Chapter Seventy Nine
Megan
I had heard my dad's words to Alec and Uncle Peter's but I couldn't take my eyes off Darius' face. I was scared that if I did so he might never open his eyes.
Time seemed to stop as I waited, determined that if he didn't wake I would kill Alec myself and that no one, not even my dad, was going to stop me.
I almost missed the first sign. If I had allowed myself to blink I was sure that I would have. First, his eyes moved very slightly and then I saw him swallow, he was coming back to me.
My hand, which still lay against his cheek, felt the slightest change in skin tone as he became aware of the world once more and then he took a breath as if testing the air around him.
A noise took my attention for only a moment and I turned to see Sulpicia, Felix, Marcus, and Chelsea appear in the doorway but then I felt a hand over mine and turned back smiling through tears of relief as I found Darius looking up at me in confusion.
"Megan? What's going on? Where am I?"
He tried to sit up but the effort proved too much, Alec's gift took a little longer to get out of his system and I was able to hold him down merely by pushing on his chest with my free hand.
"Hush, just a minute please."
He blinked but lay back shaking his head to clear it and staring up at me. It was wonderful to see those beautiful dark eyes, almost black now with thirst but just as mesmerizing, to see his face and feel his hand on mine. Whatever happened he and I were going to have a very long conversation when the present problem had been resolved.
Jasper
I watched warily as Sulpicia and Marcus stepped into the chamber motioning for the others to stay back. One wrong move from either of them and I was ready to act in defence of my daughter.
All eyes were fixed on Jane's limp body for several moments and then Sulpicia looked up at me.
"I wasn't aware you were visiting Volterra, Major. I hope you have an adequate explanation for your presence here."
"I do, but I think my daughter can probably explain more fully."
Marcus held up a hand and spoke over the excited whispers of the guards who were trying to work out the situation they had stumbled into.
"It seems to me that everyone has a story to tell and for now, as we have no idea what is going on, I think it would be prudent for all those involved to be taken under guard back to the citadel. You included Major."
I nodded quite happy to accompany him back and hear the full story for myself, but I wanted to make sure that by everyone he also included Jane and Alec.
"Everyone?"
Marcus stared at me for a long time before nodding, "Yes, Major. Everyone."
He turned to the guards who stood crowded shoulder to shoulder at the door.
"Santiago, arrange for Jane to be carried back to the citadel then you escort the Major and his friend. Felix, perhaps you could accompany Darius and Megan."
Relieved that he was using someone I trusted to watch Megan I was happy to follow Santiago once my daughter had nodded to tell me that she was OK with the arrangement.
Bella would be missing quite a spectacle and I was sure she would kick herself later, but someone had to stay behind and it had meant that she had been there to arrange for Felix to contact me.
There were several guards lining the passageways with flaming torches and each one scrutinized us as we passed obviously wondering what the hell was going on.
The audience chamber was packed when we arrived and Santiago had to push his way through to the dais in the center where the three thrones had been joined by several smaller chairs.
Peter and I were instructed to take two on the end.
"What the fuck is this? It looks like a fucking circus."
I shook my head, "Hopefully this is where the truth comes out. I just hope the Volturi don't take Megan's gifts to mean that she's too dangerous to allow her to leave."
"Well.." He looked around the room and then sat back nodding, "We've faced tougher odds, Major."
I smiled at his optimism and fervently hoped that it wouldn't come to a fight that I wasn't at all sure we could hope to win.
As the others followed, the noise in the chamber began to rise. Especially when Santiago appeared carrying Jane's limp form but as Marcus and the other members of the council took their seats it died away until you could have heard a pin drop.
Alec looked calm but I could feel the terror emanating from him. He knew what would happen if Marcus and the others discovered what he had done but also that there was really no way to talk himself out of it if and when they did. The evidence, Darius standing with black and hollow eyes next to Megan, was pretty much irrefutable.
"It would appear that certain things going on in the citadel have been hidden from the council contrary to our laws and common decency.."
Alec tried to break in but was silenced by a sharp look from Marcus.
"Everyone involved will have the opportunity to put their side of the story but for now you will hold your tongue, Alec."
Marcus stared down at Jane who had been laid on the floor almost at his feet then glanced at Megan.
"Perhaps our sister could rejoin us?"
Megan showed no sign she had heard his words but Jane began to stir and then sat up looking around, confused to find herself the center of attention.
She stood up quickly brushing the dirt from the passage floor from her clothes and frowned at her brother, "What's going on? What happened?"
Sulpicia motioned for her to be silent.
"Quiet Jane. We're all about to be enlightened on that score. Perhaps as Darius is here although none of the council was made aware of his presence in the citadel he would like to speak first. Why are you here? Or rather why were you down in the catacombs inside a sarcophagus?"
Darius who looked weak and half-crazed with thirst stepped forward and spoke in a low rasping voice.
"I can't tell you how I got there. The last thing I remember was seeing Alec Volturi. It seems whenever we two meet I end up losing time but this time.."
Marcus nodded and glared at Alec before turning back to Darius.
"I see. Perhaps you would like something to drink? It looks as if you have been starved not to mention mutilated. Alec, do you know where the missing appendage is?"
Alec shook his head angrily, "I never touched him. Prove otherwise."
"Oh rest assured, if you did it will go extremely badly for you. Think very carefully before you answer my next question. Are you responsible for Darius' present condition?"
"No. I've been here at the citadel all along. Someone is just trying to get me into trouble."
I glanced at Megan who was seething and motioned for her to be silent. Let Alec himself form the rope that would hang him.
"I see. Then perhaps you can tell us why you were down in the catacombs with your sister today?"
"It's simple. Megan was acting strangely and I suspected she might try to leave or at least try to hide for a while so I asked Jane to accompany me to look for her. We found her in that chamber with him…"
He pointed dismissively at Darius who was drinking from a silver goblet full of freshly poured blood which had been handed to him by one of the guards and ignoring his surroundings except for Megan who kept a hand firmly on his arm.
"Before we could ask her what she was doing we were attacked. The next thing I knew she had me by the throat and was demanding that I wake him up. I had no idea what she was talking about. Then Felix and the guards turned up."
Marcus glanced at Felix, "Where was Alec when you arrived?"
"Hanging over Darius."
"And what exactly was he doing?"
Felix smiled sarcastically, "It looked like he was trying to stay upright and get out of the grip of young Megan here."
I heard sniggers among the onlookers. Alec wasn't very popular in Volterra and a lot of people were enjoying his discomposure.
"I was blindsided."
Sulpicia raised one beautifully sculpted eyebrow, "Really? By whom? Megan?"
Alec scowled and bit back an oath, "I don't know, that's what blindsided means."
"I would be very careful young man. You are on extremely shaky ground right now so keep a civil tongue in your head."
Marcus stared at Alec until he acknowledged the warning and only then did he turn his attention to Megan.
"It would appear that you were the only person present who saw exactly what happened and as so it falls to you to enlighten the rest of us if you don't mind. Perhaps you could begin by explaining what you were doing down there when you were under instruction to remain in your rooms."
Megan straightened up and looked directly at Alec as she began to speak and what she had to say was damning. She didn't pull her punches and I was so proud of her. Only once did she take her eyes off Marcus and Sulpicia and then only to glance at Darius who was looking much better for his drink although the raw wound where his wrist ended was still dripping venom which was pooling at his feet. I just hoped this wasn't going to be dragged out too long or he might find it difficult to stay on his feet.
Everyone heard what Alec had done, how he had forced Megan to agree to return to Volterra as his 'girlfriend' by kidnapping Darius and threatening to kill him. How he had continued putting pressure on her and when she realized that he was going to force her to marry him she had decided to take matters into her own hands and find Darius.
"Yes, I find that quite curious. How did you know where to look? Very few people are aware of the existence of the catacombs, very few."
I wondered how she would handle this without dropping anyone in the deep end but I needn't have concerned myself because Felix stepped forward.
"I aided her."
Marcus frowned, "You? Why?"
"Because it was plain to me that Megan was not here of her own volition. That she was in terrible trouble and needed help."
"I see. And what made you think that this trouble could be solved by you alone rather than through the council? Are we not the ones you should have come to? And why didn't you come to us, Megan?"
"Alec threatened to kill Darius if I did. I didn't know if you would believe me. He is a valued member of the Volturi after all, and I was here as a prisoner."
Marcus shook his head, "We were under the impression you came here voluntarily. Yes, it's true you were under investigation but I would hardly have called you a prisoner. As for Alec's status here, he may be a valued member of the Volturi as you say, but that does not put him above the law."
"Well, I couldn't take the chance so I decided to act for myself. Felix helped me, yes, but he didn't…"
Felix broke in at this point.
"I acted because like Megan I feared for Darius life if we brought the matter to your attention. I did not have enough proof to satisfy the council, it was more a… A gut feeling."
I saw Sulpicia smile behind her hand and knew that Felix had been working for her. He had been loyal to Aro for centuries and now he had given his allegiance to Aro's widow. I wondered how high a price he would be forced to pay for that decision.
"Do either of you have proof of what you allege? Other than hearsay and gut feelings that is? Alec is protesting his innocence and so far I have not seen or heard one single concrete piece of evidence."
Megan squeezed Darius' hand and marched over to Marcus thrusting something into his hand.
"This was given to me by Alec as proof that he had Darius a prisoner."
Marcus studied a gold ring which now lay dwarfed in the palm of his hand.
"This is yours, Darius?"
"Yes. I'm sure if you show it to some of the others they will recognize it. Sara gave it to me on our wedding day and I've worn it ever since."
I had the impression that Marcus hadn't needed to ask that question, he had recognized the ring right away.
"But can you prove it was given to you by Alec? I mean, you could have gotten it anywhere, even on the way back here through the tunnels."
"I have more proof if you will allow me to fetch it."
Marcus motioned Chelsea over, "Tell me where this proof is and Chelsea here can retrieve it for you. That way there will be no question of foul play."
Megan told Chelsea in a low voice where to look and the chamber began to hum with speculation as we waited for her to return.
Deciding I needed to speak to my daughter I moved over to join her and Darius who was now hanging on by a thread. He needed to hunt and quickly.
Megan threw her arms around me and gave me a hug thanking me for being here.
"Where else would I be? I'm keeping my promise, Meg. I told you I would always be here for you. I think maybe we should ask the council if Darius can go out to hunt. He's never going to recover with goblets of blood and I have a feeling that no one would want him attacking you if the thirst got too much."
They both protested that would never happen but Darius at least knew I was just trying to lighten the situation.
"I'll have a word."
Marcus agreed that Darius could leave the chamber, but not the citadel. Instead, he would wait for Heidi, who had already gone out to hunt him down a meal, to return.
"I'm sorry Major but it's the best I can do under the circumstances. It would be wrong to allow anyone to leave before we get to the bottom of this."
Darius was reluctant to leave and Megan hated the thought of him being out of her sight but they both understood that it was the best thing to do and Peter offered to stay with him and bring him back once he had dined. I think my friend just wanted to get out of this place for a while. Nothing would make him easy in the company of the Volturi, even though Aro was now dead.
I could see Sulpicia, Marcus, and the other senior council members talking together and knew that Sulpicia was filling Marcus in with what she knew. Chances were that Alec would be busy attempting to come up with a story that would prevent him from finding himself in deep trouble but I didn't fancy his chances. My money was on Megan, She was impressive and I was very proud of my daughter right now.
