Little Lockwood

2.14 Rememberance

The pyre was stacked high and tall, sticks stacked and framed in the backyard with two bodies lined beside each other. Farther and son side by side under the brightening sky of the rising sun as dawn began to brake.

"Did you want to do it?" Linkin asked.

Bonnie stepped in beside him. "As much as I liked Luka, I didn't really know him. Either of them like you did."

Taking in a deep breath, Linkin looked up to the sky. No more stars twinkling above clouds of deep molten orange. "As much as I liked Luka, I didn't know him that well either." He admitted. "Jonas was a pain in my ass. But he still kept me under his roof."

"Probably out of fear of Elijah." Bonnie chimed.

Linkin huffed. A ghostly grin spread across his face. "Incendia."

With a loud womph, the pyer lit with roaring fire. The thick sticks snapped and popped as the fire claimed them and the bodies. Both Bennett and Lockwood stood in silence as the only other witches in town burnt away.
When the base gave way, Luka and Jonas's bodies fell into the brunt of the flames as crisp burnt wood fell to cover them.

Bonnie frowned as she watched Linkin raise his hand again. Open palm aimed at the flaming pyre as he muttered a spell she wasn't familiar with. Her attention returned to the pyre as the burning sticks began to stir.

Amongst the flames and ashen twigs, something emerged, at first thin and black like some kind of vine. Then, it grew taller, thicker as it emerged from the scorching stack faster. A tree growing to full height as branches twisted out with cracks and the loud groan of buckling wood. When it was done, a tree stood strong and tall , casting a showdow over the watching two.

"It's beautiful." Bonnie said.

Linkins eyes lingered on the tree. "Do you have a plan yet?"

She gave him a puzzled look.

"I caught some of the backlash of Jonas's magic." He said. "I can't really make sense of it, but I know ow he had a plan. That's why he gave you back your magic."

"Jonas had a plan to kill an original." She said after a brief pause. "He was looking for a place where witches had been burned here."

"A well of magic."

Bonnie gave him an incredulous look. "What?"

"When a witch dies, especially in a way that's gruesome or painful, it leaves a mark on the land. Not only that, but some cultures buried dead witches believing their bones could be a tool to channel from. Giving one or more living witches the ability to draw on the dead witches' powers. Basically, channelling magic from their bones."

"And if there really is a burial ground full of dead witch bones." She drawled slowly, the peices starting to fall into place. "Then there's a well of untapped magic just laying about Mystic Falls."

"Maybe enough to kill an original." Linkin said.

...

Linkin was roaming through the grimwores left behind after both Jonas and Luka Martins deaths. Bonnie returning with Jeremy and Damon in toe to run through the spell books.

"Why exactly are we looking for?" Jeremy asked.

Linkin had been making it a point to avoid meeting his eyes ever since he had arrived. At his rather awkward silence and lack of responding, Bonnie took the lead.

"When Jonas gave me back my powers." She began. Stepping closer to the shelves of anchient and old spell tombs to get a better look. "He wanted me to find where the witched were killed. One of these books has a spell that would let me harness that power."

With a look of reluctance Jeremys eyes flickered between the dozens of books they'd have to sort through. "So we have to go through all that?'

"Not exactly." Bonnie said. She raised her hand and closed her eyes.

Feeling the rise and bubble of Bonnies magic Linkin watched as one of the books flew from its perch on the shelf and into her outstrectched hand.

Damon gave an grunt of achknowlagment from the act as Jeremy sprouted an impressed smile. Seeing the glimmer in his eye as he looked to Bonnie Linkin cleared his throat.

"We should burn everything else here." Damon remarked.

Linkin just rolled his eyes as Bonnie looked to Damon like he had said the stupidest thing in the world.

"No way." She argued firmly. "Those grimwores have a whole heap of spells and information will be helpful if we want to stop an original."

With a reluctant huff he caved. "Fine."

"I guess now all we have to do is find out where the witches were buried." Jeremy said.

Damon grew a smirk.

Bonnies eyes narrowed on him. "You know where it is."

The vampires smirk grew to an all to knowing smile.

Sick of the silence and tension Linkin broke it. "Care to share with the rest of the group?"

Damon looked him up and down. "Maybe later."

Not in the mood for games Linkin started for the bookshelves, pulled a spell book from its shelf before putting it on the table, and doing it again. "You guys go then." He told them. "I'll pack up the books and take them to Grams old house.

Bonnie gave him a thankful nod.

"Want us to meet you there?" Jeremy asked.

Linkin took a moment before answering. "I'll be fine." He said with his bag turned to him as he reached for another tome.

Jeremy walked out first, quick behind him was Bonnie. But Damon however stopped in the door.

"How are you feeling?"

Brows creasing, he raised his head. "Im sorry?"

Damon was clearly doing his best to be all nonchalant. In truth it made look more genuinely concerned by trying to act like he didn't. "Its a simple question."

Sighing he turned his back to him, not bothering to dane him or waste time to respond. Unable to see his face Linkin could feel the vampires gaze on his back. Only keeting a breath he didn't even know he was holding, out when he felt the lack of magic in the room. A sign that he was gone and heading off with the others.

The drive to Shielas was quite but ripe with a bitter kind of anticipation. He hadn't been back to the old house for what felt like an eternity. Even as he unloaded the boxes and dumped them into the living room, it still felt odd and unsettling. He was doing his best to to keep his head down but his eyes couldn't seem to stick to floor. With every breath came the smells of incense and the musk of old books. Everywhere his eyes turned memories would come to him in flashes of all the fond moments he had with Bonnie and Shiela. With those memories came a kind of nostalgia that made his chest heavy in stomach churn in sorrow.

"I'm sorry grams." He uttered to the empty house. "Im sorry I wasn't strong enough to help you." Linkin could feel the all to familiar ache behind his eyes as the tear duckts started to well. "No one tried to help. Not until you did."

The room was silent. No sound of tea spoons clanging softly on tea cups, no whistle of a steaming kettle. No wise words of council or warmf from the motherly love she had given him. This place wasn't a home for him anymore without the charm and witt, without the love and warmth Shiela Bennett had given it. Now these walls, halls, doors and windows were just that. This place he would have once called home reduced to nothing more than just a house and memories.

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