So here goes another chapter, sorry I left you hanging but I wasn't ready to continue on with Caius' arrival, but now I am so enjoy and tell me what you think.
Chapter 21 Caius
"Hello dear brother," he said not even looking in Aro's direction, but focusing his attention on me, now I was nervous, what was in store for me now?
Caius had never seemed like the kind that would be too intimidating, but as he came to stand in front of me, I became suddenly aware that I was wrong. Even though I knew he didn't have any real powers, I felt like he could destroy me in seconds with just a blink of an eye.
All of a sudden, I wasn't so cocky to think I wasn't afraid of the Volturi now, even though I felt like Aro was manageable, Caius was a different story.
"Bella, Bella, Bella, how things change, don't they? One minute I am begging my brother not to let you leave Italy alive, and now, here you are, supposedly Queen of us all, strange how things happen in our world dear," his voice left an eerie feeling creep across my pale skin.
"Of course I never expected any of this, but this is what I have been dealt," I was rendered speechless when I saw his gaze shift from my eyes, over to Renesmee who was in Edward's arms.
"And her, your child, half human, half vampire. Who would have even guessed it was possible? There is definitely something about you Isabella that is different, don't you think Aro?" he said turning to his gloating brother.
"She would make a great addition to the guard Caius, but she is too defiant for me, and as much as I would like to keep her, its too risky to do so," he said seeming almost too disappointed for my taste.
"So what do you think we should do about her?" Caius questioned.
"I think I will leave that up to you brother, I am not in the mood to deal with her anymore, whatever you decide will be just fine for her punishment for being such a disobedient problem," Aro made a shooing motion as he made his way to the door, as if he were leaving.
"I think she would be an asset with the guard really, and as for punishment, I think the only one to be punished should be you dear brother," Caius' voice was seething.
Aro stopped dead in his tracks, turning back towards where we all stood with a look of confusing splashing over him, and to be honest I think we all may have been a little stunned as well, what did Caius mean.
"Excuse me? What do you mean by I should be punished?" Aro's eyes were locked with Caius.
"Well you see, really its quite simple to understand, not only did you hide this prophecy from Marcus and myself, but you tried to use it to gain your own power. You have always thought you were better than us, you always tried to make the rules, and like obedient servants, we always went along with whatever plan you had. It is about time you learn your place among us, so Isabella and her family will not be punished for any crimes they didn't commit, but you, you are a different story," was Caius really turning against Aro, this had never happened before.
"You don't decide anything, you have no power over me, who do you think you are?" Aro had usually kept his temper under control, but slowly he was loosing the will do so. Caius was in all reality challenging him.
"You are right, I don't have any power over you, but you also have no protection for yourself either," he said waving his hand as if to command something, and in doing so, Joel, Valentino and Mary left Aro's side, he was truly alone now.
"Alec, would you and Felix take Aro outside?" Caius asked as if it were nothing of a big deal at the point now turning his attention back to me.
"As you wish," Felix replied Valentino and Joel helped escort a now furious and struggling Aro out our back doors.
"Caius, may I ask what this is about?" Carlisle said stepping forward in front of us.
"Carlisle, how long have we been friends? Too long. To be honest this has really little to do with your family, Marcus and I have been searching for the right time to take care of Aro, he has been a thorn in our sides and it was now we took the opportunity to pull him off his high horse. I do apologize for his actions, but it does not detour why he came in the first place. There are matters of Bella and Edward that need to be dealt with, in a healthier way than Aro intended," Caius's words shocked and stunned us all, especially Carlisle.
Carlisle had spend time in the guard and knew Aro, Marcus and Caius better than any of us did, I don't think he even understood the depths of what Caius was revealing to us. It hit him like a ton of bricks and he even had to make his way back to the couch to sit and take it all in.
"What do you think about this whole screwed up situation we seem to be in," I questioned Caius.
"See Bella, you see things in a differing manner than Marcus and myself, you see this as a problem, but we see it as an opportunity. You mustn't see the negative in life, but the positive in death. By that I mean, when you were human there was that constant promise of death at the end of an unfulfilled life, but living in death now, you have an eternity to change the way things are for yourself, do you understand any of that?" Caius asked making sure I was following him.
I nodded my head, still at a loss for words.
"Queen Isabella, hmm, I like the sound of that, and I know its a lot to take in right now but you have to understand, you were chosen for this, fate has dealt you these cards, and you can play them however you like, but as for you Edward," he said now turning his attention to my still on edge husband.
"You I must give credit to, just the thought of losing Bella made you do things that could have risked everything for you, especially your existence. Most would not have done what you have, and as we speak you are still being poisoned, until the ritual is complete, which is the real reason why I am here Bella," he said turning his attention back to me.
"Even Aro was naïve to think he had all the answers, that he knew what he was doing, if he would have put the bracelet on Ryan, it would have poisoned him as well, even being a pure blood. To clear up any confusion there my be right now, I have the final piece to the ritual, Aro didn't even know about it and to help you accomplish this Bella, I knew I had to bring it to you before it was too late for Edward," he said handing me another scroll, but much smaller than the others.
"What does this have to do with the ritual? I cant read any of this, its written in the old language, Jasper can you translate this at all," I said passing it to him.
I watched him study it for a few minutes before a look of horror appeared on his stern face, what could he have translated that would make him react this way.
"Jasper what is it, what does it say?" a worried Carlisle questioned.
A few more tense and silent moments passed before he opened his mouth to speak, but he seemed to struggle with what to say. He would keep opening and closing his mouth and nothing was coming out.
"Sacrifice, there has to be a human sacrifice for the ritual to be completed," Caius said knowing Jasper was struggling with how to tell us.
"What? How?" I was stumbling to figure out what this meant when I already truly knew. "Who?" the question I had to ask before I exploded, I couldn't take it anymore, if it came down to it, I would never be able to kill a human to make me a queen.
"Its really a lot easier than you think it may be, it doesn't have to be any human in specific, just as long as the blood flows through their veins and they are breathing. Like I said, I am here for a reason and this is what I want to gift you with, so to say," was he really serious, he wanted to murder someone for me, for us? Why and who?
Before we could conjure anything to say in response, he addressed what seemed to be on our minds, "I wont actually kill a real human and I will still be able to make the ritual work."
"But how, the scrolls says one must be alive and breathing to be sacrificed, and that a sacrifice must be performed for it to be finished," Jasper was more confused than any of us, seeing he read the scrolls.
"You see, I have a power almost no one knows about, even my dear brother Aro has no idea, just Marcus and myself and now you all," he paused and turned towards the door, "Felix, Aro's presence is requested inside, would you indulge me with that please?"
Aro came through the back door being almost carried by Valentino and Joel, he looked like he had been roughed up pretty bad, there were bite marks all over his body and from the looks of it, he seemed to be paralyzed to all of our shock.
"Thank you, leave him on the floor at my feet will you please, and then you are all excused and I will see you back in Italy, now please go," Caius was acting pretty strange and for what reason I had no idea.
He was sending away his guard and as they were leaving, Mary seemed to stay, she didn't even flinch when Aro was brought in, and didn't think twice about following Caius's orders to leave.
"Felix's power is in his venom, it has paralyzing qualities as you see," he said pointing to Aro at his feet.
Suddenly we were pulled from Caius and to Edward as he dropped to the floor in pain, his eyes were a torturous green and he was gasping for air, as if he honestly needed it to survive.
"What is wrong with him?" I said kneeling besides him on the floor as he struggled with what I would assume would be the poison.
"He is dying, the ritual hasn't been completed and it needs to be done now," Caius looked almost as desperate as I did.
Caius reached down and put a hand on Aro's forehead and began to focus, on what, I wasn't quite sure and I was anxious to ask but I didn't want to interrupt him if it was something important.
The changes were small but noticeable, first the smell of blood, human blood, nothing was thought too much of it, seeing I had it running through my veins, but it smelled off, stale even. Then it was the thumping that was heard next, almost undecipherable till it got louder, a heartbeat, it was faint but there. Then we heard another sharp intake of breath, which I thought came from Edward, and in all reality came from Aro.
It was all starting to come together, the sacrifice was Aro, and it was Caius's power to make him human, now I understood why he kept his power secret, so many would be after him if they knew what he was capable of.
Finally Caius stumbled back and fell into the chair with Mary by his side, shielding him, she must have been in on this the whole time and Aro had no idea because she was a shield she could hide it from him, how clever of her.
"Are you alright dude, that was intense?" Emmett spoke up first of us.
"Yes I am fine, sometimes it drains me to do that, and I assume you all know that Aro is now human, and still paralyzed none the less, and so this is my gift to you. I am giving you Aro… … …"