Gods & Monsters ✧ Elijah Mikaelson

XVII ✧ King Of Death

Chapter Seventeen

"Forgive me, Ajal, but should you not be busy at this time? You usually are," Avarice said, glancing from Elijah and back to Ajal.

Ajal's smirk soon faded. "I think you both know why I am here, my dear friend."

She blinked a few times, and Elijah saw her glance down at the book she had been holding. Then she picked it up, held it under her arm, and nodded to Ajal.

"Of course. Shall we meet in the study?" she asked.

He nodded. "I would very much enjoy that. I did not realize that you had guests in the castle," he said, looking over at Elijah for a little longer than necessary. "Take all the time you need."

Ajal left the doorway, and Avarice turned back to look up at Elijah.

"My apologies..." she said, and he could feel the tension start to form in the air. "I... Was unaware that he was making a visit today. Will you excuse me?"

She didn't wait for him to answer, and instead rushed to the library doorway. He was left in silence as he listened to her almost run down the corridor.

He did not leave the library, instead deciding to look for a new book to read. Of course, his peaceful reading time was quickly interrupted when his siblings each came into the library.

"Who the bloody hell was that, Elijah?" Kol asked.

"Who might you be referring to?" he hummed, not taking his eyes away from the pages of his book and keeping a set of two fingers against his temple to attempt at removing the horrid headache he tended to get when in his brother's presence.

"Oh, I don't know." His tone was exceedingly sarcastic.

"Maybe the man that just materialized out of a shadow in the middle of the dining room?" Rebekah continued Kol's sentence.

"Why on earth would you be asking me?" he asked, sighing.

He closed the book and set it on the table. It was pointless to even attempt at reading with them around. Freya gave him an apologetic look when she saw the slight annoyance in his expression.

"Because you spend more time with Avarice than any of us," Kol said. "Other than Pin and Levi, you know the most about her. That man asked for Avarice and then left when we asked what he wanted with her, and now, by some stroke of luck, here you are. In the library. Where we last saw Avarice heading. If anyone knows who he is, it's you. Now tell us."

Elijah cocked a brow at him. His brother should know better than to try and order him around. "Did it ever occur to you that, perhaps, you should leave Avarice to her own devices?"

They were all quiet for a few moments, and Elijah knew it was because they were each wondering why they cared so much about who that man was.

That man was a stranger. They did not trust him, but they most certainly did trust Avarice. Even Klaus, who had barely been there for a day. They thought of her as a close friend. Maybe even as a family member, as they did with Hayley. Avarice had saved them all in one way or another, whether it was from death, insanity, or torment. As Elijah had just told Avarice, that was rare for them to find in another person. A willingness to save the family of vampires that would do anything to keep each other safe.

She had saved them, and because of that, they did not want to lose her.

Elijah yet again found himself marvelling at the woman's charms. He would certainly not deny that he felt the same way as his siblings, perhaps even more. It was amazing how fast a person could become attached to another.

"I know that his name is Ajal," Elijah said, in hopes that it would keep his brothers and sisters at bay. "And Avarice seemed to know him well. It appeared that he caught Avarice by surprise at first, but then she seemed to know exactly why he was here."

"He's here because of the anniversary," a familiar voice called from the other side of the library, near the doors. Each of them turned to face Levi. It seemed he had decided to pay a visit as well. "1100 years ago tomorrow, the other members of the Seven were killed."

"Killed?" Freya asked. "But Vanessa said they were never heard from again. Not that they died."

Elijah was surprised at that. Was he the only one that Avarice had told? She had said to him once that the others had been killed. Had the truth been hidden from his family? If so, why? And why did Vanessa believe that they were not dead? She was Avarice's most trusted friend next to Pin and Levi.

"But nothing is as it seems here, now is it?" Levi asked.

None of them answered.

"The man that you just saw is a Grim Reaper. Or, to be more specific, he is the Grim Reaper. Lord Ajal is the man that we pass every supernatural soul along to."

"Grim Reaper?" Rebekah muttered. "What exactly does he do if you are the ones that extract the souls?"

"He is the one that judges them. He makes the decisions between Heaven and Hell, or Purgatory and the Ancestral Plane."

"So... When I died, he..." Kol said, his eyes going to the floor as he continued to go on.

Elijah knew it was likely odd for him to think about. Knowing that he had just seen the very man that had had complete control over whether his soul went to hell or the Ancestral Plane.

"Yes. He would have led you to the Ancestral plane," Levi said, nodding.

The rest of them were in silence.

"I assure you, you need not worry about his intentions with Avarice. Nor do you have to worry about his contempt towards you, for he has none. However, do not, under any circumstances, underestimate him."

Elijah looked up at Levi, only to see that he was staring right at him.

"Avarice is among the strongest of all the Dream Reapers in the world. In fact, she could probably kill Kaige and my father if she really wanted to. You each know how powerful she is; you've been witness to it more than once."

They all nodded.

"Because of her strength, people here often call her the Queen of Death. And Ajal?"

Elijah didn't miss the soft smile that tugged at Levi's lips. He was amused by the way that they were each intimidated by the Grim Reaper that stood on the very roof that was over their heads.

"Ajal is the King."