Klaus had watched the proceedings from the balcony with great interest. That Marcel was so clearly threatened by whatever bit of magic this Jane Anne Deveraux had practiced was intriguing, as was the witch's fight. It was an avenue he would definitely have to pursue.
"We need to find this Sophie," he murmured to Stefan. Klaus had other pans for the moment, though. He supposed it was time to go relieve Rebekah of her given task, watching Elena. His sister was moody enough at the best of times, let alone when she felt she was being taken advantage of. He supposed he could take over that duty. Needling Elena would be entertaining as always, at the very least.
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The ride home passed quickly enough, Klaus guiding his sleek car through the Louisiana countryside. But, as he pulled up in front of the plantation home, his mood too a turn for the worse. The front door hung wide open, the house completely dark. The car came to a halt outside, Klaus turning the headlights off before he slid out, cautiously making his way up the front steps. Every sense alert, he was wary of intruders, but the house was empty. Or nearly so, at any rate. To one side he spotted a crumpled form, vampire vision neatly detecting his hybrid lying there, neck snapped. Stefan followed, looking around for any other clues that might help.
Hoping enough time had passed that he would be conscious once more, Klaus stepped forward, crouching as his hand stretched out to shake the body. "Come on Tyler, mate."
The boy came to with a gasp, eyes glowing gold as he sat straight up. It took him a moment to calm enough to speak. "What happened?" He gasped.
"I was rather hoping you could tell me that. Where's Elena? And my sister?" Of course Rebekah was an after-thought at this point.
One hand rose to rub his neck a moment as Tyler thought. "Rebekah left," he answered.
"She left," Klaus repeated, trying to keep rein on his temper. "And I don't suppose she took Elena with her for a girls' night out?" That, as much as he might dislike the idea, would have been preferable to the scenario that was currently running through his head.
"No," Tyler shook his head. "We were here together and… I don't know what happened. The power went out and I heard Elena yell for me. By the time I got to the top of the stairs, I saw her collapse."
The Original's fists clenched. He would certainly have words with his sister when she returned. And with Tyler, depending on the lad's explanation of subsequent events and why he hadn't been able to save the doppelganger. "Go on," he prompted, voice terse.
"I jumped over the railing, I landed between her and…there was a group of women," Tyler continued. "I growled at them, told them to leave. I wasn't going to let them take her but…"
"But?" Stefan interrupted this time, coming over to stand over Klaus and Tyler both.
"Before I knew it, I was flying through the air. I must have broken my neck when I hit the wall."
"Witches," Klaus answered, glancing up to Stefan. "I wonder if this was what got Marcel's wrath visited upon Jane Anne Deveraux." Or was it? Whatever tool Marcel had at his disposal which allowed him to keep tabs on the local witches, was it sensitive enough to pick up a witch flinging someone through the air? Or would another spell have been to blame? And what other spell could they have performed on Elena?
"What would they do with her?" Tyler interrupted Klaus' train of thoughts. He cared little what happened to the witches in question but Elena was another story entirely. "Would they hurt her? More than they already did? I mean, if they know about her, know what she is…"
"They'd now she's a weakness," Stefan completed calmly.
"Let's hope for their sakes that they haven't harmed a hair on her head. Because if they have, whatever they've done will look like a walk in the park compared to the vengeance I will wreak." He rose then, turning to go. "Clean up this mess. If you see my dear sister, detain her by any means necessary."
"Where are you going?" Tyler questioned, pushing himself up.
"Just a bit of a witch hunt." Klaus had meant what he'd said. He would scour every square inch of New Orleans if it meant finding Elena relatively unharmed and bringing her back to the fold. And he'd burn the city to the ground himself should that not be possible for any reason. For now, it was back to New Orleans.
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Sophie Deveraux knelt by her sister's body, lighting a candle as she prayed. Tears streamed down her cheeks; Jane Anne had been the only family she had left. Monique was gone, their parents had passed away… Now Sophie could only hope the plan went accordingly and that Jane Anne's sacrifice hadn't been in vain. But, as she prayed, any peace she'd been attempting to find was interrupted.
"Hi Soph."
Marcel. Of course. Pain-filled eyes opened, looking up at him.
"Don't suppose you know what your sister was up to? What got her killed?"
"Not a clue," she managed, swallowing back more tears as the lump in her throat grew. "Please Marcel. I'm just mourning my sister."
"Looks like more than that to me. I know where you get your power from, Sophie. Don't forget that." Ancestral magic. And if she consecrated Jane Anne's bones, it would be more power used to fight against him. That was something Marcel obviously couldn't allow.
"Please…let me put her to rest."
"No," he shook his head. "I don't think so. I need her to serve as a warning. To you and the rest of your coven." A nod to his vampires and they swooped in, scooping up the body.
"She won't be at peace!" Sophie shouted, rising to protest.
"Not my problem," Marcel called back. "Maybe I'll let you have her back if you're good. For the moment, though, I'd go back to the restaurant. Focus on making that gumbo the tourists love so much."
They were gone in a minute, leaving a distraught Sophie in their wake. And an intrigued Klaus in the shadows. It had been pure dumb luck that he'd happened across the scene in the search for his doppelganger. Elena was his, after all, and Klaus was nothing if not possessive.
"That was certainly interesting." The cool British voice rang through the night air as he stepped forward, eyes locked on the woman in front of him.
Sophie jumped, swallowing hard at the interruption. When it rained it poured, apparently. "What do you want?" She wouldn't pretend she didn't know who he was, but she had hoped for more time before a confrontation with the Original.
"I want my girl back." He stepped forward again, glaring at the witch. "You see, a group of witches invaded my property earlier. They snapped my friend's neck and took my girl and I have reason to believe your coven is behind it."
She took a deep breath, standing taller. She'd hoped for more time, but she wouldn't back away from this opportunity. "And if we were?" She questioned, eyes locked on Klaus.
In an instant his hand was on her neck, face barely an inch from hers as he hissed his response. "I'd say you should speak quickly and give me a good reason to not strangle every last breath from you."
"The girl is unharmed. For now," Sophie advised. She winced as the hybrid's hand tightened around her neck. "I wouldn't do that, though."
"Oh really?" He smirked. "And tell me why I should listen to you when I could just as easily massacre your entire clan and take Elena back."
"We're linked," she answered. "Whatever you do to me, you're doing to her. It'd be a shame for you to go to all the effort of killing twenty or so witches only to arrive and find that Elena had been dead from the minute I breathed my last."
"You're bluffing." His hand stayed on her neck though, notably, his grasp didn't tighten.
"Am I?" Sophie dared him to disagree with her. "Are you willing to chance that?" He wouldn't be, obviously. If Elena meant so much to him, he couldn't risk her death.
Glaring at her, it was a moment longer before Klaus released her, pushing her away as he did. "I want to see her." Tone left little room for argument. "Now." He wanted to know she was safe. And he wanted to test the witch's claim.
It took Sophie a moment to respond, trying to hide the cough that erupted as her throat suddenly expanded once more. "I can take you to her," she nodded. "Just follow me." She could only hope Klaus hadn't been stupid enough to attack her when Marcel's people were nearby. She doubted it, though. He was old. He'd been around. And he hadn't survived by being stupid. Even when he acted based on emotions.