The Red Queen | Lucien Castle & Tristan de Martel

Chapter 16

Davina was dying.

"This is madness," said Klaus, once Rebekah was tending to a feverish and weak Davina. "How can a sixteen-year-old girl shake the entire French Quarter?"

Marcel was pacing back and forth, trying to understand it. "I've seen her rock the church, but I've never seen anything like this."

"How did you control her when she was in the attic?"

"I didn't have to. But then, I never killed her boyfriend."

The hybrid rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. We've been over this part already. The point is in her present state she's useless as a tool against the witches."

"I really don't think that's what matters right now," said Vivalda. "That girl is sick and needs to be cured. Not to mention if this illness is going to affect other people, well, we need a plan in place. Hayley won't recover from being crushed under a building the way we would. The earthquakes, what the hell is up with that?"

Elijah held up a finger. "She has too much power that she cannot control. That much we already knew. But as for why it is manifesting itself in such an aggressive manner... I do not know." He fixed his cufflinks, beginning to walk out.

"Where are you going?" demanded Klaus.

"This is witch business. Let's ask a witch."

Sabine wasn't happy to be dragged into their mess, but it seemed that because it was Elijah who asked for her help, she agreed to be there. And just as she arrived, another earthquake rocked the house. It no longer mattered that she was helping the Mikaelsons. She was growing concerned on her own, too.

"This is a big problem," said Sabine. "I thought the earthquake I felt this morning was just some pressure between faults nearby, or something, but if that's being caused by Davina, and if you're saying she vomited dirt... we've run out of time. We need to complete the Harvest."

Klaus snorted. "Said the desperate witch, conveniently."

Sabine glared at him. "I'm serious! That earthquake you just felt is a preview of the disaster movie that is about to hit us."

"And how do we know you're not lying to us about this?" asked Vivalda cautiously, though she feared Sabine would be right.

"You've met Davina, you know her story. For months now, she's been holding all the power of the three girls sacrificed in the Harvest ritual. A force that was meant to flow through her and back into the earth. One person was never meant to hold that much power. It's tearing her apart, and it will take us down with it."

"So... what can we expect?"

"As she self-destructs, she'll cycle through four stages that represent the four elements that bound together the Harvest. The Earth stage comes first. That explains the dirt and the earthquakes. Then comes wind. And mind you, each stage is more intense than the last, so if you thought the earthquake knocked you off your feet, imagine tornado-like winds. Water follows. Rain, floods, possibly a hurricane. The last stage is fire, and it will be the worst if we get to it. This city would burn to the ground, and everyone in it... would be gone."

"How do you stop it, then?"

"We complete the Harvest."

"No," snapped Marcel. "Hell no."

"She will be resurrected," argued Sabine. "I swear to you. Sophie already told you herself that something was working. The Harvest is real."

Vivalda winced. "Kol said the same thing. He knew it worked. And I believe him. If Davina dies as part of the Harvest, she'll come back cured?"