Forever Original | Alaric Saltzman

Chapter 73

"This is where you absolutely had to do a Locator Spell?"

Kol looked around distastefully at the bell tower of the St. Louis Cathedral. As soon as the family had entered the New Orleans city limits, they'd split off. Elijah and Rebekah had gone to find Josh, Marcel's right hand man. The rest of them had gone to help Freya with a spell that'd pinpoint Klaus's location.

After five years being abandoned, the mounts of pigeon dung made it smell terrible. It was musty and the windows hardly let any sun in from how much grime had accumulated on the glass.

"Well, when I first moved to New Orleans, I primed this space," said Freya as they went toward the table that resided in the middle. "Marked it with my magic, made it mine."

Kol scrunched up his nose, nudging his sister, who grinned at him. "This dusty bell tower may be your own, but this is Marcel's city, and we're nothing but targets."

"All the more reason to let her get to work," said Hayley impatiently. "The sooner we find Klaus, the sooner we get out of here."

Freya gestured for them to stop bickering. "It won't take long." She pulled out a small knife and cut into her finger, placing it over the map of New Orleans that lingered from five years prior. As rehearsed, Hilda gave her her hand, and Freya began to chant quickly and quietly, channeling her sister. The blood remained stationary for a moment, before moving toward the Mikaelson Compound.

"He's in the Abattoir?" asked Kol, raising an eyebrow.

"A dungeon," mused Hilda. "That's why you sensed him underground, Freya."

Freya pulled out her phone to text Elijah, tapping her foot on the ground. There were a few moments of silence before she announced, "Rebekah is going to try to speak with Marcel at the Lafayette Cemetery— a distraction."

Hayley tensed. "Is that even safe?"

"Let's hope Marcellus doesn't deem to rip her blood head off," said Kol lowly. "Where to next? We can't just barge into the Compound."

"Rousseau's," murmured Freya. "The tunnels of the city pass under there, and we can use them to access the underground of the Abattoir." She faced her sister. "Tell Elijah to have Josh get everyone out of there. We'll go in through the back entrance."

Josh, obviously, wasn't all that pleased about being bossed around, but he wasn't about to deny three Original vampires, a Mikaelson witch, and a hybrid.

"Everyone's out," the young vampire told them. "Place is yours."

"See?" said Kol. "Wasn't that easier than us having to try to kill everyone?"

Hilda raised her eyebrows at him, and he stopped. "Would you be so kind as to move that freezer unit, so that we might be able to access the tunnels?" Elijah asked.

The twins seemed to have a private conversation about this, wondering why Elijah hadn't just done it himself, since he was stronger than Josh. They deduced it was likely because Josh knew how to move it without damaging it.

"Are you absolutely certain we're looking in the right place?" Hilda asked worriedly, not wanting them to be going down a dead end.

Freya nodded. "We know this tunnel runs the length of the city. Marcel must've carved out a section to serve as his personal dungeon."

"Ingenious and sadistic," muttered Elijah. "Well done, Marcel."

"Save the compliments for when he comes to kill us," said Kol sardonically. "Your flattery might give him pause." He fake curtsied, and Hilda stifled a giggle.