Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight stuff, I do not.
Chapter Three
William POV
Every one of Caroline's screams was like a hot poker being jabbed through my soul, and it took every single ounce of resolve I had to keep moving forward. Despite my personal feelings, I knew that remaining sure and steadfast in my plan of action was the only thing that allowed for even the slightest possibility of Caroline's survival. I wanted so badly to comfort her and tell her everything would be all right, but that was a promise I simply couldn't keep and it would surely ruin things. There was no doubt in my mind that there would be quite a welcoming committee once we re-entered the underground, and I needed to focus all of my energy on the upcoming confrontation.
Caroline was still now, and I hefted her in my arms, repositioning her so that I held her under my left arm like a sack of potatoes. Her cries had lowered to broken whispers, and even with my enhanced hearing I could barely make out her pleas for her release. Steeling myself, we began the descent into the caverns under Volterra, and it only took mere minutes before our path was intercepted.
I rounded my second corner and came face to face with a group of some of my least favorite people. Felix stood there, along with that bastard Alec, in addition to Rufus and the other members that Caroline had duped. I halted my steps, but only met their stares with silence; waiting for them to make the first move.
"A very well done job indeed," said Felix with a sickening grin on his face. "I doubt even I would have returned with her so quickly. I would have preferred to have some fun with her before making my grand entrance."
"I'm here to do my job Felix. Nothing more." I answered in as flat a tone as I could manage.
"So I see," he replied curtly. "I must say, I was mildly surprised to hear that you of all people William went after her so quickly and willingly. And here I thought you two were friends at the very least." I saw his eyes scanning my face, watching closely for any hesitation or emotions on my part.
"I have many acquaintances among the guard, but certainly no relationships that override my duty and position here. I, unlike so many, remain loyal to the Volturi Felix, not my own vendetta for personal power." I had no desire to make enemies with anyone tonight, but I had to make it clear that I wouldn't allow Felix to manipulate me. His eyes narrowed slightly at my words, but when he didn't respond, Alec decided to speak up.
"Well I imagine we should be on our way now. William, you may release your hold covering her eyes."
I did as he said, and watched Caroline's eyes light up in panic at the presence of her company before glazing over. Their emptiness made me uneasy as Alec's dark gifts took over her senses. "Let's be off then," I spoke gruffly. I marched pass them to their left, effectively leading the way down to the main hall.
With Alec and Felix flanking my sides, and the rest of the guard members behind me, I entered the Volturi's audience chamber and found it nearly empty. Surely this was an important enough development that they would want the opinion of the majority of the guard, wouldn't they? And yet, I only counted four or five other vampires besides the group I was with, and of course, the Volturi themselves. Marcus, Caius, and Aro sat relaxed in their chairs, all three pairs of their eyes fixed on me and the figure I carried under my arm.
"Marvelous!" exclaimed Aro as I halted before them. "You've returned in no time at all. Thank you William, for your promptness. Now we can get this all cleared up and be about our business as usual."
I nodded curtly, and set Caroline down on her feet in front of me. She stared ahead blankly, her entire body numb and limp as I gripped her shoulders from behind.
"Now," began Aro, "I'm sure Caroline has some idea of where she is right now, but since she cannot hear or see her surroundings, why don't we learn what this is all about. Felix?"
Felix's large form moved forward until he stood slightly in front of me to the right. He turned his head towards me and shot me a smirk before facing the Volturi again.
"As I was explaining in brief before, this girl here defied her superiors and used her gift," he sneered at the word, "to violate our laws."
Aro's crimson eyes darted towards Caroline's, narrowing into a grim stare.
"Hmm…" he said. "That is quite unfortunate. Give me your hand Felix." Without hesitation, Felix reached out to Aro, who took his hand for only a brief moment. Within twenty seconds, Felix stepped back with a hard and grim smile on his face.
"Ah," continued Aro. "I see now." He shifted his frame to the right, then the left, quietly and swiftly telling his ruling companions the details of the events of the night. Unfortunately, Felix's perspective was not as skewed as I had hoped. There was no way I would be able to argue with his bias because it was virtually nonexistent. What had happened happened. And that was that. I felt a grimace form on my face, but worked quickly to hide it. I could not afford to provoke Aro into touching me. Caroline's life depended on it.
"Was that the way of things?" Aro's voice interrupted my thoughts. "William?"
"Yes," I replied truthfully. "The event was exactly the way you described it."
"This is grave, indeed, Aro." Marcus spoke up, dryly. "I know of your special interest in this girl, but she broke our laws. She is a liability, and must face the consequences. You know she must be destroyed." Aro sighed heavily, and turned to give his companion a blank look before returning his attention to those standing in front of him.
"I know what you say is correct Marcus, but I think you underestimate what you say is my "interest" in young Caroline. I would hate to believe that you forgot the ordeal that we went through in order to attain her services. The news of her destruction would be reason to celebrate for those in the South, but it would also serve to undermine the power behind the promises and mandates we create. Surely you can see this."
Marcus let out an exasperated sort of sigh before replying.
"Truly Aro? I suppose I can entertain your reasoning, but your obsession with the collection of the "gifted", as you prefer to call them, is quickly growing problematic. In my opinion, the minute a member of our guard creates more problems than they are worth, the situation should be dealt with: swiftly. If I recall correctly, this Caroline has frequently taken issue with many of our practices. Perhaps it is time to reconsider whether or not she is compatible with the work we are trying to do here. Surely you can see that."
A frown quickly formed on Aro's face, but he appeared unable to argue with what Marcus had said. He turned his attention to his other companion.
"Caius?"
The vampire who had remained silent throughout this exchange only now decided to turn his head, appearing to only be feigning interest. He gave Aro a fleeting glance before shrugging his shoulders.
"This matter holds no interest for me. It is none of my concern." Both Marcus and Aro grimaced at his lack of response, most definitely hoping for him to side with one of their positions. Intuitively, I knew this would be my only chance to speak. I gently cleared my throat to grab their attention.
"Marcus, Aro, if I may?"
To my right, Felix shot me a hard glare. But with a slight nod from Aro, I ignored him and began to lay the groundwork for what was sure to be my toughest round of bargaining yet.
A/N: So, I know that these things annoy people, but I definitely owe you one. This is proving to be WAY harder than I expected. Kudos to all the writers who can keep up with their writing and clearly have such a passion for it. With that said… I know this chapter is sort of short, and I have already begun the next one. I struggling with the choice of whose point of view it should be written in. Does it comfort anyone to know that I have over 4,000 words of another part of the story already written? That I am just trying to fill the gap? Probably not, but once we get there I will immediately be able to attach a large section of the story. That's all for now.