Hello my Darlings! First let me apologize for not responding to all the reviews last chapter. With the new semester staring, my teaching load, my reesearch, and real life...I have had barely enough time to write the story. So I figured you would prefer me write the story than respond to reviews.
I promise I will try to go back and respond to your reviews. I hope my lack of response does not keep you from leaving me some love! It is because of your reviews and interest in my story that I keep writing.
With that said, this chapter should answer a whole bunch of questions!
Disclaimer: The Twilight characters belong to Stephanie Meyer, but I make them much more fabulous!
Chapter 24: The War
Sam sits me on the couch before kneeling down and tending to Aunt Patricia's breathless body.
"She still has a pulse, but it's very weak," Samantha says and begins breathing into her lungs.
"What has happened to her?!" Grandma Masen asks in shock.
"She battled two vampires and killed one. The other got away. Patricia must have overexerted herself," Nana explains, worry evident in her tone.
"Bloody Hell! Do something quickly! Merelda, you are an earth witch. Can't you heal her?" Grandmother Masen says in panic.
"Alice quickly, go to the attic and get the healing stone!" Nana says with urgency.
Alice runs upstairs and returns in seconds with the stone in her hand. She hands it to Nana.
"Give me room, Samantha!" Nana demands. Aunt Sam halts breathing into Aunt Patricia's lungs and walks to Alice's side.
Nana, being the most powerful with earth magic, passes the stone over Aunt Patricia's chest and closes her eyes in concentration. The room is quiet for several minutes. As each minute passes, the hope that Aunt Patricia can be healed dissipates.
Suddenly, Aunt Patricia's eyes open and she gasps for air. She looks at us confused. Her skin is pale and clammy and in seconds she realizes what has happened.
"I am in your debt, Ms. Bennet," Aunt Patricia says to Nana struggling to speak.
"I think we are quite even my dear," Nana responds. "Samantha, help me get her upstairs. She is not completely healed and needs to rest."
"Could this help?" Alice says holding out what I recognize as healing elixir.
"I am afraid she is well beyond that potion, dear. It is going to take more complex magic to heal her," Nana answers.
Samantha takes Aunt Patricia in her arms and carries her upstairs. Nana and Grandma Masen follow while Alice and I stay behind.
"Here Edward. Drink this," Alice says handing me the healing elixir. As I drink it, the bitter taste consumes my mouth but is immediately followed by a familiar warmth that fills my body. The pain in my ribs fades away and the bruises on my face disappear.
"It is working," Alice confirms before throwing her arms around me in a tight embrace. "I was so worried!"
"It's okay, Alice. We are okay thanks to you and your new gift," I console her and return her hug.
I feel her give a gentle laugh as she sniffs back her tears.
We break our embrace as Grandmother Masen returns to the room with worry written on her face.
"How is she?" I ask.
"She is doing well. Thanks to your Grandmother and Aunt," she answers. "How are you two?"
"Better," I answer.
"You two have had quite a fright today. I wish things could have gone differently. It is not easy to find out you are sorcerers and minutes later be attacked by vampires. But I hope you realize now that you can no longer live in ignorance. To do so is dangerous. You must be aware of your family heritage and of the war you have entered," my grandmother says.
"War? What War?" Alice questions her.
"The war between wiccans and vampires," she answers.
"We are at war?" I ask in disbelief.
"We have been at war with the vampires for hundreds of years," Grandma Masen confirms.
"But why?" I ask curiously.
"That is an easy question to ask Edward, however it is a difficult one to answer. Let us have some tea, shall we?" Grandmother Masen asks as she walks towards the kitchen and begins heating some water. She instructs us to sit at the kitchen table and we obey.
"Tell me my dears, how much do you know about your family tree? Do you know with whom it began?" she asks.
"Are oldest recorded ancestor is Melinda Bennet," Alice answers.
"And what do you know about her?" Grandma Masen continues to question.
"Only that she was killed during the Salem Witch trials and that she bore one son, Joseph Whitlock Bennet, who gave rise to the rest of our family," Alice continues.
Alice surprises me with her knowledge of our heritage. I remember Nana teaching us about our ancestors when learning earth magic, but I had not committed it to memory like Alice.
"Very good, Alice! You have studied your family's grimoire very nicely it seems. However, what the grimoire may not mention, is that Melinda Bennet is responsible for the most blasphemous act in Wiccan history," Grandma Masen explains.
"What do you mean?" I ask eager for clarification.
Grandmother Masen looks at us hesitantly as if she is unsure she should explain further.
"You don't mean she created vampires? Do you?" Alice asks fearfully.
"No no my dear! No one quite knows how vampires were created. There are many theories of course, but the knowledge of that history has been lost for thousands of years. However, what Melinda Bennet did some may consider equally atrocious," Grandmother says.
"I do not understand," I say confused.
"Tell me Edward, since when have you ever heard of a vampire that is able to walk in the sun?" She asks me.
"Never. But up until today I didn't even know vampires existed. And what I do know about them comes from movies and television," I explain.
"Understandable, but nonetheless, there may be some truth to what you know. Vampires have existed for thousands of years, long before many of our family's recorded history. They survive by feeding off of the blood of humans. They are beautiful and strong…..fast and agile…. but they do not exist today as they once did in the late 1600's. Today they are much stronger and resilient. This is because prior to 1692, vampires had a weakness; a weakness that prevented them from gaining strength and power," Grandma Masen says.
"What was it?" Alice asks.
"Nature. Vampires were held at bay by mother nature herself. The sun was lethal to vampires. A single ray of sunlight would scorch the skin of a vampire and set them ablaze. A wooden stake to the heart could kill a vampire, turning them to nothing but a pile of ash. However, today this is not the case. Vampires are not affected by the sun's rays and they are only weakened by the elements of earth such as wood, stone, or silver," Grandma Masen explains.
"So what does all of this have to do with Melinda Bennet?" I question.
"Melinda Bennet was responsible for lifting nature's curse on vampires. It is because of her that vampires can walk freely in the sun and the elements of earth are not lethal to them," she answers.
"What? Why would she do such a thing?" Alice asks in shock.
"Rumor has it that she fell in love with a young bloke that came to her only at night."
"She fell in love with a vampire?" Alice asks for clarification.
"Indeed. In her defense, he was a very charismatic man…ambitious…gorgeous…and it appeared that he too loved her very much. His name was Auro. He convinced her that he only wished to live in peace with the humans and more importantly wanted to spend eternity with her. However, they could never truly be together unless he was free from the curse of the sun.
Melinda, blinded by love, failed to see through his treachery. She cast a spell using his blood and the power of nature and the spirit to lift the curse from her beloved. Little did she know, Auro was one of the original vampires. And by lifting the curse from him, she lifted the curse off of all vampires!
Melinda belonged to a coven of thirteen witches and when they became aware of her spell they were outraged. They demanded for her to correct her mistake and reestablish the curse. But it was too late! Auro had gone to the townspeople and accused Melinda of being a witch and working with the devil. She was put on trial and was sentenced to hanging," Grandmother Masen explains.
"Why didn't she use her powers to escape?" Alice asks surprised.
The kettle whistles and Grandma Masen makes her way to the stove.
"For fear if she did, the townspeople would target her coven and more importantly her son, Joseph. She had never told Auro about Joseph for fear that he may reject her. Therefore, Joseph's existence was unknown to Auro. Melinda arranged it so that upon her death a member of her coven, Thomas Whitlock, would raise Joseph as his own and teach him the wiccan heritage. It was then, that Melinda's son adopted the name Joseph Whitlock Bennet," Grandmother answers.
"Why couldn't Joseph or another witch from her coven reestablish the curse?" I ask.
"Joseph was only five years old at the time and his powers were not fully developed. As for her coven, many tried and failed. No one knows why that is. Some have said that Melinda was the most powerful witch of her time and only she had the power to reestablish the curse. This is not surprising considering she was a Bennet witch. Bennet witches have always had the reputation of being the most powerful witches of all time."
"Why is that?" Alice asks.
"A witch's family power gets stronger from generation to generation. Unlike other families in which the power of the craft may skip generations, the Bennet line has never failed to produce a generation of witches. Therefore, their power….your power…continues to grow with each new line of witches that is born."
"But if she was a witch, how did she use the power of the spirit to release the curse? Witches can't use the power of the spirit," Alice asks.
"During Melinda Bennet's time, there was no difference between witches and sorcerers. We were one in the same. The original witches were able to use and harness the power of all five elements: earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. They were very powerful indeed and could use the power of the spirit and not suffer the physical torments that your Aunt Patricia now suffers. At the same time, they could harness the powers of the craft."
"So what happened to the original witches?" I ask.
"Out of fear of a witch following in Melinda's footsteps and using their power to undue nature's balance, members of Melinda's coven cast a spell that would split the most powerful of the elements from the other four. They split the power of the spirit, believing that if no witch possessed the power of all five elements, they could not undue nature's balance. And so the original witches were no more. They were divided into those with the power of the craft able to use earth, air, fire, and water... and those with the power of spirit…what we today call sorcery.
Unfortunately, little did the witches of the time know that Auro and his two brothers…also original vampires…were in the process of organizing the vampire community. They established a governing society called the Volturi and declared war on the Wiccan community.
With their new resistance to the sun and the Wiccan community divided, the war was tipped in the Volturi's favor. Sorcerers were targeted first, being that their power was the strongest. They tried to fight, but many died in the attempt…not realizing that by being cut off from the other four elements, using the power of the spirit physically damages their bodies.
Once many of the sorcerers were eradicated, it was only a matter of time until the Volturi switched their focus to witches. They soon realized that if a gifted witch were changed into a vampire they would not be able to use the power of the craft, but they would however; retain the power of their gift. And in some cases the transition enhanced their gift. Therefore, the Volturi set out to track and change gifted witches to add them to their ranks of vampire warriors.
Although sorcerers do not possess gifts, the Volturi were curious to know if we retain our powers when changed to vampires. They realized that is not the case. Sorcerers do not retain any of their powers after transition. This is not surprising because in order to use the power of the spirit, one has to be linked to nature herself," Grandma Masen explains. She serves us tea and makes her way to sit with us at the kitchen table.
"So now you know how the war between witches and vampires began. And as you may have guessed we have been losing ever since. We have been hunted to near extinction," Grandma Masen says sullenly.
It suddenly became apparent to me why our family tree had thinned out after the 1700's and why Nana, Samantha, Alice and I were the only witches left of the Bennet line. The others were killed. The witch hunters Nana spoke of were not human….they were vampires!
"Why didn't the wiccan community get organized and fight?" I ask.
"Over the generations, many witches have tried. Witches like your Aunt Samantha, created covens to train and fight in the war. They were a group of elite warriors of witches and sorcerers with the sole purpose to hunt and kill vampires. Unfortunately, their efforts have been feeble at most and many have left the cause. Vampires have too many strengths and very little weaknesses. Witches and sorcerers are limited by their physical strength and energy. Therefore, the more we fought, the more witches were turned into vampires and sorcerers killed. In the long run, there were just many more vampires able to fight than witches and sorcerers.
Unfortunately, over the years prejudice has arisen within the wiccan community between sorcerers and witches…each accusing the other of being responsible for the war. And so we have never been more divided as we are today," grandmother explains.
"But why would the original witches cast a spell to split the powers if it would only make them weaker?" I ask.
"When the original witches split the power of the spirit from the other four elements, they unintentionally divided our people. They were more concerned with preventing another act like that of Melinda Bennet's. They could have not predicted that this would give rise to prejudice within our own community," she answers.
"So, if our mother was a witch, and our father was a sorcerer, does that mean Edward and I are original witches?" Asks Alice. The thought had never occurred to me and I was unsure if I truly wanted to know the answer.
"Yes, it does. You and your brother have the powers of the original witches. This is why Patricia and I have come to Forks. You and Edward are in great danger!" Grandma Masen says with fear in her voice. "Decades ago, the Wiccan community, witches and sorcerers, came together and decreed that a child should not be born of both witch and sorcerer blood."
"But why?" I ask.
"Because the Volturi have a vampire in their ranks with the ability to track an original witch once they are born. It is his job to never allow an original witch to live. They fear that if an original witch reaches their full potential, they would have the power to reestablish nature's curse and tip the balance of the war.
Because of this, when your father informed us of his decision to marry a witch, a Bennet witch nonetheless, Patricia and I were less than pleased. We bound his powers because we assumed by doing so, it would prevent him from passing the power of the spirit to his children if he were to have any. As you can imagine, your father was angry with us for doing so. He argued that we had no right to take his power from him. He said we left him unable to protect himself and his family. But we had no choice! He would deliberately put the lives of his children at risk. We could not allow it and refused to unbind his powers. We went several years without speaking. That is, until you were born, Edward.
Your father called to assure us that your mother had bound your witch powers so that you would never be on the Volturi's radar. He warned Patricia and me to stay away from you and argued that by being in contact with you, we would only put your life in danger. If the Volturi ever suspected that you were born of both bloods, you would be targeted regardless of not possessing any powers.
Your father informed me that I was to be dead to my own grandchild," Grandma Masen says with sorrow in her voice. "We never received photos of you…or letters. Patricia and I were not aware that Alice was even born until she was five years old. We were completely cut off from your father and by extension from the both of you.
When your father died….my son…we did not come to the funeral because we were not aware of his death until months after it happened," she explains.
Tears fall from Grandmother Masen's eyes and Alice gives her a tissue. She accepts and wipes her tears and nose before she continues.
"And now it seems that by binding my son's powers it did not prevent him from passing them to you. And to make things worse, with the death of your mother her binding of your witch powers has been rendered mute. Therefore, you and Alice posses the powers of the original witches. This means, you are on the Volturi's radar.
I do not know why they have not arrived to claim you. Usually it is instantaneous; however it is only a matter of time! You must be trained and protected. We can help you. If you let us," Grandma Masen offers.
Alice and I look at each other in bewilderment.
"Were the vampires in the meadow members of the Volturi?" I ask Grandmother Masen.
"That, I cannot be certain of. Perhaps once Patricia recuperates, she will be able to shed some light on that question," she answers.
Alice looks scared and worried.
I don't think I can hear anymore of this.
I hear her think. I can't blame her. Everything we have heard is overwhelming. Not only do we possess powers we never realized we had… we are also targets in a war we never knew existed.
"If you excuse me, I think I am going to go see if I can help Aunt Patricia," Alice excuses herself carrying her healing elixir.
Grandmother Masen simply bows her head in acknowledgment. She clearly realizes that Alice is overwhelmed with what she has just learned.
I suddenly become very uncomfortable sitting in the kitchen alone with Grandmother Masen. Then I was overcome with an aching question.
"Grandmother Masen?" As I addressed her, my name for her seemed uncomfortable and out of place. She must have sensed it also.
"Edward, I understand you call your Grandmother Bennet, Nana?"
"Yes," I answer.
"Perhaps then you could call me Grams?" She asks.
I was taken aback by her request but at the same time found it endearing. It felt….appropriate.
"Okay…Grams…so the reason we have never met you before today is by request of my father?" I ask upset that he had refused us the right to know our own grandmother and aunt.
"Mistakes were made on both sides Edward. In hindsight we had no right to take your father's powers. Patricia and I were convinced that the moment any child was born of both witch and sorcery blood the Volturi would be alerted and the child born would be killed. We did it to protect you! Little did we know his intention was always to bind your powers, but by then we had already acted and the binding was permanent," she explains.
"But why not see us after we were born?" I ask defeated.
"The Masen family is very well known in the wiccan community in England as a powerful line of sorcerers. Your father feared that if the Volturi became aware that a Masen sorcerer lived in the United States and married a Bennet witch, they would kill any of their children out of mere suspicion. Therefore, he broke off all ties with our family… again to protect you," she answers.
She leans over and looks directly into my eyes as if knowing this would trigger my telepathy.
But know this dear boy. I am your grandmother, and although we are strangers, I will lay my life to protect you and your sister…as will your Aunt Patricia. I believe she has already demonstrated her commitment to your safety.
We stare at each other in silence and by reading her thoughts I know her words are sincere. The silence carries on for several more minutes as we struggle to carry on the conversation.
The silence is broken with a knock at the kitchen door.
"Come in," I say curious as to who would be knocking to enter the kitchen.
My curiosity is short lived as the tall gorgeous blonde responsible for my heartbreak walks through the door.
"I am sorry. I don't mean to intrude," Jasper says nervously. "I knocked on the front door but no one answered…so I let myself in. I hope that's okay," he asks pleadingly.
I am rendered speechless as he stands in my kitchen only feet away from me. What was he doing here? I thought he wanted nothing to do with me? I try to be angry with him, but as I look at him, I forget all the pain he caused me and only remember the feelings I have for him. The love I have for him.
"Jasper, what are you doing here?" I ask finally finding my voice.
"I was hoping we could talk?" He asks. With his simple question I know that the Jasper standing in front of me wasn't the asshole that broke up with me, but was the Jasper I fell in love with. I simply stare at him in silence…studying him… as if we hadn't seen each other in years.
Grams gives a violent cough breaking me from my daze.
"Oh I am sorry! Jasper, this is my grandmother. My grandmother Masen," I say. Jasper looks at her surprised.
"Grams this is my friend Jasper. We go to school together," I say completely flustered.
"It is nice to meet you Mam," Jasper says with his southern twang and holds out his hand in greeting.
Grams shakes his hand, but her smile of amusement quickly changes to one an expression of anxiety and horror. I see worry and shock in her eyes. She quickly releases his hand.
"Edward! Step away from him now!" Grams warns.
"What? Why?" I ask confused.
"He is a vampire, Edward!" She says adamantly.
Jasper looks at her, shock written all over his face.
He looks over at me wide eyed and I stare at him equally surprised. No, it can't be true!
"No he isn't Grams…." I try to defend.
But suddenly, Grams eyes go cloudy. The door to the kitchen slams shut and locks itself. Grams holds her hands out in front of her.
"No Carre Manda," she begins to chant.
Jasper falls to his knees. His hands grip his head and he releases an agonizing scream.
"Sho Can Eska," Grams continues. Jasper screams again!
"GRAMS! STOP IT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I demand.
But she is in a trance and does not break her concentration.
"Coscka Maka!" She chants.
Jasper screams in overwhelming pain and falls onto his side gripping his head and unable to walk.
I hear Alice and Nana banging on the kitchen door trying to break it down. But the door does not budge from its hinges.
"What is going on in there?! Open this door this instant!" Nana demands from the other side.
I stand in front of Jasper thinking I could shield him somehow. But it is no use! Jasper's eyes are wide and bulging from his skull. He stares at me as if begging for mercy.
"GRAMS! STOP IT! RIGHT NOW!" I plead. But she pays no attention.
I use my telepathy to read her thoughts. But they are so incoherent I can't make them out. It is as if she is thinking in a different language. I concentrate harder and although I cannot make sense of her mind, I am able to decipher the spell she is casting. It is a psychic attack to incapacitate!
Instinctively, I tear off my amulet and put it around Jasper's neck. The jade stone is meant to protect against psychic attacks. But suddenly, I am overcome with a pain of my own. It is as if a hundred knives are being driven into my skull. I fall to my knees and let out a scream!
"NO!" I hear Grams scream and immediately stops her chanting.
I notice that Jasper is no longer in pain as he stands over me in a protective stance.
The pain in my head is still overwhelming and tears fill my eyes as I feel my head is going to split open.
Oh my, what have I done?
Edward, are you okay? What is going on in there?
Samantha, leave me! You are needed downstairs!
I am breaking this door down!
Edward? No! I need to get you out of here!
Everyone's thoughts fill my mind all at once. I can't feel my arms or legs. I am paralyzed! I am crying from the pain that still renders in my head and I close my eyes hoping it will ease the pain.
"Don't you touch him!" I hear Grams scream.
An in an instant I feel myself in Jasper's arms as he lifts me off the ground. I hear the sound of a door shatter and glass breaking.
I open my eyes and I see that Jasper has me in his arms running through the forest. The wind blows against my face and the thoughts that once consumed my mind are no more. Jasper is running so fast the forest is just a blur. I have only ever seen two people move this quickly….James and Victoria. It suddenly occurs to me, Jasper is a vampire!
So I know many of you were hoping to find out why Jasper didn't make it to the meadow in time in the last chapter. But as I was writing it, it felt out of place. So I decided to put it in the next chapter.
Nonetheless, I know many of you were waiting for Edward to find out about Jasper. It is finallly here! What do you think?