Chapter 43

Beatrix had waited a few days to tell Klaus, which had, of course, gone very badly.

"Are you insane?" the hybrid roared.

"Yes, darling, thank you," said the Heretic wryly.

"You— they just— they just finished torturing you! You only just made it out alive! Absolutely not— absolutely not!"

"Klaus, I'm not actually joining!" insisted Beatrix. "I just want to protect Davina. She's desperate to bring Kol back and even after he told her the Strix spell was dangerous, she's insistent upon trying it!"

"She can bring Kol back another way, can't she?" spat Klaus. "You know more magic— have her do it another way! Davina Claire cannot stand anyone with the Mikaelson surname unless their first name is Kol. She will be used against us—"

"Not if I keep her safe! Marcel can make sure neither of us are harmed. Think— I could infiltrate the Strix now that Tristan is gone and I'll be much safer than I would have been before!"

Klaus thought it over, but did not look pleased. He leaned in to whisper in her ear. "One of the witches was killed last night. Elijah killed her."

"What?" she hissed. "Why?"

"She showed him a vision of the weapon. It— it's that little horse Hope adores playing with. It's made of White Oak."

Beatrix winced. "Oh... shit. Where is it now? You burned it, I presume? And you're whittling another for Hope as replacement?"

He looked away. "Camille has taken it," he admitted. He turned back to her. "You cannot trust them, Beatrix. I won't stand to see you hurt."

"I'll be fine," she insisted. "Don't worry. Just— focus on finding Cami, alright? I have to go to the Davilla Estate to see about that dead witch."

When she arrived, she found Davina already with the remaining Strix Sisters, standing over Ariane's dead body. Beatrix felt no sadness. She glared at the black robes the Sisters were wearing, and came closer.

"Who are you?" said one, who appeared to be the leader. Her brown eyes were piercing, and her wavy dark hair flowed down her shoulders as she removed her hood.

"Oh, now you suddenly don't know who I am?" she scoffed. "You Strix are confusing. I'm the Heretic."

The girl cast her a stiff nod of understanding. "Aya said you would come. You say you will not become an official member, but will be here with Davina."

"Yes," she said with a wry look. "Now, before we start with the 'bullying the new girls' routine, let me remind you that I'm older than all of you, meaning I'm stronger than you when it comes to magic, and I'm also a vampire, meaning I can move quite quickly. I know many of your spells already and how you make them, along with magical practices from other Covens all around the world. Don't underestimate me, or I'll rip your throats out."

"We weren't planning to," said the girl, though she didn't look pleased. "I am Madison. I am the leader. We follow my command." She looked around at the Sisters, and they arranged themselves all around Ariane's body, ready to channel her.

Beatrix didn't need to ask what they were doing. Clearly, they wanted to figure out what she'd learned about the Mikaelson's that'd caused Elijah to kill her. Sitting between Davina and one of the shorter Sisters, Beatrix linked hands with them, and they began to chant.

"Ak ti ves de kono. Ak ti ves de kono. Ak ti ves de kono. Ak ti ves de kono...."

It did not work, and Madison grew aggravated. "We're getting nowhere," she said. "Take some time. Gather your focus. We'll reconvene in an hour."

She turned to look at Davina and Beatrix specifically. "And we won't stop until we get what we need."

"Well, she's a bitch," said Beatrix when the Sisters left. "I'm sure they just don't know the proper procedure for this. Ariane has to want to show them."

Davina furrowed her eyebrows. "Maybe she'll show us, then..." she leaned down closer to the body. "I know you're not a New Orleans witch... But you did die here. When I was a little girl, I remember being told that a witch who wasn't consecrated would never know peace." She extracted a small vial of water and poured a drop on the girl's forehead. "The Ancestors may hate me, but at the end of the day, witches take care of their own."

She reached out to touch Ariane's forehead, and she suddenly gasped, her eyes rolling back. Two seconds later, she was back to normal, looking up at Beatrix. "I saw something," she said very quietly. "And— and I heard Klaus. He said... it's a toy. A trinket he made when they were kids."

Beatrix stiffened. "I assure you, I know what you mean. Let's leave it at that, shall we? We should continue consecrating her."

Davina bit her lip. "You don't think we should tell the Strix?"

"Not a good idea. Let the others handle it. These people seek to hurt Klaus, and if he dies, so do I, Marcel, and Josh. Trust me, it's in our best interest to—"

She suddenly sped to the door, catching Madison's hand as she lifted it, and siphoning, causing the girl to stagger back, crying out in pain. "Thought you could sneak up on me, didn't you?" sneered Beatrix.

But suddenly, she was the one being grabbed. "And you thought you could come in and sneak in with information that you would hide from us," said Aya's voice in her ear, holding her arms fiercely at her sides. The rest of the Strix Sisters came forward, and they linked hands. The girls at the end who were not holding another hand came and put their hands on Beatrix's forehead as she struggled against Aya.

She could feel them pulling the memory of her conversation with Klaus from her head. Gritting her teeth and snarling, she kicked at Aya, but the woman was far stronger than her, and with her hands restrained, she could do nothing. She saw flashes, able to see into the minds of each of the girls that were participating in the spell.

"I got it," said Madison loudly. "I know what the weapon is!"

Another flash, but this time, it lingered, and Beatrix saw a familiar redhead looking at her, directly from Madison's mind.

But she could say nothing of it. When the Sisters released her, she passed out.

When she awoke, she found Davina had laid her down beside Ariane, who she'd kept consecrating.

"I couldn't stop them," she said softly, looking sad. "They went to retrieve the little horse."

"Fuck!" hissed Beatrix, scrambling up and pulling out her phone. "Shit—"

"What's wrong?" said Davina, alarmed.

"I got into their heads when they got in mine," she said, dialing Klaus's number.

"Yes?" he said when he picked up. "What have you to say for yourself? They got it!"

"I didn't tell them, Klaus!" Beatrix said immediately. "They got into my head!"

He let out a growl on the other line. "Where is it? Did they bring it where you are?"

"No— they aren't working for the Strix! They're working for Aurora!"

There was a slight pause. "What?"

"The girl in charge made some sort of deal with her— that's all I know. It was one flash but I saw Aurora's face in her mind. They gave her the horse!"

Klaus cursed loudly. "Get back here," he demanded. "Freya will set up for a locator spell."

Beatrix hadn't wasted time. Davina had motioned for her to go, and the Heretic had sped back to the compound, arriving just as Freya finished setting up a map and candles.

"She'll likely be cloaked heavily," said Freya dejectedly as Beatrix linked hands with her. "Let's try one of yours first, shall we?"

"Sure," said Beatrix, pulling away, picking up a knife, cutting into her palm and dripping the blood onto the map. "Imita aurora." Once she healed, she took Freya's hands once more. "Repeat after me. Invenio repera cu precizie ostende trobar."

"Invenio repera cu precizie ostende trobar," Freya chanted.

"Sanguis lokalizovat nalézt găsi spectacol taverit."

"Sanguis lokalizovat nalézt găsi spectacol taverit."

"Přesně určit sanguinem nájst amplasa."

"Přesně určit sanguinem nájst amplasa."

Beatrix began to hum, and continued to speak, without Freya repeating. "Určit umístit aurora, polárna žiara reperio, espectacle invenient amb precisió."

The map promptly burst to flames, and Beatrix growled. "Alright. Your turn."

Freya left the room and returned with some black sand. "Nik," she called. "Get over here."

Klaus sped to their side, and Beatrix took his hand, cutting into his palm without warning.

"Bloody hell, love, maybe ask first next time," he said as she squeezed his hand to spill into a bowl.

She gave him a cheeky grin as Freya poured black sand onto the table in a circle around the a new map she slapped down. Beatrix poured Klaus's blood onto the map, and the two women linked hands again. "This one, you know," said Freya as they closed their eyes. Together they chanted, "Vinde val tratunderes. Vinde val tratunderes. Jalgida minu bloò mitt. Vinde val tratunderes. Vinde val tratunderes. Jalgida minu bloò mitt."

More flames, and they angrily unlinked their hands. "This is going to take a lot more work," said Freya in annoyance. "She has no intention of being found."

_

Months passed before. Aurora remained laying low, and Beatrix found herself struggling to keep up with everything.

It had been a year since she and Kai had been trapped in the 1903 Prison World, and she had done everything to not concentrate on it. Between searching for Aurora, working on a new spell with the Strix Sisters (minus Madison, who Aurora had killed) to break the sirelinks, researching other resurrection spells that could bring Kol back, and refreshing her mind on new medical and surgical practices for childbirth, Beatrix had had no time to think of Kai.

Whenever she could, she tried to offer her company to Hayley, who was still struggling to overcome her grief of Jackson's death. She had not spoken to Elijah or Klaus in detail about the future of their relationships, and thankfully, neither male had pressed her about it. Thankfully, it wasn't too much of a burden to work with the Strix anymore, since Marcel had become the new leader. This kept Klaus from being worried.

"Yes, Caroline," said Beatrix, her phone resting on her shoulder as she took a call, sitting in front of her new laptop. "I'm booking the flight for this afternoon, don't worry. For now, if Valerie can siphon a little every chance she gets, the twins won't be inclined to do it to you. Yes, keep drinking blood and your prenatal vitamins but don't do much activity. Let yourself be on bedrest, alright?"

It was difficult for Beatrix to adjust to newer techniques, but she was doing her best. Not that it mattered all that much— she'd be using magic to help with the birth either way.

"Sorry, I'm late," said Beatrix as she sprinted into the Davilla Estate ten minutes later, finding Davina working on the sireline de-linking spell again, stretching her notes out on a clothesline on the wall. Aya was with her, and she didn't look happy.

"Heretic," she said. "Perhaps you can tell me why you and Davina do not work with the other girls on this."

"First of all, I have a name, Aya," said Beatrix coldly. "Itza or Beatrix is fine, considering you already know my real name. Those girls slow us down. Davina worked on this spell last year after studying Esther's grimoire cover to cover. The girls can verify it when we finish. All we need is the binding agent."

"And what will that require?" Aya asked sharply.

Davina pursed her lips. "Our spell is based off of the one that the Mikaelsons' mother used to make them vampires in the first place. She was an artist. She had her own unique way of doing things. If we're gonna finish this spell, we need someone who knew her techniques..."

Aya made a face. "Let me guess. Someone like... Kol Mikaelson?"

Beatrix gave her an impertinent look. "Yes. He knows those spells very well and he will help us."

The vampire was clearly suspicious, and thus, turned to a chest across the room, bringing out a waxy severed hand clutching a tall black handle. "Oh, perfect," said Beatrix, pretending to be pleased. "A Hand of Glory. So, we don't get Kol permanently?"

Aya smiled with false sweetness. "If you want Kol to remain permanently, make sure he gives us the information we need." She sped away, and Beatrix rolled her eyes, going to the side of the room to set up a salt circle with candles.

"I got this," she told Davina. "I've tried this before with another dead person."

"Who?" she asked.

Beatrix bit her lip. "Kai," she whispered. "But... well, it didn't go too well."

Her preparations had not been accounting for the fact he'd ended up in Hell.

Behind them, footsteps sounded, and they saw Marcel. "Hey," he said, clasping his hands together. "Glad to catch you both together. Came to let you know I'm on your side, okay? Aya just told me what's happening."

"Please tell me you don't trust her," said Davina worriedly.

Marcel shook his head. "I don't. But I do trust you both, and I need you to trust me, okay? Aya's always gonna be playing her own game, just like everybody else in this town. But now, more than ever, we got to stick together. And when this is over, I will help you raise pain-in-the-ass Kol Mikaelson from the dead."

Beatrix was about to go pat him on the back when her phone began to ring. She picked it up and frowned when she saw it was Klaus. "Hello?" she said. "What's wrong?"

"Aurora has Freya," he said, sounding livid. "Meet us in the bayou— a carpenter's workshop within the forest. Do you know where that is?"

"Of course I do. That used to be my mother's house. I'm on my way."

She sped away, and soon after, found Elijah and Klaus outside the workshop. "She's not in there," announced Klaus worriedly. "She was— I can smell her blood— but the stronger scent is due west."

"You two track the scent," said Elijah. "I'll take the cabin."

They split up, but Elijah stopped them. "Both of you— whatever happens, you promise me—"

"Aurora dies today," said Klaus, pulling Beatrix deeper into the woods.

"I can't believe that in the time it took me to leave the compound, Aurora got to her," hissed Beatrix as they moved.

"She will not live past today, I will ensure it," he said, though he stopped and ran when he approached a freshly dug grave with lavender plants on top of it. Sharing a look, the two dug into the ground with their hands, shoving dirt everywhere, and reaching a wooden coffin. Klaus leaned in and yanked it out, but when he opened it, the inside of the lid simply said 'GUESS AGAIN,' written in blood.

"Oh, bloody hell," snapped Klaus as Beatrix stood, and looked around, her stomach doing a flip. "Klaus..."

He stood and looked around the rest of the forest, and two realized there were more than a dozen other graves, all having been recently dug and adorned in the same manner, with lavender flowers planted in the ground.

"This will take too long," snarled Klaus. "We have to find her."

"I can try a spell," said Beatrix, wringing her hands together. "I have to get back to Kol and Davina... if I channel you, I can try to remove all the dirt, and from there, maybe lift all the coffins. You'll be able to smell the blood from Freya then."

"Do it," said Klaus, offering his hands to her. Beatrix concentrated, and closed her eyes. "Odhalit lutum vyskočit, brutícia exorior objevit, špína brollarà přijít!"

There was a sound like a muffled explosion, and lavender and dirt shot into the air. Beatrix shut her eyes as the earth quite literally blew up around them, creating a purplish brown cloud in the air that left both her and Klaus coughing as each hole was left open. Klaus immediately perked up and sprinted toward one of them, pulling a coffin out, and immediately biting his wrist to shove it in Freya's mouth in order to heal her.

Taking this as her cue to be able to go back, Beatrix sped away. These days, she often found herself going back and forth all over the place with all her responsibilities. It was not fun.

She arrived and found that Kol was already speaking to Davina. Correction— they were arguing just a little.

"Trix!" said Kol. "Please, dissuade Davina from this foolishness. This spell is impossible to break."

"No!" insisted Davina. "I can tell you're lying to me, no matter what face you wear! Don't you get it? If we can break the sire link, we can use the power of the Sisters to bring you back. Kol, we can finally be together. Why won't you just tell me?"

Kol rubbed his forehead. "Because, darling, neither of you will like the answer."

"Fine, at least I know it's not impossible!" said Davina, beckoning Beatrix over. "Look, here's what I'm thinking— Esther cast the spell. Kol died with vampire blood in his system, he came back, fed— then he was a vampire. So, the core of the sire link has to be blood. If there's a loophole, it's blood-related."

"Er— okay," said Beatrix. "But that sounds kind of evil."

"Exactly!" said Kol. "It's not just blood-related— for it to work, someone has to die. So please, stop."

Davina was not about to listen. "The spell centers around blood, but just taking someone's blood wouldn't kill them. You need their heart."

"This is a devil's bargain, Davina Claire!" Kol insisted.

"It has to be more complicated than that," Davina murmured to herself. "It can't just be any old vampire, the heart has to be special. Do you need a heart outside the link?"

"Oh, fuck," said Beatrix in realization. "An... an unsired heart."

"Damn it!" growled Kol, turning away in frustration.

"Hayley," Beatrix whispered. "Shit— they're going to need Hayley. Aya can't find out— not until I find a solution."

"A duplicator spell," Kol muttered. "It's the only way. You know it from when I taught you Kémiya, Trix. You have to duplicate Hayley's heart."

"But— but we don't need to do it in such a complicated way," Davina said, patting her head in thought. "Jackson— the wedding... the unification ceremony made their hearts mirror images of each other, right? We can just—"

"Absolutely not!" said the Heretic immediately. "We are not about to go ask her to dig up the heart of her husband after all these months of grief! She's planted it under a sapling, it's grown— there is no way we're going to open up her wounds that way. We have to do a duplicator spell."

Davina shook her head. "That's too complicated and we have no time. We have to speed up this process so that the Strix can help us get Kol back. If we don't do this soon, this candle will burn out before he can get back."

"Please," Kol said, trying to reach for her hand but being unable to take it. "Please, love, listen to Beatrix— it's wrong. It will hurt Hayley, and it's disrespectful for her husband. Davina, they will ruin you... please, this isn't the way to go."

Davina suddenly winced, and held her gut. A knowing look came to her face. "The Sisters found Hayley. I can't explain it— I just know." She rushed to get her bags. "We have to help her."

"I have a better idea!" said Kol. "You're linked to this nasty little coven, right? Which means if I take you down—"

"You take down the Sisters," said Beatrix quietly. "I can do the spell, so the candle can stay lit for longer, then."

Kol cast her a grateful smile as the Heretic flicked her wrist and made Davina pass out. Kol crouched down beside her, and smiled. "Well, I can keep watch over her. Get started on the duplicator spell."

"Got it," said Beatrix, rushing to some paper and beginning to write down what she needed. "She's good for you, you know? You two make a good pair. Both super attractive and stubborn... if you had kids, they'd be a whirlwind."

Kol chuckled. "Yes, well, I never could stand the idea of kids but she makes me reconsider that. Wouldn't be all that possible, of course, but if we wanted it, we could always try."

Beatrix came to sit beside them as she worked out the rest of the spell. "You better ask that girl to marry you one day. I call being maid of honor."

"And her friend Josh can be best man," suggested Kol. "Better to not have my brothers feeling hurt if one is not picked. They can be the groomsmen and whatnot, if they want to be a part of it. That Camille girl and Hayley can be the other bridesmaids and Elijah and Klaus can lead them down. Freya can pick whoever she wants. Maybe Marcel... that'd be funny."

"Let me guess, your wedding is going to be one big prank after the other," Beatrix teased. "Just make sure beforehand, you discuss it with her. She might want the whole fancy dress thing."

"I don't doubt it. She'll look ravishing, as usual."

Beatrix's phone began to ring, and she held it up to her ear. "Yes, Marcel? Everything okay?"

"Only just saved Hayley, but I have another alternative. Jackson's heart."

"We discussed it— not happening. I'm writing out a spell to duplicate Hayley's heart instead."

There was a brief silence. "I already got the heart."

Beatrix let out a groan. "Oh, fuck. You better prepare one hell of an apology, then... listen, Davina and the Sisters can handle the rest of the de-linking spell. I need to be in Whitmore tonight, Caroline's C-Section is scheduled for me to do at the Medical Center. I should be back by the time they're finishing up to make sure everything goes well. They're de-linking Klaus first, right? To be safe?"

"Yes," said Marcel. "Safe flight, alright?"

He hung up, and Beatrix finished her last pencil stroke before turning the spell for Kol to see. "Would this have worked?"

His eyes scanned over it quickly. "Yes, it would have. You get better at magic every day. Davina's lucky to have someone like you looking after her. I'm not too chuffed about you both being involved with this coven, but... once I'm back, we'll deal with them, eh?"

Beatrix nodded and went to gather her things. "Sure. Take care of her, alright? I have to head to the airport already."