They had been back in Voltera an hour. The wives returned to their tower as soon as they arrived. The Guard were mostly scattered around the throne room, though some had also disbursed throughout the rest of the castle. Marcus had, predictably, withdrawn into his shell once again, while Caius, as usual, sat on his throne ranting about something or other. ..most likely the fact that the Cullens and their allies had not been dealt with, therefore making them an even bigger threat than they had been before. And as for Aro…he was pondering something similar.

In truth, Aro did view Carlisle as a dear friend. But Aro craved power above all else. He liked his position as King of the vampire world. He had been the leader for millennia, almost as long as he could remember, and he intended to keep it that way. Deep down, and knowing his old friend as well as he did, he didn't believe that Carlisle would want to usurp the kingly role for himself. But who knows if anyone else in Carlisle's family, or among his allies, would want that. If it were someone that Calisile cared enough about, they might be able to manipulate Carlisle to move against the Volturi. Perhaps by using fear for his family's safety, making Carlisle believe that Aro would now be looking for any excuse to destroy the Cullens and their friends for standing in opposition to the Volturi.

Indeed, several in the guard had also voiced concern over the danger of letting the Cullens be viewed by the other covens as a sort of counter to the Volturi..the Romanians especially would love to exact revenge. There were also whispers that some of the Votlrui's own witnesses might now consider them to be weak and vulnerable for not taking action against the Cullens and their allies. And sadly, Aro wondered if that wasn't true. He could not afford anyone becoming bold enough to move against him and his coven. Anyone, even old friends…

As the thought crossed his mind, he felt it: a subtle shift in the air of the throne room. Caius was still ranting on about whatever, and didn't seem to notice it. It had been so sublte that perhaps he had imagined it? But then Aro saw Marcus stiffen and sit up straight in his chair, so he knew it was not just his own imagination playing tricks on him.

He frowned…why was this feeling so familiar, and yet so difficult to place? And where had the cold dread that now gripped his heart come from? As he wracked his brain for an answer, the answer came to him like the sun coming over the horizon at dawn on the Summer solstice. Of course! No wonder he found it difficult to remember, and no wonder it filled him with such dread. They were coming. They hadn't made an appearance, nor even been in contact with the Volturi, for over a millennium. So why now?

Most of the Guards in the room had not been with the Volturi when They last visited. Aro realized this with mounting horror, as the Guard would assuredly take the visitors as a threat and react against them…and be destroyed for doing so.

Aro bolted from his chair. "LISTEN TO ME!" He shouted, every eye in the room darting to look at him. "There is no time to explain! This is an ORDER! No matter what happens in the next few moments, NO ONE is to move or speak! Is that clear? NO MATTER WHAT! Do not move, and do not speak!"

Scarcely had the words left his mouth when a vortex of swirling blue light erupted from the drain in the center of the room. A figure stepped out, followed by another. The first a beautiful, raven haired woman with green eyes, the second a gorgeous light haired, brown eyed man. Aro recognized them at once. The Lawgiver and the Enforcer. He sighed. This is going to be bad.

Then a third figure emerged, another man, with blonde hair and steel-grey eyes; and terror flitted across Aro's face for a brief moment, before with iron will he composed himself. The Lieutenant as well…someone is definitely going to die. His eyes darted to Jane and Alec before he once again forced himself to remain calm. Yet inwardly he was trembling. He feared losing any of the top guard members, but especially either of the twins.

The woman's face was a livid mask of rage. The first man's mouth was twisted into an almost maniacal grin. The second man's face betrayed no emotion whatsoever, as he swept an expressionless gaze across the Volturi kings, except for a slight flicker of disdain darting through his eyes when he looked at Caius.

The woman stormed up to the steps of the raised dais where the three thrones sat, followed closely by the still grinning man. The other man clasped his hands behind his back and began making a slow circle of the room glancing at each and every member of the guard. Most who his eyes landed on could not summon the courage to return his look, and the few who did couldn't hold his gaze for more than a moment before they looked down.

"YOU SINSUFERABLE IDITOTS!" The woman shrieked. Several of the Guard gasped at the woman's impudence. How dare she speak to the Masters like that! But then the grey eyes of the impassive man who continued his slow circuit around the room, swept over them, and with a gulp, they glanced down at their feet. Something about these three strangers, and especially the impassive man, terrified them. Though they had no idea why.

"What were you thinking?!" The woman continued. "Oh, wait…you weren't thinking at all, were you? How could you be so stupid as to risk an exposure of our world to the mortals like that? ALL of you going there? And bringing other covens with you and thereby forcing the other side to gather so many of their own as well? Do you not realize that the technology now possessed by the mortal world would be able to easily detect you all gathered like that? What if one of the mortals had flown a drone over your little assemblage, taking video and audio of you all standing there like a gang of common ruffians? The results would have required massive damage control and risked exposure that we can no longer afford to risk!"

The first man, still grinning, said, "You waste your breath, dear sister. Obviously time and arrogance have corrupted this coven, making it weak and decadent. Perhaps we should find a new coven, one that will rule with wisdom instead of a lust for dominance."

Somehow, Caius found the courage to say, "How dare you! We are the Volturi! We rule the vampire nation!"

The silent man paused his circuit and turned a slow glance toward Caius. Then without warning, he blurred to Caius side faster than even the assembled guard could even see. "You seem to forget, little one, that it was WE who raised you to that exalted position. And that WE can remove you as we see fit, and appoint another to take…your…place." His voice was low and he hissed out the last three words.

Caius gulped.

"Please forgive my brother's rash words and tone, my Lords and Lady. I cannot deny the truth of what you say, much as I may wish I could. It was my fault, as leader of this coven. In my defense I can only say that we feared the Cullens had created an immortal child."

A manic laugh escaped the grinning man, and the woman's lips twisted down into a scowl. "We were aware of the situation with the coven in America, and assumed you were aware of that fact as well. If you had possessed the presence of mind to seek out our council on the matter, we could have told you that Renesme Cullen was a Damphir, not an immortal child! No, Aro…what you feared was a threat to your perceived power and rule. As my brother informed Caius, WE are the ones who placed you as rulers over our kind once the Romanians had gone berserk and threatened not only us but all mortals as well. WE rule our kind, not you. YOU three are simply our proxies. It would behoove you to keep that in mind."

Aro inclined his head. "Yes, my Lady."

The woman paused a moment, making a point of looking at her perfectly manicured fingernails. "Nevertheless, a grave blunder has been committed, and punishment must be administered."

There was another maniacal giggle from the grinning man, as he rubbed his hands together, eyes darting around the room. "But which one, sister? Hmm? Who shall be punished?"

"The one who murdered the female Denali," the woman replied. "Those who possess brute strength is common amongst our kind. He should be easily replaceable."

'But she was the informer," Demtri interjected, fearing for his friend's existence and being unable to contain his concern despite Aro's command to remain silent. "Volturi law demanded her death!" Demetri had no idea who these three strangers were, but he saw the respect his masters had for them, and had hesitated to speak before. But he loved Felix like a brother, and realized his friend's life was at stake, and his concern overrode his fear.

All three of the strangers shot him stares: the woman glaring, the manic man grinning, and the impassive man…remained impassive. "Impudent whelp!" The woman growled at Demetri as the grinning man gave out with another manic giggle. "Volturi law is beneath our law!"

The woman glanced at the impassive man. "Perhaps two of these imbeciles need to die today, brother."

"Yessssss," the man hissed, once more rubbing his hands together and grinning almost hungrily at Demitri. "It would impress upon these children even more the importance of not overstepping their authority, brother. Authority given to them by us!"

The room was silent as everyone watched the impassive man, who everyone instinctively knew was the one in charge, the one who held Demetri's life in his hands. He continued to stare impassively at Demetri, who could not hold the man's gaze for long, dropping his eyes to the floor.

"No."

That one word eased the minds of every single one of the Volturi. It seemed to disappoint the other two strangers, however. The woman sighed, shaking her head, and the grinning man frowned. "You never let me have any fun, Alex," he muttered in a petulant tone, sounding very much like a small child. He folded his arms and looked away, still frowning.

"Cheer up, Andrew," the woman said with a roll of her eyes. "You still have one to play with today."

A gleeful smile replaced the frown on the man's face, as he rested his eyes on Felix. "Ahhhh, then pass sentence, Audrey, so I can end his pathetic existence!"

The woman smirked as the two men joined her on either side, and all three looked at Felix. "Felix of the Volturi, you are sentenced to final death for the unjust destruction of Irina Denali. This is the final word of the Lawgiver." She looked at the grinning man with a smirk. "He's all yours, brother."

Felix couldn't believe the swift turn of events, but he wasn't afraid. There was no way he was going to let this tiny man end him. And Dimetri's thoughts were similar. Why, he was barely half Felix's size! He couldn't possibly defeat Felix in a fight!

"Ahh, little boy, little boy…are you ready to die, little boy?" The still grinning man said in a sing-songy voice as he slowly approached Felix.

"Come and try it, little man!" Felix replied with a grin of his own, dropping into a fighting stance. This will be easy.

The manic man—his name was Andrew, Demetri remembered—gave a high pitched laugh at Felix words. "Oh look! The child wants to play after all! He thinks he has a chance at winning! How deliciously wonderful!"

Felix gave a roar, and charged at Andrew, who stood still as Felix blurred toward him. Andrew, still madly grinning, didn't move as Felix hurtled toward him. He merely held his hand up, palm open, and slammed it into Felix's chest, sending the huge Guard flying across the room. Felix hit the wall so hard that pieces of it crumbled to the floor.

The woman—Audrey, Demetri again remembered—noticed a few of the Guard around the room beginning to move slightly, and said, "Anyone who moves to interfere will be immediately destroyed." She said it calmly, but in such a firm and commanding tone that those who had been moving froze instantly. The impassive man—Alex, thought Demetri—continued his composed glancing around the room at the Volturi Guard, waiting for one of the Guard to disobey the woman's command. Between that and the woman's statement, no one moved to interrupt the fight taking place in front of them. No one dared to.

Shaking himself, Felix staggered to his feet. Glaring at Andrew, he roared and once more flew at the much smaller man…only to have one of his arms torn off. Andrew giggled, and tossed the appendage to his sister, who caught it with another smirk.

Demetri's anxiety for his friend's well being spiked. That Andrew creature had moved so fast that even with his enhanced vision Demetri hadn't seen him remove Felix's arm. Neither, apparently, had Felix. He turned to make another run at Andrew when he noticed, as he staggered to the side due to his missing limb. Then he noticed it in Audrey's hands as she casually twirled it in a lazy circle, still smirking at Felix.

Alex sighed. "Enough of this, Andrew. Finish him so we can be on our way."

And in an instant, Andrew pounced on Felix, ripping him to shreds piece by piece, as he continued his manic giggling.

"FELIX!" Demetri cried, and ran at Andrew to stop his friend's destruction. But Audrey stopped him, pinning him to the floor with casual ambivalence.

"You!" Demetri shrieked. "You monsters! You killed my friend! My brother!"

Audrey grinned down at him. "And you wish to join him? Now that is loyalty!" She raised her hand to strike at Demetri.

"I said no, Audrey," came the voice of Alex, still impassively watching everything. "This is an execution, not a slaughter."

Audrey sighed. "Very well, brother." She let go of Demetri and stood up.

"Stand down, Demetri," added Aro. Aro's fear of losing the best tracker on earth caused him to intercede in the situation. He gestured at two of the guard who rushed to restrain Demetri as he attempted to once more lunge at Andrew, who had by this time reduced Felix to a collection of very small pieces.

Audrey moved to stand beside her still manically cackling brother. Snapping her fingers, a flame appeared in the palm of her hand. She gestured at the pile of Felix pieces, and the flame set them ablaze. Demetri roared in anguish and struggled futilely against the Guards who were holding him.

Audrey turned to the three Volturi leaders. "Our work here is concluded. Do not necessitate our return! And you will consult us before any more foolish and irresponsible acts in the future. You know the consequences if you do. There are other covens out there who might rule our world more wisely, those who seek the wellbeing of our kind above their own power. Remember, Aro: We do not give second chances." Smirking at her use of the Volturi's own words, Audrey gave Aro and Caius a mock bow.

With another sigh, Alex made a sweeping gesture in the air, and with a roar the column of swirling blue fire erupted once more from the drain in the center of the room. The grinning man disappeared into it first, followed by Alex. Audrey gave one last sneer at the Volturi before following her brothers into the blue flames, which then instantly vanished.

The throne room was absolutely silent as all those present contemplated the events of the last few minutes. Caius was glaring at the smoldering remains of Felix. Demetri, having been released as soon as the three strangers disappeared, had sunk to his knees. He too stared at the remains of his friend, his face a mixture of shock, disbelief, and grief.

Everyone else was watching Aro, each face conveying utter shock, and some even looked fearful. Aro buried his face in his hands and sighed. He remained in that position for a few moments before sighing again and standing from his throne. "I am quite certain you all wish an explanation as to who our visitors were."

"Yes, Master. Who were they?" Interestingly enough, it was Jane who had given voice to everyone's thoughts.

Aro glanced at Caius, who scowled and looked away. With yet another sigh, Aro said, "In all truth…no one knows precisely who they are. Some call them the Six Winds, because there are six in their coven, which is the oldest coven on earth. They are biological siblings, three men and three women. We simply call them the First Ones, for that is what they are: The very first ever known to become vampires. And we are not certain how they became vampires…a disease, perhaps; or perhaps they were simply born as vampires. As I said, no one truly knows.

"They have existed since before recorded human history. As far as anyone knows, only we, the Romanians, Amun of the Egyptian coven, and perhaps a tiny handful of others even know of their existence. They are the ones who placed the Romanians in power, then removed them when they became too much of a liability, giving the Volturi control of the vampire world instead. They are rarely seen, rarely in contact with anyone, so much so that even I had nearly forgotten of their existence.

"And the powers they each possess are immense…staggering, almost beyond belief. What you all witnessed today are mere parlor trick compared to what they are truly capable of. And on top of that, none of the vampires we have ever met who have gifts…none of our gifts affect th six of them in any way whatsoever. So you can and must understand that any resistance to or attack on them is beyond futile, and would only result in our destruction."

He paused and glanced at Demetri. "I am sorry, Demetri. But you must remove all thoughts of revenge from your mind. Even if you could find them, the weakest of their coven could destroy our entire coven singlehandedly.

And though he had not been able to get a read on any of their minds, rage swirled through Demetri, and so deep and powerful was that rage, Demetri still swore that one day he would avenge his friend and brother….

A/N: So…had to get this out there. Been sitting on my desktop for years. The "Mystery Coven" is very loosely based on the Crusniks from "Trinity Blood", if anyone who reads this knows that fandom. Maybe Vampires are the top of the food chain, especially compared to humans; but there's always someone higher, someone better out there. Probably be one more chapter, possibly two. But that's it.

And for anyone interested, I am still working on my HP fics. My work schedule has been absolutely nuts the last couple of months…11-12 hour days, so writing has sadly taken a major back seat. :/ Should be settling down again now to normal days.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to shoot me any questions.