Dark Heretic (E. St. John)

Chapter 28

Nick is lying across the floor behind Luke, who is chanting a spell with a hand on Nick's arm. An impatient Damon throws an ice cube at the witch.

"That's not helping," Luke says.

"You've been failing for an hour, Wonder-Twin, even while challenging Nick," Damon says, "so at this point, I can't imagine it's hurting."

"Damon," Stefan speaks up, "I know you're out a friend, but, uh, I'm not sure this guy's the best replacement."

"I don't think this guy's best anything if his locator spell skills are any indication," Damon remarks. "He's even channeling from Nick!" He waves his arms around. "Yo! Where's your sister?"

"She's tired of almost being murdered," Luke replies. "Look, I can find anyone on the planet, okay? Especially using the power that Nick holds. There's just something weird with your friend, Enzo. I can't get a read. Nick, can you try?"

Nick digs into his pocket and he pulls out a necklace. It's a cross made out of copper and some barbed wire from World War II time. It belongs to Enzo: he made it. He left it on Nick's dorm desk before he left to basically get himself killed with his humanity off. Nick closes his eyes and he mutters something.

"Enzo?" Stefan asks. "Didn't he, uh, go to Cape Horn?"

"He flipped his humanity switch," Damon says. "There should have been a body count all the way to the airport."

"I can't find him," Nick says as he sits up. He puts the necklace on and he lazily leans against Luke.

"Why are you looking for him?" Stevan asks.

"Gee, I don't know, Stefan," Damon replies. "Vampire with no humanity who wants me dead for taking away his chance at closure. Hmm...'

"Maybe he hired a witch to block out whatever Luke and Nick are doing," Stefan says. "Is that possible?"

"A cloaking spell?" Luke is unsure. "I guess."

"That would mean that he doesn't want to be found," Stevan says. "So, uh, why don't you just drop it?"

Before anyone can speak, the front door opens and Tyler walks in.

"We have a problem," Tyler says. "Markos turned Sloan into a vampire, had her drink doppelgänger blood, and after some chanting ritual thing, she turned human again."

"He cured her?" Damon asks.

"He cured her to death," Tyler says. "The blood took away her vampirism but left her in the state she was in just before she turned."

"That state being dead," Stefan says. "Got it."

"So it kills vampire," Luke says. "What does the spell mean for witches?"

"Or heretics," Nick adds.

"The point is they feel if they can get rid of all magic, they'll break some lame-ass wigches curse," Tyler says.

"Markos said they can't settle anywhere without evoking earthquakes or hell-fire, but they break that curse, and they can move right on into Mystic Falls," Damon says.

"And coke after me and Elena today, as in now," Stefan says.

"Oh, well," Damon says. "Markos had a good week or two in the land of the living. Now where is he so I can kill him?"

"No idea," Tyler replies. "They were moving camp when I got out."

"And Travelers are always moving," Nick says before anyone can say anything. "They're impossible to track."