Hellfire | Hayley Marshall

Chapter 39

Eisa hated her life.

Something always went wrong. She always ended up in pain. Seeing loss, feeling the need to run from it. That was her problem, and she knew it. As strong as she was, being a Mikaelson always overwhelmed her, and she always felt like she needed to escape.

So she would. She'd constantly leave, she'd constantly abandon her siblings and focus on her own mental health. Which would have been nice if she actually managed to heal from any of it. Instead, she just continued her cycle of overthinking, and ended up in the same boat time and time again.

She hurt. Hayley hurt her. Klaus hurt her. And every part of her wanted to hurt them back. Instead, she felt that the only solution was to leave them behind. And she would. Because hatred threatened to consume her, and the last thing she wanted was to feel regret if she ever retaliated, and it ended badly. No amount of violence on her part would leave them feeling the torment she felt.

"Nik is demented!" said Rebekah angrily when they learned that Klaus's plan was for them to resurrect Esther. "Are we really to dig up our mother, burn her to ash, and trick Davina into using up her last chance to bring someone back from the dead?"

"I don't like this," said Eisa, shaking her head. "I don't like the idea of us pretending to give her Kol's ashes for this. No. Absolutely not."

"I say we choose the more permanent option," said Freya, looking to where Dahlia and Klaus's bodies lay, unconscious, with the dagger planted firmly in their hybrid brother's chest. "Find the white oak stake, kill Klaus, Dahlia dies with him."

Marcel scoffed. "Well, yeah, and so do I, and every other vampire that Klaus has turned!"

"The only option is the first," said Eisa. "But I don't feel comfortable tricking Davina. Isela and Zeus are out of commission, I can't ask them to do a spell of this magnitude after what they went through. We shouldn't take advantage of Davina's new Regent powers— it's wrong. Perhaps, she could bring back Kol, and then he could help us—"

"Or Freya could do the spell," suggested Marcel, "because she has Finn and Kol in her pendant, and she could channel them."

"I will not bring Esther back to life," said Freya, crossing her arms.

The dagger!" cried Rebekah suddenly, pointing at the golden hilt. "It's bloody melting!"

"Dahlia's fighting it," said Eisa, shaking her head.

"We have no choice but to finish the task that Niklaus has set," said Elijah. He looked at his sister. "Could you call upon—"

"No. I will not bring any of my other witches into this mess. It's up to us. Freya, seriously, I'll let you channel me if that's what it takes, but I do not want Davina involved in this. She'll hate us forever, and I don't want her to hate us, because not only is she a powerful ally, she's a kid who's had her life ruined by us far too many times already."

Rebekah sighed. "Freya, I agree with Eisa. I do not wish to place this burden on Davina."

Freya frowned, shaking her head. "Fine. Retrieve her body."

Elijah and Rebekah shared a look before getting up and heading to the plantation house. Marcel took Hope from Freya, and went to put her in her crib upstairs.

Freya sighed and crossed her arms, heading to the nearby table, where she had salt and herbs ready, along with a few other materials. "I don't like this."

"None of us like it," said Eisa. "But we haven't any other choice. Let's focus on writing the spell, shall we?" She reached for a jar. "We should use our blood. Yours, then mine, then Elijah's, then Nik's, then Rebekah's. We'll channel Finn and Kol, and you can channel me, too. Esther's ashes, and maybe some of those herbs she used a lot in spell. Lots of candles... maybe even some of Marcel's blood, because Esther was consecrated as a New Orleans Ancestor, and he was actually born here."