30+ Advanced Chapters can be found at - patreon.com/Nevvan
____________________________________
In the Mystic Grill, Caroline walks over to the bar, where Donovan is working. "Hey Matt, I know you're one of the last people who wants to see me, but I was just wondering how you were holding up and if you've heard anything from Tyler?" she asked, wincing at the latter part, knowing it didn't sound good.
Matt snorts, "Real classy there Caroline. Tyler told me what you did."
"Hey bartender, I'm thirsty here!" yelled a guy doing an impression, getting laughs from his friends.
"I'll be right there," said Matt before turning to her, "Get out of here Caroline."
"Okay," she pouted, about to leave when her phone rang.
"Hey mom," she answered.
"Caroline, something's happened. You're going to want to sit down for this," came the somber reply.
"Please tell me you're joking, it can't possibly get worse," said Caroline dreadfully, falling back onto the nearby stool.
"I just got back from the Lockwoods, Carol said Klaus took Tyler, and that he made him into his slave with his compulsion powers. I'm sorry Care," said her mother.
"No. You're lying. He couldn't have; he broke his sire bond, he was free," said Caroline, shaking her head in denial.
"I'm sorry Care," repeated her mother sadly.
"No! Bonnie will know what to do, she'll fix this," said Caroline, hanging up and storming away with Matt's eyes following her out.
At Bonnie's house, Caroline ran in, "Bonnie! I need you!"
"In here!" yelled Bonnie from the living room.
Caroline sped in, "Tyler's been taken. He's been turned into a slave. We need to save him and free him from Klaus... wait, why are you covered in dirt?" she asked, her eyes drifting down to the table where the Gilbert Rings sat still covered in ash along with the device and compass.
"What is this?" asked Caroline.
"Tyler, huh? Then I take it you're back on board for hunting them down for everything they did?" asked Bonnie tiredly.
"I mean, once we get Tyler, we can just leave. There's no reason to put our lives at risk," said Caroline.
"No reason? Do you know what those are?" asked Bonnie, pointing at the rings.
"Oh Bonnie, you didn't need to go get those. It's not like we can even use them, so why did you?" asked Caroline.
Bonnie sat up angrily and growled, "Those, Caroline, are the rings Alaric and Jeremy had on them when they died, and I can only hope that they didn't wake up before the blaze took them."
Caroline gasped, "I, didn't even think about that, oh god."
A knock on their door drew their attention.
Slowly standing up, Bonnie walked over to answer the door with Caroline behind her.
"Matt?" questioned Bonnie upon opening the door.
"Hey, I overheard Caroline talking in the bar, and I want in, I want to help save Tyler," said Matt.
"Are you crazy? What do you think you can do?" asked Caroline ruthlessly.
Matt frowned, "Whatever I can."
"Are you sure?" asked Bonnie.
"I am," said Matt firmly.
"Then come in, you're going to need a ring," said Bonnie.
"Right, the Gilbert rings, at least they won't be able to kill you," said Caroline, feeling silly for not thinking of it herself after just seeing them.
"You found them?" asked Matt, following them inside.
"Yeah, I've been debating on what to do with them. It's a good thing you came before then," said Bonnie, taking one of the rings off the table and handing it over.
Matt took a minute to admire it before slipping it on. "What are you going to do with the other one?"
"Not sure yet, but I have some ideas," said Bonnie.
"If I can make a suggestion, we could give it to Tyler's mom," said Matt.
Or mine, thought Caroline, though she didn't voice it.
"Why not your own?" asked Bonnie curiously.
Matt frowned. "I don't know; there's no telling if they would keep it on without revealing everything and showing proof. And I think it would be best; no, I know they would be happier not knowing what's out there."
"I understand," said Bonnie somberly, handing over the second ring, "You can have it."
"Thanks," said Matt, receiving it.
"Do what you have to do and let's meet up tomorrow," said Bonnie.
When they left, Bonnie was trying to figure out what else she could do to prepare while looking down at the Gilbert Heirlooms. She needed a weapon, and although she made a couple more golden and silver daggers, having enough ash for only one attempt each, what she really wanted was something that could kill them.
Spending the rest of the day going through her grimoire, she got an idea and cleared the living room to make room for a specialized magic circle. Finished, she grabbed the device and the compass and got into her car to get the last ingredients for the spell.
Opening the compass, she followed it to her first target, parking in front of an abandoned house. Turning on the device and leaving it in the seat, she exited her car and walked in.
Inside, she could already hear the agonizing cries coming from the basement, as the hidden vampires clutched at their ears, unable to escape the noise.
Entering the basement, she found two of them curled up on the floor in the fetal position, whimpering.
Realizing they didn't have daylight rings, she put them to sleep with a spell and left to grab some blankets to cover them up with, levitating them to her car.
After magically sticking them to their proper seats inside the magic circle, she left to go hunt 10 more down.
Surprisingly, it took the rest of the day and most of the night to find them. It seems most vampires knew to give the Originals a wide berth.
Once they were all collected, she pored through her notes one last time before placing a tiara with a red-orange gem in the center on a pedestal, deciding it would be the best at drawing the most eyes.
She then took her place next to the circle with the paragon diamond in front and began her chant. Magic from all around was pulled in as her words flowed out with a mind of their own, all the proper sounds and vowels coming to her instinctually as she continued with all the pieces clicking into place.
The longer it went on, the greater the strain as she pushed herself to finish, arms and hands spread out wide as she willed the 12 vamp's eyelids open. The essence of their eyes lit up and then streamed outwards, drawn towards the gem in the center.
Their screams echoing out, bodies shaking as Bonnie brought the spell to a crescendo, raising her arms to the ceiling, and looking up as blood started to leak from her eyes, nose, and ears, and with one final chant, it finished.
Breathing heavily, she lowered her arms, looking at the newly completed artifact surrounded by 12 dead vamps with burned-out eyes before stumbling back, missing one of the moved living room chairs at the edge she was aiming for, and falling out into the hall, promptly passing.
The next day, Caroline knocked on the door, yelling, "Bonnie! I'm here!" and let herself in.
"Bonnie!" she cried, rushing over to her downed, bloody-faced friend.
But as she passed the entrance to the living room, her eyes were drawn to the gem, and they burned. Letting out the most horrifying scream, Caroline dropped dead with burnt-out eye sockets like all the other vamps around the circle.
Sometime later, Matt arrived, rushing in when he saw the open door and the two girls down.
"Bonnie! Caroline!" he cried, looking over their bodies. Hands hesitated over them as he saw the state Caroline was in, and then he saw it, the circle and the 12 dead bodies around it.
"Bonnie! Bonnie!" cried Matt somewhat angrily, shaking her awake, knowing she had done something.
"Hmm, Matt?" questioned Bonnie as the events of last night came to her.
"Bonnie! Wake up, tell me what happened. What is this?" asked Matt.
She sat up, wiping at the dried blood on her face, then she froze when she noticed Caroline lying there.
"Caroline!" cried Bonnie, crawling over to check on her friend.
"She's dead Bonnie, she's dead. What did you do?" asked Matt.
"I, I made an artifact, one that targets the compulsive ability of vampires, to kill them," said Bonnie.
Matt sighed, getting an idea of what had happened. "Well, it worked."
"I. I didn't mean for this to happen," said Bonnie, shaking her head sadly, "I passed out before I could put it away."
Matt took a deep breath and reached out to comfort her, helping her up, "Come on, you should go wash up. I'll take care of this."
"I didn't mean to Matt," Bonnie whispered, reluctantly following him.
"I know… Just make sure not to do it to Tyler," said Matt, leading her away.
____________________________________
30+ Advanced Chapters can be found at - patreon.com/Nevvan