I'm going overseas but I promise that I will bring good ol' pen and paper and write during my spare time! Thank you to all my readers, everyone please review! A bit of swearing in this chapter.
Chapter Seven: One Must Die
Alec POV:
The hall was at once both dull and brilliant. The walls were made of weeping grey stone, but interwoven with masterful tapestries that shone in a visual assault of color- the bloody red of war, the triumphant gold of conquest, the black pestilence of death, each bound together in a tenuous equilibrium that breathed vibrancy into the room.
Exquisitely-wrought chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, crystals that seemed to radiate darkness instead of light, their unholy gloom in conflict with the beauty of the walls, a shadow that cast shadows on the room below. The air was suffocating, thick with miasmic death, and lamenting the misery of countless millennia, as though nature itself rebelled against the brood of abominations that had housed themselves in the depths of the earth.
But the most prominent feature of the hall was not in the decorations, nor the architecture, but the congregation of vampires that stood within.
I counted quickly- more than twenty vampires were present, each dressed in ebonweave cloaks, faces hard as they stared at our party, all irresistibly beautiful, yet frighteningly austere at once. I could make out their expressions from under their shrouds, some surprised at my twin and I's diminutive stature, some contemptuous, and others yet smiling smugly at Chelsea's- the unpleasant vampire who had rendezvoused with us in Volterra above- distraught expression. The hellish light only accentuated their bloody eyes, scarlet beacons that glittered like rubies as they scrutinized us.
But three of the vampires stood above the others.
Sitting in majestic thrones at the front of the room, the triune observed us silently, their eyes a shade of scarlet that bespoke of deep wisdom, and dripping with power. Their cloaks were elegantly chromatic, each wearing a shade of gold, silver and bronze, trailing down onto the floor in puddles of silk and satin. They exuded a malevolent aura of authority- I could say with clarity that these were leaders.
The silence grew more pronounced as the gold-clad vampire left his seat, movements so precise and calculated that he must have had centuries to perfect his steps. Behind him, another woman moved in perfect tandem with her master, matching each of his steps with one of her own.
Iribelle whispered a single name in my ear.
"Aro."
With but three strides Aro had reached us. His hair was a color that might have once been dirty brown, length bordering masculine and feminine, a fringe curling seductively over his forehead. Despite his surely-ancient age, Aro's handsome face was nothing but the magnum opus of youth, and his lean body filled me with a sudden, inexplicable longing.
Then he spoke, addressing me directly, his voice sanguinely cheerful, unlike any of the other vampires I had encountered thus far.
"Ah! The newest members of our family!" His voice was hypnotic, and strangely lilting. "I trust you had a smooth journey?"
I was struck as though by a blow.
The darkness radiating off him was like the desert heat- overpowering and suffocating. I stared into his eyes defiantly, searching his soul- and the evil overwhelmed me. Primordial evil lurked deep within his unbeating heart, the seven cardinal sins polymerized into a shadow like no other. Lies and subterfuge, murder and deceit were prevalent in the gutter of Aro's mind.
I knew much of the ways of emotion, and this vampire had nothing but avarice consuming his heart. Within moments of meeting him, I knew that Aro would do absolutely anything for power.
He gave a light laugh at my histrionics, but I could sense deep undercurrents of anger that laced his lie. He broke his gaze abruptly, rising to his full height and turning his attention to Jane.
"Dearest Jane! You are indeed as beautiful as Cassandra made you out to be," he murmured, weaving his gaunt fingers in and out of my twin's hair. She hesitated, unsure of how to react. I shot her a fierce stare, and she did the first thing that came to her mind.
Aro was pinned to the ground by the force of Jane's psionic attack, flesh rending and tearing as though with a hacksaw. He screamed- probably for the first time in centuries- as he felt his legs being torn from his body, and choked in pain as his torso was trampled underneath the force of a thousand seas.
The woman who had been clinging to Aro's side looked as though she had anticipated this- she hissed and leapt unto Jane, violently knocking her to the ground. Both women tumbled across the floor, propelled by the force of her blow, biting and clawing as they tumbled, feral combat so swift that I could not possibly tell who had the upper hand.
I reached into myself, preparing to unleash the vampiric fog, but Athenal placed his hand on my shoulder, mouthing 'no'.
My intervention was unnecessary- Jane had more human blood flowing in her veins than the rest of the vampires in the room combined. With a single bitch slap, she sent the other woman soaring across the room in a hailstorm of blood.
Jane POV:
Feel the pain, bitch!
As the vampire sailed across the room, I indulged myself in my bloodbath scenarios- and unleashed the power of my mind against her.
Athenal POV:
Oh, great.
Within ten minutes of our arrival in Volterra, Jane had managed to assault Aro, and send Renata sprawling in a bloodied mess across the room. I rapidly constructed barriers between us and the rest of the Guard- who looked prepared to kill- before turning my attention to Jane.
The girl was knocked off her feet, breaking the concentration I knew she needed to use her gift. She screamed as Iribelle gestured at her, sheer horror coursing through her body, overpowering her base instincts and replacing it with fear. Alec hissed, as though he was about to take a swipe at me, but I bound his hands and feet.
Aro launched himself into the air and roared savagely.
The room fell silent but for the rain of dust motes, centuries of accumulated detritus tumbling from the high ceiling. Behind my shimmering barrier, the Guard stood ready, claws- and assorted other supernatural weapons- at the ready. The tension was tangible as Aro fell to the ground, Marcus and Caius close behind him.
He glared at Jane- and laughed.
"Exquisite! You are truly a wondrous pet, Jane," he murmured, as though oblivious to the conflict. He strode forward, none the worse for the wear, and motioned for Iribelle and I to release our grip on the twins.
Alec and Jane got up, shaking silently in outrage. Aro smiled breezily, and with a movement so subtle that it could only be accomplished by someone so sleight of hand- touched Chelsea's and Afton's palms.
The contact lasted only a split second, but it was clear to me what was about to come. With Chelsea's gift, the twins would soon find themselves desperate to obey Aro. With Afton's there would be no free will for either of them.
There was a flash of light, a commanding word, and then, nothing.
Cassandra POV:
The witch twins had been enslaved. I could see that with perfect clarity.
But as of late, the futures had become obscured from my Sight. No matter how many long hours I gazed beyond the veil, everything remained adamant.
What a fool I was to think that I could change destiny. Aro would only grow more complacent now that the witches were within his thrall.
I sighed, long and hard.
To know that one will die. It is part of my curse. I cannot change what is yet to be.
And as the full moon rose over Volterra, I sobbed, the empty, dry tears of undeath, air and sorrow that dripped to the stone floor of my underground prison.
One of them would die.
