Chapter 33: Travelers
In Mystic falls Stefan is kidnapped by travelers. When he woke up he is in a house with Elena as the travelers chant a spell. Stefan's ring stops working but the one on Elena works fine she then runs away pulling Stefan along.
Stefan struggled out of her hold pushing her away. "I didn't ask you to save me." He turned and disappeared again. But he found himself in a similar situation again a few days later.
Travelers, not getting what they want pulled Jeremy and Damon to leverage the two into giving their blood. Faced with the new situation they gave up resistance and just gave it. Stefan has to go home for a while because of the new dangers they are facing.
"I think we should call Katherine." Jeremy said.
"Why?" Elena asked confused.
"Katherine told me that if I ever come across travelers I should run the other direction." Damon kicked a piece of furniture and sent it flying.
"She used the travelers spell to get out of the tomb remember? She said if they ever bothered her, she would slaughter the lot of them." Jeremy said.
"And since they want doppelganger blood they might come for her." Elena said.
"It would be nice to give her a heads up. Plus she might have some insight on how to get rid of them." Elena said but Damon seemed skeptical.
"I doubt she would want to help us." Damon said.
"Why? Because you are responsible for Jenna's death?" Sefan said drinking bourbon.
"I would call her. I have a bone to pick with her anyway." Bonnie said and tried to call but her call went to voicemail.
"I don't think she likes you that much." Stefan said smiling.
"What about you? She didn't like you either that last time I checked." Bonnie steps on his foot hard making him laugh.
"Let's face it, she doesn't like any of us. Maybe we can call Caroline." Elena suggested.
"No!" Bonnie objected.
"Are you crazy?!" Jeremy asked
"Quick question, did you all know Katherine is married and pregnant with triplets?" Stefan asks and they all turned to him.
"Enzo said she was pregnant." Damon says. "What is your point?"
"If travers found her right now, she would be in deep trouble wouldn't she?" Stefan smirked.
"Are you suggesting we set the travelers in her direction? Stefan she is pregnant." Elena put her hand on her mouth in surprise.
"Anyways she is a doppelganger so they will come for her." Stefan said and left.
"He won't go through with it." Damon said but deedp down he doesn't know what his brother is capable of.
....
The investigation/ torture of the young harvest witch yielded useful information. The witches, just as Katherine has suspected are now taking orders from the much older more powerful Mikaelson witch.
It is obvious this is not the end. She will keep coming, the young mother will be too exhausted fighting on all fronts to raise her baby. Especially with the looming threat of Dahlia who is said to be more ruthless and more cunning than Ester.
They decided to pretend the baby died during birth and have it go far away from them until they have cleaned up the city of all coming troubles. This plan was not told to Katherine nor was she informed of the looming threat coming for her baby girl.
Elijah spends his nights in the Mikaelson compound never going home like they had initially agreed. Hayley is battling her her new heightened emotions. The baby's sudden absence making her feel worse
She then focused on trying to find ways to break the curse of her pack. Katherine sat with the young witch Davina as she attempts to paint her. They are both struggling because Katherine won't seat still.
Davina sighes in exasperation "Are you itchy?"
"No, I was checking if my body hasn't turned to stone yet." Katherine said moving her arms.
"Just stay still for a while. You are worse than young children." Davina swore under her breath.
Katherine sat and Davina drew her. These days Kol and Davina are getting closer to each other. She is always a blushing mess around the charming youngest Mikaelson sibling.
"So Kol huh?" Katherine's nose for gossip got the better of her but Davina just shushed her.
What Katherine doesn't know is that the teo are usually talking about the witchcraft and Kol is having Davina give him information on the dead witches.
Katherine is trying but she is sad, deep down she had hoped by moving to this dreadful place her marriage would stand a chance. Elijah's obsession with his brother wins again.
"I think this one loves me best." Mikel came out carrying Hildrum who keeps making bubbles with his mouth.
"The first born loves me." May says feeding Erna.
"Andy and I are brothers now." June appeared from the kitchen carrying Andvari with a baby strapping on his front. Katherine looked at this scene with fondness. The family she wanted at that time is the one to be with her at such a time when she is supposed to be bonding with her husband over who should change the dippers or what to feed the babies.
The pack can see that Katherine is saddened by Elijah but she is not saying anything. He is obsessing over his brother and the loss of having to give up his child that he is completely neglecting his own kids.
Katherine was lenient when it had just happened but its been months now and there is no sign of Elijah anywhere. Knowing Elijah he probably feels guilty for having his own kids while his brother's is far away.
The peaceful scene is broken by a series of chanting coming from all over the estate. Katherine panicked. She called on everyone and Mikel's previously dead pack also came forth.
Katherine felt a tug in her barrier and went to see, she found an entire coven of travelers surrounding her home. She picked up a phone and called her absentine husband.
"Hello."
"Oh? We are in that stage now?"
"Katherine..." Hayley sounded hesitant.
"Get him on the phone." Katherine said snapping.
"He is in the shower." Hayley said.
"I don't care if he is swimming with the sharks Hayley this is an emergency." She shouted.
"Alright." Hayley said her own temper rising.
"Katherine..." He hasn't finished talking.
"I have a group of powerful witches who can undo magic surrounding my house. Bring me the destroyer. Rose and the Eunuchs are here but they can undo magic. I need the fastest Original vampire here Elijah. I need you."
"Who are these people?" June asked sensing the leader's unease through the link.
"Travelers. They want to kill me so that the world will only have one Petrova doppelganger." She closed her eyes in annoyance. Her blood is no longer just that of a doppelganger but they probably won't believe her.
"Elena." Mikel spat with irritation.
"If there is only one, then their blood will be even more powerful. Able to do more powerful spells." Katherine spoke fast.
"What is happening Kat?" Jiro asked seeing the people who have surrounded the estate.
"Trouble. A lot of trouble." Katherine panicked. Her babies are still so small to be without their mother. She has completely forgotten that she is one of the most powerful creatures alive.
Elijah appeared next to her still with wet hair. "Do you mind briefing me?" He said with a bit of guilt on his face but Katherine ignored it.
"They are called travelers. Cursed to walk the earth without a permanent home so they live their days by passenging into other people's bodies. Even if we kill them, it will not be the end." She said looking at her children.
"Paige come here." She took her to the house and with some patience taught her to open a space portal to the pack house in the resort. She then brought May, Mikel and his pack, June and lastly Jake they all went through the portal even though they wanted to stay and fight.
Katherine can only trust them with the children. If the travelers managed to surprise her and hurt her here, at least her children will be safe. She then came back ro cautione Elijah who has no clue his kids are how on the other side of the world.
"Alone they are dangerous, as a coven they are a nightmare." Katherine took out a long sharp knife from her storage warehouse. She gave everyone a weapon.
"You don't even attempt to ask for my help? I am wounded sister in law." Kol sounded from the side.
"I was right to not call you. Elijah can not be killed while he wears that pendant but that can not be said for the rest of you." It is true. The pendant has lost its other fine qualities but it will block a fatal blow and then shatter.
"So you were worried about us? How touching." Klaus said also appearing from out of nowhere.
"Having the hybrid is abit of an over kill but Alright. Change of plans. Those who need to use the daylight rings should attack from inside the barrier. They can make the daylight rings stop working. Elijah and my people have artifacts so they can come, I doubt they can by pass my runic inscriptions." Katherine said.
"Did someone say 'call the destroyer?' I might have heard wrong." Mikael also showed himself. Katherine smiled. This family sure has its moments. She waved her hand and hundreds of throwing knives appeared on the picnic table. "From inside the barrier and don't miss."
Katherine has lost her three tails and is left with the inborn psychic power tails. She has a body forged in the cauldron so their spells will be useless on her body but if more than five chant a single spell targeting her it will be a problem.
Just as she is about to go, her spirit fox brought her attention to something. Stefan standing a distance away watching this place with a shallow smile on his face. She looked at Kol.
"Can you do something for me dear Kol? There is a rat that is responsible for all this standing there. Bring him here please." Normally Kol would have refused or made a snarky comment but seeing that bloodthirsty smile on Katherine's face brings back unpleasant memories from before his second death. He found himself nodding and then he ran like the wind.
Mikeal is not pleased with staying inside the barrier and hiding like a woman so he went out carrying a long knife much similar to the one in Katherine's hand. He attacked and decapitated four travelers and moved forward.
The barrier keeps phasing in an out of existence probably because of the chanting. The number of the travelers is a bit much but this didn't deter Mikael's murderous vigor.
Katherine rolled her eyes thinking what a stubborn old Viking. She ran to battle also cutting heads and stabing hearts before the travelers blinked, more than half of them have died.
However, it seems that was the bottom half because they started to chant a single spell even louder. This spell made all the vampires very slow as if in a slow motion theater.
Even Mikael. Katherine is now the only one in full power, seeing the situation not good, she opened her mouth and a note came out.
She sent waves of mental attacks towards the travelers just as one of them took out a jade like stake trying to insert it into Mikael's chest. The movement stopped and the vampires regained their speed again.
Katherine looked at the people in the barrier only to find that no one had listened to her about attacking from inside the barrier, they are all outside competing on who will kill more travelers.
Rose, the two guys are throwing knives from the inside of the barrier, unlike the others, they can't disobey her direct orders.
She realized it was very dangerous just now. Had she also been frozen, they would have died or suffered here today, if they had just listened. But she can also understand the inherent stubbornness of powerful ancient beings.
Katherine didn't use her fox beast and just enjoyed the fluency of her knive skils. She hadn't even done relishing the kills when the fight was already over. Katherine's two eunuchs were responsible for the clean up.
"You were not kidding about their ability to remove the spell on the ring." Mikael laughed as half his clothes are burnt off.
"You were warned." Katherine said and turned to all of them.
"Thank you for coming to my rescue this time. There is a guest I simply must attend to." She bowed to them and then Katherine's entire body became shrouded in an aura of murderous intent. Even when she was brandishing her long knive she didn't seem that scary.
"I suddenly got a chill up my spine." Kol suddenly said. The Mikaelson family slowly followed her to the dungeons and stayed a good distance so they can hear her.
"Steffan." She said gloomily. "I understand you are the one who gave my location to the travelers?" She asked but the man didn't even look at her.
"Oh? Are we playing ignore the problem it will go away? Isn't that the technique you used to deal with your brother's growing feelings for Elena? Did it work? The way I hear it they are living together and mating like rabbits."She lowered her voice.
"But between us girls, she is probably trying to forget the times she had with you by filling up her days with everything Damon." She chuckles when she saw him raise his head.
"There he is, ripper.." She smiled at the flicker on his eyes.
"I don't care why you brought the travelers here."
"It was so you can get rid of them for us." His cold voice sounded almost bored.
"And by the blooodied clothes on your body I'd say I succeeded." He said smugly.
"Is that what you think? They are not dead Stefan. Travelers always put their subconscious inside the minds of normal humans or vampires but they would never confront a 500 years old vampire with their own bodies." She showed confusion.
"Did you not know this? Oh you poor thing, all those people we just butchered out there, are innocent people who probably have no Idea what's a daylight ring." She said standing up from her crouching position.
"Which brings me to my next point. Ripper you is sexy and all, but I much enjoy your emotional torment so I'll go ahead and turn your emotions back on. And make sure they stay on...forever." She walked away while Stefan's eyes slightly widen in horror.
When she came out and found everyone drinking her golden dew she wasn't surprised. "So they are not dead?" Elijah followed her into the house.
"Yes. The moment we killed the body they woke up in their actual bodied." Katherine answered honestly. She didn't even turn to see Elijah's eyes full of regret.
"So you knew that all those people...." Elijah closed his eyes.
"Are innocent." Katherine finished for him.
"I feel sorry for them and I will burn in hell for my sins but I will do it again, and again, and again. If you find that you have a problem with my methods, offer me a better solution because I would slaughter the purest of souls if it means achieving my goals." She had stopped walking and is now looking at him in his eyes. She smiled at him but the smile didn't reach her eyes.
"I am the villain when I have to be. But I do not go looking for innocents to slaughter, they come to me! Remember that." She shut the door on his face and went to take a shower.
Klaus raised an eyebrow. It seems his brother has the same problem with his wife he usually has with him. That line though, 'I would slaughter the purest of souls if it means achieving my goals' resonated with Klaus. Perhaps Katherine and him are more alike than he had initially thought.
"She is just angry at you for sleeping outside." Kol said in joking tone but his smile also doesn't reach his eyes as he looks at his disappointment of a brother.
Katherine finished bathing and then went back to Stefan. "Isn't your husband going to be jealous of you spending all your time here with me? I mean you have always been obsessed with me." Stefan said but Katherine smiled.
"Now, where were we? Ah, yes. Emotions." She moved closer to him with a small knife and cut his cheek and collected his blood.
She opened his top and dipped her finger in the blood and wrote a spell to prevent him from shutting down his emotions, ever. He should feel everything. "You know this is a curse. Even if the one who made it dies it will still work, infact it will be even stronger. Just ask Klaus."
Stefan started to feel the flood of emotions assaulting him all at once. He couldn't hold his tears.
"There is no Elena here to comfort you and cuddle you into believing all those awful things you did was not your fault. That is why are so broken without her isn't it? She was the pillar you needed to hide from the monster you truly are."
"Stop!" Stefan screamed with his hands on his head.
"But I am only getting started. Do you remember what I said to you that day Elijah came in your home for the first time? I told you that you enjoy the brutality of your actions but then you hate yourself for enjoying it so much so you separate the ripper from your human persona but Stefan, as a human you were already selfish.
Do you remember? Your father loved you but beat up Damon every chance he got. Damon only had you in the world his mother was weak, his father a horrible man but he always loved you. But you, you secretly enjoyed that love and his suffering didn't you?
This nice persona you have after the ripper is locked away is not all that nice. That is why you hate yourself Stefan. Because you know how much of a selfish person you really are. That is why you love her, you can reinvest yourself in her eyes because she is a small town pure spirit who didn't know better.
"I told you it wouldn't last, she saw it. In the cracks she saw that you are not worth it. You are weak, you couldn't even take a single spell from a newbie witch like Bonnie because you drink animal blood, Weak!
You couldn't protect her best friend from your psychotic brother and she was used like a chew toy. Pathetic!
Hell you couldn't even protect your own blood from Damon. Now, he has your life, your friends, your girl. I must say Stefan, your pain is such delicious torment. The only way for you to ever be normal from this day on is if you are cured of your immortality."
"Elena, Elena, Elena....." Katherine said with amusement in her eyes because the more she spoke about Elena the more miserable Stefan becomes. She is even running out of things to say to torture him but then she remembers how his love for her is over the moon and back.
"You put my kids in danger. I don't care if you have your humanity switch on or off that is a no no Sir. Here is a little something to make sure this never happens again."
"Aaaaaaaaah"
"Aaaaaaah"
"Aaaaaaaaah"
Katherine used this small window of time while he is distracted by pain to implant another mental seed on his head.
When she left the dungeons Elijah is waiting for her outside with a small blanket. He covered her and pulled her to the inside of the house. Katherine internally sighed thinking, a long talk is coming.
"Why did you cut off our bond?" Elijah asked this question that has been gnawing at him for weeks now.
Katherine didn't answer. She has been feeling uneasy the past couple of days and maybe it has to do with the travelers or it is something else but she wants to take her kids and run. Her bond with Elijah is a nuisance since he won't complete his evolution.
She has been looking at Elijah ever since he asked her a question. She just stared at him and said nothing because she was busy thinking about all the possible reasons why he won't complete his evolution.
"I am tired." She got in the bed and fell asleep a few minutes later. Elijah is still seated in the same position not knowing what to do. The woman's breathing became even. He stood up and left the house.
The crazy thing is that he hasn't checked on the location of his children and he has been here for hours.
Katherine has been distancing herself from Elijah in the months after giving birth following his obvious neglect on his wife and kids. With her power this much now she will not have extra time to be a mother and bother with the matters of the Mikelsons.
The Dahlia woman, the dead grandmother witch, the many enemies who will no doubt be coming for them. Katherine is all for it at first but now there are three beautiful babies that needs her complete attention.
She decided to employ a disguise technique and run away with her children. She sent a mental message to her immediate pack members. When they came in she told them her decision.
"It has been over a year and he won't complete the evolution process. The elixir will lose effect if he doesn't complete the evolution in two weeks. It would be as though he never drank it." She said sadly.
She wants to go and raise her children in a place where there is a community and she will be welcome with open arms. This place is fine but she will not gamble her children's lives.
She sent Rose back to announce that clan will now recruit witches. Nadia has almost completed her travels studies.
At the same time. Klaus is convinced by a group of werewolves to allow their witches to take his blood so they can give him an army of werewolves. As a show of faith, they undid the curse placed on the crescent moon pack.
Hayley is overjoyed to be able to see her pack. During these days, Katherine finally succeeded in teaching Paige how to open a space path to another place. Without the need for her guidance.
Katherine has also been working on the medicine that will help change her appearance and that of the children. She is really looking to flee. Any mother would want their children to be safe.
She had also created four artifacts bracelets. With very small designs that will also grow as the babe grows up. They have beads. She took this Idea from Mikel. At first she had wanted a way to put more runes on a singke artifact. She used the first created bead amulet as a collection of recordings.
While she was still pregnant, she would discreetly use a recording artifact to snap a video of herself with Elijah or just herself. She wanted to let the kids see these family moments. There is even Mikael in a few of them, only Rebekah is not in there since she has been away this entire time.
The artifacts can ensure not even the dead can trace them using blood of anything else.
She called Elijah but he didn't answer. She had wanted to hear his voice. Her appearance changed, and the three babies wrapped up she stepped into the portal and appeared outside her own werewolve territory.
She is now 1.63 meters tall, large green eyes and long lustrous vibrant red hair. It was not easy to convince the fox spirit to sever the connection with her mate for the sake of her blood.
The fox is very disdainful of his reluctance to evolve. He won't be safe around the children if he can't protect himself from his own enemies. The fox relented when Katherine allowed it to spy on Elijah using the same pendant when it finally regains its full function in two weeks.
She came in and Rose took her to an accommodation. The story is that she is a non practicing witch. She came to find a suitable home fir her children. This is the start of her new life as a single mother.