Dean stared at the girl on the bed. He’d been watching her ever since her brother had knocked her unconscious. Yet, he made no move to enter the room. Something stopped him and it wasn’t her siblings.

You’ve been staring at my sister for two weeks, Jamie said coming to stand beside him. She’s waiting for you, I think.

What are you talking about?

Jamie laughed, You’re the only one who hasn’t been in to see her. My guess is, she’s awake but waiting for you.

Why the hell would she wait for me?

Dunno. My sister is a bit of a mystery to us. She and Mac grew up in Scotland with one of our uncles. From what little I know, they didn’t have it too easy at the Academy, Iri especially.

Dean gave him a confused look. Jamie sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

You’ve seen the scars on her face?

Hard to miss them.

Our dad did that to her when she was maybe 15 or 16. Hell, she could have been only 13. I didn’t really pay that much attention to how old we were back then.

He sighed again. When Mac and our uncles found her, Enyo was in control. Seems he’d been torturing her for information on our mom. She didn’t give anything up. Her Achilles’ tendons were severed as were ACL and MCL. She also had railroad spikes through her both knees. And that’s just what we could see. Broken leg, broken ribs, torn rotator cuff, dislocated shoulder, fractured vertebrae, lacerated liver and spleen, punctured lung, and bite marks. Granted, some of those were from her battle with her best friend but the majority of them came from our father. In a way, you two are very similar.

Come again?

That mark on your arm, it’s hard to control. The entities that inhabit my sister are much the same. Enyo is the only one who can control them.

There are 2 she can’t control, Iri’s voice startled them both. Amon is far more powerful than her. He is a Prince of Hell. Persis may not be anything more than an embodiment of the sea but she’s just as dangerous as Amon. Few have had the pleasure of meeting them but make no mistake, they are the last thing you ever see.

Dean swallowed audibly. Jamie simply shrugged. Iri turned to her brother.

How bad? She asked.

Jamie looked away and didn’t reply.

Jamie, how bad was I to subdue this time? She practically growled at him.

Dean took a step toward her.

This time? He asked cautiously.

Ioke is a bitch but easy enough to handle, Iri said ignoring him. Enyo protects the idiots and she was with me and Alastor the whole time. Persis and Amon don’t leave, which leaves Oizys, Lyssa, Moros, Sekhment, Adrestia, or Koschei the deathless. So who did you have to subdue Jamie?

Jamie didn’t meet her gaze and shrugged again.

James Fraser McMillan Asha! Iri thundered. You tell me this instant who it was you had to subdue!

Dean gulped quietly to himself and glanced at Jamie. To his utter surprise, Jamie was crying quietly. He muttered a name under his breath that Dean could barely hear through his tears.

WHO. WAS. IT? Iri demanded again.

Koschei, Jamie answered miserably.

Iri’s face went white, if that was even possible considering how pale she’d already been. She stumbled and Dean crossed the space between them in two long strides. He wrapped an arm around her waist as she sagged into him.

K-Koschei was out? She mumbled into his shoulder.

Ioke couldn’t get to you, she said, Jamie answered. While she was trying to get to you, Koschei slipped out and over powered her. She was able to stop him from completely taking over but he was still able to fight back against me.

He pushed up his sleeves and revealed several long, deep gashes.

Call Ni-Chan, she whispered before going limp against him.

Dean scooped her into his arms and carried her to her bed.

Who’s Ni-Chan? He asked Jamie.

Our brother, he replied. He’s an Alchemist.

Like your sister, Mac, then? Dean asked not looking up from Iri.

Yeah that’s right, Jamie replied.

Sam or I can stitch them up, he said referring to the lacerations on Jamie’s arms.

Jamie shook his head.

I’m fine, he muttered.

Dean looked over just in time to see Jamie slump into a chair, unconscious. Blood soaked his shirt. Dean stared in dismay at the boy slumped in the chair.

Sam! He bellowed. Cas!

Cas was the first to arrive.

Dean, what is it? He asked.

Help him! Dean gestured wildly to Jamie.

I can’t, Cas told him. He’s protected by ancient magick. Magick I cannot bypass.

Call Niall, Iri’s voice was barely above a breathy whisper. Only Niall can save him. You have to get him here before.....

Before what, Iri? Dean asked confused but she’d already fallen back into unconsciousness.

Can you help her? He asked Cas.

I am not sure what I can do for her, Cas replied.

Then go find their brother! Dean snapped.

I can take you to him, Mac’s voice startled them all. Iri is taking his pain away. That’s why she’s unconscious.

She can take pain? Cas asked bewildered.

It’s part of her Druid magick. She doesn’t even know she’s doing it. It’s innate. Come, we need to move quickly or she’ll end up taking his injuries too.

She can do that? Dean asked.

Mac nodded, the five of us are linked through ancient Druid magick. Magick that we all can access at any time. But Iri, Iri is different. She can pull on the magick that links us. That’s what allows her to take our pain, to the point where she can actually heal us by taking on our injuries herself. What makes it dangerous is the fact Jamie had to do so much damage to her in order to subdue her.

Is there anything we can do to slow down the process? Sam asked.

Mac just shrugged. Dean rounded on her.

How can you just shrug? Shouldn’t you know these things? He demanded.

We are not all knowing, despite what the evidence may suggest, she replied softly. We have no way of knowing what will happen without turning her into an experiment.

With that, she grabbed Cas and they went to get Mac and Iri’s brother.