Chapter 9
BPOV:
Edward and I agreed that I needed to go back to Faylinn, not just for Angela, but to find out more of what is going on with Aro. I didn't even know if he has attacked my home or not. I showered as quick as I could and got out, immediately feeling the loss of the hot water and warm steam, quickly replaced with cool air, making my skin break out in goose bumps. I dried off and dressed in the clothes I wore before that have now been cleaned, thanks to Esme. I pulled my hair up in yet another high pony tail, getting my long hair out of the way. I walked down the stairs just in time to greet Alice, Jasper and Edward.
"Hey Bella, are you ready?" Alice asked me.
"Yeah, but aren't we supposed to tell the rest of the family what's going on?" I asked.
"We already told them, Carlisle is going to come along with Emmet, they are going to watch the outside of the portals while we go in with you, Rosalie and Esme are going to hang back here to keep watch on the house," Jasper explained.
"I don't know, I already agreed to you guys coming, I don't want to risk more of you," I said, I was riddled with worry over Angela and Ben, what might have come of Faylinn, and the safety of these three, I just didn't know if I could take two more added to my list.
"Don't worry Tinkerbella, we are big kids, we can take care of ourselves," Emmet said coming in from the kitchen. I looked at Emmet confused, " what is Tinkerbella," I asked. "I keep forgetting that you just came to the human world," Emmet said shaking his head. "Okay," I said drawing out the word. "One of these days remind me to have you watch Peter Pan with me," Emmet said clapping his large hand on my back. I just shrugged and turned to walk out of the door.
I was halfway to the woods when Edward came running to my side and grabbing my hand, "Hey Bella, do you know how to get to the portal from here?" He asked.
"Well, not exactly, but I can cast a finding spell like I did to find Carlisle and that should clear a path for us," I said smiling at him.
"If you think it will help then do it, you're the expert on this sort of thing, I trust you," he said smiling back. I snorted at him, yeah Im such an expert on magic I just threw the guy out of a window on accident, I thought to myself. I looked back at the Cullen's, "please try to be quiet, I need to concentrate on what I need to find, or this wont work," I said. They nodded and took a step back away from me. I nodded my head in thanks and turned forward again. I took a pinch of salt from the pouch that was hidden under my skirts and sprinkled it in a circle around me. I closed my eyes and cleared my mind, centering myself and becoming part of nature itself. I called on my magic, and it answered. I could feel my power build itself in the pit of my being and grow, spilling out of me. I could feel the Goddess of the Moon and the Earth mother waiting, waiting for me to speak my request to them. "Earth Mother hear my plea, open a path to the place I seek. Moon Goddess hear my cry, cast your light for my eyes. I ask for your aid in my time of need, I call to you with all of me," I shouted into the woods. I thought very hard of the portal, and what I saw around it when I stepped out that very first night into the human world. I heard gasps behind me and when I opened my eyes, there was, yet again a path cleared. I turned to the Cullen's and decided not to comment on their faces. I just smiled and waved for them to follow me, and after a few seconds of hesitation, they did.
***
We walked for two days, stopping here and there to hunt or for me to rest. I was thinking that maybe my spell hadn't worked, I couldn't see anything familiar. Then, we finally found the portal. Perched between two oak trees was a slight ripple in the air, marking it as the portal. I let out a heavy sigh of relief. I looked at the Cullen's and pointed at it, "We have finally reached the portal," I announced. " Carlisle and Emmet, if you see any unusual movement, don't try to stand and fight, just come through the portals and warn us, like I said, we have a better chance at fighting together then separately," I reminded them of the plan we had concocted on our journey here.
"We know what to do Bella, and you remember, if you don't come out after an hour, Emmet and I will come in to find you," Carlisle reminded me, putting his hands on my shoulders, "stay safe Bella, and keep my children safe as well," he said kissing my forehead. I nodded at him and turned to Edward, Alice, and Jasper.
"Are you three ready?" I asked. They smiled and nodded at me. "Okay, here goes," I said. I stood back about five feet away from the opening to Faylinn and began the incantation to open the portal, " Recognize my magic, hear me as a friend, I belong to the realm of Faylinn," with that a burst of light shot out of the portal engulfing me. I could feel magic made from my mother tasting me, and finally the light let me go and the portal swirled open. I looked at the three coming with me and led the way into Faylinn, my home.
The first thing that hit me was the smell, before the breeze always carried a clean fresh smell, but now all I could smell was smoke and blood. The salty, almost copper smell of blood was so strong it brought a small tingle of hunger into my throat. I cleared my throat, hoping to chase away that feeling, but it was useless. I was afraid to look around, afraid to see what has been done to my home, but I had to look, I had to see. I took my time surveying the scene. The little cottages that where built on the outskirts of the kingdom were demolished. Nothing but a few stacked bricks was left. I blinked my eyes to hold back the tears. The narrow, dirt road, worn from horses and carriages was now littered with peoples belongings, shoes here, dolls there. It was heartbreaking. I wanted to stop there, I wanted to leave the portals and never look back, but I kept walking.
Inside the castle walls the damage was worse, so, so much worse. The people that had hidden in the castle were all dead. A sea of men, women and children flooded the floors. There was even a few bodies that were hung on the walls. Blood and thicker things covered the bits of floor that wasn't covered in bodies, making it extremely hard to walk without slipping. I looked at everything and nothing.
"They killed them all, every last one," I whispered, the tears I had been trying to blink back finally escaped and trailed down my face. Edward reached out to me and I stopped fighting and went to him, I huddled my face into his shoulder and squeezed my eyes shut. He held me and rubbed soothing circles on my back.
"Are you okay," Edward asked me after a few minutes. I sniffed, nodded my head and stepped out of his embrace. "Yeah, actually, no I am not okay, how could I be? These people are MY people, MY family! I left them here to die, I should have stayed, I should have fought, but I left them. I abandoned my people and now they are all dead," I shouted, hitting myself in the chest to punctuate what I was yelling. Edward went to hug me again but I stepped back and shook my head. "No, no, I need to find Angela and Ben, and I need to see if my parents escaped," I said turning away and walking further into the castle.
I stood outside of my bedroom doors, with my hand poised on the handle for what could be hours or seconds. I was scared of what I would find. I looked back at the Cullen's with a silent question, and they just nodded, giving me the okay to walk in. I took a deep breath and turned the knob. Inside my room was a mess. My bed was turned over and my things were broken and thrown around the room. I slowly walked through, picking up things here and there, looking at them, and throwing them back onto the ground. I sifted through my clothes on the floor and found my jewelry box. I picked it up and started to cry. I opened the lid and picked up the heart shaped amulet my mother gave me on my birthday last year. It was made of ruby and encased in a gold setting with a gold chain clasped to it. I ducked my head and pulled it on, holding it over my heart before letting it swing freely around my neck.
"My mother gave this to me last year for my birthday," I explained to the Cullen's who were being extremely quiet during all of this. "She said that I would carry her heart with me where ever I go," I smiled.
"Its beautiful," Alice whispered. I just nodded and turned to leave my room.
Finding Angela and Ben was going to be a difficult task, we needed to keep moving. We searched through the entire kingdom and couldn't find a sign of them. I was about to give up when a thought came to me. I could cast a spell to find them. I smacked myself mentally for not thinking of that before. I closed my eyes and reached into that part of myself that was magic. I felt my magic flood forward and out of me. I focused my thoughts on Angela and whispered, "I can not find the ones I seek, aid me in my search, Earth Mother and Goddess of the Moon hear me now, I need to search, show me how." With that I felt the Goddesses and my magic merge together and sweep outwards in the kingdom, but, it didn't stop there. Our magic kept going, kept searching, out into the forest. I felt a sharp tug and my eyes snapped open and I started to follow the tug I felt.
I led us deep into the forest when I felt the magic lurch suddenly and then snap. They were here, I just knew they were here. "Angela, its Bella, I came to help you, don't be afraid, I can get you and Ben out of here," I said looking around. I saw movement to my left and looked, searching in between the trees. "Bella," I heard Angela call to me, "we are over here, Ben is hurt, I cant move without him." I turned to the Cullen's, "we need to go help them," I said and headed towards the direction of Angela's voice.
I walked about twenty feet and saw them. Ben was laying on the ground, hurt obviously, but how much I wasn't sure. His head was resting on Angela's lap, his eyes were closed and this lips were stretched in a thin tight line. I rushed to their side and hugged Angela the best I could with Ben in her lap. "Oh thank the Gods, I was so worried," I said. Angela hugged me back and said, "Im just thankful that you interpreted the message I sent you, I knew you would, but after a day or so I began to lose hope," she said bringing a new bout of tears from my eyes. "I know sweetie, we came as soon as we could," I said. Angela looked up and for the first time noticed that we were not alone.
" Don't worry, they are good vampires, they came to help me find you," I assured her. She nodded and looked down at Ben, wiping the stray hair from his eyes. "Lets get you guys out of here," I said. She nodded again and sniffed.
It took us a while to figure out how to get a now unconscious Ben out of Faylinn. Eventually we decided to let Edward carry him. We practically ran out of Faylinn, not wanting to witness the bloody ruins again, we reached the portal and passed through, this time, without looking back.