"Win!" Caesar bellowed over the roar of the ring, he and one other stepping in to separate the fighting pair. The ring was like nothing I had ever seen or experienced. I remember what Afton had said, that they were absolutely savage. In the ring, brute force was what usually won the battle. My eyes widened.
With no defensive knowledge, they would have no way to escape once pinned. Caesar was teaching them how to fight, but not how to defend themselves.
That clever bastard.
"Xander! Graham!" Caesar yelled. The two men in question stepped forward. "You know the rules. Set! Begin!"
Xander smirked and darted forward. Graham swung wildly, his fist glancing off Xander's arm. Something was odd about the action, and the ring roared with laughter. Graham stood still, looking wildly in every direction.
"Sight deprivation," said my neighbor, noticing my confusion. "Don't want to get caught in the ring with him, that's for sure. He's never lost."
Xander sprang forward, trapping Graham in a headlock. "Win!" Caesar said. Xander released Graham, who was blinking hard. They both returned to their places.
"Hugo!" A vampire in the ring shouted as Caesar scanned the crowd, looking for the next pair.
"Alright, Ryan," Caesar said. "You. And Hugo."
The ring shouted its approval as the vampire who spoke swaggered forward, eyes pinned dangerously on Hugo, who was shoved out of his place in the ring to tumble into the middle. "No gifts, Caesar, right?" The nameless vampire said when he saw the look of drawn concentration on Hugo's face.
"Very well," Caesar said. "No gifts this round. Set. Begin!"
Hugo tensed, propelling himself out of the way of Ryan's first attack, scrambling back to his feet. He dodged the next two as well, never trying to launch his own attack.
"Enough messing around," Ryan snarled, grabbing Hugo around the leg and flinging him away. Ryan was on him before Hugo even had a chance to stand, twisting Hugo's arm off with savage enjoyment.
I realized suddenly what Ryan was doing. As long as Hugo wasn't taken by the neck, Caesar couldn't call a win. My lip curled and anger simmered in my veins.
"At least try to fight!" Ryan shouted, throwing Hugo to the other end of the ring. Hugo looked close to tears, ducking under a punch and darting away. "Not so fast," Ryan snarled, grabbing him by the other arm.
My fists clenched, and my eyes flicked to Caesar. To my surprise, he was looking straight at me. I raised my eyebrows in question. He gave me a tiny nod in response.
"Fight back!" Ryan roared, lunging towards Hugo, who cowered away.
I snarled and darted forward, grabbing his fist before he could land the hit. I twisted it in my grip. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
Ryan's eyes flickered to Caesar, who folded his arms. "Did I call the fight? You fight until I declare a win. You must be prepared for the unexpected in battle."
I acted even as Caesar was still speaking, kicking Ryan in the chest and sending him flying backwards. I rolled my shoulders and started forward as he regained his footing, ducking under the first punch and grabbing his arm when he struck again, chopping down on the crease of his elbow so hard that his forearm detached. I flung it away.
"You bitch," Ryan snarled.
"Wrong thing to say," I snarled back, gaining the upper hand now that he was down an appendage. I didn't wait for him to attack, instead slamming so hard into him that he stumbled backwards. I used his loss of balance to my advantage, knocking him down to his knees and grabbing his scalp and chin, forcing his head upwards.
"Win!" Caesar bellowed over the wild roars of the ring. "Someone get him his arm!"
I released him, stepping back and watching him warily. Ryan glared at me, eyes aflame with fury, but he turned away when his arm hit him in the back of the head.
I made my way to Hugo, grabbing his lost arms from where they were discarded in the middle of the field. A few parted so we would have room around the perimeter of the ring, and I helped Hugo reattach his arms as Caesar yelled out the names of the next fight.
"Thanks," Hugo whispered, flexing the fingers of his right hand as I carefully reattached his left arm.
"Of course, kiddo. It's my job, isn't it?" I asked him. "It's about time someone stood up for you, anyway."
He smiled at me as I stood and ruffled his hair. "No one's ever stood up for me before."
"You better get used to it then, punk," I said. Neither Hugo or myself were called into the ring again. It was well past nightfall, likely close to ten, when Caesar dismissed us.
"Don't forget your free hour at 2200," Caesar told me when Hugo tugged me over to talk to him.
I checked my watch. "Half an hour until then, still. Thanks for the reminder."
"Certainly. I suggest you watch your back for the next few hours. Ryan is none to happy about his defeat," Caesar advised.
"I will," I said with a nod.
"Good. Well fought," Caesar said. "But don't get arrogant. You will not win every fight. What I saw was not beginner's luck, but you are still an easy opponent to the likes of Doyle."
"My brother Jasper taught me a few things when I was still human. Along with a few other… friends," I said.
"I see," Caesar said, catching my meaning. "I expect you to meet me in my quarters at five tomorrow morning for our first, shall I say, meeting."
"I'll be there," I said.
Hugo bounced on his toes, looking impatient. "Caesar, will you have any time to help me practice my gift tomorrow?"
"We'll see," Caesar said good-humoredly. "However, I believe you need more practice with fighting than your gift."
"I don't like fighting," Hugo said, frowning up at him.
"Even so, it benefits you to know how to protect yourself. Unfortunately, the ring does well at demonstrating the brutality of war."
"I'll think about it," Hugo said finally.
"Good boy," Caesar approved. He glanced back at me. "I have duties to attend to. Until tomorrow, Cullen. Hugo."
"Adios, Caesar!" Hugo said. "C'mon, we can go to my room until your free hour."
"When is your free hour?" I asked curiously as we ran back to his room. "Do you actually have an assignment?"
"Nope! The masters said that my only assignment is to come when they summon me. They haven't yet," Hugo said. "So I practice with my gift and read comic books and watch TV most of the time."
"I see. Were you always alone before I was assigned to watch over you?"
His head bobbed up and down in a nod. "Si, but I didn't mind too much. I am glad you're here, though. It's nice to have a friend."
"It is, isn't it?" I said, a faint smile on my face when I thought about the guard back at Volturi. A familiar ache spread through my chest when I thought of the kings, but it wasn't as devastating as before; I knew to expect the pain now. Fortunately, I could function through pain.
My father had made sure of that.
"Do you want to read one of my comic books?" Hugo asked me. "They're all in English. I even have one in Spanish! Caesar got it for me when he had a mission outside the castle."
"Maybe soon," I agreed, checking my watch. "I'll be back once my free hour ends. In the meantime, pick out your favorite and I'll read that one first."
"Okay!" Hugo said brightly, darting over to his small bookshelf. "See you soon!"
I left Hugo's room, checking to ensure the hall was clear before allowing the shadows to engulf me. Leaving the castle after this was an easy task, as it was abounding in dark crevices and dim corridors even when the sun was high in the sky.
The forest was peaceful and abuzz with insects, the shadows ensuring I wouldn't be seen by any other vampires that may currently be lurking within the wood. It took me less than a minute to arrive at the location where I had hidden my crest and the burner. The shadows that cloaked me promised I was alone and unseen.
I pulled out the burner, seating myself on the forest floor as the shadows pooled around me. As long as they were wrapped around me, I could scream and no one would hear me.
I powered on the burner, scrolling through the few contacts I had. No matter which of the guard I called, I would end up on the line with the kings, so I cut out the middle man and called Caius' phone.
It rang so long I thought that he was simply allowing it to go to voicemail; it wasn't as if he had the phone number of this burner in his contacts. Then the line clicked. "Hello?"
For several seconds I was speechless - had his voice always been so rich? Perhaps, as a human, I had simply been unable to hear it. "Caius? It's me."
"Rowan," he breathed. "Jane, send for Aro and Marcus at once!"
"Marcus is back?" I asked.
"Yes. Your leaving snapped him out of it," he said. "Once he found out what happened."
"Are Aro and Marcus getting along?" I asked.
"They seem to have come to an understanding, given the circumstances. With war preparations and your leaving, they know it's best to put their squabble aside for now."
"How long-"
"Did it take for us to realize you had gone?" Caius finished, sounding far from pleased. "Afton barged into my study at nine that morning to tell me you were gone without a trace, and that when he checked your quarters he found the letters you left for us."
"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "We're backed into a corner. I had no other choice."
"There's always a choice," Caius snapped.
"Yes, and what great choices I had! I could stay in Volterra and die or come here and give us a chance at winning this war!" I snapped back.
"Brother, is she still-" I picked up Aro's voice, with Marcus' overlapping.
"Jane informed us that-"
"Yes, she's right here," Caius said, cutting them both off.
"Mia cara, what were you thinking? If they discover who you are, they'll kill you without question!" Aro fretted.
I bared my teeth. "I'd like to see them try."
"Who's your ally?" Marcus asked. I hadn't realized his gift was ranged enough for him to still see my ties to others, but I appreciated him cutting to the chase.
"His name is Caesar. He's an ancient, older than you. His older brother was the first vampire," I said.
"The very first?" Aro echoed.
"Was?" Caius asked.
"The Romanians killed him when he stood against them, shortly before you challenged them and took power," I said.
"I do remember a vampire standing against them. He refused to join us. Evander, I believe his name was," Aro mused.
"You are certain you can trust him?" Caius asked sharply.
"Yes. He sired me," I said.
"Then his venom blinds you," Caius spit. "I should have changed you when you asked."
"His venom doesn't blind me. He changed me to prevent my being tied to Vladimir or Stefan," I said, calmer than I felt. I checked my watch. "I have a lot to tell you and not a lot of time to do it."
"One more question before you begin your tale," Aro said.
"Go ahead," I said.
"Do they know of your gift?"
"No. Caesar does. No one else. They have a sensor named Hiram, he's the only one who would be able to tell, but he'll likely be gone for several more weeks. According to Hugo, is gift is far less refined than Uncle Eleazar's. He can only sense that someone has a gift, though isn't able to determine what gift they possess."
"Who's Hugo?"
"He's the Romanian's secret weapon. Hiram discovered him, calls him his greatest accomplishment. Hugo has the gift of fire," I said.
"Shit," Caius cursed.
"I don't think he'll be a threat," I said.
"Why?" Marcus asked.
"He's only a boy. Not quite an immortal child, but still young. The rest here pick on him, take advantage of him. He has a good heart. Caesar had been working on getting Hugo to defect. Now that I'm in charge of looking after him, that task has passed to me," I said.
"How old is he?" Marcus asked.
"Eleven," I said. "I think I'll be able to convince him. He's not a fighter. He's not built for this life."
"What else have you learned?" Aro asked.
"There are two types of training here. Control training and combat training. Control training is lead by a man named Doyle, he's in charge of teaching all newborns to control their thirst. The methods they use are violent, but effective," I said, grimacing as I remembered my time from this morning. "Combat training is lead by Caesar, he's likely the overseer that Afton and Vincent saw on their intel mission. He's teaching them to be purely offensive fighters. They have no defensive skills."
"None?" Caius asked.
"None that I can see. Caesar always calls the winner of the fights as soon as one is in a headlock or restrained by the neck. Doesn't teach them how to escape it," I said.
"Brilliant," Aro murmured. "What can you tell us about other gifts?"
"There's Hugo I told you about, and Hiram. There's another named Xander who has the gift of sight deprivation, a more limited version of Alec's gift. I've only witnessed him use it once, so I have no idea what his limitations may be. Caesar is gifted, too; he can read intentions. That's how he knew I was here on your behalf."
"How does Caesar's gift work?" Aro asked.
"I'm not sure, not entirely. I believe he needs eye contact, or at least be able to see someone's face. He knows what someone is going to do but not why they've resolved on doing it. But he's an ally; it's the enemy I need to learn more about," I said.
"So they don't have many gifted members?" Marcus asked.
"I'm not sure. I only woke from the change this morning. I'll know more as time passes. But I do know their force is composed of almost exclusively men. Stefan was going on about women being the weaker sex. It took all my willpower not to rip his tongue from his throat," I snarled.
I could hear the smirk in Caius' voice. "I'm sure your chance will come soon enough."
"Also, I saw the former queens," I said. There was an uneasy silence on the other end of the phone. "They're the biggest bitches I've ever met, I don't know how you were ever married to them. They seem to hope that my tie to the Cullens will be enough to convince my family to join their side of the fight. I can't wait to rip their damn heads off."
"I believe you speak for us all on that count, mia cara," Aro said.
"A few more things. Everyone here has an assignment, a job to do. Mine is looking after Hugo. A job fit only for a woman, I assume," I said drily. "There are a lot of vampires here, mostly newborns. I'd say close to a hundred-fifty overall. But most everyone is at each other's throats. It doesn't take much for them to turn on each other."
"Common for newborns," Marcus remarked.
"Yes," I agreed. "I suggest you talk to Jasper, see if he'd be willing to come to Volterra with Alice to help you prepare. I know you've fought armies like this before. But he's trained one and thus brings a unique perspective."
"Jasper and Alice are here already," Aro said. "Your parents, too, and the Denalis. Edward and Bella are planning on coming once the battle draws closer. This is just as much their fight as it is ours, and they make powerful allies."
"Oh," I said, pleasantly surprised. "Good. I don't have much else to add at present. I have a free hour daily at this time, so that's when you should expect my calls."
"How are you certain you won't be overheard?" Caius asked. "I don't want you to put yourself in further danger by calling."
I smirked. "Oh, my gift is making sure I stay hidden."
"How has it developed, mia cara?" Aro inquired.
"Impressively. Caesar will no doubt be working to help me hone it tomorrow. But I can hide more than just myself now. Make the shadows solid. No doubt more," I said.
"Magnifica," Aro murmured. Would he think it was so if he saw the darkness the shadows awoke in my soul?
Would he think it so if he knew that my gift was corrupting me? Even now I could feel the pull, the whispers of the shadows to do unspeakable things to those that resided in the Romanian castle.
"He should be teaching me to better fight as well," I added.
"Good," Caius said.
I checked my watch. It was a quarter 'til eleven. "I don't have much time left. Do you have any other questions?"
"No. What you've told us so far will help us greatly. As much as we hate that you're there, in constant danger…" Caius hesitated. "You were right in that there was little other choice. No mission like Afton and Vincent's could have given us something even close to the information you have managed to provide us after a mere day."
"I just wish it hadn't come to this," I said, staring off into the trees.
"Us as well," Aro said softly. "But this is war. We do what we must to survive."
"Promise us that you will return if this mission of yours becomes too dangerous," Marcus pleaded. "We cannot lose you."
"I will return only if my position is found out. Otherwise I will forge onwards. We all have a part to play in this. Focus on working to win this war, so that what I experience here is not in vain," I said.
"We will win," Caius said. "Once and for all."
"I should go. I still need to sneak back into the castle," I said. "Be careful."
"We are, as of yet, in no danger here. It is you who needs to be careful," Marcus said. "I love you, tesoro. Very much. Return to us safe."
"I will do my best," I said. "I love you all."
"I love you. Please be cautious. Don't draw too much attention to yourself," Aro said.
"May be a little late for that," I said, recalling the eventful combat training session.
Aro sounded vaguely panicked. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means someone was using combat training as an excuse to bully Hugo, so I stepped in, knocked him on his ass, took off his arm, and won the fight."
There was a brief second of silence. Then Caius laughed. "Amore, you are truly incredible. But don't make it a regular occurrence. To win this war, you may need to lose some training fights. Ensure they underestimate you, so that when the final battle comes, you can tear them apart."
"Noted," I said. I checked my watch again. "I really do have to go."
"We'll await your call tomorrow, then. Be careful, be safe, and don't take any unnecessary risks," Marcus said.
"I'll do my best. Love you all," I said.
"Love you," they chorused. I hung up before I stayed to listen to their voices all night. I ached all over, the phone call making the mate bond worse instead of better. I grit my teeth, ignoring the pain, and shut off the burner before hiding it and the crest once more.
I'm doing this for them, I told myself. It was the only thing that kept me going. The only thing that brought me back. Back to the castle, back through unlit halls, back to Hugo's room, where the boy greeted me with a cheerful grin.
I'm doing this for them.
Then why was it so difficult to stay?
⊱ ────── {.⋅ V ⋅.} ────── ⊰
I'm basically braindead right now (thanks, college project deadlines!) but I've got this chapter of Penance here for you. It's been finished a few days but I haven't had the chance to post. I hope you enjoyed this chapter - seeing Rowan kick some butt and talk with the kings. Don't worry, Rowan definitely won't be winning every fight she has in the ring. She just has a bit of an upper hand against some thanks to Jasper, Demetri, and Afton. What do you think Caesar has in store for Rowan during their coming meeting? Let me know your thoughts, I love to hear them!
Big thanks to all those who reviewed last chapter, you all are amazing and I appreciate you so much. Here are some replies to those reviews:
seventhhaven: Doyle the Dick is SUCH a great name for him. Probably won't hear it used in-story, but it's fitting nonetheless. I'm really glad you enjoyed how I incorporated small flashbacks to her learning how to fight, it was probably one of my favorite parts of last chapter. I definitely don't blame you for being on-edge until she returns to Volterra. I'm on-edge and I know what happens! Hugo is definitely a precious bean and he's been such a joy to write. I'm glad everyone is loving him as much as I do. Thank you for reviewing!
beethovenzeal: I'm glad you enjoyed! I hope you liked reading her check in with the kings this chapter! You'll be able to read their actual, initial reaction in a bonus chapter once Penance is over. But don't worry, there's plenty of plot and action happening to keep you occupied until then! Thank you for reviewing!
windmila: Aw, thank you! You're the best. You're the real MVP here, having to listen to my ramblings about Rowan via PM. Thanks for your continued support :D
I don't have much else to say this chapter, probably because my brain is running at about -2 miles per hour, so I'll just say that I hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading, and I hope to see what you think in the comments! Stay safe and healthy, everyone!