Dragon's Keeper

Chapter 24

~Previously on Dragon's Keeper~

"MayBeth's gone, where is she?" Elijah states. "WHAT?" Rebekah says. Klaus walks into MayBeth's room anxiously and joins Elijah. "Marcel was here." Klaus says. Elijah looks stunned, and absently drops the phone from his ear.

In the courtyard of the Abattoir, hundreds of vampires have congregated in a crowd as they talk to each other and drink. Marcel appears on a balcony. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Fight Night! And, the first rule of Fight Night is: The vampire left standing at the end of the night is one step closer to the inner circle, and one of these, a daylight ring. If you can impress me with a little ultra-violence, you too can enjoy the warmth of the sun on your face. All you gotta do is kick a little ass. Here we go!" Marcel says as he holds up a daylight ring. All the vampires form a circle as they wait for the announcement of the fighters. "Our first two contenders: Felicia and Otto!" Marcel announces. Felicia and Otto fight, as the rest of the vampires cheer them on. At one point it appears that Otto has the upper-hand, but ultimately Felicia wins the fight. "Damn, girl! Not bad!" Marcel says. Suddenly, Klaus and Elijah enter the courtyard. Klaus walks behind Felicia and snaps her neck. The whole room goes silent. "Good evening! I'd like a word." Klaus says. "What do you think you're doing?" Marcel asks. "It appears that we've interrupted a collection of filthy amateurs! We've come here for the girl. Give her to us or...we kill everyone here. Starting with you." Elijah demands. "You two got a lot of nerve, coming into my home and making demands." Marcel says. "Your home, is it?" Klaus starts. "The girl! I will not ask again." Elijah states. "I assume you're talking about MayBeth? Yea high, dark hair, bitchy attitude?" Marcel says. "Yes, now where is she." Klaus says. "Well, I ain't got her. And before you start whining, I did pay her a little visit earlier tonight. I was feeling nostalgic, so I took a trip out to the plantation where I used to be a slave. And, imagine my surprise when I realized that the Original family of vampires had taken up residence. MayBeth, answered the door, we exchanged hellos, that was it. You don't believe me? Look around. Hell, I'll even help you find her. But the question that I'd ask is: if MayBeth isn't here, then where is she?" Marcel says.

THE BAYOU--TYLER'S CAR

MayBeth wakes up in the trunk of an SUV with her wrists bound. She tries to kick out the back window to escape. Tyler stops the car and gets out to check the trunk. When he opens it, he tries to grab her, but she fights back by kicking at him. "Seriously?" Tyler asks. "Tyler??" MayBeth says. "You don't wanna fight me, MayBeth. You know you can't beat a hybrid." He zip ties her ankles so she can't run away. " Aahh! Let me go, you backstabbing half-breed piece of shi-" MayBeth fights. "Shut up!" Tyler pulls MayBeth out of the trunk and throws her over his shoulder. As he walks down the road, his hybrid eyes come out due to his anger and frustration.

ABATTOIR

Elijah and Klaus are sitting in the backyard. "Not the most attractive community, are they?" Elijah asks. "You do realize they can hear you?" Klaus says. "You do realize I don't care?" Elijah says back. Marcel appears, followed by some vampires, and the witch, Sabine. "You know, Elijah, I liked you better in that box." He says then turns to Klaus. "But Klaus, my sire, you I owe the world, and I always show respect to my elders. If your special lady is missing, you could benefit from the help of a witch. And, since I control all the witches in this town, I'll grant you one little locator spell. Sabine's the best guide in the Quarter. Need to find someone? I guarantee, she's your girl." Marcel says and turns to leave them to their business. "Where are you going?" Klaus says. "I hate to cut this short, but the sun's coming up soon. My nightwalkers need to get inside, and I have got a city to run. I leave you to track down your lost sheep." Marcel says and leaves. Elijah turns to Sabine. "Can you find her?" He asks. "I can try." Sabine states.

THE BAYOU--WEREWOLF ENCAMPMENTS

Tyler drops MayBeth on the front stoop of a little shack. "What is this place?" MayBeth asks. "The armpit of Louisiana." Tyler pulls a knife out of his pocket. "What are you gonna do with that?" MayBeth asks, afraid. "Depends on you." Tyler says and cuts the zip ties on her ankles. "Hey, you attacked me, remember? You ambushed me, in my own backyard." Maybeth says. "It's not your backyard, it's Klaus'! You're shacked up in that mansion with that psycho." Tyler says angrily. "Hey! That psycho is my boyfriend. Plus it's been awhile since I've even seen you." MayBeth defends. "You mean that you're pregnant? A hybrid baby, yeah, I know all about it. I've been roaming around the bayou, asking questions. Let me tell you what I learned!" He pulls down MayBeth's sweater-sleeve so we can see the birthmark on her shoulder. "This crescent birthmark means you come from a big-shot family. Some kind of royalty for the werewolves of this region. And right here, this is all that's left of them." They both look around, and see more shacks and tents made of blankets. MayBeth spots a girl standing nearby. "Hey!" MayBeth screams. The woman is startled and immediately runs away. "Help me!" MayBeth pleads. "They can't help you! They're in the woods, hiding, because they were persecuted for decades by vampires." Tyler says. Another werewolf, Dwayne, appears. "Is that her?" Dwayne asks. "Yeah, Dwayne. Get her inside." Tyler says. "Tyler? Tyler!" MayBeth pleads.

ABATTOIR - COURTYARD

Sabine waves her hands over a map, where a puddle of Klaus' blood traces from their current location, to where MayBeth is in the bayou. "She's in the backcountry. Way up, past Houma, deep in the bayou." Sabine says. "I don't suppose you could be more precise?" Elijah asks. "What's the matter, Elijah? You're worried a bit of splashing about in the bog might ruin your expensive shoes?" Klaus says. "As a matter of fact, after my recent confinement, I could use a decent stroll through the countryside." Elijah states. "There are stories of exiled werewolves, encampments. If MayBeth went out that far, chances are she went to find them." Sabine states. "Clearly, she hopes to find out more about herself." Klaus says. Elijah looks at Sabine worriedly.

NIGHTWALKER BAR

Josh is sitting at a table, drinking and watching a group of vampires play drinking games, when Marcel approaches him. "You could always join them, you know." Marcel says. "Uh, drinking games? It's not really my thing. It kind of reminds me of the jocks in my high school. We had a pretty high quota of what you'd call "douche-nozzles." Josh says. "Bullies, huh?" Marcel smiles. "Yeah." Josh replies. "Wonder what'd happen if you saw those guys now. I bet you'd tear them apart, right?" Marcel says. "Ah, yeah, totally. Ha probably go all vamp ninja on them." Josh says. "Hahaha! You're a funny guy, Josh. In fact, I thought it was really funny last night, you know, seeing you at that plantation where Klaus is staying." Marcel says. Josh quickly gets up and goes to run away, but is blocked by several other vampires. "Oh, hoho, hahaha! You going somewhere, Josh?" Marcel asks.

THE BAYOU--WEREWOLF ENCAMPMENTS

Klaus and Elijah continue their search for MayBeth near the werewolf encampments. "You seem quite determined to find my little wolf." Klaus says. "If I'm moving too fast for you, Niklaus, you're welcome to wait in the car. Do be certain to leave the windows down." Elijah says. "Ah, so I've touched a nerve Elijah?" Klaus says. "If you're going to insist on treating her like a walking incubator, then that's your mistake Niklaus! She's your lover yet you hardly spend time with her." Elijah states. Klaus sniffs and looks around. "Have you found her scent?" Elijah questions. "No, but I found someone else's. This vehicle reeks of someone I thought I was rid of...Tyler Lockwood." Klaus says in displeasure. "And why would your little hybrid-sidekick from Mystic Falls have any interest in MayBeth?" Elijah asks. "He wants revenge." Klaus says simply. "Why do I suspect this?" Elijah asks. "Back when I had the means to sire hybrids, he was my first, Although, I didn't give him much choice in the matter." Klaus pulls a blanket out of the abandoned car and sniffs at it. "He was loyal in the beginning, but he grew insubordinate, turned my other hybrids against me. I couldn't have that, so I massacred the lot of them. Tyler ran like a coward before I could finish him off." Klaus states. "Anything else that you would like to share?" Elijah asks. "Well, there was this business with his mum." Klaus says. "You killed his mother. Wonderful." Elijah says, incredulous. "He needed to be taught a lesson!" Klaus says. "And what lesson will you be taught, Niklaus, if he retaliates by harming MayBeth?" Elijah states. "If he so much as harms one hair on her body--" Klaus starts, getting angry at the thought of MayBeth getting hurt. "Niklaus, so help me..." Elijah says. "Enough. I'll kill Tyler Lockwood myself." Klaus vamp-runs away to find Tyler.