She hoped they wouldn't freak out.
But knowing Jackson and Rebekah, she might end up in an hour-long lecture about why this was such a terrible idea.
Elijah contacted her first, revealing they had the weapon that could kill an Original. Apparently, the little wooden knight that Hope carried with her all the time was made of white oak. Freya was working on hiding it beneath dozens of spells after consulting Finn from the pendant, and Klaus had already made one identical to it for Hope. Unfortunately, she seemed to know the difference and did not really enjoy her fake knight.
Ingrid was glad to know they had that at least had that under control. So, after expressing how happy she was that they figured that out, she went to the Kenner apartment, taking advantage of the fact that Jackson was home alone while Hayley and Klaus (miraculously, together) took Hope shopping. The Strix Sisters had decided to just relieve Ingrid of her blood pact, allowing her to go speak to Jackson and Rebekah alone. She figured they were kind of nervous about going with her to speak to her family.
"Hi there," she said, waving her hand the instant she walked in, making sure a Silencing Spell would keep anyone from overhearing their conversation.
Jackson was slightly suspicious. "Ingrid," he said, noticing she wasn't wearing her necklace. "Everything alright?"
"I need your help with something," she said, setting down her bag, which made quite a loud noise as she set it on the table because of all the jars of spell ingredients inside of it. "I'm gonna do a spell... a big one. One that will be really, really beneficial. To complete it, I need an unsired heart, which would be... Hayley's. But I don't want to hurt her or let her in on my plan, so I was hoping you'd be willing to donate some blood so I can make a duplicate of yours?"
Jackson raised a brow. "You know, I think it might sound less creepy if you just ask for my Social Security Number and all my bank information."
"It's for The Strix," she said. "Don't freak out, but I took a job with them just to defeat them. They're not going to see this coming. I swear, the spell won't hurt you, I just need you to keep it a secret."
He crossed his arms. "Ingrid, since when the hell are you working for The Strix?"
"Only since a few days ago. And only for a few days more then, I'll be done and Tristan will be gone and... hopefully with Alexis back, we can find out more about the prophecy. Then Finn will be here and then Aiden will be here and Josh will be happy—"
He held up his hand. "I'm still not understanding... you took this job just to take them down? Couldn't you have..." he waved his hands, and made a cracking noise. "Or like, told Freya to do it?"
"It's not that simple," she said. "I needed my magic first, and they..."
Jackson sighed. "They gave you your magic back. 'Kay, no wonder you're..." he motioned to the door and how she'd cast a spell the instant she walked in. "And you're sure this is... for a good reason? The hell will an unsired heart do?"
"It'll allow me to unlink Rebekah from her sirelings, creating a Nexus Vorti to defeat The Strix and bring back the three people I mentioned."
His eyes widened. "You're gonna what? Ingrid, no offense, you sound freakin' crazy."
"I prefer 'driven to be victorious and meet my goals.'"
He shook his head. "Look, I'm hardly a part of this family and I always gotta watch my back, 'cause I feel like Klaus will just decide to chop my head off one day. I can't imagine they're okay with this, even if you are their cousin. What did Rebekah say?"
She pursed her lips. "I'll see when I tell her in... an hour."
"You haven't even told her? Or asked her if she's okay with this?"
"It's Rebekah! She'll say yes!"
"The last thing I wanna do is judge you, you know that, but you're putting yourself in a really bad position here, you know that? Elijah was telling us not to trust The Strix. If they find out you went to work for them... whatever your intentions, they're gonna think you're a traitor."
She blinked. "But I'm not, if I did it to benefit the family. Finn, Aiden, Alexis... what part of that doesn't make sense?"
Jackson bit his tongue, not wanting to say that he felt she was being too impulsive, too inconsiderate about what they would actually think. To him, it was as if she was making herself believe they'd be okay with it to save herself of any guilt that might stop her from going through with this.
She snapped her fingers. "Blood, please. Time is wasting."
"And if I say no?"
"Then I'm going to be stuck helping The Strix longer trying to find a workaround."
He was more surprised she wouldn't just take it without his consent. "Alright," he said. "I'll keep your secret. But if I find out you were lying, I'm going straight to Freya."
"Why does everyone threaten me with going to Freya?" said Ingrid, making a face. "She may be my cousin slash sister but I am not scared of her."
"Not even scared of seeing her looking at you, all disappointed? Freya won't hurt you, I know that, but she won't be happy. And I don't think you'll like the sight of her looking ashamed of you."
Ingrid's face fell, but she said nothing as Jackson came forward, offering her his hand. She sighed, offering him a knife and a bowl to bleed into while she set up for her spell, working quickly so that she could be out of there in case Hayley came back early.
It only took fifteen minutes, which Jackson apparently found impressive. While he sat on the couch drinking water after she'd healed his hand, he observed as his blood levitated from the bowl, the crimson fluid swirling through the air to form a heart before his eyes. One identical to his, identical to Hayley's.
"That wasn't too hard," she said, plopping the heart into a plastic bag and putting her things away. "Please... I swear, I'm not letting anyone in the family get hurt. The Strix witches are preparing a Chambre de Chasse to keep them out of harm's way, where they'll be able to keep each other company. Nobody will be getting into any unsafe fights. I have this handled."
"I hope you do," said Jackson. "'Cause you realize that if even one little thing goes wrong in your spell..."
"I'll pay the price," said Ingrid. "Not anyone else."
"I wouldn't be too sure of that."
Apparently, Rebekah was thinking along the same lines as Jackson.
Ingrid had asked to meet her at St. Anne's Church, in the gym. Rebekah had suspected nothing, but her face had immediately fallen when Ingrid explained the situation.
"Are you insane?" she said sharply. "You wish for me to submit to a spell of that magnitude? And before you even answer that— what drove you mad enough to join The Strix Coven in the first place?!"
"Just think about it, Rebekah," Ingrid pleaded. "I needed the magic, I needed the power, and we're killing several birds with one stone! Tristan plus dozens of other Strix vampires, dead. Marcel will be unlinked from Klaus, he'll be safe! Finn will be back, Aiden will be back, Alexis... Elijah could take control of The Strix and make them help us... Tristan was going to get this spell done anyway and my guess is that he wanted the white oak for this particular reason. Testing its success. He would have unlinked all of you. But I just figured you aren't in the same kind of danger Klaus and Elijah are. None of your sirelings have ever tried to hurt you! Theirs, however, are vindictive and cruel and would rush after them if the unlinking happened on them."
The blonde's lips were trembling, as if she was so angry and confused that she couldn't even speak. "Do you hear yourself?" she whispered. "Do you? Ingrid, you're making an incredibly risky bet that relies on me leaving myself vulnerable inside the Davilla Estate! If something goes wrong, we are all doomed!"
"Nothing will go wrong!" she shrieked, losing her temper. "Why is everyone doubting me? Why does everyone think I'm crazy? Just because I am mentally unstable doesn't mean I didn't think this through. I am a witch of an insanely powerful bloodline, I have this perfectly planned out, and it will go to plan! Please, Rebekah, please, I'll never ask you for anything again!"
"And what if you die?" she inquired. "What then, Ingrid?"
"I'm safe, remember, my life is linked to yours!"
"I'm going to have magic drained out of me to perform this spell— what if that severs the link between us? Or worse, what if it kills me right along with you?"
"That won't happen! Rebekah, I'm begging you. I want this."
"Yes, and it's entirely about what you want, with no consideration of how it affects us!"
"And how is it going to affect you, exactly? In negative ways, I might specify, given we stand to benefit from Tristan being gone?"
Rebekah seemed at a loss for words, not because there weren't reasons, but because she was just so stunned at Ingrid's insistence. "Ingrid," she murmured, "this... this version of you... it's ambitious and in some form, admirable, but I also fear you're taking too grand of a leap. Is this about power?"
"Power?" asked Ingrid incredulously. "Rebekah, I know I can lose my magic from this, and I still want to do it because it will help people! If you don't help me... I don't know how else we'll bring back Finn. How else The Strix witches will truly be free."
The blonde sighed. "Fine. Fine, I will do it. You said it won't hurt... right?"
"You'll feel weak for a few hours afterward but you will be in the Chambre, the only thing you might feel is some tightness, and some pain when we cut into your throat to drain you of blood momentarily, but I will do my best to ensure it doesn't hurt you. I am doing my best to make it painless for you."
Rebekah winced. "I hope you know what you're doing."
"Trust me... I do."
All that was left was to get everyone into position.
Lucien had been glad to do Ingrid a favor, bringing his blood, Marcel and Josh's blood, along with Finn's ashes, Alexis's ashes, and some of Aiden's possessions. He'd also taken Marcel and Josh to his penthouse to ensure they couldn't squeal to anyone about the plan, which also ensured they wouldn't be anywhere in the house when the blast went off.
Madison had instructed a few of the girls to find Aurora, who they'd placed into a deep Sleeping Spell, having her in an underground room of the Davilla Estate so that she wouldn't be hit by the blast. Ingrid had every intention to wipe her mind to make her forget that she'd even been here. Potentially, even erasing any knowledge that would lead her to determine that Ingrid was responsible for Tristan's death.
Once the Strix witches had ensured that the Chambre de Chasse and the tonic were ready, they showed Tristan the spell, luring him and The Strix into a large meeting room where Madison presented the information, and the plan. They had the compelled servants slip the tonic into every single drink served that night, which ensured that everyone, no matter what they chose to drink, would have it in their system.
Tristan had just stood up to give the closing remarks when Cynthia lifted her hands, and every single vampire in the room fell down.
"Hurry," said Ingrid, leading them into the next room, where Rebekah would be waiting. "We need to get everyone into the Chambre, now."
One of the younger girls took charge of that, ensuring that Klaus, Kol, Elijah, Freya, Rebekah, Lucien, Marcel, Josh, and Hayley were all inside. Jackson, of course, was taking care of Hope. With any luck, Rebekah, Lucien, and Josh would explain to everyone what was happening, and all would be well.
"Alright, ladies," said Ingrid, cracking her fingers. "Let's get started."
She knew better than to think that Dahlia might have ever been proud of her. But she would have paid to see that old witch's reaction to her performing a spell like this, with so many components. With The Strix Coven, specifically. Surely she was rolling around in Hell, unable to believe Ingrid was capable of it.
Rebekah, once asleep, she was carefully laid down in the pool. Ingrid took a moment just to look at her lock screen, a photograph of Cami holding Irene. She smiled to herself, then tucked her phone into her bag, setting it behind a pillar.
The Strix Sisters began to drip herbs into the water, and Ingrid picked up the spell, reviewing it one more time. For the safety of the other girls, she was going to cast it alone while channeling them, which would hopefully not hurt her too badly. Hopefully. That was the one part Ingrid didn't have a fail-safe for.
She then reached for the plastic bag, dropping the duplicate heart into the water. She lifted her cloak, slipping into the pool and reaching out to accept the athame Madison handed her. She whispered a spell over Rebekah, trying to ensure she wouldn't be in pain.
She slit Rebekah's throat, allowing the pool to begin filling with blood. She stepped back out, before her robes could get blood on them. She used the knife to slit her palm, allowing her own blood to drip into the pool.
She lifted her hands, and shut her eyes as she started to chant, "Nemo unus animabus carnem. Nemo unus animabus carnem. Nemo unus animabus carnem et sanguinem de ista duo. Sanguinatum venetus barkael meh. Nemo unus animabus carnem et sanguinem de ista duo Sanguinatum venetus barkael meh. Nemo unus animabus carnem... Nemo unus animabus carnem..."
The entire room had begun to shake, the blood water beginning to swirl around Rebekah's body. Overhead the lights flickered, and she continued to chant, over and over again, until she felt the spell was right at its climax. She slammed her arms down, and geysers of water shot into the air. Instantly, she swirled her hands together, and turned around, The Strix Sisters pushing their hands through the air with her, toward the room where the sleeping vampires were.
There was the sound of an explosion, and Ingrid could feel the dark magic radiating from the room back toward her in waves as the vampires died. The Sisters could obviously sense it, too, because the looks on their faces were of pure excitement and glee.
They helped her direct the magic toward the two urns and the items that were placed on the side. A cloud of smoke grew, and Ingrid concentrated with every ounce of focus she could, ensuring that cloud turned into three fully formed bodies. "Genoppstå vivus hent tilbake, famener vampyr heks loup-garou."
When the cloud cleared, she saw it had worked. She rushed forward with her cloak, and the Strix Sisters mimicked her, giving all three of the newly brought back supernaturals a chance to cover up. They were all dazed, and looked extremely confused. Aiden had given her a strange look before slumping back, asleep. Alexis had hardly acknowledged anyone, looking far too tired. Finn had remained awake the longest, but Ingrid had just told him to get some rest, promising she'd get him to Freya soon.
"Ingrid," said Madison brightly, after going to check that the vampires were dead. "They're all desiccated. They're dead."
"Good," she said tiredly, her hands trembling. "Make sure..." she staggered, leaning against her, "that they get home... safely. Lucien will come for Alexis, he knows he has to... Josh will come for Aiden... Rebekah can take F—"
"Ingrid!" shrieked Madison as she crumpled to the floor in a deep sleep.
She opened her eyes, expecting to be in the long hallway from before. But instead, she was in a field. A beautiful field filled with flowers. So, clearly, she wasn't being given a choice between peace and life. The blue-ish hue suggested some sort of limbo. Her body had died, temporarily, but because of her link to Rebekah, she wasn't going to be gone permanently. That, at least, brought her comfort.
"Hello, there."
Who would be here, speaking to her in old Danish?
She turned around, her mouth falling open. "Oh, what the..." she stepped back. "No. This isn't real. It's just my mind..."
"Even if it is," the woman across from her said, "I imagine it will bring you comfort."
Ingrid brought her hand up to cover her mouth, looking at the two figures before her. The woman, with her beautiful dark brown locks. Her nose just like Esther's, but her eyes exactly like Dahlia's. The man, muscular and with dark hair and eyes, a serious expression that quickly changed into a smile as Ingrid teared up.
She remembered when she'd seen them the first time, thanks to Klaus, who had been in Dahlia's mind. Given how much trouble she'd had sleeping at first, and the fact that her lack of magic made it hard to dream as vividly as she once did, she hadn't seen them much. But her parents were here, created by her subconscious to comfort her.
She rushed forward, pulling them both into a hug. All of them were the same height, and they were able to wrap their arms tightly around her, resting their heads on her shoulders.
"My little girl," said Frida softly. "All grown up. I remember when you were just a baby... quite tiny..."
"I had never gotten to see you," whispered Einar in her ear. "But I watched over you. Saw you grow up. How I wished I could have stayed."
Ingrid pulled away, and Frida cupped her face. "We don't have long, little one. Just a few more seconds and you will be back."
"What you did today was impulsive and you knew it," said Einar. "Let it be the last time you risk your life this way."
She blinked tears out of her ears, and pulled them into a hug again, holding them close for moment before they faded away.
She sat up, finding herself on the couch in the Compound. She looked around wildly, registering that a few of her family members were there: Klaus, Freya, Kol, and Hayley.
"Why am I here?" she said groggily. "How did I—? Where are The Strix—?"
"Elijah and Marcel are at The Davilla Estate," said Freya quietly from beside her. "The witches are free. Josh has Aiden. Rebekah and Finn are upstairs, resting. Lucien took Alexis home."
Ingrid suddenly tensed. "Shit!" she said, closing her eyes. "Aurora, she's still in the cellar, I was supposed to wipe her memories."
If those present didn't look mad before, they certainly looked mad now.
"How could you?" whispered Kol. "Ingrid... how could you join The Strix Coven without telling us? Anything could have happened to you."
"I'm fine," she said. "It went fine. I did what I wanted to do and... aside from fatigue, I think the magic is still there. I think I can still feel—"
She suddenly found herself being slammed into a wall. Klaus's hand was around her throat, squeezing tightly. And the worst part was that aside from a few yells of protest, no one was actually trying to make him stop.
"K-Klaus!" she choked, flailing her legs as he lifted her off the ground. "P-Please—"
"How dare you?" he snarled in her face. "How dare you desert us, all to join a Coven that had every intention to harm us?"
"T-They didn't—"
"They might have!" he spat. "And you would have helped them to sell the ruse!"
"N-No, I w-wouldn't have let it g-get to—"
He slammed her into the pillar again, making her head hit it so hard, she saw black spots in her vision as she continued to choke. "Nik, that's enough," said Kol roughly.
But he continued squeezing. "I let you live in my house," he said furiously. "I let you have a room of your own, I let you have your freedom. But you are nothing but a liar and a traitor. It is always my own family that stabs me in the back. You, Ingrid, you claim to have wanted to help us put this prophecy to rest, but you may very well have been the family that made Rebekah fall!"
She started to feel herself losing consciousness, and she clawed weakly at his arm, her throat starting to ache. Surely he'd crushed her windpipe by now, and she'd find herself in limbo again. Or perhaps the link was gone, between her and Rebekah. Perhaps Klaus meant to kill her, permanently.
"Klaus!" said Hayley loudly. "You're killing her!"
"Perhaps I should!" he sneered, ignoring the terrified look in her eyes as she realized that he would probably follow through with his threat. "You are just like Dahlia... no matter how you pretend. You are a vile creature, Ingrid Einarson—"
Hayley was the only one who dared to yank him off of her. Ingrid crumpled to the floor, wheezing, her lungs aching as she realized he had actually dislocated her trachea. Hayley quickly fed her blood, shielding her as Klaus made to attack her again.
"STOP IT!" she yelled. "Yes, she lied, and yes, nobody is happy with her right now. But Rebekah told us what she did, okay? She could have killed me, taken my heart. She could have done it all without asking anyone's permission. She asked Rebekah, and Rebekah agreed. Jackson agreed, as much as I don't like that she involved him. The Sisters agreed. If she wanted to, she could have unlinked you all, taken you there without your consent, channeled all your power. And she didn't. So leave her the hell alone. You wanna be mad? Be mad, but don't attack her!"
Ingrid cast her a grateful look as Hayley turned to face her, giving her a look that suggested she ought to get going home. Ingrid didn't need to be told twice. She shuffled out quickly, practically running back to the apartment, where Cami was waiting anxiously.
"Oh my god," Cami said, hugging her and holding the back of her head. "You're okay." Irene was meowing madly, desperate for Ingrid to pay attention to her. "Wait, wait... Ingrid... why are you crying? Is the magic—?"
She shook her head, tears flowing down her face. "The magic is there... it's there..." she sank down, covering her face.
"Shh," said Cami softly, caressing her shoulder. "Hey, it's okay... let it all out..."
Irene curled up on Ingrid's lap while she sobbed into Cami's neck.