Devil in Disguise (Kai Parker)

Chapter Twenty-Nine: An Old Friend

They were walking through the graveyard when Meg heard two people talking. One was familiar, the kind of voice that tickles a memory in the back of your mind but you just can’t identify. The other was girly and slightly thick, as if she’d just spent hours crying. ‘Great. Company.’ Meg puffed an irksome strand of hair from her face.

‘Not the thing we need when we’re plotting murder.’ Kai agreed.

‘Doesn’t that voice sound familiar, though?’ she bit her lip, scouring her mind for a face that matched. ‘I swear I’ve heard it before…’

‘You have been here before,’ he pointed out, batting away a swaying tree limb. ‘It’s more than likely you’ll recognise someone.’

‘I suppose…’ she said purely to humour him. Whoever owned that voice, she had talked to him. It had been kind of hard to talk to someone back when she was a ghost.

‘Where’s Jo now, then?’ Kai repeated the same question he’d been asking for forty-six minutes.

Meg shot him a look, ‘You know, for someone that’s meant to be concerned about me losing my magic, you sure do ask for me to do a lot of locater spells.’

‘Stop whining.’ he smacked her on the arm, ‘It’s not a good look on you.’

Sticking her tongue out at him, Meg rolled her eyes before closing them and going once more into that magical trance. The mental map was just building up in her head when several thoughts snapped into place at once and the shock made her eyes spring open.

‘…the next comet, or eclipse.’ that familiar voice went on, and this time Meg could name it. It was Damon.

‘Damn it, Kai, it’s Damon.’ she laughed. God, she was stupid, to not even recognise Damon’s voice. He had been her best friend in that prison world.

‘As long as we have that, we can go back as many times as we need until we get her back.’ Damon continued. He sounded oddly tender, and Meg guessed it was that girlfriend he was talking to, what was her name? That girl with the olive skin, brown hair, dark eyes… Elena.

Elena gave a deep sigh, and Meg heard leaves rustling as she fidgeted. ‘Well, it wouldn’t be polite to leave without saying “hi”.’ Kai grinned, and before Meg could say or do anything he dematerialised and appeared just feet away from the couple.

‘Wait, are you guys talking about Bonnie Bennett?’

Their heads snapped to the side, and their faces went momentarily slack with shock. ‘Honestly,’ Kai went on, leaning against a tree and smiling that manic smile, ‘I didn’t think she was all that great.’

With one bored swish of his hand, Kai sent something clutched tightly in Elena’s hand soaring through the air. It hit the tree, and it was only when Meg saw the mess of cogs and gears that she realised it was another Ascendant. God, she was slow today – maybe her magic really was going down.

Elena cried out, ‘NO!’ and sprang to her feet, nearly tripping in her haste to get to the Ascendant.

As she clumsily tried to gather up all the delicate machinery, Damon got up slowly and said with a look of vindictive pleasure, ‘I’m gonna enjoy the hell outta this.’ Using his vampire speed, he rushed forward to attack Kai. Meg was about to wince when Kai casually raised his arm and made the vampire’s knees buckle. Damon was writhing on the ground, clutching his head, which Meg knew from experience must be aching.

‘Okay, me too…’ Kai tilted his head slowly, watching Damon convulse on the floor. ‘Oh, yeah, Damon,’ he said, as if just remembering something extremely important, ‘I stole some of Meg’s magic, and I think some of it may still be in my system… so… pardon me.’

With another jerk of his hand, he sent the vampire flying as though he weighed no more than a feather. ‘Speaking of Meg,’ he looked at her through the trees with an eyebrow raised, ‘Are you gonna help, or just stand there and watch?’

‘Do I have to?’

‘Yes.’

Sighing dramatically, Meg stepped through the trees and into the little clearing. ‘Meg…’ Damon choked. An invisible weight was pressing on his chest, keeping him down, and it made talking uncomfortable.  

‘Sort of.’ she giggled, wiggling her fingers in greeting. ‘Nice to see you got out in one piece, Damon. I did too. Kinda. May have gotten my magic back on the way.’

She flashed him another amiable grin, and then looked behind her. Elena was still crouching by the broken remains of the Ascendant, trying desperately to push them back in place. ‘And this must be Elena,’ she dragged out the ‘e’ in Elena. ‘It’s so nice to finally meet Damon’s girlfriend! Although, technically, I have seen you before… you were always so annoying.’ she added, as though this was a fact she might find interesting.

Kai smirked and joined the brunette on the floor. He tutted, and picked up a stray bit of gold from the floor. ‘You missed one.’

‘It’s always that one,’ Meg mused, recognising it as the peice that ruined Bonnie's chances of getting out. Huh, Bonnie. She hadn't thought of the little witch in a while.

‘Indeed it is. Fes Matos Incendia.’ Kai cast as he threw the piece onto the pile. The whole thing went up as though they were timber, consumed by magical fire. Meg had to admit she felt a fierce joy as that contraption went up in flames. The origin of so much misery, finally burning.

Elena screamed as it was destroyed and the flames started to lick her arm. Her cotton sweater and vampire skin were no match for the flames. They raced up and down her forearm, scorching and scabbing every inch as she screeched fruitlessly.

‘Damon’s up.’ Meg warned just seconds before the vampire tried to rush Kai again. Honestly, by now, he should’ve learned that never works. Kai simply dematerialised as he swiped at him, and left Damon utterly furious and confused.

‘Why are you working with him?’ he snarled, turning to Meg.

‘I dunno. There’s nothing else to do, I guess.’ she shrugged.

‘What the hell’s wrong with you?’ he zoomed forwards so he was in her face, glaring at her from just a few inches away.

‘Didn’t you get the memo?’ she replied scathingly. Raising one hand, she cast a silent spell to make her fist catch fire. ‘I got my magic back. And shouldn’t you be helping your little girlfriend, instead of asking me irritating questions?’

He gritted his teeth and moved away, kicking at nothing as he went. Meg winced at his luck. He hit Kai right in the shin, making the invisibility spell undo itself and causing Kai to flail through the air like a doll. The vampire’s strength made him go right across the wrought-iron fence and into another plot. Meg shivered as he crossed over; for a moment, there had been a ripple of magic so strong it made her’s look mediocre at best.

He landed with a thump on the other side and groaned, all the breath knocked out of him. Elena finally got that fire out and looked at Damon fearfully, but he didn’t do anything to protect her. He just glared at Kai from the other side of that fence. It rather seemed like he couldn’t do anything.

‘Huh…’ Kai got to his feet and looked around, ‘I guess this is that, erm… Anti-magic border. Which means there’s a psycho loose in Mystic Falls… and no vampires around to stop him.’

Meg grinned at them. ‘Whoops.’

‘C’mon, Meg.’ he motioned for her to join him. Confusion flickered in her eyes at his request – surely he realised that when she crossed over, she’d have no magic? She’d be useless to him. But there was that oh-so-familiar glint in his eyes again, telling her he had a plan. Shrugging, she hopped over the fence and through the border before Damon or Elena could do anything about it.

Almost as soon as she left the magical area, she felt her energy drain. The world wasn’t as colourful any more, the noises not so distinct. Worst of all, anguish and grief were gathering steadily in the back of her mind. If Kai had a plan, he’d better do it quick, before she lost her emotionless state entirely.

But all he did was say, ‘We’ll be seeing you soon,’ to Damon and Elena, before grabbing Meg’s hand and walking further into Mystic Falls.