Ardent | Elijah Mikaelson

Chapter 40

Their happiness was short-lived.

She'd only just enjoyed a few hours of the following day (after finding out that Hayley and Jackson's wedding night had been just as pleasant as her night with Elijah) when Klaus entered the dining room furious, slamming his hand down on the table and spilling the soup Elijah had served himself.

"May I ask what happened?" said Evangeliya boredly, reaching out to offer Elijah a napkin.

"Where is Freya?" Klaus demanded.

"Settling into her room, I gather. Rebekah might be helping–"

"REBEKAH! FREYA! Come to the dining room immediately."

Hayley entered behind him, an annoyed look on her face. "You don't have to belt, you'll startle Hope!"

"She must be startled enough after what just happened!" snapped Klaus. "Dahlia has found you, found her."

Evangeliya and Elijah were immediately concerned. "Dahlia is here?"

"Yes," said Hayley tiredly. "She got into Jackson's head, I don't know, it was really strange... he's taking a moment to breathe upstairs, he's still shaken."

"And is Hope alright?" inquired Evangeliya.

"She's good, I asked one of the maids to watch her for a bit. She doesn't seem to realize something is wrong."

As soon as Freya and Rebekah had joined them, Hayley gave more details about how they'd been approached in the middle of Bourbon Street. Freya got to her feet as she spoke, beginning to brew tea for the group. Klaus was severely displeased, even more so when the tea began to smell horribly.

"Isn't that the point of a fortress?" he demanded. "It does a better job of protecting you when you stay within its walls?"

"Okay, we get it!" said Hayley, frustrated. "Now, let's just figure out what the hell we're gonna do."

"What I would like to do is take a strong leash–"

Elijah interrupted, "Children, please. Niklaus, your ire is justified. However, Hayley is quite right. We need to find a new strategy. Freya, if you please?"

"The spell you described," said Freya, "Dahlia calls it 'kenning,' using proxies to watch her enemies from afar. But, I've never seen it done on quite this scale."

"Is there any way to prevent it?" said Evangeliya. "Anyone could be a spy at any given moment, perhaps even within this house. Or is there a way of detecting if someone has been infected and undo it?"

Freya nodded. "Yes, I know a little about how her magic works, and I've made this tonic. It will at least prevent her from using any of us."

She began to distribute six tea cups full of brown liquid. "I will make more," she offered, nodding to Evangeliya. "Wherever Lucy and Kol are, they should ingest some, too."

"We should give this to everyone who enters this Compound frequently," suggested Evangeliya, drawing a small sip. It tasted as bad as it smelled. "The vampires, the werewolves, the maids. I doubt we can distribute this to the entire city but I recall in Mystic Falls, the Sheriff had vervain put in The Grill's coffee every now and then. We could slip a bit into beverages at nearby cafés and even some drinks at Rousseau's, if we can make this colorless, odorless, and tasteless. At least it minimizes who can be possessed, particularly those in close proximity."

"A good idea," said Rebekah. "Bottoms up!" She encouraged everyone else to draw a sip with her.

Elijah had drank, but was still holding a teacup out for Klaus, who hadn't taken it. "Niklaus, is there something you wish to contribute?"