𝟒𝟔' 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐲𝐞𝐬
꧁꧂
Wanda stirred her coffee as Klaus and Hayley stormed into the dining room followed by Elijah, Kol, and Rebekah.
"Isn't that the point of a fortress? It does a better job of protecting you when you stay within its walls?" Klaus said to Hayley, displeased.
"OK! We get it. Now, let's just figure out what the hell we're gonna do." Hayley said annoyed. "What I would like to do is take a strong leash-" Klaus started shouting but Elijah cut him off.
"Children, please. Niklaus, your ire is justified. However, Hayley is quite right." Hayley shrugs and gives Klaus a smug look "We need to find a new strategy. Freya, if you please..."
"The spell you described, Dahlia calls it "kenning", using proxies to watch her enemies from afar." Klaus looks at her, half-suspicious, half-curious, and Freya pauses, looking overwhelmed "But, I've never seen it done on quite this scale." Freya finished.
"Awesome. So, basically every hurricane-chugging, boob-flashing tourist on Bourbon Street is a potential spy." Hayley sighed in frustration.
"I would be able to pin point the spies." Wanda cut in. Klaus looked at the girl in interest, "If they are being used, I could get into their mind see who's the real and who's not." She explained.
"Dahlia's mind barriers aren't something anyone can get through much less someone who claims she isn't even a witch." Freya told her.
Wanda gave the witch a look, "First off, let's make one thing clear. You don't know me, I don't know you. So don't assume what I can or can't do especially when I say, I can get through any mind barrier." she said.
Kol was watching her with a smug smirk that the girl had come to adore.
Freya sighed, giving in. "Fine, but thankfully I also know a bit about Dahlia's magic" She gestures at a tray she has set up that has a silver tea kettle and seven tea cups full of brown liquid on saucers "This tonic will at least prevent her from using any of us."
Rebekah and Freya reach for the cups.
"Well, come on! This should work like a charm!" Rebekah said to the others. Wanda sighed as she and Kol reached for cup, Hayley and Elijah next.
Elijah held out the seventh cup for Klaus who simply stared at it.
"Niklaus, is there something you wish to contribute?" Elijah said in annoyance. "I prefer biscuits with my tea." Klaus shrugged.
Elijah rolled his eyes and set down the cup.
"Besides, our minds are far too strong to be invaded by kenning spells. So what we experienced was a test. Dahlia is watching to see how we respond to aggression. She's preparing for battle. My guess is sooner, rather than later." Klaus said avoiding the cup.
"Well, if she was watching us, she would know that we have our own army." Hayley said.
"Right because a couple of dogs will scare away a thousand year old witch." Kol dryly laughed.
Elijah ignored his younger brother, "She also knows where we are, and, given the immense nature of her power, we simply have no idea what to expect from her. What we need is to create a new stronghold, something that Dahlia knows nothing about, a sanctuary from any witchcraft."
"That's a fine strategy. I offer another. We could use Jackson to trace her magic back to its source, find out exactly where she is." Freya said.
Everyone looked at Hayley who considered this for a moment, "Fine. Do it." the hybrid reluctantly answered.
Klaus looked pleased, "Good! Then it's settled. Off you pop to your respective tasks! Me? I've always been of the opinion that the best defense is a good offense. So I'm gonna find a way to murder that God-forsaken witch."
▵▿▵▿▵▿▵▿
Wanda walked downstairs when a feeling of being watched occurred, the redhead looked around but saw no one, shaking off the suspicion the girl kept walking to where Jackson is laying on the table while Freya draws symbols on him.
Wanda walked up to Kol's side who immediately slipped his hand into hers.
Hayley and Rebekah looked worried. "By doing this, we should be able to trace Dahlia's signature all the way back to the source of her power, but I'll need to dig deep." Freya looks up at Rebekah "Rebekah, if I may channel you..."
Rebekah looked uneasy but nodded nonetheless.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Hayley asked Jackson. "Piece of cake!" the werewolf nervously replied.
Wanda looks over at the girls. Rebekah takes Freya's hands in hers and holds them over Jackson's body as they both begin chanting the spell~
"Inveniere potencia reparon. Inveniere potencia reparon."
As the girls chant, Jackson's back arches painfully as he groans, clearly in agony. After a moment, Rebekah looks up at Freya and sees a vision of Dahlia standing behind her, holding her hand on Freya's shoulder. Startled, Rebekah immediately lets go, though Freya assumes she did so because of Jackson's pain, and she stares at her hands in fright.
"Rebekah... we need to continue." Freya gently told her sister.
Rebekah looked shocked, Wanda and Kol looked at her worriedly.
"What is it?" Wanda asked her. Rebekah looked at Freya appalled, "Uh, you. You're the reason Dahlia is able to cast such powerful spells." Freya looks alarmed and begins shaking her head in disagreement, but Rebekah continues on "She's channeling you!"
Hayley looked at Freya in betrayal, Kol glared at the witch. Freya looked as though she had just heard of this.
"This whole time, you've been helping her!" Hayley shouted.
Freya shook her head anxiously, "I had no idea!" she starts pacing "She must have found me" she starts to walk towards Rebekah as Kol tightened his grip on Wanda's hand.
"She wants to turn you against me!" the witch said. Hayley shoved her backwards "Get away from my husband!" Rebekah breaks them apart, "Stop!" She puts a comforting hand on Freya's shoulder "Freya, I want to trust you, I do, but... you said it yourself... you're bonded to Dahlia. I'm sorry, but it's better that you go. Please."
Freya looked hurt but hadn't realized Wanda who had read her mind, the witch left and the girl sighed, "She didn't know." Wanda snapped at all of them while ripping her hand from Kol's grip.
Wanda stormed out after her, despite Kol's shouts for her.
The girl ran out into the streets in search for the witch, she came upon Freya who was kneeled clutching her head as a women stood before her with her hand extended.
Wanda's eyes shined a violent red, the girl flew up with her powers and landed in front of Freya protectively as she reflected Dahlia's magic with a red energy barrier of her own.
Dahlia's eyes flashed with fear for a moment at the sight of the girl that went noticed by Freya but replaced it with a glare. "This is family business, dear. Step. Aside."
Wanda tilted her head pushing her powers towards the old witch, "No"
Wanda conjured up more of her powers in force to push Dahlia back, the witch stumbled. "You don't want to do this." Dahlia said.
Wanda glared at her, "I actually do." the girl created an energy ball in her palm sending it right at the witch. Dahlia took Wanda's magic full force and internally groaned in pain, but did not let it show.
The witch knew she wouldn't be able to fight off an angered witch like the girl before her, "Watch yourself Freya, You should know better than to defy me, a lesson your father and brother will learn shortly." she said before disappearing.
Wanda looked around but there was no sight of the witch, Freya stood up as Wanda's eyes landed on her. "You alright?" the redhead asked her.
"Why did you help me?" Freya asked ignoring the question asked, "You didn't know Dahlia was using you, and you mean something to Elijah and Rebekah... and I wasn't just going to let you get killed." Wanda smiled.
Freya looked touched as she returned a smile, "We should get back to compound." the witch suddenly said.
"Right. And if anyone and by that I mean Kol try to hurt you, I'll put them in their place." Wanda joked, Freya chuckled.
The witch was amazed at Wanda's kindness, she felt pity upon any person to anger the young girl.
Both girls walked up to the compound, the werewolf guards swarm Freya threateningly, Wanda stepped beside Freya sending a deathly glare at the guards.
"Back off, she's with me." Wanda said, the werewolves looked back and forth between the girl and the witch. Wanda raised a brow in challenge before all the guards backed down.
"Wanda!" Kol shouted as he walked towards her in hopes to embrace her, Wanda ducked below the vampires arms and made her way towards Rebekah.
Kol pouted in annoyance since this wasn't the first time the girl had done that.
"I'm actually glad you're here." Rebekah said to Freya, Elijah suddenly came down and joined them. "Freya." he said.
"Dahlia, I saw her... Wanda helped me." Freya told them.
"What?" Kol and Elijah said in sync. "She intends to make her move tonight. Klaus and our father will be her next victims." Freya informed them.
"And you have returned to warn the very people who would cast you out?" Elijah asked as Kol rolled his eyes.
"I understand Klaus' mistrust, as I do yours, but I did not come this far to see my family die at the hands of the very evil that I've tried for so long to escape. I'm begging you, help me save them." Freya pleaded, Wanda sent the witch a reassuring smile.
"Tell us what you need." Wanda said.
The family hadn't even noticed a witch who slipped inside a poured a vile into Wanda's coffee. "This should keep her away from me long enough." Dahlia grinned as she disappeared into the shadows again.
"Dahlia will lure them into a trap. She prefers places of darkness. She'll be drawn to any site that's been steeped in death." Freya explained.
"Oh it's not like that isn't every damned place in this city." Kol sarcastically said.
"Oh, no. I'm talking about dark power created by massacre, sacred ground that's been stained in the blood of the innocent." Freya said.
Freya and Wanda walked into the kitchen together, "I don't think you realize how grateful I am about what you did." the witch told Wanda.
The girl smiled as she picked up her coffee, "It was no problem and without a thought would I do it again." Wanda sincerely said.
Freya touched by her words, smiled. Wanda took a sip of her cup.
"Their lucky to have you." the blonde told her. Wanda knew the girl was talking about their family.
As she was about to respond a sharp pain stabbed her mind making her drop the cup that shattered on the floor.
"Wanda!" Freya shouted as Wanda's sight became blurred.
Freya reached for her just as Wanda's body gave out. "Kol!" the witch shouted as she caught the girl's limp body.
Kol appeared in a second, "What happened?" he growled as he took the girls body in his arms. "I - I think it was the coffee." Freya said now thinking.
Elijah and Rebekah appeared in the kitchen having heard commotion.
"What happened to her?" Elijah asked, worried.
Freya bent down and dipped her fingertip into the spilled coffee as she examined it.
"Poison" Freya revealed looking back at her siblings. "Dahlia's poison." she explained.
Kol's face went red with anger.
"That witch bitch!" Rebekah shrieked.
▵▿▵▿▵▿▵▿
The Mikealson's went into Wanda's room where she laid unconscious, after the long and stressful night.
"Can someone explain to me why this happened?" Klaus snapped, angered that the young girl got hurt. Kol took a seat in the chair next to her head and held the girl's hand.
"Can you heal her?" Kol asked Freya as that was all he cared about in the moment. "Yes, but I need many ingredients to be able to perform the antidote." Freya replied as she saw the scared look in Kol's eyes.
"Why would Dahlia go after Wanda?" Elijah asked.
Freya looked over at all her siblings, "You don't see it?" she asked them.
They looked at her in confusion, "What are you talking about?" Rebekah asked.
Kol, Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah looked at Freya intently.
"Dahlia is afraid of Wanda."
▵▿▵▿▵▿▵▿
A/n: THANK YOU ALL FOR 150K READS! It makes me so happy people are enjoying this book. I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I enjoyed writing it. I am going on a trip tomorrow so I don't think I can update this week but I will update as soon as I can! As always happy readings~