Aya contacted Elijah five days later.

They'd been at breakfast when his phone started to ring. He got up so suddenly that everyone went quiet, able to hear the conversation even as he went into another room.

"I sincerely hope you're calling from somewhere far, far away," said Elijah calmly when he answered.

"I think we both know I won't leave until this prophecy is averted," said Aya in response. "Somewhere out there is an elusive weapon capable of killing an Original. I'm calling to suggest we pool our efforts to find it."

"I don't play well with others."

Aya sighed, "Lucien's witch Alexis left her clues in a rather cryptic puzzle. What if I told you I had the means to put it together?"

Immediately, Klaus, Rebekah, Kol, and Freya got out of their chairs, but Elijah motioned for them not to approach. "I will meet you at the Davilla Estate in one hour."

"Very well, then," said Aya before hanging up.

"What the bloody hell is she going on about?" asked Rebekah. "Do you reckon she's serious?"

"I know Aya," said Elijah. "She would not bluff about a matter such as this."

"What if this is a trap?" said Kol. "What if she means to lure you in, subdue you, then trap Nik and Rebekah to unlink the sirelines? This is why we need to do the bloody spell right—"

"Kol," said Freya, "perhaps this is a good thing. For now, we could use Aya as a way to find the weapon that can supposedly kill an Original. Once that weapon is in our possession, we could spin a lie that it's somewhere out there, get everyone looking for it, and use it to tear them apart piece by piece."

"No," he said angrily, "that might just make them more desperate to unlink themselves. I still believe unlinking you all right now is the better option."

Elijah held up a hand. "Allow me to see what Aya knows. Perhaps we will still need to solve another series of puzzles before we determine what the weapon is. Then, we will make our choice."

He left, and Kol gave an aggravated sigh.

"You all know I'm right," he said to those of his siblings that stood beside him. "It's better we control this and everything that comes after instead of being surprised." He looked intently at Freya, "You know, part of the Nexus Vorti could be used to resurrect Finn. Back in his witch body, just like you did for me."

Rebekah and Klaus forced down their frustration, seeing the change on Freya's face. Kol had known exactly what to say to convince her to take his side.

"Hey," said Maddy, coming over with Hope in her arms. "I'm thinking now's not the time to fight about this. The conversation didn't go any better the last time we had it. Let's see what Elijah learns from Aya."

Rebekah huffed. "And what are we to do in the meantime?"

"Anything you want. Davina says some of her witch friends are coming over, there's some sort of issue they want to speak to her and Vincent about."

Klaus frowned. "Issue?"

"Yeah, something about the witch version of army recruiters, I didn't really understand because I was eavesdropping on this conversation... oops."

Klaus sighed, taking Hope from her. "Very well. If I'm to keep my anger at bay, then Hope and I will be in the art room."

"Alright," said Maddy, kissing Hope's cheek, and then Klaus's. "Bathe her when you're done. I'll see what the witches need."

Ansel, Freya, Kol, Bonnie, Liv, and Jo remained with her when the young witches arrived to see Davina and Vincent, around three hours later. Everyone else made themselves scarce. Valerie was still recovering alongside Stefan, and Damon and Enzo were entertaining them with card games. Rebekah was calling Matt, and Caroline and Tyler were with Elena, Jeremy, and Anita.

It turned out, the 'witch version of army recruiters' had actually been a pair of Strix witches who had come to one of the Coven meetings to offer membership.

"What?" said Vincent, looking quite concerned. The other witches around him had the same worried expressions on their faces. "Why would they need to recruit more?"

"It's for the sireline de-linking spell," said Davina quietly. "It has to be. They're gearing up for it, which must mean they're ready to perform it. Kol, you could be right, the weapon thing could just be a distraction."

At that moment, Elijah returned home, looking the same as he had when he left. He signaled for Kol and Freya to follow him upstairs. Perfect timing, given what they'd just learned.

"None of you, accept the offer," said Bonnie, looking at the French Quarter witches. "Trust me, that's not a Coven you want to join. Kol's told me about them... they take your freedom in exchange for this immense amount of power. They don't keep promises, they just control you. Force you to use dark magic that takes a terrible toll on your body. And then, before you can age too much and get weaker, they kill you."

If any of the girls were considering joining, that definitely kept them from thinking about it again. Maddy subtly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, hoping she could eavesdrop on the conversation in the art room. Unfortunately, the door had been closed, and she was unable to hear anything other than buzzing. Bummer. She would hope that with their brains combined, they could figure out what the weapon was before Aya did.

"But what do we do if they threaten us?" said one of the girls meekly. "What if they make us do it?"

"If they try to force you into anything, you let us know," said Liv. "The Nine Covens of New Orleans, plus all the witches in this house alone... The Strix Coven wouldn't stand a chance. They're messing with the wrong people. They had absolutely no reason to involve you guys."

"They're trying to get a rise out of us," muttered Maddy, crossing her legs. "Pushing and pushing... we may have gotten rid of Tristan but at this rate we're just going to keep getting passed along to the next Strix leader, who will be just as much of a problem." She got to her feet. "I'm gonna go and see what's going on upstairs. Don't leave... none of you."

She trotted up to the art room, knocking on the door. Moments later, Klaus opened it, and shut it behind her once she was inside.

"I don't like this," she said. "Aya is involving young witches in this... literal children. Something is off about this. Either The Strix Coven isn't as strong as we think them to be, or this is some sort of distraction or plot to get us to make the wrong choice."

"I will speak with Aya," said Elijah. "And, if it goes the way I assume it will, then I will speak to Marcel. I may have an idea that could ensure The Strix Coven is under our control... to a greater extent, at the very least."

"What did she even tell you about the prophecy?"

"She said nothing. One of her witches did. An apparent seer, Ariane." He recited, "'All your family has endured and yet the worst is still to come. An unending darkness lies before you. A lone figure. A pale horse. A flame that will burn you all.' I thought perhaps the pale horse might be something Biblical, or even tied to one of the equestrian constellations. There's Pegasus, perhaps even Equuleus."

Klaus scoffed. "Neither of those sounds like a weapon, unless they plan to bore us to death. You know, it would be nice if, just once, the witches bloody well said what they mean."

"I may have an idea," said Rebekah. "You mentioned Ariane had to see into your mind to conjure the visions as Alexis did. Our witches are not seers, but they are powerful. Perhaps if they see those images themselves they can help us determine what we ought to do... where we ought to search."

Kol wagged a finger. "Good plan. I have a better one. We should—"

"Oh, bloody hell," said Klaus irritably, "if you say 'unlink the sirelines' one more time, Kol—"

"No," he said sharply, "I was going to say we should kidnap Ariane and have them look into her mind instead. Because they won't see anything new if they look into your mind, Elijah. Additionally, it would ensure that we can see whether Ariane knows what the weapon is and told Aya, or if she, too, is in the dark about it. We must know everything in this chess game. It's insufficient to be certain about our end. We need to begin learning what moves the others are going to make. Aya may be a good leader, however, there is still much she will not be certain about in Tristan's absence."

Freya shook her head. "Kidnapping Ariane could ignite a premature fight with The Strix Coven."

"It's not premature! They just started recruiting French Quarter witches, and they won't stop there. Right now is the perfect moment. We can get the New Orleans Covens to aid us, and we will decimate them in seconds."

"This could be what they desire," said Elijah. "Not long ago we were dealing with massive sacrifices to channel power... what if this is what they wish for? What if they have a plan for a mass attack to grant them what they need? What if that is the weapon? Channeling the death of several witches would render them unstoppable."

"No, that doesn't make sense, because a 'pale horse' wouldn't factor into any of that," said Kol. "Perhaps it's more literal than constellations. The only thing that can kill us is white oak. Back in Mystic Falls there was a sapling. We burned the original tree, and Rebekah burned the bridge that the sapling was used to make. What if we need to find an actual, literal animal that will guide us to a potential new sapling?"

In the corner of the room, Hope started to fuss, no longer wanting to be on her playmat. "She needs a diaper change and a bath," said Maddy, going to her and scooping her up. "You all, keep brainstorming. I'll be back in a bit."

"I'll accompany you," said Klaus, though his siblings quickly protested.

"Nik, we need you here," said Rebekah urgently. "Maddy can handle bathing her once on her own."

"A storm is coming, brother," said Elijah. "Please. We must—"

Klaus's jaw went slack. "I know what the weapon is," he whispered. "I made it myself."

He began to leave the room, and everyone followed as he ranted, "All my efforts to protect and provide comfort for my family—"

"Nik," said Kol more worriedly, "you're not making sense."

"The pale horse!" he said, going into Hope's nursery and starting to look through the toy box. "It isn't a constellation, nor is it a Biblical verse. It's a... a trinket I made when we were children. A toy carved from kindling which I gave to Rebekah in the hopes of easing her fears."

"Are you talking about the chess piece Hope is always putting in her mouth?" asked Freya incredulously.

"Precisely," said Klaus. "Where the bloody hell is it?"

"I brought all the toys up here," said Maddy, setting Hope in her crib to help him look. "It should be here... unless Elena has it with Anita?"

Rebekah rushed to check. Elijah was shaking his head. "That must mean the horse was made of white oak. It could be used to kill us."

The blonde zoomed back in. "It's not with Anita. And it's not in the toy box downstairs. If it's not here..."

"The witches," said Kol suddenly. "Bloody hell. It was a distraction. One of The Strix witches could have come in and we never would have realized it. We were all busy."

"No," said Freya softly. "But if they have it... they could do anything with it..."

Elijah's phone began to ring. "Aya," he said as he answered, forcing his voice to remain level. "Has your witch had any new revelations?"

"No, and you surely saw to that," she said venomously. "You killed her."

"I did no such thing."

"Her body is lying dead in the same pool she placed you in to enter your mind."

Elijah's brow furrowed. "I assure you, I have not laid a hand on that girl. My family and I have been attempting to decipher what each vision she showed me meant."

This was obviously true, and Aya could not deny that. "Well, then you best hope that this person does not beat us to finding out the weapon." She hung up.

"Wonderful," said Klaus bitterly. "There's another bloody team involved."

"It's got to be Lucien," said Maddy. "He was working with Tristan for their twisted revenge plan. Now, Aurora is dead, Tristan's gone, and surely he knows I had something to do with it, so he'll be desperate to get his revenge."

Kol left the room, likely to go and track Lucien on the active map that marked where he went in the city.

"Whatever plan you have to gain control of The Strix Coven," said Freya lowly to Elijah, "you best get on with it now. Because if there is another team, and if Ariane is dead, we cannot rule out that Aya is either lying, or one of The Strix or their witches went rogue after hearing this new information."

"Lucien's not on the map anymore," said Kol as he came back in. "It means a witch has cloaked him. We also can't rule out he got the weapon as is in hiding. Chances are, Aya is going to stop at nothing to find the weapon. Ariane's mind can still be searched if she's freshly dead."

"I will enact my plan, then," said Elijah. "Excuse me, I must go speak with Marcel."

He left the house, and Maddy just drew a deep sigh before plucking Hope back up and taking her to the bathroom.

"Time for bubbles," she said gently, preparing the tub she used to bathe her. "You like the bubbles, don't you, princess?"

Klaus stood in the doorway. "Are you alright?"

"No," she said. "Someone got into our house and we didn't realize it. I shiver to think of what might have happened if Hope had been alone in her room. With the vampire hearing and ability to get to her in a fraction of a second, we leave her like that every now and then. But we can't do that again. And it scares me."

He came closer, helping to prepare the bath while Maddy removed Hope's clothes and her dirty diaper, making sure to clean her first before placing her in the bubbly water, smiling as the little girl giggled. "Look at that, daddy knows how to make it perfectly warm for you, isn't that nice?"

"It still confuses me, knowing that silly toy is the weapon," said Klaus. "Just when you were complaining about her gnawing on it. Some children cuddle with a blanket... mine loves her chess piece."

"It seems far-fetched to say this, but do you think she knew? Like, she was aware that it was a weapon? I don't think I ever would have given it a second thought if she hadn't been doing that the other day."

"At this rate, I'd believe anything. Hope's power grows every day, even with the bracelet she wears."

"Right," said Maddy, who now had to get used to taking the bracelet off each time she bathed her. "There we go—" she set it aside. Hope sneezed, and a stream of water burst out from the tub, blasting into Maddy's face.

Klaus tried not to laugh, but it was very hard to keep that in. Maddy drew back, managing a weak chuckle as she went to dry her face. "Never gonna get used to that," she said, blinking several times to get the soap out of her eyes. "Maybe Hope can just get rid of all our enemies for us. As ancient as those other vampires are, I bet they, too, can be felled by a geyser of soapy bath water in their eyes."

"She is, in fact, the strongest supernatural alive," said Klaus, tickling Hope's belly as he used a small and soft rag to rub the soap into her skin. "You may be tiny now, my littlest wolf, but soon enough, you will have everyone worshiping you."

"What are we going to do about school?" asked Maddy, leaning on his shoulder while he kept bathing Hope. "Are we going to homeschool her? Or are we going to send her to a regular elementary school and pray that it goes well?"

"What do you think is best, love?"

"Maybe homeschooling for primary school. Give her a chance to learn to control her emotions and her magic. She's got the wolf gene and the Mikaelson firstborn witch issues... maybe it's best to get a handle on that then see how she does in a regular middle school. If that doesn't go well then... back to homeschooling. I suppose it should be whatever she wants. Whatever she thinks she'd be most comfortable with. Once she can control her magic, she should be able to make some decisions on her own."

"What do you say, my littlest wolf?" asked Klaus, making silly faces. "Would you like to deal with the disgusting realm of smelly middle school students, or would you prefer studying in the comforts of your magnificently comfortable home?"

"Well, when you put it that way..."

Elijah returned after midnight to let them know that his plan had gone smoothly. It had ensured The Strix was now under Marcel's command. Though Aya still had a say in things, it allowed him to check on The Strix Coven, confirming that one of the witches had gone rogue.

"Get this," said Marcel on call with them, "there's also a member of The Strix that isn't accounted for. Guy named Shen Min. Aya thinks he did it to go against her leadership. He wanted to be picked as the next leader, but she sort of put herself in a position of power without giving anybody a chance to vote."

"Shen Min," said Elijah, gritting his teeth. "He does not seem the type to work with Lucien. He is far too much of a narcissist. Which may mean Lucien has been subdued to keep him from interfering."

"Now, it's a race," said Kol. "Whoever finds the white oak first gets to decide what to do with it. It better be us that locates this prat. Elijah... give Freya and I your blood. We have the advantage here— he's your sireling. Even if The Strix are all related through you, it is no match for your blood."

"One slight issue," said Liv, "isn't it best when you have somebody's belongings? Considering The Strix live together, it might kinda work for them 'cause they might find this guy's toothbrush or something."

"I have something of his," said Elijah. "I only need to find it."

"One more thing," said Marcel. "I found out that they do have your guy Dwayne here. He's still alive but I don't think he will be for much longer."

"Yet another reason why we ought to do the de-linking spell ourselves," said Kol in a sing-song voice.

"Oh, alright!" snapped Klaus. "The instant we have the white oak in our possession, we will do it. Otherwise, we will likely be killed immediately. Right now, our sirelings are still motivated to keep us alive. We must keep it that way until the weapon is acquired."

"Then, what will we do with the Nexus Vorti?" asked Bonnie. "Are we bringing back Finn or are we channeling most of it into killing The Strix, or...?"

"Both," said Freya. "If this is to happen, then... perhaps most of you can perform the de-linking spell. I will resurrect Finn. The remaining magic can be stored, but only for a little while. That, we can use to kill The Strix. Right now, the matter at hand is finding Shen Min and the white oak. Once we have that, we can figure out how best to proceed."

"You guys have to hurry," said Marcel. "Something tells me Aya will reach out and strike a deal with Shen Min, and it'll ensure the white oak ends up in The Strix's possession. There's only so much I can do to help. When you find this guy, you ambush him. Take it by force."

"Thank you, Marcel," said Maddy. "This has been very helpful."

Once he hung up, the large group all looked around at each other, not sure how best to proceed.

"I could convince the witches to help, for a price," said Vincent. "They aren't happy The Strix was trying to recruit their witches. Maybe if we offer an alliance or something they need..."

"Good idea," said Jo. "As long as their demand is reasonable..."

"What about the wolves?" suggested Tyler. "Hayley and Jackson and their pack would be good at tracking this guy."

Maddy shook her head. "It's a good idea, but I don't want to involve the wolves. We only just managed to stop those annoying poachers Lucien was sending after them. If we get them too involved, The Strix could hurt them."

"Maybe we need to see what they think about it," said Enzo. "Hayley is your friend. She'd be willing to help. With the white oak gone, there will be vampires everywhere looking for it. The wolves can still be caught in conflict even if you don't involve them. Give them the option to help us if they wish to. After all, there's no shortage of Mikaelson and Salvatore money. They could be compensated well for their time."

Maddy relented. "Fine. I'll call Hayley in the morning."

She'd accepted, of course. The wolves didn't have much else to do. Involving them had worked out well initially. Within a week, Shen Min was found.

Unfortunately, Marcel's suspicion was correct. By then, Aya had indeed managed to contact Shen Min. It was all a trap.

They knew it the instant Hayley showed up with Lucien, who had been held captive by The Strix so that he couldn't warn the Mikaelsons.

"New plan," said Kol in annoyance as they waited for Marcel to arrive, "we stop the de-linking and kill all The Strix today."

A/N: Hi all! It's that time again— check out my most recent posts on Quotev and Wattpad (on my Sprinting Fox account) to let me know which story you want next. Right now, I am planning to publish my Cami x OC story after this, followed by my Lucien x OC story. However, the others, I don't yet know what order I want to release them in. Everything is subject to change... I am totally more prepared for my Lucien story so I might publish that first but I don't know yet. We'll see! I do still want to hear your opinions :) Comment for more!