Rue | Klaus Mikaelson

Chapter 36

"The Hollow is getting stronger."

Ibeth glanced at Hope, who was looking over the balcony with Klaus while Ibeth helped Jayden with a puzzle.

"You can sense her?" asked Klaus.

Jayden stopped working on the puzzle, waiting for Hope's response. Pursing her lips, she said, "When we first got here, there was always music outside, people dancing, laughing. But since she came back, it's so quiet. Like she's draining everything out of the city. She already took Uncle Elijah. And soon she will come for the rest of us."

"Listen, Hope," said Klaus, kneeling in front of her, "I know you're scared. But over the years, a lot of bad people have stood against our family, and all of them have fallen. The Hollow is no different."

"No, she is different," said Hope. "I can feel it. Something bad is gonna happen. She's gonna hurt someone else."

Hayley appeared in the doorway. "Klaus, Ibeth... we have a problem."

They followed her to the ballroom, where Freya was holding her pendant, now showing signs of cracks.

"Despite the spell I cast," she said, "the very integrity of the pendant is growing unstable. It won't be able to hold Elijah's soul much longer. We need to find a way to resurrect him tonight, or we could lose him forever."

"To do that," mused Hayley, "we'll need more power."

"Let me guess," said Klaus, "a grand sacrifice."

"We can't have any of you die," said Ibeth. "The pendant can't hold you. There has to be something else. What about what I said about just channeling the Originals?"

"I have an idea," offered Freya. "I say we kill our enemy and sacrifice her, then I can channel the power from The Hollow's death, raise Elijah's body, and place him back where he belongs."

Ibeth furrowed her brows. "Okay, but how do we kill her? Nothing has worked so far."

"But we have come close," said Freya. "Labonair blood is her Achilles' heel. Hayley, your blood weakened her, but you've technically been dead for years. So it won't be strong enough to kill her. If we forge a blade using the blood of the last living Labonair..."

Klaus shook his head. "We don't want Hope involved."

Freya sighed. "She's already involved. Hope has been obsessed with the symbol that follows The Hollow: the serpent consuming itself. Now, I believe this is showing us the key, the only means to which she can be destroyed, her own blood. The Hollow's one end of the Labonair bloodline. Hope is the other. And we need to close that loop. The best way to do that is for Hayley to wield a weapon forged with Hope's blood. When she stabs her, it's only then The Hollow can be obliterated completely."

"Then we make it work," said Hayley. "I'll talk to Hope."

"I'll find weapons to use," said Klaus.

Ibeth accompanied Freya as she worked on a Locator Spell, allowing the witch to channel her.

"That's an odd Locator Spell," said Rebekah as she came in, noticing the lack of blood on the map.

"I'm trying to trace The Hollow's magic," said Freya. "Almost have it." A small serpent appeared on the map. "She's in the Garden District."

Rebekah peered over the map. "That's the LaForge House. At one time, it was the center of high society, but that all changed when Dr. LaForge tortured and killed his friends and family. Claimed until his dying day that an evil spirit made him do it. That house has been derelict since."