Chapter 17 – Exploring Volterra

Alec and I left Felix in the main hall and slipped silently into one of the halls leading off it to go exploring. What we had seen so far had been so impressive I couldn't wait to see more. And there was plenty more to see.

The Volturi castle was all built of stone, much of it carved and polished. The wives' tower and the castle above ground were surprisingly light and airy, and the small arrow slit windows offered tantalising glimpses of the city below.

"I'd like to go out and explore it," Alec said quietly, both of us standing on tiptoe to see out. "Look at all those dwellings. So many are made of stone, and built up with windows and chimneys. This must be the wealthiest city in the world."

"We haven't seen any other cities," I pointed out, but in truth I agreed with Alec. Surely there couldn't be anywhere else more astonishing than where we were? "But you're probably right. I'm sure Lord Aro looks only for the best."

"I can smell the humans," Alec commented a minute later.

"We're not allowed to feed in the city," I remembered. "He told me that. There are no vampires in Volterra." I looked at Alec and giggled as he laughed.

"Philippe said most of the castle is underground," Alec said as we came upon a staircase. "I don't know how you even build such a thing."

I glanced warily up at the roof, with its stone arches and solid wooden beams, but it looked sturdy enough. I hoped it wouldn't come crashing down upon my head.

The corridor we were walking along seemed to stretch out endlessly, other corridors branching off it at regular intervals. Wall sconces lit our way, and the opulent rooms that opened off it were large and filled with luxurious furnishing. Some of them had vampires in them, talking and laughing, occasionally playing games with boards and pieces, but Alec and I didn't stop to talk to anyone. We wanted to find our way by ourselves.

Aro had been right about the castle's extensive underground areas. At first Alec and I felt hopelessly lost, but as we began to circle back onto familiar corridors we were able to build up a mental map of the castle layout.

There was so much to see that Alec and I almost lost track of time as we found it all. Hallways lined with art, rooms full of treasures, an enormous room with seating in a semi-circle around raised platform. We saw vampires in rooms full of games that were unfamiliar to us, and heard them playing music such as we had never heard. We saw rooms full of fabrics and sewing supplies and beautiful gowns hung on nails. We found the slave quarters, down deep, and even they were ornate. Alec showed me the bathhouse, a huge tiled room with steaming tubs, the air heavy with scent. We even found a little grotto off one of the smaller, forgotten passageways, a tiny stone cave where a waterfall splashed down one wall into a shallow, rocky pool that must have drained away somewhere unseen. The rocks all around glittered and shone like vampire skin in the sunlight.

"It's like a goddess pool, here in Volterra," I said softly, sitting beside the pool and trailing my fingers in the water.

"Except that the Goddess brings life, and no one here does," Alec said quietly, taking a seat across the pool. "They…we…only take it."

"Lord Aro gave us life," I said defensively. "Or have you forgotten that we were being burned as witches before he came?"

"As if I could forget! I'm just saying that the Gods don't seem to have a place here," Alec replied.

I shrugged. "Perhaps you're right." I couldn't bring myself to care overmuch. Since when had the gods ever helped me? How many nights had I gone to bed hungry, praying for food? How many times had I prayed for rescue from my enemies?

And no one had ever come. No one had ever helped. Not until Aro.

"Did you notice that they're all older?" I asked hesitantly. "All the vampires here are adults. And they're all worried that we're too young…too young for what? It seems like we can do anything they can do, so why do they see us as a problem?"

Alec nodded. "There aren't any vampire children. It's a rule, that they only turn adults, and the punishment for breaking that rule is severe."

I frowned uneasily. "Why?"

"Philippe told me a little about it, while we were bathing," Alec told me. "I asked him what Caius had meant about us being too young, and that the Volturi couldn't be associated with something. I didn't understand. He said that it was about our age, because although it was always frowned upon some vampires did start turning infants and very young children. He said that they were lovely, but they were strong and always thirsty and always uncontrollable. The children and their creators were putting the whole vampire world in danger with their recklessness. Philippe said that the immortal children themselves were easily destroyed, but the covens were so protective of them that trying to remove one inevitably ended in slaughter. And Aro didn't want that, he didn't want the vampire population decimated, he wanted them to stay strong…so turning a child became outlawed. Philippe said that they've mostly tracked down all the covens that created and harboured the immortal children and destroyed them. If there are any left they don't know about them."

"But we're not children like that," I said, a little defensively. "We're not out of control killing beasts!"

Alec smiled at me. "I know. And they will all know that too, after a time. I think they're just nervous…the way Philippe told it the story of the immortal children and what it took to stamp it out is a very dark one. No one wants to go back to that."

"There's so much we don't know," I sighed. "All that vampire history…and if we don't die, how old are they all? And this story about the children. Why would anyone want to change a child? Imagine all those horrible snivelling little brats from the village here!" I snorted with disgust.

Alec laughed, but then sobered quickly. "We might not die, but we can be destroyed. Philippe talked a lot of the battles and fights that the immortal children inspired, and about the many vampires that were lost in them. We must be careful here Jane," he warned.

I tossed my hair back. "No one can hurt us. I can hurt them worse and you can stop them in their tracks. They all know it too…no one would even dare to try."

We stopped talking as we heard footsteps in the tiny passageway leading to the grotto. A moment later a lanky, fair-haired vampire with a beard slid in through the narrow entrance and grinned at us in a friendly way.

"No wonder none of the others could find you," he commented. "I doubt anyone else has been in here in decades! I'd forgotten about it myself."

"You're Willamar," Alec said, eyeing him warily. "Felix said you're a tracker."

"That's correct." Willamar squatted on his heels by the entrance, looking around. "That's why I could find you when the others couldn't. All vampires are skilled at hunting and tracking of course, but as a tracker I have a little extra flair for it. You really did find the most out of the way place to hide though! Of all the places in Volterra you choose to hide out in a forgotten cave?"

Alec shrugged. "It's nice here, and we're not really hiding. We wanted to talk without others listening."

"Why were you looking for us anyway?" I asked suspiciously.

"You've been gone exploring for a good while. Aro was a little concerned," Willamar said lightly. "The lady wives were hoping you'd go to the tower Jane, something about gowns I believe? You're welcome to visit too, Alec, they'd like to meet you."

Only a little reluctantly I followed Willamar out of the grotto, only then noticing the blood spatters on my borrowed gown. I wondered if it would matter and if the wives would be angry with me. As a human I had worn the same woollen tunic and shift every day, but the coarse fabric had been dark brown and no one noticed or even cared about stains. The gown the Volturi ladies had given me was beautiful, but the delicate fabric showed the trail of blood clearly. Every other vampire I had seen had been immaculately dressed. I rubbed at one of the spots with my finger and then gave up in disgust.

After our extensive explorations I knew I could find the way back to the wives' tower, but Willamar accompanied us anyway. I wasn't sure if I liked it. Why should we be under scrutiny, when we had committed so wholeheartedly to being one part of them?

The tower was much livelier than it had been on my previous visit, with many more vampires in the first, large room. I paid them little mind though, all my attention being caught by the music that was filling the room. It was the vampire called Flavius, playing an instrument that bore some similarity to the one I had once seen the village lord play, although it was larger and the sound richer and more varied. I wondered if it was just my vampire ears that made the music speak so beautifully.

"Do you like the music?" It was Corin, standing beside me and watching the playing, who had spoken.

I nodded. "Is it a lyre?" I remembered that that was what the lord had called it.

Corin shook her head. "No, it's called a cithara. It's similar to a lyre though, they're both stringed instruments. I wasn't sure how much music you would have heard in your human life, living so far away from any town."

I shrugged. "I heard the village lord play the lyre once."

"Flavius plays for us often," Corin said. "Sulpicia and Athenodora love music, and they enjoy having guests up here. You know you're welcome any time."

As if she'd heard her name, Sulpicia came drifting over, smiling benignly. "Jane! It's lovely to see you again. Have you been enjoying yourself? My lord Aro has been taking care of you?"

"Yes thank you." I smiled at her anxiously and plucked at the fabric of my gown. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, but…"

"Oh darling, don't worry!" Sulpicia waved her hand dismissively. "Of course there was a little mess. We would expect nothing else from a baby, and Athenodora and I have prepared for this. We have altered another gown to fit you, and have begun making plans for a full wardrobe for you. That's why I asked Willamar to find you; I wanted to make sure you liked our ideas for you!" She tucked my arm into hers and towed me through an arched doorway into yet another room.

This was smaller than the room outside where everyone was gathered. The walls were draped with tapestries and there were seats piled with plump cushions, as well as a large table of a wood so highly polished that I could almost see my reflection in it. The table was piled high with fabrics in a rainbow of colours, and I couldn't resist reaching out and touching them. "They're so beautiful!"

Sulpicia gave a happy laugh. "They are! I do so love beautiful gowns and my lord Aro always makes sure I'm well supplied with the materials to make them. It gives me much pleasure to dress my ladies…those that appreciate it, that is!" She shook her head with a sigh. "My darling Chelsea isn't the least bit interested in her clothes and it's such a pity! She'd rather wear short tunics and leggings than a gown…oh well, I must do what I can! But that's why I wanted to consult with you about what you would like."

"I don't know," I said falteringly. "I've never had to choose."

"Don't fret. Athenodora and I will make you up some gowns and some tunics and leggings and hose, and you can see what you like. Now, take off this one, and we'll find you something fresh." She tugged on the overdress with the blood spots on it and I obediently slid it off and then put on the clean one.

"We'll make some for your brother too," Sulpicia told me, as she took a brush and began to work on my hair, brushing it smooth and then weaving it into a braid. "He will need them, and he's a little too young…too small, I should say, for the clothing we already have on hand." She tied off the end of my hair, and then tossed the blood-spattered dress into a basket by the door. "We have humans to do the laundry," Sulpicia explained. "It's such a dull chore, no one wants to do it."

"The slave humans?" I remembered the scent and taste of the humans and felt the venom run. Shaking my head I exclaimed, "How do they live here without someone feeding on them?"

"Matilda and Willamar keep us well supplied, so usually no one is so thirsty that they cannot resist. Of course, there are always exceptions," Sulpicia said carelessly, and then giggled. "It makes Caius so very cross. He takes charge of the humans here in our castle and he is always terribly vexed when anyone interferes with his work!"

Remembering the malicious glint in Caius' eye when he spoke about what he might do with my newfound ability, I didn't think I'd be testing what he might do to me if I vexed him. However I also wasn't really convinced of my ability to resist the lure of humans so close, if the thirst should strike.

"Come along my dear." Sulpicia stood by the doorway and beckoned. "You ought to introduce me to your brother, and there are many more who would like to meet you…come along and join in."