▬ A few days later ▬
Somewhere in Lafayette, Louisiana
Dead. A condition he couldn't accept. For hours he had quarreled with himself and his sister's words about Katerina's whereabouts before he had chosen to leave New Orleans.
The news about Katerina's fate had caught him cold. Not once had he thought about the possibility of Katerina being cured. Unlike his sister, the fierce brunette never showed any desire for the wish to become human again. On the contrary, Katerina enjoyed vampirism to its fullest. She's probably one of the most content vampires Elijah has ever met. To imagine that she had turned human, that immortality was stripped away from her, that she must have felt utterly alone and powerless, troubled Elijah. Especially because she had reached out for him, presumably to ask for help.
A request he couldn't comply with because he had a damned dagger in his heart.
Had that been her last impression of him? That he would drop her so easily after all those years? That he would deny her his help?
Surely that must have been what she has thought. Leaving her in Mystic Falls to join his brother hadn't been an easy decision, but it certainly hadn't been meant as a farewell forever. Although he hasn't mentioned it aloud, he had intended to reunite with her in the future, even if some years had passed.
Of course, there's no guarantee Katerina would have wanted to have him back, but he would have tried. Would have hoped she could understand his reasons at that time. At least he would have been able to see her one last time...
Elijah had chased his shiny black Porsche across the streets until he had reached a secluded place and entered a rundown cabin later only lightened by countless candles. The witch who lived here was the one who was the closest to New Orleans and lived still too far away to be included in any war between the species in the French Quarter. The woman is a person Elijah could trust with such a delicate matter.
"Faire à voir là ré. Faire à voir là ré."
"Do we have results yet?", Elijah asked calmly and looked at the witch in her mid-forties. His words might sound calm, but he got more restless the more time passed.
The witch's eyes turned away from the map as she turned to face Elijah, followed by a slight shake of her head.
"No. The person you're looking for is not locatable."
Elijah's hands clenched in his pocket to fist, his jaw tensing. Another failure. How often had they tried to locate Katerina by now? Four times? Six times? He had lost count.
Perhaps he should finally face the truth: Katerina is dead. He had lost her - forever.
"Then we shall change the approach. Perhaps it's not a living person we're looking for, but a deceased one."
The flowing words were hard to speak out aloud. He didn't want to believe that his beloved Katerina has perished. That she's gone forever.
"I want you to find her remains."
It pained Elijah to even consider finding her remains. But if Katerina is truly dead, this is the only way to find her. Knowing the disrespectful rabble in Mystic Falls, Elijah wanted to make sure Katerina was buried dignified. If he truly cannot change her fate, if he's indeed too late to save her, he wanted to ensure that Katerina could rest in peace. In a place where she's undisturbed, where no one can hurt her anymore. It's the only thing he can do for her and yet it feels as if it's not enough.
"Mister Mikaelson, that spell would involve the ancestors. That would go too far."
Elijah raised an eyebrow at the witches' concerns, the corners of his mouth dropping disapprovingly.
"Then so be it. Am I to assume it's a matter of price? How much do you want?"
The words hadn't even left his mouth when he already reached into the inside of his jacket and took out a bundle of money. Most witches can be bought and he fully intended on taking advantage of it. It's a low price he had to pay in order to find Katerina.
"Five hundred? Eight hundred? A thousand dollars?", his thumb browse through the banknotes without looking at the witch before he decided to lay the entire bundle of money on the nearby table, the tip of his index finger pinning the banknotes down.
"I think that should be enough to dispel your concerns. Go ahead, please."
The witch nodded before she returned her attention to the spread map on the table. Shortly after, a low chanting filled the room and echoed from the walls.
"Soeurs et freres, mwen rele sou nou. Mennen me sa me chache. Soeurs et freres, mwen rele sou nou. Mennen me sa me chache. Soeurs et freres, mwen rele sou nou. Mennen me sa me chache. Soeurs et freres, mwen rele sou nou. Mennen me sa me chache."
The candles started to flicker as the wind stirred up. Elijah could hear the dry leaves rustle outside the hut. An icy draft caught him (and oh well, it reminded him of death) before the small storm calmed down and everything fell silent again.
"The woman you searching for ... there are no remains. I do not believe she's dead. Otherwise, the ancestors would have found her."
A shred of hope lightened up in Elijah's eyes although he was careful to not allow that hope to spread. It doesn't serve as a guarantee that Katerina is still alive just because her remains could not be found.
"Then why is she untraceable? You should be able to find her with the pictures I have given you. Something which was once in her belonging."
Elijah was by far no newbie when it came to witchcraft. He had studied his mother's grimoire too many times, had made too many experiences with witches and magic.
"Perhaps something is cloaking her," the witch suggested but Elijah shook his head energetically. He didn't believe that's the reason.
As he had understood Rebekah, Katerina didn't only turn human, she also spent the entire summer on the run. If she were still under the influence of a cloaking spell, all Katerina had to do was holding still. The Original didn't dismiss the fact that Katerina had indeed worked with witches in the past and was often secured with several spells (including cloaking spells) but the things Rebekah had told him implied that something went wrong. That Katerina had lost that security somehow.
"Then there is nothing I can do. I am truly sorry-"
Elijah raised his hand in order to silence the witch, a deep frown etched upon his features. There had to be another way.
"I am aware the target's blood would bring the quickest and most effective solution but unfortunately, I'm not in possession of the blood of the person I'm looking for. Locating her with the help of a photo that once belonged to her didn't lead to the desired goal either."
He started to roll up his sleeve while continuing talking.
"You see, there's another way. The girl I'm looking for was never part of my sireline, never shared my bloodline, but our blood is somehow connected nonetheless."
Elijah didn't want to get too much into details, didn't want to explain that he's looking for a now human doppelgänger. That would only expose her to even more danger assuming she's still alive.
It was the blood of a doppelgänger that had a significant part in the creation of vampires. It is the blood of the doppelgänger which could undo that magic as mother had tried to prove. His siblings and the doppelgänger are connected by blood which is by far not enough to locate Katerina, but perhaps it's something. A different approach.
"Ever heard of a spell called Shadow Locator Spell? It's a different approach, which demands different ingredients," Elijah explained before he grabbed a knife and slit his wrist open so he could pour some of his blood over the picture Katerina had once given him. He did it without hesitation or even flinching.
"If done right, the spell allows me to pinpoint the location of the girl. It hides the location from the executing witch and instead of plants a picture in my head."
Although he didn't like to resort to that spell. It's too inaccurate, especially because he had no idea where Katerina could be. Of course, that would help to find out if she's still alive but he doubted it would help him to find her. It all depended on the surroundings if he's able to recognize something.
Elijah knew Katerina had a preference for cities such as Paris, Milano, New York City. But it's also very Katerina to hide in small towns, sometimes even villages. How is he supposed to ever find her if that's the case?
"That girl really seems to be important to you if you're willing to take such measures for her. You don't give up easily, do you?"
The witch asked while staring at the now blood-stained picture. Elijah had precisely chosen that picture. A picture Katerina had rated as failed because it had turned out blurred and too dark. Nonetheless, Elijah is glad he didn't choose to throw it away. He likes to keep private things private and therefore he's not too keen on letting every random person see in what kind of relationship he had been to the woman he's searching for. It's perfect for its purpose.
"I'm not known to give up fast." Elijah declared absently before he offered his hand to the witch. He needed to make contact with her in order to receive a hopefully helpful vision.
Closing his eyes, Elijah took in a deep breath and listened to the witches starting chanting. Apparently, she had known of this spell which saved him a great deal of work.
Bolts of Lightning flashed through his mind before he indeed received an image. It was fuzzy, too light to see much. Something which was strange because he had done this kind of locator spell many times before and up until now the vision had been always cristal clear. He's not sure why but something is blocking the spell. Not good enough to do the job perfectly but still good enough to make it difficult.
His grip around the witch's wrist grew stronger as he felt like he's getting kicked out of the vision. No, he can't let that happen until he finds out where Katerina is.
The vision seemed to get a bit clearer, now he could finally recognize a few details. A garden full of blooming flowers and roses. Flowerboxes on the windows. An old woman baking something with a fond smile on her face. Yet there's no sign of Katerina.
He wondered if he's in the right vision. If the spell had lead to the right person.
He frowned and inhaled deeply, knowing that his time is quickly running out. Focusing his mind on his target, Elijah kept searching for more details. At least a hint of where that scenario happens. His gaze wandered until he found some newspapers neatly folded in a magazine rack. The old woman just bent down to open the oven, the mirrored surface moving and quickly catching his shadow. A gasp followed and Elijah knew the woman had seen him.
Having caught all the details on the front page of the newspaper he needed, Elijah quickly pulled out of the vision and withdrew his hands from the witch's ones.
"You're finished?" she asked in disbelief and rubbed her wrists before she grabbed a glass of cool water to take a sip out of it.
"Quite. As interesting as that spell can be, it, unfortunately, has its flaws." Elijah responded, hands wandering back into his pocket.
While no one can see his actual projection, they can see his reflection on surfaces. Sometimes that's quite useful to spread fear. He had done it with Elena before the ritual in order to ensure to know where she is but also ensure that she knows he knows.
But now he opted it's better if no one knew he's on Katerina's trace. Although he has no idea why he wasn't able to actually see her. At least it made him hope that she's still alive.
"Thanks for your great work. Have a nice evening."
With that, Elijah took the stained and run-down picture and turned on his heels, leaving the witch as well as the bundle of money for her efforts behind.
He had a town to visit and no time to lose.