The Other Side had become increasingly unstable since the travelers began their sinister machinations. However, so many simultaneous deaths had the realm of the dead near collapse. The ground shook underneath everyone's feet as large bolts of lightning streaked across the darkened sky. The wind sheared leaves from nearby trees as it whipped violently. Perhaps the most disconcerting occurrence was the blinding white light shining off in the distance. The void was slowly devouring the Other Side and would continue to do so until the balance was restored. If the erosion progressed too far, the Other Side would become unsalvageable.

Ayana blinked in surprise when she saw Qetsiyah emerge from the darkness. She hadn't been seen since the debacle with Silas and Amara. The ancient witch's descendants didn't know if their progenitor had found peace or had simply returned to her reclusive nature. There were several Bennett witches that wanted a word with Qetsiyah. Not everyone was well pleased by the dirty trick she had played on young Bonnie. They girl had endured excruciating pain for far too long as the anchor. She would still be suffering if not for the efforts of Damon Salvatore of all people. Qetsiyah had left one of their own to the tender mercies of a vampire.

Judging but the scowl on Amelia and Sheila's faces, they were both ready to slap the taste out of Qetsiyah's mouth. Normally, Ayana would say that the line could form behind her, but now was not the time. They had foes coming at them from all sides and the survival of their bloodline depended upon everyone pooling their resources. She had been observing Bonnie's desperate attempts to keep Dahlia at bay. The young witch's power was undeniable, but Markos' coven was not alone in overwhelming the anchor. Others had joined him in secret, eager to throw off the curse that had punished them for centuries. Bennett and Gemini witches on the Other Side were feverishly trying to bind the travelers to their progenitor. It was a hellish task but it was preventing the travelers from crossing over again. Unfortunately, they couldn't stop everyone from crossing over.

Amelia's voice sounded like steel wrapped in velvet. "What are you doing here, Qetsiyah?"

"That fool girl is going to die-again!" Qetsiyah hissed in response.

Emily interjected, "The greater good…"

She rolled her eyes. "How did my bloodline turn into such sheep? Bending to the whims of nature like saplings in a strong breeze?"

Ayana snapped, "We learned from your folly! Your mistakes led us here. The travelers are cursed because of your foolishness."

Qetsiyah looked at Sheila and ignored the rest. "Do you want the girl to die again, child? Do you wish to never see your great-grandchild draw breath?'

Sheila's fists clenched at her sides. She stepped toward Qetsiyah. "I know the warning you gave Bonnie before bringing her back. I hoped... I hoped that she would heed it."

Emily frowned and scolded the woman, "Sheila, you mustn't listen to Qetsiyah's poison. Surely she is the worst of us all."

Qetsiyah. "Don't listen to her. She may care for Bonnie but it is not the same as you or I. You held that girl in your arms. Meanwhile, Emily possessed Bonnie's body and then left her in the path of a psychotic vampire. We're lucky that Stefan Salvatore was there to save Bonnie's life or she would have died much sooner."

Emily glanced away at the harsh criticism for just a moment. Then she squared her shoulders and looked down her nose at Qetsiyah. "It wasn't my intention to endanger Bonnie but I could not allow Damon to free the tomb vampires. As servants of nature we all must make sacrifices..."

Qetsiyah sneered, "And that is why our numbers dwindle. We cannot serve nature if we are all dead! I will not standby and watch another of mine perish for the whims of nature. And especially not because of the likes of Dahlia. She and her sister think too highly of themselves. Two witches of note in a single bloodline hardly makes them legendary. I would have them returned to the footnotes of history where they belong."

Ayana asked, "Do you have a plan or are you merely here to chastise us?"

"Do not take that tone with me. You could have slain Esther when she first mentioned turning her children into abominations. Apparently, your desire to be nature's servant only goes so far. Now look what you have wrought. You are just as guilty as I, Ayana. As for a plan...I have one but you are going to like it. Dahlia cannot remain the anchor. It was folly to use her as such. That's what happens when a man is allowed to manage a coven. It is called being cocksure for a reason. We need a replacement for the anchor...immediately. I suggest Ansel. The ancient magic flowing through his veins will be more than enough to support the anchor and to keep this realm tethered to theirs."

Ayana blanched when Qetsiyah suggested Ansel as a replacement. In theory, she agreed that he would be an adequate fit. However, she couldn't bear the idea of her love suffering.

Qetsiyah simpered sweetly, "Think of the greater good, young one!"

Ayana's eyes went flinty at her elder's sarcasm.

Drusilla took her mother's hand. "Father need not remain the anchor forever. We can look for a more permanent solution. A solution that cannot be so easily manipulated and corrupted for vile purposes. Qetsiyah making Amara the anchor was short-sighted and driven by her own petty rage."

Qetsiyah laughed airily and waved her hand magnanimously. "By all means continue to debate the most obvious answer while young Bonnie gets ever closer to joining us here."

Sheila's voice shook as she spoke. "I will not let my granddaughter to die again. I...I must make preparations."

Amelia frowned and said, "Sheila…"

"No, Mama. I have failed Bonnie too many times. I will not let her down again," Sheila said before disappearing.

Ayana took a steadying breath and slowly said, "You are right, Qetsiyah. We need a new anchor and Ansel is the best living option that we have access to at the moment."

"Will your wolf agree to such a thing or will we have to trick him?" Qetsiyah asked with a rabid grin.

"My love is a man of honor and he loves his descendants well. I will not need to resort to trickery to gain his support."

The older witch rolled her eyes at Ayana. It was easy to believe in love when you had not experienced the poison of betrayal. "Very well. We will crossover together. I will need to complete the ritual to make Ansel the anchor. Come, girl. There is not much time."

Drusilla frowned because she did not trust Qetsiyah. No one could claim to know the ancient witch's mind beyond her hatred for Silas and Amara. She said, "I am coming with you."

Qetsiyah laughed at the distrust in the girl's eyes. "I do not care who comes with us. It only matters that we depart now."

The three Bennett witches forced their way through the veil without further conversation.

Bonnie leaned over the coffin as she fed her magic into the spell restraining Dahlia. However, she could feel it weakening. She knew it was a losing battle, but the alternative was ripping out the witch's heart and severing ties with the Other Side. Bonnie couldn't stomach the idea of casting her grandmother into the void. She would try to hold on for a little longer.

Tyler was tempted to rip out Dahlia's heart since Bonnie couldn't bring herself to do it. Damon had warned him it was the only way to prevent the veil from failing completely. Tyler only stayed his hand because he knew that Bonnie would never forgive him. Instead, he bit into his wrist and forced it against Bonnie's mouth. He growled, "Drink!"

It took a moment for Tyler's words to register, but slowly she started to obey. Bonnie greedily drank his blood and began to regain some of the strength that she had lost.

A Gemini witch that looked to be in her 40's slumped to the ground. She was immediately pulled out of the way and another witch took her place. The Gemini and Bennett witches were exhausting themselves trying to keep Dahlia desiccated. However, the spell had already slipped enough that her lips could move now. She was still unable to make sounds, but soon enough her vocal cords would unseize, too.

Lucy shouted, "Someone is trying to come through the veil!"

Several witches took defensive positions.

Qetsiyah sneered at the witches as she emerged from the Other Side. "This is what my line has come to…pathetic."

Ayana and Drusilla emerged moments after Qetsiyah. The eldest woman asked, "Where is Ansel?"

Lucy frowned because the magic emanating from the women identified them as Bennett witches-very old ones. "Who are you?"

Bonnie glanced in their direction. She didn't know whether to be relieved or wary of their ancestor's arrival. The devil was certainly in the details when dealing with her. "Qetsiyah…"

Ansel spotted Ayana and rushed toward her. "What are you doing here, my love?"

Qetsiyah swept by Ansel and glared at Bonnie. "I told you not to sacrifice your life for these plebeians again. What do I find you doing now? You are a stubborn foolish girl."

The young witch scoffed, "I am doing this for my own selfish reasons. I don't care about anyone on the Other Side except for Grams. I won't let the void take her...not without a fight."

She studied the girl's face again and then nodded approvingly. Sheila had been similarly steadfast about protecting Bonnie. "That is better than your last sacrifice, but only slightly. Worry not I come bearing a solution. Ayana and Drusilla are fetching a replacement anchor right now."

Lucy approached them and asked, "Who will replace Dahlia?"

"Your dear grandpapa. That is if Ayana can get him to agree to such. She seems certain of his honor but men know no honor. I have always found them useless outside of bed or siring children."

Tyler scowled at the witch openly. He didn't have a favorable opinion of the woman and she was doing little to endear herself to him.

She gazed at Tyler for a long moment and smirked. "This one is certainly nice to look at but don't be fooled, love. The only man you can trust is one you have birthed from your own body or that has your blood in his veins. As you have seen, our family has not been blessed with many boys over the years. Get a few more babies out of the hybrid and then get rid of him."

Bonnie ignored most of Qetsiyah's bitter rant. She frowned and inquired, "How did you know about the baby?"

"I have been keeping my eye on you, little one. Your babe will be special. Can you not feel that already?" Qetsiyah asked while laying a hand on Bonnie's flat stomach.

The girl gasped feeling the spark magic in her womb become stronger because of Qetsiyah's touch.

She looked quite satisfied with herself. "A least your baby knows when she is in the presence of greatness. Worry not, child, I will not let your mulish mother endanger you."

Tyler eyed her suspiciously. "You think Bonnie is carrying a girl."

"It has already been written. You know Qetsiyah is a lovely name for a girl. Surely you will honor me for saying your life twice."

Bonnie snorted derisively. "I'm afraid your name is a bit out of fashion."

"My name is original, but Tessa works just as well," she replied with a raised eyebrow.

The hybrid rolled his eyes and said, "We'll think about it."

"I wasn't talking to you, pretty boy," Qetsiyah sneered in response.

Tyler opened his mouth to say something particularly biting.

Bonnie stopped him. "Please don't argue with Qetsiyah. She's ancient, cranky, and really knows how to hold a grudge. The last man that pissed her off spent a couple thousand years trapped in a tomb with only the cure for immortality as his company."

He muttered, "We're not naming our kid Tessa."

She laughed softly at her mate's vehemence. She whispered, "Sometimes we must humor the elderly."

Qetsiyah scowled but fondly said, "Petulant girl…"

Tyler could feel Bonnie's energy waning again. He bit into his wrist and put it to her mouth. "More…"

Bonnie frowned, "I can't keep taking blood from you, Ty."

She was concerned about weakening Tyler. Bonnie also worried about consuming so much vampire blood when danger swirled around them. She didn't want to risk turning into a vampire if she was killed.

"Yes, you can," he insisted.

Qetsiyah said, "Listen to the wolf pup. He's right."

She hesitated for a moment before drinking again.

Ayana and Ansel stopped behind them. The werewolf said, "I will become the anchor."

Bonnie pulled away from Tyler's wrist to look at him. "Are you sure about this? The pain is...indescribable."

Ayana said, "I have explained, in detail, what will be required of Ansel. I would not let him go into this role without adequate information."

Qetsiyah shrugged her shoulders carelessly. "I suppose that was directed at me. I will not apologize for saving the child's life. The pain of being anchor has hardened her. I welcome the change."

Lucy asked, "How do we transfer the role of anchor to him? What do we need?"

"Well, the thing I used last time sort of burned to a crisp after I finished the spell. Transfering the anchor isn't really like changing pants."

"How did the Gemini Coven do it?" Lucy asked.

She sniffed derisively and said, "Not very well if today's debacle is any indication. Worry not I have an alternative method that won't be as vulnerable to tampering. I have had a lot time on the Other Side. There is only so much time I can spend torturing Silas. I'll need doppelganger blood. Or have you managed to lose all of them to the travelers."

Joshua Parker bristled at Qetsiyah's barbed comment. However, without the original spell book, his coven had to cobble together a ritual when the transfer was made. It would have been a suitable substitute if the travelers hadn't sabotaged everything.

Bonnie shook her head. "No, Stefan and Elena are safe for now. Travelers can't enter Mystic Falls because the wards are still up."

Qetsiyah said, "Then someone needs to fetch me a pint of blood each from: a Bennett witch, a doppelganger, a werewolf, and a vampire. Oh, I'll also need a pint of blood from your pretty big brother, sweet Drusilla."

Everyone stared at her in disbelief.

"Was something I said unclear? Get to work!" she snapped.

The Bennett witches began scrambling to follow Qetsiyah's orders.

Drusilla scowled. "Does anyone know where I can find Niklaus? I would not allow anyone to ask him to give something so precious."

Tyler said, "He was supposed to be stopping the travelers from dying...you can see how well that turned out."

Lucy took out her phone. "I'll call him."

Qetsiyah walked around the coffin and forced her hand into Dahlia's chest. She grasped the woman's heart and squeezed. The dessication stopped receding and stood still. "You will never get out of this coffin, you presumptuous cow. I look forward to torturing you alongside of Silas for a few centuries. Perhaps Esther will join us as well. I think it's high time your family remembered the natural order of things."

Bonnie looked at her mate and said, "See what I mean about cranky…"

He nodded numbly. Tyler reminded himself to stay on the witch's good side for the time being.