A/N: Hello, my lovely readers! Just so you all know, we're about two-thirds through this story. Huge thanks as always to my reviewers out there, my pre-reader Lyrical Kris and my epic beta theladyingrey42.
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20
Edward runs as fast as he can, the wind pushing against him and the scenery flying by unheeded. As the sun sets on the first day, the mountains finally give way to rolling hills and eventually, the dense forest he is most familiar with. He crosses rivers and small gorges in single flying leaps and weaves expertly between the closely spaced trees. The woods are soon broken up by farms that increase in size, with wide roads crossing the land as he approaches the larger cities.
The one thing that strikes him is the lack of movement beyond his own. Although he is running through the night and into the waking dawn, he still does not see a single traveler on the road or farmer tending his land or animals. There are no people outdoors at all that he can find.
His panic rises as he considers what this might mean. Is he too late? Have the Others already begun their war, taking the humans from these villages? His mind races from one horrible option to the next, fearing what he might find when he reaches Winterswijk.
As the sun sets for the second time on his journey, he approaches another larger town and slows his pace. Daring to venture down the road and through the heart of the village, he hopes to hear or see something to give him a clue of what he's missing. As he enters the town square, he sees lights shining from the windows in some of the main buildings, shadows moving within. And then he realizes what he should have been doing.
Holding his breath, he listens for heartbeats, hearing them pounding all around him, soft and hard, fast and slow, so many different hearts. Edward is surprised that there is no rush of venom into his mouth, no blood-lust clouding his senses. His only thoughts are of protecting these people, making sure their hearts beat for many long years.
As his fears abate about the lack of humans that he's seen, he quickens his pace again, a different unease settling over him. Why are all the humans shut away? The scent of fear is strong around the town as well as with...
Smoke. Char.
Edward turns down a small alley, following the scent, and finds himself on a side street next to the burnt out remains of a building, obviously a family home at one point. The adjacent buildings are also damaged and he can see that there had once been a large fire in the center of the street. An air of sadness hangs about the blackened house, and he knows that there had been death here as well.
So, our fears have been realized, the fires have started.
He had been afraid of this for entirely different reasons when he had first learned of the Others' aversion to light. He had fear only for his own kind, but now he worries for the safety of his people as well.
Eventually, he turns away from the destruction and continues his path to Winterswijk. The long darkness of night eventually gives way to the morning sun and Edward breathes a small measure of relief. As he runs, he pays attention to the heart beats that he hears, and it seems that the outlying houses have, for the most part, been abandoned with the people concentrating in the town centers.
When the sun is truly above the horizon and he knows that he is close to Winterswijk, he takes the opportunity to hunt, which he hasn't done since Isabella had forced him to so long ago. He knows that he will be needed as soon as he is back at the fortress and doesn't want his thirst clouding his judgment.
Slowing his pace, he scents the air, finding a group of deer easily. He takes down two and draws their life into himself, wondering briefly how long he could keep this lifestyle, or if he will revert back to his old ways once reunited with his coven. A flash of I'sabel's disappointed eyes in his mind and he knows his answer. She has changed him, changed the way he feels about humans and himself. He no longer sees humans as insufferable, stupid beings that he has to shepherd and try to keep out of trouble. He doesn't see himself above them or better than them any longer. Humans have compassion and emotions that burn bright and hot for their short lives, and an innocence that only a few ultimately tarnish.
Edward will have to make some changes to the laws, as there are still the evil ones amongst the humans that would need to be dealt with, but they will no longer be sacrificed for his coven's thirst.
He is lost in his thoughts as he begins to recognize the terrain and the small villages. He is almost home. He passes by a village and notices that it is abandoned, no movement or heart beats in any of the buildings, trash and possessions strewn in the streets.
What happened here? Where have they gone?
As he nears Winterswijk, the answer becomes blatantly obvious, the stench of humanity surrounding the city almost unbearable and the multitudes of tents and temporary housing hugging the city walls impossible to ignore. He is forced to slow down, jogging through the narrow paths within the encampment and dodging the throngs of humans. As he approaches the main gates of the city, people continue to pour out, and he realizes he has found the missing villagers.
In the weeks that he has been on his journey, refugees have taken residence on his doorstep, spending the nights within the city's walls and living beyond them during the day.
When the swelling throng of people subsides, he finally is able to gain entry to Winterswijk, and he stops, appalled at the state of his city within the walls. The masses of humanity fill every available space and corner, hiding in fear and stench and hoping that the stone will protect them. He almost doesn't believe his own eyes, but the scene in front of him doesn't change.
What has happened since he left?
He takes one more glance at the tired, dirty faces surrounding him, and then he runs straight to the fortress, eager to see his coven and to hear what has happened while he was gone.
The guards at the fortress wall recognize him, and only their years of regimented training keep their surprise hidden. The doors open swiftly, and he is surrounded by the sights and smells of home.
Home.
There has not been a day that he has been gone, although it was a fairly short time, that he hasn't thought about his coven or his home. However, at this moment when he's walking through the stone corridors, his footsteps ringing off the high ceilings, he realizes just how much he has missed it.
He approaches the main room and its large wooden and copper doors a little warily. If Rosalie has maintained his schedule, then they should all be gathered in that room talking about the night's happenings and planning for the next day. He takes a deep breath, steadying himself after his long run and unsettling realizations, and pushes open the doors.
Five startled pairs of eyes turn to meet his.
Jasper is the first to react, jumping to his feet and almost tackling Edward in the strength of his embrace. "We didn't know you had returned," he says, pulling back and looking into Edward's eyes. Jasper's eyebrows rise in surprise, but he doesn't comment on whatever he has seen. "When did you arrive?"
"Just now, actually," Edward begins, walking to the table and greeting the others with firm hugs. Rosalie is the last to greet him, and she graciously moves from the place at the head of the table to sit beside her mate, leaving the chair free for Edward.
"It's so good to finally be home," he says with a clap to Emmett's broad back before taking the offered seat. "Tell me what's happened."
The vampires all exchange glances before Carlisle clears his throat and leans forward as looks of relief pass over the others' faces. Carlisle pauses again and Edward's frustration mounts as he looks at his coven, their minds carefully blank.
"Tell me, Carlisle," he growls warningly. "Tell me why there are villages and farmhouses abandoned throughout the countryside. Why are there people sleeping on top of each other in my city? Why has everything descended into chaos?"
With his ranting, everyone's eyes widen, and Carlisle leans back again, looking at his hands folded on the table. Actually, as Edward glances around the table, he notices that they are all studiously avoiding his gaze.
"I am beginning to lose my patience," he states calmly, menace deepening his voice. After being away from them and facing all of the trials that he has, his willingness to play these games is quickly waning.
"There have been more attacks in the outlying villages," Carlisle begins. "And with more disappearances, there have been more witnesses."
"Of course," Edward accedes, leaning back and trying calm himself and relax into the chair.
"Panic was spreading across the land, and we had no choice but to offer our protection," Carlisle continues, gesturing at the Chancellor. "Jasper returned to us about a week ago, and we opened the gates at his bidding to refugees from across the land. Soon the city was flooded with humans from all corners of our realm and some from the South as well. Now we have no room for all of them. They only come within the walls at night, feeling safer with the army patrols than on their own in the wilds."
Rosalie snorts, and Edward's attention turns to her, raising one eyebrow for her to explain. "It isn't safer, Edward. The Others are within the walls every night, the dense concentration of bodies too much to resist. And we have no way to stop them. Any guard that has tried has disappeared or succumbed to injuries that no one can treat, slowly becoming colder than death as a blackness consumes him. So far, the deaths have all been human as the vampires are much quicker and can evade the attacks. We don't even know if the Others can hurt us, but none of us want to find out."
Edward shivers involuntarily as he recalls the cold traveling up his limbs as he fought to stay warm. "They can hurt us," Edward offers but his comment is quickly drowned out as the argument continues.
"They feel safer, though," Carlisle continues. "And that has kept unrest and anarchy at bay."
"Barely," Emmett interjects, his words quiet and mumbled for once in his life.
"We did what we thought was best for the people," Carlisle defends.
"What you and Jasper thought was best, you mean," Emmett continues, his voice rising with each word. "But all that this has accomplished is to put my soldiers and guards in more danger every day and hasn't protected the people any more than if they had just stayed in their houses. In fact, they may be in even more danger here with the increased attacks."
"Well, they are here now, what do you propose we should do? Kick them all out?" Carlisle's hands tightening into fists. Edward watches with interest as Emmett responds in kind, his thick fist landing on the table top.
"No, you know very well we can't do that now or risk utter chaos. But I think we've been approaching the whole situation incorrectly," Emmett continues, leaning forward in challenge.
"But we don't even know what we're up against," Jasper argues, the frustration clear in his voice. "If we knew what they were after-"
"I know," Edward interrupts, and they all turn their heads to him in surprise.
"You know?" Rosalie asks harshly, finally joining the conversation. "How long until you planned to share this information? And where the hell have you been these last weeks when everything was falling apart? You were only supposed to be gone one day."
Edward can see how the stress has affected her, and he regrets not being able to send word to them. But he cannot regret his actions, without his journey, they would have nothing.
"I knew that I left everything in the most capable hands possible," he begins, hoping to calm her and to assure everyone that he is not angry with the situation. "You all did well given the knowledge you had at the time, and you couldn't have predicted that letting the people congregate would increase the attacks." He looks at each of them in turn and hopes that his words help them feel a little better about their actions. "I'm sorry I was gone so long, but I did find some answers."
"Well, what happened?" Emmett asks eagerly.
"I went to the river, and we were right, by the way," he starts, looking at Carlisle. "The place was near where I was raised and turned. Although I found more than I bargained for by that rock."
Edward relays the story of finding the panther and then tracking but losing it, at which point both Emmett and Rosalie snort in amusement. He tells about the sudden storm, the dark clouds and the Others' attack. He talks about what he remembers of the fight and waking up with I'sabel, the Ainmhithe. If he were human, he would have blushed at the memory, her soothing away the pain in his limbs, chasing him on his hunt.
"You've met an Ainmhithe?" Carlisle asks, intrigued, pulling Edward from his thoughts and looking like he is trying to catalogue the entire story to write down later for the annals.
"Several, in fact," Edward states as calmly as he can, his thoughts racing.
Edward continues his story, summarizing their days of searching in the mountains and finding the Ainmhithe settlement. He doesn't tell of his pleas for help and for I'sabel, but he talks about the Council's final decision at great length. "Vampires were the ones that shunned them, killed them and drove them from their lands. Animosity and distrust for vampires and humans have been all they have thought about for the hundreds of years they have been in isolation. They don't know that the world has changed, or that we are not the same. And the return of one lost Ainmhithe did not change their opinions."
"So the mission was in vain? They are not coming to help?" Jasper asks, his eyes closing slowly in defeat.
"No, they're not, but I've been given information and a gift I think may turn the tides. I've learned that the Others are coming to take over all of the realms, stealing the energy from living things to open a portal to our world from theirs. Then they will bring their army here with creatures that will either enslave us or kill us. We need to start planning if we intend to fight back." Edward levels a stare at each of them in turn, receiving an affirmative response before he continues. He is once again amazed at how quickly his coven assimilates information and doesn't hesitate to confirm that, if they fight, they will all fight together.
"The magic the Ainmhithe use pushes some of their own energy back into the Other, destroying it with the light. I was given two gifts when I departed. I'm hoping that, although we fight alone, we will not be entirely defenseless."
He lifts the cord around his neck, revealing the smooth, white disc hanging from it. "I was told that this would protect me if I was attacked on my journey here." He takes it off and hands it to Carlisle. "I'm wondering if we can study the runes and perhaps use them to make a safe place or weapons of some sort. I'sabel used similar runes as wards to protect us while we rested at night."
Then he pulls the scroll out of his pack, carefully unwrapping the water-proof leather from around it before unrolling it slowly. As he flattens it on the table, he swallows nervously, hoping that he hasn't just given everyone false expectations. Carlisle and Jasper both stand next to him as he begins to flip the pages. One page seems to stand out more than the rest, and all three bend over to inspect the scroll more closely.
"Is that what I think it is?" Jasper whispers, a bit of awe in his voice.
Carlisle leans even closer as if his vampire sight is somehow misleading him. "I believe so."
"Lights above," Edward curses under his breath.
"What?" Rosalie and Emmett yell together, clearly becoming frustrated.
"It's a recipe of sorts," comes Carlisle's distracted answer.
Emmett recoils, obvious disgust on his face. "Like for dinner?"
"No, for weapons," Jasper answers, a light shining in his eyes. "Weapons we can use to defeat the Others."