold us out. If Adam had the right price, I don't doubt she would."
Castiel frowned, though he supposed he shouldn't be surprised by a demon being greedy and betraying them. It felt oddly personal this time though, like all along he was the target, not the Winchesters. He knew that was a foolish thought and put it aside.
"Michael should be able to find her easily," he offered, still trying to be helpful even if he was weak. "Unless this Adam is hiding her as well, there are very few ways to hide from Heaven's General."
"That or I can just call her. She also loves to flaunt her actions." He had left his phone on the table at the house. "Before we head back, do you need anything?"
He shook his head. It was easier to lie if he didn't speak. His voice seemed to give him away every time he tried. What he needed was his power back, his Grace, but there was nothing Sam could do right now to make sure that happened. He had to be patient but oddly he was quickly become more impatient as he struggled with his state.
"I will let you hunt," he said and turned to get back to the books he was reading.
Sam watched Castiel a moment, wishing he knew how to talk to the man. Sam remembered how it felt when he was trapped and unable to access his powers. It wasn't the same, and he knew it, but he wished Castiel wouldn't let himself suffer alone. "Alright. Need anything, I'm in the other room."
Castiel nodded to acknowledge Sam's words and settled back into his chair to wait for salvation.
Meanwhile, Sam grabbed his phone and searched through for Bela's number, hoping that she hadn't changed it since before the Lucifer time.
Bela was surprised when she saw Sam's number on her caller ID, but she didn't ignore it. She hadn't heard from the Winchesters in a while, and she had to admit she was curious. "Hello?"
"So I'm curious about something," Sam's voice was a bit on the angry side. "Just what is the going rate these days for selling out the Winchesters?"
Bela froze for a moment, jaw tightening before snapping back. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Listen, I don't have time to play games," Sam stated. "Right now we're dealing with a big problem here and in the history of our lives there's only been one person who enjoys selling us out, and that's you. Ben's had been kidnapped, and now Castiel is suffering from some kind of mystical brand on him we can't figure out."
"I'm not playing games, Sam," she said, stalking through her apartment, but managing to maintain an even tone, though it was clear she wasn't happy. "I don't even know who this Castiel person is, for one, and I've never had any issues with Ben. If I was going to sell someone out, darling, it'd be you or Dean. And I haven't had reason to as of late. So while I may enjoy leaving you hanging out to try on occasion, I wouldn't do it to the next generation, or someone I haven't even met."
Sam took a deep breath. He believed her, mainly because while Bela was a bitch, she didn't have a reason to lie. "Great, then I'm back at square one."
"Sorry," she said with a bit of a sigh. There was a bit of a pause, then: "What kind of mystical brand?"
"No clue. It's being used to block an angel's powers within his vessel. We've gone through every symbolic text in every christian based faith, then the other major old world religions, and now we're hitting the Asian and Muslim ones."
She was quiet again. "Mind if I have a look? I do have sources you don't. If nothing else, I can get you a step closer to whoever did this." She'd bet cash money that whoever had access to that kind of magic had killed people on the way, and if nothing else she'd at least be able to get him a location.
"At this point, I could use all the help I can get. Hold on, I'll send you a text with the image." He switched his phone over to a camera to take a photo of the sketch of the brand, then sent it to her. "You should be getting it any second."
Her phone beeped and she put the phone on speaker before going to look at it. "It doesn't seem like anything I'm familiar with right off the bat, but I'll look into it. Maybe the spirits know a direction to look in."
"It feels almost familiar, like I've seen parts of it before. But for the life of me I can't place it anywhere." He looked over at Cas reading. "If you can figure it out, I would appreciate it."
"I'll let you know what I find," Bela sighed. "If anything, I might be able to get you a location as to where to find the person who did."
"Thanks." Sam thought a moment. "Also, if the spirits connect a name 'Jake' or 'Adam' to it, any additional information they can tell you about who they are would come in handy."
"Got it. I'll call you once I've got something."
"I appreciate it. Sorry for the finger pointing. It's just been hectic these last few weeks." And he was sincere in that.
"It's fine, Sam. I'm used to it after all these years."
"Yeah," He rubbed the back of his neck. "Talk to you soon then." He hung up the phone and sighed. Another dead end, but maybe Bela would find something helpful. But he was still no closer to solving this mystery.