The afternoon sunlight streaming in through the windows seemed incongruous with the grim tone of their discussion. After Kol had gone to Aradia the previous evening, they'd spoken with Selene and Galen and together come up with a plan to take Lillith down and hopefully stop whatever she and John Gilbert were up to.
"We need to be ready to move as soon as we have the location," Aradia instructed, her voice carrying the weight of urgency and authority. "With Katherine's blood we should be able to break through whatever shielding they're hiding behind, but Lillith will sense that."
"Won't she run?" Elijah asked, his brow furrowed with concern. He leaned against the stone fireplace; the edges worn smooth by decades of use.
"She can try," Galen replied, his voice hard with steely determination. "But she'll have to resort to non-magical methods. This is the best chance we've had to capture her in the past century. My department and the Horde have set a perimeter of wards around Mystic Falls. Until we remove them, no one can apparate inside or out of the area. The only portkeys that will work are the ones keyed specifically for this mission."
"Which is why we've planned things the way we have," Aradia stated, casting a stern glance at Damon and Klaus, who had both been vocally opposed to the plan despite their previous agreement to Maya's participation. "Once we have the location, I will set the destinations for the portkeys."
Selene cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention.
"We have to assume that Lillith is expecting us to try and stop her," she said. "She will almost certainly have Inferi guarding her location, and she may have other creatures or traps set up to protect herself."
"We need to be prepared for anything," Aradia continued, her eyes scanning the room, locking onto each member of the group. "This is our best shot, but it's going to be dangerous. Everyone needs to be on high alert."
"You know your teams, and you know your roles." Selene said, glancing round and meeting everyone's eyes. "You have five minutes to get yourselves ready before we start the locator spell."
As the group began to disperse, everyone ensured they were with their designated teams. Despite their small numbers, they were a formidable force. Four Original vampires, the Original Hybrid, and an immortal – each paired with a seasoned Auror. Plus, Mr Fell and Mr Crowley who had refused to be paired with anyone but each other, and finally Damon and Himiko, who would be sticking by Maya, who would be leading the ritual to break Lillith's control over Esther, before they joined the others for her final task to bring Lillith down.
As the five minutes ticked away, the air grew thick with anticipation. Each team mase their final checks: weapons, wards, spells, and strategies. Certain they were ready; they began to filter outside where the ritual circle was set up. Aradia came last, carrying the items she would be turning into portkeys once they had the location. It was time.
At Aradia's nod, Maya uncorked the vial of blood Stefan had obtained from Katherine and poured it onto the centre of the map of Mystic Falls and the surrounding areas. The crimson liquid formed a small pool atop the paper. As Sheila led Bonnie and the others in the spell to break through whatever shielding Lilith was using to cover her location, Maya began to chant the locator spell she'd used to find Stefan's doppelgängers.
"Mésa apó to chóro kai ton chróno,
Oi planētōn synodias zeugē blékontai,
Me aíma na dénei,
Vreíte tin topothesía tous."
To Maya's surprise, the blood began to move across the map with unnerving speed, far quicker than it had a few days ago. She hardly had to put any effort into the spell at all, which immediately set off alarm bells in her mind. This was too easy. It screamed trap.
She glanced around at the others, their faces set with grim determination. They were all seasoned enough to be suspicious of this unusual speed, but they were prepared for any possibility, including a trap.
The blood coalesced into a dark, swirling vortex at a single point on the map, marking Lilith's precise location. The map shimmered as the spell completed, the blood glowing a deep, ominous red. Sheila's voice rose above the others, signalling the end of their incantation, her eyes locked onto the glowing point.
"We have her," Sheila announced, her voice a blend of triumph and caution.
Aradia swiftly stepped forward, transforming ordinary objects into portkeys, each keyed to the marked location. The sense of urgency in her movements reflected the gravity of the moment.
"Everyone, get ready," she commanded, distributing the portkeys to the respective teams.
Damon's worry was palpable as he watched the others activate their portkeys, vanishing one by one. His instincts, honed by centuries of survival, screamed that the locator spell had worked far too easily. He turned to Maya, who was now moving toward the ritual circle, preparing to begin the spell that would break Lilith's hold over Esther.
Klaus, ready to follow, met Damon's gaze. A silent exchange of concern and understanding passed between them. Klaus nodded, acknowledging the shared unease, before he gripped his portkey and disappeared in a swirl of magic, leaving Damon to protect Maya until the ritual was complete.
Maya took her place in the circle and sliced across the palm of her hand, then wrapped the necklace borrowed from Rebekah around her hand, the pendant part laying flush against the open cut. The magical essence of the necklace combined with her blood before it dripped down onto the knotted rope. As Bonnie and Sheila each placed a hand on her shoulders, Maya felt the magic offered by the rest of the circle, flowing into her and entwining with her own. She focused the magic on the rope as they began to chant as one.
"Šīrum ša šīrum,
Dāmu ša dāmu,
Eṣem ša eṣem,
Pazirū qātū ša iṣṣurūka,
Šīrum, dāmu, u eṣem, ullū,
Libbu, napšu, balātu, ullū,
Šērtūma qātū ša iṣṣurūka,
Balṭu, pazru, ullū,
Ina šūtāšu, šū qātu libbu."
The knotted rope representing Esther's chains began to levitate, suspended by the growing power of the spell. Each drop of Maya's blood that fell onto the rope pulsed with energy. She continued the incantation, her voice steady and strong.
"Šērtūma ṣirūšunu,
Uṭṭēq šīmūnšu,
Kiššatu, šarāku, ēru, mû, napšu,
Šemû plītu, šimû šārtu,
Pazirūma Eštēr ana iṣṣurūša,
Balṭu, pazru, ullū,
Ina šūtāšu, šū qātu libbu."
As the spell's magic intensified, the knots in the rope began to loosen and unravel, signifying the weakening of Esther's binds.
"Ummu ḫīrtu, šemû napišti,
Aba qātu, šemû napišti,
Pazirūma Eštēr ana iṣṣurūša,
Balṭu, pazru, ullū,
Ina šūtāšu, šū qātu libbu."
A blinding flash of white light erupted as the final knot came undone, the rope falling lifelessly to the ground. The moment hung in the air, a breath of silence before the storm they knew was coming. Maya, breathing heavily, looked up to see Damon's tense stance relax slightly, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
Maya and Himiko stepped away from the ritual circle and joined Damon. Maya took the cloak he held out to her and wrapped it over her shoulders, before taking the box that contained the stone and placing her hand on the portkey Damon was holding out. Himiko laid her hand next to Maya's and triggered the portkey. The three of them spun away from the ritual circle and toward the fight.
The moment they landed, Maya pulled the invisibility cloak up over her head, vanishing from view, as Himiko drew her wand and Damon unsheathed the sword he'd chosen as a weapon. Inferi might not be like the zombies from the movies—destroying their brains wouldn't put them down; only fire could do that—but beheading them did make them a lot less dangerous. Not that there were any Inferi around them at the moment.
The portkey had delivered them at a distance from the location; no one wanted them landing in the middle of whatever fight was occurring. But they could hear it, the clashing and roaring echoing through the trees that surrounded them. Himiko and Damon exchanged a glance and a nod.
"Stay close, Maya," Himiko ordered, "but stay behind us. As soon as we're close enough, use the stone to call the souls that Lilith has trapped."
Maya nodded, then remembered that neither of them could see her.
"I will," she replied softly.
With another shared nod, the three of them began moving toward the sounds of the fight. Maya knew, and they knew, that it might not be possible for her to stay with them through the whole thing—no plan survived first engagement with the enemy, after all—but she would do her best.
It didn't take them long to reach the location. The flashes of fire and the yells guided their way. Aradia and Selene hadn't been wrong about the Inferi; it looked like something out of Shaun of the Dead, a film Maya wasn't supposed to have seen and absolutely hadn't if anyone asked. There were hundreds of them, so many that most of everyone's attention was on battling them and not on Lilith, who was facing off with Aradia.
Maya's heart pounded as she surveyed the battlefield. Aradia's spells lit up the night, fiery blasts creating temporary havens of light amidst the sea of darkness. Lilith moved with deadly grace, deflecting each of Aradia's attacks with contemptuous ease. The ground was littered with the remains of Inferi, yet more kept coming, relentless and unending, for every one that was felled, five more seemed to take its place.
Damon and Himiko exchanged a final glance, steeling themselves for the inevitable clash.
"Maya," Damon hissed, eyes scanning the throng of enemies, "be ready."
Invisible under her cloak, Maya moved with practiced stealth, slipping through the chaos. Her fingers opened the box and wrapped around the stone inside, feeling the pulsing magic within as she pulled it free. She had to get close enough to Lilith to release the souls, but with the battle raging around them, it was a daunting task.
Himiko's wand flicked through the air, sending a stream of blue flames toward a cluster of Inferi. They fell back, writhing and screeching as the magical fire consumed them. Damon, wielding his sword with brutal efficiency, carved a path through the undead. He might not be able to see Maya, but he was determined to ensure there was a path for her to get through.
Taking a deep breath, Maya darted along the path that Himiko and Damon had created for her. None of the Inferi reacted to her presence, focusing solely on her companions. Ayana and Emily had been correct—her cloak didn't just make her invisible; it made her undetectable.
As she approached the epicentre of the battle, she could see Aradia's face, a mask of fierce concentration. Lilith's lips curled into a cruel smile as she parried another attack, her eyes flickering with dark amusement.
"Is this all you've got, Aradia?" she taunted, her voice dripping with malice.
Breaking Esther free hadn't diminished her power one bit, not from what Maya could see anyway, as Lilith contemptuously batted away another attack aimed at her by Aradia.
"I have to say, I'm disappointed. With this many allies, I thought you might have given me an actual fight."
Maya was close enough now. Pushing away the chaos around her, she tightened her grip on the resurrection stone and focused her power. She wished with everything she had for the souls to be free of Lilith, for them to pass on and find peace, to be saved from destruction.
The first sign it was working came when Lilith faltered, stumbling slightly. Aradia seized the moment, sending her tumbling back with a push of magic. Bolstered by the sign, Maya closed her eyes and focused everything she had on her desire for those souls to be freed.
Warmth rushed through her, or perhaps through the stone, as if the souls were passing through them. Scenes flickered through her head, memories that didn't belong to her, emotions that weren't hers: fear, hate, anger, pain, love, hope, joy. Each soul felt something different, but all were tinged with a sense of gratitude. A ripple of energy emanated from the stone, and Lilith let out a scream of rage.
Maya poured everything she had into what she was doing, breaking the souls free from Lilith's control, releasing them to find peace. Lilith's scream turned from rage to fear. As her power waned, she desperately looked around for the source of her torment. Maya's cloak might hide her from detection, but the souls swarming toward her gave Lilith a clear target, even if she didn't know exactly who or what she was aiming for.
Maya was too focused on ensuring every last soul was freed from Lilith to see the spell that was aimed her way.
Lilith's eyes flared with malevolent fury as she raised her hands, dark magic crackling around her fingertips.
"You dare defy me?" Lilith screamed, launching a bolt of dark energy straight toward Maya's location.
In the blink of an eye, Damon and Himiko moved as one. Himiko's wand shot a protective shield around Maya, shimmering with a blue hue, while Damon leaped into the path of the spell, sword raised to intercept. The dark energy collided with Damon, him sprawling to the ground.
Maya's eyes snapped open at the commotion, her heart pounding in her chest. She saw Damon on the ground, his face twisted in pain, and Himiko standing firm, her wand trembling but her resolve unshaken.
"No!" Maya screamed, the sound tearing from her throat. She clutched the stone tighter, summoning every ounce of magic and willpower she possessed. The stone pulsed violently, a beacon of hope and defiance against the encroaching darkness.
A torrent of souls were ripped free from Lilith in an instant, shimmering in the air as they poured through Maya and the stone. Lilith's eyes widened with terror as she collapsed to her knees, spent and powerless. Aradia seized the opportunity, firing two spells her way, one to stun her and another to wrap her in ropes until Galen could place the chains that would bind her magic upon her.
Maya, exhausted and trembling, sank to her knees at Damon's side, her worried eyes searching for any sign of injury.
"Babbo?"
Himiko knelt at his other side as Damon did his best to answer her with a reassuring smile that did nothing to mask the intense pain he was in or hide the greying veins that were creeping across his body. Himiko's wand waved above him in complicated patterns as Maya grabbed his hand and squeezed tight, her exhaustion ignored as worry for his fate consumed her.
Her dad, seeing what had happened, raced over and crouched down next to Maya, ready to pull her away if it became necessary to give Himiko more room. He'd hate to do it, but if it was necessary he would, for both Maya and Damon's sakes.
Around them, the Aurors were sending whips of fire at the remaining Inferi, their destruction coming easier now that Lilith was no longer bolstering them with her power. Mr. Fell and Mr. Crowley were quite gleefully destroying them with nothing more than a touch, their reanimated corpses turning to dust beneath their hands. Her aunt and uncles were either decapitating the ones near them or tossing them into the path of the Aurors' flames. Maya didn't see any of it, though; all of her attention was on her babbo, who didn't appear to be healing. She barely even felt the arm that was curved protectively across her shoulders, not quite touching but close.
"Himiko?" It was a trembling whisper, filled with pain and fear of losing the most important person in her life.
"It was a dark curse." Himiko muttered, turning her head towards the others. "Galen!"
Galen sprinted over; his face set with determination. He knelt beside Damon, assessing the situation with a critical eye.
"We need to counteract it now," Galen said, urgency threading through his voice. He began to chant in a language Maya didn't understand, a soft golden light streaming out of his wand and touching Damon as he worked to undo the dark magic.
"He needs blood," Galen ordered tersely as he continued his incantations.
Klaus met Himiko's eyes and tilted his head toward Maya. Understanding his silent communication, she moved to Maya's side and gently pulled her back.
"They just need some space," she said softly. "He's going to be okay, but you need to give them some room."
Klaus shuffled closer to Damon, tearing open his wrist and pressing it against the younger vampire's mouth. At first, his blood just trickled in, the curse having sapped away Damon's energy, but as the blood started to restore him, Damon's hands grabbed hold of Klaus's wrist, and Klaus felt his fangs bite down as Damon began to drink of his own accord. All the while, Galen continued to chant complicated spellwork and wave his wand over Damon, ensuring the curse was fully removed.
Maya's eyes never left Damon's face, her heart aching at the sight of his pain. She gripped the resurrection stone, it's comforting warmth a stark contrast to the cold fear gripping her heart.
"Please, please be okay," she whispered, her voice breaking.
The battle began to wane around them, she could hear the shouts of the Aurors, the crackling of the magical flames, and the distant roars of the remaining Inferi. Yet, all of it was a blur compared to the sharp focus on Damon.
Galen's chanting grew louder, the golden light intensifying. Slowly, Damon's pained expression began to soften, the dark energy dissipating under Galen's powerful counter-curse. Maya's grip on the stone tightened, her knuckles white, as she willed her babbo to be okay.
Finally, Galen's chanting reached a crescendo. The golden light flared brilliantly, enveloping Damon in a radiant glow. The darkness that had clung to him melted away, leaving only the warm, healing light. Damon's grip on Klaus's wrist tightened briefly before he released it, his body visibly relaxing as the curse was lifted completely.
Klaus withdrew his wrist, watching with a mixture of relief and satisfaction as Damon took a deep breath and sat up. Their eyes met for a moment, a shared understanding that Damon would act the same way again if it meant keeping their daughter from harm. Klaus nodded and sat back as Damon's eyes sought out Maya, meeting her tear-filled gaze.
"Babbo!"
She collapsed at his side and threw her arms around him, exhaustion and fear catching up with her as harsh sobs wracked her body. Damon hugged her back, his strength returning, though he was still visibly weakened from the ordeal.
"I'm okay, kiddo. I'm okay."
The last of the Inferi having been dealt with, Selene began giving out orders to her Aurors to secure the scene. It would need to be cleansed by members of Galen's department before they could leave. Mr. Fell and Mr. Crowley, along with Galen, took custody of the tightly bound and unconscious Lilith. She would be taken straight to an ICW holding cell, where her predetermined sentence would likely be carried out within the next two days. No one wanted to give her the opportunity to escape.
Finn, Rebekah, and Elijah were the ones to find Esther, Elena, and John nearby—the former two both unconscious and the latter dead with a knife thrust through his heart. After checking for the ring Damon had told them about and finding he wasn't wearing it, they left him where he lay. They would let the Sheriff know where to find his body once it was safe to do so. Finn picked up Esther, and Elijah grabbed Elena. Both would need to be questioned when they woke, but that could wait. With Lilith secured and John dead, there was no rush.
Through it all, Damon sat with Maya held tightly in his embrace, Klaus at his side, one hand on Damon's shoulder, the other gently stroking through his exhausted daughter's hair. The battlefield around them was a testament to their struggle and their victory, the first rays of dawn casting a golden glow over the scene.
As impossible as it seemed, they'd won.