Chapter Sixteen
Carolinian
Des Cendres
Southern Tibet
January 1477
It was the witching hour. The harvest moon cast a pearlescent sheen on the group gathered on a frozen lake about a mile outside Des Cendres. Caroline watched from a distance as Mariko guided her students through a tricky spell that involved harnessing the power of the full moon to forge a connection with their ancestors. The fledgling witches were eager and attentive; their vampire headmaster was proud of them.
"They are progressing rapidly," Elijah remarked from beside her, his gaze also focused on the students.
The pair was several meters away, so as to not let their vampiric energy interfere with the spell. It was below freezing, but their breaths did not appear in the night air. Caroline crossed her arms, leaned further back into the boulder she was up against, and smiled.
"They have the best teachers," she said.
"And the most dedicated headmaster," he added.
She shrugged, barely suppressing a smirk. "I try."
The group of witches began chanting louder and louder. The vampires could hear Mariko instructing them to manipulate their magic, converging it all together. Seconds later, a ghostly green vortex swirled into existence in the middle of the circle.
"Mariko was an incredible find," Elijah said, his eyes on the Japanese witch guiding the girls. "She has such a talent for teaching."
"Well, I can't exactly take credit for finding her," the blond commented. "That was Kol."
Elijah raised one eyebrow and turned to give his sister-in-law a skeptical look.
"What? I can give credit where credit is due," she huffed.
"I would never disagree with that, sister. I'm merely surprised you've said his name."
"I won't give him that power over me. I will face Kol head on, someday. That little business in Japan with Iki was only the beginning."
Elijah inclined his head and returned his gaze to the witches. Disembodied voices floated across the lake – ancestors communicating from the Other Side.
"What?"
He sighed. "She's very powerful."
"I trust Mariko with my life," his sister-in-law rebuked sharply.
"It is not the witch prodigy I fear; it is the consequences of her...dabbling."
"Nik asked her to break the Sirelines," she pointed out, referring to five years previously, when Mariko had figured out a way to break the Original bloodlines that connected the entire vampire race.
"Of course he did - if anything ever happened to Rebekah, he would lose not just his beloved sister, but also his wife," said Elijah.
"So, what's the problem?"
"When the Sirelines were still intact, killing the Originals would destroy all vampirism."
"One could argue it takes a target off your back, then."
"Fair point. But it also served to protect us," he added.
"From other vampires, maybe. Not witches. Not Mikael."
"Yes, you are correct in that regard."
Caroline glanced at her friend across the ice. "If anyone can make me an Original, it's her."
"Oh, undoubtably."
"Ingenious - turning the things that curse vampires into talismans that heal her and imbue her with eternal life. Who comes up with that?" she said, shaking her head in awe.
Elijah opened his mouth to comment further on Mariko's abilities, but whipped around, a deep frown etched on his face as he peered into the mountain range.
Caroline heard it, too. She pushed away from the boulder to listen carefully.
Several loud howls pierced through the night. There was an entire pack heading straight towards them. Elijah's fangs descended and he crouched into a defensive position.
"Get to the girls, Caroline," he hissed.
She flashed to her students in a panic, and stopped beside Mariko, who looked at her in surprise.
"Caroline, what-?" she started, frowning at her friend's look of alarm.
"Werewolves," Caroline told her through gritted teeth. "We need to get the girls back to the school."
"There's no time," Elijah called to them. "They're here."
Mariko's eyes widened, but she immediately sprang into action. She raised her arms and faced the green vortex, hissing rapidly. Caroline's fangs dropped down. She could smell the wolves. Her gaze trailed over the fearful faces of her young students. She could not let anything happen to them. Not again.
"Their ancestors will protect them," Mariko told her between chants. "The girls will be safe."
As she said it, webs of pale green light shot out of the vortex and hit each young witch in the chest. They gasped in unison from the shock of it but were otherwise fine. Caroline nodded at her friend in gratitude.
"Caroline!" Elijah warned.
Six werewolves were creeping across the frozen lake, their hackles raised as they growled at their enemies. Caroline flashed to Elijah's side and crouched down. He glanced at her warily.
"Don't do anything stupid, Caroline," he said. "Let me do the bulk of the fighting. Avoid their bite at all costs."
She nodded, but in her mind, she knew she would fight to the death to protect her students.
Elijah seemed to understand that, going off of the disbelieving look on his face. But there was no time to argue. The first one lunged at him, and then the rest were dashing forward.
It was manic. Elijah tossed the large brown wolf off of him as a grey one slammed into Caroline. The vampire wrapped her hands around its neck and jerked – its head lolled to the side with a great snap. One down.
Two of them jumped Elijah simultaneously then, while the one he had thrown off circled back, treading towards the witches. They cried out in fright. As it came within biting range of one of the little ones, an invisible force threw it back. It crashed into a cropping of rocks with a howl of pain.
Caroline faced two other wolves while keeping an eye on the large brown one. One of them tackled her. They rolled around on the ice, the vampire trying to find purchase to snap its neck, but her hands fumbled as they fought. She eventually let out a hiss, kneed the creature in the stomach, and pulled out its heart.
The wolves growled as the bloody organ slid across the frozen lake. At that moment, Elijah decapitated one of his opponents. The last three all charged Caroline, understanding instinctually she was the weaker of the two vampires. Elijah lunged forward and grabbed one of them by the hunches, but the other two slammed into the blond. Once she was down, the first pressed its paws into her chest to keep her in place while the second ran to the students again. Caroline wrestled the beast atop her.
"AH!" It was one of the girls. She snapped her head towards her students, her eyes frantically roving over them. Once again, the wolf was blown back by an invisible force, but that was more than enough distraction for her opponent to bite down into her shoulder. She shrieked in pain.
Suddenly, the werewolf was gone. Elijah stood over her, the beast in his arms, and a furious expression marring his face. His eyes were pitch black as he ripped the werewolf in half. Gore sprayed all over Caroline and the surrounding area, black and red.
Caroline blinked as she pushed herself up on her elbows and realized they had assistants. Abambe and Gita must have heard the fight from the school. She watched as her progenies made quick work of the last wolf. She could hear Mariko breaking the connection to the Other Side and calming the girls down. Elijah bent down to examine the bite, his mouth set in a grim line.
"Stings, doesn't it?" he asked as she winced, feeling the poison run through her veins.
"A bit," she admitted. "How much time do I have?"
"It was fully transformed. A day, if you're lucky," he told her honestly. He bit his own wrist and offered it to her.
Abambe appeared at his side while her sire drank, looking anxious. "How far away is Klaus?"
Niklaus and Rebekah had set off hours earlier to hunt. They could be anywhere. The idea that she might never see either of them again was shattering.
"My blood will prolong her decline, but it is not a cure. She needs Niklaus' blood," said Elijah. "Carry her back up to the school – she must exert little to no energy, Abambe. Keep giving her blood regularly."
Abambe nodded, and then Caroline felt herself being lifted off the ice. Elijah took his wrist away from her mouth and glared at her.
"You must rest, Caroline. Preserve your energy. I will find them. I must," he promised, obviously trying to quell his own fear.
Caroline placed a hand on his forearm and squeezed it. "Tell him I love him, just in case."
A shadow passed over her brother-in-law's face. "He knows."
"Sometimes he needs reminding that he deserves to be loved," she insisted. "Promise me you'll help him remember that when I'm gone."
"God, Caroline, don't say that," he muttered.
"Promise me!"
"I will promise if you promise to rest now!" he countered angrily.
She nodded and closed her eyes. A second later, she felt the wind across her face as Elijah flashed away.
Niklaus strode rapidly through the tangled web of stone corridors. Guards and students nodded to him as he passed. He certainly could have sped, but he was not overly eager to face what was on the other side of the door he had just reached. He sighed before unlocking it and entering. He only just managed to duck in time as a giant tome flew at his head.
"Caroline, my love, would you please listen," he began.
"Ha! Like you listened to me before holding me prisoner in my own home!" his wife snarled from the corner. She wore the same dress she had been wearing since she had been locked inside three days previously. Her long hair was starting to look quite disheveled, but Klaus had been married for over seventy years – he figured it best to not point this out to her.
"I am sorry, woman, but I wanted you to stay alive!" he growled and then twisted as she whipped a series of shurikens at him. One slashed through his left sleeve and another sliced off a bit of hair.
"I'm over three hundred years old! I can take care of myself," she snapped.
"Can you, Caroline? Because just a few nights ago, you nearly died from a simple werewolf bite. If Elijah hadn't found me in time…" Klaus challenged.
"So, what, you're going to keep me locked up here forever? I've lost count of the number of times your father has attempted to murder me. But I refuse to live in fear - I knew the risks when I married into this family!"
She looked around for something else to throw at him. He took the opportunity to flash in front of her and cup her face in his hands. She kept her eyes stubbornly focused on the floor.
"I don't want you to have to risk your life just to be with me, Caroline! You can't imagine how enraged I was when you told me about your latest scrape with Mikael."
She looked up to meet his gaze.
"How do you think I would react to your death?" he demanded.
"I am not as indestructible as you and your siblings. You must accept that," she said in a gentler tone, threading her fingers through his.
"I refuse to accept that."
She smiled at him sadly, then sat on the bed. "You can't keep me in a cage, Nik."
"Of course not. You'll just have to stay inside until Mariko finds a way to make you one of us." He sat down beside her.
Caroline gaped at her husband. "She's been working on that for twenty years. What if she never figures it out?"
"I believe her more than capable."
"And what do I do in the meantime? Weave a tapestry?"
He grinned at her. "I'm sure we could find plenty of activities for you. And me."
She rolled her eyes. "I'm not your goddamn concubine; I have a school to run and a life to lead. I've let you keep me in here for the past couple of days because I knew you were so upset. But I'm not waiting for Iki. If she figures this out – great. If not, I'm not walking on eggshells around werewolves and waiting with bated breath for Mikael to appear out of nowhere. If you try to keep me here another day, I'll divorce you."
Klaus bowed his head. "I deserve that. But you know how crazy I get when something happens to you. If you were as indestructible as I am, I would have no need to get so agitated."
Caroline rose from the bed, slipping off her dress as she spoke. "Shows how much you know. You think I never worry about your safety? Do you think I don't consider that whenever we part, it may be the last time I see you? Yes, I'm not indestructible, but neither are you. Mikael, White Oak, and who knows what else," she grumbled as she stripped.
He stood as well, stripped, and kissed her shoulder blade.
She shivered at his touch. He traced a finger from her earlobe down her neck to her hand, where he caressed her wedding band.
"I wouldn't let you do it anyway. You're mine," he whispered.
She stepped out of her chemise and turned towards him with her fangs out. "Is that a threat?" she purred.
"There is no such thing as a vampire divorce," he said throatily.
"Says who?" she laughed, throwing her arms around his neck and biting down into his skin.
He growled again and picked her up. She drank his blood as he carried her back to the bed and placed her down. She stopped feeding to scoot away from him, but he grabbed her ankle and pulled her towards him, entering her with one hard thrust. They both moaned from the contact.
"Says your husband," he groaned out. Then his fangs punctured her flawless neck and he sucked her blood into his body.
Mariko could not find rest that night. After tossing and turning in her bed for hours, she gave up and left her room. The fire she conjured matched the amethyst of her eyes. Blue was defensive, green usually offensive, red-orange for rituals, and purple when she was either training or contemplating. Like now.
As she wandered the darkened halls of the school, she couldn't shake the feeling there was something she was forgetting. Some nagging thought in the back of her mind. It gnawed at her, quickening her pace. Eventually, she found herself in the Sunyata Sanctuary. She sat on the floor lotus style with every intent of extinguishing her flame and meditating when one of Nik's murals caught her eye.
This particular one depicted Auxor Castle in that crucial moment between Caroline's death and her reawakening. In a direct reference to Michelangelo's Pieta, Rebekah held Caroline's limp form in the d'Ebanne family crypt as tears stained her cheeks. With artistic liberty, Nik had painted the riverbank far closer to the crypt than was realistic, but the effect was undeniably impactful. He'd juxtaposed Caroline's transition, with Rebekah not knowing if she would wake, against the scene of her coven, led by her mother, attacking Mikael. There was nothing but unadulterated fury on the witches' faces as they circled the Original. The flames in their hands echoed the single dim candle beside Rebekah, as if their magic was keeping Caroline alive.
Perhaps it was, Mariko thought. And just like that, the epiphany she'd been waiting for for decades arrived.
She'd been overthinking everything when it came to re-turning Caroline, to creating a new strain of vampirism. She'd been held back by the belief that the spirits would not approve and would take retribution, perhaps even mid-ritual - which would have catastrophic consequences.
But that's not necessarily true, is it? I just have to ask the right spirits. I can't undo her vampirism without any spirits, but if I used friendly witches like her ancestors - and mine - they could assist me while fighting off any who opposed the ritual.
Now her thoughts were racing. "It's all just politics! Not every witch on the Other Side can possibly have the same exact opinion! I know they don't!" she exclaimed aloud, still staring at the mural. "Because they didn't when they were alive."
The flames reflected in Alix d'Ebanne's eyes seemed to glow in approval.
"I can do this. And you're going to help me."
Six months later.
Klaus paced the length of the cold, stone hallway frantically, hoping the witch would be able to give him news soon. He hated waiting, and his wife's life was in danger. He wasn't used to feeling useless. He knew he was to blame; he was the one that wanted this. But now that the spell was being cast, he was fully realizing how difficult and risky it all was to try to make Caroline an Original.
Elijah appeared at the end of the hallway. "Any word, brother?"
Klaus shook his head. "No. And she's cast a silencing charm, so I can't even hear anything."
"Bekah said Mariko was worried you would be affected by anything she did to Caroline?"
"Yes. I told her I'd be fine. She insisted I stay away so there would be no interference."
Elijah was about to ask something else when the bedchamber door opened and Mariko popped her head out.
Klaus froze.
"Well?" he demanded.
"She is dead again. The spirits did their part, and I had no problems with the spells. All we can do now is wait," she explained in a somber tone.
Elijah put his head in his hands, and Klaus wordlessly stepped past the witch and looked at the corpse of his wife, lying on the bed.
She wasn't desiccated, which was a good sign. In fact, she almost looked like she was sleeping: her hair was vibrant and her curls fell elegantly around her face and shoulders, her cheeks were rosy, and her skin was glowing. But she did not breath, her heart did not beat, and when Klaus took her hand, it was deathly cold: colder than his own. He lowered the sheet covering her body to reveal the gash in her breast where Mariko had stabbed her. He swallowed, trying to hold back tears.
"How long do you think, Riko?" he choked out.
"It's hard to say, but I hope not too much longer than a normal vampire transition," the witch said from the doorway.
"And her magic?"
"If she doesn't wake up as a vampire-witch hybrid, she won't wake up at all," Mariko said grimly. She seemed to realize she was still holding Joan of Arc's sword and sheathed it, waving her hand over it to cast a protection spell.
"Is that the only way now?" Klaus breathed.
"Yes," the witch confirmed. "Where do you want to keep it?"
"Here."
Mariko nodded. There was a long silence.
"I would like to be alone with her," Klaus murmured.
He heard Elijah and Mariko shut the door and walk down the hall. He pulled up a chair and sat in it, holding Caroline's hand and pressing his forehead to it. He mumbled in Norwegian under his breath.
"The only way to kill her now?" Elijah asked the witch. "Her equivalent of White Oak?"
She nodded. "She insisted it be Joan's sword and nothing else."
Hours later, Rebekah, Elijah, Abambe, and Mariko were in the library. Rebekah sat in silence, her muscles tight with tension. Elijah was attempting to read a book. His free hand was clasped with Abambe's. The younger vampire was working on lesson plans. Mariko was writing in her grimoire. The wait was misery.
Two stories above them, they could hear the girls running around the courtyard.
"Should someone check on the girls?" Elijah asked.
"Gita is with them," Rebekah snapped.
He sighed. She turned her glare from him to Mariko, who was now mumbling under her breath. Though she wouldn't have performed the ritual without taking every precaution, she couldn't help being a little nervous - who wouldn't be, when they were responsible for the life of someone they loved.
"The blade, the sun, the moon, silver…"
"Would you please stop doing that, Riko? You're driving me mad. You're extraordinarily talented and vigilant, and you've been working on this spell for decades, so stop second-guessing yourself. This was Nik's idea. He knows whom to blame if this fails," she finished moodily.
"You cannot blame Niklaus for wanting to protect his wife from our father," Elijah admonished.
"We can all protect Caroline!"
"Caroline was vulnerable. Besides being weaker than all of us, she was a target because of us. This makes things far easier."
"If it works," Rebekah pointed out.
"Yes. If it works," Elijah agreed with a worried glance at the door. Abambe squeezed his hand.
Inside their room, Klaus had entered Caroline's psyche. He wasn't sure if it was his doing or Caroline's. Inside their shared reality, Caroline was sitting in a garden he recognized as the one at Castell de la Vida, humming to herself. She was on a bench and wore a soft lavender dress that flowed all around her. She was writing in a journal. There was something timeless about the setting.
Klaus tread lightly over the dewy grass and realized he was human. He could feel the sunlight that dappled through the leaves in a way he hadn't in centuries. His heart beat strong in his chest. He looked at his hands, which were tanned and seemed to be...aged. He shook his head and continued walking towards his wife.
Caroline looked up when he was nearly ten feet away, and a large, glowing smile lit up her entire face. She, too, seemed tanned and older.
"There're my joys!" she exclaimed.
Niklaus furrowed his brows in confusion as something brushed against his leg as it ran past to reach Caroline.
A little human boy and a tiny human girl hugged their mother lovingly. Klaus could only stare in shock.
"Did you have a good time fishing with your father, little ones?" Caroline asked, grinning at Niklaus.
"Yes, Daddy showed me how to bait today!" the boy said.
The children both looked up at Klaus then, and his heart skipped a beat. The boy's pale hair was already darkening with streaks of honey blond. Though his eyes were bright blue, his facial features reminded him of… Henrik. The little girl was a near spitting image of his wife, with the exception of her eyes. She had his eyes.
These were his children. Caroline's and his children. He never thought a family was something he wanted: Caroline and his siblings and their friends were family enough, he had thought. But seeing his children stare up at him with admiration and trust and love in their eyes was inconceivable. He did not know how to react except stare at them right back and fall in love with them.
"Are you alright, my love?" Caroline asked, a worried look on her face.
He shook himself. "Yes. I'm just admiring my beautiful family."
A shadow passed over her face. "We can never have this, Nik."
"I know. But it is a nice dream, isn't it?"
"I think so."
"Is it yours or mine?" he asked.
"Which do you think?" she asked slyly.
"Honestly? I thought yours. But I'm not entirely sure anymore."
"Nik. Nik, wake up. Wake up, my love."
He stared at his wife confusedly. She hadn't said anything, but he had heard her voice in his head. "Which is the dream, now?"
"Whichever you chose," dream-Caroline told him.
He blinked and tears came to his eyes. "I won't forget this. Little Henrik and Alix, I won't forget you. Human Caroline, I will always love you."
"Niklaus!"
He was pulled from the dream violently and woke up to see the face of his 17-year-old wife staring at him. She was lovelier than dream-Caroline because she was real and alive and had lived lifetimes with him and had returned from the dead to live more lifetimes with him.
"Caroline," he whispered hoarsely.
She smiled at him.
"How do you feel? Are you in pain? Is anything different? Are you definitely a vampire? Do you need blood?"
She put a hand to his cheek. "I am fine, my love. I am not in pain, yes, I feel different, yes, I'm a vampire, or about to be, because, yes, I need blood," she listed.
He stood. "She's awake! She's awake, and she needs blood!" he shouted with an exuberant smile.
He sat back down at her side as she tried to get up. "No, no. Do not try to do anything until you have blood."
"I'm not an invalid, Nik," she muttered, but begrudgingly settled back into the bed.
Rebekah appeared in the doorway. "You're alive!" she exclaimed.
"Of course I am. Never doubt Mariko Kurosawa's skills."
Said witch appeared in the doorway then, breathless from running after Rebekah. Klaus cast her a solemn look.
"My debt to you is limitless, Riko d'Ebanne. You have my protection and loyalty for all time," he vowed.
Mariko bowed her head and then looked at her mentor. "How are you feeling?"
Caroline smiled. "Good. I think my magic is back."
"Really?" the witch asked excitedly.
"Yes. I projected a dream into Nik's head while he waited for me to wake up in a subconscious effort to soothe him. That was definitely one of my old abilities when I was human," she explained, giving Niklaus a tender look. He nodded in understanding.
Elijah led one of the teacher's into the room - a witch. Abambe came up behind them.
"We figured witch's blood would be the best option, though it doesn't seem to matter now, since you already think you're a witch again," Mariko explained.
"Nevertheless, we should do it anyway," said Elijah.
"Are you okay with this, Sameysa? I promise I won't take too much. I only need a drop to ensure my transition," Caroline worried.
The witch walked forward. "Whatever you need, take," she said, offering her wrist.
Caroline nodded and took Sameysa's arm. Her striking new vampire face emerged. As opposed to all other vampires, whose eyes reddened and veins darkened, her veins turned silvery-black as they spider-webbed across her face. Her eyes had changed color entirely, with even the whites going pitch-black.
She bit into Sameysa's wrist and sucked for less than ten seconds. Elijah cut his own arm open to heal the witch once Caroline pulled away.
Everyone waited. Nothing happened.
Finally, Caroline blinked. "I feel stronger than I was before. And… I think I want to try something."
"Already, love?" Klaus asked.
In a flash, she was out of the bed and on the other side of the room. "I haven't done this since I was human." Before anyone could ask what she was talking about, she had disappeared.
Except, she hadn't. She had flashed out the window to hover in the air. She stared at the trees on the mountain until they swayed towards her. Inside the room, a dead flower bloomed again.
"Mariko has been most successful then," Elijah said unnecessarily.
Rebekah frowned at her progeny. She turned to look at Mariko.
"Riko, why can I not feel Caroline anymore?"
The witch stared at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, that's my progeny and we share a special bond. I always feel her presence, but not now," the vampire explained, impatience creeping into her voice.
The others were still watching Caroline.
Mariko shook her head. "No, Rebekah. Caroline is no one's progeny now. She has been reborn. I'm sorry, but my spell has severed your tie."
Rebekah blinked in shock. Caroline flew back into the room, her skin glowing. Gita came into the room with her mouth wide open.
"We saw you from the courtyard! How - what?" she stuttered.
Caroline grinned at her. "I'm a hybrid now."
"You're more than that, Caroline. We've created a new strain of vampirism," Mariko corrected.
Elijah nudged his brother, handing him a small object when he turned.
"Caroline, it just so happens that today is call for another occasion," Klaus announced as he took the object.
Caroline smirked at him. "Oh, it 'just so happens,' huh? I think we all know this was planned. You only wanted to remember one date," she teased.
Klaus held his heart in mock offence. "I'll have you know I keep a running list of many dates in my head, wife. But since this is a very special occasion, it calls for a very special gift, from my siblings and I."
He bent down on one knee and offered a short sheathed blade to her. Her eyes widened and she grasped the proffered gift. Slowly, she unsheathed it to reveal one of the daggers that had been dipped in White Oak ash.
"Happy anniversary, my love."
"I can use it now," she said in wonder.
Abambe stared at her sire with growing fear in her heart. She'd hoped Caroline's trick with Mariko would have sated her thirst for revenge. Unfortunately, that had only been the beginning. In her quest to avenge her dead students, the hybrid was going to abandon the ones who needed her now.
"Happy hunting, Caroline," said Elijah.
Herat, Timurid Empire (Afghanistan)
1488
Blue.
Yellow.
White.
Blue. Yellow. White. Blue. Yellow. Green. White. Blue. Yellow. Green. White. Blue. Yellow. Green.
Purple –
"Hold!" The master tiler yelled it from the across the dusty workroom. Kol froze. The old man lumbered over to Kol's table, frowned down at the tiles his apprentice had already completed, cast a suspicious glance over the brushes and paint laid out, and launched into a speech heavily laden with an impressive amount of imaginative expletives and insults. His rapid-fire Persian made Kol's head spin, but he got the gist of it. He had made a critical error when painting the pattern on several tiles.
"There is no room for imperfections in my work! I have a reputation to maintain!" the master scolded sharply in Persian before shaking his head. "They must be ready by morning, and they must be flawless. Redo all of these then finish what you've started."
"Yes, Master Satrapi," the vampire demurred. He wasn't bothered; the repetitiveness of painting the same pattern over and over again soothed his mind.
The old man nodded curtly and swept out of the room. Kol returned to his work, reaching again for the purple paint. As he carefully painted the design into the ceramic tile, a memory he had suppressed many years before rose to the surface of his mind.
He had snuck Mariko out of the castle and brought her down to the sea. She spent the day walking through the breaking surf, absorbing the ocean's energy, teaching herself how to control the waves. A few hours in, she had shouted for him, pointing towards the horizon. A pod of whales was breaching just offshore. Her face was luminous with delight; her parents had forbidden her from going anywhere near the ocean – this was all so new to her. Kol flashed to her side to watch the whales, but his gaze kept returning to her face. Her amethyst eyes were full of such pure joy, innocence, discovery –
Kol closed his eyes and exhaled sharply to stave off the pain of the memory.
She's dead, he thought harshly. She's dead and it's your fault.
If he hadn't fallen in love with Mariko, Caroline would have never touched the witch. If Mikael hadn't shown up, he would have been able to stay with her, eventually taking her away from her parents and everyone who sought to suppress her wondrous powers. She would be free, and he might be a vampire-witch hybrid now. If there was anyone on the entire planet who would be able to restore his magic, it would have been her. But fate and Caroline d'Ebanne's fury had other plans for him and Mariko. Just as Kol knew creating the school had been the result of finally finding her purpose after centuries of looking for it, Caroline knew Mariko had been his one chance to find a way to restore his magic. It had been a brilliant tactical maneuver. If he wasn't so devastated and outraged by his lover's death, he might have congratulated his sister-in-law on her revenge scheme.
He wished he were able to black-out the memory of the massacre, but unfortunately, he could perfectly recall each little face as they perished. They haunted him every night as he paced the streets of Herat, every day as he tediously crafted tiles, and every morning as he caught what little sleep he was running on these days. He never killed his prey when hunting anymore. Instead, he compelled them and let them go. It was no great mystery to him as to why he was imitating Caroline's hunting style. In the same manner the oppressive heat clung to the desert, guilt festered in Kol's psyche.
The blood had proven to be too powerful a temptation – it often had for Kol, but never in a way that had so directly affected his family. When the little girl had appeared in the courtyard, her arm bleeding profusely, something deep within him had snapped. Or, perhaps he had already snapped years earlier, and she merely awoke it. He had been draining the last of them when he heard Caroline return to the school. Suddenly, the horror of what he had done sent him reeling. He had dropped the girl he know knew was Gita and staggered away from the ravaged bodies strewn across the dormitory as he imagined Caroline's face when she saw what he had done. He could face a lot of things, but the idea of Caroline looking at him with hatred, betrayal, and disgust in her eyes was too much. He had flashed out the window shamefully and hadn't seen any of his family since. He knew his reckoning with her was coming.
Caroline d'Ebanne. The vision she had shown him at the Battle of Auxor when she was a human still lingered in the recesses of his mind. Had it truly shown him his death? Or was it witchcraft designed to torture men? Had his past sins changed his future?
Oh, how he hated her. Hate... Yes, hate was a far easier emotion to focus on when it came to Caroline. He wondered how far off in the future their reunion would be – decades? Centuries? Months? Knowing Caroline, she was consumed by the thought of finding him and exacting her revenge; finishing what she had started. The thought settled over Kol with grim pleasure. She would find him easily if he returned to his old tricks. But, first –
Blue. Yellow. Green. Purple. White. Blue. Yellow. Green. Purple. White. Blue…
The Cotswolds, England
March 1492
Elijah watched the flickering flames of the fire from his seat at the table, his hand grasping an untouched goblet of wine. Memories of a girl from long ago danced in the flames. His Tatia. The doppelgänger. And now there was a new one; Trevor had fulfilled his duty. The resemblance was uncanny and unnerving, and Elijah had been unable to rejoin the party once Niklaus had started a conversation with this Katerina Petrova.
Niklaus took that moment to burst into the chamber, an enormous smile on his face.
"Finally, Elijah! After all this time! She is mine! Pour me a glass and we will toast to my victory!"
Elijah sighed and reluctantly poured another goblet for his brother.
"If only Caroline were here to enjoy this with me!" Klaus flung himself into a chair and grabbed the goblet.
"Has she sent word recently?" Elijah inquired.
Klaus shook his head ruefully. "The last note I received was in December, when she told me she was following a trail to Persia."
"She's leaving quite the trail of her own," Elijah said with one raised eyebrow.
Klaus let out a sharp laugh. "And what can our father do to her if he finds her? Nothing is what. Ah, Mariko. If only my heart weren't already taken."
"Riko sent word to me last week; she is joining a coven somewhere in Muscovy to learn their ways. I doubt we'll see her for many years."
"We'll reunite once Kol is daggered," Klaus waved his hand dismissively.
Elijah nodded.
"And Bekah is in Spain again! She followed that crazy Italian to Spain. Colombo, or something," Klaus continued. "Come, Elijah! A toast to our victory and all the exciting adventures and prospects for the whole family! Even Kol, who shall be enjoying a long sleep very soon, the lucky bastard!"
Elijah clinked goblets with Klaus and took a small sip while his brother drank liberally. When he finally put his goblet down, Klaus sent him a suspicious look.
"What is wrong with you, brother?"
Elijah took a moment to answer and kept his eyes on the flames. "Doesn't it make you uncomfortable, how alike she is to Tatia?"
"No," Klaus retorted. "All I see is my curse being broken."
"But they are the same person!"
Klaus finished off the goblet and poured himself another. "They are not the same person, Elijah. You aren't getting second thoughts on me, are you?"
"No, no. It's just… Unsettling. I've been remembering things from the past I hadn't thought of in such a long time."
"Come, brother. The wine will stopper that."
Elijah glanced from the flames to his full goblet to Klaus and back to the flames. He saw Tatia dancing joyously at a festival, flowers in her hair.
"The past is done, brother," Klaus said, a touch of reprimand in his tone.
Elijah held up the goblet to his lips. "To the future."
Pembroke Castle, Wales
January 1500
At long last, the party emerged from the woods and paused on the edge of a vast moat. Caroline stared at her destination in triumph, with one hand resting on her prized possession. This was what justice felt like; she was so close now. She gazed back at her entourage.
"I will fly across tonight. Wait for my signal and you will know then that it is safe to come across the bridge," she instructed to her captain.
"Yes, Your Grace," he said, bowing his head.
She slid off the horse and removed her cloak. "Come," she beckoned a young soldier.
He strode forward with his wrist held out. Her face morphed as she bit down, drinking until he fell to the ground. He still had a pulse, but it was slight. He may not make it. She frowned at his weakness and looked at the moat again in distaste as an especially nasty smell wafted across it.
"Where are my spies?" she demanded, turning her back on the castle. "And Gita?"
Two handmaidens emerged from the back of the entourage and bowed. Gita trailed behind.
"He has no idea he's been set up?" she asked.
One of the maidens raised her head. "None, Your Grace. He fell for the trap as soon as he heard the lord has eight daughters."
"The duke is giving him his eldest's hand as thanks," the other maiden added.
"Lucky her," Caroline muttered before dismissing them. Gita stepped forward.
"Guard the perimeter," she murmured to her progeny. "We can't take any chances."
Gita focused her gaze on the sprawling castle. "My sisters will finally be avenged," she murmured.
Caroline laid a hand on the vampire's shoulder. "Soon. Stay vigilant, Gita."
As soon as Gita had flashed away to circle around the moat, she sat down to wait. Soon - so soon.
At nightfall, she fed once more, this time from a woman who did not faint as the man had.
"Await my signal," she reminded the captain before flying into the air and soaring over the moat.
She landed gracefully in one of the towers as two slack-jawed guards stared. She could smell the vervain in them, but it mattered not. Vervain had no effect on her strain.
"Your allegiance is to me and me alone now. Where is the master of the castle?" she demanded with dilating pupils.
"My Lady, he is hosting a feast in the Great Hall for our honored guest," one of them said obediently.
Caroline grinned. "And where is the Great Hall?"
"Down that staircase, make a right then a left," the other guard directed.
"Thank you, gentlemen. And it is 'Your Grace,'" Caroline corrected before gliding down the staircase.
As soon as she stepped out of the tower, she could hear the sounds of the feast. It seemed like a grand party. As she approached, she caught the words.
"It is with great honor I announce the betrothal of the Lord Rhys to my daughter Ffion," a deep voice proclaimed to loud applause and cheers. "He has proved himself loyal and worthy and it was with his leadership we were able to defend this duchy!"
The Lord Rhys sounds like a real catch, Carline thought to herself with a laugh. She had reached the doors of the Great Hall and took in a deep breath. It is time, old friend. She pushed the doors open and strode into the hall, her features blank.
A hush came over the hall as the inhabitants turned to look at the stunning newcomer. She was wearing a luxurious purple dress in velvet with brocade-lined sleeves and a lengthy trail. Her pale hair was twisted into an intricate plait adorned with gold and precious gemstones. They had never seen such an open display of wealth before.
"My lady, can we help you?" the duke asked in astonishment.
The so-called Lord Rhys' knees banged against the high table as he rose abruptly. His betrothed was a pretty girl with very dark hair. Her seven younger sisters, each prettier than the next, gazed upon the hybrid with a mixture of curiosity and intrigue.
"You may, my lord. I was hoping to have a chat with your soon-to-be son-in-law," Caroline purred as she walked to the table with her eyes burning into Kol's. His eyes darted around the hall, clearing checking for his siblings.
Caroline smirked.
"And your name, my lady?" the eldest daughter inquired politely.
Caroline kept her eyes on Kol. "Your beloved could answer that question for me."
Kol swallowed and seemed to come to a decision. "This woman is called Caroline and she is a threat to the castle. I recommend arresting her at once," he declared.
"Indeed?" Caroline's smirk deepened as the soldiers looked at each other in surprise.
"My Lord Rhys?" the girl questioned.
"First off," Caroline began as she flashed to the girl's chair, tore into her chest, and ripped out her heart. "His name is not Rhys."
She licked the blood off the heart as the hall burst with revulsion and uproar. Kol flashed to the doors and tried to open them. Caroline waved a lazy hand towards the soldiers and they all were swept into the walls and knocked out. Kol turned around in grim defeat when he realized the doors had been spelled shut. Caroline flashed in front of him and dropped the girl's heart at his feet. It made a sickening plop as it hit the stone floor.
"Oops."
Kol lunged at her, but she was quicker and snapped his neck easily. She stared at his prone form before turning to face the hall. There was much compulsion to be done.
An hour later, all the resident of the castle were compelled, the daughters had been instructed to bury their sister, the soldiers had locked Kol in the dungeon, and Caroline had sent the signal to her entourage to enter. Kol would wake soon and she had a show to put on. Her ladies were unpacking her effects in the grandest chamber. She ruffled through the chests of clothes until she found what she was looking for.
"Take me out of this gown and undo this plait," she instructed. She brushed a hand against the dagger strapped to her thigh and smiled.
The ladies removed her many layers of cloth and dressed her in the gossamer sleeping gown. Her hair was brushed out until it cascaded down her back; the idea was to be as striking and dramatic as possible. She wanted to look like a vengeful phantom come to punish him for his sins. The last thing he'd see before getting a dagger to the heart would be her beautiful visage twisted in wrath. She left the bedchamber and glided through the halls of the castle and down to the dungeons. She heard Kol's manic voice talking to her men as she approached.
"Did you bury my fiancé? Shame she had to go, but I was going to abandon her on the wedding night anyway. Oh, don't think me cruel - I was only planning on having a taste of her blood, not bleeding her dry."
"Our lady knew you only came here to hide," said one of her vampires. "She knew the betrothal was false."
"Yes, yes, clever Caroline knows me inside out," he grumbled. "She's inspired true loyalty in her entourage."
"She is the most noble leader."
"Noble, eh? That's one word for it. Listen, I know she's a dish, but her husband is not the kind of man you want to cross," he was saying, but grew silent as she entered the dungeon. He was wrapped in vervain-soaked ropes, and looked sick and weak.
"Lady Caroline is not the kind of woman you want to cross," her vampire retorted. He turned to his master with a bow. "Your Grace."
The enemies stared at each other through the bars of the cell.
"Leave us," Caroline ordered quietly.
The guards left at once. She unlocked the cell door and stood before her brother-in-law. There was a deep, permeating silence that made the ambient noises of the dungeon seem all the louder. The steady drip of moisture in dark crevices. The creaking of a distant door. The rats scurrying in the walls. Kol's uneven and unnecessary breathing.
"I know how I will die, and it is not here, not like this," he said suddenly.
Caroline cocked her head to one side, remembering.
"Ah, yes. Of course, you've seen that - I was the one to show it to you! But I'm not here to kill you, Kol. Your siblings would never forgive me. Besides, I do not possess the proper stake. Only your dear father has that."
He did not answer.
"It's been a long time, old friend," she continued smoothly. "You left without saying goodbye all those years ago. Ran away like a thief in the night."
"Don't pretend you didn't find me once before. My Mariko paid the price," he murmured.
She inclined her head. "So she did."
"Have you been tracking me all this time, Caroline?"
She sneered at him. "Is that your way of asking what I've been up to in your absence? Did you think me bored without you?"
He let out a gasping laugh.
"Darling, you've missed me. I know you've missed me," he teased, desperation saturating his tone.
"Oh, I've missed you, Kol. You've been on my mind nearly every waking moment for the past sixty years," she admitted.
"I'm flattered, darling," he said. "I confess you, too, have haunted me for a very long time. But I think you know that."
There was no way she was responding to that - to admit he was right would only empower him. Instead, she smiled at her prey, her keen eyes roving over him. He hadn't been drinking enough blood.
"You set the perfect trap," he tried again when she did not acknowledge his implication. "I could never resist so many beautiful virgins."
"I know. I know you."
He shrugged. "I can't disagree. You've always been attuned to my many shortcomings."
"Was that an apology?" she sneered at him. "If it was, it wasn't a very good one."
"Would you accept my apology?" he asked her with real interest.
A shadow crossed over her face. "No," she said shortly.
"Well, then, I don't think it really matters whether I apologize or not."
Caroline's fangs dropped down and black and silvery veins protruded around her now-blackened eyes. Kol frowned in confusion at the strange colors, but did not comment, because she was hissing into his face.
"It matters to them!" she cried in fury.
He stared at her, waiting for her to continue. After a long moment, she turned away to compose herself. She couldn't let him get to her - he was trying to goad her into dropping the façade so they could talk freely - honestly. Over my dead body.
When she faced him again, her expression was eerily angelic. With a saccharine smile, she slowly, suggestively slid her hand up her dress. His eyes widened.
"What are you doing, Caroline?" he asked warily, obviously confused by her movement.
Her long fingers grasped the handle of the dagger.
"Your siblings surprised me with a special gift a couple decades ago."
She slid the dagger out of its sheath and held it at her side, watching as comprehension darkened his features.
"No, no, no," he protested, tugging uselessly against his bonds.
"They know this fight is between you and I alone. They understand why I must do this," she continued.
"You cannot use that on me - you'll die!"
She grinned widely. "You saw my eyes and veins just now. I am...changed. Among my new abilities, I can stab this dagger in your heart with no repercussions. And I will."
"How-?"
"Do you think your mother was the only witch who knew how to create a vampire? The only one who ever dared? There is a new strain of vampirism now, and I am its progenitor."
"You can't be – it – it's not possible," he stuttered, flabbergasted.
"Yet here I stand."
"But you've already been turned!" he exclaimed.
"The right witch figured it out." And someday she'd reveal her identity. "You're looking at the first and only Carolinian vampire."
"That's impossible! Besides, you could still die. You can't be positive you're immune to the dagger."
"I think I'm willing to take my chances, brother. I've waited so long for this moment. I'm going to enjoy watching the light fade from your eyes. You're going to miss so much: so many inventions, and wars, and pretty virgins. What a shame. What is this strange emotion I'm feeling? Regret? No, certainly not. Pity? Not really. Ah, I know what it is! Euphoria." She placed the tip of the blade right over his heart.
"Caroline, please! Forgive me!" he begged.
She paused. "I thought you had accepted your fate. Isn't that what you claimed a few decades back?"
He winced. "Yes, but-"
"But?"
"You've murdered or compelled everyone in this castle. My siblings hate me. My father seeks to destroy me. You took her from me. I am all alone in this world. I know I deserve it, but that thing will leave me entirely vulnerable!" he despaired.
"That's the point. Am I not the holder of your destiny?" she whispered.
A single tear slid down his pale cheek as he rested his forehead against hers. "You are. You always have been, Caroline."
It gave her pause. He did actually seem genuinely remorseful. Perhaps...
"But this isn't you, darling. I know you just as well as you know me. Remember who you are!" he pled hoarsely.
She could tell he was seeing her as the fierce, but innocent witch he'd first met. Remembering when she'd changed his life on the battlefield of Auxor. When they were living together in the African wilderness and it seemed like there was no one else in the universe. When they were the best of friends. When she had been the only one he'd trusted to tell he wanted to reclaim his magic. She glared at him with hatred as she remembered why they could never go back. That was all before.
"You're wrong; I'm exactly who I was always meant to be. Everything in my life has led me here. What you did helped create me. What you did – I can never forgive. I hope you remember that while you sleep."
She raised the dagger high.
"CAROLINE! PLEASE! CAROLINE!" he roared. "I'm sorry!"
It was too late. The dagger struck home with a satisfying crunch. Dark veins erupted over his ash grey skin as he stiffened, and she breathed her last nightmare-inducing words into his ear.
"The worst is yet to come," she vowed.
She kissed him on the cheek before he crumpled to the floor. She swept up her robes and glided out of the dungeon. Her guards were waiting just outside.
"He is to be placed in a casket and kept under your protection," she ordered before exiting the dismal place.
Gita was waiting for her in the bedchamber.
"Is it done?" she asked anxiously.
"Yes," Caroline said, letting it sink in.
But it wasn't over...it had only just begun.
She reunited with her beloved husband mere weeks later. They began a new campaign of violence and savagery, giving in to their baser instincts. Klaus had not been so barbaric since before their wedding and Caroline had not since her time with Kol in Egypt. The following near-ninety years of bloodshed were what established them as the king and queen of vampires, feared as no others could be feared. They weren't actively tracking Katerina - it was much more important to get under her skin; a slow torture. They wanted her to crawl across the continents, always looking over her shoulder, never knowing who was watching her, never able to rest.
They were Queen and King of the Undead. Rulers of the monsters. Masters of revenge.
A/N: This chapter has always been a problem child, so I revisited it (again - and again) for edits. Caroline and Kol have such a complicated relationship, and I think there were some missed opportunities in earlier drafts to explore their dynamic. I also needed to better explain why it was so important to Klaus for Caroline to be more powerful.
While I hope the flashback chapters provide context and insight, I know they can also add confusion. If Kol's timeline is puzzling you, I hope this helps:
1440: Paris Massacre
1500: Daggered by Caroline
1616: Un-daggered by Katerina
1790s: Asked Klaus to dagger him (for reasons to be revealed in later chapters)
2010: Elijah un-daggers him
Of course, there's a lot more, but I don't want to give too much away. Thanks for reading!