"1687!" Bella cried, gaping at the newspaper's date in shock. "How did we….? It's not possible, is it?" How could we have gone back 320 years into the past?"
"Simple," Vermundr replied, reappearing among them and tossing a burlap sack filled with spare clothing over to Jacob, who promptly carried it off in his mouth. "After all, there is only one thing that could cause that smell."
"Smell? What smell?" Carlisle asked. Vermundr smiled in response to the question.
"I'm not all that surprised you didn't notice it earlier. It is a rather subtle scent if you aren't already well-acquainted with it. However, if you take a good sniff, you lot should be able to notice a faint smell around you. You could almost describe it as a mixture of… burnt wood and melted iron. There's only one thing that could cause that smell. Magic."
"I had wondered about your unusual clothing," Abraham commented, glancing down at the modern-day clothing from the 21st century that the Cullens were wearing. "I suppose this explains it. You are not from this time."
"But how could we have been brought here by magic?" Alice asked. "We don't know anyone who uses it."
"The fog," Edward spoke in realization. "That fog that came out of nowhere, only to disappear once the troll appeared."
"But where did the fog come from?" Bella questioned. "If it was created by magic, who cast the spell?"
"And how do we get back?" Jacob asked, stepping back out of the bushes, smoothing out the loose-fitting shirt he had changed into. "There is a way back, isn't there." Abraham pursed his lips in contemplation for a long moment before sharing a pointed glance with Vermundr.
"There… might be a way," he spoke slowly. "But it's not going to be easy. In fact, it might even be impossible."
"Might be impossible?" Vermundr let out a half growl of disgruntlement. "Abraham, we are speaking about the same Baba Yaga, are we not?"
"Who's Baba Yaga?" Alice spoke up.
"An old gypsy witch Vermundr and I are acquainted with." Abraham explained. "And a very powerful one at that. Unfortunately, Baba Yaga is a very disagreeable woman, and she isn't known to use her magic to benefit others. It will not help that she has a particular dislike for Vermundr and myself. You see… a few years back, Vermundr and I were dealing with a hobgoblin, and we inadvertently spooked a nearby centicore herd. The centicore stampede went right through Baba Yaga's garden, and left it completely trampled. Baba Yaga's abhorred us ever since.
"So, as you can conclude, it will not be an easy task to convince Baba Yaga to help you get back to your time. However, she is the most powerful witch we know, and therefore, our only option."
"In that case, we'll have to risk it," Carlisle decided. "When can you take us to see her?"
"I'm afraid that will have to wait until tomorrow morning," Abraham responded apologetically. "It is a half-day's journey to Baba Yaga's dwelling, and the day will be done before we even reach midway. It is extremely foolish to travel anywhere after sundown. Believe what I say when I tell you that there are far worse things than trolls lurking along the road at night. There is nothing else we can do but to return to the estate and set off shortly after dawn."
"If you're ready, I can lead you to the estate now," Vermundr offered. "Like Abraham said, the night is coming nearer every moment, and I'd feel better if we were both home before the sun sets. Once we're there, we'll have plenty of time to talk. After all, I'm sure you have just as much interest in us as we have about you and what the world is like in your time."
"In that case, lead the way," Edward suggested, fixing him with a look that he usually adopted when he was having a nonverbal conversation with Alice.
"All right then," Abraham said, turning to Vermundr. "I'll see you back home, then."
"Safe journey, my friend," Vermundr replied. Then, much to the confusion, surprise, and, in Jacob's case mild disgust, Abraham and Vermundr spat into their palms in unison before shaking hands. Without another word, Abraham turned and slipped off into the surrounding vegetation.
"What was that about?" Jacob asked in revulsion. "He just…willingly made contact with your…"
"I would be happy to explain it to you," Vermundr answered with a sly grin. "Unless you'd like to do so for me, Edward?"
"I take it you're not even going to try to hide it anymore, are you?" Edward returned the smile.
"Considering that you no doubt already know all about my secrets, and will undoubtedly tell the rest of you family about it before long, I see no point in trying to keep them covered up," Vermundr shrugged.
"What are you two talking about?" Carlisle stepped in, voicing everyone's question.
"Vermundr has a gift of his own," Edward announced. "We all know that Alice can see the future. Vermundr is, in a way, the exact opposite. He sees the past. More specifically, your personal past. All he has to do is make eye contact with someone, and he'll know your entire history. That's what he was doing earlier, when he was studying you, Carlisle. He was checking to see where we came from, to make absolutely sure that we were trustworthy."
"So…he knows everything about us now?" Bella realized.
"I am sorry if you feel it is an invasion of privacy," Vermundr apologized. "Please understand that I was simply trying to ensure you would not be a danger to Abraham. For reasons I do not wish to go into at the moment, we are always leery of newcomers, and my first priority will always be the safety of my family. And this is especially true when it comes to Abraham."
"Out of curiosity," Alice began. "We know quite a bit about this time period, since Carlisle was changed around this time. From what I've always been able to tell, the vampires of this century were greatly feared by humans. So… how did you end up being partnered to a human who chases after monsters?"
"That is a very good question," Vermundr commented, motioning for everyone to follow him as he started striding off. "I hope you'll forgive me, but I'm going to have to ask you to wait until we're back at the estate with Abraham. He's much better at telling that story than I am. After all, it is really his story, not mine. All I can say is that I owe Abraham far more than I can ever repay him, no matter how long I walk this Earth."
As Vermundr continued to lead the way through the woods, the Cullens followed him in silence. Even though his last statement was far from hostile or exasperated, there was still a subtle undertone in his voice that suggested he was through talking for the time being. However, this gave them all a chance to think about their situation. While it had been established that they had somehow ended up going back in time by some sort of magic, there was still the question of where the magic had came from. No matter how hard they thought back to earlier, no one could remember smelling anyone else around at the time the fog had first appeared. If someone had cast the spell that sent them here, why hadn't they been able to tell somebody else was around?
Then, there was the question of Baba Yaga. While Abraham and Vermundr had made it clear that she was their best chance of getting back home to their time, there was still the possibility that she would not be willing to help. What would they do if that ended up being the case? Would they have to simply adjust to living in this time and wait until they reached the year 2007 again before returning to Forks? Could they really wait that long before seeing their families again?
"I'm sorry," Alice spoke after they'd traveled for a few miles in silence. "I should have mentioned it to you this morning."
"Mentioned what, Alice?" Carlisle asked.
"I…earlier, I did sense something, before you, Esme, Emmett and Rosalie came back from town," she admitted. "But it wasn't very clear at all. Like I told Jasper, it was almost like trying to see through frosted glass. I was going to tell you all tomorrow because I didn't want to keep anyone from enjoying the party we were supposed to have today. Maybe…this is what I was seeing."
"Thanks for the warning, Alice," Jacob sighed.
"Come on, Jake," Bella reasoned. "She couldn't have known this would have happened. She just said the vision wasn't clear. There was no way she could have known what it meant."
"But why wasn't it clear?" Alice wondered again. "If this was what I was seeing, then why was it so faint?"
"Hasn't it been established that you can just see the future?" Vermudr inputted, making everyone nearly start. They hadn't realized that he had stopped walking and had turned to face them.
"What's that got to do with it?" Jacob questioned.
"Well, it makes sense to me," Vermundr explained. "If Alice can just see the future, then she wouldn't have been able to clearly see going back in time, would she? Because to do that, she'd have to see the past as well. Then again, I have never given too much thought to the extra gifts some vampires have. Abraham's the thinker, not me. You'd have better luck talking to him about it.
"Anyway, we've here." With that, Vermundr pushed aside a thick curtain of lush branches and vines, revealing a perfectly square clearing with a two story house constructed from limestone standing in the exact center. A thick cover of English Ivy was growing up the northern side of the house, reaching up to just below the sill of the second story windows. Behind the house, there appeared to be a small horse stable, with a doorless shed constructed from the same material as the house a short distance away.
"Well, there it is," Vermundr announced, smiling at the sight of the house. "Home. And since the wagon is already there by the stable, I suppose Abraham has beaten us here."
"This is where you live?" Bella inquired.
"Well, I realize it might not compare to that white house you lot are from," Vermundr chuckled. "But I like to think Abraham did more than a passable job."
"Wait a minute!" Jacob cried. "You're saying this Abraham made this house?"
"Well, you didn't actually think he started out chasing after beasts and monsters, did you?" Vermundr pointed out, a teasing tone in his voice. "He didn't start doing that until after we met." Still chuckling to himself, Vermundr led everyone up to the limestone house to lead them indoors, the setting sun shining down on all of them as they went.
Inside, the house was revealed to be modestly furnished, but the details that had gone into the design more than made up for it. A stairwell with an elaborately carved railing wrapping itself along the left and back walls, ending with a platform built into the right wall. Two arching doorways, one straight ahead and the other to the right, beneath the platform, could also be seen. On the wall by the door, there was a plaque constructed of a rich chestnut colored wood and what looked like pure silver, where Abraham's crossbow had been left hanging.
"Abraham really built all of this?" Alice asked in amazement.
"Well, it was his design," Vermundr admitted. "But we shared the actual manual work."
At that moment, two women appeared through the doorway to the right, both dressed in simple but pretty dresses. The first woman looked quite young, with long brown hair pulled back into a loose, looping bun, while the second woman was at least twenty years older, with heavy curls and a few hints of forming wrinkles on her face. The younger woman smiled openly upon seeing them, but her companion instantly froze on the spot, staring at everyone with a sudden look of wariness.
"Vermundr, welcome back!" the first woman greeted happily, stepping forward and embracing him like a brother.
"Good to be back, Cassie," Vermundr replied with a wide smile, casually patting her back. Immediately, the other woman let out a soft sound, almost like a frightened whimper.
"Oh, Felicity," Cassie turned back to the other woman, a sympathetic look on her face. "Abraham and I have already told you. You have no real reason to be fearful of Vermundr. He would never harm you or your children."
"No, of course not," Vermundr agreed. "You have my word on that." After a moment of silence, the woman they'd called Felicity made a slight movement, as if she was about to step forward but lost her nerve to do so.
"Forgive me, Cassandra," she apologized. "But I better go back and see to the kitchens." Without another word, Felicity retreated back the way she came.
"Oh, dear," Cassie sighed. "And I thought I'm managed to alleviate her fears about being here."
"It is all right, Cassie," Vermundr announced, giving her a small smile. "After all, she's just lost her husband. It would be unrealistic to expect her to adjust so soon. And apart from that, it is in her nature as a human to have fear of my lot. This we cannot change. Do not forget that it also took you some time before you became used to me."
"Well," Cassie began, mirroring his smile. "I suppose you do have a point; I was slightly alarmed when I first saw you." At these words, Vermundr threw his head back, giving a loud, boisterous laugh.
"'Alarmed', she says," he chuckled. "You threw a knife at my head. Along with a skillet, a ladle, and a ham bone."
"And you simply stood there with a dumbfounded look on your face," Cassie recollected. "Staring at me as if I had suddenly sprouted a pair of antlers."
"And could you blame me?" Vermundr asked with a large grin. "You were throwing random objects at a vampire, as if that would actually accomplish something."
"Well, fortunately for me, the vampire I was throwing random objects at was you," Cassie replied before turning to face the Cullens. "And these must be the ones Abraham said you encountered while taking out the troll."
"Yes, these would be them," Vermundr confirmed. Without further preamble, Cassie gave a respectful curtsy.
"Welcome, dear friends," she greeted. "You may call me Cassie. Please consider this your home as long as you are here. If you wish it, Abraham is waiting for all of you in the withdrawing chamber. You can wait there while I continue to prepare tonight's supper. I trust you will be hungry, Mr. Black, seeing as you clearly eat human food."
"You know my name?" Jacob asked in surprise.
"Abraham mentioned that one of our visitors from the future, the one who bore that particular name, was not a blood drinker. Judging from the color of your darker skin, I can only conclude that he was referring to you.
"Now I pray you will excuse me. Supper will not prepare itself. And before I go, Vermundr, I have to thank you again for bringing back those rabbits last night. It's been a while since I was able to make quarry stew."
"Next time I go out, I'll bring you back a wild boar," Vermundr promised, removing his sword from his back and hanging it up on the plaque on the wall, next to Abraham's crossbow.
"That would be very much appreciated," Cassie smiled before slipping away through a nearby door, no doubt returning to the kitchens.
"The withdrawing chamber is down this hall," Vermundr stated, gesturing to a small hallway by the staircase. "Please follow me." With that, Vermundr led the way through the house. However, before she could follow, Bella happened to glance at the plaque where the sword and crossbow had been left hanging, noticing the three letters that had been engraved on the wooden surface.
"A.V.H.," she whispered, too quietly for anyone else to hear.
AN: I really hope you're enjoying the story so far. If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to leave a review. I will respond to each one. Thank you for reading.