Chapter 17
Building an Empire
I'm starting to get an idea of just how old Stefan really is. The stories he tells me are so stunning, not only in the savage heartbreak of them, but in the span of history he covers as if it were only a few months. I can't get over the idea that the man I love was alive before the middle ages. It's hard to believe that he's seen the black plague, the Crusades, the inquisition, the rise and fall of nations, and so many other events I have only read about in history books. It staggers my imagination. And still he was able to find love again. I know he told me, so that I would understand the reason he feels he is a monster, unworthy of redemption, hope, and love. But I don't see him that way at all. It breaks my heart to think of the burden of guilt he carries with him.
But then again, I have conveniently overlooked the people he's killed just to feed his hunger. Even if he were able to only kill once a year, over the span of fifteen hundred years that makes him a serial killer of monstrous degree! And I know it has been more; many many more, likely on a scale that would make the loss of life during many natural disasters seem small in comparison.
Even if I can forgive the taking of the lives, how can I reconcile it with what I know myself; that it's not just the one life that's touched. How many widows and orphans has he created? How many leaders, best friends, brothers, sisters, and children were taken from those who loved or needed them? And all to buy him a little more time; a little more time over the span of years, decades, and centuries. Time to bring him to a place where I would meet him and he would be the answer to my prayers.
I want too much to paint him as a bringer of mercy rather than death. I look at his amber eyes and they are so different from the red which frightens me and reminds me of each life lost to him. How many? How many died with his beautiful face before their eyes? Or would he approach from behind like with Lucian, to avoid looking at their eyes.
No matter what I love him. I must be crazy! I snuggle against his chest and there is no warmth except my own. No softness except my own, and no comforting heartbeat. And yet I love him so much that I can't imagine my life; my pitifully short human life, without him. His arms tighten around me and I tilt my head back for his kiss. His mouth has tasted the blood of thousands and now my lips taste his, and I know bliss.
I listen as he speaks, and the vibrations come up through the throat I'm kissing. "Summer I don't know how I can explain to you the empire Vladmir and I built. The castle Vladmir was working on is set in the mountains. It's actually atop a ridge with over fifteen hundred steps to reach it. Our human workers toiled under terrible conditions to reconstruct this place and it took years. We learned their names, and their families came to work for us as well, and the work continued.
"Vladmir traveled, looking for those he would recruit to join us. Each time he came home to the castle, he came with several newborns. It was getting more difficult to keep the secret as we had to travel further to hunt. Fortunately Vladmir had chosen an enemy leader, and he had allied himself with his opposition as a mercenary leader. I was appalled and impressed when I first lead our small army against the real thing. We'd outfitted ourselves with weapons and armor we didn't need and lured them into an attack as we seemed to retreat from their assault. They outnumbered us six to one and still it was a massacre. We took prisoners to sustain us later, and left no witnesses. By the time the work was finished on the castle we had an army of fifty 'mercenaries' that had been proven in many battles.
Vladmir and I were equals in the sense that we decided together how best to achieve our goals. Sometimes it was through brute force and using our army to attack enemies. But more and more it became the backroom negotiation which was our strength. With his talent for fabricating stories and mine for convincing people our cause was just, we could decide the tide of any conflict or dispute, often before a sword was ever drawn. It was impressive how easy it was to settle our lands in ever widening circles of influence. Those closest to us suspected what we were, but we also began to put our efforts into making life good for those under our protection. We had roads built, and schools of higher learning, and we allowed the serfs to work land they could own one day. The people were protected from the wars that continued to plague the rest of Europe.
"With the schools came great scholars, and the roads brought trade, and people came from other countries to live in a place where they could prosper. And the castle itself was the place where great artists and artisans wanted their work showcased. There were mosaics, and tapestries, and murals on every wall, and statues carved by masters. We invited heads of state from neighboring countries to visit, and each visit was a cause for celebration as we sought to impress upon them how well our policies were working. Of course we were not the leaders of the country, there were those in place who held those titles, but we were the power behind the thrones. It was obvious to anyone who spent time with us that not only did we choose who ruled, but we also decided the focus of their regime. Any who opposed us met with unfortunate ends.
"Our once newborn army had matured and their talents were evident. They were refining their abilities to do many of the things which are attributed to our kind. We had one who could alter his form into any animal. One who could turn to vapor, One who could put someone into a deep trance, and their perfect counterpart, one who could give an irresistible suggestion to the sleeper. There were two who could spot a lie, even from Vladmir, unless he was pushing his ability. There were several others hand picked by Vladmir for their talents and a couple new ones who were very promising. When the first Volturi guards showed up we were perhaps a little overconfident. We easily defeated the six and two even joined us.
"We knew the Volturi were upset with us, though we had no plans to ever go against them. We had already had over a hundred years of peace and prosperity in the lands we influenced. Many historians and scholars point to different catalysts for the Renaissance, and not one will give credit where it was due – mine and Vladmir's work to stabilize this one area and show people what life could look like once war and human suffering were taken away.
"It was beautiful. I've never seen anything that could compare, though the legends of Camelot come to mind when I think back on what we created. I like to think that whoever created that legend used our realm as the model.
"The best part is that even though we weren't human, the people adored us. We were not worshiped like the Volturi, we were loved. Any who knew us regarded us as their royal benefactors. Our kind always look beautiful, and the impact was not lost on the people of the countryside. Vladmir's wife was the most beautiful of us all, and there wasn't an artist around who could resist painting or sculpting her likeness. She was the only one who could rival me for Vladmir's attention; which was how it should be.
"After we defeated the Volturi who had come to attack us, we knew there would be others. We began training to face those of our own kind. Vladmir was the one who lead that training and I was amazed at how much he knew about fighting our own. He never spoke it, but I understood that somewhere in his vast history he had fought such battles. Of course the inaccessibility of our castle made an attack by humans nearly impossible, but we knew that our own kind would have no trouble with the mountainous terrain.
"We never worried about keeping a human army because we wanted ours to be an area of peace. There was a standing army within the country, but it was almost two days march to the north. The humans nearest us were those we loved: Scholars, artists, musicians, inventors, poets, and other great thinkers. The village nearest the castle was filled with families such as these and we knew all of them by name, and we had seen their children and grandchildren born. Some had even joined us after being changed. We were overconfident and complacent.
"The Volturi have always been jealous of anyone who could become a rival. Even though we were peaceful and had no intention of moving against them, they still took our defeat of their guard very personally. By the time we received word that they were moving it was almost too late. We expected them to send another force against us – a larger force than the time before. What they brought was everyone! Their numbers almost matched ours, but what they had in their favor was a human army. They pushed up from the south with an army that numbered in the tens of thousands. We had been kept unaware somehow, and we would find out later they had one with a talent that allowed such subterfuge.
"With an army at our back door they marched down the roads we'd built. They were an army all their own, each of them robed and cowled in shades that ran black, gray, and red. Still not to be outdone we arrayed ourselves along the steps leading to our castle. We didn't bother hiding among our own people, and we stood proudly in our royal dress, with the sun sparkling off of our inhuman skin. We didn't plan to cower and beg forgiveness for breaking their ridiculous laws. We planned to win the day with reason and know that we had the strength to back it up. They were in our territory and they and their laws were not welcome!"
He stops speaking. I feel an overwhelming wave of sadness from him and feel the tears come to my own eyes. I want to hold him tighter, but my human arms are too weak. When he speaks again it is a whisper he pushes past his constricted throat.
"We were so foolish. We had built an empire out of dealing with people fairly and treating them with dignity. I had forgotten the terrible depravity at the heart of the Volturi. I had seen Aro's lust for power, and Caius's twisted sadism. What I had not seen was the manipulation Marcus brought to the unholy trinity. Before the battle was even engaged he struck the blow that would end it for us all. We found out later that the man and woman who had joined us from the first Volturi attack were actually spies.
"The woman's name was Chelsea, and she would be the one who cost us everything. My only consolation later would come in knowing she cost Marcus everything as well. She loved him and she had come to us to prove her love to him. The man's name was Joseph and he had a talent he had hidden from us as well; one that allowed him to telegraph his thoughts to another. He had been sending the Volturi information for the whole time they were with us – five years! But still we had talents of our own; especially from two Vladmir had discovered. As it became clear a battle was going to be joined, Vladmir called up his newest find. They were twins; both so small and yet so powerful they could easily win the conflict for us.
"With a nod from Vladmir, little Alec went to work and we watched as one by one the Volturi fell into sensory deprivation; neither hearing nor seeing. With their senses stolen our army attacked. Little Jane, his sister, sent her own attack toward the three in the center, but Aro and Caius were both being shielded by a woman named Renata. Jane's full attack then fell on Marcus, and we watched as he fell writhing in pain and agony. It soon became chaos below as our army clashed with their helpless front line. I watched a dozen or more easily defeated and torn to pieces. But the center of the group held their protective barrier. Aro and Caius were both still standing while Marcus contorted in pain.
"His wife came forward to try to comfort him or shield the attack. It was her talent to make people happy and we all witnessed how she was able to counter the affects of Jane's attack. It was almost touching to see her kneeling on the ground with his head cradled in her lap. But Chelsea was not touched. She became jealous watching him cling to her in his desperate need to escape the pain.
"I myself began my own attack. From my spot high up on the mountain I was able to call out to the army below me and tell them their attack was both futile and unnecessary. I spoke of how they needed to return home and how they would meet with a terrible end if they stayed. I saw the back ranks split off and leave, moving fast as only our kind can. I'd sent about twenty of them away, and the front ranks were down about fifteen, and we became confident we would win the day and end the Volturi.
"It was Chelsea who was our undoing. She slipped among our ranks and weakened the loyalty that bound us together. She went for the twins first, desperate to stop the attack on Marcus whom she loved. Since their strongest loyalty was to one another, they had no real need for us. As they broke off their attack, our fighters in the front started to face real opposition. Chelsea's next attack came against Vladmir himself; or more specifically his wife Sulpicia. I heard him cry out as he watched her leave, running down the mountainside with her glorious blond hair flying. The Volturi parted to accept her and she ran straight for the arms of Aro!
"I watched him fall apart. My best friend and ally was crushed when she left. It wasn't just that she left, but that the bond between them was snatched away and somehow given to Aro, and he felt it. He should have been leading our army and instead he was left in a boneless heap on the stairway, watching as Aro kissed his wife in a passionate display that was intended for his superhuman eyes.
"Still our numbers were greater, and our forces were cutting into the perimeter of their center. I watched Caius take a defensive crouch and Sulpicia hid behind Aro as our forces threatened. Then Marcus gave a signal and the tide turned against us.
"The human army advanced. Obviously with orders to leave us alone, they flowed into the village with murder in their hearts. The villagers up to that point were hiding, and letting us deal with the threat in their streets. But the army flushed them out and burned their shops and homes, they set about exterminating every one of them. It was horrible and I raised my voice to command that human army. The noise was too great, and the hundred who listened, I commanded to fight against them. But they faced thousands.
"In the time it took for the horsemen to ride from one end of the village to the other, they were gone! We knew their names, their faces, their gifts, and they trusted us to protect them. The slaughter was more than Vladmir could stand and he charged down the mountain toward his enemy, calling those who had been created from the villagers to his side. They cut a path of death through the enemy like a knife leading straight to their black heart, and then I watched him fall. Mere feet from those in command he dropped. He was blinded and deafened by Alec, their newest ally.
"I raised my voice to command them away from him, but I was attacked. Little Jane had turned her talent onto me and I felt pain like I have only experienced once before. It was the burning of my death all over again, only not just physical, but in my heart and mind as well. I felt as if my body and soul were both on fire and I had a clear thought that this is what hell would feel like.
"'Call them back!' Chelsea stood beside my body demanding that I call their back line to return. 'Call them back Orator, and I'll make her stop!' Jane was farther away so I couldn't command her. But Chelsea was foolishly close, thinking I would be completely helpless. I wrapped my arms around her legs and held tight. I felt all the fires of hell come to bear on me and still I held on, gasping for enough air to speak.
"Attack them Chelsea!" It was my command, narrowed and focused through the flames of excruciating pain, the only coherent thought I could focus on – "kill Volturi!" When I released her she left me and I watched her head straight for the Volturi center. With Caius and Aro both protected and defensive, she looked at Marcus, and I watched her hold her attack just long enough for his wife Didyme to come between them.
"Chelsea's attack was swift and violent and the other woman was unprepared for her strength and determination. It was over in seconds and Chelsea snatched the head away and ran to throw it into the fires burning in the village. Marcus was helpless to follow unless he wanted to face our fighters on his own. I didn't watch the aftermath, knowing that Chelsea would continue her attack until someone stopped her.
"Jane kept up her attack on me. But she didn't realize one can become accustomed to pain. I was unable to stand under her assault, but I could crawl, and I crawled down one step at a time even as she focused her attack solely on me. I knew that as long as she worried about me she wasn't weakening anyone else. After about twenty steps I stood. Step by step I got closer, and I did indeed get used to the pain.
"I watched her little face and she couldn't believe that anyone could stand against her attack. She had been with us for several years, and in all that time no one had been able to withstand even her lesser efforts. And she was giving me all she had. I was close enough I could have commanded her to stop, but I wanted her to see me overcome her power. She didn't try to run even though I meant death to her. When I wrapped my hand around her little throat she seemed at peace.
"When she stopped her attack we stood eye to eye, and she looked victorious. It was then I realized my mistake; her brother Alec had a fix on me. I lifted her up by her throat and she focused her power on Vladmir while Alec focused on me. The sudden absence of all my senses was worse than the pain. It left me able to think and reason, but helpless in a way I have never been. I still had Jane, and I felt I would at least end her threat. I bit into her throat, unable to hear and see but I felt her struggles. It's the last thing I remember of that day.
"I was disoriented when I awoke. Not that I was asleep but I had suffered some kind of loss of consciousness. It is rare among our kind but I assumed I had been attacked and grievously injured. It didn't take me long to learn I was on a boat – a sailing ship in the middle of an ocean. The man who had brought me on board was one of our army. It was Nicholas, the one who could turn himself into vapor.
"He explained that we had lost our battle, and I had been attacked before I could finish Jane. 'I stole your body parts before they could burn them,' he informed me. Of the army we'd raised, only nine remained alive. Vladmir had been taken to Volterra under heavy guard. Alec and his sister Jane both joined them. Nicholas had saved me and there were three other talented ones who were also recruited by the Volturi. And of course Sulpicia was saved.
"The human army was being lead to fight and destroy everyone and everything within the borders of our realm – additional punishment for our disobedience. It wasn't enough for the Volturi to destroy our stronghold, they needed to destroy all the work we'd accomplished for the past hundred years. The ruling figureheads were faced once again with petty disagreements and blame over who had started the conflict, and factions would soon start to fight over what we'd left behind.
"I was on a boat somewhere in the Mediterranean. Nicholas told me he had some difficulty booking passage for two, but only being one. 'You packed very easily in a large trunk.' He told me he'd brought my pieces on board and let my natural healing do the rest.
"It was on this trip he told me he didn't save me because he had any particular loyalty or affinity for me, but because of Cecilia! I had forgotten that he had been one of the twelve who had been created over two hundred years ago. He was one of the four to escape the Volturi. He explained that he too had felt love for her, but she had never felt the same. She had only cared about avenging her husband and taking care of her son. 'I knew she would not want to see you come to such an end. I know what she did not – the Volturi were the ones who had killed her husband.'"
"We stayed on board as the ship took us to Italy. Nicholas knew I would want to rescue Vladmir, and he also knew that they wouldn't look for us on a boat. His talent was to become mist and it was what saved us both. We had to be very careful about feeding, and just like my first encounter with the Volturi I was once again on a diet of rats. Funny how every time I think of them I think of rats.
"The boat debarked with only five less crew than it started with; which was a tribute to our restrain considering how long the trip lasted, and the number of rats on board.
"Once in Italy we stayed together for the sake of Vladmir. It seems my friend had helped Nicholas' family with a large amount of wealth that saved their property and titles. Nicholas it seemed came from minor nobility.
"In Italy we made our way to Volterra under cover of darkness. Nicholas discovered Vladmir was being kept deep inside their stronghold in a constant state of weakness. It seems they would dismember him and wait while he drew himself together again, and repeat the process. Without feeding he was kept alive, but too weak to fight. In case you're wondering, yes we do feel pain. What they were doing to him was extremely painful. You can imagine undergoing surgery without anesthetic only to have the wounds torn open as soon as they began to heal. It's one of the few ways to physically torture our kind. He told me they were also taunting him with his wife, who no longer even remembered loving him.
"Between the two of us we devised a plan to get him out. We were able to sneak inside, both of us went unrecognized by any who saw us. Once we had Vladmir we had to run for our lives. Before we made it Nicholas turned to vapor and left me holding Vladmir's pieces in a sailcloth bag. It was my voice that saved us. I used every bit of persuasion to command them to release us and not to follow. Then I used the crowds in the streets to converge on their tower, just as they had used our villagers against us..
"I fled to the sea and any time I saw pursuit I commanded them to return to Volterra. I knew they would not give up so I booked passage on the first ship heading to Greece. Sad to say these sailors were not as lucky as those of the last ship, since it was smaller and faster and required fewer crew to sail it.
"We didn't stay on the mainland, but headed to a small island I knew of to rest and recover. Vladmir once he recovered, was despondent over the defeat. He took the losses personally and was heartbroken over his wife's desertion. He felt that Chelsea couldn't have broken her bond if it was strong, so he felt he must have given her some kind of reason in order for such a wedge to be driven between them. Unfortunately once Aro touched her, he would know of any weaknesses as well and be able to continue to play upon them. She was irrevocably gone.
"When I told him of the destruction caused by the human army he was further broken. He could have taken his own personal losses if it meant that his legacy would endure, but the ruination of his dream turned him cold in a way I never expected. We spent enough time on the island to rest, and heal, and come up with a new plan. At first he asked me every day why I didn't leave him to die. By the time we left the island he was only asking me every few days. We took the boat out on the ocean and sailed for Egypt. It was a tough crossing as we suffered from the thirst and still had to work the rigging like a full crew.
"When we arrived, Vladmir was different. Not just an unhappy version of himself; he was changed. I often think of Vladmir as being like a snake that sheds it's skin, but this was not the same. I set sail with a man who was my best friend, who shared my vision of utopia, and I arrived in Egypt with a stranger. From the beginning he shocked and frightened me. He killed and fed on the first dock workers who came to help us with the boat. He did not try to hide his deed but walked proudly away from the scene. I followed after him unable to abandon him, yet I watched in horror as he behaved recklessly, wantonly killing and feeding on any who came close.
"I was able to use my talent to calm him and keep him from killing, but I had to do it every day. In some ways I understood him. He took the death and carnage of our people upon himself. Because I wouldn't let him destroy himself over the guilt, he was becoming a new creation. If he couldn't die from guilt, he would become the monster and assume total responsibility. If I ever thought Daniel was a problem, Vladmir was even more so. I watched as he adopted the dress and mannerisms of the people and I had to follow after him to keep him from killing except when I judged he was truly in need.
"As far as what he thought of me, he ignored me for the most part. I tried to talk to him, to reason with him and to draw him out of his delusion, but he would stare through me. By the time we reached Cairo he even looked unrecognizable. He'd taken to dying his skin to appear brown like the people. The delight he felt at the way his skin accepted the pigment made me hopeful that he was coming out of it. But instead he set about learning their language. I already knew it so I became his tutor. Now that I had a purpose in his new life he began to speak to me again, but only in Egyptian. "As the days turned into months, I lost hope that he would ever become the Vladmir I remembered. He adopted a new name and we traveled from town to town, learning everything about the land and it's people. It was by accident we came to find a strange religious sect that worshiped a blood drinking goddess. It didn't take him long to set himself up as one of her subordinates. In a matter of days he was positioned in a temple with worshipers coming to offer themselves to him.
"It was worse than with Daniel, for they knew he offered them only death. My command was weakening against him – like Jane's ability weakened against me. He was learning to overcome and he began feeding more often. I decided I couldn't stay, but I wouldn't fight him. I truly believe he is the oldest among us – perhaps even our patriarch. I tried to turn the cult away from him but they considered it an honor to die in such a way. It was too much for me to stay and witness.
"I said my goodbyes to Vladmir without using the language he had adopted or his new name. He was perched on his throne, ignoring me as his worshipers fawned at his feet. I looked around and it suddenly hit me, it wasn't what Danial he was mimicking, it was the Volturi! Instead of leaving in defeat I confronted him.
"So Vladmir, how does it feel sitting here with the beginnings of your own Volterra? How long do you think it will take you to be completely elevated to a god? He did a good job of ignoring me, but I could tell he heard me. I imagine after I'm gone you'll have to turn a few of your worshipers so you won't be alone; maybe build a grander structure to accommodate your deity and protect you of course. How long until you start handing down the law? How long until you have everything set up to revolve around you? Will it take you a year? A century? How long until you are worshiped, feared, and revered by everyone in Egypt? How much blood will it take before you change your name to Caius? Or is it Aro to whom you aspire?
"I hadn't used my special voice, but when I said the last words I saw him flinch as if I'd physically hit him. 'ENOUGH!' He leaped up shouting at me, and crossed the floor in a flash as his worshipers scattered. 'Never say that name in my presence!'
"What name? Aro? I taunted him, keeping just one step ahead of him as he advanced in absolute fury. Aro, Aro, Aro! You should get used to it if you want to be just like him! ARO! I had to watch my step because he clearly intended to kill me. Aro defeated you! Aro destroyed your kingdom! Aro killed your immortal army! Aro tore down your castle! And Aro is making love to your wife! The beautiful Sulpicia screams one name in the throes of passion and it is ARO! I had to dodge a stature he threw at me along with his blows. He was taking huge gouges out of the temple with each near miss.
"I dodged out of his way as he went crazy. He soon gave up chasing me and instead took out his fury on the stone of the temple. His worshipers had fled at the start of his tirade and the place was empty but for us. His screams tore through the chamber with supernatural force and he expended his energy to destroy the stone structure.
"In a few hours the building was collapsed stone, and a few hours longer even the stones were a pile of rubble. He collapsed onto a stone step that used to lead to the temple doors. I sat carefully next to him and he glared at me. 'He beat you this time my friend. They defeated us. But it would be a tragedy if you started to believe that you are not the better man. Aro is nothing! He is a thief and a coward who is not worthy to kiss your feet. If she could not see that then she deserves him.
"'Stefan, why didn't the spy turn you from me as well?' He looked at me as if he were confused. I smiled to hear him speaking his own language and using my name.
"Perhaps she tried and failed. We shared the same dream, and you are my best friend. But it's more than that Vladmir – you are my brother. She couldn't break that bond.
Stefan is calm as I hold him. I can tell it took a lot out of him, but I don't feel in danger of being crushed in his agitated grasp. He seems wrung out, and I wipe the tears from my face.