Chapter 29:
And So It Begins
When we finally made it to the situation room, we were barely able to even squeeze in. Everyone was running around like ants trying to get all the equipment packed up to take out. Finally we found Andrew with Quinn and Crout, all three of them surrounding my laptop.
"Andrew" I called and he turned around immediately.
"Okay, gather around because I don't want to really say this too loud" he said and we all surrounded the table. "Now, a couple of the teams already set off and are striking up the camps at strategic points about some 5 miles in front of the city.
That's as far as we can go without being detected for a while. Now, the rest of the teams are being assigned different sections of the armies. We're all splitting up into 3 groups to take on the 3 armies coming in. With your scout, we have located Scott and he seems to be coming in with the first group, the one that's going to try to assault us through the front of Aborlorn.
He's also sticking closely to Charles and a couple other strong people. I assume they're protecting him and also controlling the army. This is where you guys come in. Bella, I want you to focus only on Scott and getting to him. Just him, no one else, do you hear me" He said.
"Of course" not' I added mentally.
"I'm serious Isabella" he said.
"What, I said of course" I said, slightly crossing my fingers.
There was no way that if someone were in trouble, I wouldn't help him or her.
"I know that look on your face, when you add an extra thought that cancels out what you just said" he said and I had to laugh which gave me away. "I want you focusing only on Scott. Emily, Sara, all of you, your job is to try to take down Charles and all of Scott's closer operatives" he said and they nodded.
"Of course, at the same time, keep all the others off of Bella while she fights Scott. Finally, you guys" he said turning to the pack and the Cullens. "Carlisle and Esme, when they leave, you guys head to the medical wing and they'll set you guys up as first responders" he told them and they nodded.
"As for the rest of you guys, your job is also simple, in a way" he said. "Cullens, I want you guys to focus on keeping Guardians occupied or of course, take them out but keep them away from Bella and her team" he said and they nodded.
"Wolves, yours is a similar task too but, it would also be very helpful if you began taking out as many vampires as you could. I know you have experience in that area and also enjoy it" he said and they nodded.
"Okay, that's pretty much it. Head out quickly because I want you to run a quick sweep of our camp" he said and we all nodded and began heading out. "Wait, Bella, can I talk to you for a second" he said.
"Uh, yeah. Emily, take them outside and show them the quick layout of the camp. I'll be there soon" I called and she nodded, leading them all out . . . except Edward who refused to leave my side. "Go, I'll be okay. I'm just going to talk to him for a second" I said.
He looked at me for a second but finally nodded and gave my hand a squeeze before he left. Andrew led me out of the situation room and into a small library located a few doors down.
"Bella" he said, turning me to face him. "You have to promise me you'll be careful" he said and I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes but he knew me too well.
"Go ahead, roll your eyes, I know you want to" he said and I did, making him laugh slightly. "Okay, now that you got that out; I'm serious" he said. "These last few encounters with Scott haven't ended to well for you and I don't want anything happening to you" he said and I cringed slightly at the reminder. "Please Bella, try not to be too reckless, I won't be there to make sure you keep your head on straight" he said.
I nodded but then suddenly stopped.
"Wait, what? You're not coming?" I said my voice cracking.
"No, I'm going to be monitoring you guys from here through your vitals and all that" he said and I frowned.
He never stayed behind.
"I just thought I could be of more use here, but please be careful, he's very dangerous" Andrew said and I nodded. "Now, can't forget this" he said, holding up a gold chain with the Royal Guardian Crest hanging on it. "You are our princess" he said as he helped me put it on.
"Thank you" I whispered, fingering the crest.
"Why, it's yours" he asked and I once again rolled my eyes but also pulled him in for a hug.
He really had become my dad over the years.
"Be safe" he whispered, kissing me once on the forehead before heading back out to the situation room.
I nodded even though he wouldn't see me as I headed out to meet my team.
"Ready?" I asked as I came out and they nodded.
"Okay Sebastian, take them over" I said.
"You're not coming?" Edward asked before Sebastian could.
"Yeah but I'm going to fly over. That way I can do a quick sweep of the land to see and advantages and maybe I can catch a glimpse of something else" I said and he nodded sadly.
"Okay, you first, we have to make sure you don't fall out of the sky or something" Ben said and I stuck my tongue out at him but didn't argue.
I relaxed my body and closed my eyes, focusing on the Spine-Tailed Swift. I felt a sudden sensation of falling and flailed for a second before I opened my eyes and realized I was floating in the air. It'd been a while since I'd turn into a flying animal and I was a bit out of practice.
"Whoa there Bells, I think you just tripped on air" Nick called up and they laughed.
I dove down angrily and was next to nick almost immediately. There were perks to being the fastest bird in the world. I quickly pecked his head, hard, about 10 times before flying out of his reach.
"Nice one Bella!" Emily called up as Nick rubbed his head.
I smiled internally as I took off. I flapped my wings as quick as I could and quickly began gaining speed.
'You getting this Andrew?' I thought mentally.
"Yeah, we'll record it for later" he said through my earpiece. "And watch that beak missy, Nick has a serious headache right now" Andrew said but his voice was amused.
I laughed internally as I spiraled through the sky. I flew around the field, circling Aborlorn a couple times before running a sweep further out. There were a lot of woods to one side but another side was pretty bare which didn't really help during a battle.
After a couple of hours, I headed out to the main camp. The tents were huge, made of the same camouflage material as our suits so the blended in with the environment. The camouflage could be turned on or off but if you knew what to look for, you could still see them even in camouflage mode.
There were hundreds of tents circling the main tents which is where all the equipment, the infirmary and our tents are located. I ran a couple sweeps around our camp, checking the protection.
The forest gave us good blockage but also gave a lot of shelter to the enemy as well. I made about 3 sweeps before I flew into the infirmary. Maddie, Carlisle, Esme, and a few other doctors were setting everything up. I scared the hell out of Maddie when I flew straight towards her and suddenly transformed back.
"Amazing" Carlisle murmured when I changed but Maddie didn't find it that amazing.
"Bella" she growled, swatting at me with a pillow "You nearly gave me a heart-attack" she scowled and I could help the laughter that overcame me.
"I need some ice for Nick because he was not being very nice so I gave him a couple hard pecks and now the baby has a headache" I said and Maddie laughed as she handed me an ice bag and a couple of aspirin.
"Thanks" I said as I headed over to our tent.
It was really one big tent split into smaller bed areas and a small living room type space. When I neared the tent, Edward immediately came out, taking me into his arms.
"Where were you? I thought you were only going to be gone for a little while, it's been hours" he said, his eyes worried.
"I just ran a couple extra sweeps, I'm sorry I worried you" I said as I buried my head in his chest.
"That's what I told him but no, he just kept trying to practically yank his hair out" Emily teased him and I laughed softly as we both walked into the tent.
Everyone was sitting around Sebastian's laptop talking softly, well, everyone but Nick who was refusing to talk to anyone.
"Oh, look who's finally back" he grumbled.
"Here you go you big baby" I said as I tossed him the ice and the Aspirin. "Andrew already told me you have a bad headache so don't deny it" I said but he just ignored me, pushing the stuff aside.
I rolled my eyes but went over to him and put the ice pack on the red bump on his head.
"I can't have something more wrong with your head" I teased him lightly and even though he tried not to, he ended up laughing and took the Aspirin.
"Andrew told us to just relax and try to get some sleep because we're going to need it. He said the rest of the Guardians will be here in the next couple of hours and he'll raise the alarm when they get somewhat close" Emily said and I nodded.
"He also specifically said, 'Make sure Bella gets some sleep, even if you have to tie her down, she hasn't slept in three days and she's not a machine'" she added and everyone in the tent laugh while I fumed.
So what if I hadn't slept in 3 days, I had things I had to do and there was just so little time!
"Go on Bella, off to sleep!" Emily said.
"I'm not even tired, it's fine, I rested while I was flying" I lied.
"That's not true, I was with you . . . hypothetically, the whole time" Andrew said through our earpieces and I huffed angrily.
"Go on" Emily said.
They all looked at me but I just stood there stubbornly.
"Okay, Have it your way" Emily said, taking out a rope and a syringe.
I immediate knew it would knock me out for hours.
"You've got to be kidding me" I said as I looked at her.
Andrew had obviously given that to her. Traitor.
"Try me" she said and I looked at her seriously for a second before I sighed and gave in.
"Come on" I said to Edward, taking his hand and leaving their laughs.
I led him over to my 'bed', dropping my bag next to it. I wouldn't sleep but I would relax, which had to be good enough.
"I feel like I'm never spending time with you anymore" I whined softly as I kicked off my boots and slid in. "I'm sorry" I murmured.
Edward slid in next to me wrapping his arms around my waist, and pulling me into his chest.
"I know you're busy and it's fine" he said, his cool, delicious breath fanning out into my face and tickling my ear. "Besides, I'm pretty content right now" he murmured and I smiled as I snuggled against him.
He began telling me in a soft voice about all his training days and all the ridiculous things that went on. All the while, he was rubbing soft circles in my back making my muscles slowly relax.
By the time I realized what he was doing, it was too late. He was too good and knew me way too well. My body was already too relaxed and my eyelids too heavy and in the next second, my eyes closed.
I slept dreamlessly, my body taking advantage of the sleep I had deprived it of. Of course though, I had to be woken up by a blow horn blasting in my ear.
"What!" I jumped up and in the process, slammed my head on Sebastian's. "Ugh! Headache!" I yelled. "I'm going to kill you Sebastian!" I yelled as I jumped doff my bed but he was already gone, his laugh echoing in the tent.
I turned back to see Edward watching me amusingly.
"You know, you're cute when you're angry" he chuckled.
"Well then I'm about to get real adorable" I muttered as I trudged back to the bed and fell back down, my eyes already beginning to close but I fought it.
Now that I had slept my body realized just how much sleep I had cheated it out of and now wanted it all back.
"Bella, you're exhausted, sleep a couple more hours" Edward begged.
"No, I'm fine little Mr. Make Me Fall Asleep" I said which caused him to chuckle.
"You're right, you are adorable" he said and I glowered at him for a second which just made him laugh harder and also made me laugh.
Suddenly though, an alarm blared through the camp, well, throughout earpieces.
"Ow" I muttered, trying to cover my ears but that just made the sound louder.
"WHAT IS THAT?" Jacob yelled all of them running out into the main room.
"Bella!" Gaby burst into the tent. "They're almost here, they're little more than half a mile away from the ambush point!" she yelled and I immediately jumped into action.
The ambush point was about 3 miles north of our camp to give us some retreat space. I clasped on my boots, fixed my hair, slung my backpack on, and checked all my daggers and everything before grabbing Edward's hand and running outside. The wolves and the remaining Cullens followed behind me.
The camp was in a commotion, all the captains yelling orders at they're groups and gathering them up to get into position.
"Go to the High Tent Bella and get set up. I'll be monitoring so no stupid, irrational decisions" Andrew said through our earpieces and I almost rolled my eyes as I took off. In my haste, I bumped in head on with my team which was heading out.
"Come on, they've got a camp set up in a high up protected area a bit northeast of here that's good for finding people" Alexis said and, with my team in the lead, we took off running.
They took us up a hill and into the cover of a shelter that seemed to be made of trees and stone. Even with all the noise we made going up, I could still hear the sound of the war drum resonating from Scott's army. It took us about 20 minutes to get up there . . . the army had to be past the half way mile mark by now.
"Okay Bella, you know how it is. Let the army crash with ours but locate the inner circle. They'll be cloaked and hiding and under high protection but you have to find them. Then, you team and the Cullens can take out all the protection and you go for Scott. Wolves stay close to Bella but also get rid of as many vampires as you can" Andrew said through our earpieces and we nodded.
I began scanning the horizon and after a minute, I could make their forms out. They were all wearing the jet-black Guardian armor but with carious swirls that created Scott's insignia. The night helped cover them up but at the same time, the moonlight gave them away.
I looked back towards where our camp was located. The trees covered the camp well, and all the lights had been doused except for those in the infirmary and the control tent, but those tents were made of materials that didn't let light penetrate. All in all, it was pretty well protected.
"Here they come" Nick whispered and sure enough, the army was just a few feet away from the ambush point.
The next seconds were deadly silent on our side as the drum pounded away.
And then the battle began.
Guardians poured in from all around and began brutally attacking Scott's army. They were fazed for only a second before they surged back and began attacking us. With the both opponents equally matched, the battle quickly turned bloody on both sides. I hurled an energy ball at a wolf and it hit him just seconds before he caught one of our Guardians.
"Bella! Focus!" Andrew yelled into my ear and I tore my eyes away from the upscale battle and began looking towards the center of the army.
I spent hours just scanning the army, Andrew not letting me focus on anything else. At one point, the line of vampires ran at blinding speed into the battle and that's when the wolves took off.
My team fought from the ledge, launching all their attack as they tried to protect their fellow Guardians.
"Where are you" I muttered, throwing a large energy ball in frustration.
It hit a couple Guardians but instead of continuing or dissipating, the energy ball bounced right back at me. I quickly moved out of its way but kept my eyes glued to that spot. The guardians suddenly disappeared, as if they were a projection and suddenly there was a ripple in the air.
"Gotcha" I said as I kept my eyes trained on the spot where the ripple had appeared.
He was using a combination of a shield, a projector, and distorter. As much as I hated to admit it, he was a genius.
"I got him" I said louder and everyone's head snapped to mine. "Okay, he's using a shield to keep himself hidden and guardians but most of them are projections. Follow behind me and I'll try to penetrate the shield" I said and they all nodded.
"Be careful and stay by my team" I said to Edward pleadingly.
I kissed him once, passionately, and then changed into a jaguar and launched myself off of the ledge and right at the shield. Being a shield myself I knew how one worked. Most people try to attack multiple times over a wide range of spots looking for a weak spot but the key is to launch the strongest attack you can on just one point of the shield, creating a huge strain on it and effectually popping it.
Just as I hit it, I changed into a vampire and created the strongest energy ball I could and shot it straight on the dead center of the shield. It popped immediately but with a huge explosion that sent my flying.
I twisted in the air, landing on my feet before sprinting back. Of course though, getting to Scott wasn't going to be that easy, I had to get past all of his bodyguards first. I got as close as I could before that t attack started.
I moved constantly, defending and then attacking, launching combo attacks of energy balls and daggers. This also made my opponent move constantly which was my goal. That way, whoever was shielding had no choice, either to shield me in with them or not shield their bodyguards which could work against my advantage.
