Guesswork
They gathered together at a truck stop parking lot about a half an hour's drive away from the border of Mystic Falls. Alaric had insisted that they go that far. He had no clear reason for insisting other than some kind of intuition that was brought on by their encounter with Bonnie and Damon. He felt as though they were playing some kind of card game, with very high stakes, and neither side could afford to show their hand.
Luke had left them to go and see Nisha about the items that she said would help them to bring down the Traveler spell. He also wanted to see Liv and question her why some complete stranger was asking about her.
Matt and Abby had gone into the truck stop to get everyone a beverage, while the rest stayed out in the parking lot, leaning against their cars, trying to make sense of what they had just experienced.
"Why did you have to bring us all the way out here? Istas asked Alaric, clearly annoyed.
"Instinct. Intuition. I don't know. Just a feeling."
"A feeling? What the hell does that mean?" she pressed.
"A feeling! Didn't you feel it? We weren't alone there."
"I know what you mean," Caroline said, hugging herself, trying to stifle her shivers. "Something or someone was there with us. With them."
"Was it Bonnie and Damon? Or was it Silas?" asked Stefan of Jeremy.
"I saw Bonnie and Damon. But—"
"But what?" Elena impatiently asked.
"Well, when I was outside the town border, they looked…different."
"Different how?" asked Alaric.
"Like—"
"Like they were worn out or tired," interjected Istas.
Looking at her with confusion and surprise, Jeremy concurred. "Yeah! How did you know?"
"Because I saw it."
"But how? I'm a Hunter and therefore I'm immune to any kind of mind control or compulsion."
"Let's just say that I've been trained to resist mind control as well," she replied.
"By who? How?" Alaric asked.
"Does it matter right now? What matters is, there was some obvious form of mind control being done and the only ones unaffected were myself and Junior here."
Alaric turned to Jeremy. "You said that you saw them as different outside the border. What did you see when you stepped inside?"
Jeremy shrugged his shoulders. "They looked fine. Refreshed. And the smell was gone."
"What smell?" asked Stefan.
"I smelled it too," replied Istas. "It wasn't like anything I've smelled before. It wasn't B.O. or anything human. Not a perfume. Not anything chemical either. But there was a smell."
"A smell," Alaric echoed. He slowly began moving away from the group, looking at the ground, lost in thought at the revelation that Istas and Jeremy had given.
"So if it's not Silas using mind control," Matt said, returning with Abby and coffees in hand. "Then who is it? The only ones powerful enough to mind control other vampires were Silas or an Original."
"Whoever or whatever it was, they seem to have the same limitations as Silas. So they can't affect me at least," replied Jeremy.
"Why are we talking about Silas or other people? It was Damon and Bonnie! Jeremy even confirmed this," Elena said, frustratingly. "Whatever is wrong with them, it's probably that spell that brought them back, like Bonnie said. But if what she said is true, there is a deadline to how long that spell can sustain them in there. We have to give them mine and Stefan's blood to bring that spell down and get our friends and town back!"
"NO!" bellowed Alaric, marching back to the group. "We're not giving them anything. Not yet. Not until we know what we're dealing with here. Or who we're dealing with."
"It sounds like you already know," replied Stefan.
"Just a hunch that I have," Alaric said.
"Care to share with us?" asked Istas.
Alaric looked at her and smirked. "It doesn't matter right now. What matters is, we get back into Mystic Falls."
"And we can't do that until we bring the spell down," Abby said, annoyed. "So we just sit here and do nothing?"
"No," answered Jeremy. "Matt and I will go into town as we planned. We can investigate until Luke comes back with whatever he has."
Alaric sighed. He knew that Jeremy was going to go whether he approved of it or not. "Fine! But do not engage or interact with Bonnie or Damon. Talk with Sheriff Liz and see if any new bodies have turned up. But don't tell her what we've discovered."
"What?" asked Caroline. "She deserves to know, Ric!"
"Not yet. If there is some kind of mind control at work, then it's possible that they can read minds as well as control them. If they realize that Liz knows, they might view her as a threat."
"They?" Elena inquired. "You mean Bonnie and Damon?"
"No. Whoever is controlling them."
"Controlling them? Damn it, Ric! What aren't you telling us?" Elena grilled.
"I can't say right now. I have some research to do to confirm. All I can say right now is that we might not be dealing with the Bonnie and Damon that we know and love. So that means," Alaric turned towards Jeremy, "that you don't engage either of them. Don't even try to spy on them. Just gather intel from Liz and see what's going on around town. See if they've made any new 'friends.' Is that clear?"
Jeremy nodded, looked at Matt and both hopped into Matt's truck and headed for Mystic Falls.
"And the rest of us?" Elena asked.
"Try and use the locator app to track the phone that Stefan gave to Damon. Once we find out where they are and once Luke gets back to us, we can confront them. I'm going to my place to look for something. Hopefully, my suspicions are wrong."
Alaric stepped into his car and revved up the engine. "Oh, and if you're still looking for something to do, you can all go and gather some items that we might need."
"Like what?" asked Istas.
"Crucifixes and holy water!"
Twisted Sister
Luke arrived at Liv's dorm room and knocked on her door. He was surprised to see light emanating from underneath her door, signifying that she was still up, even at that early morning hour. When he knocked again, he clearly heard shuffling and rummaging from behind the door.
Suddenly, the door cracked open. Liv peered through the door, the chain lock crossing her face like some kind of medieval fashion statement.
"What is it?" she asked brusquely.
"What do you mean 'what is it'?" Luke replied. "I've been texting you for the past hour. I figured you were asleep since you never responded. Let me in."
"—*sigh*—Okay, hold on."
She shut the door. Luke could hear her rummaging again. A few seconds passed before she opened the door again and let him in.
"What's going on? What are you doing up at this hour?" Luke asked, looking around her dorm room which was in a state of complete disorganization the likes of which he had never known his sister to live with.
"Nothing. I've—I've been studying a lot, that's all," stammered Liv.
"Studying what?"
"For school! Hello?!"
Liv brushed past Luke and plopped down on her bed.
"Geez! When was the last time you slept? Or bathed?" Luke asked, contorting his face.
"Is there a reason you're bothering me at this hour of the morning?"
"I talked to Nisha. She said that she had something that might help Elena and her friends get to back into Mystic Falls. She told me to come and pick it up from you."
"Yeah," Liv said, getting up from her bed and retrieving a small box from her dresser. "Actually, it wasn't Nisha who brought this. It was some short, bald old guy with glasses. Really creepy! Didn't give a name or anything but said that he was delivering this on Nisha's behalf."
She opened the box and inside was three rings. Each was a silver band with an emblem that resembled a silver griffin, with a backdrop of black all around it.
"He called them Ambrosia Rings. Apparently, they're enchanted with magic that is similar to Traveler magic. Anyone wearing these becomes infused with their magic. He said that it was once thought to be used by humans to gain immortality, but that it didn't quite work out that way. In any case, he said they should work for Elena's purposes."
Liv handed the box to Luke and then stood there with her arms crossed, clearly expecting him to depart immediately since he now had what he came for.
"I was wondering though, are you ever going to tell me what you and Nisha were talking about before?"
"You heard her. It was 'girl stuff.'"
"C'mon Liv! What's going on? We've never kept secrets from each other!"
"Sure!" Liv said as she went to sit on her bed again. "Like all those times mom and dad or the coven confided in you about stuff. You always told me about all those secret meetings too!"
"Is that what this is about? I've always shared what the coven entrusted me with."
"I doubt it," Liv said dejectedly. "I know you kept secrets from me."
Luke shook his head. "What are you talking about? Where is this all coming from? Ever since Nisha came into town, you've been acting funny. In fact, everything seems to have gone crazy!"
"What do you mean?"
Luke sighed as he sat down beside Liv on the bed. "Bonnie and Damon are back."
"What?! How?"
"I don't know. Me and Elena and all of them saw the two in Mystic Falls. Don't ask me how that's possible, Damon being in Mystic Falls with the Traveler spell up, but he was there. And they weren't alone. They had a friend…who was asking for you!"
"Me?"
"So I ask you again—what is going on?"
Liv got up from the bed and paced back and forth. She stared at her clothes hamper until she forcibly turned her gaze away.
"Do you trust me, Luke?"
He stared at the floor for a moment. "I used to."
"Then trust me now. I can't share with you what Nisha shared with me. Not yet. But I will. I promise. Just…just give me time."
"And this woman who was asking for you?"
"I don't know anything about that. I don't know anything about Bonnie or Damon. Maybe I'll ask Nisha about it the next time I see her."
"Which is when?"
Liv shrugged. "I don't know. I asked that bearded weirdo where she was and he just chuckled and said she was busy." She shivered at the memory of her encounter with the man. "Really gave me the creeps!"
Luke nodded and headed towards the door. "I better get these rings to Elena."
"Oh, by the way, that man said something else about the rings. He said that they apparently focus on the dark side, whatever that means. So whoever wears it tends to have their darker selves intensified. Only those with 'high discipline,' as he called it, should wear them. That was the warning he gave."
"I'll let them know," Luke said as he opened the door. He took a side glance over his shoulder. "I'm trusting you, Liv. You've never let me regret that before."
With that, Luke shut the door and left. The second he was gone, Liv rushed over to her hamper, turned it over, letting all her dirty laundry tumble to the floor. At the bottom of the hamper was the Red Dragon grimoire. She grabbed it and rushed to her bed, kneeling at her bedside with the book opened in front of her. Like a crack addict so close to her next fix, Liv began fidgeting and shaking while trying to turn to the last page she was at before Luke interrupted her. When she found it, she began reading and murmuring to herself, repeating line after line of commands, spells, hexes, and incantations. Her mouth started to become dry, her lips chapped, her eyes burning, while her mind filled with the black knowledge and power that lay within the pages before her.
Spy Game
"Why am I driving there?" asked Matt.
They were driving around the town square when Jeremy instructed Matt not to return to Tyler's house, but instead to head on over to the Salvatore mansion.
"Because if Damon is going to be staying anywhere in Mystic Falls, it's there," Jeremy replied.
"But Alaric said—"
"Alaric isn't here! And we're not soldiers. We don't have to follow orders."
"It's not about following orders, it's about common sense. Something dangerous is going on here and we shouldn't be treating this situation lightly."
"If you feel that way, then drop me off here. I'll trek the rest of the way on foot and do it myself."
Matt smirked. "And tell Elena and Alaric that I let you go there alone? I don't think so. We'll do a drive by to see if anyone is home, how about that?"
Jeremy nodded as they continued to drive through the quiet town square. The sky was slowly heralding the coming of the sun, the sky already turning from black to dark blue. The street lights were still shining brightly and it was under one of them that Jeremy noted a peculiar figure.
"Hold up, Matt! Look over there," he said, pointing to a woman with long, brown hair and dressed in business attire, briskly walking along the outside of the town square, her figure alternating between shadow and light as she passed beneath each street lamp.
"Isn't that the woman who was with Damon and Bonnie?" Jeremy asked.
Matt squinted as he tried to get a better look at her from the distance they were at. "I think you're right, Jer."
"Follow her. Let's see where she goes."
"Wait a sec, Jer. Alaric said—"
"Alaric said to leave Bonnie and Damon alone. Does she look like Bonnie or Damon?"
Matt scowled as he reluctantly slowed the truck down and began trailing the woman, keeping a block's distance away so as not to arouse her suspicions. She turned the corner of the town square and immediately paused. Matt instinctively hit the brakes too, and both he and Jeremy sat still in the car, holding their breaths, wondering if she somehow heard or noticed them.
The woman's attention was suddenly grabbed by an early morning jogger coming down another street roughly 100 yards away. The woman stared at the jogger and slowly turned to face her.
"Oh no! Gun it, Matt! GUN IT!" Jeremy screamed.
Despite Matt flooring the gas pedal, the woman cleared the 100 yards in an instant and was on top of the jogger. They couldn't hear her but could see the jogger screaming as the woman buried her face in her neck. Suddenly, the jogger and the woman were gone.
Matt sped over to where the jogger was last seen. As he slowed the car, Jeremy undid his seatbelt and prepared to step out of the truck.
"Whoa! Hold on, Jer!" Matt cautioned. "We don't have anything to fight against her with."
Jeremy ignored him as he stepped out of the truck and walked over to where the jogger had been. He could see droplets of blood on the pavement, but nothing else. Matt stayed in the truck, keeping the engine running and looking all around him to see if any trace of the jogger or Valene could be looked ahead at Jeremy who was standing in the brightness of the truck's headlights, constantly looking around for any sign of where Valene might have taken the jogger. Matt began looking around too from the driver's seat when his eyes glanced over his rear view mirror. He suddenly fixated on an image in the mirror that turned his blood cold. There was Valene's golden demonic eyes and bloody smile peering at him from the rear bed of his pick-up truck. Matt immediately turned around to face her, but when he did, there was no one there. Matt desperately looked all around him, but couldn't see anyone. He gravely realized that Valene was indeed out there and that Jeremy was the proverbial sitting duck with no weapons or any way to defend himself.
Matt instinctively honked his horn to get Jeremy's attention. "JEREMY! GET IN THE TRUCK! SHE'S HERE!"
Matt's veins ran cold as he saw Valene standing beyond Jeremy some distance away, his headlights causing her eyes to glisten like a cat's when in direct light. She was smiling a twisted, blood soaked smile, holding up by the back of the neck with one hand the limp body of the jogger whose throat she just ripped out. Jeremy turned to face Valene, but was immediately transfixed with fear and awe at the image he saw.
A growling sound could be heard coming from Valene, along with hissing and laughing, seemingly all at the same time. She suddenly launched the jogger's lifeless body at Matt's truck. The body slammed so hard that it actually wedged itself into the front grill of the truck, looking as though it was the truck that had hit the jogger at 200 mph. However, the head continued its momentum, like a cork being popped from a bottle of champagne, flying off the body and ramming into Matt's windshield. Blood from the body began sputtering all over the hood of Matt's truck like a geyser.
The sound of screams could be heard in the distance. Jeremy and Matt looked over to see more joggers gathering around, looking on in horror at the scene of their friend's body lodged in Matt's truck. Some were pointing while others could be seen on their cell phones. Jeremy looked around him, but found no trace of Valene anywhere.
She had been standing within the shadows of the branches of a nearby tree, with Damon standing on some other ones.
"The pretence is over," she hissed. "They know that they're friends are not here."
"It's just as well," replied Damon. "I hate hiding behind a façade. Let his majesty and his Kingdom hide like cowards behind human forms! We are the Sovereignty. We are the new Legion. We are the new Kingdom!" Instantaneously, Valene and Damon were gone.
About a half an hour had passed, the dawn slowly creeping upon the scene of blood and murder. Some joggers were sobbing on the curbside while others were talking to police, telling them what they had seen. Jeremy and Matt were handcuffed and sitting on the curbside as well beside a police cruiser, watching the paramedics slowly and apprehensively extract the body and head of the jogger from Matt's truck.
Liz's cruiser pulled up to the scene. She and Tyler got out, with Liz walking off to speak with one of the officers, while Tyler went and approached Matt and Jeremy. Before he could reach them, he was barred by another police officer, telling him he couldn't enter an active crime scene.
"Tyler?" Matt hollered upon seeing him. "What are you doing here?"
"I was about to ask you guys the same thing. What's going on? What happened here?"
Liz suddenly appeared and signalled to the officer that Tyler was allowed to cross the police barrier. She and Tyler approached Matt and Jeremy, where she helped them to get up but left them in handcuffs.
"So, you mind telling me what's going on? The deputy just told me that multiple witnesses saw you violently run into their fellow jogger. What the hell is going on, Matt?"
Trying to keep is voice down, Matt leaned in to talk softly to Liz. "It wasn't us. It was—a vampire!"
"A vampire?! How?"
Matt looked over at Jeremy, trying to gauge whether or not to disobey Alaric and let Liz in on what had been going on. They both realized they had no choice and nodded to each other in agreement on the decision.
"Look, this doesn't get out. But we discovered something a while ago…about Damon and Bonnie!"
Dark Discovery
Alaric dumped out boxes upon boxes of books, trying to find the one that he had remembered upon Jeremy and Istas' testimony of the scent that they smelled in the presence of Damon and Bonnie. He had hoped that the book was in these boxes that Matt and Jeremy had been kind enough to ship from his old place in Mystic Falls.
Where is it?!
With preternatural strength, he frustratingly ripped apart another cardboard box, books and papers flying all around, making his apartment looking like a hoarder's paradise. After reviewing and throwing away a bunch of books, Alaric went into his bedroom and brought out some more boxes, labelled as books that he had collected prior to the disappearance of his ex-wife, Isobel. It was her disappearance that prompted him to read up on occult subjects as a means to find out what had happened to her, and one book in particular stuck in his mind after all these years.
After rejecting a few books, he finally found the one that he had been looking for—a case study book on demonic possession by Malachi Martin.
"Here it is!" he exclaimed.
He grabbed a seat on his couch and began flipping through the pages. He turned to one case in particular, about a Catholic priest who fell victim to demonic possession and the subsequent exorcism of the evil spirit. The case described friends commenting on the symptoms that they noticed whenever the possessed priest was in their presence, including the testimony of one friend who recalled a distinct smell.
Alaric found the page he was looking for and read the line concerning the smell:
"It was not unpleasant. It was strange. Neither of any animal nor of any plant or of any chemical she had ever known. A deep sense of memory of it remained with her for many weeks."
"My God!" he exclaimed.
His body jumped when his cell phone went off. He retrieved it from his pocket and read the text message from Elena informing him of Luke's retrieval of something that could help them enter Mystic Falls. They were to all meet at the border as soon as possible.
Alaric nodded to himself, put the phone in his pocket and was about to head off when he noticed something lying on the floor. It was an old crucifix, slightly bigger than the whole of his hand. It was one that supposedly had belonged to his rather religious grandmother. Though Alaric was never religious himself, he somewhat cherished the crucifix as it was a connection to a past that he had long forgotten about.
He stuffed the crucifix in his pocket and stepped out the door, but paused and looked skyward, past the ceiling, as though looking up at something.
"Are you there? I think we really might need your help with this one!"
Ghosts of the Past
Istas sat high on a branch of a cedar tree overlooking the highway that led into Mystic Falls. Despite the fact that she could have stayed at a nearby hotel, Istas always preferred the outdoors. The progress of civilization and the comforts of luxury could not compete with the communion with Nature as far as she was concerned. Though she did appreciate a hot shower and laundry facilities, and for that she gladly compelled the staff at the hotel to let her access to all of that for free. Otherwise, outside was her home. Ever since she was a child, she'd prefer sleeping outside, under dark sky observing and wondering about the stars and the wonders of the vast universe. Angie, her sister, and the rest of the family were content to sleep in tents, but she was more than content to take her people's communion with Nature as far as she could.
It was therefore a blow to her when she became a vampire. She became something unnatural—something contrary to Nature. An irregularity—an abomination. Unlike some of her fellow tribe's people who carried the werewolf gene and thus had a connection to Nature that was enhanced upon their transformation, her connection to Nature became strained. Even with heightened senses, a barrier as thin as a veil, but a barrier nonetheless, went up between her and the Nature she loved so much. An innocuous veil that disrupted the harmony that she felt she once had with the natural world. For years, she tried to re-establish that connection, with a part of her accepting the limited connection that she could repair.
She sat on the tree branch, keeping an eye on the border while draining the last drops of blood from a coyote she had just caught. She began thinking of the events that she just experienced at that border, having a ghost from her past suddenly re-appear in her life.
Little Red Prairie Flower! How did he know? How could that guy know?
Her upper lip curled at the question. There was no way that Damon could have known that nickname that Chris had called her before she had been turned over a century ago. And yet, when Damon said it, he winked at her, as though it was an inside joke. But she wasn't laughing. What made it all the more sinister was how Damon's blue eyes were so much like Chris', almost as though he were Chris but in a different body.
Stop it! STOP IT! He's dead! You killed him! He's gone and he's never coming back!
She hurled the coyote carcass down to the ground and aggressively wiped her mouth. She gritted her teeth as she stared at nothing in particular along the horizon. Almost quivering, her heartbeat rapidly pounding, she felt a tear streaming down her cheek. She wiped it off and clenched her eyes shut.
He's dead! He's dead! He's dead!
She opened her eyes and stared skywards. Her pondering was interrupted by the buzzing of her phone. She read the intercepted message from Elena to Alaric, informing of Luke's accomplished mission and the meet up at the border. Throughout her various adventures, Istas had the advantage of making some key contacts, even in the tech world. It was one of these contacts that created an app that allowed her to essentially spy on other phone messages and conversations. Installing the bug in Elena's phone was no problem, especially after she went unconscious from a wooden bullet! Istas might not have killed Elena then and there, but she wasn't through with her yet. She pulled out a thermos from her bag and took a sip of some coffee. The dawn was approaching over the horizon and she had another date with the gang from Mystic Falls.
The Clash
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Elena chided as she drove along the highway to Mystic Falls.
"It wasn't them, and you know it!" replied Stefan.
Elena remained sullen as the two of them sat silently, the hum of the engine and the bumps in the concrete filled the awkward, mute void.
"If it's not him, then who is it?" Elena finally asked.
"I don't know. But I've known my brother for over 150 years. I've known him at his best and at his worst. I've known him with his humanity on and off. And I can tell you with absolute certainty that the guy we met at the border was not him. That guy, both he and Bonnie, didn't just lack humanity. They seemed—inhuman."
Elena digested Stefan's words. She eventually sighed, signalling some agreement on her part to what Stefan was saying.
"Okay, I agree that I got a weird vibe from them too. But what if it's like Bonnie was saying? What if it is some kind of magical jetlag?"
"Whatever it is, I think it's more than them just being fatigued. Their behaviour was just not like them."
"But—"
"Do you really believe that Damon would have treated you like that?"
For all of Damon's bravado and maverick ways, Elena found that he could be surprisingly tender and considerate. When she found out that he had helped Rose die a peaceful death, it was the first glimpse for her that Damon was not the selfish monster that everyone had made him out to be. But she also realized that he could be quite cavalier and loose, which led to her difficult acceptance of the fact that he tried to kill Jeremy at various points. But she was able to see the man behind the monster, even if he hid him too well, even from her. It was something he seemed to do instinctively she thought, almost as a defensive tactic from showing his true self. It was easier to let others judge the monster than to judge who he truly was inside. Sometimes the monster was too easy to see, and she felt that in the instance of him pulling her into Mystic Falls while the Traveler spell was still up, it was a case of the man hiding behind the monster again.
"But what about Bonnie's warning? The spell that sustains them could end at any time. And then what? Damon dies…again! We just got him and Bonnie back. Do you really want to lose them again?"
"Of course not! But—"
"Look, we bring the spell down, we get into Mystic Falls and then we can worry about what's affecting them. If we continue to wait, I might lose him!"
"We! WE might lose them!" Stefan said.
"—*sigh*—You know what I mean. Listen, I'm not going to apologize for being passionate about wanting Damon back. I love him."
"Yes…I know," Stefan said resignedly. "You're not the only one who wants him back. It's not all about you, Elena."
She picked up on Stefan's annoyance, and in return felt annoyance as well. Though she understood his anger over their break up, given the fact that she went with Damon immediately after, part of her kept wondering why Stefan just never got over it. People break up all the time. If Damon could provide the spark and excitement that Stefan never could, then that was a mark against Stefan, not her. She realized that she deserved happiness and it was Damon who ultimately brought that to her, not Stefan. Besides, Stefan had already admitted that he no longer was in love with her, so she didn't understand this continued grudge for a love that both admitted had died a long time ago.
As she continued her stream of consciousness, Stefan's phone began to buzz.
"Caroline is on her way with Abby," Stefan said, reading the text message.
"Good. Alaric should be at the border soon as well."
As they approached the border, they could see a car and a motorcycle. The car, Elena deduced belonged to Luke. But the bike caused indignation in Elena.
"What the hell is this?! What is she doing here? Did you text her?" she asked Stefan.
"Of course not! Why would I considering she tried to kill you and took the rest of us out!"
"That's just great! It's not like we don't have enough to deal with as it is. Now we have Xena, Warrior Angry Princess here to make things worse!"
After Elena parked the car and she and Stefan got out, they went over to Luke while Elena kept a wary eye on Istas, who returned her gaze with a wry smile.
"Thanks for getting in touch with us so soon. Did you find something?" Elena asked.
"Yeah, I—"
Luke was interrupted by the simultaneous arrival of Caroline with Abby and Alaric.
"Perfect timing," Stefan said to the three as they walked over to them. "Did you get set up, Abby?"
"Yes, Caroline helped me. Did you guys find a way to get into the town?"
"I was about to explain," said Luke, pulling out a box with three rings in them. "These rings apparently are imbued with a magic that is similar to Traveler magic."
"What makes them so special?" asked Caroline, scrutinizing the rings.
"They're called Ambrosia Rings. Supposedly, they grant the wearer immortality."
"Ambrosia Rings? As in, from Greek mythology?" asked Alaric.
"You know of these?" asked Luke.
"Not of the rings, but ambrosia was the food and drink that bestowed immortality upon the gods and anyone else who consumed them. Fitting name, I suppose."
"Well, I don't know about that. What I was told by Liv was that the wearer of these rings were granted immortality for as long as they wore them, but at a cost. It brings about the darker, more sinister side of the wearer."
"Hmph! Sounds familiar," piped Elena, glancing at Alaric.
"If they work," remarked Istas as she picked one of the rings up. "So besides immortality, exactly how are these rings going to get us into town?"
Alaric grabbed another ring, looking into Mystic Falls. "I'm assuming that whatever the magic that grants the wearer immortality will automatically cover them in the same magic. Question is, will it work in there?"
"Wait a minute, Ric. I don't think you should be trying one. You don't exactly have a great history with magical rings bringing out the dark side!" Elena said, holding onto Ric's arm as he attempted to put on the ring.
"I'll be fine, Elena. Besides, we don't have a choice. Three of us have to take these rings and go in there. First, we'll see if they even work."
Alaric slipped the ring on his left index finger. He immediately felt woozy and teetered over, almost falling on Elena. Elena instinctively held him up as he tried to steady himself.
"Whoa! That was unexpected. I'm fine though," he said, smiling reassuringly.
Alaric breathed in a deep breath and headed to the edge of town. The morning sun was slightly peering over the horizon; just enough that any vampire without a daylight ring would begin to burn. Alaric slowly stepped over the border into Mystic Falls. He stood motionless, waiting for some kind of reaction. He expected to burn. He expected to begin dying from a piercing wound into his heart.
But nothing happened.
He stood motionless with his eyes closed for another minute until he was convinced that he was safe.
"It works!" Elena said, smiling. She reached for a ring in Luke's box.
"No!" Alaric barked.
"No?!"
"You're too close to this, Elena. I can already feel something happening to me. Primal. Carnal." Alaric closed his eyes again, his body twitching, his hands clenching and unclenching. He wanted to transform, to turn into a vampire. He had an incredibly powerful craving and desire to feed. He opened his eyes again and refocused on Elena. "You're too close to Damon to confront him now."
"Well, I don't know this Damon person, so I'm good!" Istas said, slipping on a ring. She briefly fell to one knee as the effects of the ring took hold. Once she regained control, she sauntered past Elena to join Alaric.
"Oh, hell no, Ric! She is not going in while I'm staying out here!" Elena protested.
With eyes closed, attempting to quell an annoyance that was threatening to evolve into full blown rage, Alaric's eyes flew open and glared at Elena and then at Istas. "It might be a good idea. She has no emotional attachment in this. Plus, we could use her skills."
"Skills for what?" asked Stefan. "You still haven't explained what it is you think we're facing."
"And I won't until I see Damon and Bonnie to confirm! Alright?!"
Alaric became more agitated, scowling at Stefan before closing his eyes again to regain composure.
Stefan looked over at the last ring and contemplated putting it on too, but looked over at both Alaric and Istas. He could see the struggle going on within them. He knew it all too well—the desire to feed, the craving to go and rip apart a human being for their blood, the temptation to just let loose and let the demon inside to have free reign and to overtake and have its way. For whatever reason, that demon was a lot stronger in Stefan than it was in other vampires, and so he well knew what it was like to lose to that demon. Realizing that an Ambrosia Ring could once again bring out the Ripper was not something Stefan was keen on doing, seeing as how he had already let it happen without the ring.
He grabbed the last ring and tossed it to Caroline. "If anyone among us has the discipline to keep their dark side at bay, it's you."
Caroline stared at the ring and then at Stefan. She gave an appreciative smile and slipped on the ring. She immediately felt woozy and stumbled over onto Luke.
"Whoa! Sorry, Luke. I…I—"
She looked into Luke's eyes for a moment, and then her gaze slowly and lustfully began wandering to his neck. For a brief moment, Luke could see the vampire veins around her eyes begin to faintly form. He instinctively pushed her away, ready to employ magic to defend himself.
Caroline shook her head and stared apologetically at Luke. She joined Alaric and Istas inside the border of Mystic Falls.
"Did you guys bring crosses and holy water like I asked?" inquired Alaric.
"No. What…are we Van Helsing all of a sudden?" Caroline replied snidely.
"I told you to bring them!"
"Well, if you had asked nicely—"
"Listen, you blonde bit—"
"Hey! We have things to do instead of arguing with each other," Istas blared as she pushed Caroline and Alaric apart.
Both of them closed their eyes and breathed in deeply.
"I'm—I'm sorry, Caroline. These rings—"
"Tell me about it! I don't know why I got so mad just then," replied Caroline.
"We better hurry then. It's obvious these rings are going to do more harm than good to us. Have you got an idea of where Damon is now, Stefan?"
Stefan checked his phone. "Yeah, he's at the Salvatore mansion. Makes sense."
Alaric turned to Istas and Caroline. "Okay, let's do this then. Istas, follow us."
All three disappeared in an instant as they raced towards Salvatore mansion.