Dark Moon | Klaus Mikaelson

Chapter 83

Hope started to walk to Klaus, but stopped suddenly when a thumping sounded, a dead crow falling at her feet. She stepped back as crows started to fall all around her. Hayley rushed to hold her arms, likely thinking her magic burst out and caused this. But Hope's surprised expression let them know she wasn't causing this.

"What is this?" whispered Klaus, seeing the crows had fallen in a perfect circle around Hope, though some were off to the side.

"I don't know," Vincent admitted.

"Mom?" said Hope, looking around. "Esme— can you hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked Esmeray, furrowing her eyebrows.

"It's whispers," replied the little girl. "Saying a name... over and over. 'Kre Nah Han... Kre Nah Han...'"

"Vincent," Hayley murmured. "What is that?"

The Tremé witch looked like he'd seen a ghost. "It's a nearly forgotten dialect. It's Creole. It means... 'The Hollow.' The Hollow is coming."

He rushed out, as if this had given him new information. Hayley picked Hope up, taking her to one of the rooms upstairs while Elijah and Klaus started to stuff the dead crows in a burlap sack.

"She's sick again," said Esmeray after she went to examine Hope. "The purification didn't last long. I can still sense magic in her."

"Is there anything you can do?" asked Hayley, smoothing Hope's hair back.

"I could try a few spells, but I don't know how much it will help. This thing is really powerful." She put her hand on Hope's forehead, concentrating. The little girl whimpered slightly before cuddling up to her mom, looking at least slightly more relaxed.

"Mom?" she said softly. "I want my dad."

"I'll go get him for you," said Esmeray, getting up and going back down to where the two brothers were.

"How is she?" asked Klaus immediately.

Esmeray sighed. "Relaxed, but still sick. She wants you."

Klaus looked surprised. "Well, make an excuse. I'd rather my daughter not know I've gone off to murder witches."

The werewitch crossed her arms. "I don't think you should leave to kill anyone, not whens he needs you."

"She is right," agreed Elijah. "We cannot be reckless, Niklaus. Let me see what I can do."

"I'll go talk to Marcel," offered Esmeray. "He won't hurt me after I gave him the spell for Davina. I'll let you know if I find anything, okay?"

She tiptoed to kiss Klaus, ruffling his hair before she left the house.

Esmeray found Marcel in the Tremé, having rounded up the local witches to ask them if they were involved in this Hollow business.

"Listen up, listen up," he said to the witches. Esmeray snuck into the back, standing directly behind one of the taller witches. "For five years now, we've had a truce. Stayed out of each other's business. Tended to our own. But now, your problems are becoming mine. Someone is taking children. As you know, I have one nonnegotiable rule: we do not mess with kids. Now, you've seen that graffiti. Someone here's got to know who's responsible. Right? So just give me a name. Hmm?"

"We don't owe you anything," one of the witches snapped. "You're no friend to witches."

"Okay," said Esmeray in annoyance, stepping out. "We're not children. This isn't about who's friends with who on the playground and who's taking too long on the swing. It's like Marcel said, we don't mess with kids. I don't care if he's your worst enemy. There are several little kids who are going to die if we don't do anything. So I recommend you talk if you know something. Do it for the kids, not for Marcel. If you don't talk, I'll just look into your minds, and I'll kill anyone involved with the Hollow. Either talk willingly, keep your life, and save innocent children, or die. I'm not negotiating, either."