Chapter 49

Matt immediately shot at him.

Round after round collided with Lucien but it did no damage. He simply laughed and spread his arms wide as the bullets went through, healing as quickly as they were made.

He moved forward and backhanded Matt so hard that he flew backward, being knocked unconscious. Elijah dove forward and punched him, but Lucien was a greater match for his skill now, and Finn had to dodge so as to not be hit by Lucien.

"Poor show, poor show!" Lucien mocked. "Come on, gents, you can do better, surely!"

Elijah sped to him, but Lucien kicked him back in the chest. "What do you think, Elijah? This new power— it suits me, no?"

Beatrix took her turn, trying to knock Lucien down, but he very quickly put her in a chokehold facing Elijah. "I've pondered this," he told him as she wheezed and tried clawing out of his arms. "Who to end first, Elijah, or Klaus? I had thought him. But now that I'm here, I think it should be you."

He let go of Beatrix, who coughed and tried to get air back into her lungs. Lucien lifted Elijah off the ground and was ready to bite him before Finn shot forward and smashed the old basin from earlier against Lucien's head. This made Lucien drop Elijah, but instead, he grabbed Finn and bit him hard in the neck, causing him to let out a yell of pain.

Elijah caught Finn as he fell, and Lucien made to get Elijah next, but Freya held out her wrists, managing to make a barrier that kept Lucien from getting her brothers.

"A barrier spell?" remarked Lucien. "How delicious." He ran his fingers along the invisible boundary. "I do appreciate a bit of spice being thrown into the hunt. It isn't very fun if the quarry just rolls over and offers its neck, is it?"

"I can keep this up as long as I need to," said Freya as Lucien kept going, seeing the border completely circled her and her brothers. But because of Beatrix being behind Lucien, it didn't shield her, and he seemed to realize this.

"I don't doubt it, you little minx," he told Freya as he stepped back. "Never mind. I have waited a thousand years... I can wait a tad longer. I'm gonna enjoy making this last a long time."

He came over to Beatrix and yanked her up by the throat, holding her up to his level, though that meant she only hovered about three inches off the ground. "You, my dear, have more of a choice, don't you? Join me or fall with them. I'll let you ponder on it."

He dropped her and sped away so quickly that it was as though he vanished into thin air. Beatrix let out a hoarse noise as she went toward Finn, who was wheezing and holding his throat. It was bloody and looked quite painful, and it wasn't healing.

"Let me try," said Beatrix, coming over and pressing her hands near it. She started to siphon, but let out a cry of pain as her fingers turned red, as if they were burning. "What the—?"

"We need to get him back to New Orleans, now," said Elijah, picking him up. "Text Klaus and tell him to meet us at the Compound."

She nodded and brought her phone out. "This is insane— it's like the Ancestors are blocking me from siphoning because the magic is so dark, it'll only strengthen me."

Beatrix would have much rather had a repeat of the earlier car ride instead of the anxiety-filled journey back to New Orleans. Freya was in the backseat trying to soothe Finn while Beatrix sent Klaus the details and made sure he wasn't going to skive off his duties as a brother with magical blood.

Finn was delusional by the time they arrived, carrying him to the couch. "Don't leave me in here!" he bellowed. "Don't leave me alone!"

"Hey, hey, hey," said Freya as they got his head to rest against the pillow. "You're not alone, Finn. I'm here."

"Don't leave," Finn whimpered, grabbing Elijah tightly as he tried to steady him.

"Why is he talking like this?" asked Freya fearfully.

"It's hallucinations," said Beatrix. "It's the kind of thing a werewolf bite does."

"Hallucinations specifically of our betrayal," said Elijah uncomfortably. "It's his nightmare."

There were footsteps, and Kol walked in casually. "Well, he looks awful," he said as he flopped onto the opposite couch. "Werewolf bite. That's got to hurt, mate. So, Lucien's a bloody hybrid?"

"We don't know what he is," said Elijah. "His venom seems to work twice as fast."

"That's good," Freya mumbled. "Maybe it'll work through his system twice as fast."

Kol got up and shrugged. "Or it's twice as lethal. Now, if Niklaus doesn't get here in time, he might die. With a bit of luck..."

Freya immediately got up and punched Kol right in the face. "What is wrong with you?!" she spit in his face.

The veins appeared under his eyes and he launched at her, but Beatrix jumped between them before he could bite her. "Kol, stop it!" she snapped.

"Behave yourselves," Elijah said as Klaus arrived. "Sibling squabbling. How familiar. Although, the teams seem to have changed... Someone care to tell me why?"

"Our brother needs us," said Elijah. "Beatrix hasn't been able to siphon."

Klaus came toward Finn and bit into his own wrist before letting Finn drink from his blood. The oldest brother sighed in relief, continuing to drink until he seemed to feel better. "Thank you, brother," he whispered.

"How are you feeling?" asked Freya.

"I feel... strangely euphoric."

Klaus smirked. "I've been known to have that effect."

Kol clapped dramatically behind them. "What a precious family moment. Pardon me while I go and gouge out my eyes with a hot poker."

Finn looked over with a serious expression. "I thank even you, Kol. Your little witch actually came through."

Kol frowned, obviously not having expected this. "Today," Finn continued, "I saw a glimpse of your coveted 'Always and Forever.' And... I..."

Suddenly, he began to cough, and launched himself over the edge of the couch, spitting out all the blood he'd just consumed. "Finn!" yelled Klaus.

"Finn— what's happening?" cried Elijah.

"His body's rejecting the blood," Beatrix said as the brothers tried to hold Finn as he thrashed on the couch. "His body— it's dying..."

"No!" spat Klaus. "No, it's not possible! I cured him!"

"Freya—" Finn wheezed.

"Hey," she said weakly, "it's going to be alright, brother. We'll fix this, you'll see. Okay?" She looked up at Elijah. "Get my pendant."

"It won't work!" said Kol. "Davina fused his soul to his body."

"I can siphon that curse off," said Beatrix, coming forward and parting Finn's shirt as she looked over where a key symbol was protruding on the skin over Finn's heart. But he waved her off, shaking his head. "No— don't leave me alone— don't—"

"Let me," Beatrix insisted. "I can undo what Davia did and Freya can get you into her pendant—"

"No," he begged. "Don't..."

Freya took his hand tightly. "Brother? Finn? Hey, brother, we're here. We are here. I'm here, brother."

"Please..." Finn whimpered.

"You're not alone," Freya whispered, now crying. "I am here. I am here. I am here with you. Okay? I'm with you."

Elijah, Klaus, and Kol each grabbed his other hand and caressed his head. Finn looked up at them before he began to desiccate. Freya let out a sob, and the three brothers began to cry. Beatrix swallowed back her tears as he turned completely gray.

"Beatrix, please," said Elijah after a short while. She nodded and left the room.

She heard them burning the body not long after, and they soon left, perhaps to scatter his ashes. She felt terrible. Even though she did not care for Finn, she had been useless in any attempt at saving them. Why were the Ancestors offering so much help to Lucien? What did they gain from trusting a beast like that?

When she heard them return, she made her way over to them, not sure if her presence would be wanted. However, rather than turn her away, they waved her in to brainstorm.

"Lucien did all of this to become like his maker, and yet, my bite cannot kill an Original," mumbled Klaus. "What are we up against here?"

"I truly don't know," Elijah said quietly.

There were footsteps and Hayley came into the room. "I might. Klaus and I found Lucien's R & D lab full of werewolves. He's harvesting venom, but not to find a cure. He's trying to create a more lethal strain."

Freya growled. "Well, that must be what he added to the spell to make him whatever the hell he is now. He kept boasting about having something that would make him better than an Original."

"Klaus is descended from one of the seven original wolf bloodlines," said Hayley. "I am descended from another. Lucien's venom... is derived from all seven packs."

Beatrix winced. "Giving him a bite that not even Klaus can cure..."

Freya pursed her lips. "There were two vials of serum, and he only drank one. Maybe it's because the spell will wear off eventually and he'll need another dose?"

Klaus shook his head and stood up abruptly. "Or he made enough for two...." he looked up. "Aurora."

"Fuck," said Beatrix as he and Elijah dashed out, presumably to see if Aurora was still entombed where they left her. Hayley sighed and sat down hard in one of the chairs. "I can do some development on a cure but I haven't studied enough modern medicine for it to happen soon."

"There are several things I can try," said Freya pensively, "but I don't know if it will work. I would need your help, Beatrix, at least with knowledge. Your magic can't be used against him, but mine can, so we'll have to figure something out."

Elijah and Klaus returned just then. "It's too bloody late," spat Klaus angrily. "He got her out."

"Maybe you should have killed her when you had the chance," said Hayley under her breath.

Klaus jabbed a finger in her direction. "Do not chastise me for—"

"What's done is done," said Beatrix loudly. "Now we work around it and try to come up with a solid solution."

Klaus grunted and kicked one of the chairs. "Freya, Beatrix— get to work."

"Sure, if you'll bring us some coffee," said Freya with a cheeky smile as she beckoned for Beatrix to follow her to her study.

"The coffee's on me, Freya," said Hayley, going out the opposite way. "I'm going to need some too, after all this..."

Beatrix had tried to not make a habit of drinking alcohol. Instead, coffee was becoming her comfort beverage, though that night, she drank so much of it that she grew concerned she might need to cut down on that too.

It was excruciating. Beatrix and Freya read through all the grimoires and textbooks they could find in the Compound. Hour after hour they were just taking notes and muttering to each other about what could work. Most of it would have required Freya to either get Beatrix's help or channel her, which was not going to prove useful. It didn't help that every other hour, Klaus would come into the room and pace back and forth just to see what they were doing. At one point, he had come with documents for Freya to sign so that the compound would be under her name. They'd had to pause and exit so that she could invite them all back in, but they'd gotten back to work, feeling a bit more protected, though still worried.

"You're hovering," Freya said in annoyance when, at one point, Klaus hadn't left after a few minutes. It was already daylight and the two women were quite exhausted.

"I'm supervising," said Klaus. "How else to speed up your endeavors?"

"We're already working as fast as we can," said Beatrix. "Maybe if you knew magic you could make yourself useful."

He made a face. "Let's see. Perhaps I should bring Vincent here? Force him to aid you by removing his legs?"

Freya frowned. "Vincent doesn't know how to kill Lucien, either. Besides, if he leaves the St. James, who knows what the Ancestors will make him do next?"

"The Ancestors are thoroughly occupied," announced Elijah as he entered the room, "according to Davina, terrorizing our brother."

"What a surprise!" Klaus exclaimed. "Another day, another witch-inspired vendetta."

"So the Ancestors corrupted Kol, too," huffed Beatrix. "Fucking great. Well, she can take care of him for now but we could really use the both of them here, which I suppose isn't possible. We're working on it, but we're not sure how it will work out."

Klaus clapped his hands together. "Well, we all have our roles to play— Elijah can stay here and oversee whatever Freya and Beatrix are doing. I'm going to actually accomplish something."

Elijah tried to block his way to the door. "Brother, accomplishing something—"

"The time for talking is done!" snarled Klaus as he brushed past him.

"Lovely," said Freya sarcastically. "We should hope this sigil proves to be a solution."

"Freya, we are out of time," said Elijah, sounding just as impatient as Klaus.

"A sigil," said Beatrix, "since you don't know, is a complicated magical symbol, weaponized and condensed to its most potent form. If we combine the right elements, we'll have a chance at stopping Lucien, and if we don't, then everything can go drastically wrong. We're going to get it done as fast as we can, Freya's getting the spell down—"

They stopped at the sound of panicked knocking downstairs. They all sped down, but Hayley had arrived first. "What's wrong?" she asked a breathless Cami.

"It's Klaus," she said frantically. "Lucien has him..."

"Freya!" said Hayley immediately. "Invite her in!"

"Yeah, come in, you're invited," Freya said, enabling Cami to step forward.

"Tell us what happened," Elijah prompted as they went to sit in the courtyard.

"Lucien ambushed him," Cami said. "He knocked him around like it was nothing."

Beatrix wrung her hands together worriedly. "Did he bite him?"

"No, I think he wanted him alive. I followed them. Lucien took Klaus back to the penthouse."

Elijah's phone buzzed at that moment, and he looked down at the screen, scowling. "Lucien is demanding my presence at the Whiskey Cask— alone and immediately. He says if I delay, Niklaus will die."

Beatrix stood up. "You're not going alone. Freya and I are just about to finish with the sigil. We'll beat him there and prepare it and wait off to the side."

"Are you certain?" said Elijah.

"Yes, it should work," said Freya. "Beatrix, what did you have in mind?"

"We can put the sigil on the ground to bind him. We'll stay out of sight, cloaked, and helped when needed. It might be able to work, on the chance that he actually steps into it and is bound into place."

Elijah nodded, and Beatrix took Freya's hand, speeding them to the study. The Mikaelson witch dropped down in front of her grimoire, making the last notes she needed on the spell while Beatrix grabbed every material they might need and shoved it into the nearest tote bag.

"Done— done," said Freya after about a minute. Beatrix shouldered the bag and grabbed her hand once more, speeding the two as fast as possible to Whiskey Cask, hoping Lucien wasn't there already.

The place was deserted upon arrival, and Beatrix received no inkling that he was anywhere near the premises. "We beat him," she panted, dropping the bag. "Hurry— the sigil."

Freya pulled out the spell and Beatrix began to hand her the materials, crafting the sigil from the grimoire onto the ground. It was a random spot and they'd need to desperately hope that at one point, Lucien would accidentally step on it, but for now, it was the only thing they had been able to figure out.

"There," said Freya breathlessly, waving her hands over the sigil and causing it to become invisible.

"And just on time," said Beatrix, shoving all the materials back in the bag as she heard approaching footsteps. She managed to pull Freya out of the building just as Lucien entered, thankfully not noticing that anyone had previously been in the room.

"Close call," said Freya as they blended into the crowd of humans enjoying the NOLA Music Days festival. "There's Elijah!"

He was approaching from the parking lot, apparently having decided to walk over more casually. When he saw them, he sped over. "Is it done?"

"Yes," said Freya. "Go in—"

"Wait," said Beatrix, biting her lip. "Get the Strix to be handy and wait with us."

"Already done," said Elijah, holding up his phone. "You will be met here by several of the members who are ancient enough to pose a good threat to Lucien, en masse. They know to find you, and will follow with whatever you say." He started to walk to the building but Beatrix caught his arm.

"If anything happens," the Heretic continued, "leave me behind. Lucien won't hurt me, I know it."

Elijah was perplexed by this request. "You ask of me something I cannot agree to," he replied. "Why—?"

"You saw yesterday, he wanted me to pick a side. He won't hurt me. I can try to get Klaus, I promise."

Elijah hesitated, and Beatrix put her hands on his chest. "Please. Please. Your priority right now is getting Klaus and keeping yourself and your other siblings safe. Don't argue with me on this."

"Fine," he said, hanging his head before walking into Whiskey Cask to meet Lucien.

Freya winced. "Are you sure that was a good idea? Elijah won't want to leave you behind if things get ugly."

"Well, he will have to," said the Heretic. "I'm not taking 'no' for an answer. Hold him on it, Freya, because Lucien has no hesitations on hurting you all. If he wants me as some sort of leverage or whatnot, I'll be fine. I... I'm taking a risky bet that he won't hurt me, and if he does, that the bite won't kill me."

"It killed an Original, Beatrix," said Freya urgently. "It killed Finn like he was nothing. You could die even faster."

"I'm willing to bet that Lucien won't bite me. His venom is dark magic that the Ancestors didn't want me to take in, right, so they wouldn't let me siphon it, but I bet if it's in my system, I can expel it by using it as fuel for some dark magic. They wouldn't be able to hold me back from it. Any dark magic I can do just helps me from falling back into another episode. We can't afford to be sidetracked. So I'm begging you, make sure your brother leaves me behind."

Freya let out a shaky sigh. "Fine." She looked around and saw several approaching people with fancier clothes, similar to Elijah. "The Strix are here."

The two women waited as the ancient vampires came closer. Some faces were quite familiar to Beatrix from previous encounters, but most of the Strix she had met more formally were not in the group— she recalled that Marcel had pretended Gaspar Cortez had killed the Strix involved with Jackson's murder, when really, Hayley (and Elijah) had been responsible. Beatrix didn't miss them. Those were the same Strix that tortured her, and they deserved worse than what they got.

"We will be cloaked while we wait for the right moment," said Freya once they stopped in front of them. "I will give the signal for when to move in, and from there, the cloaking will be undone. I'm sure you all know how dangerous this is?"

They nodded as a unit, which was sort of creepy, but Beatrix refrained from commenting on it. She knew better than to make the Strix regret functioning with her as allies instead of enemies. They, of course, had in no way forgotten that she'd slaughtered several of their own. Those kinds of things didn't just fade from memory.

"Perfect," said Freya. She waved her hands over the group, and Beatrix felt a tug in her side. Invisible, and giving off no sound. Clever. "Follow me."

Following behind Freya, they moved toward the ajar doors of the Whiskey Cask, ready to observe Lucien and Elijah's conversation.