"On your feet, come on. None of your mates are dying today, and certainly not because of you." Caesar hooked an arm around my waist and heaved me upright. "You have to be careful. Your instincts say that your mates are in danger, and if you do something to aggravate the bond- well, I suppose I don't have to explain what happens then."
Caesar was the grounding I needed for my head to clear, the monster inside me settling. I was just protecting them. I couldn't protect them if I blew my cover. The things I said were just acting, not reality.
"How did you know where to find me?" I asked as the pain of the bond lessened, slowly reverting to the constant dull ache that I had grown used to over the past couple of days.
"I knew something must have happened when you didn't come back, so I put Sam in charge of the last half hour and told him I had another duty that needed tending to. I knew the queens would set the bond off," Caesar eyed me cautiously and dropped his supporting arm.
"I'm fine," I told him, not liking how he was looking at me. Like I was fragile. "It just-"
"Everything is enhanced as a newborn," he said. "I can't imagine how difficult it must be, ignoring the bond. There are very few individuals- and no newborns- that I've ever seen resist the pull of it like you have. It takes incredible strength."
I smiled slightly at him. "Thanks."
"I still expect you at the next training session," Caesar said.
"I'll be there," I promised. "I should go find Hugo."
"Yes, you should. How are things progressing with him?"
"Surprisingly well. I had the chance to explain the history of vampires to him. He seems a little more questioning of Vladimir and Stefan's doctrine after that," I said.
"Good. I don't want him to be a casualty of this war. But even if he does join us…" Caesar trailed off, the rest of his sentence hanging in the air. There was no guarantee he'd survive anyway.
"If he joins us, then we'll do our best to keep him safe. That's all we can do," I said. "I should go."
"Yes, go. I highly doubt Sam ignores Hugo quite as much as I do during combat training," he said.
"Thanks again, Caesar," I said, lingering by the door.
"No need to thank me. I'd like to think you'd do the same for me."
"I would," I said before turning and leaving, running through the hallways in search of Hugo. I found him alone in the grassy clearing, struggling to reattach his arms.
"Rowan!" Hugo exclaimed when he saw me, eyes shining with relief.
"Here," I said, carefully reattaching his right arm. "Who did this? I'll tear them a new one the next time I step foot in the ring."
"Antonio," Hugo said in a small voice.
My lip curled. "That weasel. I'll rip his arms off for you."
"But only in the ring, right? You'll get in trouble if you fight outside of it," Hugo said.
"Yes, only in the ring. I'll get Caesar to have us go up against each other," I assured him.
Hugo smiled slightly at me. "You don't have to. What if you lose?"
"I won't lose," I said, baring my teeth playfully. "This is Antonio we're talking about. The only reason he won is because he's bigger than you and you're not allowed to use your gift in the ring. You're a firebender, remember?"
"I'm like Zuko! I must reclaim my honor!" Hugo exclaimed dramatically, waving his fist at the sky.
"Who does that make me, then?" I asked, walking beside him as he romped through the grass.
He paused, staring at me thoughtfully. "Katara, probably. You're both caring and scary when you want to be."
"Does this make Caesar Uncle Iro?" I asked
Hugo dissolved into a fit of giggles. "Yeah. And Doyle is Azula."
I grinned. "Who's Firelord Ozai, then?"
He stilled, a thoughtful appearance washing over his face. "I don't know yet."
Interesting. I thought for certain he would say the Volturi kings. But to say he was uncertain… perhaps there was hope for Hugo yet.
I didn't get to speak to Caesar before the next round of combat training, so Antonio's beatdown would have to wait another day. This session marked the first silver, crescent-shaped bite mark on my arm, where one of my fellow newborns managed to sink his teeth as I attempted to get him into a headlock.
Naturally, I bit him in response before grabbing his hair and chin and pulling his head back so far I nearly tore it off.
I contemplated the bite later that evening, as I waited for ten to roll around, and came to the conclusion that while it was my first it undoubtedly would not be my last. Jasper had been part of a newborn army, too, and his skin was littered with them. I touched the Romanian brand on my skin. At least he had not been so barbarically marked, like cattle.
"Your free hour started ten minutes ago," Hugo said, startling me out of my thoughts.
"Wha- shit. Wait, don't say that." I eyed him sternly.
"I won't, establecerse," Hugo said, turning back to his comic.
"See you later, Hugo," I said.
"Adiós!" His voice filtered down the hall. I left the castle in stealth just as I had the day previous, cloaking myself in shadows as soon as I reached an empty hall and slipping undetected into the forest.
When I called Caius this time, the line only rang once before he picked up. "You're a little late," he said, not even bothering with a greeting. "We were growing worried."
"I'm sorry," I said, the shadows still around me as I sat on the forest floor. "I got a bit caught up in my thoughts. Didn't realize until Hugo said something."
"And how is your young protégé?" Aro asked.
"Doing well. I'm making progress, I think. I told him vampire history, something other than whatever it was Vladimir and Stefan fed him. It's made him question things. He's only a kid, but he's smart. I only hope he's smart enough to realize that Vladimir and Stefan don't care about him and that they'll kill anyone who gets in their way."
"We are rooting for you. Having an ally with such a gift would be a great advantage," Aro said.
"Hugo is no warrior, Aro. He refuses to fight back in combat training. But I've seen his gift, and it is formidable. We are fortunate that he is so nonviolent," I said.
"You are right about that, I believe, tesoro," Marcus mused. "Fire is unpredictable, and it could do just as much harm as it could good on the battlefield. I would advise you convince him to stay out of the fight if at all possible."
"I'm doing my best," I said. "I have some more information. Did Carlisle tell you about the phone call from earlier?"
"Yes, he showed Aro and explained to Marcus and I," Caius said. "Who was with you? It's fortunate he has sense, otherwise you could have been exposed."
"Very fortunate. And I was with the queens, who I wish to kill more and more by the day," I said, snarling slightly under my breath as my anger was roused. "I'm not sure if it's them I hate more or Vladimir and Stefan at this point."
"I doubt they'll stop trying to recruit your family," Aro said, gently redirecting the conversation as he recognized that my anger was distracting me.
"No. They made it clear that this was only the first meeting of many - I'm assuming however many it takes to convince my family to join them. So ensure my family knows that they could get a phone call at an odd time and to not give anything away."
"One step ahead of you there, amore," Caius said. "We called them all for a meeting as soon as Carlisle finished telling us of his experience."
"I met another one of their gifted vampires," I said, checking the time. "A girl probably a few years older than I am, named Ana. Hugo told me about her after our first call, actually, but I got the lovely opportunity to experience her gift within the ring this afternoon."
"What can she do?" Aro asked.
"She can project thoughts into another's head. Similar to Ness, actually, but she doesn't require physical contact to be able to do it, and I don't think she can project memories. She just has to encounter someone to be able to project to them. Vladimir and Stefan have kept her because she can convey instructions and information to the entire force without having to speak; according to Hugo, she even attends the strategy meetings," I said. "Of course, with Edward on our side, she's rendered effectively useless, but the Romanians don't need to know that."
"What is her gift like? You said you experienced it during the ring?" Marcus asked.
"Yes. First she just spoke in my mind. It was a little unsettling but no real bother," I said. "But she was also able to do this- I don't even know how to describe it. It was like she screamed in my mind and it was painful enough to drop me. Granted, I wasn't shielding my mind when this occurred. Her gift may not be quite as devastating as Jane's, but she'll need to be taken out early in the fight. Probably by myself, Bella, or someone else with a mental shield."
"We'll make sure to pass the message along. Renata could likely deal with her as well, as she can deflect Jane's gift when using her own," Aro mused.
"How is control training going?" Caius asked.
I grimaced. "I'm a newborn. How well do you think?"
"A fair point. I cannot imagine how many humans they must go through with the amount of newborns they're currently housing," Marcus said.
"Not as many as you might think," I said, scowling.
I could hear the frown in Marcus' voice. "Surely you're being fed regularly? Once a day, or every two? It's easiest to keep newborns in line when they're not thirsty."
I almost told them the truth, but realized this would only cause them worry over something they couldn't control. The lie I told them was sour on my tongue. "Every three days. To keep the human body count down."
"You're newborns. That's practically starving," Caius spit, sounding furious. His reaction told me I had made the right call in not telling them the full truth.
"I'll get through it," I said.
"You are stronger than anyone knows, mia cara," Aro said affectionately.
I smiled. "I do try. One more thing before I have to return to Hugo. This time about my gift. There's been a development."
"What sort of development?" Aro's voice was eager.
"Don't sound so uninterested there, brother," Caius drawled sarcastically.
I laughed. "It's alright. I was, uh, practicing-" they didn't need to know about my slips into insanity "-and while I was in the shadows I was able to overhear a conversation."
"That is how your gift works, as others cannot see you-" Caius started.
I rolled my eyes and interrupted him. "I was practicing alone. Caesar's quarters, where I was, are practically soundproofed. I heard part of the strategizing meeting, which was taking place in a room whose location I don't even know."
"Fascinating!" Aro sounded giddy. "You continue to impress, bellissima!"
"I'm going to try to work with it more, see what happens. But I have no idea how I did it, so who knows how well that will go," I said, checking my watch. There were five minutes until eleven. "I have to leave, sneak back into the castle."
"You'll call again this same time tomorrow?" Caius asked.
"Yes. If I call anyone at any other time from a number other than this one, it means I'm not alone," I said.
"Until tomorrow, then, tesoro," Marcus said.
"I love you," I said.
"And we love you," Aro said.
"Be careful," Caius said.
"Don't put yourself in any unnecessary danger," Marcus added.
"I won't, I promise," I said. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."
Hugo had barely moved when I returned to his room, but shot me a grin as I entered. "How was your free hour?"
"It was nice," I said honestly.
"I'm glad," he responded.
Days after this fell into a sort of mindless rhythm: training with Caesar, practicing my gift, attending control and combat training, check-ins with the kings. As Caesar had said, the training he gave me outside of the ring soon meant that I could easily best most everyone inside it; I hated losing for show, but it was a must.
Losing to Doyle was the worst, however; he showed no mercy but I did get the brutal satisfaction of ripping off his arm before allowing him to pin me.
The queens called me back once more about two and a half weeks after my first meeting with them; this time, they had me call Alice, who most fortunately saw me coming and played the role of concerned sister to perfection, not a word of our loyalty to the Volturi leaving her lips.
It took me weeks after first overhearing the strategy meeting to figure out how to do it at will. I had hoped that my gift would tame as I learned to control it, but it grew more volatile and unpredictable as my hatred for the Romanian coven grew.
If Caesar noticed my increasing hesitation towards wielding my gift, he didn't comment on it. He just said what he always did: "You are the master of your gift, not the other way around. Do not let it control you."
It approaching mid-May before the kings were able to pass me any sort of information that counted as good news.
"Demetri has finally scented out the Romanian sensor," Aro told me one day. "He and Felix are on the hunt, they believe he's alone so he'll be no trouble to dispose of between the two of them. They know, of course, to call in reinforcements if needed, but I doubt it will be necessary."
"Regardless, tell them I said to be careful next time they check in," I said. "Hiram travels alone according to what I've heard from Caesar and Hugo, but the Romanians are always known to be unpredictable."
"How is Hugo?" Marcus asked.
"He's questioning the Romanians' methods more and more by the day. He voices his thoughts sometimes, but more often I read his uncertainty through his eyes and body language. Living with Edward means I picked up a thing or two about reading people."
"Yes, I can imagine," Aro said with a chuckle.
"Also, newborn creation seems to have ceased for the time being. I don't know why, and I hardly see Caesar enough to speak with him about it. The only time I see him, he's focused on training me to stay alive in the fight to come," I said.
"Does Caesar know an exact number? If they've stopped creating newborns, then they're planning on moving soon. We'll need to speak to Alice about this," Caius said.
"No clue on an exact number. One-fifty, maybe? Couldn't be more than that. I'll ask Caesar when I next see him," I promised. "I'll let you know by tomorrow."
"Excellent, amore, thank you," Caius said.
Caesar confirmed my guess the following day. "Final count is 155; about three-quarters of that number are newborns. Stefan and Vladimir want Doyle and I focused on training the vampires we have, so no more will be created until the battle."
"Have they decided on when?" I asked him.
He simply shrugged. "Not yet. Stefan simply wants to move soon, but Vladimir wants the date to mean something. They're at an impasse currently. Your sister will no doubt see as soon as they come to an agreement, however."
"Time's running out," I said.
"Yes. That's why we should be sparring instead of coming up with pointless theories," Caesar said, darting forward in attack.
I was impatient to pass on this information to the kings, and the day seemed to crawl along. Even Hugo noticed my impatience, but he simply chalked it up to my needing to feed; my eyes had been black for days.
There was a knock on Hugo's door five minutes before my free hour was set to start. Catching Hugo's nervous expression, I opened the door in his stead.
"Adrian," I said, leaning against the doorframe. "What can I do for you?"
"Hugo has been summoned by the masters. He is to report to the throne room immediately," Adrian said.
I looked back at Hugo, feeling a sliver of unease. Whatever Vladimir and Stefan wanted from him, it wasn't good. "We shouldn't keep them waiting, then."
"Si," Hugo said, looking sick. I gave his shoulder an encouraging squeeze as we followed Adrian out of the room.
The throne room was packed full of vampires, a large majority of which I had never seen. Adrian disappeared when we reached the throne room, leaving me to shove through the crowd towards where I could just see a flash of Vladimir's white hair. Hugo tailed behind me, one fist closed tightly around the tail of my shirt so we wouldn't get separated.
A furious, bellowing roar echoed through the already noisy room, followed by a string of rapid Italian curses. My stomach plummeted. I knew that voice.
"Where's the boy?" I heard Stefan demand as we reached the front edge of the crowd. His eyes settled on us as Hugo and I broke through. "There you are, finally. Come here, Hugo. Come here! Now."
Hugo scampered over to Stefan, who was scowling down at him, but I was no longer focused on them. No longer focused on the raucous noise of the vampires behind me or the actions of Vladimir, Stefan, and the queens, who were in front of me.
Because there, struggling under the combined strength of Doyle, Sam, and Xander, knelt Felix.
⊱ ────── {.⋅ V ⋅.} ────── ⊰
Well, this isn't good. I've been kind of mean lately, haven't I, constantly leaving you on cliffhangers. Honestly, though, this is probably the worst cliffhanger I've left you on since Rowan's dad kidnapped her back in Tenebrous. How do you think Felix was captured? Do you think Demetri is with him? Will Rowan risk it all to save him? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Speaking of, I'm so thankful for all of you that left reviews on the previous chapter! I killed some of you with that cliffhanger, I know, and it ended up being pretty anticlimactic. Most of you guessed right when you said it was Caesar. That scene between them really ended up being a nice bonding moment that was needed but unexpected. Anyway, here are some responses to reviews from last chapter!
xlDarkstarlx: Aw, thank you! No it's not weird at all, I don't think! Caesar is honestly one of my favorites to write and I wish I could like,,, write a fanfic about my fanfic that people would actually read. A Doyle story? What would that entail? I'm curious. Are we talking like a Doyle redemption story here, or just a backstory type thing? I'm curious about this non-existent fanfic of my fanfic. So Ana's power, she can't actually read minds or anything, just project her thoughts into another person's mind, so Rowan's secret is safe. That would be quite interesting, however. I'm also super hype about the coming battle, but we still got a bit to go through before we reach that point. I do miss writing Rowan with the kings, but her check-in conversations with them will have to do for now. They're quite busy themselves, back in Volterra with her family. Most epic team up of the century if you ask me. Anyway, thank you for reviewing! I really loved reading your thoughts on Penance!
seventhhaven: I am, thank you! I hope you are as well! Rowan is, for the most part, a pretty typical newborn. The control training means she's actually a bit better controlled around blood than a normal newborn would be, but only because she's physically punished by Doyle & crew if she can't restrain herself. Ana's power is definitely more dangerous than even I anticipated at first, but I was writing the chapter and it just made sense that it could also be used in an offensive capacity. As for Rowan's power, I didn't really base her power off of anything else, I kind of created it on my own with perhaps a little outside influence. But her being able to hide herself in the shadows would make her a very good assassin, you're right about that. Thanks for reviewing and take care!
I didn't get a huge amount of comments last chapter, which is a little disheartening, but I'm still grateful for those that did let me know what they thought! You all are awesome! I hope you all are staying safe with all that's going on in the world and I'll talk to you in the next update!
Translations:
Establecerse - settle down