After the zombie's remains had been removed and deposited into a shallow grave out back, the planning commenced in the withdrawing chamber, with Abraham, Cassie and Jacob balancing their plates of the roasted carp that Cassie had prepared for the night's supper on their laps.
"I think the first step is to pinpoint the precise location of the carnival," Carlisle stated. "To do so, we'll need to search Epping Forest."
"If we do that, it will probably be more efficient if we break into teams," Abraham added in agreement. "That way, we could cover more ground in less time without having to compromise our individual safety by separating completely."
"And what do you suggest we do when we find them?" Vermundr asked.
"Well, we should try and free the creatures that were captured," Bella announced. "I don't think they deserve to be imprisoned like that just because of what they are."
"We will, Bella," Edward promised. "But before we can do anything, we'll need to see what we're up against. And before you say anything, Vermundr," Edward continued, turning to face the older vampire who looked like he was about to argue. "You said yourself that you were held by the Carnival of Darkness before you met Abraham. For all we know, the carnival might have changed during that span of time. The people who brought it back might be kinder than the ones who imprisoned you." Vermundr did not reply, but it was clear from his expression that he was extremely doubtful.
"How many teams will there be?" Cassie inquired, setting aside her plate. "I know I wouldn't be much help out there. After all, I'm just a mortal human, and I don't even have a special power like Abraham. I'll most likely just be slowing everyone down if I go. Considering how I imagine little Renesmee will also be exempt, that would mean there will be an uneven number no matter how many teams there are, unless someone else stays behind with us."
"I don't want to be left behind!" Renesmee exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, Nessie," Edward replied gently. "It would be far better if you stayed here. Besides, we'll possibly be out all night, and you need your sleep."
"But I'm not tired," Renesmee argued. "And I want to help!"
"Actually, there's another way you could help," Vermundr announced with a smile, placing a leather-bound book into her hands. "Over the years, Abraham and I have managed to put together this compilation of all the creatures we've faced in our roles as monster hunters. I believe it is safe to conclude that a good number of the creatures that were captured by the carnival are the ones that we wrote about in our personal almanac. You could really help your family out by staying here and looking it over while we're gone, so you can help them all know the best way to handle the beasts and monsters once they're freed."
"That would be very helpful," Bella agreed in appreciation. "Could you do that for us, Nessie?"
"Okay," Renesmee relented.
"You'll be leaving straight away, won't you?" Cassie asked, turning to face Abraham.
"We'll be back before you know it, Cassie," Abraham promised, retrieving his crossbow. "Just don't try to wait up for us. You need your rest, too."
"So do you," Cassie spoke softly, escorting Renesmee out of the room, after the young girl had hugged Edward, Bella and Jacob in turn. However, if Abraham had heard Cassie's statement, he showed no sign of it and continued to examine his crossbow.
"Vermundr, I think I'll take the ash bolts tonight," he announced. "Just in case we run into trouble. Would you be so kind?"
"'Of course," Vermundr answered, darting to fireplace and taking down a long, flat box. Inside, there were various crossbow bolts made of assorted types of wood, with some made out of stone and what looked like bone. As Vermundr carefully picked out the bolts that had been made from ash, Bella stepped over to his side.
"Vermundr, thank you for coming up with that job for Nessie," she said.
"No thanks necessary," Vermundr responded, giving a half shrug. "From what I've seen, a stubborn insistence to try and do more than you're physically capable of in order to help loved ones might be in her blood. I'm sure you and Edward know what I mean all too well." Bella gave a slight huff upon hearing Edward's soft chuckle, as well as seeing Vermundr's sly grin, realizing what he was getting at. "Besides, Renesmee's still a child. With children, it's best to try and include them instead of excluding them. Otherwise, they might feel like you view them as a nuisance, and that they're not valued."
"You talk as if you know a lot about children," Bella mused.
"I was a father, once," Vermundr stated in a matter-of-fact tone. Instantly, Bella's eyes widened, but before she could think of what else to say, Vermundr was across the room, handing Abraham his crossbow bolts.
"Here you go," Vermundr said, his face showing no indication that he'd revealed any personal information.
"Well, then," Abraham announced, securing the bolts to his belt. "Shall we go?"
A short time later, Abraham, Jacob and the five vampires had all split off into three different teams; Abraham with Carlisle and Edward, Alice accompanying Vermundr, and Bella teaming up with Jacob. After the three teams all promised to regroup at dawn at the spot where the zombie had attacked Edward, Jacob and Vermundr, they all went off into separate directions within Epping Forest to locate the Carnival of Darkness.
Vermundr was scrounging about on the ground, searching for any physical sign of the carnival's presence, as Alice watched him silently. Unbeknownst to Vermundr, Abraham had specifically asked Alice in secret to be the one to search with his vampire partner, hoping that her gift would warn her in advance if Vermundr allowed his personal vendetta against the carnival to cloud his judgment, and therefore be able to stop him before he did anything rash.
"Still nothing," Vermundr grumbled, starting to appear quite vexed about the matter.
"That doesn't mean we're not going to find them," Alice pointed out. "And don't forget, the others are out looking, too. Even if we don't find anything, that doesn't mean the others wouldn't have."
"I realize that," Vermundr replied. "This is why I'm hoping that none of them let their guard down."
"Do you doubt my family's ability to handle themselves?" Alice questioned, frowning at him. Seconds later, a wry smile appeared on Vermundr's face.
"My apologies, Alice. I was not trying to sound like I thought you and the others weren't competent. That is not what I think at all. I suppose I'm too used to it being just Abraham and myself. Having someone else around who is able and willing to assist us is completely new to me."
"Vermundr, speaking of Abraham," Alice said, her thoughts returning to her conversation with Bella a few hours earlier. "While you were off with Edward and Jacob - when you found that zombie - Bella, Nessie and I found out that Abraham's initials were A.V.H. Were we right in guessing that he's Abraham Van Helsing?" The instant these words were out of Alice's mouth, Vermundr was right in front of her, covering her mouth with his hand, eyes wide with shock and, to Alice's confusion, a small touch of fear.
"Alice, please," Vermundr whispered urgently. "Promise me you won't go about mentioning Abraham's full name like that. I… I can't explain right now, but... For our safety, Alice. Just trust me, all right?" After a brief silence, Alice nodded in agreement. A wave of relief washed over Vermundr's face, but he didn't say another word and simply went back to searching.
"You know," Alice began, changing the subject. "I'm a bit surprised that you haven't asked me yet if I've been able to see the location of the carnival."
"Perhaps that's because I didn't think you'd be able to," Vermundr explained. "I believe we've established that your visions can only be used to see humans and vampires. It probably goes without saying that the carnival, wherever it is, is currently filled with creatures you've never even encountered before. Logically, I concluded that the reasons for your visions being blocked by shape shifters like Jacob, half breeds like Renesmee, and witches like Baba Yaga would also apply to those poor beasts held captive."
"Well, for someone who all but claimed straight out that you were not a thinker, you sure do a lot of it," Alice teased good-naturedly.
"I still hold to what I said," Vermundr declared. "Abraham has always been the brains in the partnership. I just pay attention. When you've been around as long as I have, Alice, you'll find that everything is important."
The rising sun was just starting to cast its illumination though Epping Forest, but this was barely noticed by the small group gathered at the designated meeting place. Abraham, Vermundr, Alice and Carlisle were all standing about silently as Edward relentlessly paced back and forth, paying no attention to Carlisle's attempts to mentally reassure him.
"They should have been back by now," he muttered to himself, his eyes quickly scanning the surrounding forest, hoping that he'd catch a glimpse of Jacob or Bella, or at least be able to hear Jacob's thoughts. "What if something went wrong?"
"Edward, there could be a number of reasons why they were delayed," Alice reminded him. "Besides, Jacob knows how to take care of himself, and from what Emmett's told me, Bella has become quite good at protecting herself."
"Alice's right," Abraham stated. "And furthermore, worrying and automatically thinking the worst has never done anyone any good."
"Five more minutes!" Edward exclaimed as if no one had even spoken. "If there's no sign of them in five more minutes, then I…" Edward's words stopped abruptly as he spun around, eyes boring out into the surrounding forest with an aghast expression appearing on his face.
Edward? What's wrong, son? Edward, without responding to Carlisle's concerned thought, raced off into the trees.
"Oh," Alice said, nodding in realization. "Judging from the fact that Edward just disappeared, he must have heard Jacob returning."
"Then what was with his expression?" Abraham pointed out.
"Abraham, Carlisle, please wait here," Vermundr requested. "Alice and I can go see what's wrong. That is, if you're agreeable to that, Alice?"
"Of course," Alice agreed.
With that, Alice and Vermundr both hurried off in the direction Edward had gone off in. They caught up to him a few yards away, standing completely still, staring in horror at Jacob, who was lying on his side, breathing heavily. Jacob looked as if he had just gotten over a bad stomach bug, complete with a washed out pallor and sweat coating his hairline. Protruding from his hip was what looked like a dart that would've been fired from a primitive blowgun. Alice and Vermundr arrived just in time to see Jacob lethargically pull the dart out and discard it on the ground. Instantly, Vermundr picked up the dart gingerly between two fingers. Wordlessly, he ran a fingertip over the tip of the dart before placing it into his mouth to taste.
"Nightshade and nettle toxin," he growled, identifying the substance the dart had been coated with. "A rather high dosage of it, too. Jacob, you ran into the carnival, didn't you?"
"I don't know how we couldn't smell them," Jacob muttered weakly. "They must have figured out how to hide their scent somehow."
"What happened?" Alice urged, eyes wide with fear.
"Bella and I were by this forest stream, trying to decide which way we should go," Jacob explained, clearly angry at himself. "Out of nowhere, there were two men standing on the opposite bank. I swear, neither of us smelled them, or even heard them before they appeared. It was like they materialized out of nowhere. One of them had what looked like some kind of bolas, and he threw it at Bella. Of course, she was able to dodge out of the way, but it hit a tree that was right behind us, and the bolas weights exploded upon impact, showering the air around us with some sort of powder. It must have been that bloodroot stuff, because Bella just collapsed, and I couldn't get her up on her feet again. The men started to cross the stream, and I phased, hoping it would scare them off. It seemed to work. At least, it made them stop in their tracks. I took that chance to try and pull Bella onto my back so I could carry her. But just as I started to run off, I got hit with that dart. The moment that happened, I swear the world just started to spin violently, and I completely lost my footing. Bella, she… she managed to fight off the bloodroot just enough to tell me to keep running and to get help."
"So you left her behind," Edward spoke in a flat voice, his face and tone unreadable.
"I'm sorry, Edward! I really am!" Jacob exclaimed. "I tried to get her out of there, but the toxin in the dart had me seeing everything in spider vision. I wouldn't have been able to do anything to help her if I stayed. I just would have been captured, too."
"He has a point, Edward," Alice reasoned. "If he hadn't gotten away, he wouldn't have been able to tell us what happened." Edward, however, did not seem to hear his sister's words, and instead started to pace the ground once again, digging his fingers into his hair in agitation.
"I knew I should have gone with them," he snapped deploringly. "I should have been there! I could have…"
"Edward!" The harshness of Vermundr's tone somehow seemed to snap Edward out of it, but not quickly enough to for him to dodge Vermundr's fist as it connected with his cheek. Reeling from the sudden blow, Edward stumbled back a few paces and looked back at Vermundr in shock. In response, Vermundr folded his arms across his chest, fixing Edward with a piercing glare, eyes narrowed in concentration. After a few tense seconds, Edward's shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Perhaps you're right," he consented. "Maybe I did need that."
"Yes, I think you did," Vermundr agreed. "Standing around and beating yourself up about the matter is not going to help Bella. And I swear to you, we WILL get her back. You have my word on that. But first, we'll need to go back and fill in Carlisle and Abraham. Perhaps they have a good idea of what we should do now."
Bella tried in vain to at least move a finger as the two men carried her into a wide clearing, filled with a multitude of strange new scents and sounds. However, the bloodroot powder she'd inhaled made even that small movement impossible.
"Hurry and get that cage open!" one of the men barked at someone out of Bella's line of sight. "We've got another vampire for the boss."
"What do you think we should tell 'im about that other beast that got away?" the other man inquired. "The huge wolf?"
"Don't worry about that thing," the first man scoffed. "It got hit with the dart I fired. That strangled howling sound it made confirmed it. The toxin will undoubtedly knock it out before long, if it hasn't already. We'll have plenty of time to go out and retrieve that creature later."
If Bella could move, she would have smiled in smug confidence. From the sound of it, Jacob had managed to get away after all. Hopefully, he'd be able to find the others before this dart's toxin could take hold, and if the toxin had potentially hazard effects, Carlisle could surely help him.
As Bella dwelled on this, the men managed to place her into a cage made of wood and iron, closing the door and locking it the moment she was inside. Approximately half an hour after the men had deposited her within the cage and walked off, Bella felt the feeling slowly returning to her limbs, indicating that the effects of the bloodroot was finally wearing off. Once she had regained enough control of her motor functions, she pulled herself into a sitting position. Immediately, she found herself looking at two other vampires; a female with long black hair pulled back into a braid and a sandy-haired male. The latter of the two was looking right back at her with a smarmy grin.
"Well, looks like you've finally decided to grace us with your presence," the male vampire jeered. "It took you long enough to fight off the bloodroot. Did they use their entire supply of it on you, or are you just that weak?" Before Bella could even respond to the taunt, the female vampire instantly appeared behind the male and immediately ripped his ear off.
"Arrrgh!" the male cried out in pain, pressing his hand against the spot where his ear had been. "Why did you do that, woman?"
"Because you deserved it, you cretin," the female snapped, glaring at him in immense dislike. "In case you've forgotten, I was here when you first arrived. It took you a full day before you could even open your mouth to speak. And that is besides the fact that you're clearly too stupid to even realize that you're mocking a vampire who could do far worse than take your ear off. Has confinement interfered with your ability to smell, or are you simply incapable of telling that she's only a few months old?" Growling in annoyance, the male vampire simply grabbed his severed ear and slunk off to the distant corner of the cage, sitting down with his back to them. Casting one more withering glare at her companion, the female vampire turned to Bella with a kind smile.
"First thing you need to learn is that you shouldn't pay any attention to anything that eldhúsfífl says. Sharing this cage with him is quite possibly the worst part of being held here. I hope you'll prove to be better company.
"I trust you have questions," the female continued. "I imagine that being captured like this, particularly when you're still fresh to this life, must be quite confusing."
"This… this is the Carnival of Darkness, isn't it?" Bella guessed, glancing out of the cage to see many others like it, each containing different creatures, some recognizable and others she'd never heard of.
"You know about the carnival?" the female gasped, eyes widening in surprise.
"Yes, my family and I were told about it by a friend of ours. We'd just found out that it was nearby a short time ago. The others went out searching for where it was located, so…"
"You must be crazy," the female interrupted, shaking her head. "Why would you want to find the carnival? If you knew it was nearby, you should have been trying to get as far away as possible!"
"Why wouldn't we try and find the carnival?" Bella argued. "Do you really think my family and I could willingly leave others to suffer when we could do something to prevent it?" In response, the female vampire frowned, but not in a way to suggest she was annoyed with Bella. Instead, she looked as if she was more puzzled by her words than anything else.
"You're awfully unusual for a newborn," she observed. "Most newborns I've encountered through the years were too focused on their thirst and adjusting to their new life. The selfish side of me wishes you had been captured at the same time I was. It would certainly have made things less monotonous around here, and it would have made dealing with my idiot cage-mate over there bearable."
"How long have you been here?" Bella asked, taking note of how the female vampire's eyes were even blacker than her hair. "Your eyes; you must be thirsty."
"That's your first concern?" the female replied with a warm laugh, casually sprawling out on the cage floor next to Bella, folding her arms behind her head in the process. "You know, I knew I would like you from the moment they placed you in here. I always could tell instantly about people, and you're no exception. Imagine, a newborn taken out of the world, robbed of her freedom and thrown into a cage. And so far, all she's done is show concern for the other vampires with her, with no indication that she's worried for herself."
Bella was about to reply by telling the other vampire about how worrying about herself was completely unnecessary since Edward, Alice and the rest of her family would undoubtedly come for her before long, but before she could began, her voice died in her throat. When the female vampire had laid down, the necklace she was wearing, which had been concealed by her tattered blouse, slipped into view, enabling Bella to see the flat rectangular stone that was hanging from the braided cord.
"The Tiwaz rune," Bella gasped, recognizing the symbol that was etched into the stone.
"What was that?" The female glanced up at Bella in question, frowning in confusion once again.
"How…? Where did you get that?" Bella asked pointing at the rune. Immediately, a faraway look appeared in the vampire's eyes as she stroked the rune with a single finger.
"I've always had it," she replied softly. "Why do you ask?" Swallowing compulsory from her shock, Bella had to take a few breaths before she could speak again.
"Are you… Brynhildr?"
The response was immediate. The female sat up at vampire speed, letting out a strangled sound. For a few tense moments, she was absolutely still. Then, ever-so-slowly, she turned to look Bella right in the eyes.
"How do you know my name?" she whispered with a trembling voice.
AN: How's that for a twist? Please leave me feedback.