A/N 2/1/2020: Hello again, lovely readers. Thank you so much for you patience. Writing has become a scarce past time between life and work. Especially with this new line they moved me to at work, I work so much OT now, I just want to crash and do nothing after. But the reception on this story was really good for the first chapter, so I thought I would add a second. Let me know your thoughts, y'all. Much Love. ~Angel
Alec handed the books to the young woman. He honestly didn't know what to call her. Isabella or Irisi. He looked at her as he passed her the books, his head tilted to one side in both question and curiosity. Irisi smiled at him.
"I am both," she says to him in English. "I am both Isabella, and Irisi. Though if it causes so much confusion, you may call me mother. I am, after all, the reason you exist as a vampire in the first place."
Alec was surprised that she seemed to be able to read him so easily, but took it in stride, nodding his head.
"You were the protector of these books? From the moment they fell into Volturi hands to now?" she asked him in her now heavily accented voice.
"I was, my lady," he said softly with a small bow of his head.
"Then I wish for you and your sister to remain so. I wish for the two of you to guard these books, just as my family will guard my body."
"Your body, my lady?"
Bella nodded. "I am going on a journey, but not physically. Physically, my body shall remain here. My spirit, however, my soul? That will wonder to the past. Long ago, we called that part of the soul a Ba. My Ba will immediately be drawn to his the moment it is in the in-between. To the last point in time he had a physical form. I shall watch. See what went wrong, and try to guide him back to me," she said, ending her small speech on a quiet note.
"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Edward screeched. He couldn't take being sidelined anymore. Not only were these monsters treating Bella with respect, even reverence, which they should, but he didn't want the monsters near her to begin with. But she was talking as if she didn't love him. And he would not tolerate that from his mate. "Bella, come over here, we are leaving!" he demanded of her.
The entirety of the Volturi, Kings, Queens, and Guards present, along with the Egyptian coven, all turned and hissed at him. Some outright growling.
"Edward, please. Don-." But Alice never got the chance to finish her warning. Edward steam rolled right over her.
"No! I will not stand for this. It's high time my mate learned where her loyalties should and will forevermore lie, and it will never be amongst these monsters!"
The hissing and growling, turned to roars, snarls, and crouched positions as they all circled around the reincarnated woman. The same woman who said nothing. Bella merely stood, placed her hand on the backs of her family as she passed, reassuring that she was there and safe… and that she most certainly could fight her own battles. They made way for her as she walked towards the front of the mass, to stare directly at Edward.
"Do you want to know how I did it, Edward Anthony Mason Cullen? How I made a mortal immortal?" she asked him softly, as she continued to calm the young vampires around her.
"It doesn't matter because you didn't create my race. Isabella Swan, you are a human girl. Nothing more. As the human mate of a vampire, I have the right to say how you are to conduct yourself in my world. You will come with me, away from this coven, and then I will take you to Carlisle, who will figure out a way to deprogram whatever brainwashing the Volturi have done to you in the months I have been away," Edward said angrily.
"Oh, Edward," Alice said in a soft despairing tone, as she shook her head. She was currently on the phone, telling her family to meet her here. But she knew by then, it would be more than too late.
"It is said, that the goddess Meskhenet, known also by the name Heqet, breathed a Ka, or life, into every child at the moment of conception. That is, after she had placed the child she had spun on her potter's wheel into the mother's body. I used a spell. After all, the world itself was created by magic, humans are just another form for said magic. This spell, hardened the base clay that made my son, turning him to alabaster. I dusted him in diamond dust, the hardest substance known to us at the time, for indestructibility. Placed a sacred scarab over his heart for immortality. Ensured his features were perfected and preserved. His very blood turning into a weapon should he need it. Pure acid. When he grew lonely, then found his mate in Kebi, I ensured the very thing that could kill, had a balance. That it could also restore life. Ensure my son was no longer alone. For eternity. It was a spell. A simple spell, with a lot of preparation and a lot of work. However-" she said, turning to look straight at him.
A look, that had Edward simultaneously wanting to cringe and freeze at the same time. "It takes significantly less to turn a vampire back into a human. All I need, is your name, and a word."
Their gazes held each other for several long moments. Moments that stretched to hours, weeks, years, centuries… an age… before Bella finally broke it. "But not your known name, no. Not the name everyone knows you as. You see, everyone is given a secret name with that breath of life. If known, it give it's speaker complete power over another. A name only known to the lady goddess who bestowed it. But nothing is hidden from the goddess of life, for Isis is just another name for Meskhenet. She is in every woman and is every woman," she said softly.
"Inyotef," she breathed, just barely loud enough for the vampires to hear and causing a shiver to run straight down Edward's spine. "Human."
Edward gasped as he suddenly had a pulse again. His skin flushed and darkened as blood once more flooded his veins. And every vampire could hear the steady, strong, wet thudding of his heart. Then the growls lowered, turning hungry. The vampires started closing in.
"No one touch him. He is to live out the remainder of his days mortal. He is to grow up. Grow old. The only way he is to learn is to be. And so he shall," Bella said, never raising her voice.
"Bella-" he said weakly, as he sunk to his knees, as fear for his newly regained life, and shock that he had what he wanted most restored to him, but lost the power to retain the woman he loved. He was well and truly powerless. In all aspects of the word.
"We would be honored to look after the books, Mother," Jane said softly, with a bow. Anyone who could get the better of Edward Cullen was good in her book.
Bella looked down at Jane with a smile, and nodded. "I will need a few provisions for the spell I will use. Frankincense and Myrrh, a censure. Candles that are unsented; one in green and the other in yellow. A mirror, and a knife. I must warn everyone. I will draw blood."
It seemed as though everyone inhaled sharply at the thought of the young woman drawing blood, but no one said a word against it. The power she held, the ability to turn a vampire human again was enough to still their tongues. A young vampire with flaming red hair entered the throne room with the things she asked for. She handed them to Bella with a bow, before backing away.
Bella sat on the floor, cross legged, arranging the two candles on either side of the mirror, setting up the censure to one side. It didn't take long for the smell of burning resin to hit the nostrils of everyone. The sharp, heady scent of frankincense, and the mellowing scent of myrrh. The young priestess anointed the candles with a few drops of her blood before lighting them. She starred at the mirror, and as everyone watched, they could see her eyes un-focus. They could all but see her spirit leave her body… and fly into the distant past.
o0o o0o o0o
Being a ghostly observer to past events is a curiosity. One could never be certain if they were going to be led directly to the object of their observation, or the beginning of the events as they unfolded. Irisi, in all of her lifetimes, never could tell if it was need based, want based, a way of understanding, or if the Mother Goddess just did things as she saw fit. As it was in this instance, it seemed to be the very beginning.
She found herself at the city entrance of Hamunaptra, and observed three separate groups of people. The first, a group of men on horse back in light, flowing, black garb. Medjai. Seems as though they were still keeping watch. The second and third groups were fighting each other. One seemed to be either English or Frenchmen. At least, that's what their dress would tell. The majority of them were obviously middle eastern. Locals. The last were desert people. Irisi shook her head. Even after millenia, people were still fighting over this city. A once beautiful desert oasis, turned into a ruined sandy shit hole.
She was honed in on two men. One was clearly white. A handsome man with blond-brown hair, desert tanned skinn, and clear ocean blue eyes. The other… looked like a weasel. Irisi was good at pointing out the weasels. They tended to stick close to the strongest of men until they fall. Seemed like this one had about as much loyalty as all men of that particular rodent family. None. She could point out a Eastern European accent. Possibly Czech or Hungarian, but the modern incarnation of herself was fully American and had no true knowledge to give anything but general region. Very general.
She watched the white man. American himself, given the accent. Though he seemed to be holding himself well in the Egyptian sun. Meaning he's been in Egypt for many years. He was brave. She watched him command his men, and when to fire. She watched him bravely stand as it looked as though he was about to be shot.
It was then she felt the first tug of Imhotep being near. She could hear his voice on the air. It wasn't big. Only a simple spell to reshape the earth around him. But it was enough. The sands above where she presumed he was placed shifted, forming a gaping maw. Irisi herself began chanting. Something as soft as a cooling summer breeze, just to calm the being beneath the sands. Calming him back to sleep.
She watched the man stumble out of the city and make his way into the scorching desert; turning only to spy a line of men along the ridge. They were part of neither of the fighting parties as they wore flowing dark clothing and were well away from the city. But Irisi imprinted one or two of them into her memory, having a feeling that they would come in handy sooner or later.
o0o o0o o0o
The scene changed. She found herself, by the plaques on the walls and literature laying around, in the Cairo Museum and Antiquities building. A young woman was on a ladder sorting an arm load of books. Irisi was surprised when she saw the face of the young woman, having to stop herself from kneeling in difference. One, she was nothing more than a ghost. The young woman wouldn't have seen her anyway. Two, this young woman was not her princess. It was her body and soul, but the memories weren't there. Nefertiti was a beautiful restless young warrior. This young woman had a thirst for adventure, but no practical application.
Irisi did have to muffle a laugh as she saw the once princess of all Egypt topple a whole library as if it were a kid playing with dominoes. She was interested to learn a Rameses destroyed Syria. She would have to look into that when she reunited with her body. She was amazed at the easy access of information when she had fully awoken, and her memories returned.
It was when the young reincarnated princess met up with her brother in this life, one she did not have in her previous one, that things started to take an interesting turn. Like any brother, Irisi assumed, he took a bit of joy out of pulling the occasional harmless prank on his sister. He shot a mummy out of it's sarcophagus, causing a jump scare. It was while she was berating him that Irisi felt a rush of the familiar.
The young man, Jonathan by name, brought out a key. Taking a quick glance at the sides, she was able to determine that it was the key to Imhotep's crypt in Hamunaptra. The young princess herself proved that she remembered something of her old life as she devoured the writing on the sides and pushed the necessary points to open it, revealing a folded up piece of papyrus.
"Jonathan," the young woman said excitedly.
"Yes?"
"I think you've found something," she breathes, pulling out the papyrus and opening it. Another quick glance from Irisi, found that it was a map straight to Hamunaptra.
o0o o0o
Carlisle, Esme, and the other Cullens were lead into the throne room 18 hours later. Edward had been removed so he could sleep and eat. Something that he himself hadn't thought about for the past century, had been forcefully brought to the fore when his stomach gave a rather loud gurgling sound. The blush that he produced did not help the thirst of some of the lower guard, and they were all bid by Aro to go hunt to quell the thirst.
Didyme, too, had retired with Marcus, to reacquaint herself with both her husband and this
new time period she found herself in. Neither Aro nor Caius expected to see them for quite some time. Those left in the throne room either circled the walls or the young ancient priestess scrying into the mirror in front of her.
They were all, naturally, extremely worried for their family. Alice had filled Carlisle on all that happened with Edward, and he in turn told his family. They, of course, didn't believe him at the time, though looking on how things were situated now, it caused a seed of doubt to creep into the countenance of them all. That hope, burrowing deeper in one of the younger members, as she searched for her brother.
"Ah! Carlisle, my old friend!" Aro said genially.
"Aro," Carlisle said, holding out his hand. He didn't know exactly how to put all of his worry into words, so he felt it prudent to tell the elder immortal through his gift. Aro took his hand and concentrated over it, as he read Carlisle's thoughts, focusing primarily on the more recent.
"Hmm," Aro intoned as he pulled back and turned towards Felix. "Please, go gather young Edward. Tell him his family is here to see him."
"He is unharmed?" Carlisle breathed in relief. Aro tipped his head to the side in contemplation of the question.
"Depends on your definition, old friend. Have we done anything to him, you wonder? No. No one has touched young Edward except to steer him to his quarters. But he is no longer… well-" Here he trailed off just as Felix and Edward, who had been placed in a room not all that far from the throne room, just for this instance, entered.
"How-?" Rosalie asked in shock as she took in Edward's obviously beating heart.
"Again, not through any power that we here within the Volturi possess," Aro looked towards Bella and those around her. At his distracted glance, the others turned and saw their daughter/sister, sitting cross legged on the floor in front of a mirror with incense burning and a faint smell of blood. Blood, as they now took the time to fully take in, they immediately recognized as Bella's.
"Bella!" Esme said. She took the smallest of steps towards the young woman, and every vampire in the throne room bar the rulers, either growled in warning or tightened ranks around the girl.
"I wouldn't advise trying to break through their ranks to the girl. Right now, she is the safest person in the entire world," Caius told them all.
"Why?" Rosalie asked. "What has she done to earn such difference? Such loyalty of the Volturi?"
"She returned something infinitely precious to us," came Marcus's voice as he and Didyme re-entered the room.
"Brother! We did not think to see you before the month was out at least," Aro said in some surprise.
"And miss everything this young woman may do in the next week?!" Didyme said with a smile and a happy glint in her eye. "You wouldn't dare take my entertainment from me this soon after I've returned, would you brother?"
It was now Carlisle's turn to gasp as a ghost he had only seen in paintings stepped forward and spoke to her brother in such a teasing tone.
"It seems Alice left out key points in her telling of events," Carlisle murmured.
"Indeed. Come, we shall fill in the holes. It won't take long, though we may be in here for a while.
o0o o0o
The next jump had Irisi scrambling a bit for context. The young princess and her brother seemed to be preparing to board a water vessel. Again, Irisi marveled.
"Do you really think he's going to show up?" the princess asked.
"Yes, undoubtedly, knowing my luck," her half groaned back. Irisi was wondering who they were talking about. "He may be a cowboy, but I know the breed. His word is his word."
But the princess was boarding on irrate. "Well, personally I think he's filthy, rude, a complete scoundrel. I don't like him one bit," she said emphatically.
"Anyone I know," a voice cut in. Irisi gasped and then laughed a little at the princess's face. The man who spoke, Irisi could see, was a gorgeous man with sandy brown hair and blue eyes. The same one she had seen earlier. Then she had to wonder at what she missed if the princess had thought him a filthy, rude scoundrel not two minutes ago.
She watched in amusement as the princess floundered out a greeting then her brother greeting the man enthusiastically. Seems he had some skill as a pick pocked, as the man, O'Connell, checked to ensure he still had his pocket book. Then apologized for punching the princess's brother. Now she was really sorry she missed that. Seemed like it could have been funny.
"Mr. O'Connell," Evy, Irisi remembered her brother saying, pushed in. "Can you look me in the eye and guarantee me that this isn't some sort of a flimflam? Because if it is, I am warning you..." she said with a narrowing of the eyes. It looked as though this O'Connell didn't take to kindly to such talk though as he cut in.
"You're warning me? Lady, let me put it this way, my whole damn garrison believed in this so much, that without orders, they marched halfway across Libya and into Egypt to find that city. When we got there, all we found was sand and blood," he said, his eyes showing the haunting truth of his words. Irisi shook her head. The young princess always did like to get herself into trouble. Seems her later counterpart upheld the tradition.
"Let me get your bags," he said, as he grabbed their luggage and boarded the ferry.
Jonathan teased Evy a bit, then they had a conversation with a man who Irisi couldn't help but feel a sense of slimeyness from, before they headed out for their journey across the ageless desert on modern contraptions to find and ancient ruined city.