*** This story contains some mild language, suspense, romance, and some frightening images and situations—13 and older, please.

In the Grip of Twilight

By:

Olivia Tannis Moore

Chapter Eighty:

Part One: Who's Afraid of the Volturi?

Aro's voice gradually faded and I was left slumped against the courtyard wall with only the drone of the black flies to unnerve me. Until the squeal of metal against metal caused me to quickly turn my head in that direction.

I didn't see it at first…but then on second glance I wondered how I didn't see it the first time. The gate's rusty bars blended so well with the red brick of the wall, but now the yawning dark tunnel behind those bars was obvious—as was the danger. Someone had opened the heavy gate and was waiting for me to enter. I squinted and peered into the darkness of the tunnel where the moonlight didn't quite reach. But even my excellent vision couldn't penetrate the inky darkness beyond the curve in the tunnel. Yet, I could feel the weight of eyes watching me. Chills raced along my arms and down my back as I half expected Aro, or Marcus, or Caius to glide forth from the dark tunnel. But after a long moment, the entrance remained empty.

I eased away from the gate, sliding sideways along the wall's length. I had lost the element of surprise, but that didn't make me reckless or stupid. Aro and his brotherhood would have to hunt for me—I wasn't going to make it simple for them by walking straight into their trap.

It occurred to me that I could always wait for the Lycans to storm the castle later that night. But I was certain it would be too late for Demetri and Alice if I was to wait. I had the feeling that Aro was keeping them alive to lure me back to his lair, that I was really the prize. If Aro captured me before the Lycans attacked, there would be no doubt he would use me against them. That had been his strategy all along. And now I had to assume that Aro knew of the Lycans' plan to attack tonight just as he knew of everything else by high-jacking Demetri's thoughts. I hoped Muriel with all her mystic runes would advise Zeke of the best time to attack—hopefully with me in mind. They owed me a debt for reforming Adele, and a future debt if we were going to take back the God's Eye.

I disappeared around the corner of the castle, out of sight from the tunnel. I didn't exactly think I was fooling anyone into believing I'd gone running back to Muriel's cottage, but I felt somewhat safer without those eyes watching me.

Silently, I walked along the perimeter of the castle walls. There was no way in at ground level, but I had something else in mind.

I gazed upward to the flat rooftop, my eyes following the towers where they gutted into the sky. The rooftop was easily five, maybe six floors high, and the towers another two or three floors. Before my transformation, those kinds of heights made me dizzy. Even now, my stomach lurched a bit as I considered that option and realized that maybe Aro wouldn't anticipate that route. He probably expected me to run away; I imagined that most people that crossed him didn't stick around and try to find a way to outsmart him. Like any rational person, he expected me to want to live another day, or at the very most go get reinforcements--the entire Cullen clan, or the Lycans, or both.

It occurred to me, then, as I looked up and contemplated scaling the castle wall that I was probably out of my mind to want back in when everyone inside that meant anything to me wanted out.

The castle walls were so high they seemed to touch the drifting clouds overhead. Up there, the dark windows, glassy-eyed and sinister, seemed to taunt me as if they knew of my indecision. There were no lights burning behind those windows. The castle appeared to be in total darkness.

The thing was…I'd not really climbed any great height either before or since my transformation. Perhaps the fall wouldn't kill me, but the terror of falling might. I thought back to those days that now seemed so distant, when Edward would carry me up a tree so fast it would make me dizzy, and the world below looked small and fuzzy, out of focus. And yet, I'd been giddy when we'd finally reached the top, standing there on the last sturdy branch that would hold our weight. With Edward's arm around me, reassuring and strong, I had no fear.

But now I was on my own. And Volturi Castle was no tree…

And if I stood around wringing my hands, nothing would ever get done, I whispered to myself.

I reached up; there were crevices and crannies in the stonework and I placed my fingertips inside a couple, testing these places against my weight just as if I were stretching my muscles before a marathon race. It was as if I weighed no more than a feather—I didn't have to strain at all. And I marveled at how easy it was, fluid even, to lift myself up and mold my body to the stone.

My hands and arms seemed so pale and ghostly under the moonlight, but the stone wall under the same light was illuminated to a glinting bone-white and I had no trouble finding new crevices to wedge my fingers into as I climbed higher and higher. Occasionally, I stopped and looked down on the maze of alleyways, making sure no one witnessed my climb. The presence I had felt in the tunnel could still be lurking about and watching; I had to be ready for anything.

Up and up and up I climbed, until suddenly I was swinging my legs over the roof's ledge. The rooftop was flat with only the towers and the modern glass-roofed ballroom rising up from the black asphalt. As I glanced quickly around the area, I was relieved to find myself alone. I exhaled a long held breath. In the back of my mind there had been a fear that Aro could read my thoughts now through my connection with Demetri, and that he would be waiting for me up here with Caius and Marcus by his side. But there were still plenty of places to hide up here and I didn't totally rule out an ambush.

I walked in the direction of the east tower. The wind was gusty up here and blew sand and grit against my face and arms. Brown crumbly leaves swirled against the asphalt and crunched under my boots. It was as I made my way through these autumn leaves that something shiny caught my eye. I bent to see what looked like a long, silver thread amongst the dead leaves.

Upon closer inspection, I recognized it instantly: a violin string. It had been pushed into the asphalt so that it didn't move while the wind blew everything else around it. I stood and took a few steps and there was another string in the same fashion. Demetri was leading me somewhere…

I followed the violin strings to the ledge of the castle and looked over into the window of Demetri's study. This is where he had intended me to go…but why? And when had he found the time to place a trail up here? Or had it been Aro setting a trap for me with Demetri's violin strings?

I pushed my hair back away from my eyes and looked up at the east tower. I had planned to climb the tower and go in that way, making my way down from the highest point. But there was something about those violin strings that I trusted in my gut, and before I could change my mind, I was jumping down onto the narrow metal balcony outside of Demetri's study, and hoping I had made the right decision.

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( A little longer chapter this time. And I must confess that I'm not sure I even know how not to leave you with a cliffy. Thanks for everyone's input on the last chapter. It was helpful. And as always, thanks for reading. Love you guys! OTM)