Hey Everyone!
Just to let you know, I'm leaving tomorrow for my ten day trip to Europe. (I'm going to Italy and Greece, in case you're curious.) I won't be posting the next chapter until after I get back on the 18th. I do intend to write while I'm gone as I have two nine hour flights in which I have plenty of time to do so. I can't make very many promises though, because I am rather excited (this is my first trip past Mexico). When I'm excited, it makes it hard to sit down and write a chapter for an hour. My attention span shrinks in anticipation. Though, I've been spastic excited all day, and I managed to finish up this chapter for you! I don't know… maybe being in the same country as Volterra will give me the inspiration to write volturi-filled madness! Who knows?
Also you should know that this story is finally finishing up! We have about three or four chapters left of this story, not including the epilogue (which I'm so excited to post! I've had it written since chapter 4, and I'm in love with it!). I say that now, and I know I've said it before that we're almost through but this time we really are coming to a close!
This chapter is in Jasper's point of view, and my co-author Alex says that it is rather refreshing being back in his mind. I hope you think so too! Enjoy the chapter!
Keep Reading
-TG
P.S. Thank you so much Alex for editing this chapter in such a hurry, so I could post it before I left! You rock!
Chapter 20- Fire
Jasper POV
When I was too close to the field to even consider turning back, I was done thinking of tactics. Well, I was pretty close to almost done thinking of tactics...Who was I kidding? In truth, I had no idea what to expect from Maria once I entered the clearing. This situation was unlike anything I'd ever had to deal with before. I'd seen Maria kill members of our army before, but they had always been newborns never more than five years old whose usefulness in our army had expired. Even back when we had accepted female newborns into the army, the situation was the same. When she had decided to rid our army of female soldiers, she hadn't killed anyone who had been with us for more than ten years. A decade to us was absolutely nothing as far as time was concerned.
I had been with Maria for one hundred and fifty years. All this time, I'd been loyal to her, and I had helped her with all her schemes and plots without so much as causing the least bit of trouble for her. Well, at least not this much trouble. She had created me, and practically raised me the way she imagined the perfect soldier. Once I was ready to lead the army, she set me loose on Monterrey and Mexico City before we returned to Texas to claim Houston. I had helped her claim the largest territory of the fourth biggest city in the world. I was her greatest weapon—her best fighter, her strongest power. Would she be willing to kill me and sacrifice what I was worth to her? I didn't think she would ever kill me—at least, not all the way. She might tear me apart, and leave the pieces to put themselves back together. I shook my head at the thought. I'd been bitten, scratched, and torn, but I'd never been close to "death" before. I didn't know how far Maria would make me go to gain redemption, but I didn't know if I wanted to find out.
In fact, it took all my will power to keep going. As I thought about all the possible tortures she could inflict on me, I found myself questioning the true value of this assignment. What could be worth returning to that Hell hole? I sighed. Alice, I thought. Alice was worth this. Alice had made a plan for us to be together without interference, and I had to do whatever I possibly could to accomplish that mission. I thought about how different this mission was from any other I'd ever accomplished. But I guess that was inevitable considering that I was a different person. Alice changed me completely, which we vampires don't often do. When we do change, however, it's often resolute and unwavering changes that influence the person's personality completely. Even if I died trying to gain our freedom, it would be the best alternative. I physically couldn't go back to that life now that my perspective was completely altered. I would never go back to that life again. I kept repeating this in my head as I approached the border of the clearing. I saw the figures beyond the layer of trees, and I heard all voices cease and all rapid, almost silent, movements come to a halt as the newborns sensed my presence within their hearing range. I was still a good distance away from actually entering the field, but I knew it would take me less than thirty seconds to be there... that is, if I really felt like running to what I was about to do.
I walked instead, but still at a fast pace. I was in the last layer of trees before it thinned out to make a clearing. Everything inside the ring of trees was absolutely still. No one dared make a move as I entered. I could sense the tension and the anticipation emitting from the majority of the bodies inside. From a few, I felt anxiety as they waited to see whether or not the intruder was one they would have to attack. It took every ounce of will in my body to keep my muscles from sending me into a defensive mode. I kept my shoulders from hunching over into a crouch, and my hands from balling into fists. I had to seem as innocent as possible, which meant that I could not, under any circumstances, attack anyone.
Finally, I stepped through the space in between two enormous oaks until I was in plain sight of everyone in the field. As I took in the sight, I realized that I was probably interrupting a hunting trip. Lucy had a group of eight newborns behind her that were all moving in some way, as if anticipating something. I realized that I hadn't caused this sense in them, but the idea of a feast of innocent pedestrians in the city had. Nettie had six newborns behind near her, only Nettie joined them in their frantic movements. Maria also had six, but her newborns were absolutely still as if they were holding back in fear of Maria's wrath. I surveyed the group, as one-by-one they acknowledged my presence. My last glimpse fell on Maria's face. The calm look she always wore had vanished, and, in its place, was a look that could scare a vampire. Her eyes squinted until just a glimpse of the red irises shown beneath her lids, and her sharp, fatal teeth were exposed as her lip curled up. The way her white teeth showed almost appeared like a smile, except you practically feel the menace that the look implied. I could feel first-hand the anger that was building inside of her.
Finally, after what seemed like days of sitting in suspense, something happened. Maria scrutinized my face as she whispered the command that set everything into motion; "Restrain him."
Her command came out in a hiss, and immediately I was charged by the six newborns that she had had beside her. I felt a growl beginning to form deep in my chest but I held it back, not wanting to fight and make matters worse for myself. As they surrounded me, I stayed still, not fighting when each of my arms were held by two newborns. Newborns were so much stronger than me, so one alone probably could have held me in place. I supposed that either Maria wanted to be thorough, or the four newborns holding me down didn't want to risk losing control of me. The other two newborns who were left gathered behind me, not allowing me any way to escape.
Maria sauntered over, eerily slow for her. She never seemed to waste her time walking—kind of like I was doing so much more often now that I had a reason to slow down and enjoy existence. I thought about that, wanting to laugh bitterly in the presence of someone who looked like she was about to take that very existence from me. There were very few things I was afraid of; facing the Volturi alone, losing Alice, and being in Maria's presence when she looked like that and I was absolutely unable to defend myself. It seemed like I was being forced to face all of my fears.
Maria's face was still frozen in the mask of ferocity that had appeared as soon as I had made my presence known. She was within ten feet of me, and I feebly made an attempt to dim the anger building up around her and spread the most docile calm I could manage to create in the current emotional climate I was in. Maria's face settled until her teeth were no longer bared. As soon as she realized how quickly she was calm again, however, she roared so loud that every body in the clearing jumped in shock. Finally, she rushed forward until she was right in front of me. As her arm coiled backwards in preparation to strike, I attempted to calm her once more. I wasn't sure if it was going to affect her in time though. Her hand catapulted forward, only slightly slowing under the weight of my power. Her steely nails raked across the hard flesh of my cheek. A horrible sound equivalent to nails on chalkboard emitted from the contact. I winced as four parallel lines were etched into the side of my face, which was already covered in various bite marks. At least nails didn't cause a scar, otherwise I would've been too angry to function. The last thing I wanted was a permanent reminder of this event, not that I wouldn't remember this distinctly already.
I pushed out the cloud of calm again, battling with the anger as I tried to influence the aura around Maria. Finally, she seemed to be calming again as her hand changed directions, moving back towards the face it had just ripped apart. Her hand traced the four marks as the wounds closed. I could feel the skin mending itself, reconnecting where it had been separated. Her hand traced down the side of my face, down to the bone in my jaw, the side of my neck, where my neck met my bare shoulder. This was the point where I began regretting never replacing the shirt I had ruined. I could've found something easily to wear, but I hadn't seen the point in replacing it until now. The feeling of Maria's hand sliding down my muscular shoulder did not feel good at all, as it might have felt if Alice's hand had replaced hers. Maria didn't seem to notice that the trail she was leaving down my side seemed to crawl sickeningly under the skin. Maybe she did notice and was doing this on purpose. I shuddered a little, forgetting momentarily that keeping Maria calm took all of my focus. A hint of that fierce anger returned, and the hand on my shoulder suddenly pushed down with all of her strength. I fell to my knees, the impact of my kneecaps leaving a significant dent in the soft ground beneath me. The four newborns that grasped my arms scrambled to stay upright as I tried to pull my arms down with me.
Maria was holding me down with her hand, and the newborns kept my arms up where they could hold them. I felt like I was being stretched in all different directions; the newborns pulling me apart horizontally as Maria's and their combined efforts pulled me apart vertically. It was a different feeling completely, and, while it wasn't exactly painful, it was definitely uncomfortable. My muscles tightened as they were stretched in different directions, the skin over them tightening until they were more prominent through the pale surface.
Maria crouched until she was at eye-level with me. I met her searing gaze with a stoic one —not angry, like I was at this humiliation; not afraid, like I felt that I should be at this particular moment in the presence of someone as terrifying as Maria; and not regretful, like I would be if Maria really did kill me and I would have to leave Alice here to fend for herself in this new world that I had so foolishly immersed her in. If everything failed, my biggest regret would be that there would be nothing I could do for Alice.
Maria finally prompted what I knew would be inevitable. "Give me one reason... why I shouldn't... tear you apart... and burn the pieces... Jasper Whitlock." I thought about that. I wasn't sure what to say that would make Maria spare me. If I had only one thing to say that could potentially save my existence, then it had to be something that would appeal to Maria's better nature, if she had one. It would have to be something that would make her stop and question herself completely. Something... my mind scrambled for anything to say.
"Nothing to say, Jasper?" She asked, smiling in anticipation. Her body seemed to spring back in preparation.
I had approximately half a second to save my skin, so I went with the first thing that popped into my head, hoping that whatever it was was intelligent enough to make Maria stop and think.
"Fire!" I said, not exactly sure where I was going with this. Very intelligent, I thought spitefully to my own thoughts. Please give me something more intelligent than that! I pleaded in my head. But, just as I did, a different thought dawned on me. Fire... I repeated in my mind, mulling over the possibilities of the word. For some reason, I had come up with fire, and I planned on rolling with it. There had to be some reason for this random thought process, and I had nothing else to cling to as I slowly descended closer and closer to Maria's wrath.
The corner of Maria's mouth pulled up in a superior smirk, though the rest of her mouth was still pulled back in a fierce sneer. The awkward combination of the two facial expressions made her face twist unnaturally. Normally, I would see this awkward gesture as ironic or comical, but now it only made her seem more threatening. This was reflected in her equally twisted emotions—mostly fury, rage, vindictive pleasure, but also tinted with that hint of arrogance, superiority, and a different pleasure that came with seeing me fumble in her terrifying presence. I pushed another calm wave towards her, only this time, she obliged to my power, allowing her facial expression to relax as intrigue at my odd choice of words seeped into her emotions.
"Fire?" She asked doubtfully. "What? Is that supposed to be a false warning to distract my attention? Give you a chance to run?" Maria chuckled menacingly, and the newborns around me laughed nervously as well. Maria shot them a glare that both silenced them and made them grasp my arms in a tighter hold. Maria rolled her eyes at the ridiculous display and continued, "Or were you trying to procure something the least bit creative or memorable to say as your parting phrase? Please Jasper; care to explain to me your marvelous choice of last words."
I smirked a little as well, for I hadn't really been paying close attention to what Maria had been saying. My mind had been distracted with the plan it was rapidly creating to save my skin, my love, and the future I was willing to diligently fight for. It only took Maria a few amused seconds before she grew impatient again, no longer able to see the humor in the situation.
"Well?" She insisted, looking like she wanted to rip off the now prominent, distracted smirk that had appeared on my face. Finally, I met Maria's gaze. There was a defiance in me that was completely new to me. This defiance, unlike the obvious, rebellious feeling before, wasn't one that I willingly showed to Maria. If I did, she would know that I was plotting against her at that very moment. It was crucial to my plot, however, that Maria did not see that my loyalty was still miles away in a clearing with bluebonnets and a trickling stream with the little pixie that I loved. No—as far as Maria would be able to tell, I had completely left behind those feelings as if they were simply a speed bump on the way to a bigger plan that would benefit Maria.
"Fire, Maria..." I trailed off, letting the beginning of my offer trail off. As her patience was obviously wearing thin I realized I needed to make my offer much faster if I was going to live long enough to say anything at all. "Fire is what is going to get you all the territory you want in so little time that you may not even have to lift a finger to ensure that it is rightfully yours." As the last word of my offer sunk in, a silence fell over Maria and the rest of the clearing's inhabitants. I saw the ferocity in Maria's glare ebb, and a spark of that overwhelming greed for possession flicker in her eye. I felt the intrigue completely cover the fury in her emotions. Anything that had to do with territory and ways for her to get more of it captivated her interest.
Maria crossed her arms, taking the outstanding pressure of my shoulder and shielding her vicious claws from lunging at me again. Eying the newborns that surrounded me, she gestured to them with an upward nod. I didn't know what this signal was supposed to mean, but apparently they did. They lifted me up by my arms, until I was standing once again. Now that I was in a position where Maria didn't have to look down at me any more, I knew I had her exactly where I wanted her—hook, line, and sinker.
"Go on," She pushed, only reinforcing my conclusion. I could sense Nettie's equal enthusiasm at the mention of more territory, though I imagined that her real enthusiasm was for the prospect of a larger menu, just more humans to choose from. I internally grimaced at her simple-minded enthusiasm, which made her seem very child-like at times. That is, if children enjoyed torturing humans before mercilessly slaughtering them and drinking their blood. Lucy rolled her eyes, feeling somewhat amused. I wasn't quite sure what would be humorous to her in this situation, but if I had to guess, then I would expect she was as aware of Maria's and Nettie's gullibility as I was. I was worried for a moment that maybe she would warn Maria of her folly, absolutely ruining my plot just as it began to work. I supposed she wanted to see the outcome of my persuasive speech on her gullible companions.
As I was analyzing the emotional climate of the army, Maria only grew more impatient. She began tapping her bare foot against the ground, creating a foot-shaped imprint in the ground under her. I decided it wasn't best to keep her waiting in this case.
"Think about it, Maria. It's never been done before. What's the one thing vampires are afraid of?" As I thought about it, there were actually two things that vampires are afraid of: fire and the Volturi. But if I told Maria that there was every reason to fear the upcoming battle, then that would completely eliminate my plan. Maria, however, did not catch on. Even if she did, she didn't care to acknowledge the other possible fear.
"Besides me?" She responded, amused at her own joke. Finally, the smile vanished and she was back to business. "I suppose I see where you're going. Fire is half-way to death, so most vampires naturally fear it—especially newborns." As if supporting her statement, the newborns flinched unnaturally at the mention of fire. "But I can't see what your thinking, Jasper. What can we do with fire that nobody has done before?" A side of Maria was showing that only made an appearance when she was talking serious business—the side of her that was a great leader; one that could handle armies of newborns for hundreds of years a live to tell about it. This was the side of Maria I needed in order to make my plan work. The other sides of her would just get in the way.
"Think about it Maria. As soon as the other army sets foot in the clearing, the forest behind them is set aflame, leaving them no way to run. While your newborns ambush there's, their leaders are being taken from behind, leaving the army in orderless chaos. While our well-trained newborns are taking out those amateurs, disposing of them in the already raging fire, and I am taking out their leaders, you can sit back and watch it happen. " Silence. No one said a word after I was done speaking, as if waiting for Maria's reaction so they could show their own. Her face was unreadable to someone less experienced than me, but I could see what effect my words had on her. There was that glimmer in her eye again, as if she could already see the fire before her that would ensure her victory. Her emotions were pensive, but vaguely triumphant, as if she could already see the new territory my plan would bring her.
"Fire." She repeated, this time with a reverence that only validated my suspicion. The bodies around the clearing seemed to fracture at the words, because they had been so deathly still. I could feel the trepidation all around the clearing at my plan. The newborns didn't like the idea of fire, chaos, and fighting without their leader. This was Maria's dream come true and their worst nightmares. They all knew what I knew: I had completely won back Maria with my ingenious plan. They were all afraid of my plan as if they were the defenseless newborns that we're going to be ambushed. I was happy they were afraid, though. Their fear would put part two of plan in motion. I was relying on it.
As if on cue, Thomas stepped forward from Nettie's side darting closer to Maria with his normal speed. He was hesitant, but something in his emotions told me that he felt responsible for the rest of the army, and- knowing their fear as well as his own – he felt the need to speak up for the rest of the newborns.
"Maria, if I may-" Maria shot him a glare for disturbing her in her reverie. He cringed a little under her gaze, shrinking from the ferocious look.
"What is it?" She snapped. He stood upright once again, trying to muster up his strength to confront Maria with his trepidation.
"It's just, well, I don't think the army is very comfortable fighting while surrounded by fire. While it gives us a quicker and easier a way to kill them, it also gives them a much easier way to kill us. A minute difference in strength between two of the newborns could result in a tragic fatality. If their newborns are younger, stronger than us, then Jasper's plan could backfire. Especially for the more... experienced newborns." I heard Thomas gulp audibly, knowing that, at five years old, he was the oldest newborn. Putting this fact into attention was probably not a good idea. Thomas was a good soldier, and I didn't want to lose a companion, but defying Maria was a bad thing that could only go against you... unless you were me.
Maria looked at Thomas, narrowing her eyes scrutinizing. Still looking at him, she waved her hand behind her absently. As her hand passed over where I was, the newborns released me. I brought my arms to my side, glad to not be pulled in different directions anymore. I stepped up to Maria's side, looking at Thomas. I pushed a very direct feeling of panic towards him, and him only, knowing that Maria would detect my power if she was suddenly afraid as well.
As Maria was not answering his plea, he continued. "Shouldn't we at least give the other army a chance to surrender?" Lucy, Nettie, and Maria all laughed at the same time. I didn't laugh—I was programming Thomas's emotions to make him want to give up the fight. "You could get all the territory you want without losing a single soldier or having to fight whatsoever." This made Maria stop laughing. Now that she was spoiled with the idea of not having to fight herself, the idea of not having to have her army fight at all was just a little bit tempting. If I hadn't been very subtly influencing her emotions to be hesitant with her need for a fight, she would never have caved.
"I see your point, Thomas." Maria said soberly, looking around at her army. Lucy and Nettie shut up, astonished to see their co-leader so easily swayed. They didn't realize that I was influencing Thomas and Maria like puppets.
"I see your point as well. This has never been done before, and I understand your trepidation, Thomas." Maria looked at me, waiting for my verdict as if she hadn't just threatened to kill me only moments before. "I will go to the other army: Offer them complete surrender to escape the fight they inevitably will lose." I could feel the shocked emotions around the clearing at my surrender to Thomas's suggestion. Thomas was as shocked as they. Maria was pensive still, and- with just minor manipulation from me- was nodding her head in agreement.
"Fine." She said quietly. "Jasper, you may go to the other army and offer them surrender. I doubt very strongly that they will, but you may try. Give them an inclination to how prepared we are. Scare them away. But, if they do surrender, let them know that they must leave the greater Houston area for as long as we reign here, and they must relinquish all of their territory to us. Let them know that if they should so much as step foot on those grounds again, they will die." Maria's ferocity was back, but this time I was not the target. I nodded once, secretly gleaming on the inside from how easily my plan was working.
I turned, darting back to the edge of the clearing. As I left the confines of the field, I heard Maria murmur to Nettie and Lucy. As she spoke, it was obvious that Maria was smiling. "Come on, guys. While they hunt, we're stealing lighter fluid. Lots and lots of lighter fluid." I could only imagine the devilish gleam she was giving them as I ran east towards the opposite side of our territory.
Tell me what you think in a review!
-TG
