DISCLAIMER: Several characters within this story and the universe they interact in are the intellectual property of Stephenie Meyer.
CRESCENT MOON
Written by
Horatio Zedekiah Jaxx
CHAPTER 14: WHEN IN ROMANIA
One week later, the Cullens were quietly approaching the ruins of a castle, long forgotten in a remote and mountainous area of Romania, in the middle of the night. The sky was heavily overcast with clouds, and the forest that enveloped them was near as black as the depths of an unlighted cave; at least, from the perspective of mortal eyes. Alice was directing their course. Her premonitions were providing the route and time necessary to achieve surprise.
Finding the general location of the Romanian Coven was not hard to accomplish. Most transient vampires within their domain kept tabs on their location. Edward surreptitiously tapped into this bank of knowledge with his mind reading ability. On one occasion, he acquired information from a pair of vampires, members of the Romanian Coven itself.
Moving free over the land without any boundaries to consider felt good to the Cullens. Alice's ability to give them advance warnings about all that was about them, and Edward's ability to feel the workings of the minds of others from as far away as two miles, and extract thoughts from as far away as half a mile, gave the Cullens an unequaled capacity for stealth. While on the move, they enjoyed this superiority and usually felt secure because of it, but at this moment, the Cullens were feeling very much ill at ease. They knew they would soon be facing off against a hostile coven of vampires, and they did not know how that exchange would end. This was due primarily because the exact size of the Romanian Coven was unknown to outsiders. They kept their true number a secret to discourage aggression from others. This, for them, was a practice that was carried over from more than two thousand years back, when battles between covens were common occurrences.
Despite this practice, it was believed by all within the vampire community that the Romanian Coven numbered close to twenty. The Cullens were confident that they would find far less than half their number waiting within the ruins of the castle they were approaching. It was generally known throughout the vampire community that the Romanian Coven foraged widely for their food. The size of their coven dictated the size of their domain. Hunting exclusively within a single county, or several neighboring counties, was strictly prohibited. On top of this, Edward learned from the pair of Romanian Coven vampires they passed that seven of their number were sent out to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas to spread false stories about the Cullens. This information emboldened them to push forward with their plan to confront Stefan and Vladimir.
The Cullens came to a stop two miles out and downwind of the Romanian Coven's location. For a vampire, this was less than a minute away at a sprint. Edward quickly extracted the number and state of mind of the vampires encamped there, along with the flavor of their thoughts. From that distance, he was unable to read the actual text of their thinking.
"They don't know we're here," Edward whispered to the family.
"How many?" Carlisle questioned softly.
"Six," Edward answered back. "Stefan and Vladimir are among them."
"What do you say, Alice?" Carlisle queried for the final okay.
"I think we should do this now, Carlisle," Alice responded softly.
Carlisle knew that Alice could not foresee the progression of a conflict involving numerous individuals. The variables were too many to see how all would fare from such a confrontation, but he trusted her to perceive the overall outcome. After pondering her answer for a moment, he came to a one-word response.
"Okay."
The Cullens took off at their best speed in the direction of the Romanian Coven's lair. They slowed to a walk when they came to within fifty yards of the walls of the castle ruins. Stefan, Vladimir, one other male, and three female vampires, were assembled there. They had heard the Cullens' approach within the final seconds of their sprint, and quickly gathered together to confront them.
"Carlisle, this is a surprise," Stefan announced with a big smile.
"Hello, Stefan," Carlisle answered back as he brought his family to a stop.
"I didn't know you were coming," Stefan continued jovially. "If I had, I would have acquired more attractive accommodations for our reunion."
"We wanted to surprise you," Carlisle confessed.
"And so you have, and you brought your entire coven. To what do we owe this pleasure? Or is there another meaning behind this visit?"
Stefan continued to feign pleasantry, despite the inference in his last remark.
"You've been spreading a rumor that we're challenging the Volturi's authority," Carlisle stated bluntly.
Stefan was momentarily set aback by this statement. After a quick exchange of looks between himself and Vladimir, he responded defensively.
"You've been misinformed, Carlisle," Stefan told him coolly. "We have made no such accusation."
"I know that you have, Stefan," Carlisle softly challenged back. "You will confess to the other covens that this is a lie."
"The liar is the one who accuses us of this," Vladimir roared defiantly. "Name this vampire, and I will get the truth for you."
Alice took two audacious steps forward. The Romanian Coven turned their eyes to her in unison. Vladimir ruffled his brow into an angry glare, before turning his attention back to Carlisle.
"Your witch is mistaken this time, Carlisle. We have accused you of nothing." Vladimir spat out the words.
Without giving a thought to challenging Vladimir's denial, Carlisle calmly turned his gaze towards Edward. Without acknowledging the look, Edward responded to Carlisle's unspoken question.
"He lies."
Carlisle turned his attention back to Vladimir, who was then seething with fury. Stefan quickly stepped in to diffuse the situation.
"Carlisle, let us be reasonable. After all, did we not stand witness for you when the Volturi marched upon your doorstep?"
"Is this the thanks we get?" Vladimir roared.
"I am grateful for the assistance you rendered, but you must see that I must put all gratitude aside and take offense to an assault of this stature to me and mine," Carlisle responded calmly.
"To what end would we have for disparaging your coven so despicably?" Stefan questioned in an astonished tone.
"If a majority of the covens come to believe this lie, then the Volturi will feel forced to attack us," Carlisle explained in an insistent tone of voice.
"That's absurd; we hate the Volturi," Stefan challenged back. "Why would we do anything to aid them?"
"This is not about aid. This is about power," Carlisle responded angrily. "You're hoping that, in a fight, we'll weaken the Volturi enough that you can take the revenge that you have long coveted."
"You can prove none of this," Stefan responded testily. "Your witches lie to you. Now leave here, before you provoke me too far."
Carlisle paused to consider his response. After a brief moment of contemplation, he elected to ask a question instead.
"Tell me, Stefan, what do you know about the disappearance of Bella's stepfather?"
The entire Romanian coven was instantly and visibly taken by surprise by this question. Their eyes briefly darted from one to the other. Before he could formulate an appropriate response, Edward spoke out ahead of him.
"He's going to tell a lie, Carlisle."
Stefan jerked an angry look at Edward.
"Stefan gave the order to have Renee killed," Edward continued. "Phil was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Angry now, Stefan took a defiant stance.
"You dare come here and accuse me of something that only exists in the minds of your self-professed clairvoyants? I have long been your friend, Carlisle, but now you have angered me beyond repair."
No sooner had Stefan made this remark did his coven take a defensive stance alongside him. Casual glances between the Cullens were their only response as a whole to this action. After taking a short time to assess the demeanor of his family with a look to the left and then to the right, Carlisle returned his attention to Stefan.
"You are giving us no other way out of this. I offer you one last chance to confess your lies before witnesses."
"You have not thought this through, Carlisle. Any action you take here will only work to confirm your ambitions for power over the covens."
"The damage is already done, Stefan," Carlisle responded in cool defiance. "You will either undo the harm you have done to us, or be the first to suffer the consequences of it."
As if on cue, Stefan suddenly attacked Carlisle. His coven instantly followed his lead. The battle between the two covens was prolonged, but not overly so. Esme and Alice engaged two of the Romanian female vampires. Bella and Rosalie engaged the third. Bella's effort was less than impressive, but she was in danger of being harmed. Rosalie was twice the equal of their opponent. Together, they quickly beheaded this Romanian female, recasting the fight between the women to four against two. Carlisle and Emmett struggled with Stefan, in what appeared to be a one-sided fight. Stefan could do little more than forestall the inevitable. Jasper kept the third male sufficiently entertained, with no clear sign of either side getting the better of the other, but the battle between Edward and Vladimir had been going decidedly Vladimir's way.
Edward tried, on two occasions, to employ his newfound gift to his advantage. He quickly discovered that he could not fight and project his thoughts at the same time. His fighting skills suffered greatly from this distraction, and Vladimir tossed him about savagely for it. Edward suddenly found himself at his opponent's mercy and suspected the end for him was near, but Vladimir elected not to finish him off, in favor of racing to Stefan's assistance. Stefan was close to his own demise at the hands of Carlisle and Emmett. A dazed and severely battered Edward was slow to get back up on his feet.
The battle of Carlisle and Emmett against Stefan and Vladimir was suddenly an even contest. Alice quickly took note of this change and jumped into the fray, leaving the battle between the women a contest of three against two. Emmett and Alice were quick to subdue and decapitate Vladimir, who was no match for Emmett's strength and Alice's intuitive combat skills. Jasper's opponent immediately took note of Vladimir's fall, and took flight out of fear for his life. Esme, Rosalie, and Bella, managed to subdue the more aggressive of the remaining two female Romanian vampires shortly after the other one took flight into the surrounding countryside. The course of the battle swayed her to self preservation, as well.
Jasper, Alice, and Emmett quickly turned their attentions to the conflict between Carlisle and Stefan. They joined in on the battle, and shortly subdued the lone Romanian male vampire. Stefan was decapitated without hesitation or ceremony. His remains, along with the other decapitated Romanians, were then quickly dismembered and set ablaze. Only then was the surviving female vampire brought before Carlisle for his judgment as to her fate.
"What's your name?" Carlisle queried the female being restrained, and forced down on her knees, by Rosalie and Bella.
"Dorina," she answered back with fear in her voice.
Tall with handsome features, she looked to have been in her early thirties when she was turned. Her hair was jet black and draped down a half a foot below her shoulders. Carlisle studied her for several seconds before speaking again.
"I advise you to tell the truth about what happened here, Dorina. Your life is a gift that we may choose to revoke in the future if we hear otherwise."
"I will," she promised in an eager tone of voice.
"You tell this to the other members of your coven," Carlisle lectured sternly. "If we continue to hear lies about us coming from this coven, we will come back."
Dorina quickly shook her head in the affirmative to acknowledge that she understood the message.
"Let her go," Carlisle instructed.
Rosalie and Bella released their hold upon their captive. Dorina quickly jumped up and fled into the black of the forest behind her.
Several minutes later, the Cullens began their long trip home, leaving behind them the dying flames of the fire they'd started. Nearly all of their number felt good about what they had accomplished this night, but Edward was once again tortured by the thought that he was helpless to provide any meaningful defense for his family. The others took no notice of his intense feeling of despair.