Another day, another language - merci mille fois à tous / toutes! :)
We'll be off to France today, and things will start to develop... in every way.
I do hope you'll enjoy! Happy Sunday everyone!
P.S.: A very big smooch to my lovely guest reviewers whom I can't thank via PM!
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
SERIAL KILLER TOURISM
The trip to Tiffauges was somewhat complicated. They had to drive back to Tromsø – Caroline wondered if Klaus had stolen a car as he had left the rental car behind – and take a plane to Oslo from there. Elijah had tried to hire a private plane, but no aircraft could have been there within the next twenty-four hours, and Caroline had not wanted to wait. From Oslo, they flew to Paris and on to Nantes, which was about an hour's drive from Tiffauges. During their journey, Elijah had explained that they would take a couple of rooms at a Château-turned-hotel about fifteen kilometers South of Tiffauges. There were a few hotels in the village of Tiffauges itself, but Elijah wanted to avoid the obvious. The hotel he had chosen was in the middle of nowhere, outside a small hamlet called Beaurepaire. It was still comfortable and relatively easy to reach. Caroline wished she had any appreciation of the fact that she was now in France, a very beautiful part of France at that, but all she could think of was Klaus.
It was very late when they arrived at the Château, and Elijah resolutely rented the entire top floor, consisting of six suites, two of them connected by double doors. Caroline was given the back room while Elijah took the front one so he would be first to hear if anyone was approaching. While he was ordering dinner, Caroline made a quick tour of her room. A large four-poster bed dominated the suite, which was floored with dark woods and decorated with beige drapes. A fireplace was lit, and the whole room was elegant and cozy. It was very European, she thought, and normally she would have been beyond excited to be here. Klaus… I miss you.
Fifteen minutes later, a brisk knock announced room service. Elijah answered the door; once the young waiter had arranged the food on the table, Caroline suddenly noticed Elijah compelling him. He asked him a couple of questions in French and sent him away after that.
"What have you asked him?"
"I wanted to know if anything strange has been going on in the area during the last twenty-four hours. He said there have been rumours about late-night parties in the ruins of Tiffauges lately, but people believe it is just a group of teenagers getting drunk and climbing about the castle as a dare. Other than that, he hasn't heard anything."
Caroline sauntered over to the table to peek at the food. It looked delicious, and it smelled even better. She was so not hungry. "Elijah, can't we please just go and look for Klaus? I know I won't be able to sleep, so why waste time?"
Elijah sighed. "All right. But I insist that you have something to eat before we leave. I do not think I have seen you eat all day. And when was the last time you fed?"
"I… fed from Klaus, the first day we searched for the tree."
"I see. Niklaus' blood is very rich, which is why it kept you strong for such a long time. However, you will have to feed now. There is a small hospital about two miles from here which we will visit before going on to Tiffauges. Now please do have some food. This Coq au Vin looks very tempting."
Caroline shook her head. "I'm not hungry, Elijah, thank you."
He put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Caroline, you do want to help Niklaus, am I correct?"
"Of course!"
"How do you plan on helping him when you are weakened by something as easily overcome as lack of nourishment?"
She had to smile. Sometimes he was really fatherly, and she liked that very much. It made her feel cherished and taken care of. "Okay, I'll try. But only if you sit down and eat with me."
Elijah chuckled and pulled out the chair for her. "It will be my pleasure, Miss Forbes."
An hour later, they had stolen a couple of blood bags from the local hospital and were on their way to Tiffauges. Caroline felt much better after some food and the blood, but her nervousness increased with every minute. They parked the car about a mile from the castle and walked at human speed while Elijah spoke to her about the life and times of Gilles de Rais and Prelati in a very low voice. He explained the layout of the Château Tiffauges as it had looked back then and told her that the dungeons were still there to this day, although locked down and not accessible to the general public in order to avoid the worst of serial killer tourism. Unbeknownst to Klaus, Elijah had visited the ruins a few decades ago and had also been down in the dungeons. Things had apparently not changed much since the days of de Rais, although the chambers had of course been cleaned and were in relatively good shape. Nothing betrayed the horrors that had taken place there so many years ago.
They approached the castle from riverside. It was very dark and not a sound could be heard. Okay, I'm a bit scared. Oh come on! You're a damn vampire, stop acting like a little girl. They had reached the outer walls, and Caroline touched the stones. So this was the place. She shivered. It gave her goosebumps. The thick walls seemed to exude darkness… but maybe her imagination was just running wild.
All of a sudden, Elijah tensed and inclined his head. He had apparently heard something Caroline couldn't quite detect. He put a finger to his lips and motioned downwards. He remained very close to her, never relaxing, as they entered the ruins. When they stood in the middle of what seemed to have been a large hall, he pointed to a small iron-wrought gate half hidden in an inconspicuous corner. The lock was broken. He opened the gate and motioned for Caroline to stick to his side as they stepped onto the weathered stone staircase. When they had descended a couple of steps, she heard it too. Distant whispers and a faint sound of metal. She looked at Elijah who gave a small sigh.
"Humans," he said in a low voice and started to walk further down the stairs. "Nothing out of the ordinary. But I think they will need a good scare so they won't return anytime soon." He gave her a sudden wicked grin. "Would you like to do the honors, Miss Forbes?"
Scare them? I can do that!
Caroline flipped up the hood of her black leather jacket and hid her face in the shadows. Then she turned, letting her fangs break through and her blackened veins appear. Putting on what she hoped was a scary expression, she cast a quick glance at Elijah who nodded appreciatively, the grin never leaving his face. She flashed towards the lighted chamber and burst through the door, sending it crashing against the massive stone wall.
Four teenagers were gathered around a small fire. The floor was littered with empty bottles, plastic wrappings and cigarette stubs. The boys jumped up and dropped whatever they were holding. One of them pulled a knife out of his pocket. With a rather dramatic gesture, Caroline pushed back her hood and let out a vicious snarl. The quartet's eyes widened, and Caroline grabbed the two boys nearest to her and shoved them into the wall. Not too forcefully though. The other two started to run, but she swiftly blocked the door and hissed at them, fangs bared.
"Qu'est-ce que tu veux?" the tallest one, a raven-haired, lanky youth shouted at her. In the same instant, Elijah appeared in front of him soundlessly, his pupils dilating.
"Casse-toi et ne reviens jamais. Oublie tout ce que tu as vu. Tu vas seulement te rappeler que ce château te fait peur comme rien de semblable. Vas-t'en."
He repeated the same compulsion with the other three boys who took to their heels immediately.
"What did you tell them?" Caroline wanted to know once they were alone.
"I just said they should leave and never return. They won't remember anything safe the fact that this place frightens them like nothing else. It was enjoyable to watch you display your darker side, Caroline," he chuckled.
She giggled lightly. "Those boys will probably unconsciously shy away from any blonde girl from now on. And we should have told them to clean up their trash." Looking around, she sobered. "So… is this where you found him?"
Elijah shook his head. "No. It is the room next door. Do you want to see it?"
She didn't hesitate. "Yes."
They went to the dungeon in question. Elijah made short work of the lock and opened the creaking door, letting Caroline step in first.
Her breath caught. The room was empty except for a sturdy table in one corner and three sets of metal chains hanging from the ceiling. Caroline stepped into the center of the chamber, slowly spinning around and pausing when she faced the table. She closed her eyes, conjuring her last vision. The table. Two goblets. Blood. A tapestry,
"I've seen this," she whispered. "In the vision Prelati gave me."
"This was where I found him. His chair was right there, where you are standing."
She approached the wall, taking out her phone and illuminating a piece of the stone mural. The dark blotches were faint and bleached out by the ravages of time, and probably not discernible for human eyes, but she could still see them. Blood. It was all over the space. She could not even begin to imagine just how many children had fallen victim to de Rais and his crazed fantasies.
"Was Prelati the one who started de Rais' killing spree?"
"No," Elijah replied, "the Baron's unsavoury tendencies had manifested at a rather early age. The influence of his family and his own war heroism proved an excellent cover for his atrocities. Prelati joined him at a later stage. His riches had begun to wane, and Prelati promised him that he knew enough of alchemy to actually convert lead into gold. He provided additional fodder to de Rais' madness by making him believe that the magic required for a successful conversion of lead into gold would be strengthened by human sacrifices. Sacrifices of children, to be precise. So de Rais thought he was combining business with pleasure."
Caroline shuddered. "How many? Do you know?"
"The official number is one hundred and forty. That is what was written in the annals. The actual number was never disclosed, for it would have caused an upheaval among the peasantry."
"How many, Elijah?"
"Three hundred and sixty two."
She blanched and gripped the stone wall for support. "What?" she gasped. "No! How can one man kill that many?"
"He had time, money, privacy, a very sick mind and black magic at his hands. It was relatively easy for him."
Her eyes narrowed. "You did make him pay, didn't you? Please tell me you did."
A small, sardonic smile crossed Elijah's face. "Niklaus is not the only one who knows about cruelty. De Rais and Prelati were sentenced to burn at the stake, and they did. But for some inexplicable reason, the fire went out again and again just after a portion of their skin had started to burn but there was not yet enough smoke to render them unconscious. And it took very long to get the fire started each time. They were burned little by little. The whole process took more than eight hours."
"Why were you the one to do it, not Klaus?"
"After he woke from his – shall we call it waking sleep? – he carried on with things like nothing had ever happened. No matter how many attempts I made at trying to include him in my plans, he refused. And quite honestly, I was too much at a loss to question him. I had no idea how to handle the situation, so I just went ahead and did what I thought he might have done. Although he would probably have killed them with his bare hands rather than leaving it to a simple fire."
Caroline nodded absently. Neither she nor any of her friends had any idea what the Originals had lived to see and what they had actually gone through over the centuries. It certainly did not justify the havoc Klaus wreaked on Mystic Falls in regular intervals, but she was starting to understand where he came from. One could probably assume that he was trying to prevent any cruelty towards him and his family by just inflicting cruelty on others first. Quite the vicious circle.
"Shall we leave? I do not think he is here, and I need to consider where else we could possibly find him. Although I do have a feeling that he will find us sooner or later."
They left in silence. When they reached the outer ruins, Elijah frowned and pointed towards a group of very large trees. "This is where the stables used to be. Let us take a quick look."
"That was where Mikael killed Tempest?"
"Yes. Niklaus truly loved that horse. I for one thought that Tempest would have needed some more discipline, but my brother heartily disagreed. They were constantly at war with each other and loved every minute of it. Tempest was the wildest horse I have encountered in my thousand years, and he was fiercely loyal to Niklaus."
"What did he look like?"
"He was a very tall, pitch-black Andalusian with a wild mane and incredibly intelligent eyes. Niklaus has never owned another black horse after that, and he never named any of his horses again."
There was nothing left of the stables, but they walked around the area for about ten more minutes, listening to their surroundings and scanning the grounds. There was nothing. Caroline felt like crying. Where was he?
Two nights later, Caroline was tossing and turning in the gigantic four poster bed. She fell asleep for minutes at a time, but her anxiety was consuming her. They had gone back to Tiffauges at nightfall every evening, but there had still been no sign of Klaus, Mikael or the warlock. Elijah had tried to call his brother a number of times, to no avail. Caroline had sent him a couple of texts, but there was no response either. She was starting to get very nervous and not even Elijah managed to really calm her down anymore. At some point, she had decided to at least try to get some sleep.
Curling into a ball, she wrapped her arms around herself and fought down the tears. She wasn't even sure why she was so desperate. He was Klaus, and despite of what had happened to him here, he was still the Original Hybrid, the strongest creature on the planet. But she just couldn't help it. She was worried about him and she felt lonely ever since he had left. His eyes, his voice, his smile, even his ever-present tension… she really missed it all. Missed him. Christ, Caroline, you are not even together! What the heck? Oh, just leave me alone! She ignored the stubborn tear that slipped through her defenses and tried to concentrate on falling asleep. Concentrating on falling asleep. Very clever, because that always works so well, huh?
About an hour later, after having managed to fall into a light slumber despite her state of mind, she awoke to the sound of subdued but agitated voices originating from Elijah's room. One agitated voice, to be precise.
"I asked you for one thing, and one thing only, which was to protect her in my absence. And now you bring her here? To this rotten, cursed place? Need I remind you that unlike you and me, she can actually be killed within the blink of an eye? And need I remind you of what is going to happen if Mikael gets his hands on her? Need I remind you that her being here is precisely what he wanted? What the fuck, Elijah?"
Her first reaction was infinite relief. He was safe and sound, and he was here. She let out a deep breath and whispered "Thank you!" to no one in particular. The next thing she noticed was that the butterflies did a trapeze number. And then she started to really get upset as she listened to him rant on.
"You keep asking for my trust, like everyone – but just like everyone, you betray that trust the minute I turn my back. You were supposed to look after her, to keep her and the others safe until I had resolved this, but instead you choose to put her in the gravest of dangers, and you left the others behind. Thank you, Elijah. It is truly helpful to know that I can put all my trust in you." His voice was acidic as she had never heard it before.
She shook her head and jumped out of the bed. With three big steps, she had reached the door to Elijah's room. The older Original was sitting nonchalantly on a couch, holding a glass of what smelled like Cognac, looking at his younger brother unperturbed. Klaus was pacing the suite like a caged lion, his face a mask of rage. Caroline stepped into the room, nodding at Elijah who gave her a gentle, encouraging smile. She crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring the way her heart swelled at the sight of Klaus and her senses short-circuited at his overwhelming scent.
He whirled around and pointed an accusing finger at her. She thought she saw his eyes light up for a second when they fell on her, but it could just have been the reflection of the dim overhead lamp. "And you! What were you thinking? I told you again and again this was dangerous, but hey, let's all just ignore Klaus and prance around the danger zone like we are at a bloody high school dance! For who cares if you get tortured again? Who cares if you get yourself killed? It's just not that important, is it?"
He was shouting by now, and Caroline felt he was starting to get her back up. Elijah just sighed and took another sip of his Cognac, pointedly ignoring Klaus' tantrum. He had obviously expected this, but Caroline had no intention of patiently sitting through the Original Hissy Fit.
"I'm not that easily killed, point one," she snapped, only to be interrupted by his ice-cold voice.
"I beg to differ. Care for a demonstration?"
She took one step towards him, her eyes hard, and opened her arms, tipping her head back to expose her throat. He was part wolf after all. "By all means."
Elijah chuckled. "I believe this is a textbook example of someone calling your bluff, brother."
In a blur, Klaus was right in front of her, both of his hands around her throat. She looked up at him fearlessly. His eyes were burning with emotion and rage, but his fingers were soft. What was meant to frighten her felt more like a caress, and she found herself yearning for more of his touch. Even in a situation like this, he still made her want to jump his bones. She inwardly shook her head at herself. You're turning into a shameless hussy. His face was only inches away from hers when his next words sobered her completely.
"All I have to do is dilate my pupils, Caroline."
She recoiled, pushing his hands away from her throat. The fact that he even considered compulsion hurt her more than any sort of physical violence ever could. She straightened and lifted her head, looking at him with all the disdain she could muster.
"Oh, right. How could I have been stupid enough to believe that anything has changed? Dark Lord Mikaelson's universal solution for everything threatening, defiant or remotely annoying – compulsion, sire bonds or buying people off. But guess what, Klaus? It's still not working, and for all I know, you can just go back to whatever hole you dug for yourself over the last few days and play Last Man Standing. I sure as hell don't care!"
With that, she turned on her heel and flashed out of the room, racing down the stairs and out of the hotel.
Elijah looked at Klaus reproachfully, shaking his head.
"Sometimes I do believe I need to readjust my perception of your intelligence. Go after her, you flaming imbecile."