Tell me where we go from here 30/?
Chapter 30
They did reach the place the next day before noon. That they were getting close had been obvious for a while but Sam couldn't tell when he'd felt the first effects of the grace. The tension in the air was almost palpable and the light breeze carried the smell of ozone. They hadn't seen anything weird so far but without talking about it, the brothers had slipped into hunter mode.
The conversation had died down a while ago and they walked with more care now. Sam strained his ears but didn't hear anything. He'd thought this kind of quiet only happened in movies but the forest around them was eery quiet. Even the light breeze had stopped.
"I don't like this." Dean whispered. There was no reason for him to whisper but Sam answered in the same low voice: "Me neither."
Cas stood between them, weapon bag carelessly dropped at his feet and head tilted as if he was listening to something only he could hear.
"Cas?" Dean asked.
"It's close." Cas started walking. "It's mine."
The brothers hurried to catch up with him. Sam was a step behind because he took the time to scoop up the bag Cas had left behind.
At least we don't have to search for it, Sam thought but he didn't like how Cas just kept on walking, not caring if the brothers followed him or not.
Sam still didn't know if the quietness came from the grace or some trap Metatron had set up, however, they shouldn't just walk in like this.
"Cas!" Dean hissed and grabbed his shoulder. "Careful."
Cas blinked as if he didn't know where he was for a moment and that wasn't a good sign in Sam's book. He shared a glance with his brother and read the same concerns there.
"You okay?" Dean asked softer now but kept his hand on Cas' upper arm.
"It's calling me." He made a step in the same direction as before. Sam didn't see or hear anything but he didn't doubt that Cas felt his grace pulling at him.
"Let's just do this carefully." Dean insisted and took his gun out. If there was something waiting for them, Sam doubted it would be impressed by a regular gun but took his own out as well.
Cas moved his hand and his blade slipped out of his sleeve into his waiting palm and Sam breathed easier. That thing could kill almost anything but more important Cas agreed with them that they should be careful here.
They walked in silence with Cas in front and Sam and Dean a few steps behind him, keeping an eye out to the sides.
"Did I mention that it is too quiet?" Dean asked.
"No." Cas answered without breaking his stride.
"Well, it is."
They walked like this for a few minutes until they reached another clearing. And stopped dead in their tracks.
"Ehm ..." Dean made while Sam could only stand and stare. "That's impressive?"
"It is something." Sam admitted after a moment. He had expected a tree growing old over night or something like that. Like they'd seen with Anna's grace.
"At least we know we're at the right place?" Dean suggested with awe in his voice.
"At least that." Sam agreed without taking his eyes off the grove in front of him. He didn't know if that was the right word for it but it was the one coming to mind.
The clearing was a perfect circle, nothing that came naturally. In the middle of it, and Sam was willing to bet money that it was the exact center of the clearing, stood the mightiest oak he'd ever seen. He'd never thought a tree like this could grow this high. The oak stood in the middle of rings of birches. There was nothing random or natural about this, the circles were perfect with exact the same space between each of the birches. But it was not only the mighty trees, there was something else about this place, something sacred.
While the brothers stood at the edge of the clearing, gaping at the sight in front of them, Cas had kept walking. He moved like he was in trance, not caring that the brothers weren't behind him anymore.
"Dammit." Dean muttered and was the first to shake off the stupor. "Cas! Wait!"
Cas reached the first ring of birches and didn't hesitate and stepped between two of the trees. At that sight Sam held his breath, expecting anything to happen, but Cas just walked through.
Dean however, who was right behind their friend stopped all of a sudden as if he'd hit an invisible wall. Sam had seen the reverse with devil's traps, hell, he had kept Dean in one of those not long ago, but it still was a disturbing sight to see.
When Sam reached his brother Dean had his hands in the air like a pantomime but this invisible wall was real.
"Cas!" Dean yelled and banged his fist against thin air.
Without saying a word Sam took the right side and Dean the left in search for any kind of opening. The circle of birches was rather large and it took them a while until they met on the other side.
"Anything?" Dean asked when he came closer, by now rather frantic in his attempts to get through.
"Nothing." Sam had to admit and kicked a birch in frustration.
"Cas!" Dean yelled again. The angel had disappeared between the trees and Sam couldn't see what was going on inside. It didn't help that the circles of birches stood offset so that they blocked the view on the oak in the middle. It didn't help either that the oak seemed to stand on a small hill.
Suddenly there was a flash of light, white and blinding, the kind of light Sam associated with angels. He had to shield his eyes with this arm.
"Did he get it back?" Sam asked but before Dean could answer a blast following the light knocked them off their feet.
Sam fell on his back and not able to brace his fall it knocked the wind out of him. He blinked against the gray creeping in on his vision.
Cas. That was the thought that kept him conscious. He needed to get up. Once he got enough air in his lungs, that is. Sam lay on his back, blinking and gasping, and then Dean was in his line of view. A bit blurry but clear enough that Sam could make out his concerned expression.
"Sammy?"
Dean helped him up to a sitting position and now Sam could take a lung full of fresh air.
"You okay?" Dean patted his chest in search for broken ribs but Sam swatted his hand away.
"I'm fine." Sam reassured him. "Cas?"
"About that." Dean glanced over his shoulder. "Did you pack the machetes?"
"Machetes?" Sam asked back but then his eyes fell on the ring of trees behind Dean. "Oh."
"Yeah, oh." Dean mocked him and dropped to his butt next to him.
"We need a chainsaw for that." For a moment they set there next to each other with their elbows on their knees. "Cas is still in there?"
"As far as I can tell." Dean answered. "You have to admit, this is a rather creative trap."
"There should be machetes in the weapon bag." Sam nodded to where the bag lay in the grass. Now the slight breeze, minus the ozone, picked up again and he heard birds in the trees. Even the tension was gone. Whatever magically had been going one here, it was gone now.
Dean got to his feet and a second later Sam had a machete in his face. He took it reluctantly.
"That's quite a hedge." He said but got to his feet and took the blade out of the sheath. In unison they stepped closer to have a real look at the stuff that had grown between the birches.
"Are those brambles?" Dean lifted a branch with the tip of his blade. "With some impressive thorns, be careful."
For the first time Sam was grateful for the layers of clothing he was wearing. Even with that he would come out the other side with some deep scratches, he was sure of that.
"Cas, we're coming!" With that Dean raised the machete and sabered through the thorn hedge. They fell in an easy rhythm, working side by side, but it was slow work. The branches weren't that thick but tough and more often than not they snapped back and Sam had to be careful to not get hit in the face.
However, they kept going. Sam was sweating and the machete seemed to weight a ton by now and he had more scratches than he cared to count, nothing was bleeding severely so he shrugged it off.
Next to him Dean was in an equal condition but Sam knew Dean would get through this or die trying. Sam was with him but he did pause once in a while to get them water and he even managed to force an energy bar down Dean's throat.
They had reached the clearing around eleven in the morning, it was getting dark when they finally broke through the brambles.
With a fresh burst of energy Dean broke through the last branches, not caring about the thorns ripping his clothes apart and for sure ripping patches off his skin as well. He stumbled up the small hill towards the oak.
Sam followed him a bit slower. The trees blocked most of what was left of the light and for a second he was sure that there as nothing on this hill except for the oak. The trunk was thick enough to hide an army behind it so he followed his brother around.
Then, finally, he saw something in the grass.
"Cas!" Dean had noticed him too and sprinted over to the still form. He fell to his knees next to the angel and Sam was at his other side a heartbeat later.
"Cas!" Shaking his shoulders Dean tried to wake him but Cas' head just flopped from one side to the other. Before he could hurt him Dean let go of him.
"What's wrong with him?" He turned to Sam and they locked eyes for a second but Sam didn't have an answer and looked away.
As far as he could tell Cas wasn't injured and his chest rose and fell in a shallow but constant pattern. He looked like he was sleeping.
"Let's get him out of here." Sam suggested. He didn't trust the brambles to not close behind them and the last thing he wanted to do was to spent the night in here. Besides, outside they had better light, flashlights and things like that. Not that he had any idea what was wrong with Cas so he didn't have a clue how to help him.
"Did he get his grace?" Dean asked with a glance up the tree. "Or was this all for nothing?"
Sam didn't have an answer to that either so he shuffled over to Cas' feet instead and jerked his head to get his brother moving. Dean slipped his arms under Cas' armpits and grabbed his forearms in front of his chest while Sam took his feet. On their way through the brambles they tried to be careful but couldn't help the thorns tucking at them. At least his coat protected Cas from the worst scratches.
Without talking about it they carried him off the clearing and only when they reached the normal forest they dared to lay him down. During all that Cas didn't move, his head resting lifeless at Dean's chest.
Carefully Dean arranged his limbs and Sam sprinted back to get their backpacks. When he came back, Cas lay on his back with Dean sitting at his side.
Dean looked up at Sam when he came closer. His face was covered in sweat and blood and now tears had washed clean lines through the grime.
"He's not waking up, Sammy."
Chapter 31
Masterpost