Chapter Fifty One

Aro

Life was good, Caius was finally out of my hair and all I had to do now was to ensure that Athena was kept content and Marcus continued to back me on all important decisions. I would feel even better once we got word that Caius was dead. For now, Darius had picked him up, my spy had reported that much, but I had no idea where they were or what he had done to my brother thus far.

Sulpicia and Athena had remained in Pisa for a few days which suited me. I did not want Athena in the citadel in her present mood. She would make everyone miserable with her filthy temper. I wondered if it was worth getting Corin to keep her happy any longer or if we should cut her loose once Caius was dead.

I was really looking forward to a new start, to moulding the council even more to my will. Caius was always so fixated on the few remaining children of the moon and the guardians that he failed to see how truly we were the masters of the world. The humans lived at our pleasure, we allowed them to walk the earth ignorant of how quickly we could slaughter them or turn them into cattle for our sustenance. He still tragically lived in the past but then I guess if you had a monster waiting just outside your lair to gobble you up the moment you stepped outside you were allowed to become paranoid and backwards looking.

Poor deluded Caius, perhaps putting him out of his misery would be the kindest act after all. It would make me his saviour, not his killer. I liked the notion of that, Aro the compassionate. It had a certain ring about it. Perhaps it would also be some recompense for the deeds about which I could do nothing, not even talk about to ease my conscience.

It suddenly occurred to me that I was still waiting for Felix to report to me which was strange. He was never late for a meeting without forewarning me. I picked up the phone but found the line was dead. What the hell was going on?

Pushing my chair back I went towards the door intending to call the closest guard to discover why the phones were dead and where Felix had gotten to but before I could open it there was a peremptory knock and it was opened to reveal Sulpicia.

"I didn't know you were back my dear. You didn't call. Or maybe you did. Were you aware that the phone system is down?"

I stopped as the expression on her face registered. She was frowning at me coldly. I searched my memory trying to discover what I could have done to upset her, but then again women were such strange creatures who fell into moods for no apparent reason from time to time.

Behind her appeared four of the guard looking most business-like and I became slightly alarmed.

"Has something happened? Tell me. What's going on? Why are the guards here?"

She stood to one side turning to the guards.

"Escort my husband to the audience chamber, please."

Frowning more deeply now I took a step forward only to find the closest of the guards, the huge Santiago grasping my arm. Before trying to break free of his grip I searched his memories but he knew nothing. Only that he had been requested by Sulpicia to accompany her with a cadre of the guard and do exactly as she ordered.

As I tried to pull free of Santiago's grip it tightened although he was obviously uneasy at the task required of him.

Turning to him I used my most commanding tone.

"Unhand me."

"Don't force me to have you carried to the audience chamber, Aro. It would be most undignified."

Furious now I turned on my wife, "I don't know what you think you are doing but this has gone far enough."

She shook her head, "Hardly, Aro. It's just beginning. Now, are you going to accompany the guards of your own free will? Or will they be forced to make you?"

"I am more than happy to accompany you to the audience chamber but I will not move until I am freed."

She stared at me for a second then nodded to Santiago who dropped his hand not without some feeling of relief but as I walked out into the corridor I couldn't help feeling somewhat like the condemned man on his way to the gallows.

Sulpicia strode on ahead refusing to meet my eye or answer any questions and I vowed that she, that all of them, would pay for treating me in this disrespectful way.

The corridors were oddly silent and empty, we didn't pass a single person and that increased my unease. Where was everyone? I tried to speed up to join Sulpicuia and question her but two guards moved to prevent this at a signal from my wife and I could see that her hand was shaking. What could possibly have upset her so greatly?

At the huge oak doors of the audience chamber, two more guards stood waiting for us and seeing us approach they pushed them slowly open to reveal that the room was crowded despite its cavernous interior.

Everyone fell silent as I walked in and my entourage approached the ceremonial dais which was only brought into play at ceremonial occasions. I saw that two of the three ornately carved thrones were already occupied. Marcus sat in my accustomed place at the centre while Athenadora flanked him to the left, in her husband's place.

We came to a halt at the foot of the dais and Sulpicia stepped up and took Marcus habitual place on the right.

I waited apprehensively for someone to speak, to explain just what the hell was going on here, aware that all eyes were upon me.

Marcus stood and the quiet ripple of murmured conversation which had sprung up silenced once more as everyone waited to hear what he had to say, me included.

"You have been assembled here to witness the uncovering of a heinous crime held in secret for centuries."

I stared at Marcus unable to believe what I was hearing. Caius was the one who had committed the crime, not me. Was I going to be held accountable for protecting him? Well, if so I had plenty of good reasons for having done so and nothing to be ashamed of or apprehensive about.

I decided to keep my silence and see just where Marcus intended going with this. No wonder Sulpicia had been so reserved and silent, she must be terribly ashamed of what our brother was doing but struggling to appear impartial. However, it was concerning that she hadn't taken the time to warn me

"Firstly, I would like to swear in a jury. All your names have been added to the bowl before me."

He motioned to a huge crystal bowl that stood on the long carved table before him.

"And I will ask Athenadora who is standing in for her absent husband to pull out twelve slips."

Marcus was really enjoying his moment in the sun, well let him. This farce would fall apart soon enough.

The twelve names read out by Marcus from the slips handed him by Athena stood and moved to stand to the left of the dais and swear to listen to all the evidence presented and make their decision of guilt or innocence as a result of this.

I studied each in turn, Afton, Jane, Heidi, Demetri, Renata, Santiago, Alec and five of the guard as they raised a hand swearing the oath but none looked directly at me, they also knew this was no more than a farce.

Once they had all taken the oath they stood silent and nervous and Marcus continued.

"Aro Volturi stands accused of murder and it is for this jury to listen to the evidence and consider if it proves his guilt or not."

I started, murder? Where the hell had that come from. Everyone knew it had been Caius who killed Darius' mate Sara, not me.

"Murder? Of whom exactly? Who accuses me? I have the right to face my accuser and any witnesses this liar may say they have. This is preposterous."

"Be quiet, Aro. You will have your opportunity to speak in good time. For now, you will listen and not interrupt unless you want to find yourself held in contempt and gagged."

I glared at Marcus but the look in his eyes unnerved me, there was such hatred in them, hatred and determination. Was this an excuse for a coup? Had he finally grown a backbone and decided to attempt an overthrow? Well, let him try, it wouldn't be as easy as he thought.

I waved a hand as if bored already.

"By all means, bring on your trained monkeys. Let's hear what lies they have to tell."

Marcus motioned me to sit in the straight-backed chair that one of the guards had pushed forward.

"I prefer to stand."

"Very well. Do you wish to be represented?"

"By whom? I need no one to defend me. I am quite capable of defending myself against lies and those who speak them."

Marcus turned to the jury.

"I accuse Aro Volturi of the despicable crime of Sororicide. The cold-blooded murder of his sister, my wife, Didyme."

To say that I was stunned to hear this would be an understatement. How the hell had he found out? There had been no witnesses and I had been very careful to cover my tracks. He couldn't have any witnesses or valid evidence. He was whistling in the wind.

I coughed sarcastically and smiled at him.

"I'm sorry Marcus? Did I hear you right? You are accusing me of killing my beloved sister? I feared losing her might eventually cause you a breakdown but I didn't expect my own family to believe such nonsense. Bring on your evidence, I would love to see it."

He sat down and called his first witness, Chelsea's mate Afton who told his story of overhearing a conversation between myself and a mystery prisoner.

I was more than happy to cross-examine.

"Where is this prisoner? Oh yes, he mysteriously vanished. Murdered by me you are inferring. Do you have any witness who saw me do the deed? Anyone who actually saw this prisoner, apart from you who by your own admission only overheard this conversation and did not actually see the prisoner?"

My questions were ignored and the next witness was called, my own wife who stood there before me and told the jury of the same tale told her by Chelsea and Corin.

"Third hand stories? Really? Is that the best you can do dear brother."

The next witness was Felix, which was more worrying as most of the Volturi looked up to him for his integrity.

He told of finding the evidence of a funeral pyre in the catacombs close to where Afton heard the conversation and the disappearance of a member of the guard who had made some strange pronouncements.

"An open postern gate? That and some ashes? It would seem I had very little to worry about and I began to relax. No one would convict on such scant and circumstantial evidence.

When Sulpicia took the stand I was rather more concerned, could she possibly know something? I didn't see how.

"As you all know I have been married to Aro for centuries and stood by him despite his sometimes controversial decisions and actions. I was the one who witnessed the aftermath of Didyme's death. I saw my husband cradle her in his arms and send out the guard to hunt for her assassin. I heard the guard report that they had found a postern gate open and saw an exchange of glances between that guard and my husband as if a message passed between them.

I refused to listen to my suspicions at the time, refused to believe that the man I loved could be capable of murdering his own flesh and blood. I wouldn't have given it more than an occasional thought if not for something I was told only a few weeks ago by a very wise young girl. She said we should always attempt to put right the wrongs we knew about."

I cursed, so that child was dangerous after all. Well, there would be time to deal with her later. For now, I just had to brazen it out, they had nothing.

Marcus spoke again.

"When you came to me with your accusation, Sulpicia, I told you that we needed proof to take this forward. I wanted to murder Aro in turn, but I was also certain that I was a better man than him. I wanted proof and I asked you to find some."

Sulpicia nodded, "Yes you did. So I went back over my memories and the things I was told, to observe everything and I followed where it led me. I remembered how nervous Didyme had been in the final week before her death. The words she spoke to me. She told me that it had been a mistake to tell Aro of her plans but Marcus had insisted because it was the honorable thing to do. She took a trip into Pisa and when she came back she told me that she had been followed and feared she would never be free of the Volturi because she and Marcus had gifts that Aro needed to hold onto power and power was the most important thing to him. More important than anything else, including family and even me."

I snorted more unsubstantiated rumors and second-hand conversations.

"Is this it? Am I to be convicted on the unsubstantiated words of my wife and dead sister? It's ridiculous and I demand it stops right now. How dare you accuse me of killing my dearest sister?"

Sulpicia reached into the pocket of her robe and brought out a small leather-bound journal, a book I recognized as Didyme's diary. So what? She could hardly have named me as her murderer!

"When Didyme died I helped Marcus clear out her things and found this hidden among some old books. It contains several entries telling of her fears of her brother. How he had tried to convince them to stay in Volterra and then how he had threatened her that she would never leave the citadel alive. It speaks of her plans for Marcus and her to leave in secret and how Aro had learned of her plans when he grabbed her and threatened to kill her rather than lose his grip on power."

I'd heard enough, "My sister was something of a dramatist not to mention having a rather lively imagination. Of course, I tried to get her to stay. I loved my sister and wanted her and my dear brother at my side to enjoy our success. It proves nothing."

She turned to me and I saw a burning hatred in her eyes.

"No, it doesn't but this is far more damning."

From the center of the diary, she pulled a document, a smoothed out scroll of parchment covered in faded writing.

"More accusations from the grave?"

"Actually more of a confession. That guard you murdered in the catacombs had understood the danger he was in holding such information even if he had no idea of its true import. He wrote down the instructions you had given him and an account told him by another guard who had been on duty in the area close to the postern gate on that day. No one went in or out of the gate. It had been raining and any footsteps would have been seen on the stones. There were none, but he was told to ignore this at the time by none other than you, in person."

I waited, if this was all they had then I would walk, they could prove nothing.

Sulpicia sat down leaving Marcus to conclude business.

"Call Felix back to the stand."

I watched through narrowed eyes as my most trusted commander walked back to the spot he had occupied earlier.

"Felix. Will you tell the court what you revealed to Sulpicia yesterday."

Felix turned to face me staring me straight in the eye and I saw my doom written in his expression.

"I was Aro's constant companion as we hunted for the assassin of his sister but I found it strange that he was not more driven. It was as if he was merely going through the motions and when I asked him if we should put more men onto the hunt he told me no."

"What were his exact words?"

"He told me that her killer would never be found because no one would look in the right direction and that we would be better served tightening our grip on our world. That he finally had the power he always knew would be his and that no one was ever going to undermine that, not even family."

"And what did you take those words to mean?"

"I knew Aro well enough by then to understand what he was telling me. You earn your trust from him by showing your loyalty on a daily basis. He must never even suspect that you are anything but one hundred per cent loyal, to do so is dangerous. I have been loyal to him for centuries but I also feared him. Aro Volturi is like a wild animal, you never turn your back on it or give it an opportunity to attack or suspect you."

"What exactly are you saying?"

"That I believe Aro killed his sister and admitted as much to me."

"Thank you, Felix. You may step down."

Marcus turned to me again.

"Do you wish to say anything in your defence before I ask the jury to deliberate?"

"In my defence? I've heard not one solid piece of evidence although I am somewhat shocked to find out how many people I trusted are willing to lie and attempt to stab me in the back."

"Did you kill Didyme?"

I just stared at him, unwilling to answer such a despicable question.

"Very well. Members of the jury you have heard the evidence. It is now up to you to talk it over and decide what you believe. Do you think the things you have heard here are sufficient to allow you to come to a decision beyond a reasonable doubt in this matter? You may use my study for your deliberations."

The jury filed out and the murmuring began once more among the crowd of onlookers. Sulpicia stood and walked out followed by Athena but Marcus stayed where he was, his burning eyes fixed on me awaiting the jury's return. He seemed so confident yet how could the Volturi find me guilty on such flimsy evidence? Me? Aro Volturi, their leader.