Chapter Seventeen
Arise
Central Virginia
Late August 2010
Esther guided her witches through the forbidden ritual in a forest many miles outside Mystic Falls. Hundreds of candles lit the faces of the women and men chanting around an altar. They spoke as one, their power merging to cast magic that went against the will of the spirits.
The Original Witch heard the cries of the forgotten, the forsaken, and the damned as the Veil slowly raised, but Qetsiyah had yet to make an appearance. She invoked the Traveler's name again, the witches repeating after her. Mikael and his vampires stood guard in the surrounding wood.
"Qetsiyah!" Esther screamed again. "Come to end the Immortal Witch! Come to take vengeance on the one who betrayed you!"
The flames grew ever larger even as an unnatural gust of wind blew through the clearing. Esther took it as a good sign.
"We will help you defeat Silas once and for all!" she vowed.
A sudden disturbance distracted her; there was movement in the woods. She could hear Mikael yelling over the sounds of fighting. Then: five men emerged from the shadows.
"They've staked three of my vampires!" Mikael told her, coming up behind them.
"So, kill them," she muttered. "I cannot have any distractions."
"Esther… It's The Five."
Now she took note of their crossbows, grenade launchers, stakes, and lighter fluid, of their bulging muscles and agile frames and most importantly: their intricate tattoos. She wondered if she was able to see their marks because she had returned from the dead.
"We were summoned here by our master," the leader announced. The Five knelt as one and bowed their heads in reverence.
"Who is your master?" Mikael snarled.
"Me," a quiet voice said from behind Esther. She turned to face a stunning woman with toffee-colored skin, dark locks, and eyes that revealed cunning, malice, and deep, burning passion. Her feet were bare, and she wore a simple white toga – what she'd been buried in, no doubt.
Esther bowed her head; her witches fell to their knees.
"Qetsiyah, we are your humble servants," she murmured.
"Gods, Esther, you've made a mess," the ancient witch declared haughtily. "I'd be impressed if I weren't so pissed."
Esther swallowed her annoyance and continued. "We offer up one of our witches' lives in exchange for yours."
"Fine, fine," Qetsiyah muttered in a bored tone with a wave of her hand. "You've made it so I have no other choice but to return. You and your husband have intruded on a private matter. Silas is mine."
"Our deepest apologies, but we were desper-"
"I did not create the Cure for you!" Qetsiyah held up her hand and curled her fingers. The capsule flew out of Esther's pocket and into her grasp. As she studied the liquid within, Mikael came to his wife's side.
"You made it once, can't you make it again?" he suggested gruffly. "I'm sure we can find a solution that leaves everyone satisfied. We can help you."
Qetsiyah said nothing. She continued to twist the capsule, squinting at the elixir.
"Mikael is right – you can have the Cure if you show me how to make one of my own," Esther offered anxiously.
"Don't pretend you have any leverage over me, Esther. I took this from you without batting an eyelash."
Esther's worried expression turned to stone; she twisted her heels into the grass and set her jaw. "What if I told you I knew where to find Silas' doppelgänger?"
Ten tense seconds passed as the two infamous witches stared each other down. Qetsiyah's lips twisted in grim amusement as she flicked the capsule towards Esther, who caught it in disbelief.
"You keep it as a sign of good faith. I can make a fresh one for my ex-lover - it's gotten a bit dusty, anyway," she drawled. "Our bargain?"
Mystic Falls, Virginia
"Riko?" Bonnie Bennett called hesitantly into the silent boarding house. It was strange to be in it without the vampire brothers haunting its halls, drinking bourbon in front of a roaring fire, and pretending to hate each other. As she wandered through the rooms she noticed the darkened glass bottles on the bar had gathered a thick layer of dust. The cold silence of the place was strange, for even though it was occupied by vampires, the boarding house had always evoked a sense of warmth and comfort.
A few days earlier she'd finally heard from Elena, who'd called to tell her Damon and Rebekah had rescued her. She claimed to be fine, but she and Damon weren't coming back home right away in case Klaus was upset she'd gotten away. Rebekah was supposed to calm him down. That, of course, made Bonnie question whether or not Rebekah could even be trusted, to which the answer had been (from Damon): "She can as long as we want the same thing." Great. So not much. Back in Maine, Stefan was still under Klaus' compulsion and Tyler had been turned into a hybrid.
Matt had told her there was a new Original brother in town whom he'd spotted at the Grill with Elijah and Pacari a couple times. Bonnie questioned Riko about him during one of their lessons, but the older witch had only made her more curious.
"His name is Kol, he's the youngest brother, and he has a soft spot for witches – so beware."
"Yeah, but where did he come from? How many more of them are coming here?"
"There's only one other sibling, and don't worry, no one in their right mind is going to wake Finn," Riko had sighed. "You know about the daggers?"
"They immobilize the Originals."
"Kol had one of those in him. That's where he was before. Elijah took it out last month."
"Oh. Who put a dagger in him?"
Riko winced. "That's…complicated. He asked Nik to dagger him."
"Why would he ask to be daggered?"
"He was…upset."
"How long was it in?"
"Ah… Well, let me put it this way: when last Kol wandered the earth, so did Washington, Napoleon, Byron, and Beethoven."
"Oh. Oh."
Riko had quickly changed the subject.
She'd only seen Pacari a few times – since Riko was giving her lessons and devoting much of her time into breaking Caroline's curse, he'd taken up the majority of Silas-watch duties. She almost felt bad for them before remembering they were friends with Klaus. Both had acknowledged they were disappointed in him, but neither seemed too concerned about Elena or Tyler's wellbeing, insisting they were more valuable to him alive than dead.
No one knew what Mikael and Esther were up to. They'd been lying low since their first appearance that sent Caroline running to "the school" and Klaus on his rampage.
On top of that, she'd discovered Jeremy had been cheating on her with his dead ex-girlfriend Anna – and still occasionally talked to her predecessor Vicki. Following an emotionally charged conversation, she'd left his house without ending things, but not really knowing where to go from there. She loved him. She'd trusted him. And he'd hurt her.
It had all culminated with a call from Riko that morning.
"Bonnie, I've figured out how to undo Caroline's curse," the older witch had said urgently through the phone. "Can you meet me at the Boarding House this evening?"
But there was no trace of Riko as she searched the house. She entered the kitchen knowing if the Undying Witch was not there, she was likely with Silas in the cellar; a trickle of fear ran down her back at the thought of seeing Silas again. The memory of his influence and compulsion still reverberated in her mind.
"Hello, there. Are you lost, little witch?" a British accent boomed across the room making Bonnie whip around so fast her neck cracked.
A man with pale skin, messy hair, and boyish features was sitting on the island and staring at her curiously. He was attractive, annoyingly so. She rubbed her neck and tried to hide her blush.
"Who are you?" she demanded. "Where's Riko?"
"Mariko and Pacari are downstairs with Silas. They should be up in a few moments," he explained without removing his gaze from her face.
"Who are you?"
He hopped off the island with a grin. "Name's Kol Mikaelson, pleasure to meet you," he introduced as he offered his right hand.
She blinked at him in shock. "You're Kol?"
"Excellent, you've heard of me. It is rude, you know," he added, holding his hand closer to her.
Bonnie rolled her eyes, but took his hand and shook it firmly, as her Grams had taught her.
"Pleasure to meet you, Bonnie Bennett," he said with a wink.
"How does literally everyone know I'm a Bennett Witch? Are our features really that recognizable?" she demanded.
He squeezed her hand. "It's more about your magic's aura than your features; though, there are striking similarities to your ancestors."
Releasing his cool hand, she threw her purse on a stool and opened the fridge.
"I hope you didn't eat any of them," she mumbled as she searched for a Fresca.
He laughed. "I have too much respect for witches to eat them. Especially your line - that'd be an awful waste of talent."
"Ah, but it's fine to kill average humans," she retorted as she closed the fridge.
He smirked. "I usually don't let it bother me."
She repressed a snort and popped the can open. "I hope Riko has a plan to get rid of Silas. I hate having him down there."
"I believe there is some sort of plan for his removal, yes."
"Thank the spirits," she murmured. She noticed someone had left an empty blood bag on the counter. "Did you do that?"
He shook his head, but picked it up, flashed to the trashcan, and disposed of it.
She set down her soda and got the Windex from the cabinet under the sink. Realizing the paper towels were all gone, she muttered under her breath about lazy vampires and crossed to the pantry to grab a new roll.
"You seem at home," he observed as she wiped down the counter. He'd been observing her every movement.
"More so than my own," Bonnie murmured as she threw away the paper towel and sat down at the table. He followed her.
"Is this house the base of operations for your little squad?"
She shrugged. "Sometimes, I guess. Usually I'm here just to hang out with Damon."
"Damon? I didn't realize you were so close."
She laughed. "Took me by surprise, too. I started coming on a regular basis after my Grams died. I needed to escape...everything. Damon... Well, Damon and I didn't have a great start. But without even trying, he helped me with my grief more than anyone else." She smiled. "Or maybe he was trying and pretending he didn't care. That's more his style."
A look of confusion passed over Kol's face. "Isn't Damon in love with the doppelgänger?"
She furrowed her brow in suspicion. "Yeah. So?"
"That doesn't upset you?"
Her expression cleared. "Damon is one of my best friends. I trust him with my life. I'd never admit this in front of him, but we love each other - as friends. Only ever as friends." Then her nose crinkled. "Ew. I can't believe you thought Damon and I were together."
He was nonplussed. "But surely you can't just be friends. There must be hidden feelings from one or both of you."
"Or definitely not," she argued. "What, are you one of those guys who think men and women can't be friends? Because I don't want to sleep with Damon."
"Really?"
"Yes, really! God, why am I even telling you this?" She was annoyed with herself for letting her guard down and revealing personal information. How had he done that?
"I'm a good listener, darling," he flirted. "Do you think your relationship will always remain platonic?"
She scoffed. "Yes."
"Interesting."
"Have you never been best friends with a woman?" she pressed.
A shadow passed over his face. "Once. But that was a very long time ago."
"That's sad."
"Yes, it is," he agreed.
"Who was she?" Bonnie asked despite herself; she couldn't help being curious about him.
"No one," he evaded blithely.
She cocked her head to the side, appraising him. "Why were you daggered for so long?"
"Exhaustion."
"So, it's true? You asked Klaus to dagger you?"
He blanched. "Who told you that?"
"Riko."
He rolled his eyes. "Of course she did."
"Well?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"That, is a long story. Perhaps I'll tell it to you one day, if I feel I can trust you."
"I'm trustworthy."
"Your line can be trustworthy. It was a Bennett Witch who first told me of Silas," he said, smoothly changing the subject.
She tensed up. "What about him?"
"That waking him would bring about the apocalypse," he told her solemnly. "You can only imagine my bloody shock when Elijah pulled out the dagger and told me he was in Mystic Falls."
Her eyes widened.
"But don't fret, darling, I have the upmost confidence in your abilities to defeat him."
The witch frowned at him. "Defeat him? What-?"
"That's why you're here, yes? To kill Silas?"
She stared at him in shock. "No!"
"He's teasing you, Bonnie," a voice said from the doorway. Mariko looked exhausted but vindicated. She stepped into the kitchen with Pacari close behind.
"Always spoiling my fun, Mariko," Kol said softly.
"You deserve it," she retorted. "He's not as scary as he looks, promise."
"I resent that!"
Riko ignored him. "Thank you for coming."
"Er – yeah, of course. How is Caroline?" Bonnie asked awkwardly. She hadn't reached out to the hybrid since her husband had taken Elena and Tyler. In part she blamed Caroline for the kidnapping because she had insisted so thoroughly Klaus was not a threat. Yet she felt guilty for blaming her, since she knew Klaus had been driven to extremes when Caroline lost her memories of him – which was her own fault.
"She has been working with some trusted friends at Des Cendres to recover some lost memories, but of course, she needs us to perform a counter-curse ritual to fully recover," Mariko explained. "Which I have finally worked out."
"Des Cendres is her school, right?" asked Bonnie.
Pacari answered. "Yes. It's in Tibet."
At this, Kol's eyebrows flew towards his hairline.
Bonnie was confused. "Tibet? Caroline's in Tibet? Is she on her way back so we can reverse the spells?"
Pacari shared an amused look with Kol behind Mariko's back.
"Ah," the older witch said delicately. "See, Caroline is a little nervous about leaving her students at the moment, what with Esther and Mikael running around. Des Cendres is a controlled environment with formidable witches and hybrids on staff – a far better setting for witchcraft than Mystic Falls – the place oozes with magic from generations of students. And we're taking Silas with us, so he won't be a threat to the town anymore. It will be much easier to suppress his powers there."
Bonnie frowned at Mariko for a long moment before her expression cleared in realization.
"You want to bring me to the Himalayas?! I've never even left the country before! I don't have a passport and – and school starts in just a few days!" she protested loudly.
Mariko laid her fingers on the teenager's shoulder. "Bonnie, we can create a portal that will transport us to the school. I promise you'll be safe; we've all cast countless portals. Caroline and one of the headmasters will summon it at Des Cendres and Pacari and I will answer it."
"What about Mikael and Esther? What if they come back while we're gone?"
"Pacari, my siblings, and I can protect Mystic Falls," Kol said, slapping Pacari on the back. "It is our hometown, too, after all."
"Your brother kidnapped two of my best friends," Bonnie hissed. "And used compulsion on Stefan to make him lose his mind!"
Kol held his hands up in surrender. "Sorry?"
"Klaus took enough of Elena's blood to create an army of hybrids; he doesn't need her anymore. Bekah made him promise to leave her alone," Pacari said in an effort to calm her down. It didn't work.
Bonnie's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "He created an army of hybrids?!" Elena and Damon had failed to share that detail.
Mariko pinched the bridge of her nose and inwardly groaned at Pacari's ineptitude. "I know it is hard to understand Klaus' motivations, but his father chased him for a thousand years. All the siblings had to live in constant fear of the White Oak Stake Mikael possesses. We are at war, and in wartime tough decisions must be made. He will do anything to protect his wife and family."
Bonnie shook her head. "Elena and Tyler are not his pawns!"
The Undying Witch summoned all her patience. "Like it or not, this involves us all now. Without an army of hybrids Esther and Mikael will destroy my family. Haven't you made sacrifices to protect yours, Bonnie?"
The analogue clock over the doorway ticked sixteen times as Pacari, Mariko, and Kol waited for Bonnie to make a decision. She sighed. "How long will we be gone?"
"A few days. We'll send you back in time for the first day of school."
Before Bonnie could respond, Mariko's phone rang, and she left the room to answer with Pacari at her heels.
The young witch tried to remain calm, but her eyes betrayed her and filled with tears. Cursing under her breath, she turned away from Kol, whose intent gaze was too much.
"I know she can be bloody scary; she's haunted me for 500 years," Kol joked weakly. He flashed to her side to gently wipe the tears from her cheeks.
Bonnie sucked in a deep breath. "I just want a normal life."
He gave her a dubious look. "Really, love?"
She glared at him. "Yes! You don't know me!"
"Ah, but I know enough. Dating a medium, best friends with a doppelgänger, friends with vampires, werewolves, hybrids – the only normal one out of the lot is the quarterback. Were you upset to discover you were a witch?" he guided her to the kitchen table.
She shook her head. "No. It's the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me. I was sitting in a restaurant and accidentally lit a candle. It seems trite now, but I was astonished. I felt powerful and special and connected to something I knew was missing but hadn't known what until that moment."
"It's always nice to know who you are," he agreed softly. "And what you were meant to be."
She said nothing as she stared down at the table. Mariko reentered.
"It's ready. I promise it won't take longer than a day or two to get through everything, Bonnie," she said kindly.
Bonnie's gaze flickered to Kol, who smiled at her in encouragement and mouthed: "Astonished." She stood up.
"Let's go."
Mont-Tremblant National Park, Quebec
Elena shrieked with delight as she ziplined across the waterfall with her heart in her throat. It would have been terrifying if she hadn't just escaped a crazed vampire literally out for her blood. Instead, she welcomed the rush of adrenaline. The more adrenaline pumped into her veins, the less she thought about her experience in Maine.
"Have fun?" Damon grinned at her as she touched down on the other side and the worker undid the fastenings.
"That was incredible!" She couldn't stop smiling. In fact, she'd barely stopped smiling since she'd woken in Canada.
"I'm glad you liked it."
"They have bungee jumping here, too."
"Oh, god," he said with a mock groan. "Klaus has definitely fucked with your head. You're turning into a daredevil."
"Yeah, 'cuz I was so safe before," she teased.
"Fair point," he said as she jumped down from the platform into his arms. Their eyes locked briefly, the moment ruined when his phone pinged. He set her down her to pull it out of his pocket.
Elena watched his brow furrow as he read the message. The past couple of days in Quebec City with Damon had been so quiet and peaceful – they had dined out, seen shows, gone on long walks; away from home, he had revealed a softer side of himself that she'd never seen before. In turn, she realized he was affecting her in kind. She was starting to feel like her old self again, the 'fun Elena' she'd been before the death of her parents. She knew Katherine thought her dull, and loathe though she was to admit it, even to herself, her doppelgänger had not been entirely wrong. She had been boring.
She watched as a drop of sweat slid down from his scalp, tracing the outline of his strong jawline and neck before disappearing under his shirt. His hair had been windblown by their activities, and he was wearing shorts and running shoes. It made him seem…human. Innocent.
"Elena?"
She snapped her gaze away from his toned calves.
"What?" she asked swiftly without a trace of embarrassment, daring him to acknowledge her wandering gaze.
He narrowed his eyes. "Nothing. Rebekah says she and Klaus are about to reenter Virginia. He gave his word he'd leave you alone: he made nearly a hundred hybrids, anymore would be gluttony."
Elena's mouth fell open. "A hundred?"
Damon winced. "Malibu-Dracula seems a little too pleased with the circumstances. But hopefully, it's enough to get rid of Mommy and Daddy Original."
"Caroline needs to come back," she muttered. "Her leaving turned him into a monster."
"Turned him into a monster, or just pulled back the curtain?"
"Does it matter?"
"Nah, I guess not."
Her phone beeped as they made their way down the trail.
"Amazing coverage we're getting up here," Damon muttered.
She read the message from Bonnie in bewilderment.
"What is it?"
She tapped out a response before turning to him. "Riko finally figured out how to fix Caroline's memories. She's taking Bonnie and Silas to Tibet."
"Better her than me."
She read the message again. "They're using a portal to get there; Bonnie'd never heard of such a thing. And I thought my life was weird."
He adjusted his backpack and frowned. "So, Silas is gone, and Klaus is victorious. I guess we should head home."
"Uh. Yeah. Guess the vacation is over. Jenna's frantic, and school's starting again in a few days," Elena said lamely. They stared at each other for a long moment before she broke eye contact.
"Come on up," Damon said, offering to carry her back to the car.
She wondered if he was eager to return home, or if he wanted her in his arms. She was not so eager to return home; their exile had turned into a really wonderful escape. However, being held by Damon for an extended period time spelled danger.
"No. Let's at least finish the trail," she said firmly, starting back down the path.
She felt his gaze on her back as she walked away. He caught up with her seconds later, his features carefully arranged in an impassive expression. But as they made their way down the mountain, he made a point to touch her whenever possible – supporting her lower back as she climbed a boulder, gripping her waist when she slid on loose soil, skimming his arm against hers as they crossed a river. His touch set her skin on fire and sent tingles down her spine.
She was in serious trouble.
Des Cendres, Southern Tibet
Gita hovered in the shadowed cloisters as Emmeline and Caroline began the summoning in the center of the courtyard. The two hybrids were disturbing the early morning air with their chants and gestures. Portals could only be summoned by powerful witches or Carolinian hybrids and required rigorous planning and precise calculations.
The courtyard they'd chosen was an exact replica of the one in the heart of the original school in Paris, which itself had been an abbey before becoming Des Cendres. Gita had carved the stone archway she was now leaning against. Creeping wisteria haloed the roof of the cloisters, outlining the courtyard with a purple veil. The two hybrids stood under an ancient oak tree that generations of students had climbed, found refuge in, meditated under, and used for spells.
The vampire straightened out, leaning forward as the air beside her sire and her lover…wrinkled. As their chants grew louder, the mirage grew into a shimmering blackhole. Gita observed the phenomenon warily. While she could admit portals were dead useful in a crux, the sensation of walking through one was like being jabbed with a million icicles simultaneously. And Gita hated the cold.
Three silhouettes appeared in the center of the portal then fell to the ground as they exited – one with more grace than her companions. Gita strode out from under the covered arcade, pulling her talwar from its sheath as she crossed the courtyard to the man resting on his knees. She pressed the tip of the blade into Silas's throat as Mariko helped a young witch to her feet.
"This is Maut," Gita introduced. "She has been blessed by many powerful witches and hybrids and has been at my side since I was but a girl."
The Immortal Witch scoffed as he met her gaze. "You named your sword 'Death'?"
"I want my enemies to know what to expect," Gita shot back.
"I like a woman with spirit," he flirted.
"Somehow I find that hard to believe," she retorted. "You're under my custody now, witch. Up!"
Silas struggled to his feet. Gita dipped the talwar into his lower back and pushed him towards a spiral staircase that led to the dungeons.
"Bye-bye, girls!" he called back to the group of women. "Riko and I bonded during our time together," he could be heard saying as the pair wound down the steps. "We have a special connection."
"Was that before or after you nearly killed her, left her for dead, then stole her identity?"
"After, definitely after."
Their voices faded.
Bonnie felt like she had been to the worst acupuncturist known to man. Traveling through the portal had been nothing short of torture; her skin was still crawling.
"Thanks for the warning, Riko," she mumbled as she hugged her knit cardigan to her torso.
But Mariko was not paying attention to her. She was a few paces away speaking to Caroline.
"Mariko can be sparing on the details," a woman said from beside her as she offered her hand.
Bonnie shook it, taking in the woman's lustrous auburn hair and hazel eyes that appeared almost golden in the dawn light.
"Thanks," the young witch muttered. "I'm Bonnie Bennett."
"I know. I accidentally siphoned from one of your ancestors some centuries back," the hybrid said ruefully. "My name is Emmeline Veravicci. Gita and I run Des Cendres."
Without any elaboration on her first, cryptic statement, Emmeline turned to greet Mariko. Caroline walked up to Bonnie with a smile.
"Emmeline is a Siphoner Hybrid. She can absorb the power of other witches," she explained.
Bonnie blanched. "Permanently?"
Caroline laughed lightly. "Only on rare circumstance has she drained a witch of all her magic. Most of the time the effects are temporary."
"Like Rogue?"
"Just like Rogue," Caroline agreed.
An awkward silence settled between them.
"Caroline, I'm sorry for what I did to you. I can see now how easy it was for Silas to influence me. I was so eager for power, I couldn't see clearly. I was stupid and naïve and gullible." Once she started it was hard to stop. "But after we break the curse, you have to come back and deal with Klaus, he's out of control-"
"Bonnie, Bonnie, it's okay! I promise. I know it wasn't your fault," Caroline assured her, pulling her into a hug.
"What do you mean, he's out of control?" the blond questioned suspiciously as they broke apart.
Bonnie caught Mariko's eye over her shoulder. "You haven't told her anything?"
Caroline stiffened. "What does that mean."
Mariko came to her side with a guilty expression.
"Er…when you left, Nik took matters into his own hands," she told her friend, and it was the first time Bonnie had ever seen the imposing witch look nervous.
Caroline glared at Mariko.
"Care to elaborate?"
"Come, little witch," a voice muttered in Bonnie's ear. It was Emmeline. "I'll give you the grand tour. We definitely don't want to be around for this."
Bonnie followed the hybrid down the cloistered hallway and through a heavy wooden door. They passed an antechamber before entering a long corridor. It was cool inside but not uncomfortably so. Bonnie had never felt so much magic in one place; it seemed to pulsate in the air, seeping from the walls. The architecture seamlessly blended East and West; a combination of Buddhist temple and Gothic church.
"It might seem a bit eerie right now, but the girls will be up soon. Then, you'll really experience Des Cendres for what it was meant to be," Emmeline explained proudly as they strode down the hallway. As they passed a narrow window, a shrill scream pierced their ears.
"HE DID WHAT?!"
Emmeline opened another door and led Bonnie into a darkened room. She didn't even have to motion her hand; the candles lit as they stepped inside.
Bonnie's jaw dropped.
No one told her she was being brought to Hogwarts. They were standing in a grand hall, dwarfed by the sheer size of it. The Romanesque ceiling was latticed with diagonal arched ribs that supported the vaulted arch. Twelve long tables made of gleaming ebony and littered with cauldrons, herbs, and grimoires rested on the flagstone. The entire west wall was taken up by stained glass windows, each panel depicting a different scene.
"This is the main study hall," said Emmeline anticlimactically.
Bonnie shot her an incredulous look.
Emmeline showed Bonnie a few more rooms in the sprawling complex before realizing the young witch needed to eat – not without protest from Bonnie, who would have been perfectly happy wandering the halls all day. The hybrid led her to a dining room that appeared to be carved out of rock. It probably was, Bonnie realized – the school had been built into the landscape. Parts of it were nestled in the mountains, while others hung under a cliffside. The harsh quartz of the walls was softened by an enormous mahogany table laden with a lavish feast. Bonnie sat down and began loading her plate as Emmeline sipped an espresso. Not two minutes went by before the door opened again and the vampire who'd taken Silas away entered.
She fell into the seat beside Emmeline and grabbed a roll. "He's sealed in the seventh dungeon. Wouldn't shut up the entire way down."
Emmeline opened a newspaper with a hidden smile.
"Oh, hullo. You must be Bonnie. I'm Gita," the vampire said across the table.
"Hi," Bonnie greeted back.
"Like our school? Emme and I are co-headmasters."
"It's amazing."
Gita winked at her. "You should sit in on some classes while you're here."
Bonnie opened her mouth to say she wouldn't be staying long enough for that but thought twice. The suggestion wasn't a bad one; it might be nice to spend time with other novices. She couldn't deny her curiosity about their students.
She glanced around as she ate. The art decorating the room was an eclectic mishmash of statues, paintings, and objects from all over the world and all different eras. A gold ankh adorned the wall opposite her. A giant statue that looked like it had been stolen from Easter Island sat in another corner. And maybe it had, Bonnie thought to herself in amusement as her gaze slid to the painting above the vampires' heads – if she paid more attention in art class, she'd have been able to identify it as an original Van Gogh.
"Where are Iki and Caroline?" Gita asked.
"Fighting – Mariko had to tell her what's really going on in Mystic Falls," Emmeline responded.
Gita rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. "That's what she gets."
"Who? Caroline for running away, or Mariko for keeping secrets?"
"I refuse to be the scapegoat – Pacari, Rebekah, and all the brothers kept her in the dark as well." Mariko stood in the doorway wearing a sour face. "I told you two what was happening – I notice neither of you said anything to her."
Emmeline and Gita exchanged a loaded look.
"She couldn't do anything from here," Gita muttered. "It only would have served to upset her."
Mariko sneered, "How thoughtful." She turned to Bonnie. "We're performing the ritual at sunset tomorrow."
Bonnie nodded through an embarrassingly loud yawn. It had been a very long day, and she was still on Eastern Standard Time.
"Come." Emmeline rose. "I will show you to your quarters."
"Do you think I could sit on a couple lessons tomorrow?" Bonnie asked as they navigated the dark maze of halls.
"Of course you can; did you not believe Gita when she offered?"
"No, no – I just… This place doesn't seem real."
"I know what you mean. I didn't even know I was a witch until I became a vampire. I accidentally siphoned from Caroline and used her power on Nik," she said with a laugh. "I too was overwhelmed when they brought me to the school."
"Yeah, it's definitely overwhelming."
Bonnie lapsed into silence as they traversed the hallways.
"Here we are," Emmeline said when they reached a wing of the school that was a bit more modern than the parts she'd seen earlier – at least it had electricity.
"Thanks."
"Sleep well. And Bonnie?"
"Yes?"
"Who is the school for if not you?"
Without another word, Emmeline turned on her heel and disappeared down the hallway.
Bonnie bit her lip before opening the door. She shook her head at the impossibly beautiful bedroom, then face planted on the giant bed and fell into a deep sleep.
Rebekah swerved the Aston Martin Vanquish into the driveway, whipped around once she reached the end, and slammed the brakes. Klaus jolted awake in the passenger seat.
"Easy, sister," he scolded.
"We're home," she announced.
"I see that," he said as he gazed at the foundation of the mansion. "My hybrids can finish this. I don't want Caroline coming home to no running water."
Rebekah took the key out of the ignition, ignoring her brother. "Elijah and Kol are already here."
Kol was off a way, inspecting the plot of land, while Elijah leaned against his Rolls with crossed arms and a stern look.
"I hope your escapades in New England were worth it, brother," he drawled as they approached.
"Irrefutably, Elijah. Ir-re-futably."
"We have an army of 97 hybrids," Rebekah added smugly.
Elijah pressed his lips together and said nothing. Kol joined them.
"I wonder why Caroline never created an army of hybrids to come after me," he said.
Klaus rolled his eyes. "She didn't need an army."
"Too right you are – she always had a bit more finesse than you, Nik."
Elijah cut in. "I've managed to convince Sheriff Forbes and Miss Jenna Sommers that Elena Gilbert is safe and returning home shortly. Please don't make me a liar."
"I look forward to a time when I don't have to hear about Elena bloody Gilbert every bloody day," Rebekah grumbled. "Nik stockpiled her blood. He won't need her again."
Klaus' jaw twitched in annoyance, but he did not contradict his sister.
"And Esther and Mikael have not made any appearances since their failed attempt to get to Silas?" he asked.
Kol shifted uncomfortably.
"Not a hint. I don't like it," Elijah said.
"Silas is a liability," Klaus scowled.
His brothers exchanged a loaded look.
"He's not technically our liability anymore," Kol drawled.
The blonds both froze in shock. Rebekah unfroze first.
"He escaped?!"
"How could you two morons let this happen? What the hell were Iki and Pacari doing?" yelled Klaus.
"Calm yourselves," Elijah pacified, "he has not escaped Mariko's custody. She has brought him to Des Cendres."
"Pardon?" said Klaus.
"Mariko figured out how to break Caroline's curse. She and Bonnie took a portal to Des Cendres this morning and brought Silas with them on Caroline's suggestion."
"They took…Silas…to the school…?" Rebekah stated disbelievingly.
"Des Cendres is far better equipped to suppress his powers. We were going to lose control of him in that basement. She was being proactive," explained Elijah.
"So, we've gained an army, but lost some of our best soldiers. First Caroline, now Riko. Even the Bennett Witch had skill," Rebekah noted with a scowl. "How long will they be gone?"
"As long as it takes for Caroline to heal," Klaus interjected, pushing past his initial alarm. "However long it takes."
Qetsiyah woke in the strange bedroom with a smile on her face. She laid under the sheets for a minute, taking in deep breaths and concentrating on her magic. For the first time since returning from the Other Side, she could feel her full power. No more resting; it was time to take action. She had a lot to accomplish before her final confrontation with her backstabbing fiancé and his insipid lover.
She threw on a dress Esther had provided and entered the main living space. She had paid marginal attention to the changing planet as the millenniums passed by, but found herself woefully underprepared now that she was living in it again. There were all sorts of complicated gadgets and loud devices and hidden dangers.
A couple witches sat at the breakfast bar while the Original Witch was hunched over a grimoire at the coffee table. Mikael was nowhere to be found; he was probably out recruiting more vampires and witches for their army. Her hunters were staying in the suite next door, waiting for further instruction. Soon. They'd fulfil their duty soon enough.
"Esther."
She looked up.
"We need to locate Amara."
In the catacombs of a medieval castle, a young witch unlocked the door to a storage chamber and sighed. Once a week, someone had to come down here to do routine maintenance on the coven's most sacred artifacts. Her elders characterized the menial task relegated to the youngest members as a way to "build appreciation for your ancestors' sacrifices, successes, and failures." Bull – it was bitch work. As the daughter of the coven leader, she had been assigned this task more than anyone else in her age group. She recognized it for what it was.
She waved a careless hand at the candles and entered the chamber as they lit up. Many of the objects stored here were spoils of war, though some had been created by the coven. Even less were gifts. Dust motes floated through the stale air, itching her nostrils. She fought back a sneeze and crossed the room to the most important artifact, their most powerful confiscated item: the Anchor.
The marble statue of a slim young woman, very unlike the voluptuous idealizations popular in Greco-Roman times, stood in the far right corner of the room. As a witch who had grown up in an ancient castle, Verenice was used to the morbid, the weird, and the eerie. But there had always been something about this statue that was unsettling.
As she'd done many times before, she pulled a rag out of her pocket and began meticulously dusting the lines and crevices that formed the toga, flowing hair, and finely sculpted features.
"Are you watching, spirits?" she asked aloud in French. "I deserve to be rewarded with a good position on the Other Side for my pains. A really nice afterlife."
Her phone buzzed.
"I didn't expect an answer quite so soon," she said, laughing at her own joke and then grimacing at her weirdness. She tapped out a response to her boyfriend, who was asking when she'd be done.
Never.
No, but really.
No, but really – I won't be finished for hours.
Lame.
Take it up with my mother.
Pass.
She slid the phone back in her pocket. She raised her arm to finish dusting, but froze midway. Her heart stopped. She violently scrambled away from the box and fell on the hard stone floor as she lost her footing. She breathed in a deep breath to calm herself, counting to ten.
She braved another glance at the statue only to feel as if she'd been doused in ice.
As they were moments earlier, the statue's eyes were open and glowing with a dim blue light.
Her hands were shaking so hard it was a struggle to pull out her phone. By the time she finally retrieved it, her fingers were too sweaty to work the touchscreen. She wiped them off on her jeans and tried again, tapping Maman.
"Oui, Verenice?"
"Maman… You need to come to the catacombs – to the storage chamber."
"Why?"
"Something's wrong – something's wrong with the Anchor. It's…alive, Maman!"
"Verenice, get out of the room right now," her mother ordered. "I'm on my way."
Ten minutes later, Verenice hovered in the doorway as her mother inspected the Anchor. The blue light was faint yet still present. In addition, the statue seemed different. Changed.
Cecile's fingers arced as she held them over the magical object, muttering under her breath.
"Someone cast a tracking spell to locate it," she declared.
"Who?"
"That, I cannot tell."
She pressed the pads of her fingers against her temple to meditate. Verenice held her tongue as her mother focused, likely sifting through old memories and information. After a few minutes, Cecile crossed the room and pulled a short dagger off the wall, wiping the dust off on her pants as she walked back to the Anchor.
Without blinking an eye, she sliced the blade across her palm and approached the statue, holding the open wound up to its mouth.
The eyes grew ruby red before the mouth cracked open to allow the blood to pass through.
"The Anchor is…alive?" Verenice asked in shock. "She's a vampire?"
Cecile stepped away from the woman, whose desiccated skin was not the ancient marble she had assumed it to be when her coven found the Anchor over a decade earlier, when Verenice was only a small child.
"She's not a vampire," she declared after studying the woman for a long moment, her thoughts racing. "She must be-" she froze midsentence, her eyes widening. "Oh. Oh, no."
"Maman?"
"This is bigger than us. We need reinforcements."
Hours later on the other side of the world, a group of women gathered around a fire built in the center of a pentacle drawn on the ground with salt.
"It's time, Caroline," said Mariko.
Caroline closed her eyes and walked into the fire without hesitation. Bonnie gasped from beside Mariko but was silenced when the flames engulfed Caroline and molded into the shape of a phoenix with its wings wrapped around her body. Caroline opened her eyes; they'd gone pitch-black, with tiny flames where the pupils should have been.
Mariko guided Bonnie towards the hybrid. The older witch placed her fingertips on Caroline's temple and gestured for Bonnie to place hers over her heart. Bonnie did so with trepidation, but the flames did not burn; instead, they ran over her skin with a tickling sensation.
"Now, we chant the original spells three times before reaching into Caroline and fixing the damage," the older witch instructed. "I'll guide you."
Once they finished chanting, they reached into the recesses of Caroline's mind. She let out a terrible scream that almost made Bonnie stop, but she looked at the determination on Mariko's face and continued. The screams got worse. Caroline's body writhed and contorted, and blood spilt out of her eyes and nose. Finally, after several minutes of increasingly violent spasms, the flame-phoenix spread its wings into the air before shifting from her body and disintegrating in the darkening night. Bonnie was not sure if this was good or bad. The hybrid let out one last bloodcurdling howl before collapsing.
Mariko's breathing was ragged as she studied the unconscious hybrid. "It's done."
"How long will she be out?" Bonnie asked.
"As you noticed, that was a harrowing experience for her; her mind and body need rest," the older witch explained. "It will be at least a few days, if not longer."
Bonnie watched as Emmeline carried Caroline into the school. Gita walked beside her gently pushing back the blond curls from her sire's face.
"Are you ready to start senior year, Bonnie? Or do you need a few more days, too?" Mariko asked with a knowing look on her face.
Bonnie swallowed and gazed up at Des Cendres. She could not ignore the pull, the desire deep within to enhance her craft, understand what they'd done to Caroline, and meet more of her own kind. One lesson with Emmeline that morning had not been enough: she wanted more. She'd have to have a tough phone call with her father. Though, he'll probably just be relieved, she thought gloomily.
"I want to make sure it worked. I'll stay until she wakes up before going home." Even Bonnie could hear the uncertainty in her voice.
Mariko wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her inside.
Mystic Falls, Virginia
September 2010
Labor Day weekend found Elijah and Rebekah sitting on the back patio of the newly built mansion and working. True to his word, Klaus had had his hybrids finish the structure. It had taken them just over a week to turn a foundation into an opulent yet refined home with plenty of rooms for the entire family and then some. If they put the same amount of energy into defeating Mikael and Esther, victory would come easily.
Elijah was poring over his mother's grimoires, studying the various spells and notes written in the margins. He wanted to be two steps ahead of her at all times. Rebekah was typing on her laptop. She'd been tasked with trying to locate their parents' hideout. Klaus, Kol, and Pacari were spending the holiday training the hybrids in the quarry where Silas had broken Klaus' curse.
When Rebekah hit Ignore on her ringing phone, Elijah's eyes flickered over the screen.
"What did Mariko do to you?"
"I'm annoyed with her," Bekah retorted. "It shouldn't be taking this long."
"Sometimes I think we lay too heavy a burden on that witch's shoulders," he said wisely. "She cannot be the deus ex machina to all our problems."
Rebekah tapped her nails on the table. "Shut up, Elijah."
"Rebekah-"
"Elijah, shut up!" The timbre of her voice had changed. She stood up as one of the hybrids on guard-duty approached the patio. Blood was leaking from every orifice in his head. When he reached the stairs to the patio, his eyes rolled back in his skull and he hit the ground.
"What on earth-?" Elijah rose to his feet to stare at the hybrid's body.
A teenage girl in jean shorts and a Daft Punk tee rounded the corner. She was a very pretty brunette with eyes the color of pale jade. To the naked eye she seemed unfazed by their bared fangs as she stared back at them – but Elijah noted the slight trembling in the girl's hands and heard her accelerating heartbeat.
"It is bad form to sneak up on people and give them aneurysms," he said lightly.
The witch glanced down at the hybrid in awe as if shocked by the strength of her own magic. "He wouldn't let me pass." She spoke with a heavy French accent.
"Well, it is his job," Elijah pointed out.
"Are you Elijah and Rebekah Mikaelson?"
The siblings exchanged a wary glance.
"Did Esther send you?" Rebekah demanded.
The witch shook her head. "I am here on behalf of my coven."
Elijah narrowed his eyes. "What coven?"
She pulled a gold chain from under her collar to reveal a large pendant of a phoenix with a pentacle branded on its chest. It was the crest of House d'Ebanne – and the crest of the Morganne Coven.
"You once asked for a favor. We have come to collect."
A/N: Newly reedited, rewritten, and restructured. Fixed some massive plot-holes. Oops. If you read the original draft, sorry for how bad this used to be. Enjoy! ~L