Through the Darkness

Chapter 6: Sealed With a Kiss, Part 1

Klaus successfully hid the shock of hearing that Cami's brother was still alive from his expression, instead reacting as he did best: with pride and arrogance. "Well, Madame Regina, I must say that you made a brave attempt to get the Ascendant back by sending that loathsome character to New Orleans to try and manipulate Camille, but you made a grave miscalculation, didn't you? Never in your wildest dreams did you expect to find me back in my hometown, and associated with an O'Connell, of all people. How unfortunate for you."

"You have been an enemy of all witch-kind for centuries. We order you to stay out of this matter, Niklaus."

"I don't take orders from witches," he replied matter-of-factly, "you should know that by now."

The flames shot high once again under the cauldron. Gianna began chanting. A gust of wind came through the room, causing the fire to go out.

Laughter echoed through the room. "You cannot stop us either, Gianna. You know this."

"You as an Elder know that the Gemini Coven has always thrown the world off balance! They do not need to exist again," Gianna shouted into the black room.

"Someone has to manage those heretics – the ones they exiled so long ago. Now that they have escaped, they pose a threat to all witches! We sent two of our members to the prison world with Sean, training him and preparing him in the event this were to happen. Now that it has, we need that Ascendant to bring him here. He will become very powerful once he overtakes his sister and he will have a new Gemini coven to command – in the name of the Green Serpent Guild! We will finally be free to be out in the open once again!"

Unbeknownst to the faceless Madame Regina, Klaus managed to snatch the hidden parchment paper-covered wooden box that was tied with raffia – it was right where Elijah said it would be – hidden behind a stone in the wall. "You witches love theatrics, don't you?" Klaus commented dryly. "I can assure you that Camille knows nothing of where this Ascendant may be."

"Kieran had it. I gave it to him for safe keeping," she replied.

"Surely you didn't hand it over without any terms of getting it back?"

"He promised to give the Ascendant to Camille if the Gemini coven ever ceased to exist. He was to instruct her to use it to go to her brother and complete the merge. He obviously kept that secret from her."

"You were ultimately behind the hex on Sean and on Father Kieran. Why go to all that trouble?"

"To break Camille. To make her weak. To give Sean the advantage."

"Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but she is anything but weak."

"The next celestial event is 3 weeks from now. It is a lunar eclipse. That is when it will begin. Now, you will bring me the Ascendant."

"No. Even if she knew where it was, she would never hand it over to you."

"It does not matter. I will put a spell on her, ensuring that she makes her way to one of those disgusting heretics and she will learn what pain truly is. Then, they will be let loose on the world, not only destroying the witches, but the other factions, too. There is no way known to destroy these heretics and they grow stronger by the day. The entire world is depending on this Merge taking place. Not even you, Niklaus, can afford to stop it from happening."

Taking a brief moment to absorb her words and start developing a plan in his head, Klaus replied confidently, "I will ensure that Camille will find the Ascendant and complete the Merge, but only on my terms."

"What terms do you speak of?"

"Until the lunar eclipse, any attempt on Camille's life or any attempt to steal the Ascendant will be deemed a declaration of war on my family. You will remain silent until then."