AN: I apologize for this chapter taking so long. I had discovered just recently that my last beta reader had retired. Thus, I had to find someone else to take over. But I can finally post this installment now. Please enjoy part 1 of this story's climax
The entire clearing surrounding the estate was flooded with golden light shining through the trees. Within the dining hall, Carlisle and Abraham were staring out the window, taking in the signs of dusk setting in. The night of the full moon and Josiah's ritual had come.
"It's rather fitting, isn't it?" Abraham commented. "I was talking to Jacob yesterday. He was telling me about how some native tribes had different names for the full moon, depending on what month it falls on. The Harvest Moon in September, the Strawberry Moon in June. But this full moon, the one that falls within March? While the common name is Storm Moon, it is sometimes called the Death Moon."
"Let's hope it doesn't earn that name tonight," Carlisle replied, tearing his eyes away from the window to watch as Vermundr finished wrapping up his gift for Brynhildr in old linens. As if sensing Carlisle's gaze, Vermunder glanced over, but before he could say anything in response, the sounds of Bella's voice caught everyone's attention.
"Absolutely not!" Bella's voice insisted. "You are not going!" Wondering what was going on, the three men stepped out into the foyer to find Bella and Renesmee in the middle of an argument. Edward, Jacob, Cassie and Alice were standing close by.
"I want to help, Mommy," Renesmee said.
"You've already helped," Bella pointed out firmly. "You did your part by helping us go over those books, discussing the creatures the carnival are holding captive. But now, you need to stay here. Cassie will be here, too, so you won't be here by yourself."
"I can't just wait here!" Renesmee insisted. "Not when you, Daddy, Jacob and everyone else are going out to stop Josiah. I can't just stay here, waiting and not knowing…." Beseechingly, Renesmee turned to glance at Edward and Jacob in turn, but to no avail.
"No, Nessie," Edward insisted. "You can't go out to where the carnival is located. You're too young." Immediately, a scowl appeared on Renesmee's face, but before she could say another word, Cassie stepped in.
"If I might, Bella, Edward," she began, "but… what if Renesmee and I go along, but only up to the forest stream? That way, we'll be nearby and be able to know what's happening, but still be away from the immediate danger."
"That does sound reasonable," Alice pointed out. A momentary pause fell within the foyer, in which Edward and Bella met each other's gaze, seemingly sharing a nonverbal conversation.
Before they could reach a final decision, however, the front door flew open with a sudden gust of wind. Standing outside on the front stoop was Baba Yaga wearing a tattered, heavily patched traveling cloak that greatly emphasized her hunched over figure. Without hesitation, she stepped inside, leaning on her wooden staff.
"It's time for all of ye to go, now," she announced.
"Yes, we know," Carlisle replied. "We were just getting ready to head out now."
"What are ye talking about?" Baba Yaga snapped. "How could ye know that the potion was complete?" It was only then that everyone realized what the old gypsy witch meant. The spell that would send them all back to their own time was ready.
"Well, what are ye all waiting for?" Baba Yaga demanded when she saw no one was showing any sign of leaving. "Ye said you wanted to return to your own time as soon as possible, did you not? Now you can, so let's get this over with!"
"We can't go yet," Bella said, shaking her head.
"Yes, you can," Baba Yaga snarled, growing visibly impatient. "Are your ears working? The potion is ready!"
"We understand that, Baba Yaga," Carlisle said. "What Bella means is we're not ready to go back yet. There's something we have to do first."
"I warn you now, vampire, I have no tolerance for humor," Baba Yaga hissed. "You came to my tree, begging to be sent back to your own time, and now you're telling me you've changed your mind?!"
"No, we haven't changed our minds. We still do want to go home. But we can't go home just yet. There's something we need to do first." The instant the final word was out of Carlisle's mouth, Baba Yaga banged her staff against the floor, causing nearly blinding flashes to emit from the end.
"FOOLS!" she shrieked. "TIME-WASTING FOOLS!" Without another word, she turned on her heal and stormed out, quickly vanishing from sight.
"You didn't have to do that," Abraham stated the moment Baba Yaga left. "Please don't feel obligated to stay and help us stop Josiah. As far as we're concerned, you've all done more than your part. Come to think of it, we wouldn't have even found out what Josiah was planning if it hadn't been for all of you. So, please don't risk your one chance of going home because of this. Don't forget that Vermundr and I deal with this sort of thing every day. I'm sure we'll be fully capable of finishing this on our own."
"That's not why we're staying," Edward spoke up. "We're staying because this concerns us as well. Carlisle's right; we can't go home just yet. Not until we see this through to the end. If Josiah succeeds tonight, we might not even have a home to return to."
"That and the fact that there are all those creatures being held captive by the carnival right now," Bella added. "It wouldn't feel right if we got to go home before making sure that they got their chance at that, too."
"Well then," Abraham replied after a brief pause. "If that's your decision, then we would be grateful for your help."
"What about me?" Renesmee asked, looking around expectantly. "Am I going to be allowed to be there with everyone, too?" Instantly, a tormented look filled Bella's face.
"Bella? I promise that I won't let her out of my sight," Cassie offered, stepping forward cautiously. "Neither of us will go any further than the forest stream."
"Not one step over," Bella declared, her voice shaking slightly. The moment the final decision was made, Vermundr was out of the room at vampire speed, reappearing a second later with a robe that looked like it was made of shiny black leather draped over his arm.
"Well, if the two of you are going, you best have this," he said, passing the robe over to Cassie. "It's our salamander robe. It should help mask your scents, giving you both a little added protection, in case one of the beasts we're freeing strays a bit too close to where you'll be."
Taking advantage of the brief distraction, Bella took her chance to quietly slip away, ducking into the nearby withdrawing chamber, which was completely deserted apart from Grimalkin, who, despite being sound asleep on a chair, immediately looked up the second Bella entered the room. After briefly stretching, the cat hopped off the chair and walked right over to Bella to rub against her leg in greeting.
"Vermundr was right," Bella commented, bending down to pick the cat up in her arms. "You really don't mind us being vampires, do you?" In response, Grimalkin simply looked right up into Bella's face and blinked her eyes slowly.
"Bella?" Upon hearing his voice softly speak her name, Bella turned her head towards Edward as he appeared behind her. "Is everything alright?"
"I'm sorry, Edward," Bella apologized without preamble.
"Sorry? For what?"
"When Nessie was so insistent on coming with us tonight, all I could think about was keeping her out of danger. But then I suddenly remembered one of my human memories. I remembered…how I acted when you were planning to go off and help the rest of our family fight Victoria's newborns."
"Bella, love, please don't tell me you're still feeling guilty for asking me to stay behind."
"That's not quite what was bothering me," Bella explained. "It's more that…I remembered how determined I was to be in that clearing during the fight. And tonight, when I saw the expression on Nessie's face, it just hit me that she might be just as determined as I was, and if we didn't meet her halfway by agreeing to Cassie's suggestion, she would probably find a way to follow us to the carnival's location on her own. The moment I realized that, I think I finally fully appreciated what it must have been like for you on that day, to see me willing to go to any length to be in that clearing when all you wanted was to keep me out of danger." Upon meeting Edward's eyes, Bella could see in his face that he was on the same page as her in regards to the concern for Renesmee's safety.
"A part of me wishes that she hadn't been with us when we were brought back to this time," Edward admitted. "But at the same time, if she had stayed home with Esme and the others while we went out to hunt… while I'm not disputing the fact that it's unquestionably hard for everyone waiting for us back in our own time, Nessie has never spent a single day without you, Jacob and me. For that reason, perhaps ending up here with us was the best thing for her."
"And if she hadn't wound up here with us, we might never have even came up with our plan to begin with," Bella agreed. Within seconds, her expression shifted from concern to amazement. "Edward? All this time, we thought that we were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. What if that wasn't the case? That fog that magically brought us here only appeared after Alice and Carlisle had joined us. What if us being brought back to this time wasn't accident?"
Edward barely had time to even begin contemplating Bella's insight when Carlisle and Abraham stepped into the room.
"We're sorry to interrupt," Abraham announced. "But it's time to leave." Sharing one final glance, Edward and Bella followed them out of the withdrawing chamber to join the others.
"Will you give it up?" the captive male vampire barked, pelting the rough stone he'd managed to obtain earlier at Brynhildr's back. "Your newborn friend scarpered. No one is coming back to get us out of here." Instead of replying, Bryhhildr merely gave him a withering glance over her shoulder before turning back around to resume looking out through the cage bars. "Hey! You hear me over there? You have been sitting there for a solid week, just staring off into space. Do you seriously think that newborn will keep her promise and return here? You're wasting your time; no one is coming to rescue us. Face the facts. We're not getting out of here, ever."
"Do you ever get tired of running off at the mouth, eldhúsfífl?" Brynhildr hissed in annoyance. "How many years have we been stuck together? In all that time, when have you ever said anything constructive?"
"And when have you ever bothered to try and speak to me without the insults?" the male vampire snapped. "You've never even asked for my name!"
At that accusation, Brynhildr only just managed to hold back a growl. While her cage mate was right about her never asking his name, it wasn't as if she had neglected that question for malicious reasons. When the carnival workers had first placed the male vampire into the cage with her, Brynhildr had initially been pleased that she'd finally have someone to talk to. But then, the bloodroot had worn off and the male vampire began to talk. From the very start, he had given off a very strong air of arrogance and idiocy that had immediately set Brynhildr's teeth on edge. Ever since then, the pair of them had never been able to get along and incidentally, Brynhildr had indeed never bothered to find out his name.
"All right then." Brynhildr finally swallowed her pride. "Please tell me; what is your name?" The male vampire did not reply right away, but simply stared at Brynhildr in amazement.
"It's Arthur," the male vampire said after a brief pause. If he was planning to say anything more, however, he never got the chance. At that moment, the cage began to lurch forward.
"What's happening?!" Arthur cried in mild alarm. "Why are we moving?"
"It's not just us," Brynhildr commented, looking out through the bars to see the carnival workers were busy in moving the other cages, positioning them in such a way that they encircled the central bonfire pit where the branding always took place. Just as their cage had come to a stop, Brynhildr noticed the moon just starting to appear above the treetops. Immediately, her face grew pale, seeing that the moon was now full. The night of Josiah's ritual had arrived.
"I knew it," Arthur hissed. "Your newborn friend has abandoned us. She had no intention of coming back to save us, otherwise she would have come back by now."
"And where do you think she would have gone to?" Brynhildr snarled. "If Josiah succeeds tonight, there will be no safe place for any vampire to hide." Immediately, a silence fell between the two as the full impact of Brynhildr's words sank in, making them both completely unaware of anything going around them, including the sounds of the carnival's solitary werewolf beginning his transformation the instant he was bathed in the moonlight. Unless something happened quickly, they were both about to die.
At that moment, a low whooshing sound was heard. In unison, Arthur and Brynhildr turned just in time to see what looked like a crossbow bolt wiz through the bars at the back of their cage, embedding itself at their feet. Noticing a scrap of parchment had been tied to the crossbow bolt, Arthur quickly pulled it off.
"What's this?" he questioned, glancing at the paper. "This isn't writing, it's just a bunch of symbols." In curiosity, Brynhildr took the paper from him and gave it her own glance over, her eyes widening in the process.
"It's written in the alphabet of my people!" she exclaimed. "It's from my brother! It must be!"
"Well, what does it say?" Arthur asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"It says…" Brynhildr said, her voice trembling with disbelief. "The protective seal on our cage is broken."
"We can escape?" Arthur cried in shock. "Then what are we waiting for?"
"No, not yet," Brynhildr replied, grabbing his arm to keep him from ripping out the bars.
"What do you mean, 'not yet?!' We're no longer prisoners! Why shouldn't we make good our escape?"
"My brother's note says there's a plan. We have to wait until we get some kind of signal. If we break too early, the plan might fail."
"Who cares about some stupid plan? I want to be out of here, now!"
"And what's going to stop them from recapturing you once you do break out of here?" Brynhildr hissed impatiently. "My brother says that if we follow the plan, we'll not only be able to escape, but we can put an end to the carnival for good." For a second, Arthur gave her a mutinous look, but soon looked away in compliance.
Clenching the precious message from her brother tightly in her hand, Brynhildr turned to watch Josiah and Robed Man as they conversed in front of the carnival's bonfire, speaking in Latin. In severe frustration, Brynhildr gripped the bars of the cage, which bent slightly under her grip. It always irritated her when the humans used that old tongue as she never understood what they were saying, but tonight, with the knowledge that time was almost up and the fact that her brother was somewhere near, her annoyance was tenfold.
After the pair had been speaking for a while, Josiah turned and slunk back into the shadows where he propped himself up against a cage holding a baby griffin. The wicked smile on Josiah's face was enough to make Brynhildr wish she could reach him and take away his reason to smile. Before she had much time to dwell on her hatred for the human in question, Robed Man began to chant out in Latin, holding his hands over the blazing fire. As he continued to chant, the flames transformed into a disturbing shade of green, which cast an eerie light over the entire clearing. At almost the same time, the cage that contained Brynhildr and Arthur began to shake violently. Upon looking out at the other cages, the two vampires could see the other cages were doing the same. Immediately, Brynhildr felt herself being overtaken with dismay. Josiah's ritual had begun. They had run out of time.
No sooner had those thoughts entered her mind, there was a low whistling sound, like something whizzing through the air. It was only her vampire-sharp eyesight that enabled Brynhildr to spot the crossbow bolt shooting past her. Almost instinctively, she watched its progress until it hit home, embedding itself in the framework of the cage that held the large russet wolf the carnival workers had brought in a few days ago. The wolf glanced up at the crossbow bolt for a moment before getting up on all four legs. Before Brynhildr's eyes, the wolf started to shift its shape, but it was almost half a minute before she could identify what the wolf was becoming. As the creature started to come to the end of its transformation into a gigantic dragon, the cage itself started to puff out from the quickly-expanding mass of its occupant. Finally, the entire cage shattered, allowing the wolf-turned-dragon to break free, releasing an ear-splitting roar of triumph. For a split second, Brynhildr met Arthur's disbelieving gaze, but then understanding washed over her. This was the sign her brother's letter was telling her about.
Pushing all her strength into fighting the effects of the still-burning bloodroot, Brynhildr lunged at the roof of the cage, breaking through it with one single punch. Making as much noise as possible in order to attract the attention of the other captive monsters, she snapped off the splintering planks of wood to make the hole even wider until she could stand up tall atop the cage.
"Sigr!" Brynhildr bellowed out to her fellow monsters. "We are FREE!" Even the beasts who could not understand her words seemed to realize her meaning. In unison, every single captive within the carnival began to attack their cages, successfully breaking free.
In a matter of seconds, the clearing had become a scene of complete bedlam. All over, carnival workers were in a state of panic, running frantically to avoid the rampaging beasts as they made good their escape, with some of the monsters, wishing to enact their vengeance on their long-time tormentors, chasing some of the carnival workers into the surrounding woods. Only Josiah showed no trace of fear as his face twisted with hatred and rage, not even reacting to the sight of Robed Man being trampled to death by a troupe of retreating Kelpie. It was only when he sensed someone standing behind him that he tore his angry glare away from the ensuing scene. However, his tangible fury only increased when he saw who it was behind him.
"YOU?!" Josiah spat, malice radiating off of him.
"We meet again, Josiah," Abraham declared, his expression showing equal dislike.
From across the clearing, Brynhildr had sunk down into a hunting crouch. Arthur had run off the moment he had been freed, but she had remained behind, her sights only for Josiah. She had been waiting for this chance for longer than she could stand. Now, she was finally free, with the hated Josiah only a few yards away. She was not about to let this chance get away from her.
Just as she was preparing to make the fateful lunge at her sworn enemy, she felt a hand drop down on her shoulder. Her nerves on edge, Brynhildr snapped around, ready to lash out at whoever had been foolish enough to sneak up on her. However, the instant it registered who was behind her, Brynhildr's pent-up rage lifted.
"Bella! It's you!"
"I told you I was coming back," Bella reminded.
"But then…where's….?" Instead of finishing her question, Brynhildr looked over Bella's shoulder expectantly, but frowned slightly when she saw Bella was only accompanied by a strikingly short female vampire.
"Don't worry, Brynhildr," the new vampire stated confidently. "You and Vermundr will see each other again very soon."
"It's okay," Bella spoke up, noticing Brynhildr's expression. "Alice is a friend. We'll explain exactly why you shouldn't bet against what she says later on." For a brief second, it looked as if Brynhildr was about to give a reply, but before she got the chance, Josiah's enraged cry caught their attention. As one, they turned to see Josiah being confronted by a young man wielding a crossbow.
"We meet again, Josiah."
"Abraham," Josiah hissed with pure loathing. "I should have killed you when I had the chance all those years ago."
"Yes, you probably should have," Abraham consented with an offhanded shrug. "I suppose that's always the issue with hindsight." Josiah, instead of replying, reached up to grab the old pistol he'd strapped to his belt.
"I'd advise against that," Abraham warned. "Your friends have deserted you, after all. Mine haven't." To emphasize his words, Abraham jerked his head over to the left. At the nonverbal cue, three male vampires emerged from behind the trees. Following close behind them was a handful of the carnival workers, each one bound tightly with a strong looking rope. Taking up the rear, ensuring none of the prisoners tried to make a break for it, was a large wolf with russet-colored fur. The wolf's hackles were standing on end, and a low unbroken growl was emanating from his throat. However, Brynhildr's eyes were locked only on the tallest of the three male vampires, the one with a sword strapped to his back.
As if sensing her gaze, the male vampire slowly started to turn his head, only stopping when his eyes fell upon Brynhildr. The moment he caught sight of her, a myriad of emotions washed over his expression, and without any conscious intent, his body tilted instinctively towards her. It was only then that Brynhildr realized she had taken a few staggering steps forward herself. The spell was broken when the youngest of the male vampires, the one with the reddish brown hair, placed a hand on Vermundr's arm. At the touch, Vermundr forced himself to look away, directing his attention back to Abraham and Josiah just in time to see a slow smirk forming on Joisah's face as he clearly recognized the vampire who had mutilated his hand.
"Well, then," Josiah said with a distant mocking tone, raising his arms in surrender. "It looks like I am outnumbered, doesn't it?" Before anyone could say or do anything, Josiah let out a crazed laugh. "I confess myself disappointed, particularly in you and your attack vampire, Abraham. After our last encounter, you still are far too trusting, not even expecting your enemies to have an alternative plan." Without any further warning, Josiah yanked his pistol from its place on his belt, but instead of aiming it at Abraham or any of the present vampires, he spun around to face the fire, which was still glowing green.
"NO!" Edward shouted, just as Josiah fired the pistol at the fire. The instant the projectile touched the crackling flames, a huge plume of thick black smoke erupted from the fire. The sight of the swirling black smoke alarmed everyone so much; no one even tried to stop Josiah as he tore off into the woods, laughing as he went.
"What's happening?" Carlisle cried out, unable to look away from the billowing smoke.
"Josiah tricked us all!" Edward replied with fury accenting every syllable. "He'd loaded his pistol with a capsule filled with the magical powder needed to complete his ritual. So even if something happened to keep his shaman friend from throwing the magical power into the fire, the ritual could still be finished.
Before their eyes, the smoke began to take shape into a multitude of large hands, which all reached out into the woods. Moments later, a loud din of roars, shrieks and other such agitated noises filled the air. The reason for the noises became clear with the smoke hands reappeared, each clutching some of the beasts that had just escaped from the carnival moments before. Each one of the recaptured creatures were struggling in desperation, trying to break free, but before anyone could push aside their horror to do anything to help them, the smoke hands had pulled them down into the black smoke, where they disappeared from sight.
Out of nowhere, a smoke hand appeared right in front of the friends, reaching out to claim Carlisle. The fingers had barely closed around him, however, when the others broke out of their horrified trace. Moving at vampire speed, Vermundr had withdrawn his sword and swung the blade down, slicing through the smoke with one fluid stroke. The act seemed to work, as the smoke hand dissolved instantly, allowing Carlisle to break free, landing unscathed on the ground.
"Bryn! Catch!" Vermundr shouted, ripping the linen-wrapped parcel from his back and throwing it over to his sister, who caught it in midair effortlessly. Without hesitation, she tore the linens off the gift, staring in amazement at the deadly-looking battle axe with the pure white head. Barely a second had passed that an instant change washed over her face. With an almost manic smile, Brynhildr charged forward, taking her place at her brother's side, joining him in his efforts at slashing though each of the smoke hands every time one of them came near. However, like a hydra, every time the siblings destroyed one of the smoke hands, two more seemed to appear in its place.
"What are all of you waiting for?!" Vermundr bellowed, not even bothering to look away from the smoke hands as he continued to hack and slice away. "Go! Get as far away as you can!"
The moment Vermundr had made this demand, Bella turned beseechingly towards her family.
"What do we do?" she begged. "We can't just leave them like this! We have to help!" For a moment, it looked as if Alice was going to say something, but Edward's sudden snarl cut her off.
"Edward, what is it?" Carlisle asked, taking note of the furious look on his son's face.
"It's Cassie!" Edward snarled. "She and Nessie were starting to worry about what was keeping us after seeing the other creatures running past and momentarily left their hiding spot, just as Josiah was running past. He's spotted them both, and…." Jacob's and Bella's angry growls interrupted Edward's explanation, clearly realizing what Edward was implying. Cassie and Renesmee were in immediate danger.
Abraham had barely heard the conversation going on behind him, completely unable to tear his eyes away from his friend, and the sister he was reunited with at long last. Both were standing firm and strong, fighting against the effects of Josiah's evil ritual, not showing an ounce of fear. It very quickly became clear to him that they both knew fully well that they wouldn't be able to fight off the smoke hands forever, but were still completely ready to go down fighting, just to try and give everyone else a chance to escape with their lives.
The very moment that Abraham made that realization, he was suddenly filled with the same determination that had filled his heart during their fateful battle with the chimera long ago. Just like that day, he felt himself acting without even thinking about it.
"Hurry up, then," he instructed, briefly looking back at Edward. "Go and save Cassie and Nessie." Without another word, Abraham took a few purposeful steps forward, raising his arms up as he did so. Almost instantly, the smoke hands began to draw back, as if an unseen force was pushing them back towards the fire. Within seconds, the smoke hands seemed to be completely encased behind an impenetrable dome-shaped barrier.
"What's happening?" Alice asked, staring at the smoke hands in confusion.
"It's Abraham," Edward explained. He's using his telekinetic powers to form a shield around Josiah's ritualistic fire, in order to prevent the smoke hands from snatching up anyone else. And no, Jacob," Edward continued, answering the shapeshifter's unspoken question. "He doesn't expect to hold them off forever. He made the connection that the smoke hands originated from the fire. And what does fire need to continue burning?"
"He's trying to smother the fire!" Bella realized. "He can do that telekinetically?"
"I've already told you," Vermundr replied proudly, stepping back to stand at Abraham's side, still holding his sword at the ready, just in case. "Abraham's is remarkably strong for a human. Now, hurry! There's no telling what Josiah will do to Cassie and little Ness."
Needing no further bidding, Edward, Bella and Jacob all raced off to aid Cassie and Renesmee, leaving Carlisle, Alice, Vermundr and Brynhildr to assist Abraham if he needed it. Yet, no one noticed when small rivulets of blood started to flow down from Abraham's nose and ears as he continued to keep his barrier up.