With stealth now the only option to gain more information about the Romanians, Caius dispatched Afton and a lower guard named Vincent on an intel gathering mission that lasted over a week. I found myself spending much of his time away with Chelsea in an attempt to keep her mind off the ever-present danger Afton was now in.
"Our suspicions were correct in part; they're actively hunting for gifted individuals but a majority of their force seems to be composed of normal vampires," Afton informed me after returning from his mission. "They do some training outside that Vince and I were able to watch; they're absolutely savage. Their fighting techniques are brutal yet effective, but they're clearly training their soldiers to act almost purely offensively with no regard to their own lives."
I shuddered. "Any estimate on numbers?"
"I'm no Demetri, but I'd say his guess of at least a hundred is pretty accurate. It's impossible to say how many of those are newborns. The only good thing is they don't seem like they're organizing to move against us yet, so we still have time to prepare," Afton said.
"Caius already has Felix, Demetri, and Santiago training the guard around the clock, but at least the Romanians' slower pace gives us more time to strategize," I said.
Renata nodded in agreement. "Some of the lower guard have been speculating that he's aiming for a pre-emptive strike, but he's not about to act rashly in a situation as sensitive as this."
"It's far past the point where an early strike would even make much of a difference than meeting on the battlefield. It's better we take the time to train and prepare than to go in half-cocked," Afton added.
I agreed. "Precisely. Aro, Chelsea, and I have been working on trying to figure out what their next moves may be before they decide to go on the offensive."
"What about your sister, the seer? She could help," Afton said.
"First thing we thought of. But Alice has never met the Romanians, so she can't see their futures unless something they decide on directly affects us. Since they haven't made any solid battle plans yet, it's impossible for her to say how long we even have until they attack."
He frowned. "That's unfortunate. And frustrating."
"Believe me, I know. Alice told us she couldn't help - Aro was on the call too, see - and you would have thought that someone had just told him that Christmas was canceled. He puts far too much stock in Alice's abilities," I said, smiling in fond recollection at the memory.
Afton laughed. "I believe it. How does Master Caius feel about Master Aro being involved with things?"
"Well, Caius is in charge of the actual strategy and shots being called, so it's not as if Aro is actually giving out any orders; we're just trying to make Caius' decision making a little easier," I said.
"Should I go visit Aro, tell him what I know?" Afton asked.
"Please, whenever you get a chance. Vince, too, if possible."
"Sure, he'd be happy to. We stuck together for the most part, but having a separate set of eyes means he may have noticed something that I didn't," Afton said. "I can visit now, any chance you know where to find him?"
"Probably in the library, that's where we've set up our little base of operations. We can go over together, that way Renata can get back to her own post," I said. "She's supposed to be on shift patrolling Volterra's walls, but she stayed back until you could get here, Afton."
The guard currently on duty for watching over me had become rather unpredictable with the tumult following Demetri and Felix's report. The elite guard, who were my most common companions, were pulled for training or other duties along with Santiago. Afton was by my side regularly up until he got assigned the intel mission with Vince. Caius wasn't pleased with it, but it wasn't all that uncommon for me to now have only one guard with me instead of the normal two.
"Call if you need anything," Renata said, saluting me as she left.
Afton and I set off for the library, walking at a leisurely pace as I enjoyed the spring breeze that flowed through the corridors of the castle.
"I have to thank you, Rowan," Afton said, breaking the companionable silence that had settled between us.
I glanced at him. "What for?"
"Well, Chelsea told me that you kept her company while I was gone, trying to keep her mind off of things. I can't imagine what it would be like to have been in her shoes, so I'm really grateful that she had you to keep her, well, sane," he said.
"Chelsea's my friend, Afton, as are you. I'm happy to help in any way I can, even if it's just keeping someone company."
"Still, I don't know of many queens that would sit with her guards and call them friends," Afton said. "When the former queens were still here, we hardly ever saw them. I was in the lower guard - in all truth, Chelsea is the only reason I was allowed on the guard in the first place. The queens sort of thought of us as… dirt under their shoes, I suppose. We weren't even worthy to be looked at, much less spoken to or befriended."
"They sound awful," I said bluntly, and not only because they used to be married to my mates. Carlisle often said that you could judge a person by how they treated their inferiors. And if the queens' actions towards their inferiors was anything to go by, they were exactly the sort of haughty, self-absorbed people that I avoided.
"Honestly, they kind of were," Afton said. "You can ask anyone. Even Corin, who hardly has an unkind word to say about anyone, didn't like them. She had to spend the most time with the queens to keep them content."
"Because the kings-"
"Locked them up in a tower, yeah," Afton finished. He cracked a smile. "Don't look so worried. I'd like to see them even try to do that to you."
I grinned at him. "If they did, you'd help me break out, right?"
"Well…" he said thoughtfully.
"You better," I threatened, narrowing my eyes at him.
Afton laughed. "Of course I would. You know, of all the people in the world who could have been mated to the kings… I'm really glad it ended up being you."
"Thanks, Afton. That means a lot," I said, touched.
"So where is this operations base of yours?" Afton asked as we entered the library.
"In one of the bigger study rooms. Pretty sure it's the same one where Felix goes to his book club, but it's obviously not being used for that anymore," I said.
"Good plan. Plenty of room and reference material on hand," Afton said.
"I agree. I can't take all the credit, though; it was Chelsea's idea to set up in here. She and Aro have been helping me go over Aro's old journals from the original wars, looking for information that could help us predict what's coming in the days ahead."
"You should call in any of the old spies or informants, review what they saw back during the original wars," Afton suggested.
"No point in that, Aro already has that information logged- not to mention he remembers it all with that handy perfect recall," I said, wishing not for the first time that my memory was even half as good as a vampire's.
"You're right," Afton agreed. I pulled open the door to the study room we were using, and Aro looked up from the map that had been spread across the table.
"Afton just got back from his stealth mission, he's here to share what he knows," I said.
"Ah, excellent! I'm glad for your safe return," Aro said, offering Afton a hand. "May I?"
"Certainly," Afton said, obliging him. Aro clasped Afton's hand within his, closing his eyes as he watched Afton's memories. There were several seconds of silence before Aro reopened his eyes, dropped Afton's hand, and stepped back.
"This is troubling. Very troubling indeed," Aro murmured, steepling his fingers together. "I only wish you had caught glimpse of any gifted members they may possess."
"I have no doubt Caius will be sending us back again," Afton said crisply, "so there will be more chances. We need all the information we're able to gather about what we're up against."
"And yet, I fear, it will not be enough," Aro sighed, pacing about the room.
"How so?"
"The trouble with war, my young friend, is that you never are truly certain if all your preparation is enough until you step foot on the battlefield. That is what makes war so very dangerous and unpredictable, and at present, our adversaries know far more about us than we know about them," Aro mused. "It's likely they already are aware that we know of their actions, even though Demetri and Felix were wise enough to retreat before they were detected."
"So you think they're going to send spies, too?" Afton asked.
Aro chuckled humorlessly. "I doubt that. The downfall of the Romanian coven has been, and always will be, their arrogance. They place far too much stock in their abilities. They have the remarkable tendency to survive even the most dire of circumstances but are foolish enough to return and try again. When- if- we win this war, we will ensure that the Romanians do not run free again. They have been a thorn in our side for far too long."
I did not remark on the fact that Aro was speaking as if he currently held any sway over the actions of the Volturi. Instead, I said, "I don't think we should discount the possibility of them sending spies completely. From what I've heard, and what you've experienced, they're known to be unpredictable. We shouldn't underestimate what lengths they'll go to in order to win this. I have no doubt they'll do whatever it takes, no matter the cost, to win this war."
"We best be prepared to do the same, then," Afton murmured, running a hand through his hair. "I promised Ro- er, Queen Rowan that I would send Vince to give you his report as well, Master Aro. Since the queen is at present with you, I will go fetch him."
"Thanks, Afton," I said. He shot me a thumbs up before disappearing .
"What were you looking at on the map before we arrived?" I asked, rounding the table to stand beside him.
"Ah. Yes, I was just searching for possible battlefields, assuming they aren't bold enough to launch an all-out assault on the castle. That could be disastrous."
"The secret would be out if that happened. Maybe that's one of their end goals. We've already established that they aren't below revealing themselves to humans," I said, gnawing on my lip.
"Hopefully dear Alice will be able to alert us on when the decide on moving, based on what she sees happen to us," Aro said.
"Our edge right now is that they don't know of our alliance with the Cullens. But I don't think we can go as far as to assume that they don't know about me, even if they don't know my name. It's entirely possible that they know of my existence," I mulled.
He hissed. "That is impossible. There is a reason you're not permitted in the throne room during trials. We have been careful."
"I don't deny that. But one way or another, word has a tendency of getting out," I reasoned, placing a hand on his arm. "It would be more foolish to assume my existence is unknown."
Aro slipped an arm around me, pulling me into his side. "Regardless, I will not let anyone harm you. I would rather perish first."
"With strategy and a little bit a luck, that shouldn't be necessary," I said, leaning into his embrace. "We'll get through this."
"Of course we will. We always do," he agreed, but his crimson eyes held worry.
There was a light knock before Afton reentered the room, followed shortly by a member of the guard I had never seen before. He was attractive, as all vampires were, but rather non-descript, and his eyes seemed to hold more brown than red. When he caught me staring, he bowed shortly. "My queen, it is an honor. My name is Vincent, I accompanied Afton on the recent reconnaissance mission against the Romanians."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Vincent. Thank you for being willing to share your experience," I said.
He gave me a toothy grin. "Of course, my queen. Anything to help bring about the downfall of those Romanian scum."
"Let's have a look then, shall we?" Aro interjected, moving away from me to offer a hand to Vincent.
"Certainly," Vincent said, placing his hand in Aro's outstretched one. There were several seconds of silence in which the only movement in the room was my own breathing.
"You present an interesting perspective, young Vincent," Aro said, releasing Vincent's hand from his grasp. "Your view of things seems to be much the same as Afton's."
"We were under strict orders to remain within eyesight of one another; it's too risky to separate," Afton said.
Aro nodded. "Perfectly sensible. Thank you very much for your account, Vincent."
"I am happy to be of use, Master Aro," Vincent said. "Do you require anything else from me at present, my queen?"
"No, Vincent, that's all we needed. Once more, thank you," I said.
He bowed again, patted Afton on the back, and took his leave. Afton ventured further in the room, examining the map. "Did you glean anything from Vince's account that you didn't find in my memories, Master Aro?"
"Very little," Aro admitted, tracing a pale finger along a route on the map absentmindedly. "Though, as his gift allowed him to steal a little closer to the training than yours does, Afton, I was able to learn one thing. Vincent probably thought nothing of it, but it is rather telling about how our Romanian foes are operating."
"Oh?" Afton asked, leaning closer.
"Yes. Vincent was close enough to pick up a conversation on the sidelines, even if he wasn't paying a terrible amount of attention to it."
"What did he hear, Aro?" I asked, impatient.
"One of their soldiers was speaking with the vampire who seemed to be overseeing the training. The overseer clearly wasn't a newborn, there was a certain oldness in his eyes that refutes that, but I do not recognize him. The younger vampire asked the leader when their sensor would return," Aro said.
"Sensor as in… gift sensor," I inferred.
"That's what I fear. You were right, mia cara. They seem to have found someone who is as Eleazar used to be for us," Aro said gravely.
"Did Vince hear the leader's answer?" Afton asked.
"Yes. He simply said that he was not sure and snapped for him to return to his previous position," Aro said.
"So he sounds pleasant," I quipped.
"Yes, I imagine they're all quite friendly over at the Romanian coven," Aro said drily in response.
I bit back a grin. "At least now we've confirmed that they're actively looking for individuals with abilities and they have someone who has the gift to do it. We'll need to let Caius know about that as soon as possible."
"He's conducting a trial right now, you'll have to wait until he's finished before that's possible," Afton informed us.
"Thanks. Can you keep an eye out, let us know when it's over?" I asked.
Afton nodded. "Of course. I'll be back to fetch you as soon as it's finished."
"Thanks, Afton," I said, glancing back down at the map. When I looked back up, he was gone.
Aro and I spent the next hour talking through Afton and Vincent's accounts, discussing counter-strategies and training regimes that would best work against their tactics. Aro began recording what he had learned from the two guards in a journal much like the old ones we had already poured over, leaving me to stare at the map until I felt as if I was going cross-eyed.
"I need a break," I said aloud, rubbing my temples. Aro hummed in response, pen still scratching against paper, and I left the study room we had taken over in search of a book. I pulled out a book at random, and seeing that it was written in some other language, returned it. I eventually settled on Shakespeare, his works bringing me back to the English classes I had shared with Bella and Edward. Back when things were still simple.
I skimmed Macbeth, having read it before and not truly paying attention to what it was saying. It was merely a distraction, after all. But somewhere within the words I stopped, struck by an idea so impossible…
I shot out of my seat, mind racing, laying the book aside without even bothering to close it. It lay open where I had stopped reading.
He that's coming
Must be provide for: and you shall put
This night's great business into my dispatch,
Which shall to all our nights and days to come
Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom.
I sprinted to the exit of the library, throwing open the door and dashing out. I skidded to a stop down before I could run smack into Maxim, who was passing, and stared at me as if I had finally cracked. "My queen. Are you well?"
"Maxim, I need to speak to Caius. Now!"
"He's conducting a trial. Surely whatever you have to say can wait," he said, emotionless as always.
"No, it can't. I just realized something incredibly important. I have to see him," I said, slightly breathless.
Maxim studied my face impassively before turning on his heel and walking away. "Come on, then."
"Thank you," I said, having to jog to keep up with his quick, long strides.
"Care to share what is so important that you must speak to the master this instant?" Maxim asked, not sounding as if he particularly cared one way or the other.
"Later," I said, spotting Afton up ahead.
Afton looked started. "Queen Rowan, Caius is still holding trial-"
"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important, Afton," I said, a little sharper than I meant to. "I need the throne room clear. I need to speak with him."
"I swear, if I get killed for this," Afton muttered just loud enough that I could hear. He glanced at Maxim. "Keep an eye on her, please. No doubt she would have come the whole way herself if you hadn't run into her."
"I'm not a child, you know," I said, irritated.
"No, but you are human. I'll get Master Caius to clear the courtroom for you. Just wait here," Afton said, and Maxim pulled me gently away from the door as Afton opened it and disappeared into the throne room.
I couldn't hear what was happening on the other side of the heavy wooden doors, but Maxim's eyes, which flicked up to the ceiling in an obvious show of exasperation, was enough of an indication. "Master Caius isn't happy. I hope you have good reason," he said, pulling open the door for me.
Caius stood on the throne room floor rather than on the dias, arms crossed, looking faintly annoyed. "I hope you have good reason for interrupting this trial, amore. Questions will rise."
"It doesn't matter," I said, breathing fast.
"What do you mean?" Caius asked, a snap in his voice.
"I've figured it out. I couldn't understand what would prompt the Romanians to start building an army before what happened in January," I said, stumbling over my words. "But I've figured it out."
"What do you mean? What have you figured out, exactly?"
"I'd need Demetri to know for certain," I said, and Caius cut a glance at Afton, who immediately disappeared, "but I think I'm right. Scratch that, I know I'm right. I don't know how, I just know."
"Well?" Caius asked, growing impatient.
"The queens. You told me you sent them away. But I can't imagine they'd go happily. They were leaders of the vampire world one second and nothing the next. So they went to the one coven that holds just as much of a grudge against you as they do."
Caius stood stock-still, realization and horror staining themselves across his face. "Son of a bitch."
⊱ ────── {.⋅ V ⋅.} ────── ⊰
It seems that the Volturi have finally figured out why the Romanians began building their force in the first place. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I'm enjoying writing the next even more, so I'm hoping to have that one out for you soon. Huge thanks to all of you who reviewed last chapter, I really appreciated it! Do you think that this new information (well, new for Rowan and crew, not for us) should be enough for Marcus to snap out of it and for Aro to return to his previous position? Let me know what you think! And now, here are some responses to your thoughts on the previous chapter:
Lady-Queen99: Aw, thank you! A lot of people seem to agree that filling in Aro has been the right choice. The events of this chapter prove that it was a good decision, as he's willing to help in whatever ways possible, even if he's not able to rule at the moment.
xlDarkstarlx: Oh wow! That was a while ago, thank you for sticking with me and I'm thrilled that you love it as much now as you did then. I know the plot twist at the end of Tenebrous took a LOT of people by surprise (not going to lie, it was a lot of fun to see your reactions). Poor Marcus definitely isn't having the greatest of times, but it certainly has some, erm, interesting repercussions that you will soon see. Can't answer the question about this being the replacement "Renesmee battle", you'll just have to wait and see on that front! Thanks for your review and for staying with this story!
Luceoscura: Thank you very much, that is sweet of you! I'm glad I can help entertain you during this period of quarantine with my somewhat regular updates... may I suggest a reread? ;) I feel bad for Marcus, I hate to do our boy dirty like that, but it is a necessity. Hopefully he'll snap out of it soon.
seventhhaven: Hello, long time reader! Thank you for sticking with me to see Rowan's story unfold. Caius turning her does seem to be the wise choice, but of course when you're actually him trying to make decisions for the good of the coven and his mate, you can understand why he would be hesitant. Even though she would definitely be in safe hands if the Cullens came to visit and help out during that newborn transition period. Filling in Aro was definitely the right decision, and I've heard a lot of people theorize that her turning would probably be enough to snap Marcus out of his funk. It is certainly rough right now, with Rowan and Caius caught in the middle. A lot of people were definitely shocked by the plot twist at the end of Tenebrous, and though I can't say anything about endings, I can promise the wild ride to come will be worth it...
Thank you so much to all who reviewed, I'm so thankful and your kind words have left me very encouraged! Make sure to keep those reviews coming! I don't ask for a certain number of reviews before updates, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate each and every one. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy in these perilous times! Since I'm social isolating like the rest of you (should) be, I'm sure you'll see me soon! Until the next chapter, guys!