Chapter 25: Flight
(Bella's POV) "City of Delusion" by Muse
"Do you want to go swimming?" I blurted out, making Jane blink at me in surprise. I didn't look at Jasper, but I felt carefully aimed waves of surprise and alarm bumping into me. I'd explain myself to him momentarily. Finally, I was thankful for my vampire brain. Having committed to a choice, my expanded thought capacity enabled me to throw a plan together in a matter of seconds. "I've run along or jumped over the west river a dozen times since my change, but it occurred to me that I've never tried swimming as a vampire. I'm sure I'd enjoy swimming in the ocean more, but I always thought it would be amazing to be able to go swimming without needing to breathe. Jasper promised Peter he'd help him prank Emmett, and I'm not going anywhere near that," I managed a genuine laugh, thinking of Emmett's infamous pranks. "Pranking wars with Emmett can go on for years, and once you get involved you're fair game." Jasper laughed at that cue, playing along with me until he knew what was going on.
"I'm not particularly busy at the moment," Jane admitted. "I was thinking of joining Heidi at the club, but a swim would be nice."
"Great," I interjected before she could go on. "I'll change into my swimsuit and meet you at the river." Jane nodded and gave me another small smile.
"I'll inform Master Aro I will be escorting you," She said as she turned and went back the way she came. I grabbed Jasper's hand and we bolted back toward our room.
"Remember Peter's vision about me and Jane?" I reminded Jasper as quietly as possible as we rounded the corner into the west wing. "It's been five weeks. It has to be today, and it makes sense considering what we're doing. We don't know what's going to happen though, so I have to keep her close without letting her hear or see what you and the others are up to. After what happened early this afternoon, going out with a Guard member alone might make Aro think he succeeded in making me submit to him, keeping his eyes off the rest of you and killing two birds with one stone. You make packs for the two of us and help the others along if Alice hasn't already done that."
We'd reached our room and I was changing into my simple navy blue and white striped bikini, showing off all thirteen of my bite scars, half acquired while I was human, half acquired during and shortly after my change. I still had a long way to go to catch up with my mate. Jasper had been nodding along in acceptance and agreement, but I could still see the anxiety and reluctance in his eyes.
"Bella, I know you aren't human anymore, and I know you can usually handle yourself," he said, "but you found out first hand this afternoon that things are even worse here than we ever imagined. Even if it is Jane, and even if Peter saw her somehow saving you, I'm really not sure it's safe for any of us to be more than momentarily separated from the others. Too many things could go disastrously wrong. If I'd been with you earlier, Aro wouldn't have attacked you."
"And he wouldn't've blabbed his secrets to me," I countered. "Yes, he frightened and angered me, and he physically attacked me, but being slammed into a wall and wrecking Chelsea's room was hardly a high price to pay for that kind of information. Right now I'm playing it by ear with Jane, but you know better than anyone that what Peter sees always happens, so until either he or Alice gets a clearer picture, Jane is glued to my side until we're clear of the area."
As he had before, Jasper simply nodded in reluctant agreement. For all my cool, logical talk, I was getting scared too and I was sure he could feel it. "I'd better get out there," I said a little shakily, hurrying over to give him a quick hug and kiss and leaping out our window before I chickened out. I couldn't stand it if anyone was hurt, or if Aro followed through on his promise and killed my family for my defiance… I came across Jane's scent and followed it to a spot about a quarter-mile upstream from the city, passing Demetri at the halfway point. Typical Aro. Demetri ran back to the city without a word, making it even more glaringly obvious that he'd been sent out to make sure I came alone, and to see where Jane and I would be since he couldn't track me.
"Hey," I greeted Jane casually. Her swimsuit was a simple black one-piece with a short skirt-like ruffle at the bottom, modestly covering her bikini line and highlighting her true physical age when combined with the rest of the suit. She looked so young, and she seemed so normal and approachable like this. It made me wonder what a transformation she'd make when she met Jude, if she could be this soft and friendly around me.
"Did you learn to swim as a human?" Jane asked, "Or do I need to show you the correct form?" Jane's eyes twinkled with mirth and I laughed. Not knowing what else to talk about, I just dove into the river and I heard her dive in after me while I turned to swim upstream, quickly lost in thought—Annie, Aro, Saturnos, Jane's mate—the thought of Jane putting herself at risk for me made me sick. When I finally resurfaced, I'd been underwater for about fifteen minutes, swimming at what I thought to be a moderate pace. When I took in my surroundings and couldn't see, hear, or smell Jane, I panicked. "Jane?!" A high, pure, joyful laugh reached my ears then—I didn't know that tiny thing could laugh so loudly. I laughed in response, my momentary panic forgotten. The next sound I heard came from Jane's tiny feet running toward me on land, and I could smell her sweet and earthy scent on the breeze again. When she reached me she was still giggling and only a little damp.
"Forgot you're a newborn again?" She giggled. Oops. I hadn't had the opportunity to test and modify my strength in water. I cringed.
"How fast was I going?"
A loud laugh burst from Jane's lips again. "Well, as you know, even small vampires are still heavy and sturdy enough to be unaffected by almost any current or tide." I nodded while her laughter slowly subsided. "You were swimming upstream fast enough to create a current strong enough to knock me downstream. I couldn't swim after you." Jane's giggles bubbled up once more and I was sure if I were still human I'd be red as a tomato.
"Sorry," I murmured, head down and shoulders curled in embarrassment.
"It's okay," Jane said, smiling fondly at me. "Just further proof that you really were overdue for a vampire swimming lesson." Suddenly Jane's smile fell slightly and she appeared fascinated with a rock by her feet. "Plus, it almost made me feel human again, if only for a moment," she admitted softly. I leapt out of the water to hug her.
"It's a nice feeling, isn't it?" I asked. "You were turned so young."
"It was," Jane said meekly, "I was."
I had to do it. I had to say it. "Jane, we found your mate," I blurted before I lost my nerve. "Jasper, Peter, and some of the others met him at my wedding, and when they did both Peter and Alice saw you'd be mates. With all that fuss going on and all those vampires present, I don't think Marcus bothered using his bond-sight, but if both Peter and Alice saw you together it has to be true. Eleazar was allowed to leave the Guard when he met Carmen. Don't you think you could leave for your mate? Maybe they'd even let Alec go with you, since you're his biological sister." I knew Aro wouldn't ever willingly let either of them leave of course, but I couldn't malign him while she was still loyal. Either way, my babbling was abruptly cut off when Jane shoved me back.
"I have a mate?" She asked me incredulously, the sparkle in her eyes gone in an instant. "And you knew since your wedding?" She shook her head and fingered my old moonstone ring on her dainty hand. I'd given it to her the night before the wedding, right before the others told me about Jude. "We're friends, aren't we? So you would have told me. This is just what Master Aro warned us about—he said you and your coven mates and friends would try to trick us into helping you or joining your coven instead!" Case and point.
"No, Jane, no!" I interjected desperately, "It's not like that at all! We just knew Aro was still upset at the time about Irwin turning out to be Alice's mate. We wanted to tell you from day one, but we were giving Aro time to see that Irwin was voluntarily staying with the Guard while he had a mate outside the Guard. After that, it was just a matter of finding the right time and the right way to tell you. You haven't met him yet, so the ties Chelsea is helping you keep to your masters and the Guard are still intact," I backpedaled. "You can think about it rationally and make the choice when you're ready. There's no rush. I just couldn't wait any longer to tell you, not when I see you like this. You never seem so genuinely happy around anyone but your brother and me, and once we're gone so is that joy. Your mate could make you happy forever. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I'm so sorry. Jane, we are friends. I want us to stay friends. Please forgive me," I begged.
Jane stared at me for almost a minute in silence, her hard glare slowly melting into a look of betrayal before emotion vacated her cherubic face altogether. "I'll forgive you," she said cooly, "and I'll think about it." I nodded solemnly, at a complete loss for what else to say. Jane turned and started walking back downstream and I followed in her wake. When we reached the point of the river at which we'd met, she stopped, but she kept her back to me for a long moment.
"What's his name?" She whispered, and I heard the faintest crack in her voice on the second word. I hesitated. Telling her of her mate had been a big risk, a risk that could still blow up in my face. Was it safe to give her his name yet? If Aro read her mind, he might send some of the Guard to kill Jude, and probably Maria and Alanna too, so the coven wouldn't seek revenge. When Jane turned to me with that pained look in her scarlet eyes again, I caved. I had said too much, and I couldn't turn back.
"Jude," I whispered back. "His name is Jude. I have yet to meet him myself, honestly, but from what the others tell me, he couldn't be more perfect for you." And Jane was hugging me again, her little body shaking with dry sobs. I was stunned. Jane was crying. A Volturi Guard member was crying with her head on my chest. I never imagined someone still bound by both Aro and Chelsea could experience such deep emotion, much less express it outwardly.
So wrapped up in our emotions, we missed the approach of two vampires from above and had no time to properly react. Two male growls erupted from the trees on either side of us and we sprang apart, giving our attackers just the opening they wanted. Alec dove down from a tree and tackled me while Demetri dropped down behind Jane and pulled her back. Jane reflexively turned and dropped Demetri to the ground with her gift. Alec and I rolled on the ground, growling and snapping at each other. Jasper, Peter, and Char had only been able to cover the basics of combat training with me, and Alec was too accustomed to only fighting with his gift. He attacked wildly and recklessly, not doing much damage until he finally managed to bite the inside of my left elbow. I hissed in pain and that was when Jane turned her attention from Demetri, turning her glare on Alec only to immediately stop herself. She couldn't hurt her brother that way.
"Jane!" I shrieked, "Help me! Please!" Jane stood frozen in place, ambivalent and confused. Demetri had recovered and grabbed her again, throwing her face down on the ground and pinning her down.
"How dare you act like Jane is yours," Alec snarled, "or this Jude's! I'm her twin and this is our family! I won't let you won't corrupt her!" Alec found another opening and bit my neck, and Jane and I both growled and screamed in protest. I risked a look in Jane's direction and saw Demetri biting into her neck as well as she struggled to get to me. I saw red.
Gathering every bit of my newborn strength to shove Alec off me, I tossed him straight up in the air and rolled to the side and up to my feet while he was airborne. Jane couldn't use her gift on Demetri while she couldn't look at him, so I charged and threw myself at the tracker, knocking him off Jane and trying to pin him, but Demetri was a much more capable fighter than Alec, so that proved difficult. That is, until Jane recovered and turned her evermore baleful glare on him. Seeing Alec coming at us again, I did what I knew I had to do. I grabbed Demetri's jaw and the back of his head, twisting hard so his head came off with a metallic keening sound. Having nothing to quickly light a fire, I tossed Demetri's head to the opposite side of the river. Alec reached Jane before I could, and once again Jane faltered instead of attacking her brother. For all his talk, he didn't show her the same respect. When Jane went on the defensive and just tried to block his path to me, he got a hold of her and bit the same spot Demetri had. I growled and charged, slipping one arm around Jane's waist and sliding between Alec's legs on my back. No idea where that move came from, but it served its purpose. As my superior strength brought Jane down on top of me and under Alec, he lost his footing and tumbled, releasing his sister and somersaulting forward.
Another pair of running footsteps could be heard fast approaching and murderous growls tore through the air. I would have feared for my life if the male and female growls weren't so familiar. Jasper and Alice both fell on Alec, so I felt comfortable turning my back to them to tend to Jane. She was shaken up, probably more so than she'd ever been in her immortal life thus far, seeing as Eleazar told me the Romanian war was more of a massacre with the twins' combined power. Acting on instinct, I bent down slightly and lapped at the layered bite marks on Jane's neck, sealing them with my venom. Jane hissed at the feeling of more foreign venom entering her system, but soon she relaxed. When I heard Jasper and Alice ripping Alec apart behind me, I tensed and threw my shield out around them, expecting a reflexive attack from Jane, but it didn't come. She watched what was happening with fresh venom tears in her eyes, but she simply murmured, "Please only burn Demetri," before giving me the same treatment I'd bestowed upon her.
"Jane," I gasped, venom tears welling up in my own eyes when our eyes met again. She looked like a child. Ignoring the eye color, she looked like a human of her physical age would after witnessing something truly horrific, so devastated and vulnerable. She was free.
"Can you take me to Jude?" She whispered brokenly. I nodded and pulled her into my arms again.
"We're all escaping tonight," I whispered in her ear as quietly as possible, "and we're taking you with us." Jane hugged me tighter before we released each other and turned back to our saviors. I grabbed Jane's hand and pulled her with me as I ran into Jasper's arms. Alice took Jane's hand from mine and held her in my stead.
"It wasn't just my blood," I told Jasper and Alice.
"We know," Jasper said, "your gifts are venomborne too."
"That's what Peter saw," Alice explained. "He got an image of the venom exchange you and Jane just had about twenty minutes after you left for the river, only a minute or two before I saw Alec's decision to ask Demetri to bring him to the two of you, and his subsequent decision to attack you when he heard what you were telling her." I nodded, my head still pressed against Jasper's chest. That was when I realized I could smell burnt vampire, but I could only spot a tiny wisp of purple smoke in the air above us. Jasper followed my line of sight.
"Demetri's head," he explained grimly, "and his head alone. No head, no vampire. It's the reverse of what Annie did with Victoria. In that instance, Victoria technically lived until she burned the head. This way, Demetri's irreversibly dead but we avoid drawing attention to the area with a big pillar of smoke. We sunk his body in the river, and we scattered Alec's pieces in the brush on either side of the water." Jane whimpered slightly, but she made no other sound of protest.
"We have to get back," Alice reminded us. "It's almost time and we can't appear rushed."
The four of us ran back to the castle at our normal speed, so Jane and I were almost completely dry when we stepped inside. Feigning formality, we avoided physical contact with Jane and merely nodded in acknowledgement and thanks before parting ways to change clothes. Once I was back in jeans and a simple long-sleeved shirt that covered the evidence of my recent fight with Alec and Demetri, everyone else gathered in our room, two or three at a time every few minutes. We all made small talk and loosed occasional laughter for the sake of any surreptitious passerby. The final light knock on the door came at exactly nine o'clock and we let Jane in. She was back in her Guard garb, but once inside she quickly pulled off everything but her simple black sheath dress, her matching shoes, and my moonstone ring. She even broke the chain of her Volturi necklace in her haste to rip off what she finally recognized as a collar. With everyone assembled and more than half our party carrying a tote bag or backpack on their person, I walked to the window. Not wanting to risk blowing our cover at this critical point, I didn't chance repetition.
"I was five and he was six. We rode on horses made of sticks. He wore black and I wore white. He would always win the fight. Bang, bang. He shot me down. Bang, bang. I hit the ground. Bang, bang. That awful sound. Bang. Bang. My baby shot me down."
There was a moment's pause as we waited in dead silence, and then the last six notes were quietly whistled back from outside. I leaned out the window to scan the courtyard, finding it clear until a fisted hand emerged from dense branches atop a distant tree. The tree only rustled slightly when Annie threw the wadded up paper in her hand at me. I snatched it out of the air as soon as I could reach it and slipped back inside. Unfurling the mess of paper and quickly scanning the pages, I passed most of them to Irwin. She'd written a detailed description of where we'd find our getaway cars, complete with a hand-drawn illustration of the area. I quickly summarized the additional note she'd included: "Annie saw Felix and two of the other big fighters sparing outside at the northeast junction. She's going to hover in some clouds overhead and make sure they don't come too close to us. She'll go with one of the last groups."
"Assisi, Italy," Irwin murmured. "Well, that's easier than I expected. If measured by human driving laws, it's about two hours away."
"Two hours?" Tanya asked incredulously, "We're staying in the country?"
"No jumping to conclusions or getting cold feet now," I said. "Annie said she would take us to Lysander and help us find Jillian. If she's not instructing us to teleport far, Lysander must be close." I was very worried about the wolves. I'd at least have to call them once we were temporarily safe again. I was hoping we'd teleport back to the States too, but I trusted Annie, and finding the other Saturnos was critically important. Teleportation would be fast even without my amplification if we were covering such a short distance; our escape would be faster and safer, with less time spent split up.
"Bella's amplification will speed things up even more," Irwin tried to reassure Tanya.
"No," Jane cut in before I could. "With that distance, you'll be fast enough. Bella should go last." Several of the others opened their mouths to argue, but I cut them off.
"I was going to say the same thing," I insisted. "Just in case someone else comes by, we have to remember I'm the one they want. I'm the only one they really care about, so we can keep them from checking on us by letting them see and hear me."
"And me," Jane added. "Two Guard members missing will arouse suspicion soon enough. I have to go with the last group too."
Jasper scowled at the two of us, but he could clearly see the logic so he didn't argue. There was no need for him to say he was in our group as well. No mates would be separated in this process apart from Alice and Irwin. "Carlisle and Esme first," Jasper ordered, "then Alice and Kate, Eleazar and Carmen, Emmett and Rose, Tanya and Irina, then Peter and Char. Bella, Jane, Annie, and I will go last via amplified teleportation." Everyone nodded and Carlisle and Esme stepped forward and took Irwin's hands. Irwin gave Alice and I each a reassuring nod before teleporting away with my vampire parents in tow.
"Let's make a quick lap around the main corridors," I told Jasper and Jane. "We'll make sure everyone sees, smells, or hears us, and then we can hurry back for our turn." Jane nodded in agreement, but Jasper looked torn again. "Alice, Kate, and Emmett alone are more than capable of protecting the landing area and everyone accumulating there, Major, and you have Peter and Char going second-to-last, so they've got this room and Annie's on lookout overhead."
"We'll have to move as fast as we can without raising suspicion," he said, giving in. "We can't risk leaving this wing entirely empty for more than a minute or so either." I nodded in assent, as did Jane.
As planned, we moved at a steady clip just short of a jog, making small talk the whole time. We all relaxed a little when we made it through the north wing, even more when we made it to the southeastern junction, then a booming voice tore through the night air from the southwest and everything went to hell in a hand basket.
"Masters!" Felix cried from somewhere outside. I froze for a moment, already knowing what had happened. Annie had been watching them, and if they had come any closer to our rooms she would have alerted us, but she didn't know we'd need warning if Felix and the other two fighters ventured into the west forest by the river. Alec's pieces and the remains of the dead tracker had been discovered. Jasper, Jane, and I dashed toward the west wing, hoping all the others were gone and that Irwin waited only for us. "Demetri's dead!" Felix boomed again. I flinched and kept running. "He and Alec were in the river!" I grabbed Jane's hand and pulled her along faster when she faltered at the mention of her twin. Judging by the direction and volume of the voices, the three burly Guards and the reassembled Alec were less than one-hundred yards from the southwest side-entrance. We sped past that very door and turned into the west wing only to come face to face with Aro, Marcus, and Caius. Boxed in, we had no time to react before Felix plowed in right behind us, carrying Alec. As if that wasn't enough to make me panic, Marcus was looking back and forth between Jane and me, taking Aro's hand.
"ANNIE! IRWIN!" I screamed as Aro's piercing, furious glare fell on me.
"You shredded all her bonds!" Aro snarled just as another large Guard came in carrying Demetri's soaked and headless body. Annie swooped down on the third large Guard before he could enter behind us and make use of his free hands. I heard what could only be Demetri's body thudding to the floor. "Treacherous mutant, I warned you not to defy me again and you did so within the day!" Aro growled again and Caius smiled, fingers twitching. I could hear Felix setting Alec down, approaching with the other Guard, anticipating orders. Thinking fast, I grabbed Jasper's left hand with my right and rotated my hand so my palm faced forward, trying to communicate to him to prepare a back attack. I did the opposite with Jane, hoping seeing Aro like this would reaffirm what her free mind had shown her, giving her the courage to bring down her old masters. They each squeezed my hands in what I hoped was understanding and I squeezed back harder, releasing power and energy into them. They didn't hesitate.
Jane brought down Aro, Caius, and Marcus all at once, making them thrash and scream in pain. Jasper attacked with some combination of emotions that produced a similar result, though the three at our back were quieter. "Annie!" I called again, and she flew inside and over all the fallen vampires. Irwin smashed the door of our room open and ran toward us. We leapt over the fallen Volturi kings and ran to meet him with Annie. Irwin got a hold of Annie's hand first, and I started to guide Jane to the same arm as Annie so Jasper and I could take the other.
"Jane!" Alec cried out in a distorted, agonized rasp. We all turned toward the cry. Aro and Caius were standing again, holding Alec up, slowly ripping him to pieces again… much, much smaller pieces.
"Do you remember what we did with Tristan's mate, Jane?" He goaded our weakest link, knowing the biological bond between the twins remained intact either way. "You go ahead and leave with your new friends, and if you ever decide to come back, perhaps we'll be able to recognize most of your dear brother's pieces enough to reassemble him. Some of the finer intricacies will be lost of course, but we can make him recognizable for you."
"No!" Jane screamed, letting go of Irwin and racing back toward her brother.
"Jane, no!" Jasper and I both cried out. Without thinking I ran to grab her, hoping my newborn speed would allow me to retrieve her in time. It didn't. As soon as she was within arm's reach, Aro dropped Alec, grabbed Jane, and tore her head off with one hard jerk of his arm, all the while smiling at me. I knew I was screaming and growling. I knew I was still moving forward, but again I was somehow too slow. Irwin, Annie, and Jasper all grabbed me first. I thrashed, but Jasper pulled me closer and shouted something that fell on deaf ears. Blasting me with calm resolve and determination, he shouted again.
"BELLA, AMPLIFY!" My mate. My family. Jane… I amplified. We teleported. We were gone.