Heavy Head (Book 4: Battle Series, The Originals)

Ch. 6: Bag of Cobras

Vincent had called me to say that he found something out about the Hollow, so he invited me into show me a wall of maps, articles, etc.

"So, what do you got?" I asked.

Vincent gestured around the wall. "1953. Clusters of violent rituals in four different locations, all in the span of two months. Similarity of the rituals, to me, suggests a possible connection to the Hollow. More violent clusters, this time in Algiers, Treme, the bayou and Marigny. Again, four different locations."

I frowned in confusion. "Why is it always four locations?" 

"That's the part I haven't figured out yet," Vincent told me.

I nodded.

There was a knock on the door. Vincent and I turned around, walking toward the door, seeing that Elijah was standing in the doorway.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "What do you want?"

"Can we at least pretend to be civilized?" Elijah asked.

"We're supposed to be civil?" I asked, nodding sarcastically. "Oh. Does Marcel know that? I'd ask him, but I can't find him anywhere."

Elijah sighed, shaking his head. "It is outrageous. Where is that young man's sense of courtesy?" He looked at Vincent. "Now, please invite me in."

"Tell me where Marcel is," I told him.

"Detained, until we can be sure that he's free of this thing's vile influence," Elijah answered.

Vincent scoffed softly. "You Mikaelsons, you always find a way to get right back on top, don't you? And I bet you got a plan all figured out."

Elijah nodded. "As a matter of fact, I do. A rather festive one, in fact. I'd love to tell you all about it."

Vincent hesitated, knowing that he didn't have much of a choice, sighing. "Well, if you're gonna help us fight this thing, you're gonna have to know what it is that you're up against. Come in before I change my mind."

Elijah stepped inside. "Wonderful."

Vincent and I watched him walk further into the house, exchanging a look.

****

Vincent, Elijah and I were looking at Vincent's wall of maps, articles, etc.

"This thing has been haunting the city for a very long time," Vincent told us. "And before today, the only thing I knew about it was that it was a spirit practicing very dark magic, and it was trying desperately to get back into this world. And that's why it tried to sacrifice those kids. That's why it tried to do the exact same thing to Marcel and to Klaus. Because if it kills them, if they die, it absorbs all of their power."

"So, talk to me about this," I told him.

"This is the history of the city," Vincent told us. "Yeah, this is the ebb and flow of violence and tragedy. Look, this is, um Madame LaLaurie. This is, uh, the Axeman. I mean, the list goes on and on and on and on and on, and sometimes it's hidden, but if you know what you're looking for, right? There's always a sign that it's the Hollow. And when it does bubble up, it always does so in a pattern of four."

"What does it want?" Elijah asked.

"It's a ghost," Vincent told us, sighing. "It--it wants access to this world. So it reaches out, and it whispers to the desperate."

"There have to be others, someone else, someone who could speak to us of its desires, of its weaknesses," Elijah told us.

"You think this person might be at your party?" I asked.