As soon as Julian walked into the building he knew that something was very wrong. In truth, he had been suspicious for the last 24 hours. However, this impromptu meeting called by Markos was the nail in the proverbial coffin. Normally, Markos only met with the high-ranking members of the coven. Today he decided that every man and woman of age had to be present. Only the teenagers and children had been allowed to miss the meeting. Moreover, the security was heavier than normal. Markos had stationed the most powerful travelers near each of the entrances. They looked as though they were merely mingling but Julian knew better.

Marie clutched her husband's hand and looked around the room warily. She shared Julian's fear about the purpose of this meeting. They had been working against Markos for days and now it seemed that he had learned the truth. Her mind raced trying to figure out who had betrayed their confidence. Had they unwittingly approached one of Markos' fiercest allies? Had one of their own allies simply become skittish? She knew that it was difficult for the travelers to trust witches after centuries of hostilities. Marie struggled to quell the terror that threatened to consume her. She couldn't let on that she suspected anything was wrong.

Julian spotted Yanko and his wife and steered Marie in their direction. He flashed an affable smile and hugged the man that had been his longtime friend. However, he could see the unease in Yanko's eyes. His friend believed they were in danger, too. Julian took no pleasure in being right. "Good to see you old friend."

"It is good to see you, too."

Julian watched as Marie greeted Yanko's wife, Rosalyn. He asked, "What have you heard?"

Yanko lowered his voice and said, "Everyone is being very tight-lipped but there are some rumors floating around the room. Nothing is confirmed, but Markos might have two of the doppelgangers. He will begin the spell soon. I believe he means to kill us all-willingly or not."

Julian thought his heart might stop for a moment. He gazed around the room and saw nearly a hundred people. This many deaths at one time would surely weakened the anchor. Julian had no way of knowing if Markos had convinced other covens to participate from afar. He quickly took out his phone but tried to remain discreet. It was imperative that he warn their allies in Mystic Falls.

The older man shook his head. "It will not work. Markos must be using a cell phone jammer…"

Rosalyn said, "We tried to warn you but couldn't get a signal."

He muttered, "Damn!" Julian said, "We have to get word to Mystic Falls some other way."

Yanko slowly removed a blade from his jacket. "We could create a distraction...give Marie and Ros enough time to run."

Ros looked uncomfortable with her husband's suggestion. However, she didn't have anything better to offer. Markos had effectively forced their backs up against the wall. "I have been here before. The windows in the ladies' room are large enough to use for an escape. But we would have to climb on the sinks to reach the windows."

Julian only took a moment to consider Yanko and Rosalyn's plan before agreeing. "The two of you need to start heading toward the ladies' room. Be as discreet as you can. Once Yanko and I start fighting, you need to be out of sight before anyone gets suspicious."

Marie nodded in understanding. She tried to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach but it was hopeless. Even if she and Ros were able to escape, Julian and Yanko would die along with everyone else. There wasn't enough time for reinforcements to arrive. Markos would start the ritual the moment he suspected foul play. Marie gave Julian a quick kiss and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too," he replied quietly.

Yanko silently squeezed Ros' hand. Then he handed the knife to Julian. He said, "Make sure you strike true."

Julian was so startled by Yanko's words that he nearly dropped the knife. "What do you mean?"

Yanko answered, "I need to go to the Other Side first, Julian. I need to be there to prepare for when the rest of you crossover. This farce cannot be allowed to succeed. You know this..."

Julian's head whipped in Rosalyn's direction. He hoped that she would put a stop to this madness but he found only grim acceptance.

Rosalyn gave a brief shake of her head. Her hands shook from nerves. "I am just glad that you are here. I did not want to be the one wielding the knife."

Marie blanched at the idea of Rosalyn having to kill her own husband. She couldn't imagine being in a similar situation. She already felt guilty leaving Julian in a situation where he was sure to die.

Rosalyn moved closer to Marie and said, "We should start making our move. We don't know when Markos might arrive."

The younger woman nodded. She looked at her husband one last time and then started walking away. Marie feigned a genial smile and asked, "How are you liking your new RV?"

Rosalyn nodded. "It's very nice. The dining area turns into a double bed. I've made Yanko sleep there a few times already. His snoring keeps me up."

Marie laughed softly at the admission. "I am fortunate that Julian doesn't snore."

"Just wait until he's a few years older. Yanko didn't always snore," Rosalyn replied with a smile.

Suddenly, Julian and Yanko could be heard yelling at each other. The yelling soon turned to pushing and punches.

Several men went to break up the fight between the old friends. While everyone else just gawked and wondered about the cause.

Rosalyn grasped Marie's hand and walked swiftly into the bathroom. Once inside, she did a quick sweep of the room. "It's empty. Bar the door."

Marie nodded. She pushed a heavy metal trash can against the door and wedged it underneath the handle. It was a temporary fix but they wouldn't be there for long. People would become suspicious immediately. Julian and Yanko's friendship was well-known.

Meanwhile, Rosalyn climbed onto the long countertop warily. She opened the horizontal window and beckoned the younger woman forward. "We have to go now! You go first."

Marie climbed onto the countertop and then pulled up on the window's ledge. It took only a few seconds to hoist herself out the window. She dropped onto the ground and moved to the side. "Your turn!"

Inside, someone was knocking on the door. "Open the door!"

Rosalyn launched herself out the window head first. "Go!" she ordered Marie.

Instead, the younger woman helped Ros to her feet and they made a quick retreat. "We need to go somewhere with people. Somewhere that Markos can't send anyone to drag us away without drawing too much attention."

Rosalyn said, "There is a strip mall a few blocks away. Yanko and I passed it on our way here. Tons of cars in the parking lot…"

Bonnie stared at her phone with a deep frown on her face. She had received a frantic call from her mate just minutes ago. He warned her that the witch was dangerous and might have allowed the Gemini Coven to capture her. Joshua had dismissed the notion flatly, but Bonnie was still wary. How had the coven captured a witch capable of stealing the magic of other witches? Certainly, a witch that old and powerful had contingencies in place for every possible scenario. No, it seemed more likely that she wanted to be captured. If that was true, then Bonnie was worried about her reasons.

When Bonnie voiced her opinion, Joshua grudgingly conceded that she might have a point. However, he was reluctant to trust the word of any Mikaelson. Bonnie couldn't blame him for being wary of any information gleaned from monsters that had tormented witches, werewolves, and humans for hundreds of years. She couldn't speak to Finn's character, having only met the sullen original briefly before his death. On the other hand, she had more than her share of run-ins with Kol. She knew enough of the youngest Mikaelson sibling to know he couldn't be trusted. He had ample reason to see the veil lowered permanently. Kol was likely eager to return to the land of the living. Life on the Other Side was no picnic.

The head of the Gemini Coven only relented after learning that Ayana was investigating from the Other Side. Her name was revered in the magic community almost as much as Qetsiyah's name was cursed. He agreed to move the anchor to Richmond. The Jefferson coven was based in the city. The coven had a long history with the Gemini and Bennett bloodlines. Joshua felt certain that the coven's leadership would agree to help safeguard the anchor. He had been in contact with them frequently since learning about the travelers' plans. Bonnie was relieved that the anchor would be more than an hour away from her younger cousin.

Damon walked up to Bonnie and lowered his voice. "We've got a problem, Bon-Bon."

She gave the vampire an exasperated look. She asked, "Just the one? That would be a vast improvement."

"Stefan just called me. Marie told him that Markos has rounded up the majority of his coven. She thinks he is going forward with the ritual."

Bonnie felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach. She said, "I didn't think the travelers could do the ritual without blood from the doppelgangers. Stefan and Elena are safe, right?"

He nodded and then cocked his head to the side. "Our doppelgangers are accounted for and safe. Stefan has been trying to get Nadia on the phone but no dice. It looks like they found Katherine and Tom."

Her mind reeled at the possibilities. She muttered, "We should have killed her when we had a chance."

Damon blinked in shock and then huffed out a laugh. "I couldn't agree more. I am definitely rubbing off on you."

"Did Marie tell Stefan where the ritual is happening? We have to stop the travelers. Overwhelming the anchor to lower the veil is more dangerous than they can imagine. The magic desiccating Dahlia will weaken right along with the veil. She'll be free and we'll be fu..."

Damon winced. "Point taken. Stefan has an address for where the travelers are meeting. We agreed that he should tell the Originals. They can finally start pulling their weight."

Bonnie wasn't sure that sending the Original siblings after the travelers was the wisest decision. Killing was generally their default setting. Killing the travelers would just accomplish Markos' goals quicker. However, they were quite out of options. Bonnie couldn't leave Dahlia now. If the travelers succeeded, then someone needed to be there to stop her from killing Klaus' children.

She said, "I have to tell the Gemini Coven what is happening. As dangerous as it is to have the anchor here, it would be worse to move her to Richmond. Did you tell Aunt Elodie what is happening?"

The vampire shook his head. "You were my first stop, Witchy."

"Go fill her in, please. We're going to need her expertise to keep Dahlia desiccated if the worst happens," she explained.

Damon nodded resolutely and then weaved through the crowd of Bennett and Gemini witches.

Bonnie went in the other direction to find Joshua.

Luke's hands were hovering over the coffin with a frown etched on his face. "Dad…"

Joshua flipped open the coffin's top because he felt the change, too. There was always a low grade presence of magic that emanated from the anchor. They had become accustomed to the strange energy. Therefore, the sudden spike in energy was immediately detectable. His face went as pale as snow, upon seeing the desiccation slowly beginning to recede. He immediately started forcing his own magic into the spell that kept Dahlia imprisoned.

Luke joined his father without asking any questions. The only logical explanation for the disturbance was interference from the travelers. "Liv! Get over here!"

Bonnie and Liv arrived at the same time. The two teenagers soon began adding their own magic to the spell. Even with the four witches boosting the spell's strength, they were only able to stabilize it. However, the desiccation had worn off enough that Dahlia's eyes opened to stare up at them.

Joshua began barking orders to his coven. "Everyone needs to form up. Now! We need more power!"

The Gemini Coven began forming a chain so that they could channel their magic into a singular force. It was how they had desiccated Dahlia the first time.

The young Bennett witch's blood ran cold as Dahlia stared at her. She forced more of her magic into the spell and yelled over her shoulder. "Elodie! I need you!"

"I'm here!" her aunt replied. "I'll join you all and…"

Bonnie shook her head. "No. You and Damon need to go find Lucy and Mari. You have to get them out of Mystic Falls now! We're not going to be able to keep Dahlia desiccated for long. She will get free and the veil is going to fall."

Elodie didn't like that idea at all. "Damon and Lucy are capable of getting Mari out of harm's way. My place is here with the rest of our family."

"Lucy is newly mated to Klaus. I don't know if she will be capable of leaving him. Mari needs a Bennett witch to protect her. If we all fall…"

Elodie gritted her teeth and said, "That is not going to happen. Our ancestors will never allow that to happen. They have not been idle on the Other Side. They have been binding the travelers to their ancestors that are trapped on the Other Side. We will cast them all into the void where they belong!"

"And none of our plans accounted for an ancient witch that kidnaps innocent children. You left our family once because it was for the best. Do it again for Mari. She deserves a chance to live, Aunt Elodie. Please..."

Elodie felt as if she had been slapped. However, her niece's blunt assessment was valid. "If it looks like hope is lost, you rip out her heart. Do not let her rise under any circumstance."

"But we need someone to take her place as anchor or the Other Side will begin to collapse," Bonnie replied.

Elodie gave her a stern look. "Our ancestors would rather go into the void than to let this beast harm one of our own. Do not let sentimentality guide you."

The girl thought of her grandmother but gave a shaky nod. "I will do as you say."

Elodie squeezed Bonnie's shoulder and then turned into a blur as she sought out Mari.