It had started to rain as I was escorted outside. A summer storm, by the looks of it. The sky was a murky orange, the clouds more resembling smoke.
There were not any people around when we got outside – and the square looked strangely eerie without any people there. The women led me through the city, and through its gates to a nearby field. It was a long walk, and even though they never grabbed me, I knew that it was a stupid move to try and run. I had to bide my time.
For some reason I looked around, expecting Nathaniel to come running towards us. But of course he wouldn't risk it. Thinking that there was any chance that he would rescue me at all was stupid to begin with. The hem of my white dress was getting soaked with water and red dirt.
We stood there out in the field for some time. I wondered what we were doing out there until I saw, what I first thought was a car, speeding towards us in the distance. But no car can reach that speed. In only a short moment, the blurring object reached us with a jolt.
It was one of them. They could run that fast, I realized. And with a small shiver of fear, I wondered what else they were capable of that I hadn't yet seen. A man dressed in a dark tailored suit stood before us, built like a bodyguard with short cropped hair. He didn't say anything at first, and he actually looked kind of bored to be there.
Eventually, he turned to one of the women.
"They are expecting you. Everyone has gathered for the ceremony tonight."
"We are humbled by your service." The women replied in union, bowing their heads with respect at the man.
They had a black car parked down on the road and I was put in the backseat with the two Volturi members as the bodyguard got behind the wheel to drive. I didn't understand why we didn't just go the same way he had come to greet us – but maybe they wanted to be more discreet.
In the car, my hands clasped together in my lap – an unconscious gesture that Rebecca was more used to than me – whatever I am. An amalgamation, twins cut in half.
We are praying to god, despite knowing that he will never listen.
That was a truth we were both familiar with.
It was a long drive north – longer than I expected, though I had no idea where we were going. I was afraid to ask, smart enough not to speak. As if silence could somehow make me invisible.
I was not afraid of dying. I'd done it before. But I had a feeling that this time would be different. This time, it would take longer.
I must have dozed off sometime, because when I snapped out of it and woke up, the sky outside was dark. The road ahead of us was rocky and small, hedged by a lush forest on both sides. I wondered if we were even in italy anymore. The headlights were turned off, and yet nobody in the care seemed to care.
"We will be arriving shortly." the man driving said without moving his eyes from the road, and I realized that they could probably see everything in the dark just fine.
And sure enough, up ahead the road cleared into a valley, and behind that a small mountain covered in lush trees. A medieval looking castle was built into its side, looming ahead of us. We drove up on a gravel driveway that led us right to its entrance.
The castle was even bigger up close – built out of red brick. Parts of it looked demolished, while others looked properly maintained and cared for. It was worlds different from the palace in Volterra, and just by looking at it I felt uneasy. It was too hidden, too secluded. There were no other buildings around for miles it seemed.
One of the volturi women looked me directly in the eye before getting out of the car, her hand on my arm. The look in her eyes was vaguely sympathetic, which surprised me. She spoke in almost a whisper, though I was sure the others could hear her fine.
"It is time to receive your punishment. If you try to run from this place, there won't be an easy death waiting for you."
I had to smile at that.
"Nothing has ever been easy for me."
And with that, I followed them outside and through the large main doors of the castle.
The air inside was damp and cold, making the skin on my arms prickle.
But it was far from quiet – quite the opposite. From the main entrance, one could hear the sound of many people talking and laughing. There was also the sound of music, but it was a musical instrument that I was unfamiliar with. But the sounds of the people was not normal – it was chaotic, too frantic. I realized that they were cheering for something, or someone.
My muscles itched for a sword, my instincts telling me to turn around and pierce my opponent's torso and cut his throat. His blood spraying, hitting my face and staining my lips. The crowd both enraged and enthralled, wanting more. They always wanted more.
After a few twists and turns in the many hallways of the castle, we arrived at what seemed to be a huge banquet hall. Long tables in the shadows of a balcony overhead, overlooking a part of the room that had been made into some sort of stage. There were so many people, a whole gathering.
But not all of them were dressed like those from the Volturi.
They did not wear robes, or any modern clothing. Instead they wore richly decorated jackets, tunics and long dresses that trailed down to the floor. The women wore several rings on each hand, the jems in their jewlery glittering almost as much as their matching red eyes. It looked like something out of a medieval moved differently as well, their movements dreamy and paid almost no attention I was brought into the room.
I was made to stand in the very back. From there I could see more clearly what was happening on the stage that seemed to be the main source of entertainment.
There was a man there with a table beside him, apparently performing some sort of elaborate card trick that seemed to have everyone in cards were stained a faint coppery color and it didn't take a genius to guess what it was.
"It's all a bit of mockery, you see." The guard next to me suddenly said, making me turn my head in his direction. It was the bodyguard from earlier, though he made no effort to look me in the eye.
"What?" I asked, my voice almost lost in the noise from the crowd around us. But the bodyguard heard me anyway. He nodded towards the stage.
"Everyone can see him, can track the movements of his hands. And so, there is no way we can be fooled. " I frowned as he explained this, not understanding the point.
"Then where's the fun in that?"
"It is more about tradition than fun. And someone always loses."
From where I was standing I could see where the members from the Volturi were sitting. It was hard not to, since they were the only ones present completely dressed in modern, black clothing. They were sitting down by the long table on the left side of the room, while I was on the right. The candlelight from the table gave their forms no light, just gave their eyes a dull glow as they watched the proceedings on stage with a much more muted enjoyment than everyone else.
Despite not meaning to look if he was there, it didn't take long before I spotted Aro sitting among them. He looked detached and somber like the rest of them. It was as if the man that Rebecca fell in love with was just a pretty disguise, a practiced role he played and this was the reality. A man just as cold as his skin, manipulative to the end. But for him and his kind, there would never be an end.
Finally, the crowd's laughter and cheers subsided as an old man came into the room, led by the hand of someone I vaguely recognized from Volterra – a little girl with pale blonde hair and rigid posture, but she was smiling now towards this old man like he was her grandfather.
He was a short, and walked slowly. He looked more like a ghost than anything else, his hair, skin and fingernails the same milky white color. But there was a sense of purpose to his footsteps, a determination that could not be overlooked. He wore a robe that looked almost as old as himself, the ends that trailed to the floor all frayed and darkened with dirt and dust.
They stopped in front of a high, carved chair that stood in the center of the room, where he finally sat down. He breathed in harshly before he spoke.
"We are honored to have so many guests, once again welcome within these walls." he wheezed, a gnarled hand gesturing to the room around him.
" It brings me great joy to see so many familiar faces, both old and new. But, we must not forget the pivotal reason for why we have gathered tonight. We will dine, and yes, we will drink. But first we must deal with the matter of the offering. Yes, the sanies deserit."
For some reason, those words made my skin crawl.
But that was nothing compared to when he turned his head to look directly at me. The floor underneath my feet was too cold. I felt sick to my stomach. It is difficult to describe what I felt. I just knew, without a doubt that this man was pure evil incarnate.