Shutting the car door Klaus and I helped the girls out of the car when we entered New Orleans. With its busy streets and loud music. Alina whined following my heels. “Why did we have to leave Mystic Falls?”
“Because your uncle Jacob said he needed our help. And we answer the call when family needs your help.” I explained to her, leading her into the cabin in the bayou.
Klaus opened the door for us where I saw my niece laying underneath a bunch of blankets on a bed. “Rae, Klaus. Thank goodness you all are here.” Hayley said in relief, coming over and hugging me.
“Yeah of course. So what exactly has been happening?” I hugged her for a moment, breaking the embrace.
My brother came out of the small kitchen with some hot chocolate. “She started shaking and crying in her sleep. So Hayley and I did a mind dive with our vampire powers. But all we saw was a bright blue light and then some darkness. Here you go honey, drink this.” Andrea groaned when he helped her sit up and drink the warm liquid he had for her.
“Well that sounds like an ordinary witch torture spell to me.” Klaus scoffed putting his hands in the pocket of his black jacket.
Hayley glanced up at me once she looked at her little girl. “Raelyn, could you maybe siphon whatever is inside her away?”
“Uh oh. Hayley I don’t think that would work exactly.” Wrapping my arms around myself I clicked my tounge in regret. “Our power doesn’t work that way. Yes we can siphon magic but I don’t think we can siphon away simple nightmares.”
She drops down beside her daughter when she starts mumbling something we couldn’t place. “Andrea, sweetheart. What’s wrong?”
“Mom. Dad?” Missy called our attention away from the three, “Can you hear them, too?”
Klaus stepped towards her, bending down on a knee. “What's going on?”
Moving to stand by him I asked the girls. “Look at me. Tell me what you heard.”
Alina mumbles quietly. “Voices. They said that we're connected to this. Us and Andrea.The witches. The Ancestors. They have a message for us. A warning.”
“Tell me what they said, Lina.” Klaus placed a hand on her cheek.
Hope finished looking directly at me and Nik. “They want you to go to St. Anne's Church to talk to them. They said you have to do exactly what they say, and you have to do it now.”
Andrea moaned in agony finishing the message. “Before the Hollow comes for us.”
Hayley turns on her heels kissing her daughter’s forehead coming back over to us about to leave until Klaus grabbed her by her arm. “Where do you think you are going, little wolf?”
“Look, it's my daughter’s life we are talking about. So if you and Raelyn are going to learn about this thing then I am coming with you.” She snapped, lifting her head upwards to his.
He released her wrist gesturing towards the doorway. “Ladies first then.”
The three of us entered the church not seeing anyone here. Hayley mumbles stopping beside me. “It's quiet.”
“Of course it's quiet. It's a trap.” Klaus rolled his eyes.
She remains hopeful. “We don't know that.”
“New Orleans witches have hated my family for three centuries. Of course it's a trap.” My husband teased her.
“The coven protects their own.” Hayley spoke towards him. “You’re girls and mine is one of them now. She's part of their legacy.”
Klaus glanced in my direction seeing that I hadn’t said anything. “Our daughters are a far cry from a French Quarter fortune-teller. And while we're on the subject, they’re nine and six. If anyone wants to talk to them, they should ask my permission.”
Hayley smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. “You're gonna be a lot of fun when she starts dating.”
“Let’s not discuss that.” I snorted out a laugh covering my mouth with my hands imagining that conversation already.
He glared at me shrugging his shoulders. “I'm gonna be a perfect gentleman. And should any of her suitors fail to meet my expectations, I'll compel them to the priesthood. Oh, look, Harvest Girls. I assume you speak on behalf of your Ancestors.”
One of the four girl’s steps forward. “Provided that you've come in peace.”
Klaus sent her a look. “Well, that depends on you, doesn't it?”
The girl walked forward with the other three following her toes. “We don't want a fight. We're here to offer a deal.”
Another girl tilted her head where I remembered that Elijah had told us while we were gone that he got the link to the ancestors back. “Although your brother did murder all four of us, so let's not pretend we're friends.”
My husband growled at her face. “Please consider all pretense of friendship dropped. Where are the Ancestors?”
The four Harvest girls with the third turning to us. “We need your blood.”
My husband was sitting down beside me. “That's funny, I didn't hear you say "please."
The fourth girl snapped. “If you want answers, we have to guide you to the Ancestors. But since you aren't witches...We need to bend the rules.”
“How exactly does that happen?” I asked getting to my feet.
The girls said back. “Simple loophole. You're both bound by blood to a New Orleans witch. We can use the link to your child to cast a spell and link you to an audience with the dead.”
Hayley bites into her wrist dropping down where it was needed. I raised my wrist up drawing my own blood with Nik doing the same glaring at the witches. “Why do I get the feeling there's something you're not mentioning?”
“Just one thing... This is gonna hurt.” The other witch said before I grabbed my head and we all collapsed onto the floor in pain until we woke up in a blue room that looked exactly like the church we were in.
Klaus grumbled holding his head. “Now can I be angry at them?”
Forcing myself up to my feet I grunted dusting my hands off on my jeans. "Oh don't worry I'll be giving them some serious payback when we get out of here."
Hayley groaned looking around the empty church. "Get angry later. We're here now. We may as well get some answers."
Klaus glared at her, taking my hand in his. "So are we to wander around this dreary purgatory in search of lost souls?"
A figure appears from the shadows. "I wasn't sure you were gonna show up."
"Well, I'm full of surprises. I hope you intend to make our trip worth the effort." My husband rolls his eyes toward the stranger.
“As a matter of fact, I do.” The figure removed her hood revealing a familiar witch. “And you are gonna listen to every single word I have to say, because right now, I'm the only thing standing between you and the Hollow.”
I sighed in relief rushing forward and by some surprise I could actually hug her. “Davina Claire, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes. Oh, I’ve missed you.”
She hugged me back, breaking the hug. “I’ve missed you too, Rae. I wish it was under better circumstances though.”
“Me too. But we are here to help my brother's daughter Andrea. I’ve been told she’s been seeing blue lights and voices speaking to her. So what exactly was the Hollow?” I questioned the French quarter witch holding her hands in mine.
“It begins a thousand years before the city was founded. Two rival tribes decided to combine their power. They thought that by uniting in peace, they would enter a new age of harmony.
A marriage was arranged. Two powerful witches joined together to create a unified coven. That marriage bore a child. For nine months, the tribe elders visited the mother, using magic to grant the child great power in hopes that the newborn would become a symbol of prosperity. But they had no idea what they were bringing into the world. She was named Inadu. Soon it was clear that she was stronger than anyone could imagine.And that she had a terrible hunger for more power still. And that's how the Hollow was born.” Davaina explained the entire story to the three of us but she didn’t tell us everything.
Klaus tugged me away from the witch where I met his gaze when he asked the question where we were all thinking. “Well, this is all frightening fodder for campfire tales, but how do we kill her?”
"You don't understand." Davina shook her head. "You can't."
Removing my hand from hers I shrugged my shoulders in disbelief. "That's not possible. There's always a loophole. Everything can be killed one way or another. So what aren't you telling us?"
"Well I'm done talking to you. Sorry Raelyn." She grabbed Hayley's hand before she disappeared before our eyes.
Klaus hollers her name. "Davina! Rae?"
When he turned to me I fell backwards onto the floor. The next time I opened my eyes I was back in the normal church. "Davina! Damn it, Klaus. Klaus, wake up. Wake up!" Crawling over to my husband's knocked out body beside me I put my hands on his chest.
A Few moments later I saw Hayley run in with Marcel and Elijah. "Raelyn, Davina's gonna sacrifice Klaus to put the Hollow down."
"What the hell is wrong with her!" Scrambling to my feet I growled standing in front of the others. "Davina, you've got two seconds to show yourself!"
She revealed herself with magic giving me a sad look. "I'm sorry, Rae. But this will save the city."
"I don't care, D. You will not sacrifice my husband!" I growled raising my hand causing her to grab her head for a minute.
Marcel put a hand on my shoulder where I dropped my hand. "D. There's got to be another way."
"I was just waiting for the weapon, but now that you're here...I'm sorry. But you need to kill him." She raised her hands dragging Marcel towards her. With her other hand she made his blood leave his body heading towards my husband's passed out body.
Marcel winced in pain. "No, Davina."
She snapped at him. "He's lived ten lifetimes, that's more than enough."
Vamping forward I tried to strike her again but I smacked head first into a barrier spell. "Urgh! No! He's my girl's father."
"They'll still have you. But if we don't stop the Hollow, then they will die." Davina started her spell again until the doors opened behind us.
"Hope, Alina, Missy!" I gasped when Elijah turned on his feet facing them.
I could hear the wind blowing where I glanced over my shoulder seeing my daughters. The triplets intertwined hands doing a spell. "No! You promised to help, but you're not helping. You're hurting us, and I won't let you."
"Impulsa…come on, Klaus."
Davina got thrown backwards by magic. While I ran back over to my husband shoving my hands over his chest, shocking his heart.
He gasped upright sharply grasping my forearm slowly glancing at me. "Raelyn…"
"Daddy!" Missy called his name, flinging her arms around his neck. Hope and Alina follow behind her, hugging him tightly.
He closed his eyes briefly, lifting his gaze up to meet mine. "Thank you, girls…" Dropping down on my knees I hugged them all tightly relieved that we were all fine.
Comments really appreciated ❤️ Melvia-ito