I'd like to thank everyone for waiting so patiently for this chapter! I hope you can enjoy it! It was a bit difficult for me to write, mostly because it is more plotty than fluffy. (And we all know fluff is more fun to write!) As always, you guys have been such a great support system while I have been writing this story! It is your love and encouragement that keeps me going! So thanks you guys!
Without further ado.
Don't own. Never will. Anything you don't recognize is mine. :)
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Mikael has long since disappeared from Caroline's sight. She fights to stay conscious for a long while before she finally gives in to the soft slumber her blood loss craves. When she awakes again, her wrists have been bandaged crudely and the silver bowls are missing. Her mind is fuzzy and she just barely manages to stay awake. It feels like a century before she can focus her eyes on Katherine. Caroline opens her mouth to call out, but only a raspy whine escapes. Her lips are parched and her throat is raw from screaming. Katherine is looking at the cave's ceiling as if she is in a trance but when she hears Caroline she looks to her sharply. "Back from the dead so soon?" she remarks, her own head dipping slightly as she winces in pain.
Caroline nods and looks to Bonnie worriedly.
"Your witchy friend will be alright," she says, "for now."
Caroline clears her throat. "How long have I been out?" she inquires, the sound of her own voice startling her. It is hoarse, raw and cracks horribly.
Katherine cocks her head to the side. "An hour," she replies, "maybe two."
"Where is Mikael?"
"Preparing," she whispers.
"Preparing?"
"It is no easy feat, my dear, to bring the dead back to life," Mikael's deep baritone interrupts. He flashes in front of Caroline, cocky grin in place. She gasps, wincing away from him. "Still weak from the blood loss, hmm?" He leans in close, taking a whiff of her hair before retreating and bringing his wrist to his lips. He bites down, opening up a wound of fresh blood. "Fancy a drink?"
Caroline recoils with a disgusted grimace.
"No reason to be ill mannered, Caroline," Mikael chastises as he turns to face Katherine. "And you, doppelganger?"
"I'd rather bleed to death," she sneers.
He laughs. "Suit yourselves." He trains his eyes on Bonnie who is still out cold. He leans down next to her and presses two fingers against her throat. He waits a beat. "Good," he says, "her heartbeat is still steady." Mikael rips into his arm once again and presses it against Bonnie's parted lips.
"What are you doing?" Caroline cries, struggling against her restraints.
"That's right, witch," he whispers, ignoring Caroline completely, "drink up."
Bonnie stirs slightly before she begins to unconsciously drink Mikael's blood. Her body knows she needs it, but her mind is not her own. Her eyes flash open; they are dull and empty as she feeds. A low hum sounds from deep within Mikael's throat as he watches the young witch drink from him. "Ah, ah," he says loftily as he pulls his wrist away from her mouth suddenly. "That is quite enough."
Caroline glances to Bonnie's wrists that are, like her own wrists, bandaged crudely. Mikael unwraps the bandages gingerly, making a pleased noise as he watches the wound knit itself back together. "Excellent," he purrs, a catlike grin forming on his lips.
Slowly, Bonnie begins to regain her strength and conscious mind. She snaps out of it suddenly and begins to thrash wildly against her restraints. "Sanguinem, mentis, vena, ruptis, et nunc," she begins, her tone taking on an almost demon like sound as her eyes flash briefly.
Mikael gives a growl of agony, throwing his hand up to cradle his head as a hollow pain descends upon him. He glares at Bonnie and lashes out, slapping her. "Quiet," he snarls. He slams his hands down on her elbows, eliciting a yelp of pain.
"Bonnie!" Caroline calls helplessly.
"Go to hell," she seethes through bloodied teeth.
He leans in close, his eyes dilating. "Now that no vervain is left in your system," he whispers harshly, "all I need is for you to do is sit still and shut up."
Bonnie's body stills automatically, her eyes glazing over and her mouth clamping shut.
"Bonnie, don't listen to him," Caroline says desperately, trying to break her friend out of her trance.
Katherine remains stoic; it is only her quick witted brown eyes that give away her muted displeasure. She is up to something.
Mikael leans forward until he is in direct eye contact with Bonnie. "I am going to unstrap you now," he says, voice like silk. "You aren't going to fight me. You will follow me into the other chamber and you will perform every spell I put in front of you. Do you understand me?"
"Yes," she replies, voice soft and compliant.
"Good," he rumbles in reply. A second later, Bonnie is unstrapped. She stands on her own accord and looks to Mikael as if she is a lost animal in search of her master. Mikael caresses her face as a satisfied smirk twists upwards and embeds itself in to his features. "This way, witch," he says, directing her past Caroline.
"Bonnie!" Caroline yells urgently, trying and trying and trying to catch her friend's eye. "Don't listen to him, please! Bonnie, look at me!"
Bonnie glances at her, confusion flitting briefly across the shadow of her eyes.
Mikael grabs Bonnie roughly by the shoulder, turning her slightly to face him. "Caroline no longer exists. You do not see her, you do not touch her, and you cannot hear her. She is no more," his eyes dilate, contorting with horrible intentions. "Now," he breathes, "tell me who Caroline is."
She blinks. "Who?" she whispers as befuddlement dances across her face cruelly.
"NO! BONNIE! BONNIE!"
Tears pour from Caroline's eyes in torrents as she struggles to get free, to reach for her friend; her friend who no longer knows who she is.
"Wonderful," Mikael says and aims his twisted smile in Caroline's direction. He pushes Bonnie onward, but lags behind, resting his hand on Caroline's shoulder. "Don't worry dear, you are the first person Esther will want to speak with."
And just like that, he vanishes.
Katherine speaks suddenly. "There was nothing you could have done," she says softly, showing her first sign of genuine compassion. "He compelled her."
Caroline is half crazed out of her mind. "He's going to kill her," she mumbles, rocking back in froth in a vain attempt to free herself from the leather straps. "There was nothing I could do to stop him. Nothing…" she trails off, her eyes wandering about the cave. And that's when she spots them, her small measure of hope.
Twelve twinkling candles line the wall, flickering weakly as they struggle to exist. Just like her. She is weak from the blood loss, too weak to create her own light—but not too weak to manipulate it. Hope bubbles in her chest. She can do this. She can save herself, save Bonnie! Her eyes dart to Katherine, who is peering at her curiously.
"Well," Katherine says sardonically. "Are you going to sit there all night with that stupidly happy expression on your face or are you going to share your—no doubt—marvelous escape plan?"
"The candles," she says simply.
Katherine turns, her eyes widening a fraction; she looks impressed. "What are you waiting for?" she quips.
Caroline exhales and closes her eyes. She looks deep within herself, quickly finding that soft spark within her soul that allows her complete control over any sort of light. It vibrates within her, branching out into her limbs and warming her body. It calms her. When she opens her eyes, her whole demeanor has changed. She is calm. She is powerful. Caroline shifts her eyes to gaze at the candles. She feels the familiar pull of her magic as she wills all twelve flames to separate themselves from their waxy base. The flames swirl upwards one by one and merge into one giant, burning ball of light and power. It takes effort on her part to pull the flame towards her. As it nears, she separates it into two flames and they come to hover over both the straps holding her elbows in place. The flame burns through the first straps and the rest with amazing speed.
At last, she is free.
The first thing she does is rush to Katherine's side, unstrapping her restraints and freeing her. Katherine has the decency to appear grateful. "Thank you," she says with genuine gratitude. She falters slightly when she gets to her feet. Caroline steadies her.
"We have to get Bonnie back," Caroline says, grasping Katherine's hand in hers. "You'll help me, won't you?"
Any gratitude left swimming in Katherine's eyes disappears completely. "You freed me," she begins, "and for that, I am thankful. But you are a silly little girl if you think you stand a chance against Mikael. Your witchy friend is good as dead. It would be wise to leave now and save yourself."
"What are you saying?" Caroline breathes, her heart tightening in fear.
"I'm saying… it is not always a bad thing to be selfish."
Caroline's face hardens. "You want me to leave her."
Katherine nods cautiously. "That would be the idea, yes. She would be enough of a distraction—"
"No," Caroline says venomously, cutting Katherine off. "I will not abandon my friend."
Katherine sighs. "I will not stop you if you wish to throw away your life so callously."
"You are a coward," Caroline snaps, releasing Katherine from her friendly grasp. "You abandoned your own sister at the drop of a hat. It was foolish for me to even think you would be willing to help me."
"You don't know the first thing about me," Katherine sneers and turns away from Caroline.
"Elena is too good for you," Caroline says as she glares at Katherine's back. "She still loves you, you know. Even after you left her to be collected for the mess you created.
"Enough," Katherine growls as her voice trembles slightly with emotion. "I do not want to hear another word about how great my sister is. I know, okay? I know she is the one who inherited the golden heart, whilst I got stuck with a black hearted coal. But you know what? I am selfish. And it's kept me safe so far. So get off your pedestal, Caroline. Lecture me all you want. In the end, it is not I that will be a lifeless corpse."
With that said, Katherine turns by her heel and stomps off in the opposite direction than Mikael had left. She never once pauses to look back at Caroline.
Caroline sighs in frustration, tears prickling at her already tear-stained face. No, she tells herself. Breathe, Caroline. You are strong enough for this. You can do this. She nods to herself and starts after Mikael; she is careful to tread lightly as to not give up her element of surprise. As she rounds a corner in the cavern, following the flow of air and the faint scent of magic, she sees a soft light. She is going the right direction. Her footsteps slow as she creeps closer, more cautious than ever of her surroundings. She stops at the edge of the cavern and peers into the open chamber. Bonnie's voice greets her ears, low and ritualistic. She is murmuring Latin, summoning magic from mother earth. A coffin sits before her, a pale woman with long, blonde locks lies within. Her skin is a horrible gray color and Caroline senses that no life resides within the body. A giant, open wound rests right where her heart had once been.
Esther.
Mikael stands to the right of the coffin, a large silver container clutched in his grasp. Bonnie's chanting grows louder as she thrust her hands up in the air and blood begins to leak from her nostrils and ears. Mikael takes this as some sort of cue, pouring the container's contents on top of Esther.
Red.
The substance is crimson red.
Blood, Caroline realizes belatedly. Mikael is pouring blood on top of his beloved.
Her blood.
Bonnie's blood.
Katherine's blood.
The blood concoction pools around Esther, encasing her. Bonnie steps forward, leans into the coffin and dips her arms into the blood, chanting faster and with more fervor. It is as if the cave is suddenly shaking. It vibrates with magic and Bonnie's voice contorts, as if a thousand witches are speaking at once. I have to stop this, Caroline thinks. But how?
The blood begins to bubble and boil. It moves towards Esther's chest and sinks into the gaping hole, filling it completely. Her skin begins to color in consequence, life rushing into her. As the last of the blood disappears into her chest a loud crack sounds throughout the chamber. Bonnie jolts backward as if she has been electrocuted. Caroline falls to the ground in shock, her own heart shuddering. It feels as if her heart beat is no longer her own. It beats, but she can feel so much more.
What did he do to me? She wonders, steadying herself. She presses her fingers to her chest and focuses on remembering how to breathe.
Mikael is at Esther's side the next instant, grasping her hand in his. He whispers something in her ear Caroline cannot quite make out. She snaps out of her trance and focuses her gaze on Bonnie, who has not yet come to her senses. While Mikael is distracted, she runs to her friend's side, dropping down next to her. She grasps Bonnie's face in her hands. "Bonnie," she whispers hurriedly, "you have to snap out of this—we have to go!"
Bonnie looks on through her as if she doesn't exist.
It dawns on her that her fiend is still being compelled. If she cannot communicate with her, how can she ever hope to escape, Bonnie in tow? Leaving her is not an option. Caroline grits her teeth as she gets to her feet. Mikael is still distracted by Esther—if she could disable him in some way then maybe, just maybe she would have some hope of escape.
Caroline glares at Mikael and thrusts her hand forward. From deep within her, she summons and awful flame from the dirt surrounding Mikael. It flashes upwards and licks angrily at Mikael's legs. He growls in livid agony as his arm burns. He pulls back, finding himself trapped in a circle of flames—Esther on the other side of the wall of flames, just out of his reach.
"You wretch!" Mikael spits, glaring hatefully in Caroline's direction.
"Release Bonnie from your compulsion," Caroline demands as she takes a step forward.
"Nice try, princess," he sneers.
Caroline twists her hand, intensifying the heat of the flames. "Uncompel her!"
Mikael simply laughs; the sound of it is maddening. "It's only a matter of time until she wakes," he says, tone light. "You may want to start running."
Right after Mikael speaks, another horrible shock runs through her body and goes straight to her heart. It leaves her gasping.
For a second, her heart stops.
The pain is unbearable.
She can feel her world turning on its axis as she falls to her knees.
Her heart jars back to life with an excruciating shutter.
Across the room, Esther's eyes flash open.
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WHAT?! The readers cry, NO KLAUS IN THIS CHAPTER?! Sorry lovelies, but it just didn't fit with what I wanted to do. Caroline had to grow as a character, she had to save herself! But do not fret! Klaus WILL be in the next chapter. And there will be moments, but that is all I'm teasing for now. ;)
As always, constructive criticism is welcome! Tell me what you thought! If you do not know what to say, simply use this helpful little template:
Dear Muffintine,
Another chapter without Klaus? You're too cruel!
And now Esther's back from the dead?!
What will become of our heroes?
UPDATE SOON!
Love,
your name.
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xoxo,
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