Bloody Symphony | Elijah Mikaelson

Chapter 6

The boats were waiting for her at dawn.

There were exactly twenty-seven boats, ensuring that the ones they had could be saved for later. They'd all been laid out in a line, near the bodies, and a bouquet of flowers had been placed over every single one of them.

"Holy crap," she whispered as she and Jackson exited their cabin and found the tiny fleet waiting for them. "He actually did it."

"Where did all this come from?" asked Jackson tiredly.

"Elijah. He said he'd get us more boats."

"Why'd he do that?"

"I don't know... out of the goodness of his heart? Out of pity? Because he's rich and doesn't know what else to spend his money on? Whatever the reason... we can carry out all the funerals today. Now."

It was traditional for the funerals to take place at dawn. Once the surviving members of the Pack had gathered, they'd taken the bodies and cleaned them, dressed them, before laying them on their respective boats. White sheets were draped over them, and one by one, their loved ones drank in their honor before lighting them up and sending them into the lake.

"Where's Hayley?" asked Natanya, once the twenty-seven fires were but a speck in the distance.

"She said she was gonna follow a lead, then go to Father Kieran's funeral. To support Camille O'Connell."

"Oh... dang. What happened to him? I remember him... he was always so kind."

"Got hexed by a witch. Curse drove him mad, and according to Aiden, who managed to get in touch with one of the old parishioners... Klaus tried to turn him to save his life, but it didn't work. It was a mercy killing, right in front of the altar, before Father Kieran could kill his niece."

"Jeez. That's... awful."

Jackson's phone started to ring, and he flashed the screen to Natanya, to show her it was Klaus. "Speak of the devil," he muttered before answering. "What do you want?"

"Is that any way to speak to the man who is providing you with moonlight rings?"

"I just buried twenty-seven members of my Pack. And from what I hear, you're at a funeral, too. Ain't much of an occasion for a happy response."

"Then you'll be pleased to know that I've learned which stone the rings housed. The information will be sent to your phone. Select two of your friends to accompany you. You will need to take turns driving, as the stones will not all be found in the same location. Hayley will remain at the Compound in your absence."

"Alright," said Jackson. "By when do we need to leave to get the stones? Is there a specific day or time we need to get 'em?"

"As long as you return by the day of the full moon— two days from now— all will be well. I will have a witch ready to perform the spell. Get on with it."

He hung up, and Jackson looked down as Klaus texted him a few addresses they'd need to visit. "Jesus," said Jackson in disbelief. "We're gonna be driving through every fucking state at this rate. You up for coming with me?"

"Sure," she said. "But who stays behind to lead?"

"Aiden. I think Ollie should come with us. He could use a break from trying to start a revolution every five damn seconds. Aiden's never been left alone to guard, I think it might be good for him."

"Let's get going, then."

They spent the entire next day out and about. It had taken them only a few hours after receiving the text to be well on their way, moving throughout all of Louisiana, into Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Most of the stones were acquired easily— Klaus had given them the name of who they needed to ask for, and the person delivered without any questions. But sometimes, they needed to be a bit more abrasive to get what they wanted. Jackson killed one man who'd pulled a gun on them, saying that he'd give them the stones in exchange for Natanya.