I had some pretty horrifically detailed visions that night, giving me more insight as to why the bell was important for what we planned to accomplish, and it was only after it was discovered that the bell the Maxwell ancestor had designed had been made into the charter bell that had been used in the Founder's Day parade up until it had been tossed over Wickery Bridge, I realised that we needed to find that bell. Thankfully Matt knew exactly where it was, as when Elena's parents and their car had been pulled out of the river after their accident, the bell had resurfaced with it and Elizabeth Forbes had kept it in storage. Thankfully it was still in Caroline's garage, though I knew that it had some sort of meaning to the sirens, and I felt a strong presence of magic imbued in the bell.
Once again it was Dorian who figured out the missing link, putting the pieces together to discover that the Maxwell heirloom, the iron ball, as well as the tuning fork actually were two components of a fixed piece called a clapper, which was also part of the bell. It was the part that swings and hammers the sides of the bell to make it ring. This was huge news, and since I confirmed that there was magic in the bell, I knew that it had to be something important, which meant that it was time for another siren interrogation session. I decided to start with Sybil, as she had been stewing longer and had been more willing to cooperate in the past, and she was getting hungry to the point of being willing to tell us anything we wanted to know as well as avoid any more ringing of the tuning fork.
"So we've figured out that the Maxwell heirloom and the tuning fork go together with the bell. What we want to know is what it's meant for." Caroline began as she took charge, scowling at Sybil who lay sprawled over the bare mattress that covered the metal bed which was the only form of relief we allowed her in that room. Lifting her head, Sybil smirked at us. I stood next to Alaric with Damon and Stefan nearby, all of us determined to get to the truth.
"What do you know of the history of Mystic Falls' beginning, before it officially became a town?" Sybil began to ask and at the sound of her voice, I noted Seline next door sit upright a little more. They couldn't hear each other, but I'm guessing they could at least sense one another.
"Mystic Falls was founded in eighteen-sixty when a Lockwood, a Forbes, a Fell, a Gilbert and a Salvatore gathered to sign the township charter." Caroline recited practically from heart, all of us Mystic Fall dwellers having practically grown up with that information being drilled into our skulls. Even I, a latecomer, knew the story of how the town was founded.
"Name-dropper. And…wrong." This confused Caroline and the rest of us, since we all knew this to be the truth though Sybil soon explained why. "Your ancestors took credit, yes. But long before they picked up turkey feathers to write that silly charter, there were other people here. A group of men and women who were different. Misunderstood. Ultimately, they burned to death because of who they were."
"You're talking about the witches." I realised quickly, folding my arms with a frown. "They were burned at the stake in seventeen-ninety. Their spirits still haven't fully been laid to rest because of the traumatic deaths they experienced." To this Sybil only smirked further, humming softly and licking her lips as she tilted back her head like she was reliving the moment herself.
"I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the most delicious smell. The smoke lasted for hours." Damon impatiently interrupted, telling her to get to the point so with a roll of her eyes, Sybil continued with the story. "I had been traveling the region with my sister, looking for tasty souls to feed to Cade, and the witches took exception. The witches gave some magical help to a local metal smith who was making a church bell for them. This bell had a special purpose. But what no one realized was that Seline and I had befriended this metal smith. We threw a little wrinkle into his plan. Didn't we sissy?" At this Sybil looked towards the wall where Seline sat on the other side but being unable to hear her, Sybil merely shrugged and turned back to us instead. "I'm not saying anymore unless you let me out of here."
I hit the tuning fork in response, causing both of them to suffer a severe headache, but after this point, both of them refused to talk and no amount of pain could persuade them otherwise. It was at times like this I found myself oddly thinking about Nik. He'd know exactly how to manipulate these sirens into telling him everything he wanted, and also get them to somehow follow along with his plan to destroy them both without them even realising what was happening. This was his forte, after all, but right now he was all the way in New Orleans with a mystical dagger lodged in his chest causing him untold pain and agony. I missed him. Damn it but it was true. I missed the lot of them. Anyway, since the sirens were no longer cooperating, I'll guess I'll just have to take it from here. I went into a deep meditative state with Bonnie helping to channel magic around us so that I could slip into a deep dreamlike state, allowing me to see my visions with better clarity as she practiced her psychic abilities.
The visions continually bombarded themselves against my mind until they practically rattled my skull, giving me a constant ache in my head that almost made me sympathise with the sirens whenever we rang that damn tuning fork, but the more glimpses I saw, the better the overall picture until finally, I knew what needed to be done. The meditation ritual took it out of me, meaning that I woke up only to sleep for three days solid afterwards, people checking in on me until I was fit enough to actually get up and tell everybody what we needed to do, what exactly that bell meant and all the preparations that needed to be made in order to begin our fight with the Devil. Looking around at the faces that had been gathered around me waiting for me to wake up, I gave a wry smirk.
"We got a lot of work to do."