No pairing
Friday, April 13, 2012
On Route to New Orleans, Louisiana
"Have you ever been down here for Mardi Gras? It's a hell of a good time," Katherine gushed, looking out the tinted window of the SUV. She saw her reflection in the glass and started to toy with her dark, brown hair.
"No, and I don't want to make small talk with you," Bonnie said, wondering if she could strangle Katherine with the strange handcuffs she wore. They prevented her from doing magic, as did the flowery tea they fed her. It was lobelia, Bonnie suspected. Grams had told her that it blocked magic and you could also throw the powered form at a storm to stop it. Bonnie had chuckled at the time, thinking it was silly to ever have to stop a storm...Now, she was in a tempest.
"You led a pretty boring life, don't you?" Katherine scoffed, now opening her compact to apply more lipstick. "You know, I won't miss that about Mystic Falls. The sheer boringness..."
"Well, no one will miss you. I bet not even your poor daughter. Moms who take off, suck!" Bonnie said acidly. "Even Mason is going to hate you for what you did."
"I saved your life," Katherine snapped. "Emily was my dearest friend. Like Damon, I promised her that I would look after her children and descendants."
"Too bad you couldn't have saved her from that bonfire the founders roasted her in. Oh, that's right, you were pretending to be in the tomb," Bonnie replied.
"If I wasn't 'in' that tomb, Klaus would have found me and killed me. The more modern the world gets, the smaller and the harder it is to hide," Katherine said, putting the lid on her lip gloss. This Bonnie was awfully ungrateful, maybe she should have just left by herself?
"Whatever," Bonnie snarked.
Outside the Home of the Regent
Garden District
New Orleans, Louisiana
Klaus vamped to the fence and peered through it to see the stately mansion. It has been many years since he had been to the Garden District, yet he remembered this house.
"I had hoped never to see you again, Vampire," a shaky voice said from behind Klaus. "You are not welcome in these parts any longer."
Klaus turned slowly, not wishing to startle her, as humans could be easily spooked. Perhaps not this woman, though. She had been a young girl when he first met with her, but now Josephine LaRue was an old woman. A very old woman in years, but she looked to be in her seventies still.
"Josephine. Nay, Regent LaRue now, isn't it, still lovely after all this time," Klaus said respectfully.
"And you look the same. I've extended my life as to help the nine covens. After your disappearance, I never thought to see you darken the limits of this city again. I trust you are ready to make that deal now?"
Klaus ignored her pointed question, remembering the vibrant young witch she had been. But the eyes were the same, mesmerizing and hypnotic. She was even more powerful today.
"Do you still play the violin?" Klaus said, bowing his head. He'd normally have taken her hand, but the steely look in her cool, blue eyes stopped him.
The stern Regent held up her hands. They were twisted. At first, Klaus thought it was some form of arthritis, yet the woman spoke.
"That's the only reason I am seeing you. Selfish, I know, but...," Josephine almost whispered. She started again. "You see, my mother disapproved of the jazz player I met after we parted. She always suspected that I colluded with you about the cottage, but could never prove it. I would have been shunned, or worse. I thought I got away with it. Ha, so naive was I! So it blindsided me when she put the hex on me. I could no longer play so my husband had to make music for the both of us. Mother died shortly after and I never imagined that the curse would pass on..."
Klaus now did reach out and take her hands.
"I am sorry. You played so beautifully," Klaus whispered, examining the twisted and swollen digits. "Tell me the rest."
Josephine pulled her twisted and swollen hands back.
"Our daughter was just as cursed. Her hands twisted so she could barely hold a pencil or a spoon. My own child was afflicted due to my mother's bitterness," Josephine said in a hush. "It broke me. I never had anymore children. My husband died many years ago, but he never got over the cruel legacy that was left to her and now her children. I asked you a question, Mr. Mikaelson, and I would like an answer."
Klaus felt like a schoolboy being scolded.
"Yes, Regent. I have it," Klaus replied. "Please, I am in a desperate situation. My children are in danger, and my siblings. You'll recall, Elijah. He is in the hands of the Strix."
Josephine let out a bitter laugh, and then coughed.
"You think I do not know that? Your brother, contrary to his nobel reputation, is just as ruthless as you are. But I am not here to judge you, the time for that has long passed," Josephine said bitterly. "I made a deal with you long ago. Soon, I will be among the ancestors and I will have to answer to them. But before I go, I need to release my daughter from this hex. Come in, I have cleared my home and it should be safe," Josephine said, coughing again. "And leave it in your vehicle. We cannot do this here. I have a place in mind. The place where our fates met so long ago."
"Indeed," Klaus answered, watching as she coughed blood into a silk handkerchief. "And thank you. We shall be in my debt."
"You already are. Hurry, we cannot be seen. This city is far from the New Orleans you once ruled," Josephine replied, hacking.
"Aye, it has been many years. I do not wish to get involved in the current politics as I reside again in Mystic Falls," Klaus said, turning to go to his vehicle.
"I need to make a phone call. Necromancy is not something Garden District witches are can contend with," Josephine replied. "We need a Treme witch for this. But you know that there is no going back after we do this, correct? We both need to go into this realizing the possible consequences."
"Believe me, if I had any other choice, I would not do this," Klaus answered tightly. He fought down a rising sense of panic that he had almost never felt. Aye, this maybe the worst plan he's ever had.
Fauline Cottage
Night had fallen fast and Kol felt a shudder as they finally arrived at the cottage. A strange fog seemed to envelop the area and the street lights looked yellow, casting a dim and eerily light.
"This is it? It looks like a dump," Damon snarked as he and Kol got out of the van. The house was behind a high iron fence. It looked dilapidated and unkept. The property overgrown with vines and shrubs blocking the first story windows.
"It used to be a lovely mansion," Kol replied, stretching. "I risked everything to break in here to get that paragon diamond. And it cost me almost a century in the coffin with a dagger in my chest. If Bekah only knew, she'd be next..."
Damon rolled his eyes, saying, "We don't have time for a trip down memory lane. What is that thing?"
Kol shouted, "Don't touch that. That doll head is the thing that most likely sealed the spell. We should get Ava out here. I don't sense anyone guarding the place. Do you?"
Damon shut his eyes. He did not, but they had to be sure.
"I'll go around the place. You wake up the little tyrant," Damon said, vamping away.
"She's your sister," Kol remarked to himself. He thought about Rebekah. He was still pissed at her ratting him out, but he supposed at this point, they were even. More or less.
Kol went to the van and nodded at Lucy. "It's time."
Lucy swallowed, "Ava, sweetheart. Come on, get up. We're here."
"Here? Where Mama is?" Ava said, wiping at her eyes.
"We think. Here, take a sip of juice," Lucy said, concerned. She was getting bad feelings just looking at that house. It was clear it was not a good place.
Kol said, "Stay here and keep the kids safe. Don't come in, Lucy, no matter what you hear. Just be on the lookout for us to come out in a hurry."
"I know the drill, Kol," Lucy said.
They had called home earlier and found out about Bonnie going missing. Lucy had done another locator spell with no success. The second they got out of here, she had to go and find her.
Kol helped Ava out of the van. "Watch your step. Now, there is a creepy doll head. I think that if you can remove the enchantment on that, we may be able to get in. Do you think you could do that?"
Ava yawned, "Just suck up the magic? Yeah, I know how to do that. I did it to you!"
Kol stopped and knelt down.
"Ava, listen to me. This isn't a good place. There could be a lot of vile and evil people inside. We need to find your mum and then get out quickly. You must listen to me whilst we are in there," Kol reminded her.
"I know," Ava said, stomping her foot. "And then we'll find Daddy and Uncle E.?"
"Aye, I hope so," Kol said, spotting Damon returning. "Anything?"
"It's dead out here," Damon said, feeling a chill. "I don't know, man. I don't like this. It's like there is nothing around here. No people, no birds, hell, not even any rodents. I've never seen anything like it."
"I wish I knew more about what they did here," Kol stated. "But like I said, I was daggered before I could try to get my friends out. They must have used a very powerful witch to conduct this spell."
Ava saw the doll's head on the fence adjacent to the gate.
"Ugh, why would they do that?" Ava stated in disgust. The broken doll's head seemed to be staring at them, at an odd angle.
Kol lifted Ava up.
"Ava, just feel near it and see if you can siphon the spell. If it doesn't work, we'll try something else," Kol said, lifting the little girl.
Ava lifted her hands.
"I can feel it. It's dark and black...Ah, it's yucky," Ava said, shutting her eyes and siphoning.
Damon watched in horror as the streetlights dimmed, then brightened before bursting. Then, slowly, the iron gate creaked open.
"We're in," Kol said slowly.
Strix Mansion
Elijah's nimble fingers went to straighten his bow tow. He wasn't surprised that Aya had a tux for him that fit perfectly. She herself looked sublime in her fitted dark green gown and dangling gold earnings. As always, she held herself like a queen.
Aya smiled a bit, "You never change, Elijah. It's perfect."
Elijah frowned, "You promised me my sister and the girl, Aya. I grow weary of these games."
"Games? Ah, the games are just beginning. Here, have a drink," Aya said, snapping her finger at a nearby waiter. The room was full of vampires in their best clothing with numerous staff carrying trays. The large ball room was sprinkled with soft electric chandeliers and candles. There were white balloons everywhere. It reminded Elijah of the parties they used to give at the Compound, so many years ago. A few groups seemed to stare, but Elijah realized their attention was on Aya, not him.
Elijah was not surprised that they were serving blood in champagne glasses. He was famished.
"Thank you, but I fear this plan of yours is fool hardy," Elijah said. "If you underestimated Lucien, it shall not end well."
"Ah, he's here. The game is afoot," Aya said bluntly. "Come, it's time to roll the dice."
"I was never much for parlor games," Elijah admitted ruefully.
"How about cat and mouse? You managed to avoid your father and his armies when so many of our brethren were not so lucky. Come, Elijah, the Game of King is afoot," Aya said with a confident smile.
Regent's Home
Garden District
Vincent Griffith was not happy to be there.
"I don't like being summoned like this, Regent," Vincent spat. "And I sure as hell don't like working with vampires. Now, tell me what you want or I walk."
Klaus was surprised at the vitriol of the handsome young Black man. He didn't seem awed by Josephine, or even respectful of her title.
"Vincent, I know that things are not good for your coven. I shall expand your territory, as you have asked in the past. Of course, I will deal with the fall out from the other covens," Josephine said graciously, refilling the delicate tea cups of both men.
"That's not enough. I want you to deal with the crux of the problem. Our people are weak and you haven't done enough to stop it. You know what I mean. I refuse to speak more of witch issues in front of him," Vincent scoffed, eyeing Klaus with distain.
Klaus fought to remain calm.
"Sir, I know not of what you speak. I have been gone for many years, but my family will do what we can to help your situation. Furthermore, I have the funds to-," Klaus started.
"Look, no offense, but I don't need your help or your blood money. I need the Regent to do her damn job," Vincent said, standing.
Josephine looked down, her damaged hands shaking.
"You have my word," Josephine said softly. "It will be as you wish."
Vincent's large brown eyes blinked and he slowly took his seat again.
"Really? You mean that. If we do this, then there's no going back. Your word is your bond and I will hold you to it," Vincent said firmly.
"I know you will," Josephine said, shutting her eyes. "Shall we begin? Mr. Mikaelson's family is in grave danger. We cannot wait any longer."
"Yeah, yeah," Vincent said. "But I want everything in writing. Everything."
"You shall have it," Josephine said in a near whisper. "And may the ancestors have mercy on us all."
"Come, it's in my car," Klaus said, standing up. This was his last chance to back out, but it had to be done.
Fauline Cottage
Evening
"Do you have the grimoire?" Kol asked Damon for the tenth time.
"Yeah, it's in my pocket. Jesus, you are as bad as the kids," Damon complained, his temples aching. He had slept for an hour or two, but badly. His dreams were of him looking for Elena and never finding her. Over and over again.
"Stay by our sides at all times," Damon warned, holding Ava's hand. "Got it?"
"Yeah, I'm not dumb, you know," Ava snapped. Damon noticed she was rubbing her face with her free hand.
"Is your scar hurting?" Damon said, leaning down.
"Yeah, it's burning. This is a bad place, Damon," Ava replied.
Kol frowned, "We can turn around. Your mum wouldn't want you to put yourself in danger. We can go on without you."
"No, you won't get through the door," Ava said boldly. "It's also warded. Damon, you never did teach me that spell. The bad one."
Kol looked at Damon and nodded.
Damon sighed, "All you do it focus and picture fire in your mind. Say 'Incendia' and then let it go, just like when you want to move something. Now, can you get that door open?"
Ava nodded and they slowly walked up to the door. Ava let go of Damon and put her hands up, siphoning the magic into her.
"The magic in here...It's so thick, like smoke," Ava said, breathing heavily.
Kol went to open the door and they entered the asylum.
Outside the Strix Mansion
Bonnie fixed the strap on this stupid dress. She should have been at the decade dance, but instead she was in front of some huge lit up mansion in the middle of no where. Worse, she was stuck in a limo with Katherine.
"What is this place?" Bonnie asked Katherine.
Katherine snapped her compact shut.
"It's the Strix ball. Biggest event of the year, really," Katherine said. "Typically, they only let in Elijah's descendants, but we have a special pass. You should be grateful."
"Grateful? For getting kidnapped? If I know my friends, they are looking for me. Did you ever consider that?" Bonnie yelled.
"Oh, Mystic Falls has it's on issues to deal with. They should worry about themselves," Katherine said glibly.
"Katherine, what are you talking about?" Bonnie demanded. Katherine had taken off the cuffs, but had fed Bonnie two more vials of what she was sure was lobelia would be no match physically for any of these vampires. Had Grams ever told her how to counteract it? Bonnie wished she had paid more attention in the few months she had when Grams had finally tried to teach her magic.
"Nothing. Now, let's go in. This humidity makes my hair frizz," Katherine said, knocking on the limo glass for the driver to let them out.
Katherine traipsed up to the main opened, which were guarded and opened widely.
Bonnie saw a wide array of people in fine clothing of all ages and races. But they were all beautiful. With horror, she realized they all must be vampires.
A porter came up to take their wraps and pocket books.
Katherine said, "Tell the boss that I am here, with the gift."
"Gift?" Bonnie yelped, as two vampires grabbed her arms. Someone injected something into her neck and she saw the room spin before it went dark.
Elijah watched as Tristan de Martel entered the room to a wave of applause. Hayley Marshall was at his side in a red velvet gown. Elijah's breath caught and Aya looked over and smirked.
"She is gorgeous, eh? Don't worry, she's compelled and has no idea who he really is," Aya whispered.
"He's the very devil himself," Elijah retorted, as Tristan started making a speech. "I don't know how much longer I can contain myself."
"Patience. You must trust me," Aya purred.
"I don't even know if I can trust myself to see this farce through, but for my family, I will try," Elijah said, willing himself to be still. Hayley caught his eye and smiled.
Elijah looked down into his glass and then drained it.
Fauline Cottage
Kol felt like they were invisible. The cottage was dark inside, but people milled about in circles. Some of the people were talking to themselves, others watching t.v., no one seemed to notice them. He remembered finding the paragon diamond in plain sight as the top of a glass decanter right under a portrait of the old girl herself, the Dowager Fauline. Were those the same liquors as had been in the house in 1914? There were covered in cobwebs and layers of dust.
"Ugh, it's so dirty here," Ava reported, side stepping a man balled up on a bench by the door.
"Is it just me or all they all batshit?" Damon hissed, holding Aya close to him.
"They are bonkers. Let's go upstairs before someone notices us," Kol replied. Damon picked up Ava and they vamped up the filthy carpeted stairway.
Damon put Ava down.
"Okay, let's look in these bedrooms. I'll keep an eye out for Mary-Alice and Astrid. I'd wager they wouldn't be too keen on visiting with me," Kol warned. "Stay alert."
Damon peeked in one of the bedrooms, as Kol checked another with Ava.
"Come on. We'll look for your mum," Kol said. They found two witches playing a game of checkers on the bed, barely looking up at them.
"It's not her," Ava said.
Damon joined them. "There was a dude in that room. He was all chained up. What is this place?"
"A prison," Kol said. "A very disgusting prison."
"You are not supposed to be here," a large man growled from the hallway. He had some kind of club in his thick arms that he was waving around.
"Where'd he come from?" Damon asked. "Kol, get him."
Damon tried a spell, but he couldn't do it fast enough. The smelly man was almost on them!
Kol grabbed the rosary from his pocket and vamped over and slipped it over the man's neck.
The man twitched and jerked and started to bang himself in the head with the club as Damon dragged Ava further down the hallway. The man slammed his head as he descended the stairs to the downstairs.
Damon swallowed, "Sorry, man. I tried..."
Kol looked over, replying, "It's okay, mate. These witches seem totally out of it. Unless they band together, we should be okay."
"What was that?" Ava asked fearfully.
"A special rosary that rendered people instantly insane. It was one of the first dark objects we made," Kol revealed. "I wasn't sure if they would work here."
"You mean, we made," a blonde woman snarked.
"Mary-Alice," Kol gasped, looking at the slender woman in an old fashioned dress. "It's you."
"How nice of you to pay us a visit, Kol Mikaelson," Mary-Alice said, her voice dripping with venom. "Astrid! We have a visitor."
Another woman appeared behind Damon, coming from another bedroom. Astrid was an African American woman in the same full skirts as Mary-Alice.
"I'll say," Astrid said. "Come to have us do more of your dark dealings, Kol. We've been quite busy in here. Have you come to rescue us?"
"Rescue you? Oh, aye, I've felt terrible about what happened," Kol said, stepping closer to Damon and Ava. "We've come to inquire about one of your guests."
"My mother! Is she here?" Ava interrupted. She didn't like these two woman. They scared her, but she had to know where Mama was.
"Oh, the Traveler girl?" Mary-Alice said, noticing Ava's bright braids. She reached out a hand to touch them, but Kol jerked the child back. "We keep her on the third floor. Go on up, but don't expect to come down. The rule is once you are here, you can never leave. Isn't that right, Astrid?"
Astrid smiled coldly. "Yes, Mary-Alice, in all the months we've been here, all we get is more and more work. Some of these newer witches are quite the handful. Go on up. She's waiting for you."
Kol picked up Ava and grabbed Damon and went up the staircase to the third floor.
"They are daft. Let's get Ava's mum and get out of here," Kol hissed, as they dodged more witching milling about. An older lady, smiled and tried to grab Ava.
"Oh, a precious child. She looks like a little dolly. Let me see her!" the grey haired dame shrieked. Damon pushed her down and opened the door of the next room.
"Get away, you hag," Damon shouted, as she scrambled up and tried again. The old lady dragged her claws across his arm until he pushed her old of the doorway and back into the hall.
"Oh, she was stronger than she looked," Damon said, examining the scratch on his arm that was now bleeding.
"Damon," Kol said, as Ava ran to the bed.
"Mama!" Ava exclaimed, but the bed was empty.
Instead, Professor Atticus Shane stepped from the shadows.
"I thought this would work. I'm sorry, child, but your mother died in the fire that burnt you," Shane said slowly. "You didn't mean to hurt her, but you did."
"Shut up," Damon screamed, grabbing the skinny man by the throat.
"Dmitri," Shane gasped.
Kol tried to move and felt frozen on the spot as Damon's hands left Shane's throat.
Dmitri, in a cowled hood, appeared and gently took Ava.
"We won't hurt her," Dmitri said in his accented voice. Damon met his eyes and heard "Elena is fine. She is with my sister and the other Original. Find us at the Strix mansion" ring out in his head before he fell to the floor.
Kol and Damon felt the rumbling as the whole house shook. Then, Shane, Ava, and the hooded witch seemed to disappear.
When the spell was broken, they rushed to the van, but Lucy hadn't seen any sign of Shane and the others. They got in to find this mansion as Damon found a rough map in his pocket.
Dmitri had come through.
Outside the Fauline Cottage
"Remember this place?" Josephine asked Klaus wryly, as they sat outside of the fence in the car. "This is where I sold my soul to you. I had no idea of the repercussions of my actions. I was a rebellious girl and a foolish one."
"To be fair, I manipulated your youth and lied to you," Klaus admitted. "I am a different man now."
"I'll take the diamond now," Josephine said, holding out her hand. Klaus sighed and produced the paragon diamond. It was flawless and priceless, but it was time to part with it. With the diamond in her possession, Josephine could forge her own dark objects and draw power from it. Perhaps she could even remove the hex from her family, Klaus wasn't sure.
"I've kept that hidden for a very long time, even from my own family," Klaus complained. "But now I'm sure the witches will put it to good use."
"I doubt that," Vincent sneered, digging through his leather bag for his ingredients. "It's been a long time since anyone did a spell like this, for good reason. You have the book?"
Klaus produced the grimoire from his jacket and handed it to Vincent. "Here is it. Many witches would love to get their hands on that."
Vincent nodded and opened it.
"Very funny, man. Where is the real one?" Vincent said impatiently.
Klaus snatched the book back and opened it. It was blank.
"Dammit, Kol!" Klaus cursed. "My brother may have switched it out, but I think I remember most of it."
Vincent shook his head in disgust.
"That ain't gonna cut it, man! It needs to be exact," Vincent explained.
"I know it by heart. I will write it down for you," Klaus said, opening the glove compartment. He started to scribble out the spell on the back of an old paper.
"You sure this is worth it. This is a big sacrifice. The whole city is going to feel the ripples of this," Vincent determined.
"Vincent, start the spell. We've no time to waste," Klaus said firmly.
"Okay, man, your funeral. I'll get the regent and the coffin," Vincent said in resignation.
Mystic Falls, Virginia
Mikaelson Mansion
Aaron watched Enzo playing with the dogs outside. He had helped him feed the horses after Finn had shown them what to do. The house felt so empty and large with everyone gone.
"Hey, I'm going to go into town and get something to eat. Wanna come?" Enzo asked when he finally came in.
Aaron patted the dogs on the head as they attacked their water bowls.
"I don't know if I'm allowed to," Aaron said glumly. He still didn't have his phone nor had he spoken to Nessie.
"It's good, pal. I asked Finn. He said you ought to go and go out of the house for a bit. You know, they hate seeing you so miserable," Enzo said, getting a drink of water himself.
Aaron looked down and snarked, "Then, they shouldn't have made me so miserable!"
Enzo put down the glass and tipped up Enzo's chin.
"Hey, I know you are having a rough time, but you gotta change that attitude. You screwed up and got in trouble. Learn from it and move on. Whining like a babe is not attractive and I'm sure your girl wouldn't be impressed by it," Enzo lectured.
Aaron felt tears fill his eyes. He nodded.
"Yeah, sorry. Guess I'm just feeling sorry for myself. Let me get my shoes on," Aaron replied.
"Aye," Enzo said, refilling the dogs' water bowls. "Thirsty today."
As Enzo and Aaron made their way into town, Aaron noticed something.
"Do you see a lot of cars?" Aaron noted.
Enzo had been thinking about Lucy and wondering how the others' were. Being left behind did suck as they could do nothing but wait.
"Yeah, not that you mention it...Maybe something is going on in town? Like one of the events?" Enzo proposed.
"Maybe," Aaron said, but it just seems like a lot of strangers are around.
Enzo started to look more closely.
"You know, you might be on to something. None of them seem to be talking, just staring. Hey, forget the food, let's just go back to the house," Enzo said slowly.
"But you said we could stop by Nessie's! Her dad is a cop," Aaron protested.
"Fine. We'll stop by there first, but then we go straight home," Enzo said, speeding up. There was something odd going on.
Fauline Cottage
Vincent continued the chanting over the coffin inside the fence. The regent had merely twisted the doll's head and walked in. Even she looked surprised that it was so simple.
"The wards must have weakened considerably," the regent muttered. "My witches are taking advantage of my weakness to ignore their duties, I see. I need to show them that I am still in control."
Klaus nodded, "A spell of this calibre will show them your true power. And you can do great things with that diamond."
"Every spell has a cost, Mr. Mikaelson," Josephine said heavily. "And I shall have to pay it, just as you will."
Vincent's forehead was slick with sweat. He cast his circle in chalk and salt in front of the mansion that oozed with evil and pestilence. The faster he could get out of this part of town, the better. Yet, his pride kept him here. He was powerful, he always knew that, but now was his chance to prove it. To bring back a life was a feat that very few witches had survived, yet here he was.
Vincent had seen his grandfather do a similar spell and heard all the tales of Papa Tunde, but Vincent had never tried to conjure like this himself. But he had also seen his wife do it, she had sacrificed her own pet bird for more power once, but to sacrifice witches like this? Was the regent out of her mind? Yeah, probably, he thought.
"La cendre à l'os, de la chair à la vie. De la cendre à l'os, de la chair à la vie. From ash to bone, from bone to flesh, from flesh to life," Vincent chanted. He squeezed his eyes shut and walked around the chalk and salt circle. He wouldn't go in the house. No, Vincent wouldn't set foot in there. He couldn't, but he knew she was in there. His wife, the love of his life, but she was gone. Condem
Now, he would be no better.
