The Carvagi Sisters: Book One--The Rise

Chapter Nine

"Goodbye father!" Rosalina called one last time, waving. With that, she sat down in the seat next to Klaus, sighing. They were on their way towards the Germanies, on their way to her marriage. She sighed again with happiness, looking around at the men that were soon to be her husband and brother-in-law.

"Where's Kol?" She asked, looking to Klaus.

He continued looking out the window. "He's meeting up with us later." He mumbled, making it clear he didn't want to speak. Rosalina's brow furrowed, but she recognized that tone. Nicola used it often, and she knew not to push any further. So she settled into her own side, looking out her own window.

Klaus stared intently at the foliage they were passing by. Rosalina was upset because she hadn't been able to say goodbye to her sister, and Klaus was miffed as well. He wouldn't know her whereabouts for later, so it would take Elijah even longer to find her. It was assumed she was on an early hunting trip to deal with the stress of her sister and Kleon leaving, not knowing that they were leaving today and missing her exit.

The carriage took a turn, and Rosalina turned to Klaus. "I thought we were going to Germany?"

"Pit stop." Klaus offered, looking to a man running up ahead, waving his arms about. As the carriage drew closer, they saw the man was covered in blood, and Klaus shouted for the carriage to stop.

"Help! Please, good sirs!" The man shouted into the carriage. Elijah got out, talking to the man for a moment. Rosalina watched intensely, eyes wide. Then Elijah suddenly snapped the man's neck, and she jumped back into Klaus.

"We need to go." Elijah said, signaling to the driver. He turned back around, staring at Klaus intently. "Word is there's an attack on the next town coming up."

"Oh?" Klaus said nonchalantly. "An attack of what kind?"

"By a single creature." Elijah replied just as coolly. "The man called it a monster of sorts that drinks the blood it spills."

Klaus frowned. "He wouldn't dare."

Elijah nodded. "I know, I know."

"What?" Rosalina asked, still in shock. "Know what?"

"That our brother is wiping the next town over, my sweet." Klaus replied, leaning backwards. "See, he keeps too much anger in his system. Every once in a while he needs to let loose and slaughter a town. Thank the gods we're leaving today."

Rosalina's mouth hung open in shock. Elijah smirked at Klaus. "I think we should do it now, I don't want her to see what Kol's doing up ahead."

Klaus nodded, biting his arm. Rosalina screamed when he drew blood, backing up. "Now, now, Rosie." He said calmly. "Just drink, and it'll be okay." She screamed again, muted by Klaus grabbing her and shoving his arm in her mouth. She thrashed about, and Klaus rolled his eyes. With one flick, he snapped her neck, leaving her lying limp in his lap. He brushed her hair back from her face, smiling gently. Then he looked to his left out the window. 

Indeed, the town they were riding into was eerily silent. Then, as they rode towards the center of town, they saw the bodies lying all through the streets. Klaus lifted Rosalina off of him and set her on the bench, looking once again out the window.

"Kol may be brutal, but his mass killings don't look like this." Elijah mumbled, eyes glancing around him. 

The bodies were torn apart, arms laying strewn about. Blood covered the walls of the buildings, the stench covering up anything. It smelled fresh to them, but already the flies were moving in.

As they got closer to the center, more bodies began piling up, and Klaus' eyes widened. "Elijah…this is the work of a ripper."

"And a powerful one, at that." Elijah agreed, then turned to Klaus. "Eery seeing the legend come to life and it's not one of us, isn't it?" Klaus nodded silently, then called ahead to the driver to stop.

The brothers got out, picking their way slowly through the carnage.

"Over here!"

Their heads snapped to the right, looking down the street. Kol stood, no blood on his person, signaling them over to his position. They followed, silent and curious, and he led them to the town square.

There, in the center of the area, Nicola stood, stalking towards the last person standing. They cowered against a cart, and Nicola's snarl sent shivers down Elijah's back.

"My god, she's almost feral." He hissed, eyes narrowing.

They watched Nicola leap abnormally quickly forward, pulling the young man close and forcing him to his knees. With a growl, she bit into his neck, and Kol went sprinting forward.

"Nicola!"

She stopped, spinning around to look at him, hand still holding the man still.

"Nicola!" He said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Stop this at once."

Her face, covered in blood, sneered at him, turning back to finish her kill. Kol grabbed her face and turned it towards him.

"Nica. I said stop."

She froze. With horror, she blinked herself awake, dropping the man behind her. With eyes wide, she turned, looking at the fallen bodies around her. 

"Oh no…" She whispered. "Not again." She heard the gasp of the man behind her, and she fell to her knees, biting her arm. Kol grabbed her roughly, pulling her up.

"Let me heal him!" She shouted, fighting against Kol. "Let me fix this!"

Kol pulled her towards his brothers, ignoring her guilt-ridden cries. He stopped in front of them, holding her to the side.

Klaus and Elijah stared at him, eyes full of confusion and anger.

"Did you do this?" Klaus asked simply.

Kol nodded with a wicked grin. "She got what she deserved. And look--a ripper! Klaus, don't you see--"

Klaus shoved a stake into his brother, ending his sentence. With a scared look, Kol looked up at his brother, obviously feeling betrayed. His face grew grey and ashen and he fell to the ground, pulling Nicola down with him.

She slid out of his grasp, breath coming in hiccups, backing away.

Elijah grabbed her, holding her as she began to cry again. He looked to Klaus, confused. "I thought Rosalina was a sure shot to become a ripper."

Klaus picked up his brother, throwing him over his shoulder and starting the walk back to the carriage. "As did I. Her personality definitely made it seem as if it would be so." He stepped around the bodies, Elijah following with a silent Nicola under his arm. "Yet it seems Nicola has a much softer side to her than we saw. Also, it may have to do with morals. Rosalina seems to be more of a follower, whereas Nicola has such a strong sense of morality and self-confidence that her darker side may come on with a switch." He stopped, throwing his brother into the back with the bags, tossing a blanket on top of him. "Did you see the guilt she felt once she realized what she had done? That was the moment she realized she had become a killer, not a hunter, as we saw in the arena. She is incapable of intentionally harming an individual when it is unnecessary. Her kills were always precise, painless."

At this point, Nicola stared at him, eyes narrowed. "How…?"

Klaus smiled, and rubbed his thumb across her bloodstained cheek. "Because, my dear, we are so unalike that I understand you completely." With that, Klaus got into the carriage. Nicola followed, staring at her sister without a word.

"Aren't you going to ask what we did to her?" Klaus asked, voice snide.

Nicola shook her head, gaze unwavering. "You made her like me. To be your playthings." She looked up at Klaus. "Kol let slip that you had plans for me. The only reason you could possibly be interested in my sister and I is for our hunting skills. We're your hunting dogs. That's all we are."

Klaus smiled darkly, settling into his seat for the long ride out of Italy. "Now you're catching on, love."