Jacob was the first to admit that he wasn't a fan of leeches. However, he wasn't stubborn enough not to admit when he was impressed by them. Benjamin setting fire to the pile of wood he just dropped was definitely something he considered impressive…even if Benjamin was a leech.
"That's what I'm talking about," Jacob said, his own way of saying thanks without saying thanks. He sat down on the log next to Benjamin and Tia as he looked at the fire. Neither he nor the leeches that surrounded the fire truly needed it but it did certainly set the mood.
"A little pre-battle bonfire. Telling war stories," Jacob looked up from the bonfire to the crowd of unmoving vampires, "Or just standing there like fricking statues". Garrett suddenly appeared and joined the trio sitting by the bonfire.
"Name any American battle. I was there," Garrett bragged.
Jacob chuckled at Garrett's cockiness, "Little Bighorn".
Garrett without hesitation said, "I came this close to biting Custer but the Indians got him first".
Jacob turned his attention away from Garrett back to the bonfire just as Kate appeared and sat on Garrett's lap, "Try Oleg's assault on Constantinople. He didn't win that one on his own".
"If you're talking battles, you're talking the Eleven Years' War," the Irish vampire Liam chipped in, "No one does rebellion like the Irish".
"You lost the Eleven Years' War," Garrett shot back.
"Aye," Liam acknowledged, "But it was one hell of a rebellion". Garrett nodded in agreement and cheekily waved his finger at Liam to confirm that Liam did indeed have a point.
"What about you laddie?" Liam asked Jacob.
Jacob hummed as he looked at Liam, "The closest thing was a fight against an army of newborns a few months ago".
"An army of newborns?" Garrett asked in an impressed tone, "They're bloody hard to kill".
Jacob nodded in agreement, "It definitely was a hard-fought battle that's for sure".
"Did everyone make it back home?" Tia asked in concern, "I've seen firsthand the massive damage one newborn can do little own an army". Jacob looked away from Liam, back into the bonfire.
Kate must have sensed Jacob's hesitation to respond to the question, "Only if you're comfortable. Wounds might not be ready to talk about yet".
"No, it's okay," he began, "I'm not really sure whether it's my place to say. The pack and the Cullen's made it out safely, a few bumps and bruises but…Bella's human sister was kidnapped in the lead up to it…and um…we don't know whether those vampires killed her or if it was the Volturi when they came and did clean up duty".
"Say no more," Tia quickly interrupted him as Jacob struggled for words. Jacob looked at her and nodded his head in thanks.
"Well," Garrett quickly picked up the conversation again, "Let me tell you about the Great Emu War that happened in Australia".
Jacob snorted in disbelief, "Australia had a war that involved a bird?".
"Oh yes. What makes it even better was that they lost to the birds," Garett chuckled. By this stage, most of the vampires had made their way over to the bonfire.
"It made me question how humanity would survive the next few decades," Tanya laughed as she sat down on the log next to Jacob, "Losing to a bunch of flightless birds. However were they going to survive?".
Jacob was still in disbelief over the fact that humanity had lost a battle against a bunch of birds, "I can see why". For the next several hours, war tales were swapped amongst the group. Some stories had them laughing in stitches other created a sober mood and served as a reminder for what was approaching tomorrow.
"When we ruled, everything came to us," Vladimir began, "Prey, diplomats, favour seekers…such was our power but we never put on white hats and called ourselves saints".
Stefan continued from where Vladimir left off, "We were honest about what we were".
"We sat still for a very long time. We didn't notice we were beginning to petrify," Vladimir admitted.
Stefan nodded in agreement with Vladimir's comment, "Perhaps the Volturi did us a favour when they burned our castles".
"We've been waiting 1500 years to return that favour," Vladimir said as rage began to leak into his voice, "We have been ready to do battle for ages".
"But let's hope that tomorrow doesn't turn into a battle," Tanya said trying to be optimistic. While everyone knew a fight was most likely going to happen, tonight was not the night to remind everyone of the potential horrors they were going to face tomorrow.
Vladimir stared at Tanya before he eventually replied, "Of course".
Edward's gaze wondered across the see of faces among the bonfire, huddled around the fire as the snow fell around them. It reminded him of an occasion in his human life. It was a bitterly cold night in Chicago and he recalled seeing a group of homeless people surrounding a man-made fire pit to try and keep warm. He was young at the time but he remembered his beautiful mother giving them money. He vividly remembered their looks of gratefulness but also of despair. It was only as he grew older and experienced more of the world that he realised the despair was because they knew tomorrow would be the same hard-fought battle to continue living. It was how Edward felt right now. He was beyond grateful for the support offered by so many but despaired over how tomorrow would play out. He could hear his wife and daughter talking softly in a nearby tent which seemed to make him worry even more.
'After finally getting everything I have ever wanted, the Volturi might come and destroy it all tomorrow', Edward cringed at his own thoughts, 'Particularly with what Alice said'. He heard the snow crunch softly behind him.
"You looked concern Edward," Carlisle said as he approached his son, "Rest assured. I have a good feeling about tomorrow". Carlisle placed his hand on Edward's shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze.
"Alice called me today," Edward confessed quietly, mindful that his wife and child were in a tent nearby and might potentially hear him. The last thing he wanted to do was cause unnecessary stress.
Carlisle frowned in concern, "Is she and Jasper okay?".
Edward nodded in confirmation, "They are both fine. Alice said they found a valuable witness for us. However…she hasn't had any visions of the Volturi recently".
Carlisle smiled in relief, "That's wonderful! Does that mean the Volturi will not be coming then?".
"No," Edward frowned, "Alice is confident they are definitely coming but she thinks that they have somehow managed to shield themselves. She's been having visions increasingly more of herself than others recently".
Carlisle's eyes widened in shock, "The Volturi have acquired a shield like Bella then? It's strange that Alice seems to only be seeing visions of herself though".
"It's really concerning her," Edward confirmed, "She's only been this blind when it comes to dealing with the wolves. Her visions of herself confirm that she comes tomorrow and the Volturi are here".
Carlisle sighed and his gaze drifted away from Edward to Bella and his granddaughter in the tent, "Let's hope it doesn't come to a fight then and we can all walk away in one piece".
The last few days rushed by. My mates and I were planning on how best to approach this situation. While it was decided that Irina would be spared and would be released once our discussion with the Cullens was over, there was still much to figure out. Alice's future visions were a potential problem. My mates had confessed that their original plan was to confront the Cullen coven on the last day of December as it would allow them time to gather witnesses. With Renesmee Cullen not being an immortal child, I argued against the need for witnesses. If we were heading into a fight with werewolves, the power of the Volturi coven was only what was needed. With the unique abilities that the coven had, the pack of werewolves and the Cullens would not stand a chance if it came down to a battle. It was decided that along with myself and my mates, most of the elite guard and several other coven members would join us. After great debate and planning, it was decided that Jane, Alec, Felix, Demetri, Chelsea, Afton, Santiago and Renata of the elite guard would come. It was decided that Heidi and Corin would protect Volturi while we dealt with the situation. Out of the other seventeen vampires that made up the Volturi coven, we decided that only the seven strongest would attend with us. That meant that between Heidi, Corin and the other ten coven members, our home was protected from our enemies.
My training with Caius had been significantly ramped up and I was being pushed to my limits daily. It was after one training session that I decided to test a theory on how long I could project my mirror around myself and my mates. It started with only being a few minutes but over the hours and hours of consistent training, I was able to project my mirror over my mates near constantly. It made it significantly easier that Aro, Marcus and Caius were my mates. My mirror power seemed to almost naturally expand to cover them, as if it was determined to protect them at all times. I had tried to push myself further and cover the elite guard as well but that I could at best hold for several minutes. While I was gradually starting to be able to withhold it for longer, it was not without great difficulty. I settled on just projecting my mirror power over myself and my mates for the moment. I had gotten so good at it, that I did it subconsciously without even realising I was doing it.
"Renata will stay close to you," Aro said as we ran closer to Forks. I wasn't overly pleased with this but knew it would put my mates at ease. Renata was a gorgeous Maltese woman who was turned in her 20's. She had luminous shoulder length straight black hair and was quite petite in height. She had the ability of an aversion field that protected herself and anyone she touched from the harm of physical attacks. While Renata was able to expand her aversion field several metres to protect others, my mates wanted my protection to be her sole focus. For my safety, it was decided that I would wear the guard clock and remain in the tight knit semi-circle that the elite guards normally formed around the Volturi leaders.
Walking into the clearing was a surreal moment. The tension in the air was so thick you could have cut it with a knife. I remained in tight formation with the other guards, Jane to my left and Renata to my right, who had formed a semi-circle around Aro, Caius and Marcus. Depending on how today unfolded, my presence as the mate of the leaders would either be known or remain hidden from the vampire world for a little while longer. Our group fully entered the clearing and it was due to my advanced eyesight that I saw the small group of vampires opposite us. They had huddled into small groups of two or three when I suddenly heard howling. From the tree line emerged several very large wolves.
'I wonder if Quil is a werewolf as well,' I thought. It was only after surveying the crowd that I noticed Alice and Jasper weren't there.
"I wonder where Alice and Jasper are?" I whispered softly to Jane so only she could hear me. I watched from the corner of my eyes as Jane quickly surveyed the vampires.
Jane hummed, "You're right. Be on guard for a sneak attack". I nodded in understanding. Through my time with the Volturi, I had come to trust Jane's judgment. Her experience in battles was priceless and still being very new to war strategies, I welcomed her guidance and trusted her judgment.
I could immediately see suspicion in the faces of the Cullens' and their witnesses when they saw how few of the Volturi there were. We came to a complete stop a fair distance away as to not spook the other vampires.
I watched as Carlisle walked towards the front of them, "Aro, let's discuss things as we used to. In a civilised manner".
"Fair words Carlisle but a little out of place given the battalion you've assembled against us," Aro responded as his eyes surveyed over the vampires opposing us.
"I can promise you that was never my intent," Carlisle said trying to maintain the peace, "No laws have been broken".
Aro smiled, "Why do you think we are here my good friend Carlisle?".
If Carlisle was nervous he gave nothing away, "The child is not an immortal child".
"Carlisle," Aro said in mock shock, "Is that why you think we are here? The Volturi take our duty of protecting the vampire race very seriously. We have already investigated Irina's claims and confirmed that little Renesmee Cullen is indeed half mortal and half immortal. While extremely rare, not unheard of". If the situation wasn't so serious, I would have laughed at the change in atmosphere. The Cullen's and their vampires went from bosting with confidence to very anxious as they started shifting nervously from foot to foot.
Carlisle quickly composed himself, "Then I must ask my friend, what are you here for?".
Aro tsked, "Dear Carlisle, we heard rumours about you conspiring with the Children of the Moon. As you can appreciate, this causes significant danger to our kind".
"They're shapeshifters," Carlisle quickly responded, "They shape-shift into wolf forms but are not Children of the Moon". Carlisle looked behind him and there was a silent conversation between him and the wolf I knew was Jacob. The wolf nodded and I watched as the wolf transformed into the human boy I once knew. Jacob looked quite bashful as he tried to maintain some dignity while hiding his groin. Jacob, having enough of being embarrassed, quickly transformed back into a wolf.
"How delightful," Caius said sarcastically.
"Caius is right," Aro said with much more delight, "This means no laws have been broken. I am so pleased my friend! No Child of the Moon can control when they shift so your friends must indeed be shapeshifters. I hate having to engage in battle unless absolutely necessary".
Carlisle nodded, "Thank you my friend for hearing us out. I must enquire though, where is Irina?".
"Irina is still at the Volturi coven. She was upset by her false accusation and wished to remain there until after our discussion," Marcus answered. Carlisle, the other Cullen's and their witnesses just about fell over from shock at Marcus' comment. I wasn't sure whether their reaction was based on the fact that Irina hadn't been killed for her false accusations or whether it was because it had been many years since Marcus was active as a leader and didn't look half dead.
Suddenly an ashy blonde vampire and a vampire with short dark brown hair pounced towards the Volturi coven.
"For the Romanian Coven!" one of them shouted.
"No!" a random vampire yelled out, "They'll kill you Vladimir and Stefan!".
I quickly placed my hand over Jane's hand, looked into her eyes and pointed my hand towards the two rapidly approaching vampires, my mirror moulded and ready to cause them pain for their stupidity in attacking my mates.
"Pain," Jane said as we stared into each other's eyes. I heard the two vampires drop to the ground and grunt in pain but there were no screams which was disappointing. I wanted them to suffer for their brazen attack on the coven.
Caius smirked wickedly at the two squirming vampires, "Vladimir and Stefan. For attacking the Volturi, you are sentenced to death".
"Fuck you!" one of the vampires cursed as I heard him somehow manage to drag himself shakily to his feet, "This is for my coven!". I continued to stare into Jane's eyes as I heard the vampire start to slowly walk towards us. Moments later, I heard the other vampire pull himself to his feet and approach us as well.
'Fools,' I thought. I slowly started closing my hand and listened in delight as the two Romanian vampires dropped harshly to their knees and clenched their heads, screaming in pain. While I could have finished it off quickly, I was content to listen to them suffer a bit longer for daring to harm my mates. My inner beast was delighted by that. The two Romanian vampires continued to scream and I listened as small cracks started to appear on their paper white skin from the stress the torture was causing them.
"Would you be so kind my dear to finish it off?" Aro called out, "Their screams are starting to get annoying". I didn't need to be told twice. I clenched my hand shut into a fist, focusing Jane's power to a fatal level. I heard the heads of the two Romanian vampires shuttered into dust. I finally looked away from Jane and smirked at the sight of the two vampire corpses. My inner beast delighted with how I defended my mates.
"All over my coat," Caius scoffed in annoyance and used his hand to wipe some of the dust off his coat, "Even dead they're still annoying". I slowly lowered my arm and removed my hand from Jane's hand. It was only then that I noticed the group of horrified vampires in front of us.
Silence filled the field.
"I can assure you Aro that we had no idea Vladimir and Stefan were going to do that," Carlisle quickly assured, sensing that his family was in grave danger as a result of the stupidity of the now dead Romanian vampires.
Marcus smiled slightly, "The Volturi are reasonable if nothing else. We are aware that Vladimir and Stefan have been plotting our downfall for centuries. While it is very poor judgment on your behalf Carlisle, your family did not join in the attack so therefore, we will bestow mercy on you".
"But the next lack in judgment won't be forgiven so easily," Caius threatened. Before Carlisle could say anything, Alice and Jasper ran into the field. The two vampires quickly surveyed their friends and family before they looked at us. It was evident that they were surprised by how few vampires there were as well at the two corpses that laid in front of us.
"Ah, Alice and Jasper," Aro greeted, "I wondered where you two were". The two vampires stood awkwardly in the middle of the clearing between the two groups.
"We bring proof that Renesmee Cullen will not pose a danger when she's older," Alice announced confidently, "I've been searching for witnesses of my own among the Ticuna tribes of Brazil". Two vampires appeared next to Alice. One was a handsome young man of indigenous descent with brown skin, brown eyes and long black hair that was tied back in a braid. It wasn't obvious that he was a vampire. The only clue was that he was wearing basically nothing in the sub-freezing temperature and was not bothered by it. The other vampire was an olive-toned female with deep burgundy eyes and a long braid of black hair.
Caius looked at Alice in annoyance, "Foolish little girl. We have already investigated this issue and established that she poses no danger and no laws were broken". Alice looked shocked at the news and it was evident to me that while Alice had seen the Volturi coming, she did not know the purpose of our visit. I smiled quietly to myself. After extending the shield to protect my mates, Alice's visions must not have worked properly anymore.
'I'm so glad I convinced my mates to come on the same day. It makes the Cullens look incompetent. Continuously bringing up an issue that has already been addressed,' I thought, 'But wait…didn't Alice just say Brazil? One looks like a vampire and the other not so much but definitely is a vampire. Surely there's no way that this could be Huilen and the hybrid mentioned from the diary entries Marcus and I found'.
"Brazil," I whispered softly so only my mates and the guards would hear me, "What do you think the odds are Marcus that these two are Huilen and the mysterious half-libishomen that vampire was hunting?".
"Potentially," Marcus hummed in response, "I get the feeling that someone is pulling a lot of strings behind the background".
"Little swan," Aro said softly and exposed his hand to me that was hidden away from view of the other vampires, "If you would be so kind to refresh my memory on the topic". I lowered the shield around my hand and lightly rested it on Aro's so he could see my thoughts. Everything Marcus and I had read and my conclusion that despite the seemingly impossible odds, the two vampires in front of us were potentially from the journal.
Aro smiled at the two foreign vampires, "Well since you have travelled all this way, I am curious to hear what you have to say".
The young male looked hesitant but proceeded to speak, "I am half human, half vampire like the child. A vampire seduced my mother who died giving birth to me. My Aunt Huilen raised me as her own. I made her immortal".
'Bingo,' I thought, 'Turns out the vampire world isn't as big as I thought it was'.
"How old are you?" Bella demanded to know. It took me by surprise. It was the first time in many months that I had heard her voice. I had almost completely forgotten she was here.
The young man turned to look at my twin, "150 years".
Marcus stepped forward which caused the two foreign vampires to turn their attention back to the Volturi, they both looked very nervous by the sudden attention, "We would be honoured if you were to accompany us back to Volterra. I believe we have much to discuss".
The female, who I believe to be Huilen, looked uncomfortable at the request, "While I greatly thank you for your…kind offer, we are uneasy when not back home in South America".
"Of course. The Volturi will always have its doors open for you," Marcus replied, "I do wish we could have our discussions sooner rather than later though. We would like to gather as much information about the vampire who seduced your sister and your mother Pire". My inner beast purred at Marcus' cunning nature.
"How…how did you know the name of my sister?" Huilen asked in shock.
"Like I said, we have much to discuss," Marcus replied simply.
Huilen and the male hybrid looked at each other and had a silent conversation before the male said, "We would be honoured to accept your invitation and come with you to Volterra to further discuss this topic".
"I would like to report a crime before you leave," Bella called out.
Aro turned his attention away from the two foreign vampires to my twin, "Oh dear! What crime has been committed Bella?". Carlisle looked at his daughter-in-law in horror and signalled for her to stop but Bella continued despite the warning.
"There is a law around vampires trespassing on the property of other vampires correct?" Bella asked. I froze. I knew exactly where this was going. In lowering my shield for Aro to read my thoughts, it revealed my once hidden scent. With Bella still being a newborn and the vampire who I'm pretty sure just about caught me during my Forks visit, she knew I had been on her land.
"That is correct," Caius responded. A wicked smirk appearing on his face as he too knew where this conversation was going. I could practically almost hear his 'I told you so' and knew he was certainly going to bring up my carelessness next time we were alone.
"Then I would like to report that one of your guards trespassed on our land without asking for permission first or introducing themselves," Bella then pointed at my cloaked form, "It was that vampire there". Tension once again filled the air while I internally debated what I was going to do.
Aro hummed, "You are right Isabella however there are expectations to that rule".
"Correct me if I'm wrong Aro but being a Volturi guard is not an exception," Edward chined in with his mate. If Carlisle didn't looked freaked out before, he certainly was now.
"My apologies Aro. Edward and Bella do not intend to follow through with their accusation," Carlisle quickly intervened.
"No, we fully intend too," Edward said as he wrapped his hand around Bella's, "We want the vampire held accountable for their actions". I was very aware that every vampire, including my mates were staring at me.
'Well Aro, let's see whose more dramatic, you or me,' I thought as I once again lowered the shield on my hand and brushed it against Aro's as I walked to the front of the Volturi coven. I could feel Aro's amused gaze burn on the back of my head.
"You are indeed right Mrs Cullen that it is forbidden for a vampire to cross onto your land without permission or making themselves known," I began, "However as my mate Aro stated, there is an exception to the rule". It was almost comical the reaction that the word mate caused. Carlisle and several other vampires now looked very concerned by this latest development. The shapeshifters sensed the growing danger and began to pace nervously as they watched the scene unfold before them.
"Being related by blood to one of the vampires of the coven," I lifted my hands up and slowly pulled my hood down to reveal my face to my twin, "Is the exception".
Hello everyone!
The big reveal has finally come! I'm planning to do the next chapter from the Cullen's perspective so you can understand why the Romanians attacked and Bella's logic of pushing for the guard's punishment as well as their thoughts about the Lottie reveal!
I would like to apologise for any editing/spelling issues in this chapter. I've had this chapter completed since Sunday but haven't had a moment to be able to sit and edit it properly. I've started writing the next one and really wanted to get this out for you as I know so many of you have been looking forward to it.
I hoped you enjoyed the way Lottie showed herself to everyone. I was thinking to think of an overdramatic way to do so and had this scene pictured since I first started to write this story.
Thank you as always for your support and stay safe xxx
