Klaus wasn't very kind to the young witch, and there was no business deal to discuss. The poor woman layed in the bath tub as he'd overpowered her and mercilessly killed her.
"You do not play with me!"- he hissed as he got out of the hotel room.
Feride felt the demise of the young witch as if something had stabbed her right in the stomach. Lia felt the same.Just before Lia was to enter the villa with Esther, she stood as if she couldn't get any breath.
"Are you all right?"-Esther asked.
"Fine..."- Lia said, although she knew that something was seriously wrong.
The women entered the house.
"This is a beautiful house"- Esther complimented her.
"Well, thank you. Please, if you would come through here"- Lia lead Esther into the living room.
Lia then murmured words in Dacian language and the room sealing the room.
"What is this?"- Esther could feel a strange surge of magic enveloped her.
"Unfortunately, I had to contain you. I didn't really think that you were so strong minded."
"You brought me here on false pretences?!"- Esther wasn't happy about what had occured.
"I have no choice. I have to protect Elena and therefore Elijah. You are in my way..."
"My children will bring you nothing but misery!"- Esther said- "I don't understand why you cannot see what abomination they are!"
"Unfortunately, now it is too late. We have to fight the hybrids and I will need all your children on my side....at least those who want to go against them!"
Lia then heard Elijah and Elena enter the villa. She excused herself and went out to meet them in the Hall.
*************************
Somwhere in Europe
Katherine's blood indeed helped Yizel locate Elena. The witch and the vampire were now on their way to Bucharest.
Katherine smirked with gladness that at least some things were finally going the way she wanted them to. The hatred she had harboured for the doppelganger couldn't be described. More than five hundred years of survival killed all real emotions in her. She wanted revenge and she didn't care what price she or anyone in her way would pay.
*********************
In Germany
Feride felt that the power of five reincarneted witches break as one witch now was dead.
With her eyes full of tears she slammed down on the floor. She took time to mourn the passing. It was a harsh world, she knew that, and all she knew about the deadly soul of the most notorious vampire, now hybrid, came true.
"He will kill... and he would not think twice about it"- she remembered the lines she read about Niklaus Mikaelson.
With a heavy heart she got up and went to call Lia.
In Bucharest, both Elena and Elijah met Esther once again face to face. The Orignal witch couldn't get to them as she was now captive, but they could converse. Elena wanted to leave mother and son on their own, but Elijah said that whatever was to be said could be done in her presence too.
"I wanted to mend my mistake!"- Esther started.
Elijah was serious. It was now time to finally speak with all cards layed down on the table.
"I can understand that."- Elijah said sincerely - "but you knew what was going to happen...you were a witch, and not just any...?!"
"You know of survival...I have been motivated to save my family...and after Henrik had been killed..."
"Yes..."- he said grimmly. He understood that part as he also would do anything to save his family.
"But...I have to carry this burden, I guess...like you have to carry yours!"- Esther said.
Elijah knew what she was talking about, as he had a great share of tresspasses to live with himself.
She turned to Elena now.
"I see that you and Elijah share more than just a friendly understanding. Maybe for some reason he does deserve some light in his life! Still, never forget what he is!"
Elena's somber face indicated that she understood what Esther meant. Without saying anything to it Elena just walked out of the room. Her heart felt like it was hit with dark magic. She feltl an unsual pain in her gut.
Elijah went after her immediately.
In the the library, Lia finished her conversation with Feride. She brushed the tears off of her face .
There was more carnage to follow and the witches knew that.
She now took a moment to reconsider what would be the next step. Time could not be wasted. Once again she read about the ritual that was to take place. She calculated out the moon and the sun conjunction that was to happen before she had planned it, and what the implications it would bring if brought forward.
In the attic Elena nervously undid her coat and tossed it on the bed.
"Elena..."- Elijah said concerned as he walked in after her.
She looked at him worried.
"I don't like her being here!"- Elena said- "with all that happened last time... I mean...I know we brought her back...but...huh!!! "
"Lia needs Esther for the ritual!"- Elijah said seriously.
Elena could see the transformation in Elijah. He seemed to have closed off again.
"Demons and darkness..."- Elena thougt to herself. She sighed.
He now turned away from the window-
"You will have to be stronger than you have ever been!"- he said to her.
"Why are you saying this!?"
"I just got a message from Niklaus! He knows what we are up to!"
Elena felt like the blood in her veins froze. They were both quiet for a moment.
"What now?"- Elena uttered.
"Well...we still have a powerful witch on our side...she must come up with something."
And, indeed it was so. Lia summoned them to the library not long after. She told them what had happened, and that now they were in a dangerous limbo. But the very resourceful witch had a solution.
"We know now the cause of the mutation... "-Lia said- "but that is the least of my worries... We have lost a witch that was necessary to complete the ritual to close the circle to end the hybrid gene. But we are looking for a witch that is born with the mark of Earth so we can complete the ritual when the time comes. Now to more pressing matters... before the first dark red 'blood moon' appears we have to complete the Sun and the Moon conjunction ritual, so we have two that can fight against the hybrids holding the same powers as once the witch-slayers had.
The scrolls say that Elena is the bearer of the Sun and you Elijah the Moon."
What does that mean?"- Elena inquired.
"You are speeding thing up!? Would you care to explain?!" - Elijah looked at her poignantly.
"Because the Tetrad is about to set in and it gives the hybrids great power....when the sun, the moon and Mars are aligned -they create a passage of six full moons. You know what full moons enable the werewolf to do. You will be able to fight them when they are either vampire or werewolf. You two drawing power from the doppelganger and vampire will have equal power against them. Although you are an Original you are still so much weaker than you brother, or isn't it so?! ...Elena will throught this conjuction enable you to be as strong as a hybrid, and she will not anymore be merely a human..."
"Will I become a vampire?"- Elena then asked.
"No... you will still remain human, but you will be Immortal nevertheless, as you will become the reincarnation of the sidhe-spirit, the first, Zana, from whom the first vampires were created. So you remain still human, but you will be Immortal."
"That is not what you were suggesting earlier?"- Elijah wanted to know.
"No...I received some more disturbing news...the hybrids have made covenant with witches and worlocks who practice dark magic ...and that your brother is meeting them!"
"What proof do you have?"- Elijah said.
"This...." and Lia put her hand on Elijah's forehead and what Feride had teleported to Lia she now did to him. It showed Klaus with the mutated hybrid called Julius.
As she finished Elijah moved away from her as if stung by a wasp.
"Elijah..."- Elena said as she saw that his facial expression got darker. All he told Elena before the ritual in Mystic Falls now was coming to be.
"I couldn't kill him...he is my brother!"- he muttered.
"I know!"- Lia sympathized with him- "but you knew what would come to pass!"
"Yes..."- he said somber- "if I agree to all this...we still have a deal...you turn him into human!"- he demanded.
"I can sign it in my own blood if you want!"- Lia said coolly.
Elena's mind was racing now. She felt exactly the same as the day when she found out Klaus had arrived in Mystic Falls and the only clear thing was to undagger Elijah.
"I am willing to do it!"- Elena said resolved- "I want to fight...them..." She now looked Elijah wanting him to declare the same.
He knew that she wouldn't take anything less than a straight answer.
"We do this!"- he said looking at her and then at Lia.
"I will make the preparations... We need to depart to Cluj-Napoca as soon as possible!"
"And Esther?"
"She remains here. She will be safe!"- Lia confirmed.
*****************
In Germany
Feride opened the door of her flat to a woman in her thirties, who introduced herself as Adelheid Friedrich. She showed the witch the mark of caduceus and Feride smiled relieved that she found a fellow reincarnated witch. She invited her in and the two women commenced exchanging all that is to do with the strange occurences that were taking place.
******
Klaus sat down with Julius, who was the leader of twelve hybrid packs.
"I know that you have stolen the precious doppelganger blood bags!"- Klaus said calmly, but the blood in him was boiling.
"Unlike you, we only need now a few drops for the werewolf to change into the hybrid thanks to my mother, the hybrid witch!"
"Your mother?"- Klaus asked.
"Yes. she is a hybrid and yet she kept all her witchcraft-"- Julius said.
Klaus was quiet. He was there to collect information, and didn't like what he was hearing.
"I am listening..."- Klaus said cleverly playing the game of someone who had thousand years of cunningness.
"I hear that the doppelganger has escaped!" - Julius remarked.
"She is with my brother! We are out of blood bags, aren't we?!... Guess what - I don't negotiate with thiefs!"- and Klaus vamped out and attacked Julius who fought back with the same strength that Klaus had. Everyone present watched how the two hit and bit one another and charged at one another over and over again as rabid dogs.
"Enough!"- the witch sent a surge of magic to separate them. They parted for a moment and stood still, not changing back into the human form.
"Yes,he stole from you, as I have instructed him so. You don't negotiate Original. And we needed the blood to work the spell. I apologize, but it is in our best interest! You may think that your brother is on your side...but we know of his alliance with witches who try to kill all hybrids even you!"
"You think that I don't know that the witches are on my case. I have killed one of them! And as for your information. I have received fresh blood bags. You see, we are a close family, and my brother is only keeping the doppelganger safe from the likes of you!"
"Calm down. This is exactly what they want- to divide and make us weak!"- Julius now said.
"My son is right. Join us, Niklaus Mikaelson, and our power will be infinite!"- the witch said.
Klaus retreated to reconsider the offer. He didn't like what he had heard and that there was now a witch that was also a hybrid werewolf/vampire. He didn't believe it could ever happen.
**********
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Elena, Elijah and Lia arrived in the north-western city of Cluj- Napoca, Transylvania, sometime before midnight.
Lia told Elena a bit more about the history of Dacians. Elena wanted to know more about Zana, whose spirit she would be assuming in the next ritual.
"She was the spirit of nature, which you are too, because you are the doppelganger....you will know once it is done, as you are a reincarnation as well."- Lia said.
When they arrived in Lia's flat, Elijah asked to see the text in the scrolls that talks about them.
Elena made herself comfortable in the guest room. She took a shower. She needed time to herself. He heart felt like it separated into million pieces. She felt she grew old in the past few months. Curiously, she felt calm.
As she got dressed, she decided not to join them in the lounge. She layed down on the bed. Her thoughts were with her family, and the life that now was so far away. She fell asleep at one point.
When Elijah got in, she woke up. He sat on the bed. She could see in his look that he was still very worried. She sat up.
"We will be bonded for all eternity..."- he then said.
"I know. I understood all what Lia was saying. Sometimes it feels like I dreamed this moment- all of this. Like I have always known but it wasn't clear, now it kind of is... I used to lay down in my bed in Mystic Falls and thought about the future, and- I dreamed of this guy, wondering who he was, where he was... In my heart...you know when it all fits and you know it but you can't understand how that is... Where you go, I go... It's so clear to me. Give me your hand..." - Elena said
He put her hand out to her and she took it.
"I love you. And I know now that it was always you!"
"I love you so- more... I never could have imagined how real love can be!"- he uttered- then looked deep into her eyes, which responded with warmth and love, he then said -
"I would be honoured if you would enter into this as my betrothed?!"
"Yes.."- she nodded smiling a little- and then embraced him dearly.
***************
In the other bedroom Lia wrote a mail to Feride.