"Okay. This will be all for today, and you did great." I said with a small smile.
Bonnie stared at me with a wide smile and wide eyes, ibut the trill of success qucikly giving way to deeper and more complex questions. The memory of my collapse and ice cold body was clearly fresh in her mind.
"The tracking spell you used to find Isobel, the one that put you on your back. It felt, wrong. It felt like dark magic. It wasn't the kind of nature magic my Grams taught me." She began and her voice was low and serious. She paused, stepping back slightly. Her gaze was sharp and accusatory.
"Why are you willing to use dark magic to help Elena? Why are you tampering with that?" She said and I met her gaze steadily. The question that she asked demanding a truthful and calculated answer. I knew I couldn't lie about the nature of the power I wielded.
"Because helping Elena find her mother was, and still is, the right thing to do. She deserves the truth, and that power offered the fastest, most direct path to that truth. You are correct, the magic was not pure. It demanded a physical sacrifice, a payment, which is the nature of that kind of power." I said and my expression tightened, turning cold as I thought of the vision, the image of Katherine's panicked face.
"Now, however, I don't know whether it was the best choice I could have made. I am afraid there is something vast that Katherine is planning, and it will undeniably involve Elena. Using that power, I bought us time, but I also confirmed our enemies are ready for war." I said as I took a step forward her, compelling her full attention.
"As for tampering with it...tampering with dark magic is not inherently bad, Bonnie. It is merely raw power. Someties, if you use it wisely and know how to control the payment, it can benefit you greatly. But for a witch whose energy comes purely from Mother Nature, as yours does, I advise against ever using it."
"The Ancestors and the elemental spirits hate dark magic. They will make you pay a crippling price for using it, far more than the spell's worth. It will risked your life force and your connection to the Earth. But I am a different case. I am a vampire witch. The magic I wield is primal, ancient and often fueled by life force, not strictly balance of nature. Dark magic is part of me. It is a tool, and unlike the natural world, I do not judge it. I simply master it." I said as I allowed the weight of my sentence to settle.
Bonnie visibly recoiled, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear, respect, and deep comprehension. The revelation of my nature, a master of the darkness she was sworn to avoid, was a tangible, heavy truth between us.
"Just remember, the most powerful magic is the kind you control completely, regardless of its source. You control the current and never let the current control you." I concluded and my voice dropping to a low, powerful register.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, pulling me out of the intense magical discussion. The flurry of fragmented messages from Elena and Stefan confirmed the plot was accelerating, with Elena having dangerously contacted Trudie Peterson without telling Stefan.
Bonnie isn't answering my calls. Do you know what's going on? I feel like she's avoiding me. - Elena
I might have found something about Isobel. Meet me at Mystic Grill today, at 7pm. - Stefan
I went to see Trudie Peterson. I need to talk to you and Stefan didn't know about this yet. - Elena
"Who keeps calling and sending you texts?" Bonnie asked and her tone was fill with curious but laced with annoyance.
"Elena and Stefan. They have been in touch with me about Elena's biological mother, Isobel. They have been updating me with the progress." I said and Bonnie frowned, folding her arms across her chest again.
"You know, if you answered Elena's calls, she would definitely have told you about this." I said and Bonnie looked away, her expression hardening. I knew the root of her emotional distance.
"Why have you been avoiding Elena?" I asked gently, sensing this was one of the crucial point of fracture in her focus. I can see Bonnie's shoulders tensed. She then let out a slow, heavy breath.
"I didn't want to make Elena choose between me and Stefan. I blame Stefan and Damon for Grams' death. They got her involved in all of this, and now she's gone. I know how much Elena loves Stefan, and I didn't want to put her in a position where she had to pick between her friend and her boyfriend." She confessed and her voice thick with contained grief.
"Bonnie, no matter what we do, no matter how hard we try, death has a way of finding us. It's inevitable. Well, unless you are a vampire witch." I said trying to ease the tension in the air between us and it work when Bonnie let out a small giggle.
"Your grams knew the risks, and she chose to help because she loved you. But blaming Stefan and Damon won't bring her back. It will only push Elena away." I stated, my gaze softening.
"I know. But it still hurts. Every time I see Stefan or Damon, I think about what they cost me." Bonnie whispered and her voice tight with raw emotion.
"Elena needs you in her life. If you feel that Stefan and Damon are a danger to her, then stay close to her. Become stronger, like you are now, and protect her from them. But don't push her away. She's lost just as much as you have, and she needs you now more than ever." I stepped closer, placing a steady hand on her shoulder.
"I don't know if I can forgive them." Bonnie looked up at me and her eyes shimmering as tears starts to pool in her eyes.
"You don't have to forgive them. "But you can still be there for Elena. Don't let your grief drive a wedge between you and the people who care about you. That is what loss does. It isolates. Don't let it win." I conceded.
For a long moment, Bonnie was silent, processing my words. Then, slowly, she nodded and her jaw setting with renewed determination.
"I will think about it. You are right. Elena needs me. And maybe, maybe I can protect her from the danger that surrounds her." She said quietly.
"You need time." I smiled softly, sensing the crucial shift.
"Good. Now, let's get back to training. You've still got a lot to learn." I said and Bonnie wiped her eyes as she took a deep, steadying breath, focusing once again on the power surging within her.
As Bonnie resumed her training, I pulled out my phone again. The Mystic Grill meeting and Elena's secrecy about Trudie Peterson demanded immediate action.
I quickly sent a text to Stefan.
Mystic Grill sounds nice. There's a fundraiser there tonight, right? I have something crucial to tell you too. We need to discuss Trudie Peterson immediately.