Chapter 3
With the appearance of Seth, Bella thought less about Edward and more about Seth - his uncharacteristically calculating red eyes; his animalistic snarl. It hadn't made sense at first, and it still didn't, but with every secret night visit to the dungeons, she was becoming more and more certain that this was no crazy hallucination of hers.
This was not the Seth that she loved.
The Seth that she loved would not have yanked at his chains in an attempt to launch himself at her and tear her apart.
There was someone, something inhabiting her friend's body. Bella had noticed a pattern recently. During training sessions (which had recently become sparser and shorter), whenever Jane inflicted her torture upon him, Seth's eyes had flickered a humanoid brown, but the red had devoured the brown swiftly as soon as the effect faded. Her Seth was in there somewhere – of this, she was certain.
And ironically, Jane's torture seemed to be key in bringing him back.
~.~
Sometimes, in her free time, Bella practiced wrapping her plastic-bag-like shield around passing members of the Guard, switching targets rapidly as they flitted by. They gave no indication that they felt the presence of her shield. Other times, she let her shield descend on the compound like a massive translucent giant dome, expanding and shrinking the dome to the rhythm of a hummingbird's wing beat.
She was born to be a vampire - this she knew in her bones. Felix had been right. Immortality suited her. She was a natural at physical combat, and shield projection was becoming as easy as breathing was to a human being.
If only she'd had her powers during the battle with Victoria's newborns. If only she'd shielded the Cullens. If only… If only Edward had lived.
He would've been proud of her. He would've been so proud of her strength, her dexterity, her power. He would've looked into her eyes and –
Seen the red in them.
He would've been disappointed. He would've been disappointed that she had turned into the monster he'd believed himself inevitably becoming.
She steered her mind away from those thoughts and entered a brightly lit chamber. It looked like a chamber plucked right out from the Roman Empire, its columns reminding her of those in the Pantheon and its marble table littered with intricately carved roman figures.
Demetri looked up upon Bella's arrival. His slender, pale fingers were sprawled across a world map laid open at the centre of a circular marble table. Bella noticed for the first time that his silver ring bore the sigil of a scythe.
He promises a certain death to anyone who dares to cross us.
The scythe of a Reaper.
It was extremely fitting. He was a picture of Death. With blood red eyes, and a cloak the colour of darkness, Bella thought that all he was missing was a scythe - and he would be the perfect Reaper.
It was ironic that an evil like Death wore such a beautiful face.
"You are here," He simply greeted, his attention diverted from his work to her. He did not attempt to kiss her hand anymore. "How is your training with Felix?"
"He kicks my ass slightly less," Bella replied truthfully. Felix was a legend when it came to physical combat, and she imagined that it would take either three full-grown vampires to incapacitate him, or… perhaps one Jane.
Demetri cracked a small smile. "It will shock me if the outcome is any different. But he tells me that you are improving extremely quickly." A pause. "Tomorrow, the leaders meet to discuss if it is time to go to war with Victoria."
Bella perked up at that. She had been waiting for this moment.
"I need a favour, Demetri," She requested, attempting a polite smile. That in itself was difficult with the memory of Seth – or not-Seth's – torture still fresh on her mind. She hoped the smile didn't turn out as a pained grimace. "I need you to bring Seth along to the meeting. Chained or not, I need him to be there."
"And I am obliged to help you… because of?" He angled. "Your stunning grimace?"
Shit. So it had turned out as a grimace.
"It was a smile," Bella snapped. She tried to think of a reason why Demetri should help her, but nothing surfaced. She'd had a skeletal structure of a theoretical game plan (based on an educated hunch) in mind, but she had conveniently left out the beginning part of getting Seth an audience with the Vampire Generals.
She decided to go for the threats.
"Or... I won't shield you during the battle."
She winced at how meek her threat sounded.
He almost laughed. "Even if what you have suggested is not treason, I have survived centuries without a shield. I believe I will be just fine."
She wanted to slap herself in the face. Yeah, that's right Bella, threaten to not protect the world's most fearsome assassin. What a frightening threat – he must be quaking in his boots.
"I will not help you, Bella," Demetri stated curtly. He paused, before continuing – more compassionately this time, "It is for your own good. When the Generals find out about Seth's condition, they will execute him immediately."
Her eyes widened upon hearing that. "You knew that – How? Do you know what has happened to him?"
"I have a hunch," Demetri nodded his head in agreement. "He does not recognise you – in fact, he attempts to attack you on sight. His eyes are not the humanoid eyes of a shapeshifter's, but crimson red. It reminds me of a vampire's."
"So you're saying that Seth is possessed by a vampire?"
"I am guessing," Demetri corrected, looking slightly peeved at her incredulous tone. "That this vampire has the gift of warging." At Bella's frown, he explained, "It is the ability of entering the minds of animals and controlling them. Not unheard of - but Seth is a shapeshifter, which makes this case an unusual one."
"So you're saying," Bella rephrased slowly. "That there is a vampire controlling Seth."
"Guessing," Demetri re-iterated. "Bearing false witness is punishable by death."
Bella rolled her eyes. Who even cared for such specifics?
As though reading her mind, Demetri snapped, "It is law. Bearing false witnesses, false promises – are all punishable by death here."
"So you are guessing," Bella continued, purposefully emphasizing his favourite word, "that Aro will realise that as well and execute Seth to prevent that – that vampire from spying further?"
He nodded. "Yes, that vampire – probably one of Victoria's - has been spying on the Volturi through Seth's eyes. He now knows of your survival, and worse still, your gift. It disadvantages us greatly."
"But there is nothing more to learn," Bella whispered. "Seth is caged in the dungeons all day. We no longer train with him. The vampire can no longer learn anything more." A thought came to Bella's mind. So that was why they had stopped training in the dungeons.
"Do you think the Generals will take those chances?"
It was a rhetorical question. She didn't bother to respond to it because the answer was crystal clear. Aro would have Seth executed immediately. What was one shapeshifter's life compared to the Volturi's secrecy?
To the Volturi, nothing. To her, everything.
She didn't feel good leaving Seth possessed like that. What if one of the Guard members found out and reported this to the Generals? Or if Demetri decided to betray her? Seeing his track record for cruelty, it was likely.
And Seth would die.
"I have a theoretical game plan," Bella said. When Demetri raised his eyebrows, she quickly added, "I mean, it's based on a hunch, and it totally might not work, but..." She paused, trying to recall if there were any upsides to the plan.
There weren't.
~0~
"A competition?" Jane snarled. "You think you can win?"
Bella rolled her eyes. "I know I can win."
Jane scoffed. "Your delusion is cute," She mocked. "But I have better things to do than to play childish games with a newborn. And amid this… stench too."
"What better things?" Bella egged. "You mean, torture puppies?"
Instinctively, Jane tried to deploy her crippling powers on Bella, only for it to falter against her mental shield. That only seemed to fuel her anger further.
"You know what's better than torturing puppies?" Bella continued snidely. "Shapeshifters." She looked Seth dead in his crimson eyes, and for the first time, she was close enough to notice the fear pooling in his eyes. Good. The vampire was scared. Could it be that her hunch was right? That the vampire shared a mental link with Seth's wolf form?
Jane immediately turned her attention to the chained wolf, attacking him with the fiercest intensity she could muster. Bella shielded Seth easily, smiling as hundreds of blunt-end needles rained down upon her shield.
"Seems like I've won," Bella taunted. "Maybe you should go back to torturing your puppies."
Jane snarled, pressing at her mental shield with heightened intensity. Bella laughed. "That's all you have? Come on, at least give me a fight."
The hundreds of blunt-end needles intensified to thousands of blunt knife stabs, and Bella wondered for a moment if that kind of intensity could kill a vampire. Or Seth. Perhaps she had pushed Jane too far.
She couldn't afford to hesitate now. Pushing back her qualms, Bella willed her streamer-like shield to slowly unravel around Seth. Seth's anguished howls began, but yet Bella continued – untying her shield like a ribbon. The wolf's howls were almost too painful to bear, but still she forced herself to continue, tearing away at her shield like a savage dog until there was nothing left.
A battle of colours raged in Seth's eyes – red and brown. But now, the red seemed to be gradually fading out like a dying lamp.
The vampire now bore the full brunt of Jane's wrath. Bella wondered how much that hurt. Did it hurt as much as she did – having to watch Seth writhe on the ground like a dying fish?
The seconds that dragged by felt like hours. Questions slammed into her like a spray of bullets. Should she end this here? Perhaps, she'd been wrong about the mental link. Perhaps there was another way.
And then a more desperate, irrational thought. Perhaps she could convince the Volturi to authorize Demetri's mission to destroy this vampire, without somehow revealing Seth's condition.
Yes, that would be better. If Seth died because of her, so would her will to live. She would never forgive herself if–
The red disintegrated into a honey-brown.
Bella's snapped her shield back into place, protecting the brown-eyed Mexican wolf with everything she had. The wolf's humanoid brown eyes reflected initial disbelief, which was quickly replaced with recognition and immense relief. Tears pooled in his eyes, and for a moment, Bella thought she could hear Seth's familiar boyish voice in her head.
Thank God you're alive.
She fell to her knees, hand cupped around her mouth.
Jane took it as a sign of her victory. "I win," She declared with a snarky smile.
Seth's golden-brown eyes met hers. Bella smiled. "No, I win."
And before anything else could be discussed, the wolf morphed into a tanned boy with shaggy black hair. The chains, now oversized, slid off his lean body, and clattered against the marble floor.
The boy fainted.
~.~
They had switched Seth's cell to a more human-like one. He had a simple sofa-bed now, but he remained separated from her by the trunk thick iron bars. She had stood outside the unconscious boy's cell day and night, until Demetri had eventually let her enter the cell. She was often accompanied by Demetri himself, and sometimes, other reluctant members of the Guard. Occasionally, Jane tagged along, but only to remind her that her shield had been too weak to protect Seth.
But one day, while Demetri stood guard beside her, Seth's golden-brown eyes finally flickered open. Bella reacted by hugging Seth, while Demetri reacted by nearly decapitating the poor boy. It was conventional assassin instinct, Bella guessed, but it still nearly stopped her heart for a second time. If that was possible.
"What a warm welcome," Seth joked, struggling to sit upright. His ebony hair was a tousled mess.
Bella grasped his hand in relief. Seth winced. "That kind of hurts, Bella." His laugh was boyish, familiar. Like nothing had changed between them. "So you're a vampire now, huh? Is it true that we smell bad to you?"
Bella shook her head, although he did. Her throat was choked with emotions. "I thought… I'm so glad you're alive Seth. I just really…" She swallowed. "I don't know. I thought you guys all left me."
"I thought I lost you too," Seth whispered. He smiled tearfully. They hugged again, this time longer. She hadn't realised how much she missed this feeling – feeling loved, until now. Had she really believed she could live on without this?
Demetri looked so uncomfortable that it was rather hilarious. Bella wondered offhandedly if he had ever loved somebody.
Someone like him?
Probably not. He was not a character with weaknesses.
Bella turned her attention back to Seth. "So it's just us against the world now," She whispered, though she was pretty sure Demetri had heard that. That was the problem with vampiric hearing.
"It's not just us," Seth revealed. "The pack, they lived."
Bella stared at him, at a loss of words. Her chest swelled with happiness. Could this day get any better?
"I mean almost all the pack," Seth babbled on. "Jacob, Leah, you know the usual. Victoria spared them – "
"Because she intends to use them as weapons," Understanding laced Demetri's words. Both Bella and Seth glanced towards Demetri, who had spoken for the first time.
Seth nodded, looking a bit frightened now. Bella could hear his heartbeat quickening. "There's a vampire. His name is Joel. He has a strange gift - he can control us when we are in wolf form. Initially, he controlled me because he wanted a spy in the Volturi. But when he found out about you and your gift, he wanted to kill you. I could feel his urges and I was so scared, Bella, but I couldn't get out. His will was too strong."
A target over her head wasn't new to Bella – James had hunted her before. But a target over her head because people feared her power? That was definitely new.
Seth swallowed fearfully before continuing, "Victoria intends for him to control the rest of the pack. She has imprisoned the rest of them, and she's going to use them in the battle against the Volturi."
"How do you know all this?" Demetri questioned, eyebrows drawn.
Seth pointed at his forehead. "Because I'm communicating with my pack right now, even as we speak." He broke into a cheery smile. "They're extremely elated that you're alive, Bella. Especially Jacob. We all thought…" His voice broke off. "You know."
Bella smiled. Of course, the Quileute tribe's telepathic connection! How could she have forgotten? Bella had believed that Seth's consciousness would've allowed her to shed more light on Victoria's army, but now that the Jacob and the rest had also lived, through Seth, they basically had a canine intelligence force at their service.
Demetri seemed to realise that as well. "What else do they know of Victoria's army?"
Bella glared at him. "My turn first. Queue, please." She turned to Seth, her face grim with determination. "Can you tell them – the rest of them, that I will save them? Tell them that I won't give up until I find a way."
Seth nodded before clapping his hands. "Done. Oh yeah, and Jacob says to tell you that they're fine, you don't have to worry."
Demetri sighed. "That is a moving declaration indeed, but can we please cut the theatrics and focus on the facts?"
"Is anything even moving to you?" Bella retorted.
"Not when it gets in the way of my work."
"Sorry if my whole family dying, and me attempting to reconnect with my last remaining kin gets in the way of your work."
Seth laughed at that, his eyes crinkling into the shape of a crescent moon. "Guys!"
And for the first time since she had awoken to porcelain white skin, Bella laughed. It felt good. Her comment wasn't funny really, but one look at Demetri's peeved face alerted her to fact that she'd been so annoying that she'd completely disintegrated his practiced expression of indifference. That was funny.
"Okay, so… What else do they know of Victoria's army?"
~.~
A large metallic dial marked the center of the raised platform. Three magnificent thrones, embellished with flecks of gold and topped with golden spikes, sat atop the dial. The thrones were adorned with beautiful, circular headrests, a large unique precious stone embedded into each one. Sapphire blue, ruby red, and emerald green - Bella recognized that each stone represented a King - Marcus, Aro and Caius. Behind the thrones, a colossal, vibrant painted glass window peeked out from behind a pair of inordinately designed handwoven silk curtains.
The three Kings sat atop their thrones, listening to Bella's recollection of Seth's condition. Bella couldn't help but notice that Caius's outfit was particularly diverting today. He had topped his bright-red turtleneck tee with an obsidian-black blazer, completing his look with a burgundy scarf woven from the pelt of his enemies - werewolves. He looked utterly gothic with his snow-white hair and crimson-red eyes, and the deathly glare that he was currently pinning her with fit in well with his whole look.
Bella couldn't help but feel like a tiny fly in the presence of three Venus flytraps, all who seemed determined to swallow her whole.
After stroking his silver pendant for what seemed like eternity, Aro spoke at last. "Ah, but lovely Bella, do tell me this: How can I verify your candour?" He arose from his throne, descending the recrystallized calcite stairway at human speed. "Your story sounds like a tall tale - farfetched and unimaginable, and I am simply unable to read your thoughts."
"Then will you read Seth's thoughts?" Bella pressed, stepping closer to Aro. This was far more difficult than she had anticipated. "And Demetri's?"
Caius sneered from atop his throne. "Do you expect a Volturi King to touch the hand of a mutt? He should be removed, lest he infects us all with his stench!"
Seth looked like he was about to explode in anger. Two guard members restrained him as he attempted to break free.
"Ah Caius," Marcus drawled. He sounded bored with this meeting. "Perhaps you are too rash. I believe that there is some truth to this story. If what Bella says is true, we do have quite an advantage."
Aro seemed to be deep in thought. He was a good mix of Caius's scorn and Marcus's indifference, putting him right on the fence.
After a moment of silence, Aro beckoned for the Guards to bring Seth over. "Very well," He said. "Come over, shape-shifter."
When Seth approached, Aro touched his hand fleetingly. Bella wondered if the Volturi truly viewed shapeshifters as lepers. It certainly looked like they it. Granted, shifters smelt bad, but body odour wasn't exactly contagious.
After a moment of two, Aro's eyes sparkled with maniacal delight. "Ah, interesting, very interesting." He gestured for Demetri to approach. "My dear Demetri?"
Demetri complied, face impartial as he took Aro's hand.
Aro's lips turned downwards as he let go of Demetri's hand. The change in his expression was rather theatrical. He would've made a great actor. "Ah, it saddens me…" Aro trailed off. "That you plotted against me. I doted on you and allowed you almost free reign, and yet you choose to conceal information from me."
Aro's 'sadness' seemed to have no effect on Demetri. "You would have executed him on sight," Demetri repeated, even though Aro had probably already seen that. "Killing its host does not eradicate the warg – it simply finds a new one. It would have been a needless death."
Aro frowned. "You would risk the Volturi's secrecy for a needless death?"
"I believed that the shapeshifter had information on Victoria's army." Demetri added. "I believed that the warg was bound to release the shapeshifter. Possessing him no longer served much of a purpose, with the shapeshifter imprisoned in the dungeons. But alas, I was wrong. The reason Joel held on was not to spy. The newborn's poor acumen led him to hold on with the fragile hope of killing our only shield, Bella." He paused. "But Bella discovered a way of forcing him out, as you saw for yourself. And now, we have obtained the intelligence we need."
Bella rolled her eyes. Of course, Demetri and his ulterior motives – they always came together as a package. Would it hurt him to do one decent, sincere thing?
Aro shook his head mock sadly. He sounded like he was chastising a child. Demetri's features remained impartial. "My dear Demetri, has the extensive power I have bestowed upon you goaded you into believing that you can override my decision?"
Marcus touched Aro's hand. "Ah Aro, I sense that Demetri's loyalty to you remains unwavering in its strength. I have reason to believe that he did what he believed was right."
For the Volturi. She thought. Always the goddamn Volturi. Bella glared at the beautiful vampire who seemed wilfully oblivious to her burning gaze.
Marcus's assurance seemed to pacify Aro for now. "The shapeshifters say…" Aro's hawk-eyes fixated themselves on Seth. "Victoria has gathered close to 50 vampires, mostly newborns. According to them, five of these vampires have devastating gifts."
There were a couple of uncomfortable glancing amongst the Volturi Guard. Granted, most of these newborns were untrained, but that was nearly double the number of the Guard.
"I cautioned you," Caius hissed. "I cautioned all of you about the consequences of waiting. We should have obliterated these miscreants weeks ago. We are biding our time like weaklings, and with every day, we lose respect from the masses."
"Weeks ago," Marcus corrected Caius. "Bella was not ready. Without her shield, we would have suffered more losses."
Aro nodded in agreement. "Brother Marcus is right, Volturi lives are precious." When Caius attempted to argue with that, Aro raised his hands to cut him off. Caius shut his mouth, but his trademark scowl remained etched on his features.
"There is more," Aro announced. "The warg intends to use the six shifters against us."
"We must kill the warg," Bella said. "To even out the odds." Several Voltui members nodded, Alec being one of them.
"Ah, this!" Aro clapped his hands gleefully, like a little kid who'd just received candy. "I saw your plan in their minds. Will you be so kind as to articulate it for the rest to hear?"
Bella nodded. "The warg leaves Victoria's camp to look for animals to inhabit for spying purposes. He usually takes Leah with him when he does. My friend, Jacob – he will inform Seth. Accompanied by Seth, Demetri can hunt him down and kill him when he is alone."
"Seth or Leah will penetrate Victoria's fort. Victoria's vampires will allow them to pass as they are used to the warg's animals patrolling the site. They will free the rest of the Quileute pack. And before they realise that anything is amiss, we would've surrounded their fort."
"Ah, but your shapeshifter friends will not have the red hued eyes of the possessed," Marcus pointed out.
Bella shrugged. "Coloured contacts. They're everywhere these days."
"Interesting," Marcus agreed. "But what of the freed shapeshifters?"
Aro smiled. "She intends to have them attack Victoria's army from behind. Devious indeed - they will be quite thrown off."
"But what makes you think that those mutts will help us?" Caius eyed Seth with complete disdain. Rudeness was imprinted in his DNA, but he still had a good point. Shapeshifters and vampires had shared a deep-seated hatred for each other for generations.
Seth glared at him.
"You're really making us reconsider our decision," Seth groaned. "Seriously Bella, is there really no other way? Must we fight with these snobbish bloodsuckers?"
Caius arose from his throne in anger and pointed straight at Seth. "Guards – "
"Brother Caius!" Aro exclaimed. "Let us not be rash. I want to hear them out."
"They killed the Cullens," Seth seethed. "They imprisoned us, tried to turn us into mindless weapons. Why wouldn't we fight? The Quileute wolves are not cowards."
"And there is something else," Bella spoke up. Seth and Demetri both looked at her. She had not discussed this with them. She thought about how to phrase this. "If they fight for you," She began slowly. "You must free them all when the battle is over. And… You will free Seth now. He will not be a prisoner here." She wouldn't put this above the Volturi.
What surfaced was a rapid discussion in Italian. Bella figured that they had done this on purpose. All three Generals could speak perfect English, and she had realized that they preferred English to Italian as a medium of communication. They still spoke Italian to the locals who served them, and certain members of the Guard, like Santiago, whose English vocabulary was rather limited.
Finally, Caius, unhappy with the decision, slammed his fist against his armrest. He turned to Aro and yelled, "Incredibile! You would let these werewolves roam free? After all the havoc and misery they have caused?"
"Are you actually stupid?" Seth snapped at him.
"They are not children of the moon," Marcus corrected, before Caius could overreact again. "They are shapeshifters. They live peaceful lives away from the Vampires."
Caius growled. "Either way, we do not need mutts to fight our battles. It reflects poorly on the Volturi."
"Okay," Seth turned to Bella, clearly annoyed. "He is actually stupid."
Caius looked like he wanted to behead Seth on the spot.
"Brother Caius," Aro explained patiently. "We are outnumbered almost 2 to 1. These shifters offer us an unparalleled advantage of both surprise and strength." He paused then directed his words back to Bella. "Tell me now, my dear Bella, if I free all the Quilete wolves – your friend here included, how do I know you will not betray us on the battlefield? We cannot keep track of you: Chelsea cannot bind you; I have no access to your thoughts. Surely, you can understand my anxiety?"
"But what if you did? What if you had access to my thoughts?" Bella asked.
"Then I would agree," Aro said slyly. "With knowledge, comes assurance. But alas, I do not."
"Is that a promise I hear?"
A confident smirk. "It is indeed, lovely Bella."
A long pause.
"Since you promised," She emphasized. "Then let me show you."
Retracting her inner shield, she walked up to Aro and touched his hand.
~.~
HELLO GUYS! Thanks for all your reviews, follows and favourites! They are really encouraging!
Man, kind of sucks because school is starting, but I will HOPEFULLY try and update regularly. ANYWAY, ENJOY!
DISCLAIMER: None of these characters are mine. They belong to Stephenie Meyer, although I wish Felix and Demetri are mine wahahah. Also, I copied the term 'warg' from Game of Thrones because I really can't think of another term for that kind of power. I am just not very creative hahah.