Davina's POV
I looked him over. He was still wearing the same suit. I had heard what Marcel had told me about him. If he had really been listening to what I was saying then he would know how powerful I was. He didn't seem like he wanted to hurt me. Maybe he just really wanted to talk to me. It wasn't often that people cared about what I had to say. Marcel was really the only one who ever listened to me. There was a lot of awkward silence between the two of us as I decided to be the one to break it.
"You're the one they call honorable." I declared. I could tell that he was looking me over but there didn't seem to be any perverted intent to it. He then smiled.
"Yes." He confirmed. Was it not true or "That's what they call me and yet I followed my brother, now sister, here to New Orleans to engage in a war. So, I ask you: does that sound honorable to you?"
At that point, he sat down.
"You don't look well." I noted.
"Well only this morning I had a mystical dagger embedded in my chest, so I'd say I'm holding myself together quite well." He quipped. "Davina, I believe that you and I have the power to end a war between witches and vampires before it truly begins. I, by keeping my siblings in line and you, by behaving as you true self and not some tool for Marcel or the witches."
"And why should I trust you?" I challenged. He didn't know anything about me, but he seemed like he would listen if I told him.
"Well for one thing, in spite of a ravenous hunger, I have not tried to take your blood." He pointed out.
"And why not?" I questioned as I walked over to my easel. "I'm the only one here."
"Even if my present condition, I would not feed from a child." He stated. I then grabbed a needle and walked over to him. I pricked myself with it and held it in front of him. I could see him seeming to struggle with it for a second before he put it in his mouth. Instantly, some of the color returned to his skin.
Odina's POV
I paced around Rousseau's as I waited for Sophie to arrive. I couldn't understand why she was so late. She was supposed to be there to open several minutes ago. Finally, I heard the door open. I grabbed her and took her to my house where Rebekah and Tina waited.
"There are so many blondes here I'd think this was sorority." She remarked.
"We had a deal." I remarked. "You protect my unborn child. I dismantle Marcel's army. And whilst I've been fulfilling my end of the bargain, you allowed Hayley to be attacked and almost killed by a group of lunatic witches."
"I had nothing to do with it. I swear." She responded. "Hayley and I are linked remember. If she dies, I die."
"Then who were they?" Rebekah demanded.
"They are a faction of extremists. Sabine stupidly told them about some vision they had about the baby." Sophie explained.
"What kind of vision?" I questioned. I needed to know more about this.
"She has them all the time. They're totally open to interpretation. I'm guessing she's wrong on this one." Sophie declared.
"Well maybe you could explain how this particular vision was interpretated." I suggested as I leaned forward. Even though it had been several weeks, I was still not used to having large breasts on my chest.
"Pretty much that your baby would bring death to all witches." She answered uneasily. That was something that I would probably be okay with.
"I'm already liking her." I quipped.
"Sophie, look. I promised that I would protect the Mikaelson miracle baby while he tries to win your witch Davina's loyalty." Rebekah declared. "Why don't you tell me just how extreme this faction is?"
"Elijah's talking to Davina?" Sophie asked. That was not the important part of that statement. I did have a feeling that there was more to the girl's story than we previously knew though.
"Yeah, as we speak I imagine," Rebekah replied.
"I'm guessing that she'll have plenty to say about that crowd." Sophie commented.
"What do you have to say about them?" I inquired as I got more comfortable.
"I wasn't always an advocate for the witches." She stammered.
She then proceeded to tell us how she was a carefree bartender only eight months ago. She would also frequently partake in her restaurant's liquors.
"My sister was devoted like our parents and our upbringing was very strict, which drove me nuts." She added. "The minute I turned 21, I left the Quarter to travel and play, but I wanted to be a chef, so I came back to Rousseau's."
At that point, she mentioned something called The Harvest.
"What the bloody hell is a harvest?" Rebekah asked.
"It's a ritual our coven does every three centuries so the bond to our ancestral magic is restored." Sophie explained. "We appease our ancestors and they keep our ancestral power flowing."
"And why haven't I heard of this?" I questioned.
"Because The Harvest always seemed like a myth, a story like Noah's Ark or the buddha walking over water." She told us. Was Buddha have supposed to done that as well? "The kind some people take literally and some people don't."
She then explained how they chose from a group of young girls. Apparently, Sophie wanted to stop it. I wasn't sure if I could judge considering the sacrifice that I had performed. To make matters worse, they wanted to sacrifice Sophie's niece.
"Four of them would be chosen for the Harvest. They said that it was honor, that they were special. I thought it was a myth." She added.
"Was it?" Tina asked. I was kind of surprised that she spoke up there. At that point, my phone rang. It was Marcel.
"Marcel. I didn't think you were awake this early." I commented as I answered it.
"I know I make this look easy, but I still have an empire to run." He explained.
"Well I'd rather you do it. All that responsibility sounds so boring." I responded.
"Well this might spice things up. I just heard about a bunch of dead witches in the bayou." He explained. "It's the kind of damage a werewolf might do, but there was no full moon. I have an informant out there that I need to meet and I would love for you to go with me."
"Dead witches in the bayou seems like something to celebrate more than investigate." I pointed out.
"Well something killed them and that thing may still be out there and since your blood is the only cure for a werewolf bite, I would love for you to be there, Mom."
"Why not? I could go for some family bonding. I'm on my way." I stated.
"Peace out, Mother." He declared before he hung up. I wasn't the biggest fan of him referring to me like that, but I supposed it was technically accurate. At that point, Hayley entered the room.
"You can't go out there right now." Sophie argued. "I need to gather the witches' remains and consecrate them. If we don't do it by sundown, we lose the link to their magic."
"Those witches tried to kill Hayley." I reminded her. "I would prefer Marcel's informant not to find anything that would lead him to her, us, or my baby."
"It's good to know you care so much." Hayley quipped before she took a drink.
"Don't go anywhere and save the rest of your story until I get back." I ordered before I went out the door.
Davina's POV
I went to my easel to do some work. I had never really been one to sketch before being here, but you learn new things about yourself when you spend a lot of time alone. Elijah also started to look around and he found Tim's violin which I had fixed with a spell.
"Do you play?" He asked.
"That's…" I started before I realized that I shouldn't tell him about Tim, even though his new sister could still do it. "…not mine."
At that point, I heard some footsteps and Elijah jumped back into the coffin. A few seconds later, Marcel walked in.
"Good news, I'm moving you out of this pile of dust." He announced.
"Are you serious?" I asked with a smile as put one of my paintings on an easel. "When?"
"Tonight." He declared. Okay I was not expecting it to be so soon. "I just need to lock in the arrangements. How's our Original?"
"Don't disturb the body." I declared. "I have a spell in progress."
"I bet you do." He responded with a smile. "Pack up. Only what you wanna take. I'll buy you anything else you need."
"Okay." I agreed. As soon as he closed the door, Elijah stepped out.
"You didn't reveal that I was awake." He noted.
"We're not done talking yet." I pointed out.
"You and Marcel seem very close." He remarked as he once again picked up the violin.
"Marcel is my family. He's the closest thing to a father that I have ever had." I argued as I took a seat by the easel.
"And yet Marcel is someone who delights in harming the witches." He stated. "Those would be the people that I would think you consider family. This doesn't trouble you?"
I wasn't going to fault him for thinking that since he didn't know what the witches had done to me and to my friends.
"No." I answered. "They deserve it."
"Why would you say that?" She questioned. He didn't seem like he was judging my hatred of them, just like he wanted to know more.
"Because they're liars, all of them." I explained. "They made me and my friends do this Harvest ritual. They said our participation would bring our families strength, help, and we'd forever be celebrated as saviors of the community, but all they really wanted was more power, so I left before they could get it. Now they're running out of time because after the Harvest comes the Reaping and if they don't complete the Harvest, there won't be a Reaping. Soon all the witches in the Quarter will start to lose their power. Eventually, they'll cease to be witches altogether."
"So what does it take to complete this ritual?" He asked.
"I have to die." I told him.
One thing that I had been searching for was a spell that could completely prevent me from dying at all. I knew that I could become a vampire but I didn't want to lose my power in the process. I had heard of one person that was able to do such things, but of course I didn't know what such a spell would require me to do. While I was glad with killing any of the witches, if I had to kill an innocent person in order to complete such a thing, I was not if I would be able to do it.
Odina's POV
I had just arrived in the Bayou when I got a phone call from Rebekah. Needless to say, I was a bit upset by her sudden timing since she knew I was busy at the moment.
"What's wrong Rebekah? Are you upset that I'm hanging out with your ex?" I asked. In retrospect, I should have discouraged Marcel to date Rebekah not because she was my sister, but because she was essentially his aunt.
"What's all that dreadful hillbilly music in the background." She asked. Her being daggered for most of the 20th century meant that she didn't get to appreciate country music. Sure, nowadays it was mostly trash, but people like Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton were legends and I even found myself liking a few of Tim McGraw's songs.
"That would be Big Auggie's Bayou Bar." I explained.
"Well order up a few rounds to distract Marcel. The witch is on a burial mission, your baby mama is on a spirit quest and I'm keeping Elijah's promise to keep her safe, so stall please."
She then hung up. The thing was stalling at a bar was much easier when they were multiple people there.
"Is everything okay?" Marcel asked once I came inside.
"You should have told we were coming. I would have dressed accordingly." I lied. "Anyway, my sister is being temperamental. So where's your informant?"
"Thomas? He's out sniffing around." Marcel answered. "Grab a drink and then we can chase him down."
"Look at you contributing to the delinquency of a minor." I teased as I took off my coat. "Well I suppose it will give us a chance to talk things over. Like why you haven't returned Elijah. Maybe Davina has grown partial to his company. She must get so bored."
"You never stop, do you?" He asked as he stopped pouring from the bottle. I knew it was a touchy subject for him.
"To be fair, you haven't answered." I pointed out.
"Why do you care so much about Davina?" He inquired.
"If I had a 16-year-old all-powerful witch at my beckon call, you would wonder about her too." I stated.
"I'm not going to let you take her." He boasted.
"Okay. I'll ask the harmless questions then. How did you two meet?" I asked. "I doubt you just went to the orphanage looking for witches."
He chuckled a little as he resumed pouring.
"That might surprise you. This was eight months ago before I banned the witches from using magic." He explained. "Relations between vampires and witches weren't what you would call friendly by any means, but let's just say we were a little less divided. In fact, some of us were getting along just fine."
He told me that he and Sophie used to have a bit of a relationship. That was definitely not something that I was expecting. I did wonder what that had to do with his relationship with Davina, but I assumed that he was getting there. He learned from Sophie about the Harvest, even though I still wasn't entirely sure what it entailed. I knew something must have south between the two of them and I was pretty sure that it happened before Marcel killed her sister. He also explained the witches chosen for the Harvest needed to be exactly 16, which was the same age as Davina. It seemed like it was easy to put two and two together that she had been chosen. Now I definitely needed to know more about it.
"You dated Sophie?" I responded as we shared a laugh. "You're a big fucking hypocrite. You torture those witches and there you were getting positively Romeo and Juliet with Sophie Devereaux."
"No, it wasn't like that. We were just friends with benefits." He argued.
"So if Sophie didn't turn to you, her secret vampire lover in her hour of need, what did she do?" I asked.
"She did what any good girl would do. She went to her priest." He explained.
It apparently had led to them going to Father Kieran, who was also Cami's uncle. They apparently argued about it. According to Father Kieran doing such a thing was illegal, even though I wasn't sure if witches cared about following mortal laws. Kieran threatened to end his relationship with the witches if they went through it with it. I imagined that he had done that.
"The witches were furious with Kieran." He continued. "Sophie tells me they put a hex on his nephew Sean. They made it seem like he was slowly losing his mind to distract him so they could plan for the Harvest."
"So they attacked Kieran's nephew?" I questioned. I now had the answer to Camille's question, but I wasn't sure if I should tell it to her.
"Yeah kid wasn't the same after that. He killed all of his fellow students and then himself." He remarked.
"I've heard about that." I answered. It seemed like he didn't know that Cami was Sean's sister.
"They said that he had a twin sister." He added.
Davina's POV
Elijah was playing the violin before he noticed it was out of tune.
"So enlighten me. What did you mean when you said that you had to die?" He questioned.
"That's what the Harvest was. They said that they would put us four girls in like a state of peaceful limbo before the offering and then later at the Reaping we would awaken and be reborn." I explained. I had been foolish enough to believe it. "I never got as far as the limbo part, which means the Harvest isn't complete. That's why the witches are so freaked out. The Reaping is just around the corner and if they don't finish it before then, it's over. All I have to do is wait it out."
"And then what?" He asked.
"Then they'll be punished." I answered. "And I'm free."
"From Marcel?" He questioned. I didn't understand why everyone expected me to hate Marcel.
"All our power will drain away. I'll be normal." I explained. There was still a part of me that wanted to hang onto it, but I didn't think it would be worth it if everyone wanted to kill me.
"Is that what you want: to be normal?" He questioned.
"I just don't want to be what I am." I admitted. The fact that I had to delete Tim from my life hurt. "I can't control it sometimes. I hurt people without trying to."
"Why don't you tell me about your friends? You must miss them." He proposed.
"There's Tim. He doesn't know about any of this witch stuff. He's normal." I explained before I started to cry. "My best friend, Monique, she was a part of the Harvest too. She's lucky. No one ever fought for me, but someone fought for her. The only one who ever spoke out against the Harvest was Monique's aunt."
"And who was that?" He questioned.
"Sophie Devereaux." I declared.
Odina's POV
I got another call from Rebekah. I had a feeling that I wasn't going to like it.
"So let me get this straight: you three thought it was a good idea to go into the Bayou and ran into a man who think might have been Marcel's informant and then lost him?" I questioned.
"Yes and now that we've established what a failure I am, you should probably know he's on his way to Marcel right now." She explained. "He's very skinny and he looks like he saw a ghost."
"I'll handle it, but I'm going to need a distraction." I told her. As much as I didn't want to encourage their relationship, she was the only one capable of doing so right now.
"I'm on my way." She declared before she hung up and I went back inside.
"Was does your sister want now?" Marcel asked.
"She just craves attention and without Elijah around, she mostly bothers me." I remarked. "So you were just getting to the good parts."
"I'm sorry but this next part isn't a joke." He answered seriously. "I've done a lot in my days, but I have a rule about harming children."
Davina's POV
"No one but Sophie ever questioned the Harvest." I explained as I started to pack my suitcase. "That included my mother. I thought that if she didn't, I shouldn't either. They brainwashed us into thinking that it was an honor. I guess that's what faith is, nothing but being tricked into believing something."
"So how did it begin?" He asked.
"We were led out like princesses." I told him. I supposed that pampering us was another way to get us to believe. I had read about how cults would do similar things. "My mother was so proud. Bastiana one of the elders called upon the four elements to bind our past and future magic together. Earth to connect us to our ancestors. Water to heal the community. Wind to carry us to our ancestors and back. Fire to purify. After all of our preparation, we knew exactly what to expect. For weeks, they told us that the magic in the knife they used to cut our palms would put us to sleep and that later at the Reaping, we would all be resurrected. They said that we'd awaken and all be together more powerful than ever. And it was just like we rehearsed it. All that was left was a little cut on our palms for the blood sacrifice. Even after Sophie tried to stop it, we didn't suspect anything."
I still remembered how I felt when I first saw them slit Abigail's throat.
"Everyone involved in the ritual knew that this would happen?" He asked.
"Except the four of us." I clarified. "They weren't putting us to sleep. They were slaughtering us."
Cassie was next and I struggled as I tried to break me. I watched in horror as they sent Monique forward.
"I begged for someone to help. My own mother turned away from me." I said. "Sophie screamed and screamed for her sister or really anyone to do something, but no one did."
"How did you survive then?" He asked. "Therefore someone or something intervened?"
"Yes. Someone finally did." I confirmed. The vampires that he had been taught to hate were there to save us against the witches who were so willing to let us die.
Odina's POV
"So you're the one who stopped it." I declared. "You saved Davina's life."
"Kiernan knew every detail from Sophie and he told me." He explained. "After his nephew's massacre, he was so torn up. He left town right before the Harvest, but on his way out he came to me and asked me to stop it. He knew that I didn't want the witches getting any more power and he knew that I hate it when people abuse kids, so I did what he asked, but I couldn't save Monique. Davina pushed the man who was holding her away and from that moment, I fell in love, not in a creepy way, but probably when a parent meets their child for the first time."
"That's how I felt when I first met you." I explained.
"I felt like she and I, we were kindred spirits.
Davina's POV
After Marcel had saved me, I held out my hand as I felt a surge of power.
"Every girl who died released her power onto the next. When I was the last one, I suddenly had all of it. All of the power that was supposed to be released back into the Earth to appease our ancestors." I explained.
"So the Harvest was actually working?" He questioned.
"Something was working." I countered. "And I knew that I was supposed to be killed so the Harvest could be completed and we would all be resurrected, but they lied to us about how they were killing us. How did I know they weren't lying to us about coming back, but mostly, I just didn't want to die. So I let him save me. Marcel saved my life."
Odina's POV
We each took another drink to honor the three girls who were killed the failed Harvest.
"You were quite the night in shining armor." I told him.
Hearing about that made me think of the ritual I had performed. While Elena was only a year older than Davina was now, I did not plan on killing teenagers. Tyler and Caroline were always the diversion in case I wasn't able to use Jenna and Juliana. And Elena's friends had fought to keep her alive in a way that Sophie had fought for Monique. However, I couldn't help but wonder what had changed.
"Though Davina must realize that you owe her just as much as she owes you." I commented. "You never could have banned the witches from using magic without her."
"Well she wanted to do that just as much as I did. I'm protecting her." He pointed out. "A lot of them would like to get there hands on her and kill her to finish the Harvest. If they don't, the other girls stay dead and they lose their power."
"And if they do, you lose yours." I remarked, but I saw something more in him than just that.
"No, I lose my daughter." He argued. It was at that moment, that I understood the hurt. I was about to tell him about his sister.
"Well isn't this like old times, though I was usually the girl you were getting drunk with." Rebekah interrupted.
"Not drunk enough." I declared. "I do need to use the little girl's room though."
There was a downside to being this small and it was that I did get drunk much easier. However, I did have some supernatural vitality, so I wasn't impaired as easily as a girl my size usually would be. Also, if Marcel considered Davina to be his daughter, then that would make her my granddaughter and I didn't want to be like Rebekah. It would be wrong for me to pursue her romantically.
On top of that, I also had other business to deal with. I would have to clean up my sister, Sophie and Hayley's mess. While I did like murdering people, I liked more to do it on my own terms. Luckily, I managed to locate him easily by Rebekah's description.
"Thomas, I presume." I stated as I grabbed him. "Marcel asked me to find out what you know about the dead witches."
"I heard they were going after some pregnant werewolf." He answered. "I think she was stupid being out there all alone."
"Yes, she was, wasn't she?" I asked. "It's amazing how gullible some people can be."
At that point, I broke his neck.
Davina's POV
Elijah picked up the violin which seemed to be in tune.
"You may return this now to its rightful owner." He remarked. "It's restored."
"I don't even know if I'll see him again." I remarked as more tears came to my eye. My relationship with Tim was ruined because of what I was."
At that point, the ground started to shake a little. I was pretty sure that I was doing it, but I didn't even feel it.
"Davina, this power that you contain drawn from your fallen friends, it's too much for you." He remarked. Was he going to suggest completing the Harvest? Instead he said something that I did not expect. "You need control and practice. My mother was a very powerful witch. She left behind her grimoires. These books contain all of the tools that you might need to control your magic. If you free me from here, I can share them with you. However, if you leave now with Marcel, we'll never see each other again. If I can't find you, I can't help you."
For only the second time in my life, it felt like there was someone who cared about me, but I knew that there was still a need to be cautious.
"The witches manipulated me. How do I know you're not trying to manipulate me too?" I questioned.
"This is not manipulation." He promised. "This is one thing in exchange for another. I'm offering you a deal and I always keep my deals. I can even give you the phone number of someone who can vouch for me."
"Who? Your siblings?" I questioned. I didn't trust either of them.
"No. Her name is Elena Gilbert." He answered.
Odina's POV
I walked back inside to see Rebekah by the bar.
"That was quick." I commented. "Where's Marcel?"
"I have more shame than that. Did you see where he went?" She asked.
"He didn't tell you he was leaving?" I asked in disbelief.
"No. Do you think he realized we were stalling him?" She questioned. I felt that, despite our chat, I still shouldn't trust him as far as Hayley was concerned. Though perhaps his morals would prevent him from harming a pregnant woman.
"No…" I replied before I realized something before I got up. "But he may have been stalling us."
Davina's POV
I heard Marcel coming yet again and Elijah once again hid. I sat with my suitcase.
"I'm back. Are you ready to blow this joint?" He asked.
"Can't wait." I answered as he took my suitcase.
"We'll leave Elijah behind as a parting gift." He explained. "It might buy me a little bit of forgiveness for pulling one over on his siblings. Now let's go."
I walked out the door and I gave him the signal. I went downstairs and I realized that I would have to put on my best acting performance. I hoped a few weeks of high school theatre would be enough to fool him. I felt so bad for trying to deceive him.
"There's something wrong. I think I need to stay here." I declared. "Take me back."
I then cast a spell to make it seem like I passed out, but I was still fully conscious and I let him carry me back to my room. He put me to bed and it was only when he left that I sat up.
I thought back to the when Marcel had first brought me there. He thought that since everyone had been avoiding the church so much that it would be last place anyone would look for me. It was so sweet how he was trying to take care of me despite having no clue what he was doing. He had gotten me things to paint and draw with. I also told him about how I wanted revenge on them. I wanted to make them suffer.
"Elijah? Are you here?" I asked.
"I am." He stated as he stepped out. "I'm pleased you stayed."
"Will you keep your promise about your mother's spellbook?" I questioned.
"I will." He confirmed. I hoped that his actions would reflect that.
"You know difficulties aside, I value my family above all else." He declared. "I am sorry that yours failed you."
"Your brother…sister handed you to Marcel in a box, but you still don't give on him?" I questioned.
"Well I've given up on giving up." He explained. "It's an affliction. I will fight for my family until my last breath."
"And I'll fight the witches until mine." I countered.
Odina's POV
I decided to meet Marcel at his compound to confront him.
"You know it's kind of pathetic that you took me on a field trip to distract me. I taught you better than that."
"You taught me to protect what's mine. You will not take Davina from me, end of story." He declared.
"I only want to help her the way that you do." I replied.
"If you were so strong, you wouldn't have run away like a little bitch all those years ago." He taunted. I then rushed over and knocked him to the ground.
"You've been playing king for children for far too young. Don't mistake me for one of your lackeys." I declared. "I can take Davina any time I want."
I probably wouldn't, but I wanted him to know that I could. Marcel charged at me, but he was stopped before he could get this.
"Do forgive me, Marcellus, but if anyone is going to teach my sister a lesson, it's going to be me." Elijah remarked. "Come now, Odina as you're calling yourself right now. I believe it is time for us to leave."
We then went back to the house where Rebekah was with Hayley.
"What took so long?" She asked before Elijah walked in after me and she hugged him. "Elijah! You're safe."
"Who is this young lady?" He asked.
"That would be Tina, our new maid who I'm trying to find more use for." I answered. It seemed like many of our issues were happening during the day.
"Now that you're home, is your first plan to kill Odina?" Rebekah inquired. Elijah didn't seem to be in the mood for jokes and instead just went to talk to Hayley. It seemed like he was developing attachment to her.
A few minutes later, Elijah called us all together.
"Everything that brought us to New Orleans is a lie. The story that Sophie Devereaux fabricated, the struggle for control, this war between vampires and witches. It wasn't over territory at all. It was over Davina. Eight months ago, Sophie Devereaux and her sister Jane Anne lost everything. Now four months after that, a young pregnant girl wanders into their restaurant and suddenly all hope is renewed. Jane-Anne actually sacrificed her life so that her sister could use you to find Davina. If Sophie Devereaux is successful in capturing Davina, she can return Jane-Anne's daughter to life. We thought we came here to wage a war for power. This is about family. In order to return her niece to life, Sophie will fight to the death. That makes her more dangerous than anyone."
All I knew that was that I couldn't let that happen. I could not let Davina die.
So Odina has come to the realization that she wants to protect Davina, but she is at least trying to put away any romantic entanglements. Please don't forget to review.