I want to thank Katinki for reccing this story over at her fabulous With Teeth segment on Fictionators. She sent such a huge number of lovely readers this way, and I'm so glad to have you all. I'm also grateful to hear from those who stopped by from Under the Radar, and those who jumped across after PPSS' Lemon Report reviewed The Rising Swell. All the pressure to impress slowed me down, but we're underway again, and on the race to the conclusion. Let me know what you think!
We land in Seattle as sunset bleeds across the sky. Being back in Washington fills me with anxiety. I'm so close to my family, to Bella, that I find it almost impossible to keep myself in check as we clear security and stride at human pace through the arrivals area. I find myself staring at a bank of payphones, trying to conjure up some way to distract the others long enough to make a call.
Suddenly Sarah brushes past me, pinching the skin of my wrist sharply for a second, and breaking me out of my trance.
Do not lose focus now. One slip and Bella is as good as dead. You know that.
Her thoughts are angry, but determined.
You are the one making me do this, Edward. We follow the plan to the letter, or we run. You need to make up your mind.
I look at Demetri's broad shoulders as he stalks toward the exit, tourists scattering out of his way, and a wave of defeat rolls over me. Sarah is right. The plan is the only way this works, and if I get distracted, my family - Bella - will pay the price.
We take a cab into the city as the sky turns to ink. After the chaos in the Grand Hall, Aro decided that it would do Jane good to have some time apart from Alec. He and Felix remain in Volterra, with Sarah and me taking their place. Jane's thoughts have returned to a calculated facade. A still pond that looks cool and inviting on the surface, and hides any number of threats in the dark water below. Sarah is a bundle of nervous energy. Demetri is single-minded about the hunt. Not that we need a tracker to find the newborns. Never in all my years have I seen vampires so careless, making absolutely no effort to keep a low profile.
Jane insists we maintain our distance, and we watch from the roof of a parking garage in a seedy area near the port, as the group tears into a security guard who had the misfortune to walk by on his rounds. The vampires are unkempt. Aggressive. Shoving each other out of the way to maul the corpse. I am revolted.
I wait for Jane to intervene, but she just watches. Poised in her inaction like a porcelain doll, her eyes like bright rubies. Sarah is as confused as I am.
"Aren't we going to stop them?" she asks.
The newborns have made short work of the guard, and two of them have now gotten into a fistfight. The others seem lost, ambling around as if another victim might just happen across their paths. Their thoughts are child-like, shambolic, and full of little but a lust for blood and excitement.
"Not yet." Jane's tone is curt. Dismissive. "We are gathering information."
I don't understand what more information she needs. The body of the guard looks like he's been torn apart by sharks and the newborns are beginning to leave, making no effort to clean up after themselves.
Suddenly there is a loud thud, as a newcomer leaps on top of a parked car and begins to unleash a stream of angry curses at the newborns. They react with shock, appearing to cower. The vampire looks to be about my age, in human terms. His eyes flash with rage as he yells at the newborns for failing to follow his instructions, demanding they get out of sight immediately. Clearly used to following his orders, the group breaks into a run.
"The creator?" Demetri asks, and Jane gives a short shake of her head.
"His name is Riley," I murmur, having heard it over and over in the distracted minds of the newborns.
Riley is agitated. He hauls the corpse easily over one shoulder and runs to the edge of a nearby pier, throwing it into the water. Returning rapidly, he stares in disbelief and frustration at the blood and gore on the concrete.
"He has given them instruction," I relay, as I listen to his thoughts. "He's...he's angry that they're being so indiscreet. But he hasn't...he doesn't know anything about us. That's not the consequence he fears. He's very young himself. I'd say no more than a year? There's no way he would have the restraint to change someone."
Demetri scowls as he considers what I've said. "Someone's raising an army?"
Jane's lips are pressed together in a thin line. Her mind gives nothing away.
I think about Jasper, and the horror of his lineage. The wars in the South have been over for decades. What would cause anyone to think about creating an army here in Seattle? And how has Carlisle let this progress so far? My thoughts race as I try to put the mismatched pieces together. Maybe the family isn't in Washington. Or maybe...
"Wait!" I let out a strangled gasp. "The only possible threat in the area that would call for the creation of an army is my family!" The realization is like ice water through every vein. Sarah looks at me with a shocked expression. Neither Jane nor Demetri seem at all surprised.
"What's going on here? Do you know who is behind this? Have you warned Carlisle?"
Jane arches an eyebrow at me. I look for some sign that she's enjoying this, but her mind is still clouded. She wears no hint of a smile. "We are gathering information," she repeats coolly. "Demetri, we follow this Riley. Edward, if it turns out your family is in danger, I am sure Aro will let them know." She shoulders past me to follow Demetri down the exit ramp behind us. I'm slow to move, still paralyzed by the idea that these rabid newborns could be headed for Forks.
Sarah tugs at my sleeve. Come on. If we can get to Riley, we might be able to stop this before it ever starts.
I want to scream at her. I need her to do something. One word from Sarah, and Jane will have to let me call Carlisle to warn him; will have to let me go to them right now. But I can't ask her. I can't askher without Jane hearing, and this whole dreadful ruse crashing down around our ears.
The powerlessness is overwhelming. I do the only thing I can do. In a stupor, I turn and follow Jane.
We escape the city limits and head into the surrounding forest. Even at night, the lush greenery makes my stomach curl with homesickness. The leaves are damp, and the smell of the rain, the loam, feels like everything I've been missing is within reach. Within reach, and in life-threatening danger.
We run for several miles, following Demetri's lead, before the trees start to thin and we come across a wide field. The house at its center is painted in garish colors, and seems completely out of place in the surrounding landscape. Demetri pauses at the tree line and looks at me, tilting his head in silent inquiry. I let my mind range out to listen for occupants, and wish instantly that I hadn't.
"Two," I whisper. "And they're...coupling." Sarah snorts a short laugh. Jane's features curl up into a disdainful sneer. I wonder what it must be like: an eternal woman in what amounts to a child's body. No wonder the Volturi took such extreme steps regarding the immortal children. There is something horrifying and cruel about trapping a person forever in a body so young.
Demetri moves to break cover, and I'm about to follow when something brings me up short. I catch his sleeve with a hiss. "Wait."
The couple inside have emerged from the fog of lust and their thoughts are crystallizing again. Riley's mind is full of the look of his lover, obsessed with every angle of her form, the delicate features of her ashen face, her long, redhair...
Victoria.
I'm running before I am even aware of it, tearing across the wet grass toward the ornate house. I give no thought to the plan. I have no idea if the others are even following me. The front door splinters under my shoulder-charge, and I am up the stairs with my fingers around her bony throat before she even has time to cover herself. Riley lunges for me, but Jane is swifter, tearing in right on my heels and launching Riley across the room. He collapses in the corner, whimpering in pain.
"Let her go, Edward."
Jane's voice is calm, but the threat is unmistakable. A growl tears loose from my throat as I stare at Victoria, her mind overwhelmed with fear and loathing. I tighten my grip.
"I won't ask again, Edward."
My rage is like a physical presence in the bedroom. I feel sure I would have time, in the heartbeat before Jane could strike, to tear this venomous creature's head from her shoulders.
Suddenly Sarah is there, placing a hand on my arm, her long fingers wrapping around my bicep. Maybe you should do what she says, Edward. There is too much going on here that we do not understand. If you kill the redhead, what will we learn?
I despise the hope that blooms in Victoria's hunted expression. I toss her limp form across the room with an agonized howl, and she crashes into a closet door, which splits with a sharp crack.
Jane throws a bathrobe at Victoria, seemingly disgusted by her nakedness. Victoria drags it gratefully around herself, getting to her feet. Her mind races, trying to work out how to regain control of the situation.
"I think you know who we are." Jane's voice is like steel. "So you know there is no point trying to surprise us. Or run from us. Or fight."
Demetri laughs from the doorway. He would love Victoria to try any of those things. His cavalier attitude makes me bristle. Victoria is mine.
"We seek to know your intentions here," Jane continues. "Specifically, whether the illegal mayhem you have created is directed at a local clan."
Victoria hisses in my direction, her eyes flashing in fury. I crouch low, in response, growl rumbling in my throat. Jane gives a negligent wave of her hand, knocking me back a step. It's nothing but a slap, compared to what she is capable of, but it is a stark reminder. Victoria grins in something like triumph.
"They killed my mate. I will have my revenge."
"How are you doing this?" I demand roughly. "How has Alice not seen?"
She looks positively smug now. "I haven't made a decision. Not one." She looks at Riley, still curled in a ball at Demetri's feet. Clearly his feelings for her are not reciprocated. He is nothing but a pawn. Jane takes this moment to release him from her grip, and Riley lets out a shuddering breath, taking in his surroundings. Jane crouches in front of him. "Do you know who we are?" His eyes dart around the room in panic. He has no idea, and shakes his head rapidly. "Have you created any vampires, Riley?"
"N-n-no," he stutters, his voice ragged with fear. "I just find people for her, and I try to keep them under control, after they change..."
Jane shakes her head in disapproval. "Well, you haven't done a very good job of that, now, have you Riley?"
Riley opens his mouth as if he is about to respond, but thinks better of it.
"And what understanding do you have of the Law, Riley?"
His thoughts are confused, terrified. "I...I...don't know what you mean..."
Jane makes a disapproving noise, rising back to her feet and turning her back on him. "Get out."
Her dismissal is unexpected. Demetri and I both look at her in confusion. "You're letting him go?" My voice is incredulous. I can't understand what Jane can be thinking. No one gets this kind of reprieve. I am firsthand proof of this. So is Sarah.
Jane doesn't even bother to look at me. "He is, for all intents and purposes, an innocent. He cannot be found guilty of breaking a law he knew nothing about." She whirls sharply on her heel, looking down at Riley. "Do you understand, now, that what you have been doing is wrong? That creating vampires for no purpose, and leaving them untrained, and thirsty, and roaming a city at will, risks our exposure?"
Riley is quaking. He nods rapidly.
"And will you leave this place, and live out your days in anonymity, such that I never have occasion to hear of you again?"
My mouth falls open. Riley nods enthusiastically, scrambling to his feet.
"Then get out. Now. And run faster than you have ever had reason to do so before."
Riley freezes for a second, looking over Jane's shoulder at Victoria. His thoughts are full of devotion and longing. Her thoughts are full of contempt, believing him nothing but pathetic.
Jane is losing patience. "This is not an offer I will make twice." And with that Riley, rushes past Demetri and out the door, faster than the wind.
I take a step toward Jane in fury, and she stares up at me, her expression impassive. She races her hand and I think for a second she is about to hit me again, but the gesture is just to get me to pause. "Edward. Riley may not have known what he was doing, but this creature clearly did. She's all yours."
Victoria and I both gasp in shocked unison, and she scrambles across the bed toward the window, blocked instantly by Sarah. I feel like this has to be some sort of trick. That I'm missing some vital clue here. Demetri gives me a surly expression, thinking, Well, what are you waiting for?
What, indeed. Victoria intended to kill Bella. And she intended to do it by raising an army against my family. Whatever Jane's motives, the outcome is clear. I lunge across the room, and Victoria lets out a short scream. Her bright red eyes meet mine. Her mind is a terrified plea. My teeth sink into her pale skin, tearing across her throat, and yanking her head clear from her shoulders with a sickening crunch.