Chapter Eight

Jasper

I still didn't trust this guy completely, but he had the air of someone who wanted something and I generally found if that was the case they would bide their time. So, I was willing to allow my curiosity free rein for a while. Besides, I had nothing else pressing so what were a few hours in the grand scheme of things?

I nodded, "OK. One hour. But first I want to know what you meant by asking me if I really believed that meeting Maria was an accident."

He sighed, "I knew that would pique your interest, Major. Can I call you that? It seems somehow more fitting than plain Jasper and Mr Hale is too formal."

I shrugged, it made little difference to me what title or name he used.

"Thank you, Major. I must crave your indulgence for a short while. It's all part of the same tragic tale. Settle back and I'll tell you a story, one that had its origins many centuries ago."

I leaned back feeling the leather give as I did so and he began, his eyes unfocused as if he were reliving the tale as he spoke. I was intrigued, wondering where his story would lead, and if it was indeed a historical tale, what it could possibly have to do with me.

"I was born in Pella, Macedonia, and became a soldier in Alexander's army as soon as I was of age. Fighting was all I knew, just like you Major. Our early history is very similar, both from poor farming families, both escaping to do our duty and protect those we loved. But I digress.

By the time I was twenty I had become a commander in Alexander's army. I was one of his bodyguards living in Egypt while his great library was being built. It was wonderful, all the knowledge of the ages collected together in one place. It gave me my great regard for knowledge and the understanding that knowledge, in turn, gave one power if you only knew how to use it."

I nodded, that much was true and I'd been right in my assumption that he was much older and probably much wiser than me.

"It was in Egypt that I met and fell in love with the girl I intended to marry, Sara. She was one of Alexander's most precious and trusted servants. She was also beautiful, intelligent, witty, and tender-hearted and to my great joy, she returned my feelings.

At first, Alexander was angry and refused to give his permission for us to marry. It meant losing his secret weapon. You see Sara was a seer, an oracle who had guided him to greatness. We were at our wit's end, planning to run away and marry, but then his wife intervened, and eventually, he gave his grudging consent.

No one knew if Sara's gift would remain as powerful once she was no longer a maiden. Legend had it that only the pure were given the blessing of such powerful gifts."

He hesitated and I could see he had traveled back to the time he described, his face full of love tinged with anguish. It was plain to see that this story was not going to end well.

"The Volturi was just becoming a power to be reckoned with at the time and Caius was visiting Alexander's court. I think the Volturi were looking for riches and to gather together the scientific knowledge of the world. He was in talks with my master over the purchase of some books and the use of his oracle although he did not know the identity of this seer. The Volturi had heard rumors that my master's success was down to this oracle and sensed that the oracle was a highly gifted human. I assume you know how avaricious Aro is when it comes to gifted beings?"

I nodded, then gestured for him to continue.

"Rumors were rife that this Caius Volturi was dangerous to beautiful young women and I took care to ensure Sara was never left alone with him. She tried to keep out of his sight and succeeded to a great extent. I think Alexander's wife knew what he was like and guarded the women of the court as best she could without insulting their guest.

He was invited to our wedding feast by Alexander himself, I had no say in the matter, but it hardly mattered. From what I heard, he steered clear of the married women. I guess he didn't want that kind of trouble.

Roxanna, Alexander's wife, had begged him not to do so, to warn him that the court ladies were out of bounds, but I think Alexander knew something of the danger such a move might bring down on his empire. He was not a fool.

Whatever the reason he ignored her and as a result Caius attended the wedding feast eyeing up Sara's friends hungrily. I was called from the feast to drink with my comrades, a tradition in those days, and while I was away Caius moved in on Sara's best friend Mara.

Sara saw him take Mara outside and was troubled enough to follow them only to discover Caius forcing himself on the other girl. She intervened and Caius drew a dagger from his belt and turned on her, furious at being interrupted. It was over so quickly that at first, even Mara was not aware of what had happened. She just screamed and to the safety of the feast.

His fists clenched and his jaw tightened. He blamed himself for what happened to his wife, for leaving her, even if he could not have known what would transpire.

"I heard the screams and returned, sensing something was wrong. It was I who discovered Sara bleeding profusely from a wound in her belly and on her knees. Caius knelt beside her, venom dripping from his mouth and covering her clasped hands. I can only assume that he was about to bite her, although whether to change or drink from her I have no idea.

As I entered the room, I heard her final words to him. Her final prediction if you will.

"Monster, you will never know a moment's peace from this day forward and in time one you have created will hunt you down and use a gift you endow to end your cursed existence."

He started at her words and pulled away, leaving her to fall to the floor and then sensing my presence, he turned, so fast I didn't even see him move. I didn't have time to react before I felt a terrible pain in my throat and then heard the sound of running feet.

The palace guards had been alerted by Sara's scream, but before they could get there Caius was gone. He had thrown me to the ground like trash to lie beside Sara.

Our eyes locked and she stretched out her hand to touch my wound as our blood mingled in an ever-growing pool. I was choking as my lungs filled, drowning me in my own gore, but I heard her whisper to me even as the light faded from her eyes.

"No, Darius. You cannot die. You will live to ensure Caius pays for his deeds. Only you can ensure his progeny lives to take their revenge. I'll be waiting for you on the other side. I will always love you, my husband. Remember that as you continue through the centuries."

His eyes glittered with tears he could never shed as he recalled her words, then forced himself back to the present and looked into my face.

"Those were the last words she said to me. I remember the rough stone floor against my cheek, her hand wet with blood slipping from my skin and then everything went black.

I have no idea how long I was in darkness or what had happened in the interim, but when I woke up I found myself sealed in a rock tomb with the lifeless body of my sweet Sara. I thought I had been buried alive by accident, but then I found a scroll tucked into my bloodstained jerkin. It was from Alexander himself and explained what had happened and all that he knew.

He told me that the Volturi were vampires. That Caius had been about to kill me when he was forced to flee or reveal his true nature. I was taken for dead and buried with Sara although Alexander guessed my destiny was a far darker one. Unwittingly Caius had turned me into a vampire, like him. Sara had coated my wound with his venom and somehow it had entered my bloodstream enough to prevent death. So, I was cursed to walk the earth alone, a despised creature for eternity. Alexander had no idea what would happen to me or how I would survive, but he had done all he could in recognition of my loyal service for him and for Sara's sake. In the pocket of my jerkin was a leather pouch filled with gold coins.

His last words written in a hand shaking with emotion were, "You have a purpose I am sure, Darius. I wish I could help you further my trusted friend, but we are fated to part here."

The rest, as they say, is history. You know his fate. Without Sara, the greatest commander in the ancient world was doomed to fall and I was forced to watch helplessly."

Waves of sorrow and bitterness washed over us both as he fell silent for a moment, then picked up the thread of his story once more.

"Alexander had told me where the Volturi had set up their home and wished me luck. I think he expected me to fail, but he should have known better. All that was left to me now was my thirst for revenge and that was enough. I know now that my baptism into the life of a vampire was strange. I never felt the uncontrollable rage that newborns feel. I guess it was all channelled in one direction, the destruction of the Volturi, Caius especially, and anyone who got in my way."

Lowering his head, he grimaced, fingering the leather thong around his neck absently as he did so, the gold disc twisting against his chest. With a sigh, he looked up to stare into my eyes.

"I'm only telling you all this because I want your help and I know that to win your support I have to lay everything before you. I have not spoken about that time since I woke as a vampire and I would appreciate it if you would keep my tragic past a secret between us."

I nodded and after gazing at me thoughtfully for a moment he seemed satisfied with that.

Then he continued.

"Getting my hands on Caius proved to be extremely difficult. He soon heard of my survival and retreated behind the walls of the citadel in Volterra that the Volturi had seized as their permanent base. It was the only place he knew himself safe from me. I could have blown the whole place up once the technology became available, but it was him I wanted. I needed to be close enough to see his terror and pain when I killed him.

It was then that I remembered Sara's last words to him and saw my path ahead. He was a philanderer and had taken by force that which was not offered freely so I started hunting down his spawn. I was confused when I discovered the women he had impregnated usually died along with the infant before it was even born. Had Sara been wrong in her prediction?

I refused to believe that and then I located the first survivor, but Caius beat me to her. He had his personal trackers out hunting down and killing his progeny, but even they didn't find it easy. He had not heeded Sara's warning and therefore lost track of some of his conquests. It was more than another century before I discovered the location of the next female descendant before his hunters reached her. I was too far away to reach her in time, so I did the only thing I could and sent a warning.

Thankfully, something made her take notice of my warning and she went into hiding. It was only much later that I discovered she had been told by her mother that there was something very strange about her line, some danger linked to it.

I suspect that Caius quite accidentally handed his descendants a gift which meant they sensed danger and concealed their family history. Of course, it was that which saved this line for so long and made it so difficult to trace them.

Caius eventually discovered what I was doing, but there was no way of stopping me himself. He was far too craven for that. Instead, he sent trackers after me, but I returned their heads to him. A clear enough message for even a fool like him to understand.

"But what about the others? Aro and Marcus? Or his wife? I have to admit that I'm impressed you managed to elude the trackers for so long."

"My own gift is very similar to yours, Major. My fighting skills are enhanced and I sense when danger is closing in. It's even easier now. The Volturi hasn't embraced modern technology as fully as I have. As for his 'brothers', how can he enlist their help when he has spent centuries hiding his dirty deeds from them?

He fears that if Aro and Marcus discover what he had been doing, he would be in serious trouble. As far as Aro is concerned that would be deemed as serious as creating Immortal children and equally as dangerous. I suspect that Caius feared I might inform Aro in the early days, but then it dawned on him that would prevent me from getting my revenge. I did, however, make sure his wife, Athenadora discovered his sins. As a result of that, she has made his life, stuck as he is with her in Volterra full time, a living hell."

I pondered his words, "Surely the others must wonder what keeps Caius a virtual prisoner in Volterra?"

"Yes, I did wonder that and then I discovered that he told them a version of the truth, his version of course. Caius told them that there was an accident which resulted in the death of Alexander's seer. That none of it was of his making, but that Alexander refused to accept his innocence and gave me the task of avenging the murder. That I, his most loyal and fanatical follower persuaded a nomad to change me so I could hunt Caius down and dispense justice."

"And Aro believed that? Why didn't he send the Volturi guards to catch and kill you? After all, having a crazed fanatic declaring war on one of the brothers wouldn't be good for the Volturi's reputation, surely?"

He gave a wry smile as he answered.

"He chose to believe Caius' story. Why I have no idea. Maybe it served him better for Caius to be trapped in Volterra. Maybe he knew his dear brother was a loose cannon and wanted him neutralized. I don't know."

"Can't Aro read minds?"

"Yes. But when he and the others formed the Volturi it was agreed that he would never touch any of them. That's the sign of his trust in them. Personally, I think he was crazy knowing what a twisted lying son of a bitch Caius is but…"

I nodded, but certainly convenient for Caius Volturi.

I still didn't understand what any of this had to do with me.

"Look, I'm truly sorry for your loss, but I still don't see what any of this has to do with me or what exactly it is you want my help for."

He sighed deeply and then nodded.

"Thank you, Major, for your patience. I'm getting to that. As I said, I wanted you to know the entire story, but it's almost finished now."

"OK. What about the other brother, Marcus? Does he know anything about what really happened?"

"No, Marcus is the silent partner. He has his own tragic tale, very similar to mine, although at least he and his wife had years together before she died. His story also has its dirty little secrets."

I laughed, "You seem to be very knowledgeable about a lot of important people, Darius."

His face remained impassive, "Knowledge is power, Major. The only power, the only weapon, I possess."

"OK. So, where do I fit in? And you still haven't explained your cryptic comment about my past and Maria."

He smiled coldly and glanced down fingering the medallion again as I waited, curious to hear what he had to say next. He seemed to hold so many secrets about important and dangerous individuals. With those at his disposal what could he possibly need me for?

The silence dragged on as we stared at each other. I could feel his churning emotions, trepidation, sorrow, apprehension, but seething around it all was a feeling of hatred and rage. I could only imagine how it must feel to have waited for so long with that terrible burden of rage to get revenge. How had he survived so long?

During the prolonged silence, I considered all I had heard. Darius wanted revenge against Caius for the death of his wife. That much I understood. He had stated that he wanted my help, but to do what? If Caius was safe inside the Volturi citadel I didn't see what I could do. Although I had a fearsome reputation I was neither reckless nor stupid, so if he had plans to storm the citadel he'd better look for someone else. I wasn't bored with this life enough to throw it away on a hopeless quest that had nothing to do with me.