Glass Angels

Chapter 5: Curtains for a Goddess

New Haven. Saturday, January 28, 2006.

Neal slowly grew aware of his surroundings. He was shivering from the cold, his brain reduced to frozen slush.

His eyes popped open. Astrena. When she was in his head at the Renaissance Festival, tendrils of electricity propelled him into the freezer. Now he was encased in what felt like a cocoon of ice. "Beware of her fair hair," the poet had said. Her locks had twined around the poet's neck. Was Neal destined for the same fate?

From what little he could tell, he was glued to one of the stained glass panels. Below him, Astrena still had two of her harpies with her. The others must have fanned out through the house. Was Sara safe? Had Dean and Sam come alone? They may have already succumbed to the demons' fury. Gusts of wind whipped around the salon. China ornaments and pots of orchids lay smashed on the floor. Neal felt as if he were lashed to the mast of a ship during a blizzard.

Astrena was speaking to her harpies in some language. It sounded like Greek. She spared him a glance. "It won't be long, dearest."

"Are we under attack? Let me come down and protect you."

She smiled at him as if he were a foolish child. "You're the one who needs to be shielded. Nothing can harm me."

"Don't count on it, bitch," Dean growled as he charged into the salon. Sam was right behind him. They appeared uninjured. Both were wielding swords. Dean darted a glance at Neal. "You okay?"

Neal nodded, hesitating to say anything for fear of enraging her still more.

Astrena shouted some command at her demonic guards, but all it took was one slashing stroke of the Winchesters' blades to make them vanish.

Astrena stepped back, looking shocked.

"It's over, Astrena," Sam said. "Release Neal."

"Never!" In an instant she transformed into the ice-blue gaseous entity of Neal's nightmares, standing at least double her original height. Uttering some tongue-twister of a word, she extended an arm toward Neal. As if magnetized, he was hurled toward her. Still paralyzed, he was unable to struggle as she wrapped an arm around him, holding him in front of her like a shield.

"I have suffered enough from your interference," she shouted over the gale, her voice dripping with venom. She spoke another phrase in Greek, lashing out with her free hand toward them ... with no result.

"I'm calling that 'Strike three and you're out," Dean said contemptuously.

"Do you think we should give her another chance?" Sam mocked.

No, we shouldn't, Neal insisted. I'm ready to be rescued.

Just then Astrena shook convulsively. With a reverberating howl, she released Neal. He dropped to the floor, looking up just in time to see a disappearing trail of blue vapor.

"Are you all right?" Sara appeared from nowhere and crouched next to him, studying him anxiously.

"I think so." He flexed his fingers. "The paralysis is gone. What happened to Astrena?"

"Sara's got a good arm," Dean said, striding over. "We figured Astrena would use you as a shield. Sara sneaked in from the back while the bitch's focus was on us. I gave her the sword of Saint Mercurius, but all our swords had been treated with the potion."

"Maia led me to a back entrance through the grow room," Sara added. "As soon as the sword touched her, Astrena disintegrated. After all the torment she'd caused, it was supremely satisfying. I'm still amazed that it worked."