✔ The Way We Burn || Kol Mikaelson (Complete)

Chapter 4

Kol wasn't worried. Not at all. Everything was fine. Perfectly fine. He was with his family in the tunnels below the village, in the part allocated to them. As in every full moon, all the villagers had taken refuge inside the underground maze so they could be protected from the ferocious beasts released from their flesh prison by the moon. The stone walls were echoing and he could hear the murmurs of parents trying to comfort their young children. Snatches of conversation were reaching his ears but he couldn't really understand what was being said.

No, Kol wasn't worried. He had no reason to be.

It wasn't as if Nora was outside, only protected by a magical barrier he had erected over the encampment, while the beast were running wild. Possibly trying to rip her apart, to feed off her.

Were they throwing themselves against the invisible wall? And, damn it, would the barrier withstand them?

One of the beasts howled, the sound powerful and commanding, asking - no, ordering - for submission, and Kol's body tensed. He could almost feel the caves trembling as the beasts ran and pawed the ground.

Gods, he was worried.

He had known that day, or rather night, was coming, but he had hoped to find some miraculous idea so that Nora could infiltrate the caves with the other villagers. However, almost a month by her side had made him realize the young woman stood out too much from the others. Even without all her quirks, incompetence and improper behavior, there was something different within her, even though he couldn't for the life of him say what exactly it was.

Another idea had been to ask for help to someone trustworthy, outside of his family. Yet, the only people he mixed with and didn't consider complete idiots were Ayana, her daughter and Tatia. The first two would have felt Nora's wild magic and Tatia had a son he didn't want to put in danger. And that was without thaking into account that he would have needed to spend more time with the widow, something not only his parents would have disapproved but would have sent the wrong message to Eijah and Nik.

Also, he had delayed too long the search for a solution. Before he had realized it, the full moon was there. Obviously, he hadn't panicked. Not at all. Just... Been more agitated that usual.

It was Nora who had suggested to add a magical barrier to the spell cloaking her. The idea wasn't without merit but, even though he was reluctant to admit it, his magical knowledge simply wasn't enough for him to create such a spell. He doubted even Ayana or his mother could actually do such a thing. Otherwise, they wouldn't have to seek refuge inside the caves.

And yet, surprisingly, Nora had quite a good knowledge of magic, more than him and, shockingly, probably more than his mother and Ayana. She couldn't use it and her explanations weren't always very clear. It was obvious that more of her knowledge came from observation rather than an in-depth study. Still, she knew her subject. Especially magical barriers. It was as if someone had taken the time to teach her about it until the words were forever rooted within her mind. This, in combination with his own practice of magic, had enabled him to erect a barrier over the little camp. The question was... Was it enough to protect her ?

He hoped. He truly did. Not that he cared for the woman so much that he couldn't imagine a life without her. Her magical knowledge just made quite a big difference. The red-haired woman wasn't only a mystery anymore but also source of knowledge. Sure, speaking was still rather difficult and he couldn't afford any mistakes while doing magic. Yet, they were getting better every day.

"Kol, look what I've found!" Henrik exclaimed suddenly. The youngest of the family was crouched in front of him, at the level of his face, his hands cupped. Thanks to the torches on the walls, Kol saw an earthworm in the tiny palms. "Nik told me that I will have two worms if I cut it in half!"