Nothing Dark Can Stay, Either

Chapter 62

When she revived, she was on a couch, with Hayley, Elijah, and Vincent seated beside her.

"Easy there," said Vincent when she tried to sit up. "You had your heart ripped out, don't strain yourself."

Beatrix nodded and lay back. "How did you find me?"

"Locator Spell, surprisingly," said Hayley smoothly. "Freya fed you some things, too. You should rest for the remainder of the night, though."

The Heretic hummed. "So the bitch brought me back. I can't believe it."

"It did," said Elijah, looking mildly amused. "Risky bet you took. But it was efficient in escaping."

"How do you know?" inquired Beatrix.

"Once Freya purified you, I was able to look into your mind. Niklaus and I watched everything you saw since the moment it first infected you."

She made a face. "Well... why isn't Klaus here, then? Don't tell me he's gone off on a killing spree in my honor..."

The three looked around at each other. Beatrix frowned. "What aren't you telling me?"

"He's with Hope," said Hayley, which sounded like the truth, but also a coverup of the real reason. "I'm sure he'll come back soon."

Beatrix brought her hands up to rub her temples, trying to distract herself from wondering why Klaus really wasn't there. "My head still aches."

"The Hollow used quite a bit of power on you," Vincent told her. "Made you see things that honestly... I can't even explain. Elijah showed me the vision of your mother. How it knew all those things..."

"So you saw that we're distantly related?" asked Beatrix. "And that's why it wants me so bad?"

Hayley nodded. "There's something else, too. I was with Mary and... her husband was being controlled by The Hollow. It made him kill my parents. All of this can't be a coincidence."

"Let me guess, we're related too," said Beatrix a bit playfully, trying to diffuse the tension.

"Maybe. There's a few things I want to investigate before we make any assumptions. What we do know is that The Hollow wants you, but is simultaneously trying to kill Hope. If we were even distantly related, it wouldn't make sense."

"There's a lot still left to uncover," murmured Beatrix. She coughed slightly, and Vincent patted her forehead with a damp towel.

"Try to rest," he instructed. "Today has been strenuous for everyone."

Beatrix made a face. "What happened while I was gone?"

Elijah pursed his lips. "Niklaus and Marcel tried to kill each other, due to The Hollow's influence."

The Heretic's eyes widened. "Are they okay? What happened?"

"They're purified and safe. Niklaus is with his daughter. Marcel, well... we put him downstairs in the dungeons where he had chained my brother. For safety."

"So he's your prisoner now," Beatrix muttered, looking disappointed.

"Not at all," responded Elijah. "I have no intent of harming him unless he attempts to harm any of the members of our family. We merely wish to secure him so that The Hollow cannot goad him into killing my brother. It wants a powerful sacrifice, and those two are about as powerful as it gets."

Beatrix didn't look pleased. "I'd like to speak to Elijah alone, if Klaus isn't going to join us."

Hayley and Vincent both nodded respectfully. "I'll go check on Hope," said Hayley as Vincent waved and left the building entirely.