AN: Sorry to make everyone wait so long for another update. I've been very busy with school and life though things should settle down soon so I can update more often. I made the chapter longer than usual to hopefully make up for that a bit. As always please read and review! It helps to know what you all think and/or what you want to see happen.
"My name is Eleazar," the dark haired man spoke. He had a slight accent of Spanish origin, his eyes indicating a vast wealth of knowledge and experience.
"You don't drink from humans. Your eyes… they are like theirs." A low growl began to emanate in Isabella's chest, her hands clenching into fists and her shield pressing firmly against her skin.
"Ah yes, I was warned you might react a little… angrily to that detail. I know the Cullens, but I have not seen them in decades. We are of separate covens Isabella. You have nothing to fear from me. I was Volturi for a long time actually, leaving only once I discovered my mate and decided to travel the world with her." The Spanish man looked at the brunette before him, distinctly aware of the energy that protected her.
Isabella's bright purple eyes searched those of the man before her, trying to find a lie in his words. Upon getting nothing, Isabella nodded. Eleazar flashed her a smile before turning to Aro who stood just a few yards away.
"She is powerful Aro, I felt it the moment she entered the room. Her shield is strong though there is definitely energy untapped still. I would like to work with her to expand her gift. I think you will all be truly impressed by what she can do."
Aro nodded his consent, that childish smile on his lips and his red eyes bright. Eleazar then outstretched his hand toward Isabella, willing her to take it in her own. The moment that their skin made contact, Isabella felt a surge of energy course through her body. Most of the energy was familiar, the physical and mental aspects of her shield making themselves known, but there were other energies that she could not yet identify. It was when she heard a soft gasp from Aro and felt Alec shift defensively across the room that she opened her eyes and looked for the source of their surprise.
Looking down at her hand, Isabella could feel her unfamiliar energy swirling around her, covering her entire body. Everything appeared normal to her so she looked at Eleazar with confusion before speaking.
"What happened?" she asked.
Unlike her, every other being in the room had lost every sense of Isabella the moment that her hand had touched Eleazar. His gift not only allowed him to sense and identify the gifts of other individuals but also allowed him to unlock the levels of that individual's gift that had not yet been uncovered. With Isabella, Eleazar sensed that her shield was far stronger than anything he had ever come across, stronger even than multiple shields combined. The moment that his hand came into contact with hers, Isabella's shield enveloped her completely, not only shielding her mind and her body, but also shielding her from sight, smell, and hearing. There was no sense that could find her now, not one of the five were working to identify her.
Eleazar pulled his hand back from her and her shield dropped back to what it normally was. Aro's eyes were wide with surprise and even a tad bit of fear, Alec's eyes matching his leader's expression. Isabella was now more confused than ever upon looking at the individuals in the room, having seen nothing unusual in the past few moments. What she recognized fleetingly as fear on Aro's features not only surprised her, it thrilled her as well. There was obviously something that Eleazar's touch had done to her, something that it had done to her powers that made her even more formidable than before.
"What happened?" she repeated, her voice curious.
"Your shield is strong Isabella," Eleazar replied. "Stronger than any shield I have ever come across in fact. Strong enough to hide you from the senses completely. When I touched you I revealed your gift in its strongest form, what it can become with proper training and time. You disappeared Isabella."
"I did what? Like invisible kind of disappear?" Isabella laughed, looking at Aro and Alec to laugh with her on the ridiculous joke. Instead, Alec just gave her a slow nod.
"You disappeared from all of the senses Isabella. The others could no longer smell, hear, or see you. Since your physical shield was up as well they would not have been able to touch you either had they tried. Your shield is strong indeed, quite unusual but certainly a useful tool once you begin to go out on missions with the guard." Eleazar's golden eyes were curious, a sense of delight swirling softly in their depths.
"That is so cool," Isabella exclaimed, her teenage mind making itself very clear in that moment. She briefly thought of Emmett, how excited he would be. She shuddered minutely at the thought, her memories threatening to spill out.
"Eleazar," Aro drawled out, "I invite you to stay with us for a few weeks, teach our Isabella how to control and use this gift."
Though it was formed as an invitation, Eleazar knew that Isabella's gift was too special and powerful to walk away from. There was no way that Aro would let him leave without training his newest weapon of the Volturi. However, Eleazar was intrigued with the young woman and had heard stories of her from Aro already. She was a fast learner and a formidable fighter even without her gifts. Aro had also spoken of the shifter that was in the Volturi who had become rather close to Isabella though he did not know why. Aro had told him that the shifter had never changed form in front of anyone of the Volturi and that his thoughts had always been guarded from Aro's gift.
Eleazar nodded and gestured for Isabella to walk with him as they left the throne room. He would begin her training outside in the forests surrounding Volterra. Though he knew her to be a human drinker because of her alignment with the Volturi, he was indeed curious about her bright violet eyes. As they walked, Eleazar told the young woman a little about himself, how he was born in the 1700's in Spain, how he came to be a vampire, and how he met his mate Carmen.
Isabella asked why he had decided to become an animal drinker and why he decided to leave the Volturi. Eleazar responded with a smile, telling her of the Denali coven in Alaska that he and his wife had joined after years of being nomadic and human drinkers. He told her of how Carmen did not like his job in the Volturi, did not like the way that the job put him in danger and consisted of violence so often. So, he got Aro's blessing and left the Volturi on good terms, staying in touch so that Aro could call upon him when someone needed to be read like her.
As they came to a halt in the middle of the forest, Eleazar turned to Isabella with a smile. "Unlike humans, animals can sense us easily. Though we are faster and stronger, animals can smell us and hear us far easier than humans can. It makes them more of a challenge to hunt and the perfect way to practice using your gift. Now, I'm going to touch you again and I want you to focus on the energies that are unfamiliar. Aro and I talked at length about your previous trainings and how meditations and energies are how you feel your gift. So, when I touch you and your gift is unlocked fully once again I need you to focus on a new energy and attempt to control it. When I let go, try to find it again and use it."
Isabella nodded before taking Eleazar's hand. The familiar surge of energy rushed through her body and she closed her eyes, reveling in the feeling. There was one energy in particular that stood out to her as she focused. This energy felt like a cloak, it was fluid and light and it covered her entire body, but unlike her physical shield it was not hard and firm. She felt this energy and focused on it, letting its cool touch spread across her skin and then withdrawing it.
Eleazar watched in fascination as Isabella practiced moving her visible shield. Her arms would form and disappear gradually over and over, as if an astute painter were drawing her out piece by piece and then washing it all away again. He smiled as she practiced her other shields, keeping herself visible but cutting off her sweet natural scent, and clapping her marble hands together without making a sound. It was incredible progress in the span of a few short hours that they stood there and Eleazar smiled at her proudly.
"Let us now move to the hunt. Remember, you may shield whatever you would like but the whole point is to hunt without scaring off your prey."
Isabella crouched down, her violet eyes flashing from behind the tree where she stood. Her lips were parted slightly, letting the air around her flow through her nose and mouth. She could hear their hearts beating, practically feel the blood pumping through their veins. They continued to graze, completely unaware of the predator stalking them amidst the trees. Isabella made sure that her shields were in place as she emerged, laughing as the deer continued on as if nothing had changed even when she stood mere inches from them. They could not see, hear, or smell her. She was the ultimate predator in that moment.
She quickly killed the group and began her feast, Eleazar joining her so as not to waste the lives that once were. Once they were finished, Eleazar smiled and gestured back toward the castle on the hill.
"Have you ever played hide and go seek Isabella?" Eleazar asked. "I believe that our next training exercise should be a heightened version of the game. With your ability to hide yourself from the senses, it makes you almost impossible to find. However, we should test whether or not your ability can be expanded onto others like your physical and mental shields. It takes more energy from you to uphold but it would be a crucial weapon for the Volturi. Ideally, you could hide an army from our enemies. They would believe themselves strong enough to outmatch a small group and once they had made their decision you could unveil an entire army to them."
"I want justice and peace, not war." Isabella responded. "I want to be an agent of the Volturi that prevents war and corruption. My gift will be used for good, not evil. Aro will not misuse me."
Eleazar nodded before speaking. "Your loyalties lie to those that changed you, that saved you. But your sense of justice and nobility is rare Isabella. Someday you will be a very important leader of those values which you hold so dear. Do not lose sight of who you truly are as you are sent out to do these missions. The Volturi can be the enforcers of the law yes, but they can also be selfish and corrupt leaders. My alliance to the Volturi is not one of value or trust but rather one of necessity and care. I wish to make sure that the world is safe and on that we are alike."
"Sometimes I feel like there is a greater destiny set for me than I can imagine," Isabella whispered. Eleazar met her violet eyes with his own and gave her a soft smile.
"I am no seer Isabella but even I can tell you that that is true. Your gifts are like none that I have ever come across. You have befriended a rather enigmatic man, a shifter whom Aro knows very little about but who makes a great warrior. I am over 300 years old, and yet you make me feel as if there is still so much to be learned on this earth."
As they arrived at the castle, Jax made eye contact with Isabella from across the courtyard. Isabella gave him the slightest of smiles as they approached, taking his offered arm as the two men escorted her to the arena for the game.
News had spread quickly of Isabella's newest abilities and the game that was to be held to test them. Demetri, the best tracker the Volturi had ever acquired, was first in line. Alec and Jane were next, knowing that their friend would not let them get out of it. Jax smiled as he joined in with the others. This group of 4 individuals would lead another 6 in the game. Their team, knowing Isabella best, would attempt to find her and her teammates. It was as much a capture the flag type of game, a hunting game, as it was a hide and seek game. The objective was to find and capture Isabella, the captain of the other team, along with her 9 other teammates. All gifts were fair game, though they all knew that Isabella's shield would protect her team most of the time.
Demetri was allowed to take in the scent of each opposing team member including Isabella before the game began. The arena itself was decorated with trees, boulders, fences, buildings, and more so that there were plenty of places to hide and to run. It seemed an impossible task, to hide 10 people from 10 more who were dead set on finding them in a confined though admittedly large area. The rules stated that if Demetri's team was able to find and tag all 9 of Isabella's teammates, Isabella would then be able to begin a hunt of her own and tag out the opposing team.
Aro and the kings sat in the stands in their spectator's box, waiting for the games to begin. The rest of the stands were filled with Volturi guard, family, and workers. The air was practically alive with the excitement of competition and there was a distinct roar coming from the crowd. The combination of it all startled Isabella and she could feel the pressure of hundreds of expectant eyes upon her.
The teams stood at the center line that separated the two halves of the arena and shook hands. Jax grasped Isabella's icy hand in his own and smiled at her with a subtle wink.
"You'll do well young one. Believe in yourself. But don't forget that I will always be able to find you no matter what shields you have up. It is part of our connection. Have fun." The deep, rumbling voice sounded within Isabella's head.
Isabella's eyes widened and then narrowed at the man before her. "Cheater" being projected toward him through her thoughts. Jax laughed and moved to tie back his long hair for the coming competition.
The bell sounded and Isabella's group was off, dashing into their side of the arena to find suitable hiding places. Isabella quickly found a spot perched within the thick foliage of a tree, able to feel the many energies below her and identify where her teammates were hiding fairly quickly. The lights in the arena dimmed and a timer began to count down just below the royals' viewing box. 10 seconds until the opposing team would come searching for them. Isabella quickly fortified her shields around herself before expanding her mental shield to those on her team. As she harnessed the energy needed for her sense shields to expand, Isabella breathed in slowly. Upon exhaling, her sense shield went up around each individual on her team. As long as her teammates stayed hidden they would be nearly impossible to find.
The ring of the bell reverberated around the arena and Demetri's team was off, searching for their opponents amidst the arena's many hiding places. Demetri himself quickly locked onto an especially strong scent of one of the female guard members and he followed it until it suddenly disappeared. His eyes were bright red against the dim lighting and the trees at his back as he swept his gaze over the surrounding area. Though he could not see, smell, or hear the individual he was looking for, he could subtly feel her presence due to his gift.
Demetri stalked toward his prey and smiled as he was rewarded with a subtle bend of a tree trunk in front of him. He turned his back to the woman, pretending to head off in another direction before spinning around and leaping toward the space where he expected her to be. He felt soft skin beneath his fingers and reached into his robes for the flare he was given to signal the audience and Isabella of a discovered teammate. As the flare arched into the air, Isabella groaned softly and let her shield drop from around the woman who shoved Demetri playfully. The man smiled at her and bowed before sprinting off to center line to try and pick up another scent.
Meanwhile, Isabella was struggling to uphold her shield over so many people at once and could feel it waning. The energy that it took to uphold the many shield layers over multiple people was incredible and she knew that she could not last for much longer so she switched strategies. Instead of shielding each individual, which became increasingly hard as other individuals invaded her sphere of energy, she opted to shield only 3 at once and alternate between who she knew to be in danger and who wasn't.
Unfortunately, Jane caught onto this as she suddenly got wind of a vampire nearby and sent her gift out to meet the individual. Screams filled the otherwise silent air as Jane's gift took effect on the individual and she ran toward them. Isabella quickly sent up a shield around her screaming teammate and smiled as she heard Jane curse under her breath.
Across the arena, one of Isabella's teammates had stealthily made their way to the other half of the room, hiding on a rooftop, invisible to the senses. Isabella felt her energy slowly returning and revamped her shields around her teammates, casting them all under her safety. Alec stood, his red eyes searching, on the other side of the arena, sensing that someone had made their way here. He sent his gift out and a mist spread across the arena, blanketing the area. As the mist floated up and around, his eyes caught sight of something unusual on a rooftop nearby. The mist was rolling off of a spot on the roof as if there was something blocking it, and a subtle smirk pulled at Alec's lips. He pretended as if he didn't notice and stalked past the individual on the roof before doubling back to where he was out of sight of the individual. It was then that he leapt up and grabbed hold of what his gift could not, his marble hands gripping the cool skin of another vampire.
Isabella growled as another flare was sent up across the arena and she released her shield's hold on the captured vampire. She felt a presence sneaking up on her from behind and whirled around to see Jax stalking through the trees toward her. She knew that he could sense her because of their bond and narrowed her eyes at him before an idea made its way into her head. As he approached, Isabella cast her physical shield against his side, causing him to stumble. He turned toward the direction of the shield and began to stalk toward the trees to his left, unaware that Isabella was watching him from a completely different direction.
Over the next few hours, the remaining 7 flares went into the air and only Isabella remained. Now able to focus all of her energy on making herself undetectable, she worked silently and efficiently as she stalked toward her new prey. She decided that Jax would be first since he was the only one that could truly sense her even through her gifts. So, instead of using her physical shield to protect herself, she used it to immobilize him when he drew close to her. Her physical energy formed a hard barrier inches from his body in all directions so that he could only move a few inches. She snuck up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder with a smile, releasing the shield around him once she had tagged him out and sent up her flare.
The large man laughed and picked her up in a crushing hug as he heard her teasing voice ring in his head. He nodded his acceptance and pride of her unorthodox use of her gift before he walked away toward the arena exit.
"You should know better than to cage an animal little one," his deep voice sounded. She smiled and sent him mental messages of apology before she crouched down to continue her hunt.
Her shields were strong and she could feel the anticipation in the air around her as she approached two of her opponents. She dropped them quickly and sent up 2 flares at once, partly for an intimidation factor to work in her favor. Within the next few minutes she had sought out and disposed of the other 4 unnamed guards that were working for Demetri's team. However, she knew to be very careful as she sought out the final three competitors. She wasn't sure how but Alec had tagged out almost half of her team on his own and Demetri had a reputation as one of the best trackers so she knew not to underestimate his gift.
When Isabella found and tagged out Jane, the witch twin snarled at her and sent a wave of pain toward her, even knowing that it would do nothing. Isabella laughed and shot up a flare, telling Jane to go torture someone else if she must. Their banter lasted a few moments before Jane shoved Isabella playfully and stalked out of the arena in a sulky manner.
Now it was down to two: Demetri and Alec. Demetri was hot on the trail of where Jane had been last, knowing that that trail would then lead to Isabella. Alec was casting out his gift, letting the mist of lost senses take over the area around him. What Isabella would soon find out is that the mist wraps itself around whatever stands in its way, be it invisible or not. As she moved toward Alec and the mist that he was sending forth, she expected him to maintain the sweeping eye gaze and the searching body language. However, the moment that the mist came into contact with her, Alec's eyes shot over to her own and a smile played onto his features.
"Good to see you Isabella," he laughed. "Though I can't really see you of course."
As he finished his sentence, Alec leaped toward Isabella and she dodged him just barely. Her surprise was evident but she soon realized that the mist is what was giving away her position. So, she took off running away from Alec and the mist, while throwing up a physical shield against it so that it gathered against the invisible wall rather than her form. Isabella ran to the other side of the arena where she erected a large physical shield along the midline of the room, casting her shield all the way to the ceiling. As Alec's mist made its way there, it spread and pressed against the wall, climbing up along it and rolling off it in waves. The crowd was in awe at the display and Alec dispelled the mist around him so that he stood with his palms against the invisible wall and a smile on his face.
Isabella was watching, fully cloaked and only a few inches away from the man before her though he did not know it. She was so preoccupied however with maintaining the wall and keeping Alec away that she failed to notice Demetri creeping up behind her. Her shields were strong but his gift allowed him to sense her presence. Though it was not an exact art, he knew her well enough to know that she would be standing before Alec somehow, focusing on the matter in front of her. So, with swift dexterity, Demetri appeared behind the invisible woman and tapped her on the shoulder with a smirk, a flare shooting into the air from his side.
"Never turn your back on the enemy princess."