Hey y'all!
I'm not sure what's been going on with the website. I guess the last chapter didn't actually show up until days after I posted it. Hopefully the website has fixed the issue now and everyone gets this chapter when it posts.
Previously on A Year to Eternity…
'It's 2:48 in the morning'… 'I stole something… it glowed from my backpack'…
'There is nothing else, Elijah'… 'Are you seeing this'…
"You found it like this when you locked up?" Alaric leaned over the display, mindful of his hand placement to avoid the glass shards. "None of the wards were breached?"
"Who could have pulled this off?" Dorian tipped the lantern. Light caught on various surfaces, showing the jagged breaks in the case.
"Technically one of the twins could have," he muttered. "Do you remember when Josie let the kids out of detention? Wendy, Diego and Jade."
"I remember the aftermath, but I didn't know Josie let them out." Dorian whispered. "You think one of your daughters did this?"
"No," he shook his head. "Why would they?"
Hope silently squeezed Landon's hand as she came to terms with her half backed plan to replace the knife and clean up the mess coming to a screeching halt.
"They could have siphoned away the wards," Dorian rubbed the back of his neck. "Someone else could have broken the case."
"But why that knife and who?"
"Whoever did it has to still be on campus. The gates only opened twice today when you and Caroline left and came back."
Landon shifted. His invisible knee caught a book. He watched it fall in slow motion, scrambling even slower to catch it.
The thud echoed in the dark.
Two beams of light hit them in the face; they shut their eyes against the blinding yellow.
"Who's there?" Alaric called. "Show yourself now and I might go easy on detention."
"I think we're caught," Landon whispered. He let go of her hand to black the light.
"Landon?" Dorian lowered his flashlight.
He glanced down, realizing he was visible. Hope popped into existence beside him.
"I told you not to let go of my hand," she hissed.
"Hope?" Alaric turned his light away. He released a sigh and shook his head. "What is it with teenagers? You have a single room and you're sneaking into the library."
"Maybe you shouldn't give them ideas, Ric," Dorian smirked. "Don't want her dad killing you."
"There's got to be a hundred books here," she breathed, surveying the display with wonder.
Her fingers implored her to trace the spines of each book in the glass case; she found her will powerless to stop the action. Some fit in the palm of her hand, those were ones that would have fit in the pocket of her snuggest jeans. Others were thicker than her thigh and the height of her torso. For every book written in English there were a dozen more in languages she had never heard of.
Bits of spine crumbled under her touch, leaving a fine dust of gold and silver on her skin.
She picked a tiny volume and gently turned the thin pages, spying the fine lines of her fingerprint through the paper. The outline of her finger through the translucent pages made the already indecipherable language impossible.
"Impressed?" Kol smirked, pulling book after book free.
"No," she denied, plopping down with one of the English books. "Two hundred and I'd be impressed, but one hundred and I'm just 'meh'," she held a hand flat over the floor, tipping it from side to side while miming a bored expression.
Kol sauntered over and rearranged the throw pillows to join her on the crimson fainting couch.
"This isn't my entire collection, love. There are several dozen more littering as many homes across the world."
"And you just left them there?" She shifted, pressing her thigh closer to his warm leg.
"I didn't have much choice in the matter when my father caught up to us," he shrugged, watching her flip pages from the corner of his eye. "It's one of the reasons I spent so many centuries on my own."
She balanced the book on her knees and tipped her head up, tracing the curve of his brow with her eyes.
"You went back."
"Nik and Elijah could have rotted away at the bottom of the deepest ocean for all I cared, but I never could refuse Rebekah and would inevitably return when she called. Had Nik ever bothered taking the dagger out of Finn I suspect he would have done the same."
"Finn?" Her eyes widened, voice rising in pitch. "The same Finn who colluded with Esther to kill all of you? That Finn?"
"You knew him after he spent an unknown number of centuries dagger and aware of it," he tilted his head, fingers absently drawing patterns on the page. "He woke up angry and he stayed angry. I have often wondered how history would have altered if he had lived that millennium with us."
"If you start asking what if you'll never stop," she warned, covering his hand with hers, "and eternity is a long time to torture yourself with those types of questions. I don't think I could handle that hanging over my head."
She turned her focus back to the thick lines of ink. At first glance she had taken the words for English.
"I can't read this?"
"It's Old English." Kol chuckled, lifting the leather volume. "This is the account of a twelfth century witch who was, quite frankly, mad."
"You're calling someone crazy," she laughed, tilting her head to the side. "What makes her 'mad'?"
"Well," he flipped pages and traced a faded line of ink, "she writes, quite earnestly I might add, about the scourge of the sky."
"What's that supposed to be?" She bit down her grin.
"When I was growing up they were referred to in the saga's as Ormr, lohikäärme, or dreki…"
"I have no doubt you could give me a list of names from every country," she snorted, cutting him off, "probably in languages that haven't been spoken in centuries, but what would I call it?"
He laughed softly.
"You would call it a dragon."
The shape swooped low, circling the lake. A leathery wing trailed through the water. It moved closer, sharpening the impossible image, landing surprisingly light on the dock.
Scales covered every inch of the massive body from horned head to spiked tail and across both wings.
"Niklaus," Elijah watched the beast.
Beneath the throat came the distinct glow of fire, spreading up to illuminate the eyes. The great mouth yawned open, sending flames towards them in a slow motion spiral.
He felt the lick of heat a second before the adrenaline coursed through his veins.
He dove out of the path; Klaus sprang in the opposite direction.
He hit the ground hard. The flames unfurled inches above his shoulder and collided with the house. The fire burned through the siding. Wood crackled and warped. The flames spread faster than his panic and in any other situation he might have found that impressive, but a single thought occupied his mind.
He raced into the house.
Acrid smoke filled his lungs.
"Dragons?" Bonnie couldn't help but laugh.
"Mmhmm," Kol's eyes sparkled as he flipped through the pages. "She wrote of entire villages destroyed in fire and a beast nearly impossible to kill unless stabbed in the soft spot."
"Well," she shook her head, "assuming you're not pulling my leg then she's crazy."
"I would never pull your leg."
Bonnie laughed and inclined her head towards the book.
"Why'd you keep it?"
"Because, despite her psychotic leanings, she created several powerful spells," he hummed. "I've also made a habit of collecting the odd."
"Odd?" Bonnie quirked an eyebrow. One hand waved in the general direction of the stocked shelf. "How many more of those deal with the far-fetched?"
"All of them," he tilted his head. "Between every useful spell is a fantastic account about a creature of myth. Some are written like this one where the author truly believed what they wrote, and others read as a recounting of tales passed along; although those are few. I have references to kitsune and oni, griffons and unicorns, dryads, naiads, centaurs…"
"A never-ending list?"
"At least one per grimoire," Kol nodded, narrowing his eyes in thought. "Some have more. One day I might compile that information. I have nothing but time."
"Is that your eternity project?" She teased, excited over the prospect of such a book.
"No, that would be soaking up all of the knowledge in the world. Is that too high a goal?"
"Elena," he burst into the bedroom.
Serena screamed; the sound resided somewhere between terror and pain. Elena cradled her looking dazed and panicked.
Caroline spun to face him and immediately raised her shirt to her mouth as the smoke drifted in.
Klaus shoved his shoulders, pushing him further into the room so he could slam the door.
"What's going on?" Elena coughed. Serena wiggled in her arms, sweat drenched her pyjamas.
"Why is the house on fire?" Caroline moved to the door. Klaus' hands held her back. "Klaus?"
"The stairs are out of the question."
"What does that mean?" Elena moved, given Elijah space to open her window.
"It means they're gone."
Caroline ran at vampire speed, slamming drawers and flinging open the closet. By the time Elijah broke the glass and hopped onto the sloped roof she had a large duffle slung over her shoulder.
"Give her here."
Elena passed her baby to Elijah without hesitation. Then she climbed onto the roof. Caroline followed a moment later with Klaus.
The arms that scooped her up were definitely masculine.
She locked her hands around Klaus' neck, shutting her eyes so she wouldn't have to see the ground coming.
"The school's closer."
Elena nodded in what she thought was Elijah's direction, but the sudden silence told her he was already gone with Serena.
"Hold tight, love."
She tucked her head in and swallowed the urge to be sick as the world sped by in a blur that she refused to watch. When he stopped, the horrific sound of home burning was gone.
Klaus set her lightly on the entry floor.
Caroline's eyes darted between them, unsure who to question first. She decided on him.
"What just happened?"
"A dragon set Elena's house on fire…"
"A what?" Caroline's voice rose in pitch.
"Where's Elijah?" Elena spun, uninterested at the moment. She shouted his name.
Klaus caught the reply. "He's in the kitchen."
Elena ran with the pair on her heels.
"Dragon?" Caroline gripped his arm. "Did we step into Game of Thrones?"
"I know how it sounds, but…" Klaus trailed off when he stepped into the kitchen and found his daughter, Landon, Alaric and the librarian crowded around Elijah with varying degrees of wonder on their faces. Elena's sharp elbows proved to be the only thing capable of parting the assembly. "Why is everyone watching the baby have a bath? Why is she having a bath?"
Hope looked up first, but no sound left her mouth.
"I'm sorry," he heard Elijah murmur, pressed close to Elena's ear. "I didn't…"
"It's okay," her voice sounded thick with tears. She dipped and pressed a lingering kiss to her baby's head. "She's okay." Her hands took over the hold.
"The marks are fading."
Klaus circled the island as Caroline dropped the bag.
Elijah pulled the tap free and shifted to a gentle stream of water that he let trickle over the baby's belly; the girl grunted and blinked, glowing blue eyes focused solely on her mother's face.
"Her eyes," Klaus breathed. His hand curled around Hope's elbow.
"Her feet," Hope blinked, nodding to the sink.
"Can you all back up?" Elena snapped. Her throat burned from the brief smoke inhalation. "She's my baby, not a circus sideshow."
Caroline stepped in when the others moved back and peered around Elijah's side. She delicately cleared her throat.
"Elena…" Serena squealed, "… please don't take this in the 'gawking at a circus freak' way, but have you noticed her neck?"
She ground her teeth. "What are you talking about?"
Caroline took the tap from Elijah and carefully directed the water so it hit skin, but avoided the ears. She understood if they hadn't noticed; the hands and eyes were distracting, but in the folds of her neck three fine blue lines glowed, seeming to split the skin.
"She's something else," Elijah pressed a hand to Elena's back, grateful when she made no mention of how he trembled. "It appears you stand corrected brother."
"I stood corrected at the dragon," Klaus grumbled.
"Dragon?" Landon gaped, looking to a shocked Hope. "There are dragons?"
"You do have nothing but time," Bonnie glanced towards the shelf, shifting on the cushions. "I have a question."
"Okay," he turned giving her his full attention.
"This had bugged me for years since I first heard the term," her fingers danced over the plump cushion near his elbow. "Why do they call it a fainting couch?"
"There were used when doctor's made house calls, treating hysteria," he wiggled his eyebrows, a playful smirk on his lips. "The couch provided maximum comfort during procedures."
She flushed, vividly recalling the film she had watched years before with her friends.
"You're making that up," she rolled her eyes.
"I am not," he gasped, manoeuvring her so she sat comfortably in the corner. He grinned when she bent her knee for balance. "The poor 'disease' required weekly manual massage that would last for hours," he breathed against the shell of her ear, eliciting a shiver. The heady scent of desire permeated the air and drew him closer.
He couldn't resist a taste and allowed his tongue to trace her ear. He nipped with blunt teeth, mindful of her earring.
She gasped, bringing her hand to his sleeve.
"Th-that doesn't explain 'fainting'," her nails dug into his bicep.
He pulled back and met her eyes, blown wide with the lust he could smell.
"The procedure, lasting for hours as it often did, could leave women feeling faint for a time." He ran a finger over her hip in the lightest pressure that sent goosebumps spiralling across her skin. "Shall I demonstrate?"
"Will it take hours?" She bit her bottom lip.
"I should think not," he popped the button on her jeans and pulled the zipper, slipping his fingers beneath the edge of bright white lace. "I have far more skill than those charlatans."
Her head fell back with a moan, coaxed forth by the dexterous fingers massage. He took advantage of her exposed throat to lay kiss after open-mouthed kiss on her skin. His free hand slid under her shirt and up until his thumb made contact with her hard nipple.
"D-doctors did this?" She strained, attempting to roll her hips.
"Heavens no," he nipped her bottom lip. "Anything beyond clitoral massage would have been highly improper."
He pushed two fingers inside.
"Then this doesn't count as a demonstration," she moaned. He swallowed most of the sound with a kiss, muffling the whimper brought out by the pressure of his palm. Her muscles trembled, pulled taut to the edge of release fast by the shallow thrust of his fingers.
"I never claimed to be proper," he chuckled, nose skimming her throat. "My, my; you are close little witch. Has it been so long since someone touched you?"
She might have been mortified by her whimper if not for the cresting pleasure. Her walls fluttered, spasming around his fingers. When he told her to come she was surprised at her body's ability to obey, and for a long moment she slumped, only vaguely aware of the slick release coating her underwear.
She watched through lidded eyes as he cleaned first one finger then the other with his tongue.
"Divine," he hummed, "truly, darling. I would love a second taste if you don't mind."
His fingers skimmed the inch of exposed skin between jeans and top.
She should have been satisfied, satiated, but her body craved more of him, so she lifted her hips' the material dragged over her legs before being discarded on the floor with her shoes.
He knelt between her legs, but she stopped him with one hand on his collar.
"If I'm losing clothes then so are you," she tugged.
Kol chuckled, but leaned back to pull off his shirt.
"As you wish."
The Boarding School kitchen had long since descended into the chaos that only half a dozen overlapping voices and a screaming baby could achieve.
Klaus had leapt off the topic of dragons and fire in favour of grilling his teenage daughter on her reasons for being out in the middle of the night.
Caroline seemed torn between the tragedy at her best friend's house, her wandering students and the vandalism in the library. She fired question after question before anyone could finish with an answer. Not that anyone would have heard anyway.
Hope kept trying to explain what had happened with interjections from Landon.
Dorian examined the dagger and talked about something that drowned under the other voices.
Alaric's attention split down the middle somewhere between dragons and babies with glowing eyes.
Elena bounced on the balls of her feet. She longed to scream at them all to shut up, but Serena hated the noise, and she refused to add to it. She felt her adrenaline die; with its departure her heart faltered.
"My house is on fire," she breathed.
"Yes," Elijah nodded, reaching a hand to brush sweat damp hair behind her ear.
"A dragon set my house on fire," she cradled Serena's head. Tears shimmered in her eyes when she thought of the last of her family heirlooms. All of her pictures had been in the lake house; insurance would let her rebuild without touching on her savings, but it wouldn't replace her memories. At least every picture of Serena had been backed up.
Everyone's arguing voices faded as Elijah folded both of them into the circle of his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder and took a shaking breath. A faint aroma of smoke clung to him, but the overwhelming feeling of security dwarfed the reminder.
"I used to be so much better at this." Serena quieted in her arms. "Compartmentalizing."
"You don't need to," his hand smoothed through her hair as he kissed the top of her head.
With a jolt she realized that the other voices had not just faded they had disappeared. When she turned her head, she found everyone watching them.
"Are we done shouting?" She straightened up and swiped at her eyes. Her fingers smoothed wide circles over Serena's purple sweater.
Before anybody could answer her, a roar sounded from outside.
Elijah stiffened.
Klaus grabbed Hope and Landon when they made for the window behind Caroline and Alaric who pushed in next to Dorian.
Elena wasn't sure what to make of the sight. The dragon, something she thought she would never see nor say, shrank; it's wings and body folded in until all that remained was a woman with dark skin peeking out beneath a soot stained gown.
She appeared, for all intents and purposes, human. But then again, so did everyone in the room.
Her eyes smouldered with live fire, wrecking her camouflage.
It/She kept a fixed gaze on the dagger in Dorian's hand as the sun rose behind her back. It's/Her mouth gaped.
Hope pulled free and ran towards the pantry. She returned seconds later with a box of salt and a tin of tea. She muttered a spell as she drew a circle around the tea; a wall of fire spread high three feet beyond the window.
From upstairs came the distant sound of screaming. Downstairs cried echoed.
"Ric, sound off for a lockdown and be ready to evacuate. Nobody leaves the school except through the tunnels." Caroline rocked back on her heels, jumping into the roll of problem solving headmistress. The bark of orders reminded Elena of the Miss Mystic Falls float and Matt's crushed arm. "Hope, how long will that spell last?"
"Twenty minutes… if we're lucky." Her eyes flickered to the crude protection spell.
"Twenty minutes," she muttered, eyes flickering between the Original brothers. "Either of you know how to slay a dragon?"
"Until a few hours ago we were unaware of their existence," Klaus shook his head.
"Naturally," she sighed. "Ric, go, take Hope and Landon. Dorian hit the books and if you haven't found anything in fifteen minutes evacuate. Elena, take the baby and get the hell out of here." Her voice grew sharp when nobody appeared to listen, barking in a tone that left no room for argument.
"Move!" Caroline grabbed Klaus' sleeve when everyone else hurried to listen. A sharp look kept Elijah in the room. "Do either of you have any ideas?"
"I'd offer to rip out the beast's heart, but I don't think I'll get close enough." Klaus looked out the window where said beast was shifting again.
"A death curse might do the trick," Elijah frowned. He felt overcome with the sudden sense that his heart resided outside his body and was racing rapidly along the hall.
"We don't keep black magic on campus, and even if we had it there's not a witch strong enough to use one without Bonnie." Caroline shook her head.
At the library door Alaric parted ways with Elena after asking if she remembered the way; he left her with the teens and moved to the office.
Elena adjusted her hold. Her eyes snapped to Hope as she moved for the stairs.
"That's not the right way," she cocked an eyebrow.
"I have an idea," Hope called back, taking off at the same moment Alaric came over the loud-speaker. "I won't be long."
Landon shrugged apologetically and followed before Elena could stop either of them.
I'm thinking there is one more chapter that makes up Part 2 of the story (Originally chapter 2). Then I move into typing the second notebook.