Alright guys, this is going to be one of those annoying cases where I give you a long-ass A/N, just so I can let you know a few things.
1st: Thank you SO much for your responses. Every favorite/follow/review brightens my day, and the fact that you're even here reading makes me so happy! Even if I don't reply to you, I see you and really appreciate you.
2nd: I have to give a major shoutout to SunflowerFran who has done the fine tuning to this chapter, and made it flow so much better than before. I'm so delighted to work with her.
3rd: I'm going to have a complete fangirl moment and squeal that Drotuno rec'd me on " .com". Thank you so much, and thanks to all of you who popped on over here to check out Atmosphere.
4th: Okay, I won't avoid it. I know I totally missed my last posting date. I'm going to be real with you all here and say that I'm running on a "college" schedule. There are days where I have so little work I take four hour naps, and then days that there is so much work my nightly-sleep can be considered a "nap". I know you're all out there in the real world (doubly busy) so this is a thin excuse, but I do apologize for any inconsistent posting!
5th and almost lastly: I throw down a lot of information in these chapters, so please let me know if it's overwhelming. At the end of this chapter there is a "KEY FACTS" section to try and clarify some things, but ultimately, I do believe that well-written stories shouldn't require too much outside explanation. So if it becomes too much, I'll be aware of it in my framing of the story. Be honest with me in your reviews, and don't be afraid to send me a PM if you need more explaining (not spoilers!).
6th and actually lastly: I don't own these characters (minus "Lua"), I just get to play with them. Our Edward, the character that I know you guys are waiting for, will take a bit of time to enter the story, so stick with me! Enjoy, my beauties.
Part I: Lyrebird
Chapter 4
Hell is not as hot as Isa thought it would be. In fact, she is positive that hell is meant to consist of a fiery inferno, not torrential rain.
Needing visual evidence to dispel her confusion, Isa forces her eyes open. The action is simple, but it inspires a pain that radiates throughout her entire body. Despite the freezing rain that drenches her, Isa's skin feels as desiccated as the sand beneath her, causing her membrane to split as she tries to move. Her attempt to sit up is interrupted as she feels the full extent of her injuries.
The pain is nearly unbearable.
She settles for slowly moving her gaze to the area around her, and the sight causes all of the air to leave her at once. It seems that instead of falling to the bottom of the Pylae, she'd fallen onto an expanse of rock jutting out from the wall of the canyon. The area was long, but narrow, and she couldn't fathom how she'd had the luck of landing there. As Isa glances over the edge, she knows that the rest of the drop would have surely killed her. To the right and left, all she can see is desert land, stretching for what seems like miles.
I stand corrected, Isa scoffs, I am truly in hell.
As the events from earlier in the day return to her, Isa risks a glance at her shoulder and is not disappointed to see that the dagger is still embedded deeply in her flesh. She didn't actually need visual confirmation for this –since the fiery pain in her shoulder and neck could have told her as much. The wound steadily seeps blood, but doesn't inspire a great amount of worry in Isa. Unless delivered to the insignia, a dagger wound rarely kills anyone of their species. Unfortunately, this fact doesn't lessen the agonizing pain.
Her hands are still tightly bound together, but somehow she manages to lift them to her shoulder. The rope bites into her wrists as she strains against it and attempts to move her hands to a more useful position. Eventually, she takes a hold of the dagger, a shuddering breath leaving her as she grasps the hilt.
I can't do this, Isa thinks initially. But even in this moment of doubt, a foreign sensation builds within her. The emotion is a mélange of anger and determination that starts as a ripple, and then swells into a tidal wave of emotion. For years, Isa had resigned herself to the fate of being imprisoned, but now, in this pit of hell, she has a chance to be free.
More importantly, she has a chance for revenge.
Fueled by her new resolve, Isa clenches her teeth as she tugs the blade out from the meat of her flesh. A scream crawls up her throat, clawing to get out, but she keeps it confined behind her lips. No one can know she is alive, and screaming in the Pylae would result in a traitorous echo.
With the bloodied knife now in her hands, she is able to cut her restraints and free her wrists, ankles, and wings. Her body is humming with pain, but the slight relief is a blessing. Gradually, the wound in her shoulder ceases to bleed; the gash is still there, but it's inactive.
Without her restraints, she is able to take better inventory of her surroundings. While the walls of the Pylae are tall and intimidating, they are only separated by about a half a mile. The perilous drop is what dissuades citizens from crossing the Volturian border into Forxx. And if that weren't enough, the borders of both nations are heavily regulated. However, Isa really has no choice. She has to scale the walls of the Pylae or she'll die in its pits. Isa knows they will be a struggle to conquer, but if she takes her time and strategizes a way to exit, she can do it. But first, she needs to get down from her ledge.
The irony isn't lost on her that the one time she truly needs to fly Isa barely has use of her wings. Her right wing hangs limply at her side due to its dislocation, while the other has oozing lacerations from the friction of her bindings. However, Isa knows that if she can get her right wing into a moving function, she can at least use air resistance to lower herself to the ground.
After having faced the pain of disengaging the dagger from her shoulder, snapping her wing back into its socket is done without much thought. Before she can hesitate, she forces the limb back into place.
The next few minutes are spent testing out her wing function. There are at least another three hundred feet beneath her, and jumping from her perch prematurely could end in tragedy. Twenty minutes pass before Isa finally gains the courage to move to the ledge of her landing place. Again, doubt pricks at her consciousness, but Jane's voice also appears, drowning out Isa's insecurity:
Be resourceful, and do not underestimate your abilities.
Newly motivated, Isa prepares herself for the descent. She trains her eyes on her intended spot of landing and then lets her body fall from off the elevated rock.
The force of the air against her tender wings is enough to cause Isa to yelp. The state of her body and the harsh air current causes tears to streak across her face. She tries to force her thoughts away from the drop beneath her so that her nerves aren't completely frayed. By the time she touches the ground, she is both physically and emotionally spent. Knowing that she needs to pace herself and conserve energy, Isa allows herself a few moments to rest.
Another hour passes before Isa begins to strategize her exit out of the canyon. She searches for the quickest circuit to climb along the protruding rocks of the wall. At two points, there are jutting rocks, just large enough for her to fit. They are the perfect places for her to gather her bearings during her journey out of the Pylae.
Suddenly, Isa get's the acute sense that another body is near her. She stiffens as her muscles lock and adrenaline courses through her, numbing her to the pain of her injuries and preparing her for battle. A few feet away, a black panther stands with its claws protruded and its fangs bore. It crouches closely to the ground in a huddled form, but even in this position Isa can tell that the animal towers over her own stature. With great caution, the cat takes a few steps towards Isa, as the later reaches for the dagger beside her. It is then that she locks eyes with the beast, and her adrenaline leaves her.
Strangely, Isa is not filled with fear; in fact, she is filled with a completely surprising emotion –familiarity. She stares at the creature harder, wondering what it is about the animal's eyes that bring her calmness. Instead of the signature, luminescent yellow irises that panthers tend to have, this cat has mesmerizing, silver ones.
Silver eyes…
Recognition for both comes at the same moment and Isa lurches forward and wraps her arms around the cat, pressing a kiss to its pinched, feline nose.
"Lua pao av?" Isa laughs, "Well I suppose I can no longer call you that. How are you like this, my Lua? How did you come to be this way, my little…girl?"
The animal nuzzles its nose into Isa's side, releasing a purr as a steady stream of images are revealed. Isa's eyes widen in amazement as she sees herself falling into the canyon from Lua's point of view.
"Well, I'm okay now," Isa pets the animal's head.
Isa leans back and looks at the changed form of her pet. Part of her cannot comprehend that her small bird could shift into this powerful being, but then another part remembers that there are animals in her kingdom that can change between two states. They are rare, but certainly present. She wonders if Aro had known he had given her such an extraordinary gift.
Overcome with happiness, she pulls the Lua closer and coaxes her friend to lie down with her. She decides to climb the walls of the Pylae in the morning when the sun has dried the slippery mud. When Lua purrs with contentment, Isa lets out a small giggle, glad to have her companion back in any way, shape, or form. Lua allows Isa to snuggle into her coat as they try to sleep out the rest of the night.
~lyrebird~
What if I fall?
Isa lets out a humorless chuckle as she thinks; can any fall be worse than the one entering this hole?
After waking, Isa spends a few more moments strategizing before she decides upon a plan. She will alternate between climbing, and using her wings to assist her during her scaling. As well as this, she has her telekinesis to assist her. Though she can't levitate herself, she has enough skill to lift her noosed rope and tie it to a sturdy anchor. With one end harnessed around her waist, she feels slightly more comfortable leaving the safety of the ground. She knows she has a long climb ahead of her, and so decides to break the journey into three parts. Once she reaches the half point, she will rest for a few hours, and then continue.
She begins her climb, steadily using the protruding rocks to scale the wall. The rocks are not smooth, which serves as both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, the roughness provides for traction, while, on the other hand, the roughness causes pain. Lua, in bird form, sits at Isa's first checkpoint, a marker of the place she needs to reach. Isa knows she should focus on the placement of her hands and feet, but she also needs a distraction from the monotonous movements. Even though she cannot escape the reality of her situation, Isa can't help but have a feeling of disbelief. Who could have ever imagined that she, Isabelle Marie Volturi, Aro's Osen, would be scaling the walls of the Pylae? She digs through the past events of her life and inspects them looking to see if any moment could have been an indication that this would be her fate.
She begins with her childhood. She thinks about how passionately her mother had loved Aro, even though he fathered another child during their time of courting. Her mother had loved Jane and treated her equally to Isa, especially when Jane was ignored by her own mother, Sulpicia. Isa and Jane grew close to each other despite the two-year difference between them and were virtually inseparable. Jane served as Isa's protector while Isa showed Jane the true meaning of loyalty. They were sisters through and through. Her older sister would even hold Isa's hand each year that Isa's mother would add another embellishment to her fake insignia. Also, because Jane was a sunchild herself, Isa's mother could use Jane's design as a template to follow.
Then everything changed. Aro and her mother no longer shared loving kisses or lingering gazes. Sulpicia was present more than ever in the court and spent more time with Aro than was appropriate. Then one night, Queen Esme was taken from their lives. Isa was left in devastation; unable to rely on the people she'd considered her family. Aro had caged her, and Jane had taken her place. Though Isa had never felt the slightest bit of resentment towards her sister, Jane held an unreasonable amount of guilt at the situation. Whenever she was allowed to, she devoted herself more than ever to Isa. The only times Isa would be released from her cage was to eat, sing, and bathe in her large stone birdbath.
Isa shudders, her humiliation momentarily bringing her back to the present. She has been climbing for about an hour and has only reached halfway to her first marker. The ascent is proving to be as hard as she expected and is a true test of her underdeveloped muscles. It takes a lot of stamina and planning of her next move; skills she's never before had to utilize. Some rocks are looser than they appear, and tumble down the steep slope the moment her hand caresses them. Isa flaps her unbroken wing to steady herself, and the silver appendage helps to anchor her to the wall. With the sight of her wing, she is brought back to the past. It's as if past events are finally falling into place, helping Isa to understand how she's ended up in this situation.
Jane's bracelet catches on one of Isa's wings and painfully plucks out a few feathers. Of course, Isa is quick to forgive her sister. Jane would never intentionally do her harm.
Except that Jane's actions had been intentional. Jane had taken the stolen feathers and planted them outside the door of Sulpicia's office as a means of framing Isa. It hadn't mattered whether or not Isa had actually eavesdropped; she had been doomed from the start. For how long had Jane been planning this?
This was the part of her fate she could not quite comprehend. Why had Jane deceived her so plainly? Isa found herself conflicted with the two sides of her sister she had witnessed. On the one hand, Jane had framed Isa, which had led up to her execution. But on the other hand, Jane had knowingly stabbed Isa in her fake insignia and given Isa this chance of freedom.
So which was the real Jane?
Was she the sister who had stuck beside Isa for her entire life, staying in the cage room for hours on end just to keep Isa's company? Or was she Princess Jane Volturi, daughter of Aro and Sulpicia, co-conspirator in the assassination of the Cullens? There are so many questions left unanswered to Isa. She wishes she could speak to Jane, if only for a few moments, just so she could figure out how her life had become this mess. But she knows this is impossible; Jane had even said this herself. A bitter laugh leaves Isa as she realizes just how orchestrated everything was.
"If you were to leave," Jane starts, "Would you try to contact me?"
"Well," Isa responds, "Yes. Yes, I would."
Jane whispers, "Don't."
Getting in touch with her was now out of the question. Jane had, however, given her the smallest glimmer of hope in this otherwise bleak circumstance. She had told Isa the names of two people she had previously met. Isa doesn't know how she'll get to them, per se, but she knows she has to try. A nagging thought warns her not to trust any of Jane's resources, but Isa has nowhere to go once she gets out of the Pylae. As her hand reaches the tip of her midpoint, Isa vows she will find Alice and Jasper Whitlock if only to get a few answers.
~lyrebird~
When Isa wakes, she is sore to the bone. The night is now upon her, bringing with it a chill to its dusty air. Lua, once again in panther form, lies close to Isa, providing her some warmth. The animal licks at Isa's face gently, willing her to become more aware with each pass of her bristled tongue. Isa responds with a groan as she forces herself to a kneeling position.
"I know we must continue," Isa sighs tiredly, "We haven't eaten in some time, and will be too weak if we don't leave now."
The cat nods as if it understands Isa perfectly, and oddly, Isa knows that it does.
She begins her climbing again, slower than before but steadily. Every new grasp is accompanied by a wince; the rocks have exfoliated her hands to the point of rawness. She clenches her jaw as a means of holding back her whimpers, but every now and then a grunt breaks through. She tries to settle back into her memories in order to focus her mind elsewhere, but she finds herself stuck in annoyance. If only she could use her abilities to get out of this blasted canyon. She is gifted with one of the most versatile talents, and yet she couldn't use it to her advantage.
In her species, each person is born with a single skill. However, because she has the power of absorption, Isa is an exception. Originally, her parents had thought she was born without any ability (this rarely occurs, but it does happen). But no, it had merely taken a couple of years for Isa to practice her gift. Isa can clearly remember the first ability she'd taken.
"Hair," Isa demands of Esme, her hand stretched out expectantly.
"No, you may not play with my hair right now," Esme clucks at the small child in her lap.
"Hair," Isa repeats grumpily, expressing her displeasure with the downturn of her white eyebrows.
"No," Esme says firmly.
But Isa grabs her mother's brown hair, while one of her hands rests on Esme's cheek. Suddenly, a vibrating current passes between them. Esme's eyes become slicked over with an orange film until Isa pulls her hand away in shock.
The experience stays with Esme for days, haunting her in the moments she has to herself. She wonders what it means that her daughter elicited such an odd bodily reaction. What did Isa do?
Esme receives her answer another week later when Isa begins singing in a dulcet tone –a voice more beautiful than her own. When Aro questions Esme, she insists that Isa inherited the singing ability. Inside, Esme knows this is not the case. She knows that her daughter is an absorber.
It is an ability that her mother kept to herself, and that Isa also refrains from sharing. This talent is a coveted one because of its potential, and the knowledge of it could create problems if the information is put into the wrong hands. For that reason, Isa pretends that singing is her only ability. In reality, she can be gifted with five abilities at a time, absorption included. The remaining three consist of telekinesis, limited shapeshifting, and one of which she has not acquired as yet.
Absorption, ironically, is her least controlled ability so far. It is such an unpredictable and dangerous gift; and, unfortunately, is greatly fueled by her emotions. Not only this, but it causes pain for the receiver, and there is also the possibility of the victim completely losing their ability –or worse, their life. Isa freezes as this thought crosses her mind, but she shakes it off quickly. It would not help her to get overwhelmed by her emotions. She had come to terms with what she had done and had promised herself never to abuse her ability in such a way again. She knows such a seductive power can turn someone into a monstrous being. Isa stops her trail of thoughts before they can become even more undesirable. She needs to focus on getting out of the canyon, and negativity will not help her.
It is another hour before she achieves this goal. Isa can hear her muscles scream with joy as she feels the lip of the canyon. Lua, who is seated at the top, leans her paw out to Isa, and helps to pull her over the ledge. Once Isa is safely deposited, Lua changes into a bird so that she can perch in her rightful place on Isa's left wing. A feeling of contentment washes through her, and she knows it generates from the bird. An image of the castle flashes through her mind, and she doesn't recognize it at first until Lua focuses on the view from her cage room.
"No, Lua, we are not going back there," Isa answers the animal's unspoken questions of 'where next?'
Lua's chirps loudly, as she burrows herself into Isa's wing.
Isa is about to hush the animal when a cold chill travels from her chin to the base of her spine. The chill originates from the cold steel that is pressed to her neck. Lua chirps even louder, her feelings of panic translated in her sounds.
"Well, isn't this a pleasure?"
Isa's heart thumps loudly as she tries to recall where she's heard the southern Forxian twang of the man before her. Suddenly, she remembers. She hasn't seen him in years, and barely recognizes his piercing blue eyes, straight nose, or tangle of blond curls, but she can surely identify him by the signature scar that rests below his left eye.
Isa's voice shakes as she says, "Sir Whitlock?"
"Princess Isabelle," he drawls in greeting, "We've been waiting a long time for you."
Terminology
Princess Isabelle Volturi –Daughter of King Aro and late Queen Esme Volturi
Lua –the name of Isa's bird, shortened from "Lua pao av" [Volturian]
Osen –songbird [Volturian]
Volturia –the land owned by the royal Volturi family (predominantly home of the sunchildren)
Cullenia –the land owned by the royal Cullen family (predominantly home of the moonchildren)
Forxx –a land located between Volturia and Cullenia
Pylae – "Canyon of Death" -the grand canyon-esque landmark where the bodies of criminals/unidentifiable persons are disposed of. Separates Volturia from Forxx
KEY FACTS
Insignias/Dying: The insignia is the core of the being. It isn't merely the markings that are the biological center of Isa's species, it's the actual flesh and organs beneath it. Therefore, if substantial damage is done to one's insignia (ex. stabbing, burning the entirety of the insignia) one may be subjected to immediate death. It's as if your most vital organ lies in your shoulder.
There are other ways to die for this species. Unless it is a supernatural gift, one is not immortal. However, other deaths such as drowning, suffocating, and organ damage are potentially overcomable.
Supernatural abilities: Almost every person is born with one supernatural ability. The possibility of abilities are endless and can be as useful as flight, and as useless (but fun!) as creating bubbles.
Aro & Isa's exception: There is a loophole to this "one ability per person rule." Aro and Isa are able to absorb the powers of other supernaturals. The limits as to how many powers one can have at a given moment change from absorber to absorber. Isa has a capacity of four, and only currently has three: telekineses, singing (an ability she accidentally absorbed from her mother), and having an alternate appearance.
This is a very powerful ability, as an absorber can completely drain a supernatural of their ability (resulting in their victim's death), or can draw too much from their victim at a time (resulting in their victim's loss of consciousness).
**Note: Isa's flying doesn't count as part of the "one ability per person" rule, because wings are a distinct, racial trait. There are many others of her race that have wings, and a supernatural ability.
So if we were to count off Bella's "abilities" they would be: 1) absorption 2) singing 3) telekinesis 4) shape shifting 5) not acquired yet. (flying is an added bonus of her heritage).
"A person's a person, no matter how small." -Dr. Seuss
~C.H