Chapter 11: Her Name is Isabella...
"I knew I shouldn't have listened to you. All this time planning, and there goes everything we have worked for; every strategy, every idea, every asset… they lie in ashes with the South! Mark my words, they are onto us now if they weren't before. This scrap of paper changes none of that! It changes absolutely nothing!" He raged, throwing the intercepted invite down on my desk. I raised an eyebrow at him, willing myself to stay calm.
"Are you quite done?" I asked in a carefully controlled voice. When he narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything, I took it as confirmation and replied. "Do you honestly think they would throw a ball if they knew what we were planning? They are obviously ignorant. Perhaps they are not as ignorant as we would have liked them to be, but they know nothing of our power-"
"You are a fool to think that so little is enough, Stefan!" He interrupted hotly. I huffed out a breath and rolled my eyes. Here he goes again, I thought bitterly to myself. There would be no shutting him up this time. "They slaughtered the Saava Clan as a warning to us, and now the South is gone! Do you honestly think that is a coincidence? They must have taunted the God of War into play. He hadn't gone anywhere near the place of his birth in nearly a century, and he just happens to decide he wants his Empire back when we need it most? You are foolish to think the Volturi are not involved in that somehow!"
"Oh, shut up!" I yelled in return, tired of his relentless shouting. "One does not simply taunt the God of War into play, not even the Volturi. Use your brain! The Major of the South would not go anywhere near the Volturi unless he had expanded his ranks something fierce. He is more like us than he is like they. That new woman he had with him when he retook his empire, could she be his mate? Perhaps if we can persuade her to-"
"See, Stefan? This is your problem! You believe our power to be greater than it is! You make assumptions based on practically nothing and expect them to carry you to victory! We may have a fair amount of intelligence, but it is not enough to be sure that we will even survive this war, and now that we have lost the element of surprise, we are in even more over our heads. This ball could mean two very different things. Either they have no idea of our plans, or they know everything and are throwing this ball at this particular time to display their lack of concern. We have no idea of their level of ignorance!"
"Vladimir, Afton has just arrived with his mate." Our leading man, Fyodor, informed, looking at me with a raised eyebrow, obviously as an inquiry after Vladimir's current emotional state. I simply shrugged in answer, and Fyodor returned his attention to Vlad.
"Thank the gods. He can tell us what this ball is really all about."
"Slow down, Vlad." I warned, standing and walking over to him. "Afton always said he never wanted his mate involved. This begs the question of why this time is different. What drove him to bring her to our domain? No matter the reason, I can tell you right now that this is the turning point. His presence here with her can mean only one thing: the war has begun."
"The war began a long time ago." Vladimir said quietly, his eyes darkening a bit before he strode out of my study and toward the entrance hall. Heaving a sigh, I signaled for Fyodor to follow me, and we made our way to the entrance hall as well.
"You have made yourselves too obvious. You are lucky that Aro and Caius are both too full of themselves to take your rising power seriously. Marcus is the only one that seems to think you could be a problem; of course, he can see all the bonds you have been creating as of late." Afton said, forgoing a greeting. I went forward to shake his hand while Vladimir began his questioning.
"What do you know of this ball? What prompted you to come back at this point in time? Why did your bring your mate? What is the situation like in Volterra? How much do they know?" He rattled off.
"I recognized your work in the South. Be glad that the kings are ignorant of it. The God of War wasn't very happy, but when is he ever? " Afton began, pulling his mate closer to him. She looked terrified. "They know nothing but the fact that the Saava clan was allied with you. I do not believe that the ball is anything more than exactly what it says on the invite. There are lower leveled guard members that they wish to introduce formally to their allies. They want to keep new talents from the knowledge of clans such as the Saavas, so they are inviting only the covens they trust. They are also going to be holding a routine check of loyalty in the guard, so I had to make myself scarce. I figured that war was on your minds, so I brought Chelsea along. Dear, these are the Romanian Kings: Lord Vladimir of the Carpathian Mountains and Count Stefan the Celt Slayer."
"It is an honor to finally make your acquaintance. Afton has done us many great services. You shall not be harmed. We are actually moving all the women to an undisclosed location of Guinevere's choice as to keep their whereabouts from Aro if we are to lose." I told the two of them, and I saw Afton's posture practically deflate. I smiled lightly, returning my attention to his mate. "Your safety is assured."
"Thank you, sir." She whispered, bowing slightly.
"Oh, please. None of that… to you I am Stefan." I allowed, and Vladimir stepped forward.
"And please call me Vladimir. Titles are not necessary among friends." He said, actually softening his voice. I rarely heard him speak without a harsh tone, and certainly to no one but myself and his late True Mate. My friend had always had a way with women though. "Your room is ready for you, Afton. We have made sure it has stayed prepared for when this time was to come."
"We thank you." Afton replied, nodding to us as dismissal before leaving to his quarters.
"Fyodor, please let everyone know of our recent arrivals. Be sure they are aware that the newcomers are a part of our number and are to be treated as such." I ordered. Fyodor took off without further prompting. Turning to Vlad, I spoke again, but in a whisper. "Something more goes on here. I believe Afton is afraid to speak in from of his mate, but we must converse with him soon."
"Good to be afraid. Chelsea is obviously beyond terrified. He will speak to us when she is ready for him to leave her. She will be his first priority, as she should be." Vladimir responded, once again showing that softer side of his character. "Well, we are now at least aware that the Volturi are mostly ignorant."
"Yes. That is one thing." I whispered, not as comforted by the reassurance as I had expected to be. Vladimir seemed to notice my discontent.
"Are you beginning to see what I was saying earlier?" He asked quietly, watching me with a discerning eye. I nodded once, feeling my own eyes focus a bit more, and I allowed my senses to expand in ways I had not done in centuries. I took a deep breath through my nose and let the scents around me darken my irises. Vlad regained my attention when he next spoke. "You have that look in your eyes, brother. What is it?"
"You were right about the war. It started long ago. Our anger is bitter and stale. It smells of a time I long ago forsook." I murmured, taking another deep breath, but this time through my mouth. I closed my eyes as I spoke to increase my hearing as well. "Already, I can taste the smoke of fires soon to be ignited. The sounds of battle echo in my ears: the pained screams, the determined cries… I can hear our very undoing."
"In other words, you could be sensing the past or the future." Vladimir concluded, and I opened my eyes to see that he had moved closer to me.
"Yes. That is what worries me. For some reason, I feel as if Afton's arrival has changed everything." I replied, and Vladimir's eyebrows rose in surprise.
"Do you still think that any of this – the God of War, the South, the Volturi, the Saava Clan – could possibly be coincidence?"
"Not now. Not when Afton is in the picture. Everything smells wrong." I said sternly.
"You know I trust you." Vladimir assured, looking towards the doors that Afton and Chelsea had gone through. "Let us question him carefully. If Afton is not here for the reasons he says, he could still be of use to us."
"You know I trust you." I said, repeating his words to voice my agreement. He nodded in answer before striding out of the entrance hall and towards his room.
.:!*!:.
Afton and Vladimir were already in the ballroom when I entered. I did not smile, but I kept my face soft and polite. I walked to stand across from Vladimir and Afton.
"How is your mate doing?" I inquired lightly. Afton nodded once, looking between us both when he answered.
"She is still nervous, but she never knew of my loyalty to you. It came as a shock, but the hospitality you have shown her has brought her much ease, for which I must sincerely thank you." Afton replied, his eyes expressing true gratitude before he hardened them up again. Seeing the practiced ease in which he schooled his expression was unnerving. "You two surely have questions for me though. I have discovered many things over the years, but I am unsure what would be of use to you."
"The new members you mentioned… tell us their names and abilities." Vladimir ordered, jumping in right away as well.
"There are seven members that have been added to their guard in the last two years since I have seen you. Three of the seven are devoid of any particular talents, but those three are battle hardy. Andrew has much talent with numbers and business trends, so he was put in charge of the Volturi's collective finances. The Kings still insist on doing their personal accounts themselves. Michael is extremely convincing. The Kings aren't sure how he does it, but he can convince you that up is down if he puts enough energy into it. His talent could be dangerous. There is Kelly. She is able to make a person see what she does. Finally, there is John. His very presence seems to fog the mind. It is very hard to think quickly around him, which could also be potentially dangerous." Afton informed, sighing once before continuing. "John has proved hard to train, as every time Demitri attempted to teach him anything, his mind went. Caius finds it frustrating, which he takes out on the rest of us."
"I see a gap, Afton." I warned once he had quit speaking, my voice dropping dangerously without my expressed permission. My eyes trained in on the breath from the words he had spoken that were now floating in the air around him. There was a gap there, an emptiness that never accompanied the complete truth. Now that I had allowed my senses to expand once more, they were not quieting. I was seeing the world in a way that was exclusively mine to see. I had never met another that could do as I could. Vladimir may have been the warrior, but I was the one with the greater power (which we had managed to keep secret for as long as I'd had my abilities). I always had been the more powerful of the two of us, and now, that power allowed me to see that Afton was leaving something out. My anger grew, and I felt my skin begin to tingle, the venom in my veins begin to boil, and my eyes begin to burn.
"Stefan!" My brother's voice echoed not only through the chamber, but through my head and my bones. The tone he used sounded so familiar, and I had so long trusted the sound of my brother's soul, that I instantly quieted. My senses dulled, and my eyes refocused just enough for me to see the look on Afton's face. He seemed confused, shocked, and a little frightened. My attention was brought back to my brother when he spoke again. "Do you need a moment, brother? Did it overcome you again?"
"Nearly." I admitted, repressing a shudder at my laps in control. "I am fine now."
"Very well." Vlad answered, nodding at me once before his face went from concerned to stern, and he turned to face Afton. "Tell the whole truth now, Afton, and leave nothing out… for all our sakes."
"Aro has changed a third." Afton gasped, watching me with cautious eyes.
"You were going to keep this from us." Vlad stated with a slow and strong voice. It sounded extremely threatening. It got me on edge again, struggling against my straining senses. Since Afton had not yet taken his eyes off of me, he noticed the wildness in my eyes first. He shifted defensively, causing me to growl lowly in my chest.
"Yes." Afton answered truthfully, his pupils dilating in fear as I stepped closer.
"You have been loyal to the Volturi all along, haven't you?" I asked, taking another step.
"Only because you will lose!" Afton screamed, finally losing his composure. "Aro's third is the most powerful vampire that I have ever trained with! She is allied with the God of War! This is not a fight that you can win, Românii, and it never was! I had to make sure that my mate was on the side of the victors. I had no other choice…"
"Now she will die regardless!" Vlad shouted back, raising his hands into the air in a helpless sort of gesture. "Stefan does not tolerate betrayal, and frankly, neither do I. What have you told the Volturi of our plans, of our numbers, and of our abilities?"
"I told them nothing. I knew nothing. I had no idea that Stefan could do… whatever it is that he can do." Afton replied shakily, practically pleading with his eyes for mercy. I would show none.
"That was the whole idea. No one was supposed to know of my brother's power. You honestly have told them nothing?" Vlad questioned, stepping to his right in order to box Afton in.
"He was telling the truth when he said he'd not told them anything. I think the better question is, what do they already suspect, and what action are they taking now?" I inquired, watching Afton closely to make sure I got the entire answer.
"Please do not make me tell you…"
"I would destroy your love." I promised suddenly in a whisper, interrupting his pleas. "I would make her experience pains that would make the burning of the change feel like a blessing in comparison. You will tell me now."
"They knew of your involvement in the South. Aro's third is the fourth member of the Whitlock aura. The four of them wiped out the South. Now, they have sent me here to try and stall your attack until their allies arrive for the faux ball. Before then, they are very vulnerable." Afton choked out, looking sick with himself.
"You have not only betrayed us now, but you have betrayed the Volturi Crest that you have worn proudly for centuries. Did you really think that you could serve two opposing masters?" Vlad taunted, looking shaken himself, although any that did not know him well would not see it. "Fyodor!"
"Yes, Lord Vladimir." Fyodor answered, appearing the doorway almost instantly.
"Keep a very careful eye on Afton. He is a traitor." Vlad informed, narrowing his eyes at Afton as he spoke. "Do not let him move from this spot while I converse with Stefan. We'll return shortly."
He stalked passed Afton quickly, grabbing hold of my left wrist and practically dragging me from the room. Once we were a good distance away, I reached over with my right hand to grab his arm above where he held me. It brought him to a stop, and I gently pried his hand from my wrist before letting him go. We gazed at each other for a moment before I finally spoke.
"Well?" I questioned my brother.
"I don't know." He answered, sighing and looking at the brick wall over my shoulder.
"We must attack before the ball. That much I know. Beyond that, your expertise is required." I said softly, tilting my head and moving my head to the side to try and catch his gaze. "Vladimir."
"Stefan." He replied automatically, his voice murmured. The tone stilled me, silencing my questions.
He was thinking.
I made myself a statue, an insignificant part of his surroundings, to be sure not to disturb him. At that, I began to open my senses completely, blocking out the obvious and letting in the spectral. The earth around me fell away, and a pressure built inside me. Just when it felt as if it would become too much, it plateaued. I heard an angry scream, and I recognized the yell as Aro's. He began to yell in Latin before crossing-over to English. I saw the meaning of the words rather than actually hearing them.
"Traitor! After everything the triumvirate has given you, you would still hang her Crest out over a fire to burn! You have crossed the Rubicon now, Afton, and unlike the great Caesar, you have done so foolishly. I shall burn you myself!"
There was a gust of air, and it brought with it a strong feeling of hope. That was the answer. I could taste the very rightness of it.
My eyes flew open the same time that my brother's head turned toward me. Our eyes met.
"We have him delivered to be read by his king." We said together, smiling largely. There was still hope after all.
"Fyodor would do it gladly, and Aro would not kill the messenger. His honor is still intact, if nothing else."
"For now." I answered, inhaling sharply. "I smell a beast in the air. I do believe we shall make even King Aro forget his honor, in the end. He will not die a gentleman, he shall die a beast."
"I do believe you are right. I have a plan now, and if all goes according to it… there shall not be a spec of honor left in this world unless it stands at our sides." Vlad answered, turning to walk back to the room where we had left Fyodor and Afton. "Let us send the secret keeper to his monarch. He can kill his own man after seeing everything that he has done."
"Yes. He might see that we are coming, and he may see that I wield a power he knew not about, but that is but the ace in our hand." I whispered, following Vladimir down the halls. My smirk became wolf-like. "He has yet to see the rest of our Royal Flush."
"Well put, Stefan." Vlad praised with a smile in his voice as well. He looked over his shoulder at me shortly. "I do believe that Aro's third may be the key to this."
"You know I trust you." I stated just before we reached the door. He nodded, turned, and threw the double doors to the ballroom open dramatically.
"Afton, tell us everything you know of Aro's third, or Chelsea dies with you at Stefan's discretion."
"Her name is Isabella…"
A/N: Oh dear... what do you guys think about this little mix up? I am sorry it took so long, but I will warn you now. I will be updating next in late August or after Christmas. I KNOW! That is in... like forever! I hope you can stick with me. (Working on a novel, being a full time student, having a part-time job, and still trying to maintain a social life takes a lot out of a person!)
A big giant thank you to all those that continue to follow this even when my updates are months and months apart, and another massive thank you to those that have just joined in on reading this and begun to follow the story. I hope you are all enjoying it!
NEXT CHAPTER: The Volturi's reception of Afton's betrayal.