Dark Moon | Klaus Mikaelson

Chapter 69

Esmeray was glad to do spells again.

In the meantime, Elijah was working with the New Orleans witches to try and turn an Algiers building into a safe space, where magic could not work. Klaus was off with Davina, trying to locate Mikael, and Hayley and Rebekah were left to help Freya and Esmeray with the spell on Jackson.

"Just relax," said Esmeray, letting her hands glide through the air, hovering over Jackson's body to prepare him for the process. "Breathe, and focus on the feeling you had when Dahlia was inside your body."

Jackson nodded nervously, and Freya began to make an infinity symbol on his bare chest with the burned end of a sage stick. "By doing this," she told him, "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." She looked at her sister. "Rebekah, if I may channel you? Esmeray needs to focus on letting us into the exact part of his mind that Dahlia invaded."

Rebekah nodded, and Hayley patted Jackson's shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

He laughed lightly, clearly anxious. "Piece of cake."

"You just need to let yourself go limp," said Esmeray, placing her hands on his head. "While Freya and Rebekah are searching, I'll be the one making sure to keep you from having any discomfort. Don't fight me on it, or it will hurt."

She started to chant quietly, and Jackson closed his eyes. Freya and Rebekah linked hands over his body and began their spell, "Inveniere potencia reparon malifica. Inveniere potencia reparon malifica."

Jackson started to breathe a bit heavily, but otherwise, looked unharmed. Esmeray could feel the darkness that he was fixated on, and it was making her own heart rate speed up. Dahlia had to be at least thirty years older than her, and she'd purposely specialized in darker magic than Esmeray had ever tapped into.

Rebekah suddenly jumped back, as if her hands had been shocked. "You," she said sharply, staring at Freya with an appalled expression. "You're the reason Dahlia is able to cast such powerful spells. She's channeling you!"

Hayley's eyes flashed angrily. "All this time, you've been helping her!"

But Esmeray could hear Freya's heartbeat, and the alarmed look on her face didn't appear to be how a trickster would be reacting to being caught in a lie. This was genuinely surprising to her, and making her afraid. "I had no idea!" she said, her hands shaking anxiously. "She must have found me." She looked pleadingly at her sister. "She wants to use you against me!"

Hayley shoved Freya toward the door. "Get away from my husband!"

"Hey!" snapped Esmeray, getting between them and moving Hayley back. "She didn't know, okay? Use those hybrid senses to listen to how her heart is beating. She's not lying, Hayley."

"We can't take that chance!" snapped Hayley. "She needs to leave!"

"It isn't Freya's fault!" Esmeray argued. "Esther did the same thing to me— she started to channel me when I least expected it, and the only reason we found out is because I was unconscious, and even then, it took awhile for Klaus and Elijah to figure out why I was in a magical coma. We've already established that Dahlia uses magic even Esther didn't know— Freya couldn't have been able to sense it!"

"Of course you can vouch for her!" Hayley said defensively. "You don't have a husband or a child in danger!"

"Jackson is still my friend!" she sneered back. "I still care about Hope, even if she isn't my child! I wouldn't jeopardize their safety, Hayley."

"Oh, really? You do seem all too ready to compromise their wellbeing because you relate to her."

"Should I remind you that Klaus doesn't trust her at all? And yet, even with him constantly harping on about how little he believes in her, I'm still able to understand when someone is lying or not!"