Elijah Mikaelson & The Dragon's Quest

Chapter 18

The drone hovered above the old church as Charlie surveilled the exterior then used the infrared setting to see through the walls. Niklaus and Kol manned positions to observe the church from the distance, an assignment Kol was displeased with but otherwise stood his post. But the church seemed empty and abandoned and no one even walked past the church during their surveillance. Freya eventually joined Niklaus telling them that Elijah acquired the plans from the Hall of Records as well as handling another item with the City Clerk and Regional Planning Offices. Freya told them there were tunnels underneath the old church and Elijah, Angelica and Charlie were accessing the tunnels from an entry point they found on the map.

Freya looked at the time on her smart phone then up toward Charlie's drone. It had landed on a nearby rooftop causing her to state that they must be close to entering the tunnels. Moments later Charlie's voice was heard over their earbuds, advising them of just that, and for them to stand by for the signal to storm the church. Freya reminded them that even though they see no activity at the church it does not mean it is not cloaked. She was prepared to take down the cloak if it existed here and her brothers would have to act quickly as once the coven became aware of her interference they would certainly attack with full force. Charlie told them that the drone was already programmed to follow Freya's smart phone signal.

Several blocks away, Elijah, Angelica and Charlie descended into the tunnel via an access point they found in the old records. Angelica led the trio since Freya's tests showed her to be impervious to magic and she was accustomed to being on point anyway. If they encountered another witch's trap she would be able to detect it but not be affected by it. Charlie followed next being experienced with working in concert with her and Elijah took the rear position being the strongest and fastest of the three. A second drone followed the trio, mapping the tunnel and recording everything they saw.

Elijah watched as Angelica and Charlie moved forward without speaking, motioning with hand signals and moving with the synchronicity that comes with years, or in their case, decades of training. Vampires had a natural stealth but they were so much more than that. She and Charlie both wore dark clothing and carried small packs on their backs containing a variety of supplies provided by Freya that they might need if they encountered the witches. Elijah was always amazed at how his wife transformed from soccer mom to businesswoman to a military commando with relative ease.

Angelica paused as the tunnel branched off into three directions, holding up her hand and making a fist, signaling for them to stop behind her. She then motioned for Charlie to join her and when he did, the two whispered almost imperceptibly about the branching tunnels, the potential for a witch's trap, and confirmation of the proper direction to take them under the church. For a moment, Elijah thought to join them but remembered that it was his responsibility to guard the rear. He was mildly annoyed at being relegated to this position but quickly corrected himself that they were relying upon him to watch their backs and he was going to do just that.

Charlie appeared behind him and briefed him on the situation, the multiple tunnels, sending the drone, checking the GPS coordinates. Charlie told him it would be a few minutes and to hold his position. Elijah nodded and Charlie returned to Angelica. After several minutes it was determined that this part of the tunnel was clear and they proceeded down the tunnel branch that would take them directly under the old church. The drone had been sent ahead to relay images back to Charlie's tablet and to surveil what lay ahead of them. Charlie commanded the drone to pause at the tunnel mouth before entering a large chamber underneath the old church. The drone scanned the room but it was empty except for a stone altar in the middle of the room and torches around the perimeter.