Elijah Mikaelson & The Dragon's Quest

Chapter 32

Angelica did not know how much time had passed when she awoke in the darkness. As her senses cleared, she knew her clothes had been removed, she was covered in a sheet, she was cold from the metallic surface she was laying on, the temperature in the chamber was freezing, and the smell of formaldehyde overloaded her senses. The two silver chains were wrapped around her body and the leather restraints had been replaced with silver cuffs that secured her hands and her feet to the surface. The gag was still in her mouth.

Angelica took a long breath through her nose and released the air. Fear began to rear its ugly head, destructive images of her 80-year imprisonment in that tomb began to replay in her mind. But she was stronger than those old memories and repeated to herself that fear was only an emotion but that danger was real, and she needed to solve the puzzle of how to escape. Her head was clearing, the paralysis was abating, and she could now blink her eyes and move her fingers and toes. She concentrated on her hands and within moments the darkness was pushed back by the low glow of green dragon fire.

She pulled it back quickly as she ran equations through her head about the melting point of silver. This was a working hospital and she needed to measure her response so as not to endanger the innocent patients, visitors and staff. Hospitals have fire alarm systems and that was a mistake the Coven made by operating out of an actual hospital. She concentrated again and dragon fire swirled in both of her restrained hands. The sheet quickly caught fire and burned filling the small space with smoke as the cloth burned. Angelica appreciated the rise in temperature and her skin rejoiced in the heat and fire that now engulfed her. She focused her dragon fire on the silver chains and restraints, and before long they liquified and rolled away from her skin. The weaker metal slab she was laying on began to warp and the liquid silver drained out of the holes that were now forming in the slab and pooling underneath.

Angelica pulled back the dragon fire. She was free from the restraints and her strength was returning to her. The Coven made a tactical error when they used vervain since Angelica had developed a tolerance for the plant. She knew of the dangers it posed to vampires so she had ingested minute doses of it daily over the last two centuries. It would reduce the amount of time the plant could be used to disable her, and Angelica's foresight had paid off, in spades. She raised her hands above her head and placed them against the chamber door. She pushed the door off its hinges but held onto it to minimize attracting attention. She rolled over onto her stomach and looked out into the Morgue, it was empty. She dropped the door onto the floor and pulled herself out of the death chamber. She turned and picked up the door, affixing it loosely back onto the now-empty and scorched chamber to conceal her escape.

She looked around the Morgue and then looked to the ceiling at the fire sprinklers above. She smiled as she held her hands out at her sides and ignited the dragon fire, letting it engulf her hands and then her entire body, burning away the chill and purging her blood of the remnants of the sedative. She let it burn long enough for the fire alarm system to detect the smoke and soon the entire hospital was reacting to the fire alarm, the sprinkler systems activated dousing everything in water. She walked out into the hallway letting the mind map she created lead her back to that surgical room in hopes that Freya was still there.

She passed a locker room and entered it briefly to don a white lab coat hanging inside. Even in this current emergency, a nude women might not go unnoticed. She headed up the stairwell and exited on the floor that housed the surgical suite. Medical staff were hurrying back and forth as patients were being evacuated. No one noticed the barefoot woman in a white lab coat walking slowly and deliberately through the hallways. She reached the surgical center and stood at the outer set of double doors.

As she raised her hands to send dragon fire through the doors, a familiar figure appeared at her side. Elijah and Angelica's eyes met briefly then turned toward the surgical center. Angelica raised her hands and blew out the doors with her dragon fire. The force of the blast blew open the inner double doors as well. Numbers 1 through 3 had been scurrying about preparing to evacuate in the chaos. But Freya was no longer there. The three witches stopped and stared momentarily at Elijah and Angelica, who had walked slowly and deliberately side by side into the surgical suite, both of their eyes affixed on the three in a cold gaze that shook the witches to their core.

But they had little time to ponder the sight as Elijah grabbed No. 2 by the throat, pinning him against the wall, while he sank his teeth into No. 3's neck. Angelica pounced on No. 1 and sank her teeth into the witch, drinking heavily from the enemy before letting him drop to the floor unconscious. Elijah did the same with No. 3 then turned his attention to No. 2, who had been dangling about a foot off the ground. "Where is my sister?" hissed Elijah into the ear of the terrified witch. Angelica interrogated No. 1, compelling him for information but he had none to share. He was not privy to where Freya had been taken. She grabbed him by the collar and dragged him within view of No. 2, who Elijah still had pinned against the wall, held by the throat. Angelica looked at No. 2 and told him, "Answer the question or else this will be you." She produced dragon fire in her hand and touched the forehead of No. 1. The green liquid fire slowly engulfed the witch who screamed from the pain before disintegrating into nothing but a pile of ash.

"They, they are still here," stammered No. 2, struggling to speak against Elijah's grip around his throat. "Where," asked Elijah. "Sub-basement, special elevator," came the terrified reply, as he explained where to find the access. "Thank you," said Elijah, as he bared his fangs and drained No. 2, killing him. He let the body drop to the floor. Angelica touched the body with her dragon fire and soon No. 2 was a pile of ash. Elijah grabbed No. 3 by the arm and pulled her to her feet. The witch was weak from blood loss and Elijah dragged her in the direction of the access point No. 2 had described. Angelica followed behind, her bare feet dirty from ash and blood, noticing that Elijah's suit was uncharacteristically torn and dirty. Elijah and Angelica spoke no words to each other as they moved with purpose to rescue Freya.

Angelica did not like the single access point into the sub-level as it was a tactical disadvantage. But she knew what Elijah had done, she felt the change in him, the coldness that exudes from his monstrous nature. She pitied the witches they were about to encounter, if only for a moment, because they had invited hellfire down upon their heads and Elijah and Angelica were about to send them to meet their maker.

The elevator pinged as it reached the sub-basement. The witches turned toward the elevator as the doors opened, but they saw no one until the body of their comrade staggered into the opening then collapsed as a result of the gaping hole in her chest that used to house her heart. A human heart then impacted the floor of the room with a splat. Angelica and Elijah emerged from within the elevator. Freya was strapped to a gurney, still bound and gagged but conscious, her eyes expressing relief at the sight of her brother and sister-in-law.

Elijah and Angelica launched themselves onto the witches, disabling them before they had an opportunity to incant or otherwise use magic against them. Angelica removed Freya's restraints and Freya ripped the gag from her mouth. "The Prophet," she gasped, "he left with the key. He used me to separate the key from ...," Freya pointed to a small amphora with a lid affixed to it, "... Davina's magic." Freya waved her hand as a witch advanced on Angelica, sending the witch sliding back across the floor. Angelica turned to interrogate the witch but Elijah was there first and separated the witch from her heart. "Elijah, wait!" she yelled, but Angelica was too late and the witch was dead. Freya grabbed her arm, "It's alright, I can track the Prophet, we don't need them," she said. Fortuitous as Elijah had left no one alive to tell the tale of what happened in that sub-basement.