Chapter 41: Strategy & Implementation

Whitlock Ranch TX: Hacienda

[Charlotte's POV]

Elżbieta called a meeting for all of us to go over her findings about Maria's Army. All of dark shards in the southwest area have been contained and the Leylock energy released from the hubs can be utilized to its fullest potential. Damon asked Vladimir and Stefan to check on the current status of Maria's forces. They will also be scouting different locations to draw her forces to a place of our choosing not hers for the upcoming battle. We will be on a conference call with the brothers. We will send the coordinates to the Volturi once we have settle on a location. We will be discussing ways of preempting some of Maria's battle plans and her talented 'Cold One' hybrids.

Damon is in the kitchen with Bella. They are cooking a feast for everyone. Angela is taking a nap. I prepared the nursery for our youngest members of our family. Sage and I are on diaper and feeding duty until the rest of the family arrives.

[Damon's POV]

Everyone is in the main dining room. It's time to divvy up the assignments for the next forty eight hours. I tap my glass to get everyone's attention. "Nahuel contacted me and he will be here in the next couple of hours. Vladimir and Stefan have found the location to draw Maria's army into. Charlie you will have the lead on this team. We will need the folks with the Fire affinity using wildfires to push Maria's army to where we want them to be. Elżbieta has the coordinates for the start of these wildfires. Sage the air group will be assisting with wind control you will take point for this part of the plan.

Everyone with the affinity for Astral will be working together to make sure our plans are working correctly and let us know if we need to make adjustments. Charlotte will be leading this team.

Elijah you will be working with the affinity for water to push Maria's army inland using the hurricane currently in the gulf, towards central Texas. Pete's group with the Electrical affinity will be helping to reduce Maria's numbers also. Basically we are herding her army to the rendezvous with Vladimir and Stefan. They have contacted Marcus of the Volturi with their information. They are currently on a private plane to that destination. The Cullen's and the Denali's are with them.

Angela before you ask: the location for the upcoming battle is not located near any human habitations. We are keeping this conflict under wraps from the human authorities. All they will know is the effects of the wildfires and the strange weather patterns we will be utilizing. The other schools of magic will be assisting us with this cover up. The Volturi will reach the tactical coordinates for the confrontation within the next four hours.

Finn your Earth affinity group will keep Maria's army contained within the boundaries we set up for the fight. Freya your team will be helping to call down an asteroid into the center of Maria's forces prior to the start of battle. Jacob will be siphoning all magic Maria's army will be utilizing to channel their power into the spell preventing them from casting. This will help us neutralize their magical threat at the beginning of the battle. We all have new additional affinities to work with, just listen to the group leaders and assist where you can.

[Elżbieta's POV]

The coordinates we are pushing Maria's army towards, gives us the best advantage to 'keeping the secret'. It is an old abandoned government weapons testing site. It is posted to keep humans out and it is not on any route for illegal immigrants to pass through. I will be monitoring the satellite feeds and relaying information as it happens. We have the advantage; we will not need to be physically present for the battle. All of our energies will be focused through the Leyline hub that Maria's army will be fighting above.

I have displays up around the room and on the large screen. So each group can keep track and target their actions. The leaders of each group will ask for assistance for specific tasks. That way we can all help and utilize all of our talents to obtain Maria's armies defeat.

Silas laughs. "It will look like a "Cold One" war, without them ever knowing that we assisted one way or another."

Jasper speaks up, "the Volturi need to believe that they are responsible for cleaning up Maria's mess. The surviving Volturi will be reorganized after this conflict. Vladimir, Stefan, Nahuel and Marcus will see to it. If Aro survives he will no longer be their leader."

[Charlie's POV]

Elżbieta has taken over the 'home theater' area of the Hacienda. Her command center is in the back of the room using several computers. She has the huge screen filled with a grid of various displays showing the areas where Maria's army is divided into units. There are other computers with displays in the corners of the room to aid each team. Maria has sent out the call for her troops to meet up at the coordinates we sent to the Volturi.

Elijah's and Pete's group is taking out her team from the Corpus Christi area, using the cover of the hurricane for lightning strikes and downed power lines to take out most of that groups vampires. The survivors are taking an Army transport to Maria's coordinates. I wonder if it will make its' destination. Pete is taking this assignment as a personal challenge to see how many members he can take out before they reach the battleground.

I am encouraging our group to utilize the natural fault lines to disrupt the transports carrying the 'cold ones' to Maria's rendezvous point. Several of the transports have met with accidents that way and with the lightning strikes not many survive. They will be out of range of the Hurricane in another forty five minutes. I wonder how many will survive to make it to Maria's coordinates.

[Sage's POV]

Maria has a group of 'Cold Ones' coming across the border from Mexico west of El Paso. I use the wind to stir the embers of an abandoned camp fire to start the blaze. Charlie's group will contain this wildfire which will engulf the transports that the 'Cold Ones' are using. That will take out thirty of the vampires that she is expecting. We can use the wind gusts to create a mini sandstorm to put out the fires we generated. Charlotte is keeping us informed of where Maria's little groups are showing up. We take out three other groups near Presidio, Del Rio and Eagle Pass. Our group has eliminated one hundred and ten cold ones. Charlotte tells us all of our groups together we have killed twenty three gifted 'Cold Ones'.

[Damon's POV]

Nahuel, Huilen, and two of his sisters arrive. I escort them to the 'home theatre room'. He looks at me amazed at what we are doing. Elżbieta is keeping up a current display of the number eliminated and what talents have been stopped.

"Damon my father has an outpost near Douglas Arizona. Is there any way you can take out the 'Cold One' hybrids there before they can join up with Maria?"

Freya looks up from their display. "I think we can help you with that one." Silas, Amara, Bonnie, Henrik and Jacob sit in a circle holding hands. "Jacob we will help you to siphon out the magic from the 'Cold One' hybrids. They will become vampires like Jasper, Pete and Charlotte. As we channel the spell a crystal sphere appears in the center of our circle. In the compound near Douglas: the altered 'vampires' are fighting each other over blood. They no longer have their 'gifts'. Joham is yelling at them to stop. They turn on him. He does not survive the attack. Maria's eleven 'gifted' hybrids will not make it to the rendezvous. Without Joham she will not be able to make more if she even survives the conflict.

Elżbieta announces that the Volturi have reached the battlefront. We watch as a small asteroid takes out the rear guard of Maria's army just before they reach the battlefield. Leaving her with a hundred and twenty two 'Cold Ones' and eight gifted hybrids as they approach the battlefield. We are watching the conflict from various angles on the large screen. Pete asks, "Did anyone make popcorn?"

Maria's gifted ones manage to kill Jane, Alec, Felix, Chelsea, Corin and Heidi during the first volley. Maria planned to take out the most valuable members of Aro's coven, before they had a chance to strike at her or her army.

Niklaus observes, "Marcus is not with them."

Freya grins. "Marcus has other priorities he is reuniting with his mate. Aro kept them apart. Now that Aro is no longer a threat, they can reunite."

One of the cameras is being held by Vladimir at a safe distance from the battle. Aro was ambushed by five gifted 'Cold Ones'. His body is encased in flames. Caius and Maria are fighting one on one. Caius manages to behead Maria. He tosses her into a bonfire. He is the next to die and thrown into the same pyre by one of Maria's hybrids.

"Nahuel, I think you might want to call Marcus Volturi. There needs to be new leadership for the 'Cold Ones' and your form of hybrid." He nods. "When the battle is over I will give him a call."

"Thank you and your family for helping us defeat Joham, Maria and Aro." He turns back to watch the battle wind down.