Chapter 11

Author's note: The mystery sacrifice has everyone asking lots of questions which made me so happy that you're still invested in my story. Thank you for all of the follows, favorites and reviews! I hope you enjoy the surprises in this chapter. We'll have one more chapter after this one to wrap everything up.

Warning: Graphic violence. Also, deliciously dark Klaroline as more secrets get revealed.

"Remember, Othin, in olden days
That we both our blood have mixed;
Then didst thou promise no ale to pour,
Unless it were brought for us both.

Stand forth then, Vithar, and let the wolf's father
Find a seat at our feast"

— Lokasenna, Snorri Sturlason

Elijah stepped into the clearing, standing protectively in front of Bonnie. Bonnie squared her shoulders, trying not to look at her trapped friends so that she could remain focused on her task. Their hopeful cries penetrated the rough mask she wore and her body twitched as though she longed to race toward the fires that held them hostage.

Klaus's lips curled into a knowing smile. "Brother, come to watch my victory?"

Elijah was stone-faced as he grimly replied, "Let's end this, Niklaus."

Bonnie stepped around Elijah, her face no longer obscured by the shadows of twisted branches. She raised her arms, summoning the power her ancestors had bestowed upon her. Her small, cheerful voice became rough and tinged with a swaggering confidence that she didn't know she could possess as she began chanting. Klaus fell to his knees as though his muscles were seizing. He gasped out a shaky breath, his eyes flashing dangerously. Elena, Jeremy and Damon all yelled triumphantly as they watched the Original collapse. Their joyful cries filled the air; confident that soon their loathsome enemy would be defeated.

Caroline started to run to his side, but was stopped short as Bonnie cast her spell upon the goddess. Her ivory skin seemed to sizzle in the moonlight, as though Bonnie's words were poison to her soul. Sapphire eyes blazing, she watched the witch with interest despite appearing to be in agony. "Your powers have surpassed my expectations, little witch," she pronounced with a hint of pride.

Bonnie's dark gaze bored into hers and she yelled triumphantly, "We've come to stop you! I won't let you hurt my friends anymore!"

Klaus let out a painful groan, writhing upon the cold ground. He shuddered violently, panting and wheezing. Just as he began a long, painful bellow, he was cut short by Elijah's wry voice, "Honestly, Niklaus, are your theatrics entirely necessary?"

Bonnie looked at Elijah sharply, taking a hesitant step away from him, but maintaining the connection to her powerful spells. "What do you mean, Elijah," she asked warily.

Elijah gave a long-suffering sigh as he buttoned his dark suit jacket. "I'm afraid we have mislead you, Bonnie," he explained with a tone of regret.

Caroline stopped pretending to be frozen by the witch's spell and crossed her arms in front of her in a huff. "Always such a spoilsport, dear Elijah," she scolded playfully. She walked over to Klaus and reached out a hand to help him up.

Klaus took her hand with a smirk, dusting off his clothing. "Trust my brother to cut short our fun, my goddess." He addressed Bonnie, chuckling. "Good effort, little witch. It was a delightful tingle."

Caroline's pink lips twitched in mirth. "Mine was more of a fun tickle." At Bonnie's horrified expression, she mockingly asked, "Did you honestly believe you could seek an alliance with your departed ancestors? I rule the underworld, silly witch. Their souls are mine; their power is mine." Her blue eyes glittered maliciously as she vowed, "And I would never allow that power to harm what's mine."

"You chose the wrong side, little witch," Klaus growled, tensing his muscles as though ready to attack.

Caroline held up her hand to call for silence. "But it's not too late to choose more wisely," she offered, her commanding voice softening unexpectedly. The protests and curses of the ritual sacrifices had become deafening. With a glare of annoyance, Caroline froze time. She needed Bonnie to focus on her generous offer and not be distracted or allow herself to be swayed by outside influences.

Bonnie blanched at the impossible scene before her, her heart pounding wildly. Several brown leaves had been caught in mid-swirl between Elijah and Klaus, who seemed to be in the midst of arguing good-naturedly if the curl of their smiles was anything to go by. A glance to her right showed her friends' faces frozen in various states of distress. Most fascinating of all was the bizarre picture the roaring flames made, their gold and crimson colors jutting out like jagged spikes in the night air. She was curious to touch the fire and see if it would still burn her in its temporary stasis, but her fear kept her rooted to her place.

Caroline studied the scared teenager before her. Dressed all in black, she sensed the girl was trying to portray a worldly sophistication she did not possess. A little girl playing a woman's game. But with the right influences and the right experiences, she could be a worthy asset. She just needed the right motivation. "Bonnie, my dear, if anyone else had attacked me and mine as you have done tonight, there would be no saving you from my vengeance. But as I told you at our first meeting, I respect you. You are a rarity amongst the humans, possessing such a noble soul. I am offering you the opportunity to become greater than you could ever imagine. The earth would sway and tremble under your power if you wish it so." Flames swirled in her blue gaze as she coaxed, "Align yourself with us. Swear an oath to me and your past betrayals shall be forgiven."

"No!" Bonnie shook her head violently, her dark hair momentarily hiding her face. "I would never join someone so evil; I will never be your lap dog!"

"Lap dog?" Caroline's eyes widened in surprise. "You underestimate your worth, Bonnie. You are far too formidable to be a mere minion. You are the last of the Bennet line, a powerful force to be reckoned with; one that the supernatural world deeply respects. You would be an ally, a confidant. I would never seek to tear you down or make you less than what you are." She cocked an eyebrow at the girl's confused expression and inquired, "Can your so-called friends offer you the same pledge? Is their loyalty given to you in equal measure?"

As Bonnie struggled to find the right words, Caroline took her hand and led her toward the sacred circles where her friends remained frozen behind the flames. "You call me evil, something I will not deny. I am a creature of limitless power, forged before humanity was created, even before time was measured. I follow a code your humanity cannot understand. But before you make your decision, you need to understand that evil exists in all creatures. No one is untouched by darkness."

"My friends are loyal and good! They don't deserve to be sacrificed," Bonnie shouted angrily.

"Are you sure," Caroline coyly asked, pointing her delicate chin at Damon. "What about Damon? After all that I revealed to you about him, from his dark history with women to his knowledge about Stefan's plans terrorize and kill you like he did to your mother, do you still defend him? Is he worthy of your loyalty?"

The girl's stillness was a sight to behold for one so young as she seemed to gather strength within herself. Closing her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall, she took a cleansing breath and said flatly, "No. Damon is a monster. Just like you and the Originals. The world is better off without him."

Caroline ignored the witch's cutting remark and instead focused on Jeremy. The wound from her claws was still visible on his cheek. "Very well. Moving on to the Gilbert boy. Did you know that he begged me to sacrifice Tyler in his stead? Loyalty means nothing to him."

Bonnie's dark eyes widened in surprise, but she replied bitterly, "It's understandable. You probably tortured him until he couldn't take it anymore. Anyone would have done the same to survive."

"That's not quite how it happened, but I'll allow you your prejudices against me," Caroline said magnanimously. "Perhaps this knowledge will sway you. Jeremy caught Stefan lurking outside of your bedroom window months ago. At first he was understandably angry, but Stefan offered him a bargain. He vowed to never hurt Elena if Jeremy would keep his secret about his perverse hobbies. The Gilbert boy traded your life for his sister's. That's the depth of his loyalty," Caroline spat venomously, glaring at the boy still frozen by her spell.

"I — I don't believe you," Bonnie protested weakly.

Caroline sighed, "Very well." She lifted her temporary hold over the boy so that he could speak once more. "Young Gilbert, be a good lad and tell Bonnie about the conversation you had with Stefan outside of Bonnie's window. She's curious about the details of the bargain you struck."

The boy paled under the scrutiny. "Bonnie," he began hastily, "Whatever she told you, it wasn't like that, okay? I was just trying to buy some time to figure out what to do."

"And in the meantime, if he killed me, it didn't matter because at least Elena was safe," Bonnie yelled at him, the fire in her voice echoing throughout the small clearing. "It's always about Elena; everything and everyone must be sacrificed so that she's protected," she clenched her fists angrily as hot tears trickled down her face.

Before Jeremy could offer anymore pitiful excuses, Caroline resumed the spell and he was frozen once more in the sacred circle. She gave Bonnie a moment to compose herself and then stepped toward Elena. "The doppelganger has many secrets, but the one you'll be most interested in is the secrets she kept for another." She pointed an accusing finger at Elena as she revealed, "Not long after she learned that Stefan was a vampire, he confessed to her about his appetites. She's known about your mother's death at his hands for months now. When he told her that he still needed to hunt, to stalk innocent prey, do you know what her biggest concern was?" At Bonnie's stony silence, she continued, "The doppelganger told him that as long as the girls weren't prettier than her, she could endure it." She scoffed. "Endure it. As though the doppelganger's hardship of a murderous predator upon her arm compared to what his helpless victims endured."

Tears continued coursing down Bonnie's cheeks, her copper skin taking on a sallow tint as she absorbed the information and tried not to retch at the bitter taste it left in her mouth. As Caroline temporarily removed the spell from Elena, she faced her childhood friend with trepidation. "Tell me the truth, Elena. Did you know that Stefan murdered my mother?"

Elena tried unsuccessfully to remove the shock from her face. She sputtered, "Yes, but…but you have to understand that…it…it was a long time ago and he was different then!"

"Really? And what about all of the girls he continued to stalk and kill? Sounds like the only person who changed was you, Elena," Bonnie accused coldly.

An ugliness crawled across the doppelganger's face as she turned over Bonnie's words. "Stefan loved me! We were happy," she screeched.

Caroline stepped in and returned Elena to her stasis behind the flames. The poor witch beside her had endured too many psychological blows for one lifetime, much less one night. She spoke in a soothing tone as though calming a wounded animal. "The truths I've given you are harsh, I know, but you are strong enough to overcome them. For the suffering I've caused you, I offer you a gift. An incentive if you will. Pledge an oath to me, Bonnie, and I shall restore your mother."

Bonnie's body jolted as she heard the goddess' bargain. Her countenance remained cold and calculating, even as she brushed aside her tears with both hands. Her dark gaze swept across the frozen faces of the people she thought she knew, as she now finally understood the depth of her ignorance. Straightening her spine, she looked Caroline in the eye and said bluntly, "My oath is yours."

Caroline smiled triumphantly, pulling the witch back to where Klaus and Elijah stood and removed the spell from them. "Bonnie has agreed to bind herself to our cause. She is now our ally." She nodded to Elijah and commanded him, "She is under your care, Elijah. Protect her."

At Bonnie's curious expression, Caroline gently squeezed her hand. She said reassuringly, "Elijah will watch over you until the ritual is complete. I am sending you ahead and Niklaus and I will be along shortly. There is much to discuss." She waved an arm and a cavernous fissure appeared in the ground, swallowing Bonnie and Elijah before resealing itself.

"Well done, love," Klaus complimented her with an affectionate kiss to her temple. "I trust the witch will prove useful."

Caroline chuckled, "Immeasurably. You have no idea, Niklaus." She grinned as she heard the rustle of leaves, signifying the arrival of their final guest. "I do not tolerate tardiness. Your impudence is most vexing, Nadia," she snarled.

Nadia stepped into the clearing, trying to appear unmoved by Caroline's anger. "My apologies. It appears that at least I haven't missed the festivities," she drawled, glancing at the frozen figures.

Klaus shared a secret grin with Caroline. "Indeed. You're right on time."

Caroline moved swiftly, using her powers to unlock her spell that froze time and shifted Nadia into the fourth sacred circle. Elena and Jeremy called out in surprise as they saw Nadia was being held within the sacrificial flames. Despite the fact that she had deceived them all their lives, 'Aunt Jenna's' love and protection a heartbreaking falsehood, it was clear that they could not fathom watching her be destroyed.

Nadia faced Caroline and Klaus with fangs and a snarl. "What is this?" The obvious fear made her voice barely more than a screech.

"This is nothing more than your malleable loyalty deserves," Caroline said acidly.

"You thought to deceive us, to align yourself with our enemy. You chose poorly," Klaus growled at Nadia, the black veins crawling across his face as he bared his fangs in anger.

Caroline noted with satisfaction how Nadia's normally coolly appraising gaze had become terrified as her eyes darted to the sides attempting to secure an escape from the powerful creatures she had betrayed. "You have tried to summon Odin, you ungrateful wretch."

"Yes. And if by some miracle I survive this night, I will continue to seek him out! You killed my mother, Katerina, and forced me to be your slave! I will have my revenge," Nadia screamed. The blazing flames that trapped her caused a layer of sweat to form across her brow. Wiping it away in an oddly composed manner, she added, "Rumor of Odin's followers have reached my ears. They are searching for the six ingredients. Your victory tonight will be bittersweet."

Caroline's eyes widened in surprise and a hint of fear at the words she never thought she would hear again. She quickly feigned indifference at Nadia's disturbing words and faced Klaus who silently searched her face for answers. "More lies straight from Odin's tongue. Show this realm the fate of those who dare to defy us."

Klaus lips curled into a pleased grin as he calmly stepped through the fire barrier of the sacred circle to capture Nadia by her throat. The vampire struggled uselessly against the Original's powerful grip. Holding her aloft in the moonlight, he used his other hand to punch through her ribcage in a most brutal fashion. He tossed her graying body in a pile at his feet as he gripped her heart in both hands. At Caroline's encouraging nod, he devoured the gore-soaked organ without hesitation, allowing his monster to surface as he relished his kill.

Damon's harsh voice could be heard over the anguished cries of Elena and Jeremy. "I was never meant to be the vampire sacrifice in the ritual, was I?"

Caroline's blonde curls gleamed in the firelight as she stepped closer to his sacred circle. "For a time, you were. But fate stepped in and showed me a far better way to wrench the suffering from your dishonorable soul."

"You lied to me. You said if I traded my life for Elena's you would bring her back once the ritual was complete. A life for a life," the vampire said bitterly.

"I gave you my word that the doppelganger would be released. And she will be — upon her death, I vow to release her soul. She will be free from the suffering I normally inflict upon those in the underworld who defied me on this plane of existence," Caroline explained, shrugging her shoulders lightly, "My word is my bond and shall not be broken." Her blue eyes twinkled mischievously as she added, "Although my word also can be fluid. A 'life for a life' is accurate in the pact needed to resurrect a mortal life. Unfortunately, it needed to be a human life to restore a human life." She feigned wide-eyed innocence as she glanced around the moonlit clearing. "Unfortunately we appear to be fresh out of those."

"Evil bitch," Damon spat, trying and failing to break past the barrier of flames to launch himself at her in what would undoubtedly be a futile attack.

Caroline stayed Klaus' enraged form as he roared and advanced toward Damon. "Not yet," she told him decisively. "The next sacrifice is needed."

At her command, Klaus stepped into the protective circle that held Jeremy, his hands still dripping blood from the vampire sacrifice. He dug his claws into the young werewolf's chest, smiling wickedly as the body slumped forward in defeat as though accepting its inevitable death. He withdrew the bloody heart, eagerly devouring it as he could feel the changes in his body begin.

The doppelganger's weak cries reached Klaus' ears and he glanced at Caroline for confirmation that it was time for the final sacrifice to commence. At her signal, he swept the doppelganger into his powerful arms and drank deeply from her exposed throat, mauling the tender flesh amidst Damon's pitiful yells. Once his tongue had captured every last drop of her blood, he dropped the husk at his feet, stepping out of the circle of flames to bask in the growing power the moonlight had bestowed upon him. The victory of completing his ritual after centuries was the sweetest triumph he had ever known. Soon, there would be a painful transformation like none he had experienced in his immortal lifetime, but he knew his goddess would be at his side.

Caroline took a moment to savor the lines of her lover, his skin rippling in the moon's silver rays as the beginning of his transformation was upon him. A small smile graced her face as she effortlessly stepped into the flames that held the openly weeping vampire. Damon's dark eyes never left the heartrending sight of Elena's crumpled corpse. Caroline knelt beside his huddled form, whispering in his ear, "I took my revenge in small, indulgent nibbles." She cocked her blonde head to the side, teasingly observing, "Much like how you treated your chosen prey. Tell me, vampire, did you relish chewing upon the pain-filled cries of the innocents your tormented? I know the flavor of your pain is a taste I have thoroughly enjoyed between my teeth."

Damon shuddered against Caroline's touch as she calmly stroked his cheek. He was a broken shell, his silence speaking volumes as his eyes continued to bore into Elena's still form. Her whisper was deadly as she boasted, "I took away your appetite for defenseless humans, I took away your despicable brother, and now I've taken away your greatest love. There's only one more thing you possess." The tendrils of her power began to seep into Damon's pale skin, graying his flesh as he slowly desiccated. Leaning over his rotting corpse, her blue eyes sparkled as she gazed into his dead stare and declared, "Now I have my revenge. It is my divine right to be gifted a portion of the dead, and I will ensure that your soul is numbered among that tribute."

The startling crack of Klaus' bones pulled her from her reverie, and she rushed to his side as he sank to his knees upon the cold ground. The pain was etched across his handsome face as his muscles twitched and shifted under the power of the ritual. He thrashed violently as he ineffectively tore at his skin, the searing burn of an unknown element flowing through his veins and igniting his soul.

Caroline reached her hands to the heavens, embracing the night sky as she cackled triumphantly. "Now you will understand everything," she swore, gazing at Klaus' writhing form.