France 1799
"Witch!" a voice boomed from overhead, causing Vivienne to open her dark brown eyes and blink steadily as the figure of one of Klaus' bodyguards came into focus, reaching forward and grabbing her arm, pulling her forcefully up out and out of her bed," Come. The master needs you."
Vivienne narrowed her eyes in confusion as she looked down to the vampire's strong grip on her, then over to her sister, Cecile, who had awoken from her own slumber in the twin bed next to her when she heard the commotion and could only watch as the guard allowed Vivienne to hastily throw a knitted shawl over her shoulders and slip into a pair of satin dressing shoes before she was whisked from the servants quarters and out into the dark, spring night.
In the century that she and her family had been bound to serve the vampire Klaus, not once had she been summoned like this in the middle of the night—dragged from her bed to the main chateau on her master's large estate just outside of Privas near the High Alps along the Italian boarder.
It was a long way across the grounds, up two large grassy hills and through one very large finely manicured and hedged garden.
Vivienne knew that she could have overpowered the guard forcefully leading her on her path to the mansion with just a wave of her hand and a summoning of her magic and compel him to release his painful hold on her arm, but she resisted the urge.
He was once part of Napolean's army—she could tell by the legion tattoo on his right forearm—and, therefore, a skilled fighter.
It was unwise to resist. It could make him angry and she would not be able to escape him with his new strength and speed.
She had heard rumors that her master had turned a number of Napolean's men from the 5th infantry that had marched with the General across the French boarder to invade Italy two years earlier.
It now seemed to be true.
She is not sure why she ever doubted it. Everything she had ever heard about Niklaus Mikaelson had always turned out to be true.
Vivienne winced as they finally reached the stone mansion and she was hauled by the guard up the front steps, where the large foreboding oak doors immediately opened and they were greeted by another handful of guards in the dark, ornate foyer.
After a few moments, there was a slight commotion and Vivienne saw Klaus urgently push his way through a line of guards with a look on his face that Vivienne had never seen before—a mixture of sadness and….concern?
She needn't have been worried about appearing before her master in her nightshift and slippers, because it appeared he was in just as limited of a state of dress—only a clean white shift shirt and black trousers with the suspenders hanging down. He wasn't wearing any shoes and Vivienne detected an overwhelming stench of blood on him.
Blood that she could tell was not his own.
The bodyguard immediately transferred his hold on Vivienne over to Klaus and, without ceremony, her master took firm hold of her arm as he took off, steering her down the long candlelit hallway to the marble spiral staircase and led the way as they climbed three flights to the top.
When they reached the main hall at the top of the stairs, Klaus turned sharply and continued to lead her to the far end of the hall, where he came to a large bookcase.
Taking hold of the binding on the back of "The Prince" by Machiavelli, he lifted the book back gently and something clicked behind the bookcase, causing Klaus to release the book and stand back, still clasping the witch's arm tightly as the bookcase swung back and revealed a dark passage.
Klaus took up the lantern hanging just inside the doorway in hand and led the way again through darkness to the second to last doorway at the end of the hall.
It was only then that he stopped, the light from the lantern casting shadow over his face as he turned to Vivienne.
"I've summoned you here tonight because you are the most skilled of all those bound to me—especially in the art of healing—you know your place, have a discreet tongue," Klaus said in a matter-of-fact tone, then lowered his eyes in reverence, "and you, yourself, know the value of family…"
Then, turning back toward the door, Klaus pulled the latch and opened the door, stepping through.
Obediently, Vivienne followed him into the bedroom as her mind still wrapped around the words he had just spoken to her.
As she watched Klaus set the lantern onto the side table next to a large canopy bed, the dim light suddenly illuminated the room enough for Vivienne to notice a tall man with dark, handsome features lying on top of the quilted covers.
The first thing she took notice of was his face—pale and glistening with sweat. He looked ill and his eyes fluttered and moans escaped his body as he drifted in and out of consciousness between hallucinations.
Someone had removed his long coat and laid it over him.
Vivienne shifted her gaze to Klaus, who nodded toward the figure on the bed
Moments later, she stepped forward and lifted the coat off of the man's upper body to reveal a blood-stained shirt and trousers that had been nearly ripped to shreds—as had the man's flesh on his chest and arms. But, it was worse at the joints of his arms and legs, where it looked as though everything was dislocated and torn, with tendons and muscles showing.
Vivienne winced and averted her gaze at the horrific wounds, then taking in a breath to steel herself, tossed the coat to the foot of the bed and took a seat on the edge next to him, examining his wounds closer.
As she did, she shook her head in disbelief.
She knew what could have made these wounds.
She had seen ones like them before…
They were from a werewolf.
But, this situation was different.
As she began to unbutton his shirt, Vivienne could see several bite marks on his neck and shoulders. This along with the man's shredded flesh and torn and dislocated joints indicated that he wasn't just randomly attacked by a pack of werewolves, he had been tortured and they seemed to have taken their time ripping him apart.
"What in God's name happened to him?" Vivienne asked in low voice, shaking her head slowly in disbelief
Klaus let out a deep sigh then answered simply, "Werewolves."
"But, they practically tortured him—tore him to pieces… how is it that he is even still alive?" Vivienne asked curiously in a low voice, looking back over her shoulder to her master, then back down to the man's mutilated body laying before her, "By all rights he should be dead…."
But, before Klaus could answer, Vivienne's eyes started to roam over the man's facial features and suddenly, the familiarity behind them struck her and her eyes widened slightly and she tentatively reached down took hold of his wrist, closing her eyes when she realized that the man didn't have a pulse.
When she pulled her hand away, she opened her eyes and her breath caught before she finally whispered, "He's a vampire."
"Yes—" Klaus started in a resigned voice, but Vivienne interjected
"My lord, I'm sorry. If this vampire has been attacked by werewolves, then he surely has werewolf venom in his veins. There is nothing I can do to heal him, magically or otherwise. Werewolf bites are fatal to vampires—"
"Not original vampires," Klaus said firmly then stepped closer behind the witch, "You are clever Vivienne. You've no doubt noticed that this vampire and I have some similar features—not many—but some…."
Klaus scoffed as he knelt down beside Vivienne, causing her to flinch slightly at the proximity, and cast his gaze softly onto the man with more reverence than Vivienne expected.
"You see, I was meeting with the LaFavierre Clan in Paris to re-negotiate territory in exchange for information they had on finding my moonstone. Little did I know that Blaize had already murdered his grandfather, the clan's alpha, Aramis. The young wolf is selfish and greedy. He doesn't want to negotiate. He sees me as a threat—as an interloper—as no doubt, word has spread of my true nature and why I truly desire the moonstone. Therefore, he planned to ambush and murder me at tonight's meeting. But, when it became clear that tensions were mounting, my fool of an older brother here, stepped in to protect me and bid my guards to take me to safety. They grabbed me before I could do anything and took me away, leaving my brother behind to fight off the wolves alone. I thought he would be right behind us….but he wasn't. I sent the guards back for him and they found him like this…"
Klaus closed his eyes, then tentatively reached a hand out to lay a hand on Elijah's damp forehead, stunning Vivienne with a tenderness she had never seen him display.
So this was his brother.
Vivienne's mind reeled…
She knew that Klaus already had a young brother, Kol—the man was a scourge—a monster—every bit as cruel and calculating as Klaus.
Kol was obsessed with witches. He used them for their power to cause havoc, seducing them and then killing them. It was an endless cycle that often got him in trouble with his older brother.
Vivienne also knew that Klaus had a sister, Rebekah.
She had been kind to Vivienne and the other witches and warlocks in Klaus' bondage. But, ten years prior, her master had daggered Rebekah when the two quarreled over a lover that Klaus had found unsuitable. She was now lying in a coffin in the cellar of the mansion in which they now stood next to who Vivienne thought was Klaus' only older sibling.
Rebekah had referred to him once, many years ago—but only once—in passing. She said that he had betrayed Klaus centuries before and that it was a betrayal that Klaus never recovered from. She therefore alluded to the fact that while Klaus had daggered and un-daggered Rebekah and Kol for the better part of six hundred years, depending on his mood, this particular sibling had remained in his coffin, never to be awakened.
Rebekah had told her that his name was Finn. But, as far as anyone knew, he was still lying in the box that he had occupied for the last five hundred years….
"You see, Elijah is many things," Klaus said, finally giving a name to the brother lying before them, "Overly sentimental, self-righteous, and sometimes an unbelievably moral and pompous ass, if you want my humble opinion. But, he is also unfailingly brave, honest and loyal. He's stood by me for many centuries when others have fled and has never wavered…much like his faith in me. In fact, he's the only person who had ever had any faith in me and blind faith, to boot—always blind…" he paused for a moment, then smirked sadly, "You see, we parted nearly two centuries ago under terrible circumstances—a woman, in London many years ago, truth be told—but, this morning he suddenly reappeared on my doorstep like no time ever passed between us…. and of course, like my big brother always has, he returns and the first thing he does is run into danger for me."
Vivienne narrowed her eyes, studying Klaus' face before Klaus suddenly turned toward her, meeting her gaze head on. The original then took in a trembling breath that he didn't necessarily need before he continued in a whisper, "Elijah will survive this, but not without a torturous night ahead—full of pain, extensive healing and nightmarish hallucinations. I don't want him to suffer, Vivienne. He doesn't deserve that. Please…I need to you do something to help him—anything"
Vivienne blinked for a moment, taken aback by the vampire's words, then broke Klaus' gaze, looking down to the man below them in quiet thought.
"You see….I need him…." The original said softly, "And I don't need anybody."
Vivienne was stunned.
Was it really possible that her master—the vampire who had killed her family and taken her and her sister captive during the Reign of Terror preceding the French Revolution and used their powers ever since—was asking for her help?
And not just for anyone—for his brother—his flesh and blood—someone he actually seemed to genuinely care about and need?
Part of her wanted to resist, to walk out of that room and make Klaus watch his brother suffer, knowing that if she did, her final act of defiance would be the cause of her neck snapping before she could even reach the doorway.
But, it was as she stared down into the face of the pale, dark haired stranger—Klaus' brother—below her on the bed, that another thought occurred to her entirely and it was a thought that caused her to sit up a little straighter and a small smile to cross her lips.
For centuries, the scores of witches under his control had been waiting for Klaus to show his hand…
And, finally, just now, in her very presence….he had.
Soon, it would be time to call his bluff and expose the one weakness that Vivienne suddenly knew could also be their salvation….their ticket to freedom.
And his name was Elijah Mikaelson.
With that firmly in the back of her mind, Vivienne's face immediately went placid, hiding all motive and intention, as she turned back to face her master with a sense of renewed purpose.
"Of course, My lord. If is your will…I will gladly help ease his pain."
# # # # # # # #
Vivienne sighed as she closed her grimoir and pushed back her chair from the kitchen table. She closed her eyes in reverent thought for a moment, then stood from her chair and opened her eyes again, looking around the room.
As she turned toward the French doors at the back of the breakfast nook that led out onto the back veranda, she saw Elijah holding Elena is his arms through the glass.
A small smile crossed her face as she folded her arms across her chest, drawing her sweater closer around her and pacing toward the door, watching as Elijah suddenly pulled back slowly, still enfolding Elena under one arm as he reached for his back pocket, retrieving his phone and looking down to the screen before pulling it to his ear.
"'Never a moment's peace'…" Vivienne whispered with fond remembrance, smirking as she recalled the words Klaus had spoken in her presence centuries earlier.
It not only described the current moment she was witnessing through the glass doors, but the last three hundred years she had spent at Elijah Mikaelson's side.
To think, their friendship had begun with an act of defiance—an act of betrayal.
And, if Vivienne got her way, no doubt with resistance on Elijah's part, it would end tonight with an act of love.
Vivienne softened her eyes and lowered them, before shifting her gaze to her left and letting them fall on a painting just above the small liquor cabinet in the corner of the room.
It was one of Elijah's favorites—an oil on canvas of New Orleans' St. Louis Cemetery at dawn—painted by Klaus.
# # # # # # #
St. Louis Cemetery, New Orleans 1802
The enclosed carriage came to a halt just outside the rod iron gates to the cemetery and, as it did so, its side door burst open and out flew a short, elderly mulatto man who landed hard on the stone street below.
The man cursed in Creole as he struggled to his knees with a whimper that was immediately silenced when Kol Michaelson came up behind him and, with one swift movement, snapped the warlock's neck, letting him fall back to the ground in a prostrating position.
It provided the perfect step stool for his brother, Klaus, who now stepped down from the carriage onto the two steel steps at the bottom of the cab, then walked across the dead man's back and onto the dirt path that led into the cemetery in a determined stride, his eyes dilated and veined and his face set in a murderous expression.
Three vampire guards followed him, leaping down from their respective places on the inside and outside of the carriage, falling into line quickly behind him and lighting the way through the darkness with oil lamps and torches.
"Nik, wait…" Kol said suddenly, using vampire speed to block his brother's path to the cemetery gates, "You can't go in. They've no doubt put a boundary spell on the cemetery."
Klaus narrowed his eyes then looked around his brother toward the closed gates.
He was probably right. The witches and warlocks bound to him were talented and clever, that is why he had chosen them.
They no doubt would know that he would eventually find them.
Klaus' eyes turned to normal as he took a step back and brought his gaze back to Kol, "Very well. You spend so much time with these witches, little brother, what do you suggest?"
Kol quirked an eyebrow, then turned on his heel and marched right up to the cemetery gates and reached out to open them.
Immediately, the gate clanged and an invisible force tossed Kol back.
He flew over Klaus and the guards and landed in a crouched position like a cat on top of the carriage.
Klaus scoffed as he turned and eyed his brother incredulously then clapped his hands with polite indignation.
"Well, that was a huge help, Kol….Well done."
Kol smirked, and Klaus immediately saw a familiar gleam in his brother's eye.
But, before he could say anything, Kol leaped down off of the carriage and, with vampire speed, ran past Klaus and rammed the gate, pulling apart of the of the iron spikes as he flew back again from the force of the spell.
When he landed at Klaus' side, toppling one of the guards, the older original immediately turned toward Kol and watched as the young vampire quickly brought himself to his feet and with one swift movement, impaled himself with the rod iron spear from the gate.
"Kol!" Klaus cried as immediately rushed to his brother's side, catching him in his arms before he fell back to the ground, the guards quickly surrounding them, "For Christ sake! I know you have a death wish but Elijah needs our help, not another one of your crazy stunts—"
"I am…helping him…." Kol gasped, still doubled over with one hand holding firm to the rod iron protruding from his chest, while the other wiped the blood that now flowed from his mouth, "The spell…You can cross the gates now—"
"What?" Klaus asked, agast as he looked his injured brother over in confusion, then reached for the iron spike to pull it from Kol's chest, "No. You're injured, you fool. I can't leave you…."
But, the young vampire grabbed hold of Klaus' hand, quickly stilling his brother's movements.
"No!" he choked, forcefully, trying to wriggle from his brother's arms, "It has to stay in. I'll be fine and right here waiting for your return. Then, when this night is nothing but a bad memory, this bloody thing will come out, I'll heal and we can finally celebrate our brother's return in style."
"I don't understand…" Klaus whispered, narrowing his eyes in confusion as Kol gave a knowing smirk
"The spell is a 'Blood Ward'—I've seen it before—blood is the price," Kol continued, his smirk fading into a grimace of pain as he looked down to the rod in his chest, then up to his brother above him, "But, not just any blood that can be paid. It has to be the blood of the adversary. They mean it to weaken their opponent…meaning you."
"Only it wasn't me they weakened…" Klaus replied angrily
"We share the same blood, Nik," Kol replied, "It will work. They'll think you are weakened and the spell will dissipate, the gates will open, and you'll go in there and get our big brother back…"
"And kill anyone who stands in my way," Klaus finished, his tone lowering as his eyes veined out again and his fangs bared
Kol gave a devilish grin as he brought his hand to his brother's shoulder, "That's the spirit."
Klaus gently released his hold on his brother and Kol fell unceremoniously to his knees as the older original came to his feet and turned determinedly toward the gate.
"Wait…Nik…wait…" Kol said suddenly, causing Klaus to turn back, "You can't go in there looking like that. You're supposed to look the part."
Klaus narrowed his eyes in confusion and looked over to the guards, then back down to Kol when he saw his brother immediately reach forward and with one hand, pull apart the waist of Klaus' dark blue dyed wool top coat to reveal the white dress shirt underneath.
Then without hesitation, brought his hand to his still bleeding wound, before reaching forward with the same hand and smearing thick amounts of blood over Klaus' midsection.
"For dramatic effect…" Kol said, then pulled his blood stained hand back to admire his work.
# # # # # # #
When they entered the cemetery, Klaus immediately signaled for his men to spread out, weaving among the tombs and crypts, searching for any sign of the witches.
Klaus himself had just rounded one of the mausoleums when he heard agonizing cries behind him.
Turning back quickly, he observed his guards falling to the ground one by one, clutching their heads in pain as if hearing a deafening sound nearby that Klaus himself could not hear.
"You're here…" a familiar male voice sounded from nearby, causing Klaus to turn swiftly back on his heal again to come face to face with a black man in a tailored suit of blue velvet, standing stoically with his hands behind his back, "Excellent."
"Dorian," Klaus acknowledged, taking in the sight of one of his four bound warlocks—bound, that is, until they turned against him along with the others in his service.
"I see you received our message," Dorian said, rolling back on the balls of his feet, eyeing the blood on Klaus' shirt
"I did," Klaus replied with a smirk, "I think it read 'Dear Klaus, We have kidnapped your brother and are holding him in St. Louis Cemetery in exchange for our freedom. Please come….Not to do so would be unwise, XOXO, your traitorous witches and warlocks'. Though, I'm afraid the messenger you sent to deliver it is rather dead, I'm afraid…"
Then he pause for dramatic effect as he took in the anguish on Dorian's face, knowing that the man sent to deliver the message to Klaus, was Dorian's brother, Enoch.
Then the vampire took a step forward with a raised eyebrow and tisked, "So sorry about that, Dorian…you know, my brother, Kol has a nasty temper and he's very fond of Elijah—something about how Elijah never tried to kill him or some such nonsense—and I'm afraid in his anger he killed your brother after he led us here. It's a pity for you and your friends that you didn't take him instead of Elijah—"
"Klaus, if we took Kol, you know he would have been no match for us. And let us face the truth, you would have gladly let us kill him without a second thought…" Dorian interjected instantly, his nostrils flaring in anger and gauged Klaus' reaction and when the original flinched slightly, he knew he had hit him where it hurt, "Elijah, on the other hand, we see as the perfect leverage. Now, come…the others await us," he then turned to the right and left and signaled with his hands, bringing forth hooded figures that now closed in on them from all sides, their hands still raised and Klaus knew immediately that they were the ones who had cast the torture spell on his guards, "My brethren will see to your companions."
Klaus gave a quick look over his shoulder to the men still writhing on the ground, now being encircled by at least five warlocks, before turning forward without hesitation or remorse, and after watching Dorian pivot swiftly on his heel, followed the warlock into the darkness of the cemetery.
# # # # # # #
They seemed to walk forever along the winding maze of dirt paths before they came to a mausoleum on the far side of the cemetery.
Without a word, Dorian approached the closed door and touched the door with his fingertips.
The iron door tremored for a moment then opened of its own accord and Dorian stood aside, gesturing for Klaus to enter first.
The vampire narrowed his eyes at the warlock before taking a step forward into the mausoleum, looking around to the dark surroundings engulfed in the warm glow of torch light.
The door closed behind him and he watched over his shoulder as Dorian came around behind him and led the way again, down a flight of stone steps that seemed to lead into the ground.
When they reached the bottom, Klaus' jaw clenched in anger as he took in the sight now before him—six witches of various ages and creeds and who he once held in his service— stood in a flanking circle around his brother, who hung from chains above the menagerie of stone crypts.
Slits on his wrists and chest indicated that they had bled him out and the blood dripping from his mouth, told Klaus that they had poisoned him with vervain to weaken him.
"Eljiah…." Klaus whispered, his eyes softening for a moment before he rushed forward with a burst of vampire speed, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by an invisible force field.
He hit it with a hard thud, before falling back with a growl, lifting his head to come face to face with witch who cast it as she stepped down from the circle to face him.
"Vivienne," he snarled, swiftly rising to his feet, but two witches came immediately to her side, thrusting out their hands to wield their magic against him.
One, a petite blonde with bronze skin—Arabella—used an invisible force to throw him off of his feet again and before he could leap back to his feet once more, the second, a raven haired beauty with dark green eyes –Marianna—wielded mind distortion on him, giving him a splitting headache and causing his eyes to roll back into his head and his nose to bleed as he struggled in pain.
After a few moments, the hold the second witch had on him released and he collapsed exhausted onto the stone floor.
"Well," Vivienne said, "If you are quite finished, we have business to conduct—"
"I don't do business with thieves and traitors!" Klaus snapped as he brought one hand up to his face and wiped the blood from under his nose.
One of the witches, a tall red head with cream colored skin, narrowed her eyes and stepped forward from the circle, hastily throwing her hand up to cast curse upon him as she moved past her sisters to the forefront, but Vivienne immediately threw out her arm, holding the witch back.
"Lilith, no…" she said sternly, but keeping her gaze firmly on Klaus, "Leave him. We can't have our freedom if he's dead."
"You want me dead?" Klaus quipped with a scoff as he sat back and folded his leg under him with a wince of pain, eyeing the witches indignantly, "Get in line, Love….But, I'll share a secret with you," then lowered his voice to a whisper, "You and your little coven here are about seven hundred years too late."
Lilith huffed at his comment and lowered her hands, but obeyed Vivienne and took a step back as Vivienne moved forward and bent down to one knee in front of her vampire master.
"You will do business with me, Klaus Mikaelson."
"Oh, and why is that, Love?" Klaus smirked cheekily
"Because I have in my possession the one person who you have ever truly loved in your centuries on this earth…." Vivienne replied with a small smile, "The only person who you have ever truly needed—"
"You're wrong," Klaus snarled, but the emotion in his face betrayed him
"Am I?" Vivienne questioned, cocking her head and narrowing her eyes, "Well…then you didn't mean what you said that night three years ago when you brought me to the mansion in Privas and begged me to help him—to stop his suffering? And the memories that I used from your mind that very night to do so—of you and Elijah as children, together and happy—to make a connection and let you reach him…ease his pain and keep him calm while I healed him….those were all a lie as well and this has all been a waste of time? He's not the sibling you care most about in this world—the one you need by your side to make this eternity of misery bearable. He's not the perfect bargaining chip we were hoping for? The one you would risk your entire empire to get back?"
Klaus closed his eyes and turned his head away.
Vivienne narrowed her eyes as she tried to meet Klaus' gaze
"Tell me…" she encouraged and watched as anger and anguish spread across the originals face
They were like that for a few moments before she sighed and stood, straightening to her full height.
"Very well…then, he is of no use to us," she said then looked over her shoulder toward her sisters and nodding toward Elijah as she spoke in a commanding tone, "Kill him."
"No…" Klaus cried, suddenly turning back to face her as his eyes snapped open, his gaze suddenly falling upon a white oak stake now flashing in one of the witch's hands, "No! Wait!"
# # # # # # # # # #
"Vivienne!" Elijah's voice called, breaking the witch out of the trance she was in, still staring at the painting.
Within moments, she turned toward the French doors to the veranda as they opened and Elijah stepped into the breakfast nook, his dark eyes casting themselves on her as he smiled, "There you are…Excellent."
"What's 'excellent'?" Vivienne asked with and unsure smirk, folding her arms across her chest.
"I just got a call from Misha. It's good news. We have somewhere to send the demonic soul once we exercise it from Dominic—a portal—the portal—part of the original gateway that Ayanna opened when she turned the twins into vampire hunters….but it's in Mystic Falls."
"Oh…" Vivienne observed, dropping her hands to her sides, "That means we need to move the ritual there, then."
Elijah nodded, "And if we are going to make it before sundown, we need to leave as soon as possible. Wow! This—this is crazy…" he mused as he brought his hands to his hips and looked around the room, "We have a vampire hunter we apparently have no idea how to find, a magic portal that's appeared in the woods that used to be my home, two grieving vampires, my zealous siblings and my brother, the werewolf to content with…but, I think it might work." He smirked, "Are we prepared on our end for the ritual?"
"Yes," Vivienne said in a low voice, then walked over to the kitchen table and picked up her grimoir, "I have the spell that will free the soul from the compass and all the ingredients we need, including two doppelgangers," she smirked at Elijah then nodded past him toward Elena still standing out on the balcony. Then her voice softened as she clutched the book tight to her chest and lowered her eyes, "And we just have one more thing that we need…."
"And what is that?" Elijah asked, narrowing his eyes in curiosity
Vivienne fell silent for a few moments…
Finally Elijah prompted her.
"Vivienne?"
"Elijah," the witch said solemnly, raising her eyes to meet his head on, "Magic always comes with a price and this kind of magic—exercising a hunter and sending a demonic soul back from whence it came is tricky business—is no different."
"Look Vivienne, I know there will be risks for me and Elena by being directly involved as the doppelgangers in the spell, but we both have loved ones we want to protect and we are willing to pay the price to protect them, whatever the cost."
"I'm not speaking of you or Elena, Elijah," Vivienne replied, closing her eyes, "I'm speaking of then necessary loss of a human life that has to happen for this ritual to work— for the scales to balance—'ut vivere debet mori'."
Elijah's eyes widened in remembrance as he whispered the English translation, "'One must die so that I may live'…"
"Yes," Vivienne continued, "A human life must be sacrificed for the balance of nature to be upheld."
"Well, sadly, as I mentioned before…" Elijah said with a good natured scoff, bringing his hand to his forehead, "We are running out of humans to sacrifice."
Vivienne chuckled softly at his quip then let her face fall placid.
"Elijah," she continued softly, "I want to tell you something and, before you react, I want you to hear me out, alright?"
Elijah lowered his hand from his face and brought his hands to his pockets as he widened his stance and listened intently, "Very well…"
"Once the spell to unbind Luka's soul from the compass is done, Misha and Bonnie are going to complete the ritual without me. First, they will take my power from me and use it to help them exercise Dominic and banish his spirit and the demonic soul through the portal, then they will slit my throat and kill me…I will be the human sacrifice the spell requires."