Chapter 11

We were sitting in the kitchen of the Cullen's huge, elegant, proportioned home. The walls were a soft shade of white, making the dark mahogany doors and window frames stand out. Their lawn was massive with a long driveway that led up to their garage. Inside was a massive interior with bright, open rooms. I spied on a raised platform an elegant black piano on the living room. The wooden floors, the carpet, and the roof were various shades of white. The kitchen was not any less impressive. Complete with soft gray granite counters and sleek white cupboards, the kitchen was as open as the rest of the house. We were seated at the stools surrounding a granite island counter.

Patch, Vee, and I were hesitant to go with the Cullens when Carlisle offered to have us stay with his family at their home. They were enemies as far as we could tell and nothing was changing that. But I couldn't shake off the feeling we didn't know the whole story. If we want to solve this diplomatically, we need to trust the others' honesty. So here we were, listening to Edward recount their story with the rest of his family surrounding us and Dante's doppelganger, Jacob. The pack, or what I thought was Seth's gang, was sitting on the living room, no doubt listening in on our conversation anyways.

"A few years ago," he began pensively. "Isabella Swan came to Forks, Washington after living with her mother in Arizona. I met her in my biology class and when she walked in, her blood sang to me."

"Sang to you?" Vee repeated, sounding like the idea was completely preposterous.

"There are some people whose blood is completely irresistible to us, our singers. For me, that is Bella," he explained patiently.

"I suppose that's how she changed?" I asked, putting things together. "You bit her?"

"Not in the way you're thinking. May I continue?"

"Oh, sorry."

"Despite the fact that she is my singer, I fell in love with her. But I realized quickly that I constantly place her on danger. Her blood was not only alluring to me but to others of our kind and an encounter with nomad coven had made me realized it. Even Jasper had a hard time trying to control his thirst around her. It was clear that I wasn't the good choice for her. So I tried to leave her.

"I wanted to give her the chance to live a normal life. But she placed herself in danger by doing reckless things until one day, I thought I had truly lost her. I went to our royalty, the Volturi coven in Italy to ask them to kill me but they didn't agree to it immediately because they wanted my abilities. They offered a job for me but I turned them down.

"Knowing the Volturi wouldn't allow any vampire to live if they exposed themselves to the humans, I decided to attempt a suicide by showing who I was in front of the people of Volterra. But Bella wasn't dead and she had prevented me from making a mistake just in time.

"But the Volturi was interested in her as well. They consistently warned me about our laws and if they weren't met, a punishment must be carried out. Since she knows my secret, the Volturi ordered me to turn Bella into one of us but I didn't want to. I wanted her to experience life the way it would never be for us. I delayed transforming her with the bargain of marriage. But she agreed to the marriage a few months later.

"Bella became pregnant with my child. She insisted on keeping it even though it was killing her. She had grown weak and nearly died when our daughter was born. That was when I transformed her into one of us. On the other hand, our daughter grows rapidly. We have never encountered a child like her so we were unsure of it all. She was as human as Bella was but as vampire as I am.

"A few months earlier, during my disappearance in Bella's life, one of the vampires from the nomad clan we had eliminated earlier returned to finish Bella's life. But luckily, our allies, the wolves, had come just in time to save her. However, this vampire had a mate. His death and her anger had placed a rift between our family and theirs.

"After Renesmee was born, our cousin vampire had come to the Olympic Peninsula to restore our family's relationship but she saw Renesmee and thought she was a vampire child. It was illegal for us to turn a child into vampires because they lacked the self control of an adult human that is turned into a vampire.

"It wasn't long until the Volturi heard about this from her and they immediately planned to come here with their own militia. They planned on eliminating us. So we strived to get a lot of the other covens to see her. We believed that if enough of our kind saw that our daughter is partly human, it would convince the Volturi to stop their planned execution of our family. Fortunately, we had gathered enough witness and the Volturi listened to us.

"However, things were never the same afterwards. Stirrings began to circulate among our kind. They wanted a new coven to rule over them. They believed that the Volturi had become drunken with power. So several of them contacted us. They planned on a coup d'état to take the Volturi's power and transfer it to us."

"But we never wanted it," Carlisle intercede. "All we want is a quiet peaceful life. None of us wanted to overthrow any regimes. If we went after the Volturi, we would put our own in danger."

"So we declined every offer of a coup d'état," Edward continued, nodding. "Until one day, one of the Volturi guards showed up in our porch. She told us of a group of unnatural beings harnessing the powers of hell for their own use. She told us that we needed to know where this power is so we would be able to stop them from using it against us. They wanted these beings to be eliminated.

"She gave us a name: Nora Grey. She said that this person knows about the powers of hell and she's the one who wants to use it against us. She and her allies were our enemies. But she also warned us that Nora wasn't a normal human and she has some powerful allies of her own. She guaranteed us that if we were careful, we can infiltrate her life and get information about the powers she had."

"So that's why you were stalking my home that night," I said, putting everything together. I suddenly felt anger rushing to me as I realized my mom was left alone at home that night. They could have hurt her!

I opened my mouth to say something but Edward interrupted me. "No, I understand your anger. But we wanted information from you. We had no plans of hurting your mom. When Bella and Jacob went to your farmhouse that night, all we wanted to know is what exactly we were dealing with. But if you feel like you have been offended, I am sorry. However, we need to go to more pressing matters."

I glared at him for a few more seconds, still bothered by the fact that my mom was alone with vampires, even if they were vegetarians and still bothered by the fact that these Volturi people want to come after me for something I do not have. But a sudden calm hang over me and when I spoke, my words were not as angry. In the corner of my eye, I saw Patch frown at Jasper.

"Hang on, if I'm getting this right, what you're saying is that this Volturi has set you up against us, telling you we have the Devilcraft while on the other hand, the Archangels had assigned us to stop the vampires from harnessing it from hell."

"So it's still in hell, this power?" Jacob asked, adjusting his weight to his other foot while the others remained as still as stone.

I nodded.

"Hang on, how did this power ever get out of hell?" the blonde Rosalie asked, looking from me to Vee to Patch. Oh boy, where was I even going to start with that?

I chose to answer the question alone and hopefully the story will flow out. "My biological father, Frank Miller had harnessed it out of hell in hopes of using Devilcraft against the fallen angels. I suppose I should start from the beginning…"

I told them about our world, what happens when angels fall, how that connected me and Patch, what happened to our relationship, Hank Miller's Nephilim army, and how Devilcraft was used during the last Cheshvan. By the time I was finished, all the vampire faces were deep in thought.

"So I don't have the Devilcraft nor do I want it out of hell ever again," I concluded. "The Volturi lied to you. I'm guessing they want the power themselves and they're just trying to look for a way to get it."

"You are accusing them of a serious thing," Carlisle muttered, his face grim.

Patch shook his head. "Nora has a point. Like what you have said, your own people want you to be the new leaders. I'm guessing the Volturi isn't ready to let go of their power yet. So if they set you up against us and attack like you did, Aro is probably hoping even if you're not all eliminated, your numbers would decrease enough for them to eliminate you themselves. If you do get something about the Devilcraft and how to use it, they would harness it and kill your family."

"But it wouldn't work," Vee added, standing up suddenly. "The Archangels would be waiting at the gates of hell for anyone who's attempting to steal it. If any vampire even got near that gate, all of your kind will die."

"So you want us to convince them otherwise," Bella concluded silently.

"You've done it before. You've gathered enough of your kind to witness that your daughter is only a half vampire child. It's the same idea. Gather enough of your kind to try and talk to the Volturi about the dangers of harnessing Devilcraft from hell."

Carlisle sighed and spread his hands in the kitchen counter. "I don't think Aro would be stopped."

"Not unless enough of your kind know the danger they're unknowingly facing because a coven's thirst for power," I said earnestly.

"Nora," Edward uttered, taking me a little by surprise by saying my name. "This whole situation is a lot more complicated to explain to our kind."

Bella added," Besides, if news of the Volturi wanting more power gets out, our kind would go to war with the Volturi. Then they would want us in the position we don't want to be in."

"Well, what if we talk to our closest covens?" the girl named Alice piped in. I stared at her, surprised at the sweetness of her voice. Though all of their voices sounded gentle, sweet, and magical, her voice sounds absolutely dream-like.

"The Denali?" Bella cocked her head to the side. "I'm not sure if that's a great idea. They are still hurting from their sister's death. They could either not want to have anything to do with this especially when it's really not their battle or they could be so grief-stricken they do something reckless like actually fight the Volturi."

"Nevertheless, they are family. I would still ask for their help and we could judge if they are fit to talk diplomatically with the Volturi," Carlisle stated. He sighed and looked at Edward. "What do you think?"

"I think… our kind needs to know what's going on with the Volturi but at the same time, they need to know we don't want to overthrow them or take over their power. We'll need our reasonable allies to fight with us if it comes down to it." His gold eyes landed on me. "You said you have an army and you said they are preparing right now. Maybe if we show your numbers to the Volturi, they would hesitate."

I glanced at Patch. How are we going to fly a total of seventy pure Nephils and have them packed in Volterra? I looked at their family. "They are going to fight anyone who threatens their safety. The fallen angels are gone now and all they want is their freedom."

"So you really are preparing for war," Jacob said in a finalized tone.

Patch shook his head. "No, we want this to be as diplomatic as possible but if it does come to it, yes, we would go to war with your leaders before they try to harness Devilcraft from hell. Because once the Archangels sees them, they would destroy every single living vampire."

I looked at every vampire and every wolf in the room. "What we need to know is where your kinds stand. Are you going to stand up and fight with us, are you going to join them, or are you not going to do anything?"

"My pack and I are with the Cullens, whatever their decision may be," Jacob replied, glancing at Edward.

I turned my attention to Carlisle and then Edward since I think they are the two leaders of the group. But Carlisle sighed and Edward remained silent for a while.

"We understand this is difficult for you," Patch said, sensing their hesitation. "We know you don't want to challenge them because your kind will take it as an attempt to overthrow them. But Carlisle, you do know what this Aro's intentions are. The target is you, your family, and your allies."

"We want to protect our family but we don't want the power their position entails," Carlisle answered him, his eyes on Patch. "And like what Edward said, we know our kind needs to be informed about the Volturi's intentions. If they succeed and the Archangels cannot stop them, they would eliminate us and then enforce their power to our kind and maybe to the humans."

"First and foremost, however, they are threatening our family," Bella pointed out. "They would be invincible if they get this Devilcraft."

"Look," I stood up, pacing which I decided wasn't the best idea with a kitchen filled with supernatural creatures. I had an idea that maybe can somehow help our cause without pressuring the Cullens to fight with us or contact other covens for help. "Maybe you don't have to decide for any actions right now."

"What do you mean?" Jacob asked. All eyes were on me including Patch's and Vee's.

Hoping this would work, I pressed on, "Maybe you can just help us. The Volturi are formidable opponents, sure, but we need to know their strengths and weaknesses. This would really save us and maybe stop them from getting their hands on the Devilcraft."

The room went silent as the others took in my idea. I think it could work since they're not necessarily involved in the process that much. They could sit out the fight, if it comes to it, and even if their kind knew their involvement, they wouldn't necessarily see it as overtaking the government.

"How would we help you?" Rosalie asked skeptically. Though she had been silent for the rest of the time, like the rest of her family, I sensed she didn't trust us. I don't blame her. I am not even sure if we could get them through this with clean hands.

I shrugged. "I think it would be better if you tell us more about the Volturi. If there's something important we need to know, tell us so we could prepare for it the best we can."

"It wouldn't be enough," Carlisle shook his head. I glanced at him as attention turned to him. He sighed as he glanced at Edward again. He nodded slowly but remained silent.

"I am willing to offer our help as long as you are going to approach them diplomatically. Maybe I can even convince the covens that would be beneficial to our cause to come with us. Hopefully the combined forces of vampires, fallen angels, Nephilim, and wolves would make the Volturi hesitate. Additionally, we're going to help you train in combat if it does come down to a fight. I speak on behalf of my family that we don't want to be the next target for whatever their plan is."

I glanced at Patch and Vee. Patch was rubbing his chin as he went over the idea. Then he nodded slowly. "I think that would be fine."

Without another word, the others exited the kitchen. Even though the vampires' faces didn't show any emotion, I sensed their apprehension about the future events that would come. Only Carlisle's wife stayed, looking at us rather nervously.

"You can stay with us, if you'd like," she said. "We have a couple of spare rooms."

"We'd like that," Patch answered with a kind smile. She seemed satisfied as she sashayed out of the room, returning the smile.

Patch headed out for a while to check out of the hotel rooms and retrieve our things. Vee and I stayed in the room to plan our next move. Though the Cullens seemed trustworthy enough, I wasn't sure how much we should actually trust them. It seemed Vee was feeling the same way.

Not wanting to alert our supposedly new acquaintances, I used mind speak. I didn't hesistate to put up my shield either so their mind reader won't hear our conversation. "We need to find a way just in case these things decide to turn on us. I don't like not having a backup plan."

Vee nodded. "I was thinking of it too. But what are we going to do? They have the advantage of numbers on us. Maybe we need to trust them for now."

"You know what I think? I think we should let them teach us about how to defeat the Volturi. If they do something later on, at least we're not completely unprepared. Their numbers will mean nothing if we know how to destroy their kind."

"But if they backstab us even before they teach us?"

"Then it's war. We're going to get the Nephilim army and eliminate any threat."

She frowned, running her finger through her hair. "If they hurt us in a bad way, you know it will take weeks for us to recover. By then, the Volturi or the Cullens would have enough time to get to the gates of hell."

"That's why Patch is constantly talking to Pepper. I don't doubt he knows what's going on by now. I am hoping he has enough sense, however, to train the Nephil army."

A knock in the door interrupted our conversation. I looked at Vee cautiously as we opened the door. Standing outside our room was the small, pixy-haired Alice. An annoyed snarl on her face as she stared at the distance, massaging her temples. When she saw me, she cleared her face and it smoothed to a smile.

"Hi, can I talk to you?" she asked, peeking inside the room. Once again, I was surprised at the gentleness and musicality of her voice.

Unsure, I glanced over at Vee. I figured she wasn't a threat since she's alone, though of course, we're at the disadvantage because this house is filled with vampires and wolves. "Sure." I stepped aside to let her in.

"Okay, you need to stop doing what you're doing!" she suddenly said, frustrated.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"That! Whatever it is you're doing. You, your friend, and your fallen angel boyfriend is blocking my visions!"

"Sorry for asking it again, but…what?"

She inhaled sharply and let it out in a calming exhale. "I can see the future and I just wanted to see what will happen to this mission of yours. Sometimes I could see your small decisions in advance and sometimes I could see what the future holds for you as long as you feel the way you feel right now. But then there are moments where I can't see anything. It's so frustrating! It's like you three are purposely teasing me with the future and then grabbing it away when things get interesting!"

I exchanged looks with Vee. So maybe this vampire girl is a little crazy. She sighed again as she massaged her temples. "Well…er, sorry?"

She whipped towards me, her eyes blazing. "But you're not the only one. The Volturi is doing it too. They've never done it before. This is concerning me greatly."

"And so you're thinking we have something to do with your lack of insight to the Voturi's future?" Vee asked.

She nodded. "Do you know anyone that could possibly have the ability to block me. I mean, this doesn't happen to me often. I especially never experienced having insight to the future in one second while I can't see a thing in another second."

I shook my head. "No, I'm sorry."

She looked up at us, holding her hands out. "Can you please stop what it is you're doing so I can at least have some kind of glimpse? It's frustrating enough not to see anything while the wolves are here but at least they're not doing it on purpose."

"How do you know we're doing it on purpose?" Vee inquired, sounding a bit insulted.

"Because, like I said, sometimes I could get a glimpse then sometimes I'm blocked out. Can you at least tell me what it is you're doing?"

"We don't know what we're doing and I don't think it's on purpose," I told her, trying to appease her because she was starting to sound hysterical. "But we can try. Compare your visions now with whatever you see when I block my thoughts."

She nodded and I lowered my defenses. Immediately, her eyes lightened as it glazed over. Then she blinked out of her vision, nodding. "Yes, I can see! Would you like to know?"

I shook my head, not really sure if I wanted to hear what the future holds. "Ready?" I asked her. She nodded and I placed my defenses up.

Immediately, I saw her frustration. "There! Stop that!"

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Alice. I don't think I can do that. You'd just have to endure that there will be times I won't let you know what my future holds. But how about this? I'll lower my shield most of the time when I'm here, to show you I'm not hiding anything. But just know it will not be down the whole time."

She sighed again. "Fine. I guess I'll have to endure those small moments. I guess I'll go now." She headed back and I walked her to the door. She glanced over her shoulder. "I'm sorry I bothered you two."

I shook my head, plastering on a smile. "It's fine."

I turned to Vee who still looked surprised and confused. "So, there are crazy vampires."

I went downstairs a few hours later to check if Patch had already came in. I wandered through the empty living room and looked out of the huge glass window. Jacob's pack had already left to patrol the premises as it was their job. I continued to gaze out of the window, thinking about the predicament we have found ourselves in. I know the Cullens had done nothing to us so far that would merit any distrust but knowing someone from their kind wants the Devilcraft makes me doubt the rest of them. However, they promised to teach us how to destroy their own kind which helps ease my suspicions a bit. They wouldn't risk teaching powerful, immortal beings how to destroy them if they don't want this stopped, right? But I was definitely certain there was no way I would share how to destroy a fallen angel. Destroying first generation Nephilim would be difficult since only the intervention of Archangels could kill us but they are on our side right now. Devilcraft is still in hell so they can't use that to kill us either.

A pair of glowing orbs caught my attention, taking me away from my troubled thoughts. I looked down to see a huge sandy-colored wolf, the same wolf that refused to look at me straight in the eyes. I knew by the size that it was one of Jacob's pack members, though I'm not certain who. I haven't spoken to Seth either after I found out he was a werewolf to know who's who in his pack. Now I know he was sent there to find out more about the Devilcraft, like Bella and Jacob, I was a bit annoyed. All of these creatures stalking me without me knowing is really getting to be a pain. The first few times, I was scared but now, I just felt like there's a huge painted sign on my back that reads, "WANTED: MAGICAL CREATURES. MUST BE ABLE TO STALK FULL TIME."

My Nephil radar buzzed as I noticed the temperature grow colder, a sign that one of the Cullens must be around. With a house of beautiful undead statues, it wasn't an alarming thing. I turned around to see Bella standing behind me, still as stone. She looked like one of the ghosts in old horror movies, beautiful yet haunted.

"Hey, that look could work with the main theme of my life: horror," I told her.

Her face broke into a surprisingly warm smile. Here I was thinking these vampires couldn't manage a facial expression; beautiful yet blank.

"Can I join you," she asked hesitantly.

"Sure, I guess." I turned back to the window to find the sandy-wolf was gone.

A blink later, she was standing beside me, gazing out the window as well. I waited in awkward silence for her to speak. I opened my mouth to excuse myself but she suddenly grabbed my arm with surprising strength.

"So heaven and hell are real?" she asked, gripping my wrist tightly with delicate looking fingers.

I looked down, cringing a bit in pain. "Uh, Bella, you're hurting me."

She looked down, surprised and let go off my wrist hurriedly. "I'm sorry."

I rubbed the spots, already feeling the purple bruises. I wonder how long this would heal. Maybe a day or two? "Just easy on me. I'm not exactly like the other beings you've been with."

She nodded and looked at me expectantly. I gave her my "what" look, completely forgetting about her question.

"Oh yeah," I said, snapping back to it. "Uh…yes, it's real."

She remained still again, her face troubled. "Are you okay, Bella?"

"Are we damned?"

The question surprised me. I have never thought vampires would ask about their salvation. But then, I'm wildly basing it on my knowledge from movies. Basso's words returned to me. He said there were creatures feeding on humans that are manifestation of Man's sins. Vampires were creatures and does feed on humans, despite the fact these particular vampires are vegetarian so I suppose Basso's description also includes them.

"I'm not really sure what happens after someone like us dies," I told her slowly. It was the most honest answer I could think of.

"Most of our kind believe we are soulless with the certainty that we are damned after waking up in this life," she said pensively. "But no one knows about the beautiful souls of my family."

"If it's any consolation, you're looking at two Nephils and a fallen angel. We're not exactly heaven's dream team either. So if we're going to the same place you are…well we'll see each other there then."

She stared at me straight in the eye. "Do you know anyone of your kind who has died?"

I nodded, thinking of Scott with a pang. "He was one of my closest friends. He was always there when I needed him. He…saved me that night when we banished Devilcraft back to hell."

"I'm sorry," Bella whispered gently.

I nodded again, clearing my throat. "I suppose our destination hasn't been set yet. I mean, here we are working with the Archangels to keep Devilcraft off the Earth. I'm hoping that's at least worth something."

When she remained silent, I pressed on. "Look Bella, all that matters now is what we're doing while we're here. All that matters is that we save the people who doesn't deserve to be subjected to such an evil power." Even though it feels like I'm doing this to save Patch from hell, I realized I do want to keep Devilcraft in hell because I know what kind of damage it would potentially create. No one deserves that.

She agreed. "Yes, you're right."

"I have to go check on Patch," I told her, standing up.

She stood up as well. "I think he's at the garage with the boys. I have to go home and check on my daughter too."

I headed towards the back door that led to the garage while she headed towards the front door. I heard the door open and close on the other side of the house as Bella disappeared to the night. I entered the back door, gently closing it behind me.

I heard the guys' voices as I neared the garage. They were speaking in friendly, familiar tones as if they've known each other all their lives. I cracked the door open very slightly to hear what they were talking about.

"You have a pretty sweet collection here, even though I have to admit I am partial to motorcycles," Patch was telling them as he examined a shiny red car. His back was on me while Edward and Emmett stood across him in clear view. "These kinds of cars draw too much attention if you ask me."

Edward agreed. "It's rare we take these out and we normally take the town's back roads if we want to ride them. But then, it doesn't really matter. We don't need these cars to travel."

"Not one of these cars can outrun us," Emmett added with a smirk.

"Must be slow rides," Patch muttered but I knew they both heard it. Emmett's face hardened while Edward drew out a crooked smile.

He nodded towards Patch. "So what do you do in your spare time?"

"Pool and gamble," Patch answered shortly as he leaned against the hood of the car.

"Have any high bets?"

"Not in the way you would think," Patch admitted after a while. "We don't gamble money and property only goes as far as the first two games."

"Then what?"

"Years of servitude."

"Slavery?"

Patch thought of it for a while. "Not exactly. Since I played with mostly other fallen angels, we would bet on our Nephilim vassals. The higher in power our vassals were in the human world, the higher the stakes are. It also helps if they know you're someone powerful. If you emerge as a winner, you would take their high-profile Nephilm vassal and take over their bodies for the two weeks of Cheshvan. Another option is the losing fallen angel would still take over their Nephil vassal but he/she wouldn't be able to do what they want. Instead, they would still have to do whatever the winning fallen angel commands them to do."

I felt my hands shaking as I heard Patch recount the bets. I haven't felt the magnitude of what my people was going through until now. I realized how much they were not in control of their own bodies during Cheshvan. Sometimes they weren't only being controlled by one fallen angel. Sometimes, there's a fallen angel above their own master.

"So, how many vassals have you taken over, besides your own?" Edward had asked, speaking out the question I wanted to be answered. I waited in anticipation for Patch's answer. I wasn't sure if I could forgive him if I hear something I didn't want to hear.

He shrugged. "None." I didn't realize I was holding my breath. I let it out in a steady exhale. "I collect my earnings when I need them. I find it makes it harder for people to say no when they have a huge debt. But then all of that doesn't matter now. The fallen angels that owe me big are now in hell for eternity and their vassals free every Cheshvan. There's nothing I need from them anyways. I have everything I want."

Emmett smirked again but Edward frowned as he thought of something. "Why didn't your girl get behind the idea of Devilcraft for the Nephilim race? Her father harnessed it and you said she herself digested it inside her. Why didn't she use it for her race's sake?"

I heard an audible sigh from Patch. "I know sometime during the impending war, she was confused. I was sure she felt the power of the Devilcraft and was hesitant to let it go. She even falsely showed me she drank an antidote for the poison she was ingesting before she got too addicted to it. But Dante used it against her and she knew it was time to banish it from Earth. She chose her people's freedom but chose not to use Devilcraft to fight for it."

"So this Dante, by controlling the fallen angels, controlled the Nephil vassals," Edward reached the realization. "He hit two things at once."

"So you see why Devilcraft should never ever be harnessed from hell again. It's going to affect more than one kind and the Archangels would intervene as soon as Mankind is affected gravely."

"Do you really think there's going to be a war?"

Patch was silent for a few minutes as he thought of it. I knew he was analyzing that if a great but evil power is up for grabs, would a diplomatic resolution would even be reached. Would this Volturri coven ever risk their own lives, their own kind, just to get such a dangerous power?

But when Patch spoke, he was certain of his words. I saw Edward and Emmett's grim expressions and I knew they thought of it too.

"There will be war."