Enigmatic Distances: A Klaus Mikaelson Story {6}

Chapter 43: Less Carrot, More Stick

A/N: Happy Enigma Day!!!

Rebekah, Nik and I walked into the next location with the dreaded thorns and found Marcel lying down on the floor, completely unconscious.

"Marcel?" Rebekah asked worriedly as she shook his unmoving body. I snapped my fingers and he jerked upwards, immediately back to business. "That's a peculiar place for a nap."

"It wasn't like I had a choice." He replied.

"Are you fighting a one-man war, Marcellus?" Nik asked him. "Doesn't seem to be doing very well. Perhaps next time you'll honour our alliance and inform me of your tactics."

"Look I don't need to inform anyone of my tactics, especially you." Marcel growled.

"Well perhaps after this ill-conceived plan, you could do with my help." Klaus fired back.

"While I love it when you two bicker, we did come here for a reason." Rebekah said, bringing her brother back to the matter at hand.

"Why yes! The Hollow's weapons." Nik said as he picked it up. "The magically crafted source of all our current misery."

"I need that." Marcel said suddenly. "Give it to me."

"Have you lost your mind?" Nik asked him. "Or has the Hollow stolen it from you?"

"I see we're right back to playground rules." I muttered with a roll of my eyes.

"Children, please use your words!" Rebekah snapped, separating the two.

"Those thorns are made with my blood and the Hollow's magic. So give it to me." Marcel said as he lunged for Klaus, but I thrust out my hands and the two were sent flying backwards.

"I will not tolerate this incessant game of who is the biggest man on campus." I snapped. "Elijah is gone and we are all under attack. How the hell are we supposed to defeat our enemy if the two of you are at each other's throats all the time?"

"She's right." Klaus said as the two picked themselves up from the floor.

"I'm not gonna give the thorns to the Hollow, I want them for something else." Marcel said defiantly. "And I don't need them to hurt you."

"Exactly, so why do you want them?" I asked him in confusion, but he remained angrily locked on my husband.

"Marcel, please." Rebekah said in exasperation. "Do you really want to fight all three of us? After everything that we have endured? We need your help. We need to destroy all of the thorns so we can end this once and for all."

"What do you mean there's more?" Marcel inquired.

"Yes." Rebekah replied. "We cleared the quarter but there is still one in Gentilliy, so if we go together—"

Rebekah never finished her sentence as Marcel immediately disappeared in search of the last thorn.

"Well done Rebekah!" Nik said sarcastically. "You might as well have just signed away our lives with a kiss." He rolled his eyes and disappeared after Marcel.

"For future reference Bex." I said as I linked arms with my dismayed sister-in-law. "Less carrot, more stick."

~Hayley POV~

Elliott stood with his mother in the ritual circle and she hugged him tightly, ruffling his hair as she did.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to, kid." Hayley told him. "I know you don't get along with Elijah, so I don't want to force you to do this."