The air was thick with magic as the complicated ritual neared its end. The Bennett witches were nearing exhaustion but securing the anchor and veil had to take precedence. The supernatural and humans worlds had come too close to the apocalypse today. They could never teeter this close to the edge again. While no one trusted Qetsiyah, her magical acumen could not be denied. Her descendants could already feel the veil's strength increasing by leaps and bounds. It would be even more formidable than it was during Amara's tenure as the anchor. Qetsiyah had spent centuries considering how to improve what was arguably some of her greatest spell work. Her efforts did not disappoint.

She even saw fit to leave a loophole in the spell so that a replacement anchor could be added later. She knew Ayana wouldn't be well pleased if Ansel was shackled between words permanently. Qetsiyah didn't like or trust the werewolf that Ayana loved. In truth, she wasn't keen on liking or trusting any man. Silas had soured her against the entire gender with his callous actions. However, watching men over the centuries had only reinforced her bias against them. Qetsiyah thought their only use was warming the beds of their betters and siring children. Beyond those two roles they were like to make a mess of things. Yet Qetsiyah could not deny that her bloodline would be safer with Ansel's guidance. Her family's survival was what mattered most to her. They were the legacy she had left the world.

Qetsiyah watched as the last of the blood entered Ansel's vein. The ritual was comprised of a grueling three-step process. Half of the blood had been used to coat every inch of Ansel's very nude body. Ayana had accepted that responsibility forcefully after catching Qetsiyah ogling him. The ancient werewolf now resembled something out of an arthouse horror movie. The second step had been a transfusion with the remaining blood. It was necessary to fortify Ansel's body with the powerful magic present in the combined blood. It would make Qetsiyah's spell tamper-proof. It would also protect him from the last step of the ritual.

Ayana looked at Qetsiyah warily and said, "It is done."

Qetsiyah laughed in amusement and then motioned to Dahlia's desiccated body. "Tie her to the stake!"

Lucy, Luke, and Tyler removed Dahlia's body from the coffin with some difficulty-she was stiff as a board. They moved her to the hastily constructed stake and bound her with the heavily warded chains. There was a slight chance that the desiccation spell might begin to fail during the ritual. They had already placed duct tape over her mouth to keep her silent as a precaution. No one was willing to risk the deadly witch escaping her fate. She was headed to the Other Side where she should have gone centuries ago. Now she would join Esther, Mikael, and Silas as Qetsiyah's prisoners. The Bennett witches on the Other Side had already apprehended Mikael and Esther.

Qetsiyah glanced at the other stake and said, "Take your place, Wolf."

Ansel gave one last look at Ayana. He didn't fear death but the prospect of being burned alive did make him nervous.

Drusilla saw her father's anxious look and said, "I have studied Qetsiyah's spell work closely. The fire will not harm any part of your skin coated in the spelled blood."

Ayana nodded in agreement. "You have nothing to fear, Ansel. I would not let that mad woman harm you, my love."

Qetsiyah rolled her eyes and asked, "What sense would it make for me to kill you, foolish man? We need an anchor and you are the only one available that fits the bill. You might need to be concerned if there was another that could take your place."

Bonnie gave an exasperated sigh but she was hardly surprised. Qetsiyah playing nice was never in the cards. Frankly, their illustrious ancestor was something of a mystery. They only knew that she was surly and had less than desirable methods for handling their problems. However, there was scarcely a more learned or powerful witch in their bloodline. Bonnie found her less offensive than most of her relatives. She had grown to respect Qetsiyah since her resurrection. Being the anchor had been painful but it taught her an important lesson. It was a lesson she might not have learned without Qetisyah's questionable methods.

Ansel took his place at the second stake and allowed himself to be bound with the warded chains.

Ayana took Drusilla's hand and tried not to show her anxiety. She had to be a pillar of strength for Ansel. However, she was fully prepared to murder Qetsiyah if the demented old witch harmed him. Qetsiyah wasn't the only Bennett witch with a penchant for bloody vengeance.

Qetsiyah looked at Bonnie and said, "Come here, witchling."

The girl moved beside the older witch. "Yes?"

She motioned to the two stakes and said, "Set them alight."

Bonnie blinked. "Me?"

Qetsiyah nodded. "You will be the one to complete the ritual, because the anchor and veil are your responsibility now. You must never allow them to be breached again, child. Do you understand me?"

She swallowed thickly because that was a lot of responsibility. However, she nodded obediently. She would protect both if only to ensure Grams remained safe on the Other Side. She couldn't allow it to fall to ruin as it almost did today. Bonnie would never forgive herself if her grandmother was lost to the void. She was certain that was the reason Qetsiyah gave her this task.

Bonnie raised both hands and focused on the stakes simultaneously.

Qetsiyah huffed and said, "But your hands down, girl. You're lighting a fire, not trying to raise the dead."

She snapped, "Would you like to do this?"

"No, you're going to do it. You're just going to do it in a way befitting the power of our bloodline."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and kept her mouth closed. She was about a second away from setting Qetsiyah on fire, too. Instead, she closed her eyes and whispered, "Incendia!"

The ground rumbled as the fire burst forth.

Klaus smiled proudly from his place beside Lucy.

Qetsiyah nodded in approval as she watched the flames quickly engulf Ansel and Dahlia.

While the flames began to melt the witch's flesh, Ansel remained unharmed. He could feel the heat but it wasn't unbearable yet. He kept his eyes on Ayana the entire time.

Thunder and lightning disturbed the silence that had overtaken the cemetery. The air movement seemed to stoke the fire and it only grew larger and hotter.

Qetsiyah took Bonnie's hand and said, "Repeat after me."

The young witch listened closely as Qetsiyah began to chant in Aramaic. Bonnie parroted the words a few times before she felt confident in what she was saying.

As they chanted the flames changed color. Soon they were a terrifying green color. The heat coming off the flames was so unbearable that everyone had to back further away from the stakes.

Time seemed to creep by slowly but after ten minutes Dahlia's body had been reduced to a pile of ashes.

Qetsiyah and Bonnie stopped chanting and the flames returned to a normal color. Then a clap of thunder shook the sky as rain began falling heavily. It took a few minutes but the rain squelched the fire completely. Then the rain slowly came to an end.

As promised, the flames had never touched Ansel's skin. The spelled blood had protected him well.

Bonnie focused on the chains that bound his hands and legs. They were spelled and had survived the fire. The chains crumbled with some concentration from her.

Ansel emerged from the scorched Earth shakily. He had never experienced magic like that. He understood now why Ayana had tolerated Qetsiyah's presence.

Ayana approached him with a spare change of clothes. She asked, "Are you well, my love?"

He nodded and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I am well."

Drusilla turned to Qetsiyah and said, "Thank you for helping us. There is one thing I didn't understand about the spell."

"Oh?" she asked.

"Why did Dahlia have to be alive for us to complete it?"

Qetsiyah grinned evilly. "Oh, she didn't have to be alive. That was purely for my own amusement. And I was right, I was quite amused by it all. It would have been better with screams but I will become acquainted with her screams soon enough."

A few gasps went up around them. The Bennett and Gemini witches looked equally horrified by her confession.

Ayana scolded her, "That was cruel even for you, Qetsiyah."

The woman shrugged carelessly and said, "She has been slaughtering witches and stealing their powers for centuries. Dahlia was not deserving of mercy. She deserved the fires of hell for her actions but this was close enough."

Klaus laughed uproariously. The old witch was as twisted and dangerous as he expected her to be. He admired her passion but Klaus would feel safer with her on the Other Side. Qetsiyah could be an amazing ally if she weren't so unpredictable.

Ayana looked to Bonnie for some sort of censure against Qetsiyah's actions. The young witch was the only one that seemed to have any sway over their demented ancestor.

Bonnie saw that a few witches were looking at her. She frowned and said, "Don't expect me to weep for that baby stealer. She planned to take a child of our blood for her maniacal plans. She got off lightly if you ask me. Do you think she would have spared a thought for any of us as she stole our powers? I think not."

Lucy nodded in agreement. "I couldn't have said it better myself, Bonnie."

Qetsiyah smiled approvingly. She said, "I knew I picked the right descendant. You are going to make me proud, girl. I know it. Now it is time for me to return to the Other Side. I have three new toys that I want to take for a test drive."

Lucy looked doubtful. "Are you certain that you can keep them trapped on the Other Side? It might be better to cast them into the void."

Bonnie shook her head. "It's probably better that Qetsiyah has some entertainment on the Other Side. Besides, now that they are unable to hide, the other Bennett witches can help watch them."

Qetsiyah pinched her cheek and grinned. "You're a smart girl. You all really don't want me to get bored on the Other Side. Who knows what I might get up to?"

Lucy looked chilled by the thought. "I stand corrected…"

Qetsiyah looked at Bonnie and Lucy. "Remember what I told both of you. Get a couple more children from the hybrids and be rid of them. Now one of you help me along to the Other Side. Something faster than exsanguination this time, please."

Bonnie shook her head with a fond smile. She said, "Thank you for helping us."

Qetsiyah squeezed her hand. "Don't thank me...live. That is what I want for you. It is what Sheila wants for you. If the world must burn, let it. The days of you sacrificing yourself are over."

Bonnie rested a hand on her flat stomach and nodded in agreement. "I promise."

"There's a good girl. Make sure you burn my body," Qetsiyah replied with a smirk.

Bonnie focused on Qetsiyah's neck. Then suddenly her neck twisted in the wrong direction and the witch collapsed on the ground.

Qetsiyah looked at her lifeless body and chuckled quietly.

Ansel's eyes widened when he saw Qetsiyah.

She sauntered over to the werewolf and said, "Protect my family or I will make what I did to Dahlie look merciful, Wolf."

"They are my family, too. I will protect them with my life Qetsiyah," he swore.

"See that you do. Oh, this is going to hurt," she said. Qetsiyah kissed Ansel as she passed through him to the Other Side. "I've had better."

Ansel growled and his eyes flashed amber as Qetsiyah passed through him. He clenched his fists at his side and tried to breathe through the pain.

Ayana slowly approached him. "Ansel…"

He straightened up as the pain receded. He tried to regain his composure, "I am fine."

Drusilla shook her head. "Well, I should be getting back to the Other Side, too. I imagine there is much to do over there. We still need to address the travelers that are stuck there. They will be cast into the void because they cannot be trusted."

Klaus' amusement faded quickly. He demanded, "Why would you go back? Surely there are others that can handle the travelers."

Drusilla walked over to her brother with a sad smile. "This was always temporary, Niklaus. The balance is out of whack with so many of the dead crossing over. We can't begin to guess what the effects will be. I will not contribute to that..."

Klaus was prepared to rail at his sister. However, Elijah stepped in front of him before he could say anything.

Elijah was inclined to agree with his brother. He wasn't ready to see Drusilla return to the Other Side. However, he had known Niklaus and Drusilla long enough to know they were both stubborn. She wouldn't respond well to him making demands of her. Frankly, their stubbornness should have been a clue about their shared lineage.

He said, "Surely, your talents would be better served here, Drusilla. This is not to diminish your descendants but I can think of few as talented as you. We still have need of your talents here. We will need to track down the remaining travelers and decide what to do with them. Markos had other covens working with him. Who knows what else they may have planned? We were caught quite off guard this time."

Drusilla quirked an eyebrow at Elijah's honeyed words. She looked at her brother and said, "I will not stay forever, Niklaus. You must prepare yourself for that. However, Elijah does have a good point. It is best if I remain long enough to put things to rights."

Klaus scowled and said, "Fine."

Drusilla laughed softly. "Cheer up, brother. You have gotten your way for now."