A new chapter, enjoy!
As always a big Thank you to Senema for her beta, I'm so glad about her help. Tell me, how you like it, I love comments 'lol
Chapter 5
Elijah and his siblings stared at their parents and aunt standing opposite them.
It was Mikael, who spoke first, as he sneered at Elijah. "So boy, what's next?"
"I'm not a boy anymore and I don't fear you anymore either", Elijah replied and smiled coldly. "And I have to admit, this moment, seeing you here before me, awaiting my judgement, is very satisfying. It is new for me to judge people, whom I hate profoundly for highly personal reasons. On the other hand, I'm not the only one you've wronged."
Esther winced at hearing this open confession of sentiments from her second eldest son about how he felt about his parents.
"Can't you just banish Dahlia and Esther to Tartarus, Elijah?" Freya asked, glaring hatefully at Dahlia. "Every additional moment we waste with them is more precious than they are worth."
"You may hate Esther and Dahlia, Freya, but my hate is reserved for someone else", Klaus said, staring eagerly at Mikael.
Elijah sighed. "I wish I could banish all three of them there, but unfortunately I can't. Remember what Charon said. And in all honesty, I was never less inclined to grant mercy."
"Also I have no problem hating all three. Do you think they could reach Limbo if they faced the same judgement as the witches?" Kol asked pensively, who was staring at Esther.
"Anything is possible." Elijah shrugged.
"Would that be so bad?" Rebekah asked softly. She shared her siblings' dislike, but not their hatred. However, she had to admit that she had never had it as bad as Klaus or Elijah.
Elijah eyed her, his eyes thoughtful. "Do you have a suggestion Rebekah?" He sighed. "I would be grateful for one, because in this case I cannot be objective. And Persephone shares this dilemma and is not of much help either."
Rebekah thought for a long time. "How about we let them choose their judge? A jury of three people. One they choose, one you choose and the other is the one they have wronged the most?"
"That sounds hardly fair", Dahlia said acidly.
"I don't remember any of you ever being fair to us," Elijah replied softly. "I remember beatings, humiliations, a thousand years of being hunted without mercy and multiple attempts at murder through both parents. Not to mention those lovely three days of torture by you, Esther, which almost cost me my sanity."
"I changed my mind", Rebekah said suddenly. "Freya is right; they just aren't worth wasting any more time on." Her gaze was full of contempt.
Elijah pursed his lips and looked at Kol. "What about you, brother?"
Kol nodded. "That is fine with me. I want to go to Davina. None of them interest me enough to unnecessarily prolong this affair."
"Niklaus?" Elijah asked quietly the brother he expected to be the most legitimately opposed to this suggestion.
But Klaus surprised him when he laughed softly. He had watched Esther's and Mikael's faces and their reactions the whole time. The apparent disinterest their children had in getting their revenge after all they had done, clearly bothered them more than anything else. "I agree with the others. Let's forget we ever had parents."
Elijah, noticing the same as Klaus, smiled thinly. "You speak to my soul, Niklaus. Every second we spend with them is one too many. You've stolen enough of our life." He gestured with his hand and all three disappeared. "They are now in limbo. From there, they can watch us go on with our lives without them being able to do anything about it. I can't imagine a better fate for them. Had they returned to the afterlife I pulled them from, they wouldn't have been able to watch us."
"And Esther and Mikeal are far too obsessed with us not to be tempted to drop by from time to time." Kol chuckled softly. "Sometimes I forget you can be just as petty as Nik or me, Elijah."
"I only save my pettiness for special occasions when it will have the greatest impact or the most satisfaction," Elijah replied mischievously before he looked sadly at Klaus. "I can't keep you here much longer, Niklaus."
He walked up to his brother, put his hand on his neck and pulled him close until their foreheads touched. "Be strong, my brother, there are only a few days left. You won't remember anything that happened here until you see me again, but inside you will know that your torment will soon end."
"Just make sure I will have some fun, too", Klaus said in a hoarse voice.
"I promise you, you will get your revenge for the last four years." Elijah looked at Klaus. "By waiting until the anniversary of your capture, all your enemies will be there." He smiled coldly. "And this time we won't let any of them escape."
Klaus grinned suddenly. "That is a plan I can get behind." He gave one last look to his siblings who were standing around him and looked like they didn't really want to let him go. "See you soon!"
As Klaus disappeared, Elijah sighed. "I just hope Marcel doesn't do too much to him in the coming days."
"Klaus can't remember anything. Marcel will see that", said Rebekah surely.
"Maybe he will, but I don't think he'll care much about that", Freya said gloomily. "You think far too highly of Marcel, Bekah."
"I agree", Kol said softly. He stared at Elijah. "What are you planning to do with Marcel?"
Elijah smiled lazily. "I'll have fun with him."
Kol returned the smile and at that moment the two brothers, who were so different in personality, looked more alike than ever before. "I can barely wait to see it."
Freya smiled as well while Rebekah looked sad.
"Don't worry, Rebekah", Elijah said quietly, who could never bear to see his little sister so miserable. "I promise you he'll stay alive, but nothing more. I'm not in the mood to show him any special mercy."
Rebekah knew she had to settle for that. "Bring us back, Elijah." She shivered. "I want to feel the sun."
Elijah nodded, made a hand wave and his siblings left. With one last look around for the dreary yet cherished environment in which he used to spend so much time, Elijah followed them.
xxxxx
Klaus opened his eyes and felt like he had awakened from a beautiful and restful dream. He felt happy, as if his greatest wish had been granted.
Lost in thought, he registered that his guard ran out of the dungeon. Surely, he wanted to tell Marcel that Klaus was awake again. Other than that, he was still in chains and didn't feel like he'd slept for days, his hunger wasn't much stronger than before.
Klaus grimaced. No doubt Marcel would tell him exactly how long he had slept. What puzzled him was why he hadn't been woken up brutally like always before.
Klaus shrugged. Oddly enough, he didn't care what happened next. Inside he felt a confidence and light-heartedness that he couldn't quite explain, but he was more than willing to face Marcel and show him that he couldn't be defeated that easily.
As a result, when Marcel went into the dungeon, Klaus grinned at him impertinently. "I don't know about you, but I slept wonderfully. Did you have trouble waking me up?"
"Someone put a spell on you. Who?" Marcel asked arrogantly.
"I have no idea but I really enjoyed it, I think I had wonderful dreams." Klaus was amused.
"Let's see if you feel the same way when I leave Papa Tunde's blade in your heart for the next few days." Marcel was angry.
"You can certainly do that." Klaus looked contemptuously at Marcel. "Still, I can't answer your questions."
Marcel growled and pulled out his phone. He dialled a number. "Vincent, Klaus woke up. Come here at once!" Without waiting for an answer, Marcel hung up again.
Klaus chuckled. "Vincent must be really thrilled that you're ordering him here in this manner."
"Witches are losing their power all over the world." Marcel smirked gleefully. "It's entirely possible that soon every witch in New Orleans will be helpless and completely at my mercy. It's only in Vincent's interest to make me as sympathetic as possible to their plight."
Klaus looked puzzled. "If the witches lose their power, they are normal humans and therefore useless for you."
"Which means I'll take even more pleasure in bullying them." Marcel shrugged. He didn't show it to Klaus, but he was confused. Somehow, Klaus seemed completely different, more relaxed and not so broken down anymore. He was almost back, to how he was at the beginning of his captivity, before Marcel tortured him for two years with Papa Tunde's blade. There had to be a reason for this, which meant Klaus was lying and knew very well who cast the spell.
The two men stopped speaking with each other and just glared furiously at each other.
Finally, Vincent entered the dungeon with a grim face. "Here I am. What do you want, Marcel?"
"Klaus claims he can't remember anything. He's lying. I want you to make him talk", Marcel demanded harshly.
Vincent visibly hesitated but finally he sighed. "I can't help you anymore, Marcel. The ancestors have fallen silent; we no longer have access to our magic."
Klaus started laughing. "That's such a pity."
Marcel growled. "This is a most inopportune time."
"It's not like we chose to." Vincent sneered at Marcel. "Besides, I wouldn't have helped you anyway. Our seer warned me not to assist you in any way with Klaus's interrogation. For once, you're going to have to get your hands dirty yourself, Marcel."
"Well, there's always Papa Tunde's blade." Marcel pulled out the bone blade and thrust it into Klaus's heart without hesitation.
Everyone present watched as Klaus froze for a moment, but then he slowly raised his hand, grasped the hilt, and pulled the knife out without difficulty.
"Huh, it looks like your favourite instrument of torture isn't having any effect on me anymore", Klaus remarked. The surprise on his face and voice was genuine. "Well, you can always bite me, but then I'll be dead in a matter of days and your anniversary would be a total failure. All those disappointed vampires who are going to take out their aggression on the city." Klaus laughed again. "I wonder how badly it will damage your reputation if you can't stop them."
Vincent was frowning. "He's right. You will lose control of the city. By the way, all the spells I used to bind Klaus with have lost their effect. The only thing holding him, at least for now, is that chain, but even that spell will wear off eventually."
Marcel knew that both were telling the truth. It was only a matter of time before Klaus would break free. He would flee and look for his family. "How long before that happens?" he asked reluctantly.
"A few weeks, no more", Vincent replied indifferently.
"Plenty of time to bring in a witch who still has power. Do you know of one powerful enough to hold Klaus captive?" Marcel asked.
"Mostly they are forest and meadow witches, none of them would be powerful enough for that." Vincent thought about it a while. "The only exception I've heard of would be a witch in Mystic Falls."
Klaus chuckled. "Bonnie Bennett? Oh, she's undoubtedly powerful enough to hold me, but that's a witch you can't intimidate, Marcel."
Marcel pressed his lips together. "Can you contact her, Vincent?"
"I can try it." Vincent pulled out his phone and texted his deputy. A few minutes later came an answer.
Vincent took a deep breath and dialled the number. "Hello, this is Vincent Griffith. I am the regent of the witches of New Orleans."
The two vampires could of course hear the witch's voice on the other end of the line, she didn't sound friendly. "I heard about you. What do you want?"
"The witches here have lost their power. Unfortunately, I am currently holding Klaus Mikaelson captive and the chain holding him can only do so for a few more weeks", Vincent explained.
"Then I'd say you're going to have quite a problem soon", came the unimpressed reply.
Klaus chuckled softly.
"Can you come to New Orleans and boost the spell enough to keep it going? And maybe a few other spells to replace the ones that are gone." Vincent found it difficult to ask. He felt that this powerful witch wasn't very impressed with him.
"Are you calling for yourself or for the vampire who calls himself the king of New Orleans for the moment?" came the next question.
"I'm calling for Marcel", Vincent answered truthfully.
Klaus heard Damon's voice in the background. "I wouldn't go for it, BonBon. That Marcel is quite a bastard, he murdered quite a bunch of witches for using their magic. And if the witches of New Orleans have indeed lost their power, he will do whatever it takes to bring you under his control."
Bonnie snorted loudly. "I would like to see him try."
"And I'd give a lot to see him try", Klaus couldn't resist throwing in his two cents.
"Ah, Klaus, how is life?" Damon asked amused.
"Could be better, could be worse", Klaus answered laconically. "But right now I'm having a great time."
"I believe your every word." Damon chuckled and repeated what he and Klaus had spoken to Bonnie.
"I guarantee your safety, freedom and big rewards for your help", Marcel now intervened.
"Maybe I should add that he's my adopted son and he loves betrayal even more than I do", Klaus added. Marcel glared at him and Klaus smirked maliciously.
Damon repeated again, what Klaus said.
"I politely decline your worthless offer", came Bonnie's prompt reply. "That being said, the Originals and we have a truce. Helping a second-class vampire, who just got lucky, keeping Klaus captive would be a breach of this truce and I would hate to explain that to Elijah. He always gets so irritated about things like this and for me he's the Original I want to upset the least."
"The entire Original family is side-lined for the moment", Marcel boasted. "So you don't need to be afraid of them." It annoyed him that this witch spoke of Elijah with such respect and dismissed him so completely.
"Firstly, I'm not afraid of the Originals, but I have respect for them, which I can't say about you. Secondly, that's not what I heard", Bonnie snapped back. "From what my grandmother tells me, they are already on their way to New Orleans and she has warned me not to get in their way this time."
"Maybe I should mention that Bonnie's grandmother is dead", Klaus helpfully remarked. He was grinning now, especially after hearing that his siblings were on their way to him. "And while she was alive, she was a very powerful witch who could also see a little into the future."
Marcel and Vincent stared at each other, both their expressions very worried now.
"As far as I'm concerned, this conversation is now over. Don't contact me again or I'll curse Marcel in some very interesting ways." Bonnie chuckled. "I hope you survive the next few days, Vincent. According to my information, life in New Orleans is set to become very interesting. Good luck to you!" She hung up.
"I have to get back to my people now, they need me." Vincent looked serious. "I have to prepare them for the return of the Originals. It sounds like you have some preparation to make as well. Such a pity you can't be everywhere at once. I'm afraid you'll lose a bunch of your vampires while the Originals play with them." He left the dungeon.
Klaus chuckled. "So what will it be, Marcel? Do you want to torture me for the next few days or will you prepare yourself and this city for the arrival of my siblings."
Cursing loudly, Marcel left the dungeon.
Klaus was pretty sure, he wouldn't see him again until he was taken upstairs and paraded around in front of all the visitors. He just hoped that Elijah had a good plan for his liberation and their escape.