There was a meeting called in the abattoir for all of the inner circle vampires.

Marcel walked downstairs with a bottle of bourbon in hand.

"Hey, Marcel, maybe you know what's going on," I told him. "Klaus ordered us to meet here, and now he's a no-show."

"What do you want from me?" Marcel asked. "It's a new regime. Get used to it."

Klaus appeared. "Dearest brethren, your attention, please." Thierry walked inside with him. "No doubt, you're all surprised to see Thierry Vanchure." I smiled slightly, stepping closer. "Who's supposed to be rotting in the garden for the crime of killing one of our own." Marcel sat down. "And I personally decided to issue him with a pardon. I hope you'll all welcome home Thierry." There was cheers and applause. "Welcome home, mate."

Thierry and I wrapped our arms around each other like long-lost brothers.

I pulled back, looking at Klaus. "You're in a good mood. You should visit Mystic Falls more often."

"Well, as much as I might like to, I have pressing responsibilities here," Klaus told us. "Now, as you all know, the witch Davina is no longer with us. Without Davina, we no longer monitor the activity of our witch neighbors. However, since their Harvest failed, their magic will soon be gone forever. Until then, I say we keep them on their toes. Noah, I wonder if you might lead a roasting in the Cauldron."

I smirked, shrugging. "Let's do it." Marcel stood, starting to walk away. I stepped in front of him. "Marcel, maybe you'd join us."

"Nah," Marcel told me. "I'm gonna take a personal day."

I nodded.

Marcel walked away.

*

We had gone to the Cauldron only to find something extremely wrong.

I went back to the abattoir, seeing Marcel sitting on a couch, drinking.

Klaus was standing in front of him. "Ugh, is this what's it's come to? I bear the full weight of our kingdom while you pout like a child?"

"You wanted to be king," Marcel told him. "Besides, you look like you got it covered."

"If the men see you shirk your duties, they're likely to do the same," Klaus told him.

Marcel leaned forward. "I told you, I am not in the mood for vampire hijinx."

"No, you'd rather sit wallowing in sarrow for your lost little friend," Klaus told him.

Marcel stood. "Don't push me right now."

"I am sorry Davina is gone, okay?" Klaus asked. "I'm sorry, but this mournful attitude is unworthy of you, and it's boring to me."

I decided to let them know I was there. "Hey, guys." They looked toward me. "We got a problem."

*

At the Cauldron, I led them toward the witch circle with two vampires inside, dead, desiccated, with a symbol carved into their heads. "We came to mess with the witches, just like you said, and these two, they went missing. Found them like this. Not even staked, just dead."

Marcel turned around, walking away.

Klaus turned after him. "Where are you going? Someone has to account for this."

Marcel turned back. "You want revenge, get it yourself." He pointed to the mark, speaking to the other vampires. "That mark is tied to some bad mojo. Any of you got any brains, you'll head back to the compound and stay the hell out of this."

Marcel turned around, walking away, leaving.

Klaus looked at the others. "We're gonna find whoever did this, and I will show them what suffering is."

*

Back at the compound, there were more dead vampires just like at the Cauldron.

Elijah, Klaus and I stood over the body.

"Someone will die for this," Klaus told us.

"Remarkably, I don't disagree," Elijah told him. "However, I would like to know where they learned such dark magic. I had hoped never to see that symbol again."

"I recall it is the signature of a fool who once stood against us," Klaus told him. "Clearly, some upstart witch is salvaging old tricks. I'll do for him as I did the other."

"I think I heard about this," I told them. "It's a witch that was trying to kill you all before I was turned."

"The same year you were turned, but, yes, before you were turned, nonetheless," Klaus told me. "Good job, Noah. Although, this is obviously just a witch copy catting this dangerous witch. I want you to do something for me."

I stood. "Of course you do."

Klaus walked closer, stopping in front of me. "When night falls, I want you to gather every vampire in the Quarter. Get me the head of whoever did this and put it on a stick."

"Yeah, that's gonna be a problem," I told him. "Everyone is freaked out. We haven't had witches killing vampires in a long time. Marcel and I made sure of that."

"Marcel has run off like a scared child, and I am left with you," Klaus told me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "And you lot are left with me." He backed away, scanning the room of vampires. "Now, who of you will fight to defend our home? Not a single one of you will stand with me, so afraid are you of this new threat? You should no better."

I shook my head, stepping forward. "Hell, I'm not afraid. If you killed this dick before, we can do it again."

Klaus smiled. "And that is why I like you better. Come with me."

Klaus and I walked out of the abattoir together.

*

Klaus was on the phone with Marcel. "Ah. You've deigned to break your despair long enough to pick up the phone."

"I figured you'd just keep calling."

"Noah and I are in the Cauldron now."

"Noah 's with you? He hates you. You hate him."

"We hate the witch killing the vampires of the Quarter more than we hate each other at the moment. You could meet us here. We could start burning passersby at the stake."

"Sorry. I'm gonna chase down my own lead."

"And where might that be, the bottom of a bottle of Scotch?" I asked.

"I'm at Sophie Deveraux's place. I figured I'll sit here and drink till she shows."

"Or you can snap out of this funk and come and help us end this," Klaus told him.

"You've got Noah with you. If there's one person who's more persistent than I am, it's him. Oh, and, uh, Klaus... try not to kill him."

Marcel hung up.

"Well, that's just great," I said sarcastically.

Klaus hung up.

I turned around to look at the same magic circle that had been surrounding the dead vampires on the brick wall behind me. "Klaus."

Klaus turned around, following my gaze. "Bloody hell."

"Big, bad Noah Dumaine teaming up with Klaus Mikaelson?" Sophie 's drunk voice came from behind us. "Never thought that would ever happen."

"Sophie," I said, rushing toward her, standing right in front of her. "Just the witch we were looking for. Perhaps you can explain the attacks on our men."

*

Sophie looked at the circle on the brick wall. "It's a complex spell, old-school stuff rooted in sacrificial magic. Whoever did this to your guys, my guess is, they were an offering to gain more power. More guys they kill, more power they get."

My cell phone vibrated. I pulled it out, answering. "Marcel?"

"No, it's Cami. You and Klaus need to get to Rousseau's now. Some lunatic witch doctor is killing Marcel."

"Get as far away from there as you can."

We hung up.

*

We got to Rousseau's pretty quick actually.

We could hear Papa Tunde from inside. "As I recall, you're one of the few people Niklaus Mikaelson ever gave a damn about. You know what he did to my family. The sins of the father are paid for by the son. I will take pleasure in telling Klaus how you died."

We rushed inside to see Tunde lowering the blade to cut into Marcel's nearly desiccated head.

Klaus rushed toward Tunde and grabbed Tunde's arms. "I remember killing you. I rather relished it. What a joy it is to relive fond memories."

Tunde used magic to push Klaus back into a wine case, shattering the glass windows and making him fall onto the case, onto the floor.

Tunde stood. "You're here. Good. I can crush you before the eyes of your son, and then I will consume you both.

Klaus rushed toward him.

Tunde flipped the script, gripping his throat, pushing him into the bar. "This time, I'm stronger."

Tunde threw Klaus to the floor.

*

Tunde walked toward Klaus, gripping his throat, raising the blade to cut into his forehead.

I rushed toward him from behind, grabbing him, throwing him to the floor.

Tunde glared toward us, standing, raising a hand toward us.

Nothing happened.

"No," Tunde whispered.

I gripped a bottle, swinging it toward him, shattering it across his head, making him fall. I looked at Klaus. "Told you, element of surprise always works."

Klaus smirked.

I knelt next to a nearly desiccated Marcel.

Klaus looked at the spot Tunde was. "Noah."

I followed his gaze.

Tunde was gone.

Cami walked into the room. "Is he dead?"

"Get out of here," Klaus told her.

"Is Marcel dead?" Cami asked. "Did that guy kill him?"

Klaus stood, walking toward her. "He didn't finish him off. Marcel needs blood to heal. Go. Find me someone off the street."

"I'll do it," Cami told us.

"No," Klaus told her. "Not you. I don't want you involved in this."

"You don't control me anymore, remember?" Cami asked.

"Can we just get him some damn blood now?" I asked.

Cami walked toward us, kneeling on the other side of Marcel. "It's okay, Marcel. It's okay. It's okay, Marcel."

I took her wrist, biting it, putting it to Marcel's mouth for him to drink the blood. He slowly became less desiccated, holding her wrist.

*

After everyone had been saved, all of the vampires, including the nightwalkers, were gathered in the abattoir courtyard.

Klaus had wanted to meet. "Not long ago, you all United against me. You failed. Since then, in my benevolence, I have wiped the slate clean. Yet it seems clear you think that I am the one who needs to earn your respect, your loyalty. You're mistaken. Is it you who must prove yourselves to me. Our community is under attack. I require soldiers. I need warriors, not cowards. Each of you has a decision to make. You either fight alongside me or you leave... Now."

The crowd murmured indistinctly, discussing on what to do.

Thierry looked around, nodding, stepping forward. "We don't owe you anything. If staying in the Quarter means living under your rule, I'd just as soon get the hell out."

Thierry walked toward me.

I shook my head. "Not about Klaus, T. It's about the city. Our home. Don't you think that's worth fighting for?"

Thierry nodded in acknowledgement. "Suit yourself."

Thierry walked out of the compound.

A handful of vampires followed him out.

The rest of us stayed.

*

Klaus, Marcel and I were sharing a drink in a different room.

I looked at Klaus. "Gotta admit, I thought you'd lose a lot more guys than that."

"Well, good riddance to them, I say," Klaus told us. "We've no room for slackers or cowards in our kingdom."

"Our kingdom?" I repeated. "I knew you two were in this together, but..."

"This kingdom was half yours, once," Klaus told me. "And, although I may not have known you very well in the past, you have proven yourself, repeatedly. But most of all, today. You stepped forward when no one else did. You even saved my life. I'd say it's the least I could do, to allow you to have some of it back."

I nodded.

Klaus held his glass toward us.

We clinked them in a toast, drinking.

Klaus looked at Marcel. "Now that you've regained your composure..." He looked at me. "And you have proven yourself loyal, let's move on to the next item of business, shall we?" He turned to the next room over. "With a little help from our dear friend Sophie."

Sophie walked closer. "I got no reason to help you, and I sure as hell don't have a reason to help them."

"Now, now, don't be difficult, love," Klaus told her. "You'll only live as long as you're of use to me, and right now, your best use is to explain why a witch I killed 100 years ago has come back for revenge."

"Come on," Sophie told us. "Resurrected witches with vast power? It's the Harvest. Four girls were meant to die and be reborn. I don't know how, but someone jacked that power. And they used it to bring back four witches, just not the right ones."

Marcel pointed at Sophie. "So there's still a chance. If we can get that power back, we can save Davina."

"Let's concentrate on the immediate problem, shall we?" Klaus asked. "Papa Tunde wants revenge. He'll continue to attack us, channeling power from the vampires he sacrifices. He kills, he grows more dangerous. So how do I end him?"

"He needs sacrifices to gain power," I told them. "We keep him from killing anymore nightwalkers, that's a start. Unless..." I looked up in realization. "He finds the one place with a load of vampires ready to be sacrificed."

*

We went to the garden.

All of the vampires were already dead, desiccated, bearing Tunde's mark.

We looked at the stone wall to see Tunde's magic little circle that he had left the vampires to die in.

That meant he was so much more powerful.