(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Eighty-One

Daphne finds it easier to follow the magical scent when she's in the astral plane. It's like the whole place is drenched in it. Swirls of different scents from all the different sources. From all the different witches and wizards. It tingles along her skin. She draws her hand around herself, the colours swirling with the movement. Hypnotic. Like dancing rainbows. She then remembers that she's in the plane for a reason. She is here to find Bonnie and Abby and to stop Esther from channelling them. She wants to do it without having to do the last resort solution. She wants to be able to do it so Bonnie and Abby live too. She doesn't feel comfortable with the idea that two witches might die for this. It's not fair. So if she can sever the connection, cut off the magic, without any of them dying, she is damn well going to do it. She takes a deep breath and wafts away some of the magical trails, trying to find the one scent she is looking for. Families tend to share the same scent. More so with traditional witches. She reaches out and touches the line of scent. Familiar. This one is the Bennett line, but there is another coiled around it. Which must be Esther. Feeding from it. Daphne lets out a breath. That's not going to last. She is going to sever that. Not because Elijah told her to. Not just because Elena's life depends on it. But because she won't allow witches to be used like this. She won't allow her friend to be used like this. She lets out a breath and closes her eyes, feeling along the line to find the source. To find Bonnie.

.....

The scent leads Daphne to the old witch house, and she should have guessed at this place. It is the most logical of places that the witches would gather to draw on power. This whole place swirls with so much magic. A beacon in Mystic Falls. Daphne heads inside, careful about the sort of magical trace she leaves. She doesn't want to get caught here before she has had a chance to talk to Bonnie. She wants to try and talk her out of helping Esther before she tries a magical solution. She wants a peaceful solution if she can find one. But she doubts it. Someone is going to get hurt here. She really hopes it's not going to be her. Not when she is finally coming to terms with herself. Not when she is starting to accept what it is that is inside of her. Not now she has a solid lay. Damon is...has become an important part of her life. A very important part. She...doesn't want to leave him. She huffs under her breath and shakes her head. It's alarming how fast he's dug himself in so deep. The sexy little vampire man. Her eyes glance around the rooms of the witch house before she moves into another room. Here she finds Finn and Esther are gathered with Bonnie and Abby. Daphne needs to wait. She needs to wait until they are left alone. Esther is more powerful than her, if she discovered her in astral form, she could cause some serious damage. Daphne is smart enough not to go near her. She just needs to cut her off. Hopefully, that will be enough. Hopefully.

......

Back at the boarding house, Stefan checks his phone as it pings away with a message. Damon thinks that they can take out the Originals before time is up. He wants Stefan to try and get Daphne to hold off on severing the link for now, just until it is done. Then she can free Bonnie and Abby. Stefan glances at Daphne's meditating form and frowns. She's been silent and still for a while, he assumes that means it works, which means she might not even be in there right now. How is he supposed to tell her anything?

"Daphne" He starts as he crouches at her side. "I have no idea if you can even hear me...." He sighs. "Look, just hold off on severing the link...Damon thinks they have a real shot at taking out all the siblings...."

.....

Daphne frowns and glances back over her shoulder, hearing Stefan's message through the plane. Well, considering she hasn't even started thinking about which spell she is going to use, she doesn't have to worry about holding it off. She still needs to figure out how to do this. But she can try and get a message back, just to let them know where she's found them. Just in case anything else needs to be done. She closes her eyes and concentrates on her body, on the room around her body.

......

The dust around the cell shifts, moving, crawling along the floor towards Daphne's empty body. Stefan cocks his head to watch as the dust starts to spell out words in front of her, between two candles.

"The...old witch house" He reads and then leans up, his eyes going to Daphne before he smirks and nods before he pulls out his cell phone to inform Damon.

.....

Daphne lingers at the old witch house, sitting on the porch when Esther, Bonnie, Finn, and Abby go outside to set up for their spell. She stays and she watches them. Waiting for the right moment. Waiting for another message from Stefan. Finn suddenly seizes up and then falls to the ground, desiccating before their very eyes. Ether snaps her head around to look at her son's body.

"Something's wrong" She states. Daphne smirks a little. Seems Damon's plan is working perfectly. It is also likely that she is going to have to get going on this spell. She pushes herself to her feet and takes a deep breath. Determined, she steps down the porch steps towards Bonnie.