"Revenge proves its own executioner."

~ John Ford~

Chapter Five: And So It Begins

A few more weeks pass and Leah still can't sleep. She steps up her game, patrolling the streets for leeches. When she's cleared her village, she moves to the next one; not too far from town. One night, she snaps and goes on a rampage.

Every leech she comes across dies. Every one she kills just leaves her more and more unsatisfied.

The temple fires burn for three days straight.

More come, less than half of them make it out of town before she catches their scent. The infestation is no more, only a few-scurrying like rats-remain. That knowledge makes her feel restless.

"It's important not to get lost in revenge," Wu tells her one day.

"It's not revenge," Leah replies, "It's just damn fucking fun!"

Now that her life has purpose, she feels an overwhelming urge to fulfil it. When her work here is done, she'll bid her farewells and move elsewhere; a place where she can wake up whenever she please and eat whatever she likes.

She's contemplating this when she hears a yell from the lower rooms. Her Cantonese has improved enough that she knows an unexpected guest is approaching. From her window, she can see a familiar cloaked figure making its way up the mountain at inhuman speed. She feels a swell of excitement as she makes the connection. A member of the most powerful vampire clan in the world on her own doorstep. She looks behind him for others but sees none. Strangely, he appears to have come alone and the thought makes her grin. She'll never get tired of them underestimating her. It makes it so much sweeter when she sees the comprehension of their fatal mistake in their eyes as they burn.

She advises the guards to open the doors and hide. This will be a fair fight, she thinks. The leech is bound to have training..

"Open the doors," Lu Pien, the oldest monk, yells. The with a nod at Leah, he ushers the others to the side. The heavy wooden doors creak as they are pulled back and the leech is already at the other side. He drops his hood. A gasp echoes around the room, hushed by Lu Pien. Leah smiles at the old man's grit.

The leech walks in, the doors closing behind him. Leah moves forward, leaving enough distance between them that she will have more time to react if he pounces. "Why are you here, leech?" she says, voice strong and firm.

The bloodsucker smiles, but there is nothing predatory in his grin. She wonders if he might be trying to unsettle her before he attacks. "Rest assured," he says. "I mean you no harm."

"Answer my question," she says, letting no anger dilute her tone.

Another smile, almost placating. "I come on behalf of The Volturi. My patrons have heard about your exploits here."

"I know who you are, leech." she replies. "And I'm not afraid of you or your clan." It surprises her just how much she means it. The thought of finally being able to exert her potential to the fullest is almost exciting. "If your patrons have a problem with me killing vampires, they're just going to have to get over it."

"Not at all," the leech drawls. He tips his head, shoulder length hair falling to the side in a way that no hard, dead strand should be able to. "Aro remembers your species from the-unfortunate business with the Cullens. He's very impressed, not only by your skill but by your very existence. Something that as far as the legend say, should not be possible."

He looks her over, his gaze appraising but devoid of any desire. It seems almost clinical rather than sexual and the fact alone kind of offends her. "How did you find me?" she snaps.

The bloodsucker lowers his hands. "It's my talent. I was able to track your scent from your last battle."

"Hardly a battle," she mutters under her breath and his eyes light with amusement.

"It was quite a scene of destruction, I can say that much." He smiles and she pictures the scene as he must have found it. She'd led them into the forest. She can almost smell the grass as it burned around her.

The tracker pulls his shoulders back and puts on his most formal voice. "Aro would like to meet you. He requests that you come with me, back to Volterra. I would advise you to accept his invitation," the leech finishes, his eyes showing a hint of warning. The sheer nerve of this Aro dude brings a grin to Leah's face. This is going to be fun.

She takes another step forward, to show that she is not afraid of him no matter how many polite threats he makes. "Nope, I don't think I'll be going anywhere with you."

The leeches eyes widen for a moment before he regains his composure. "Aro will not be pleased."

Leah smiles, "I don't think you quite understand me, leech. I don't care if Aro throws himself off a mountain or does fucking cartwheels in the middle of the night. As long as he's not doing so on my territory, of course, because then chances are, Aro is going to find himself without a head. So you can tell your boss that I've made it my personal mission to watch every leech that breaks my rules, burn- and it's within his best interests if Aro stays far far away from me and any patch of land I call my own."

She steps forward, her expression menacing though nervous excitement is swirling through her gut. Has she really just called out the most powerful vampire in the world? Maybe they're right. Maybe she does have a death wish.

The leech barely reacts but she carries on regardless "And I hope you understand, bloodsucker, that the only reason you're not dead yet is because I want you to deliver this very important message."

The leech is still for a moment before he smiles. "Your chances were better with me. Aro will come for you himself now." And with that, he turns on his Italian leather boot heels and walks away.

It takes a moment for Leah's senses to settle, for her to come down from the rush and when she does, she instantly feels a sense of warning that she gets to work on trying to squash.

"We need to be always alert and fully stocked with whatever lotions and potions you've got that work against vampires. Set up round the clock look outs and guards. The second a leeches foot hits the bottom of that mountain, I want to know about it."

Leah isn't sure Aro will even come, but if he does, she will be ready.