Chương 42: Chapter 40
Marcel's anger has mostly bled out of him as we all move into his study. Our little meeting consists of Ravia and I on one side of the room with Marcel, Rebekah, and Davina on the other.
As Marcel sits down, his attitude is more sullen then angry by this point, but that's because I actually took some care not to kill any of his daywalkers, only ending a few of the nightwalker riff raff I knew he didn't care too much about.
I sit down as well and Ravia takes up point behind me as I initiate polite conversation, "First of all, I apologize dear sister for my… rough housing. You must know I have no desire to raise my hand against you."
Rebekah's eyes are narrowed and her arms are crossed, "I'm beginning to realize I don't know anything about you Vali. Not even Klaus would have been capable of what you just did out there. Did the curse really lock away so much?"
I smile, "It's possible. I've felt more and more powerful ever since the ritual. But we're here to talk about another ritual entirely. You interfered with the Harvest Marcel, and that was not a good idea. If you hadn't kept it secret from Ravia, she could have told you."
Marcel's brow furrows, "They were going to kill kids, sacrifice those girls. They did manage to sacrifice three. I wasn't just going to sit back and let it happen."
I shrug, "And yet if you had, those girls would be alive and the New Orleans witches would be thriving. Instead, they're still dead and you now have three paths available to you Marcel. I like to call them Renegade, Paragon, and Plain Stupid."
I get confused looks on Marcel, Rebekah, and Davina's faces and let out an exasperated sigh, "Oh come on nobody here has played Mass Effect?"
Ravia immediately speaks up from behind me, "I have Master!"
I roll my eyes, "Yes, that's because I told you to."
Rebekah shakes her head, "What is a Mass Effect?"
I roll my eyes, "Not important, my reference is lost on you uncultured plebs, let's move on. We'll start with your first option Marcel, the Renegade Route. I assume you like your control over the witches yes? You would love it if their magic just drained away with the Harvest incomplete would you not?"
He nods in slowly in agreement, recognizing that I'm clearly leading up to some sort of gotcha moment.
Which I am as I smile and gesture at Davina, "If that is what you want above all else, you will kill Davina right here, right now."
Davina draws back at that, her face paling, but before she can say anything Marcel is on his feet, face angry and teeth bared, "NO! Never!"
I smile slowly, glancing at Davina, "I told you we'd find out what he cared about more, didn't I sweetheart?"
Davina nods shakily and Marcel blinks before falling back into his seat and groaning, "Another damn test. Wonderful."
I chuckle, "Only partially. It is the only option that will allow you to keep your stranglehold on the witches in this city."
Marcel grits his teeth, "And what are options two and three?"
I smile, "Ah yes, the Paragon Route! You allow the witches to complete the Harvest. They sacrifice Davina's life, finish the ritual, and all four girls are brought back to life. The Witches will be back on an even playing field with you, though of course greatly diminished in their strength."
Marcel shakes his head, "Not acceptable, we have no way of knowing if Davina will even come back, let alone the other girls! I won't let them kill her for their gain."
I nod, "I figured as much. Which brings us to the Plain Stupid option. You do nothing, continue on as you have been. You use Davina to continue oppressing the witches and wait out the expiration date on the Harvest Ritual. When it comes, Davina will begin to die from an overload of magical energy and as she does so, New Orleans will die with her."
"It will come in four stages, first, she'll throw up dirt. The city will experience ever growing earthquakes. After that, the winds will come, representing air. And then water will express itself in the form of a powerful rain storm. But after that will come the real killer. Fire. The entire city will burn as Davina's blood boils until she's dead."
Davina has been slowly paling as I speak, but Marcel just looks incredulous, "And we're supposed to just believe you know what you're talking about?"
I smile, "Well, you should certainly consider doing so. I was here for the first Harvest some six hundred years ago and Ravia was here for the second that took place only a few short years before Rebekah arrived on the shores of New Orleans with my brothers. But no, I don't expect you to take my words on faith."
I rise to my feet, "But, in two weeks when the Harvest begins to expire and Davina begins to vomit dirt and the earthquakes begin, I expect you to believe me then."
Turning, I walk out of the study with Ravia close on my heels before anyone else can comment. I do love making an exit.
XxScenebreakxX
The next day I stop by Rousseau's, a smile on my lips even as Jane-Anne tenses up upon seeing me walking up to the bar. I preempt anything she might say, "Hello my dear, I've got such good news! The Harvest will be completed, though we'll have to wait until close to the last minute to make things more dramatic and dire."
Jane-Anne crosses her arms over her chest and works her jaw for several moments before replying, "Well, I've got the bad news then. Agnes is dead."
I furrow my brow, "Who?"
Jane-Anne rubs the bridge of her nose, "Our coven's last Elder." My blank face prompts her to continue, "She's the only one who could have actually completed the Harvest. It's over now, we're finished."
I laugh at that, "Oh that's why you're upset! Well, not to worry. You or Sophie can consecrate Agnes' remains and then you'll be recognized as an Elder of your coven."
Now it's Jane-Anne's turn to state at me blankly, "… What."
I roll my eyes, "Jeez, am I really the only one who does his research around here? There's precedent for this sort of thing darling. If all the elders die, the witch who consecrates the most powerful witch remains becomes the new Elder. Agnes is your best bet for that. How did she die anyways?"
Jane-Anne seems at a loss for words, "C-car crash… I… I have to look into what you're saying, find out if there's any recorded incidents in our lore, if it's true then we have hope!"
I smile placidly and lean against the bar as I watch her pass over control of the place to Camille and rush out to find records of what I'm talking about. I know she will of course, my own information comes from her coven's records. It's only a matter of time before a Deveraux witch is Elder of their coven and ready to finish the Harvest.
XxScenebreakxX
In the end, Sophie consecrates Agnes' bones and becomes the coven's newest and most importantly, only Elder. Sophie always has had more leadership qualities than Jane-Anne, and I'm happy with their choice. They prepare things to finish the Harvest and we wait out the timeline I gave Marcel and Davina.
When Davina begins to vomit dirt and the earthquakes follow soon after, Marcel is forced to finally believe me. I am incredibly humble about it of course as I direct him to bring Davina to the graveyard where it all began. I don't tell him 'I told you so' even once! By the time the winds begin to whip through the city at a slowly increasing rate, everyone has arrived and we're prepared to begin.
I stand to the side with Marcel and Rebekah to my left and Ravia to my right. We are the only non-witches in attendance; the remains of the coven in a half circle as far from us as possible yet still around the altar as Sophie Deveraux proceeds over the ceremony. Davina kneels before her and behind Davina the bodies of her fellow Harvest girls lie dead.
I watch in silence, a slight smile on my face as Sophie goes through the ceremony, eventually coming to the end and holding up the ritual blade as she stares down at Davina and asks, "Do you believe in the Harvest?"
Davina is shivering violently, but she manages to hold her chin high as she nods shakily and speaks clearly, "I believe."
Sophie wastes no more time, the blade comes up and Davina's throat is slit in one smooth motion. She falls back amongst the bodies of her fellow Harvest girls as she dies, and moments after that the winds die down as the magic flows out of her lifeless body.
In the original timeline, Celeste would have preempted the finish of the ritual and brought back four powerful witches in place of the girls. In my timeline, I'd dealt with Celeste hundreds of years before this, and there was no witch left to screw up the Harvest.
Everyone gathered watches as the four girls come back to life in unison, gasping with air and each sitting up quickly. Their loved ones go to each of them, the Deveraux sisters to Monique and witches I hadn't bothered learning the names of go to the other girls. But Davina has no one, her mother is gone. Marcel moves forward to comfort her, and she melts into his embrace, the closest thing to family she has left.
I just grin and reach up to wipe an imaginary tear from my eye, "Ah, such a beautiful moment for everyone."
Nobody pays me any attention, which is fine by me. I watch the Deveraux's fuss over Monique, listening in on their conversation for a moment. Jane-Anne has Monique's face in her hands as she looks at her with concern, "I'm so glad to have you back."
Monique just smiles, "It's alright mom, I'm fine. The Ancestors kept us company while we were on the other side. They taught us so much. Charlotte took me under her wing specifically, she had such knowledge that my head is still spinning with it! She's proud of you both."
Jane-Anne and Sophie exchange a look, having talked about exactly what the ancestor who had met me had done. Sophie speaks up eventually, "That's… nice… What exactly is she proud of?"
Monique's smile widens as she glances around at the other witches and lowers her voice so that only her mother and aunt can hear her… and every vampire in the gathering of course, "She applauded your mercenary nature. How you both ignored how obvious that it was that Vali had Agnes killed so that our family would gain control of the coven."
Jane-Anne and Sophie exchange another look, eyes wide. Sophie steps back, almost stumbling as Jane-Anne attracts Monique's attention away from her aunt and puts on a shaky smile, "R-right…"
Sophie turns away, hand over her mouth and her wide eyes connect with mine. Coming to a decision she makes a bee line for me. As soon as she's in range she brings a hand up to try to slap me, but I am faster by too wide a margin. I catch her wrist and grab the other at the same moment, before bringing her arms up and pulling her close, lowering my voice.
"Sophie darling, there's no need to make a scene. And I'm not going to let you strike me no matter how magical you are sweetheart."
Her brow furrows, confusion replacing her anger for a second. She's halfway through asking, "Wha-?" when her eyes widen again and she finally puts it together.
"Y-you…"
I grin, "Me. Now Sophie, haven't I done such a good job of repaying my debt to Charlotte, to your family? I saved your sister's life didn't I? I even made sure your niece was returned to you, after your lack of faith nearly had her lost to you forever. I'm sure you regret telling Marcel about the Harvest more than anything, don't you?"
Sophie's lips are pressed tightly against together, her eyes wide and her body shaking in my grasp as she understands the true meaning of what I'm saying. I just smile and continue, "And now your family is not only safe, but also in a position of power. It's up to you now to lead your coven and make sure that Marcel doesn't reacquire his strange-hold on the witches, isn't it?"
Sophie isn't stupid by far, she nods carefully, "Y-yes."
I smile and turn my grip on her wrists into holding her hands, patting the top of them, "Wonderful. I'll always remember our time together fondly. And know that your family can still call on me whenever they have need of me."
I release her and she immediately steps back, before turning and practically sprint-walking back to Jane-Anne and Monique. As I look about, I can tell that the only ones who had heard Sophie and I were Ravia and Rebekah. Marcel could have easily, but he's so focused on Davina that I'm not sure if he did or not. Not that I really care.
Rebekah walks over to stand beside me, staring at the happy gathering of witches and speaking lowly, "This… all of this. I… you…"
She trails off, causing a wide grin to grow on my face, "Yes, I know dear sister. I tend to get that reaction a lot. But, I do think I've overstayed my welcome in New Orleans."
I turn towards Rebekah and clasp her by the back of the neck, leaning in and kissing her forehead, "It's time for me to be going Rebekah. I trust I won't need to come back to this city anytime soon. Make sure Marcel knows to avoid attracting my attention again. Oh, and tell him I've dealt with his werewolf problem too."
I let her go and step back, grinning, "If he's unsure whether something will piss me off or not, have him consult with Ravia here. She knows my will and I continue to have full confidence in her ability to speak for my interests."
Turning towards Ravia I wrap my arm around her waist, "Darling Ravia, I'll be leaving the city once night falls. Until then, I'm all yours."
As we walk away from the gathering of witches and out of the graveyard altogether, Ravia is gleeful and almost vibrating with excitement, "Really Master?"
I chuckle and look down at her, "Of course love. Consider it a reward for your hard work. It's been some while since we got to spend quality time together."
As we walk away and Ravia focuses her attentions on planning out the rest of our day together, I contemplate what's left for me to do. There are only two family members I haven't dealt with yet, two loose ends left to tie up.
I've long since won by this point, victory is assured and control of the world is pretty much assured given a century or so more. But winning isn't everything, and dealing with my long lost sister and auntie Dahlia will probably prove to be more fun than conquering the world at this point.
-x-X-x-
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