Chapter Fifty Six
Bella
I couldn't believe what I had just done as I watched the girl slump to the floor wiping the last drop of her blood from my lips. I had known as a vampire I would be dependant on blood to survive but I had fooled myself into believing I could do this without harming any humans and now the cold hard truth hit me in the face. I had killed a human being to quench my thirst and although I was horrified I knew if the circumstances reoccurred I would do exactly the same again. I needed my strength to save Jasper and he mattered more to me than anything else, even the murder of an innocent young girl.
"She was hardly innocent Bella if she were she wouldn't be working in Volterra, not in the Citadel anyway. I'm pretty sure she was one of those creeps who think being a vampire is really sexy and hopes she might be changed if she catches the eye of one of the guys."
Charlotte was right although that didn't make what I had done any less wrong.
"I have to find Jasper before he loses himself, I couldn't bear to live without him Charlotte. Come on, we have to go."
Athena and Sulpicia stood back, eyes fixed on the girl's body as Charlotte opened the door but as we left they followed.
"Whatever is going on it will be over by now, we might as well find out what happened and where we stand."
I didn't like them following behind us but there was nothing I could do about it so I tried to ignore them as much as possible.
"Did I dream Charlie's presence?"
"No, it was him. He woke up in total command of himself and insisted I get him to Volterra so he could help you."
"He came here for my sake? But didn't he say something about being able to help Jasper?"
"Yes and let's hope he could. Come on, my guess is they'll be in the audience chamber, whoever is left."
All the way I had my fingers crossed and prayed under my breath that Jasper would be there, would still be himself, but as we got closer the signs of devastation told their own story of a terrible violent struggle and I wondered if the compulsion had taken him over completely and if so, would he still remember me? There was a noise up ahead, people shouting and talking excitedly and I speeded up followed closely by Charlotte and the other two.
As we skidded to a halt at the door I could see a large group of black cloaked figures huddled together in a corner and recognized faces standing separate from them but watching them carefully. Peter, Garrett, Demetri, Darius and last but not least my dad and kneeling on the floor close to him was Jasper. His eyes were closed and he was so still he looked as if he's been carved from stone.
Charlotte left my side to throw herself relieved into Peter's arms while I stood watching the man I loved waiting for a sign that he recognized me. Something had happened, he was no longer driven by the compulsion and I knew it had nothing to do with my presence but had my dad somehow stopped it affecting him or was this the inevitable aftermath of his killing spree? If it was then at least Carlisle and Edward would be safe and could go home to Esme and the others but what about me? How would I cope without Jasper? Just thinking about that sent me tottering at the edge of a dark bottomless pit.
Charlie beckoned me forward,
"Bella, I'm so glad you are OK, I wish I'd got here sooner but I hope everything will be fine."
I glanced down at Jasper's bowed head.
"What did you do to him? Will he be OK?"
"I hope so, I found a way to free him of the curse permanently but since then he hasn't moved. Maybe if you spoke to him."
"He's...he's cured? He'll never have to kill again?"
"No, at least that's how it's supposed to go, I guess we'll just have to wait to find out but are you OK? You looked so ill earlier."
I gritted my teeth and confessed my actions to him all the while watching his face for any signs of disgust but all I saw was fury at Aro's actions.
"That slimy little bastard must have spoken to the girl while I was catching up on the news with Peter and the others."
"Where is he now?"
Charlie smiled and gestured to the far corner where a solitary figure sat in a chair watching the proceedings with a look of defeat on his face. A part of me wanted to go over and kill him just like I'd killed the girl but a larger part needed to be with Jasper so after tossing him a contemptuous glance I sank slowly to my knees before my mate and spoke his name very softly.
"Jasper?"
He didn't respond and I stretched out a hand to rest gently on his shoulder but still, there was no response.
"Jasper? It's Bella. Charlie says you're going to be OK, please answer me."
He lifted his head and looked into my face but instead of recognition, there was only confusion.
"Úbi sum?"
I didn't understand the language he was speaking and looked around for help just as Darius approached and joined us kneeling beside me but addressing his words to Jasper.
"Quam multa non meministi?"
Jasper seemed to understand him and answered still in the strange tongue.
"Est omni confusione quam si uitam puriter egi mille generationes"
Darius turned to me,
"He's confused, he remembers nothing clearly, he says it's as if he's lived a thousand lifetimes. You need to give him time, his brain needs to adjust, Right now he's still the warrior, that's why he's speaking Latin. Charlie used his mother tongue to stop him."
Jasper's hand shot out and grasped mine gently,
"Bella?"
I nodded smiling,
"Yes, it's me. Do you remember who you are?"
He looked at Darius who translated my words into Latin.
"Ita, hoc est me. Meministine quis es? "
Jasper rubbed his forehead and I saw recognition slowly spark in his eyes,
"I...I ….Cogito ergo sum, yes it's coming back to me now. I remember...Maior, The Major, but there are other memories too."
"It doesn't matter, I'll help you, we all will. I'm just relieved you're OK."
"Maybe you should take The Major out for a while, give him a chance to remember things without an audience. We'll take care of things here, or at least I guess your dad will."
I glanced up at Darius words to see my dad marching over to where Aro sat, Charlotte and Peter at his shoulder, then nodded,
"Sure, we'll be out in the courtyard. Come on Jazz."
To my relief, he stood up and still grasping my hand walked with me out of the room seemingly unaware of the attention he was attracting.
Charlie
Did Aro really think he would get away with turning my little girl into a murderer? I knew why he'd done it, he wanted to get back at me for forcing him to do what I wanted him to and when my back was turned he had taken his opportunity but what he failed to understand was that I was more like him than he knew and no one hurt those I loved and got away with it. Besides he was due for retirement, he'd outlived his days as a ruler and now I was going to make sure he understood that.
I turned to my companions,
"I can handle this."
"Oh, I don't doubt that for a second Charlie, we're just here to make sure you don't get interrupted."
I glanced over to where more Volturi guards were appearing to swell the numbers we had trapped in the room after I deactivated The Major.
Aro looked up with a self-satisfied smile on his face,
"I rather think we work well together Charlie, after all, without the information that I possessed you wouldn't have been able to stop The Major now would you?"
"True, but now I see no further need for you."
His eyes narrowed,
"Is this because I sent your daughter a gift? We both know she needed to feed and if you had failed she was the only one who could control him. I did what needed to be done, it's something you learn when you command, sometimes you must do things that you dislike in order to get the job done."
"Your problem Aro is that you stopped disliking the things you had to do and that's when you become no better than those you purport to be ruling, criminals or rogues. They say power corrupts and you are a perfect example of that. So, you see I have various reasons to end your miserable life."
He got to his feet angrily,
"You have no rights here Charlie, I control the Volturi, I am the Volturi and you'd do well to remember that as a new member of my world."
I turned to look at the large crowd of Volturi now watching us keenly,
"Really? Shall we put it to a vote? I mean these people know you much better than I do so let your peers say what happens."
We were interrupted by the arrival of two young people, both fair haired and obviously twins, the ones with the powerful gifts.
"Come in and join us, I'm afraid you missed all the fun but you're here now so you can join in the democratic process."
They both frowned looking at Aro for guidance,
"I wouldn't bother if I were you. You may have noticed he's missing his shield, Renata, and his crown too if you think about it."
The girl glared at me and I guessed what she was trying but my gift kept me safe and I smiled back at her,
"You get one shot free, if you try that again I'll make you regret it and I can, I assure you."
I turned to her brother who was a little more subdued,
"You want a free shot too? Or are you more sensible than your sister? We're gonna need people with sense when this is all over, Alec isn't it?"
He nodded averting his eyes from Aro and those of his sister who was now scowling furiously but also helpless to do anything.
I turned to Darius,
"Thanks for the help there, do we need to worry about hunting for Caius? Or have you remedied that little problem already?"
"Let's just say he won't be causing any more problems where he is."
I nodded,
"Great. What about Marcus?"
Garrett walked slowly over to a door which had been obscured by a thick velvet curtain and pulling it across threw open the door.
"I guess you can come out now Marcus, good idea hiding right in the middle all the commotion but I reckon The Major would have sniffed you out soon enough, after all, I did."
A tall man with a strangely peaceful expression walked proudly into the chamber and stood looking around him.
"Marcus? Do you have anything you'd like to say before we decide what to do with you?"
His voice was calm and surprisingly soft,
"Actually there is one question I would put to Aro."
"Certainly, go ahead."
He turned to Aro and I could see just how important this answer was to the big man but Aro merely smiled smugly,
"Don't bother to ask because I have no intention of answering any differently than I did the last time you asked me."
Marcus continued as if Aro hadn't spoken,
"Did you murder my wife to keep me here in Volterra?"
Aro merely looked away and I felt sorry for Marcus, sorry and horrified by what he suspected but I couldn't help him nor could I force Aro to answer but then a female voice cut across the silence which had fallen across the room caused by the ramifications of the question.
"Yes Marcus, he did. I know because Caius told me, he witnessed her death and he threatened that if I ever told you he would kill me in the same way."
Marcus didn't say anything he just looked at the woman who had come forward,
"I'm so sorry Marcus but Sulpicia didn't know the truth until today. Aro discovered that you and Didyme were planning on leaving Volterra and he feared you would gather others around you who were dissatisfied with his rule. He went to ask his sister to reconsider but when she refused he threatened her and she laughed in his face. She was braver than any of us and driven to rage by her reaction Aro attacked her and when he had a grip on her throat he told her he wanted to watch the laughter die in her eyes. He blinded her and then took her down to the catacombs and lit a funeral pyre. That's where Caius found him and he told my husband what he had done and what would be the fate of any who opposed him in the future. I was terrified and that's why I never told you."
Marcus turned to me,
"You heard her, Aro is mine and then you may do what you choose with me, but I claim the right to avenge my wife's murder."
I nodded and we made space around the two men, lining the walls completely as it seemed no one wanted to miss Aro get what was coming to him.
I could have offered my help but that would have been to insult Marcus so I just watched with everyone else as Marcus stalked his "brother" who looked desperately for a way out or allies and found neither. It didn't take long for the taller heavier man to pin Aro to the ground and he then proceeded to do to Aro exactly what Aro had done to his sister, Marcus wife. I wondered if anyone would try to intervene, to save Aro, but every face I looked at was the same, all showed only contempt for a man who could torture and kill his own sister.
When the smoke finally cleared leaving a small pile of ashes where Aro had lain Marcus spat contemptuously on them and turned to me,
"I'm ready for my own death now."
"I'd like to say join us, that your expertise and knowledge of how the Volturi functions would be useful but I'm sure you can see why that wouldn't be possible."
"You would be offering me only more centuries of torture and loneliness without my beloved mate and yes I understand. After all, I was the one who used The Major to settle old scores, we all did. Sulpicia hated the close relationship between Aro and Carlisle Cullen, Caius saw a way of finally ridding himself of Darius who had haunted his every moment over the centuries and a way to get back at Aro for always being one step ahead of us and me? Well, I just wanted to get even with Aro for keeping me alive all this time yoked to him by Chelsea although I didn't know if Caius was lying about Didyme's death or not. I was a coward I suppose, I should have set The Major on Aro himself, still, what is done is done and now all I want is peace."
We could have executed Marcus just as he had taken revenge on Aro but it seemed unnecessary so we allowed him to take his own life and for the first time, I saw someone go gladly to their death.
