Chapter 53 - Reactions Around the World
Third Person POV
Billy called in a few favors with the tribe, in light of the knowledge Alice couldn't see the wolves. Sam agreed to send any volunteers from the wolf pack. The opportunity to destroy some vampires, even if they had to put up with others, was enough of a draw to call all the unmated wolves up to help their former Chief and his new family. To Billy's surprise, the pack had greatly increased. That wasn't the only surprise waiting for him when the wolves arrived at the new house. He was quite shocked to learn that Leah was one of the four wolves who decided to offer their services in escorting the vampires to gather support for the upcoming war against the Volturi. The other three were Embry, Quil, and Seth.
"Why are there so many wolves?" Billy asked, knowing there had never been more than three at a time in the past.
"Sam thinks it's because of Victoria's presence in Seattle, where she built her newborn army. They sometimes ran to Port Angeles and Forks, a little too close to the reservation for comfort. The large number of vampires in the vicinity caused our numbers to increase accordingly. Now that Victoria and her army are gone, hopefully no more will change," Embry explained.
"Well thank you for coming and agreeing to help," Charlie remarked, smiling and nodding at each of them. "We appreciate you giving up time with your family and friends to help us."
"Sure, Chief," Quil offered with an easy grin. "It sure beats going to school. I can't believe the Council of Elders got us excused to hunt down vampires all over the world. It's totally awesome! Plus, Emily's little cousin, Claire, is coming to stay with her next week, and we figured it would probably be better not to have all these big, strong, half-naked guys running in and out of the house while she's there. Also, Emily will have a lot more time to spend with her little cousin if she isn't cooking for all of us, like she usually does, all day everyday. Toddlers need a lot of attention and supervision, so this works out for the best all around."
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Everyone broke up into six groups for the purpose of spreading the word of the upcoming battle and trying to recruit their friends to offer their support against the Volturi. Jacob, Jane, Jasper, and Bella stayed at the house to welcome the new troops as they gathered. They offered a good mix - a wolf, a former Volturi guard, a 'vegetarian' God of War, and a newborn, all working together in peace toward a common goal.
Quil, Carlisle, Esme, and Fred agreed to canvass all of Europe, plus Central Asia and the Middle East, while Billy, Tanya, and Kate took on the rest of Asia. Carmen, Eleazar, and Seth looked for covens and nomads in Greenland, Canada, and Australia. Leah, Rose, and Emmett were searching the United States, while Embry, Chelsea, and Charlie approached covens in Africa.
South America, Central America, and Middle America were claimed by Peter and Charlotte, who bravely agreed to go without the protection of a wolf. They considered themselves 'bit players' in Alice's eyes and the eyes of the rest of the Volturi, and believed they could slip in and out largely unnoticed, if they were alone. Their experience in that area of the world, knowing how to avoid the warlords and newborn armies that littered the land was invaluable.
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While Embry was sleeping, Charlie and Chelsea usually enjoyed their alone time somewhere nearby, but out of his hearing range. The three of them typically hunted together, with the vampires draining the blood of large animals, and the wolf eating the flesh of whichever prey were omnivores. Charlie found it interesting that the vampires thought predators, carnivores, tasted better, while the wolves found the flesh of herbivores better suited their taste buds.
Charlie knew humans also preferred the flesh of herbivores, like cows and deer, over that of carnivores, like mountain lions and wolves. He decided to mention that observation to Carlisle after the war, to help with making synthetic blood. There was obviously something different between the two types of blood that affected flavor. If it could be pinpointed, that information could be used to improve the taste of manufactured blood substitute.
One night in Nigeria, Charlie's and Chelsea's post-coital bliss was interrupted by the rapid advancement of two highly skilled vampires. The sun, rising up over the horizon, sparkled on their skin as the two couples converged.
"You're still alive, I see," Demetri greeted Chelsea coldly.
"Demetri!" Chelsea gasped.
Charlie was alarmed by her gasp and went into protective mode. He stepped in front of his mate, hiding her from Demetri's hard stare, and engaging his gift, demanded, "Why are you here?"
"I will not allow my mate to be enslaved again, even if it means killing Chelsea to prevent it," Demetri blurted out, then covered his mouth, his eyes widening in alarm. He narrowed his eyes on Charlie suspiciously. 'I see you have a gift, newborn. What is it?"
Charlie growled and took a menacing step forward, but was stopped by Chelsea's hand on his arm. "Don't try to fight him," she begged. "Demetri is one of the most well trained guards Aro has! You won't stand a chance against him." She turned her pleading eyes to Demetri and Heidi. "Please don't hurt him, he's my mate! I have no intention of using my gift against you ever again. Are you still working for Aro?"
Demetri snorted, and Heidi scowled. "Hell, no," Heidi protested. "We started running mere minutes after your bonds dissolved."
"Oh, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you both," Chelsea offered sincerely.
"You know all about us, but we don't know your new mate," Heidi stated with a calculating look. "If you expect us to trust you, I think you should reveal your secrets as well."
Charlie frowned, but Chelsea immediately replied, "This is Charlie. He was the Chief of Police of a small town in America when he was human. His gift is to compel truth, to compel confessions. When he employs it, everyone must speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."
"Impressive," Heidi remarked, and Demetri nodded in agreement. "Aro would never tolerate Charlie's presence in Volterra. He has too many secrets to hide."
Demetri frowned. "She's right. I'm glad you found your mate Chelsea, but what are you going to do now? Aro will never forgive this deception, nor will he allow you your mate. You are too valuable to him to just let you go. He will hunt you down and have you back, sooner or later. What will happen to Renata and Alec then?"
"Oh, Aro believes I'm dead," Chelsea remarked casually. "By the time he figures out the truth, it'll be too late. Aro is going down. He'll soon be overthrown."
"What?" Heidi and Demetri both shrieked. "What do you mean?"
"Word of his poor treatment of those under his care has finally gotten out to the masses. We're helping spread the news, actually, and gathering any who are willing to support the cause. We have quite an impressive force assembled already," Chelsea explained.
Demetri's and Heidi's eyes widened in shock and they shared a look between them. Demetri's brows furrowed, and his eyes became cold again. "Who is leading this force?"
"Major Whitlock," Chelsea admitted.
"The God of War?" Demetri gasped, shaken.
Chelsea nodded and added, "Along with Captain Whitlock and his mate Lt. Whitlock."
"But they're undefeated," Heidi squeaked. "Together, their team is unstoppable. Even Aro is afraid of those three!"
Charlie grumbled, "I don't know why everybody is so scared of the boy. He seems like a pretty nice guy to me."
Chelsea rolled her eyes, but Demetri's and Heidi's jaws dropped, and they stared at Charlie as if he just declared that child molesters should be placed in charge of the local schools.
"Boy?" Demetri questioned in disbelief, once he regained the power of speech.
"He's my son-in-law," Charlie explained. "He's mated to my biological daughter."
"The Major is mated?" Heidi gulped. Both she and Demetri were wearing a look of terror that confused Charlie. He couldn't understand why that would upset them.
"She's as sweet as can be, the exact opposite of that devil woman who sired him," Chelsea informed them. They both sighed in relief, but were still agitated.
"So who's calling the shots? Everybody knows the Major holds all the real power, yet he has no desire to be in business for himself. He prefers to leave the final decisions up to someone else, to serve as second in command for another. We all know whomever the Major and his coven serves, has the power to rule the world. So who is the Major's Master now?" Demetri demanded, tense, worried, and determined.
Chelsea grinned happily at them both as she announced, "Carlisle Cullen."
They both froze in shock at her declaration. "Carlisle?" they asked simultaneously, both thinking back to Carlisle's decades in Volterra.
"Aro was on his best behavior when Carlisle lived there," Demetri murmured, remembering. "Those were the best eighty years of my existence prior to this one."
Heidi nodded. "He never approved of my job luring in innocent tourists, but he never judged me for it. He treated me the same way he treated everyone else and taught me how to word things so the tour excluded children. At least I didn't have to have their deaths on my conscience as well. In fact, while he was living there, he arranged special 'Twilight tours', a last adventure for those who were in the twilight of their lives. Since they were already dying, either from illness or old age, it was a win/win situation. They got a free luxury tour of Italy, with Volterra as the last stop, and they were ready to go by the time they got to us, their last memories happy ones, so we weren't cutting anybody's life short. Unfortunately, Aro put a stop to it after Carlisle left."
Demetri smiled down at her, squeezing her into his side. "I remember."
"Carlisle would never even think of asking me to use my power to force you to serve against your will," Chelsea reminded them.
"Of course not," Demetri agreed. "I've never met a more principled person, neither human nor vampire, in my entire existence."
"I know he's not perfect, but then again, he doesn't pretend to be," Heidi declared. "I don't know about you, Demetri, but I'd be honored to work with Carlisle to bring about a better future for our kind. I may not agree with the whole animal diet thing, but he's proven in the past that he doesn't judge a person based on what they eat."
"We're working on other options," Charlie volunteered.
"Thank goodness," Demetri sighed in relief. "I tried a deer once." He shuddered at the memory. "It was disgusting. Otherwise, I'm behind him 100%."
"Awesome, we're glad to have you two on board," Charlie cheered, offering them his hand to shake.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Demetri asked.
Charlie and Chelsea exchanged a glance, then shrugged. "We're just going around to all the different nomads and covens we can find and letting them know of the impending battle, and if they seem friendly to us, we ask for their support."
Demetri furrowed his brows in thought. "How about I track down all the guards who escaped from the castle shortly after I did? They are all well-trained and have the most to gain by seeing Aro removed from power. As long as he's still in charge, they'll have to remain in hiding, for fear of being brought back to him."
Charlie and Chelsea grinned widely. "That would be a great help! Thanks, Demetri," Chelsea accepted graciously. Demetri and Heidi took off into the distance to do their part for the cause, while Charlie and Chelsea went back to the tent to share the good news with an awakening Embry.
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"Yes?" a gruff voice grunted curtly into the phone.
"Is this Liam of the Irish coven?" a pleasant voice calmly inquired.
"Depends who's askin'," the male growled.
"This is Santiago of the Volturi. We are informing all of vampirekind of the threat of a new breed of werewolf. These new beasts are immune to vampire gifts and can make their bodies intangible, while still ripping apart a vampire's flesh. They can appear and disappear at will and are considered extremely dangerous. Two of the monsters were witnessed destroying two vampire armies and two Volturi guards. The Kings are offering sanctuary at Volterra and are encouraging all covens to band together to present a united front against this new menace, rather than remaining isolated and being picked off a few at a time."
"I've never seen a werewolf in Ireland, and I doubt I ever will. We'll take our chances for the time being," Liam responded, brushing off their 'help'.
He hung up the phone before Santiago could speak another word. He scowled as he turned to his mate, Siobhan. "I reckon we'd best pack our bags and head to Carlisle's, before the Volturi send someone here to check on us. I don't want to fight in a war, but if there's going to be one, I know which side I'd rather be on and whom I'd rather have leading our kind."
"Indeed," Siobhan agreed. "I am confident the Volturi will be defeated, and Carlisle will be a fair and just leader. Come, Maggie, it's time to pack."
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"Father, you have received a communication from Volterra. There is a new breed of werewolf exterminating vampires, as Caius once exterminated the Children of the Moon," Elena announced, entering her father's laboratory.
Joham looked up from his current experiment and took the paper from his hybrid daughter. He frowned, after reading it. "We cannot go to Volterra without revealing your existence to the kings. I have no desire to have all my hard work destroyed, nor do I wish to be forbidden from continuing my studies. We will remain here. Warn your brother that he and his companion must not go either. Aro can read minds, every thing a person has ever seen, heard, imagined, dreamed, or thought, with a single touch. If Nahuel goes there, he will not only risk his own life, but all of yours as well. Even if Aro and Caius don't kill him, they will keep him there and perform their own experiments on him, and their experiments are much less benign than mine."
"Yes, Father," Elena replied respectfully, shaken by what she'd just learned. Their father had always told them they were special, but never before had he hinted they were illegal, that they could be killed simply for existing, for proving the impossible was actually possible after all. She hurried off to the kitchen to find her sisters, Beatriz and Ana, to inform them of the new development, before sending word to her brother, as promised.
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The five major leaders in Middle America - Maria, Benito, Pedro, Miguel, and Luiz met to discuss the information released by the Volturi.
"I think the biggest question is whether there is any truth to this threat, or if it is a trick of the Volturi to get everybody in one place where it will be easier to kill everyone they don't like," Luiz declared contemptuously. He had no respect for the Volturi, not since the last time they had swept through and massacred every vampire they found without regard to guilt or innocence. Even nomads just passing through had fallen victim to the Volturi's 'clean-up' plan. Nomads that happened to include his sire and her mate. They had hidden him and led the guards away from him, sacrificing their own lives to protect his.
Since then, Luiz had made it a point to become part of this world, claiming territory and building armies with the best of them. He had decided if he and his coven were to be punished, they might as well at least be guilty of the crime.
"I heard Chelsea and Jane were the two guard members killed and half of Aro's guard immediately deserted him, starting with Demetri. Without the tracker, Aro can't find them, without the false bonds, he can't force anyone to stay, and without the pain witch, he's lost the fear factor. He's calling everybody to Volterra in hopes of saving his own ass," Miguel snorted.
"I have it on good authority the wolves are real and are targeting the Volturi specifically, intending to overthrow the kings," Maria murmured, smirking. "They are working with a vampire army who is gathering support for their rebellion."
"Well, if that is the case, there is no need for us to be involved," Pedro sneered, shrugging his shoulders. "Since when have we cared about what goes on in that part of the world?"
Pedro was young and foolish, but gifted. He had killed his sire and seized control of his coven, becoming leader by default. He hadn't been a vampire yet when the Volturi swept through the land before and had no real understanding of their position, power, or potential. The other leaders ignored him, considering him a mere child trying to play an adult's game, including him in the meeting only as a matter of courtesy.
Benito had been thinking hard and now addressed the others with a sinister smile. "We certainly will not lend our resources to the protection of the Volturi. However, I would be pleased to see those arrogant bastards fall. This vampire army that is up against the Volturi, do they need our help to defeat the royals?"
Maria shook her head. "I have heard through the grapevine that the Whitlock coven will be leading the opposing army."
There were gasps all around the table at this bit of news.
"Your Major is leading the coup?" Benito asked in surprise. At Maria's smug nod, he narrowed his eyes, sinking back into his chair and tapping his fingertips together thoughtfully. Coming to an abrupt decision, he sat forward again and demanded, "Are you planning to take control, to be the new ruling power then?"
Maria scowled and reluctantly shook her head. "No, the Major does not work for me any longer. He serves another master now."
"Hmmm, I see," Benito acknowledged. He slowly nodded. "We have an interesting opportunity here."
Maria caught onto his intentions immediately, while the others were still oblivious as to the plan. "Mmm, indeed," she agreed with an evil chuckle. "We shall let the Major's army dispose of the Volturi for us, and then our armies shall dispose of the survivors. They will not be expecting our attack on the heels of their victory. With the element of surprise and our vast experience in battle, we should be able to overcome them. Then we shall claim the thrones for ourselves."
Benito nodded and sent Maria an appraising look. She nodded ever so slightly in return, both of them knowing that not all of the five at the meeting that night would survive the final battle, even if that meant they became victims of a little 'friendly fire'.
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"So, the Volturi bastards are running scared, are they?" Vladimir murmured with dark amusement. "Afraid of ghost werewolves? Should we go running to their castle with our tails tucked between our legs, brother?"
Stefan smirked and shook his head. "Never, my brother. It seems our time has come, even if it means joining with mangy mutts to get our revenge. The wolves are real, but they hunger for Aro's venom, not ours."
"What is it you know, brother?" Vladimir asked, eyeing the other ancient curiously.
"There is a rebellion building, an army gathering, with the goal of removing the Volturi from power," Stefan declared gleefully, rubbing his hands together.
"A rebellion? How fascinating! I do believe we should go see if they could use our assistance," Vladimir chuckled.
"Oh, I agree, brother, I agree," Stefan replied, smiling wider than he had in over fifteen hundred years.
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"What do you want?" Alistair barked at his uninvited guest. If it had been anyone but Carlisle, he would have gladly set them on fire first and asked questions afterward.
He listened grumpily to Carlisle's explanation, before growling, "Are you seriously asking me to join you in a war against the Volturi? Are you insane? Why would I get anywhere near those kidnapping creeps?"
"Do you really wish to have them continue to rule over us?" Carlisle asked pointedly.
"They aren't my rulers," Alistair snapped. "I don't respect their position of power. It has no meaning for me. I have no master, nobody owns me. I ask only to be left alone, yet I can't even be granted that one simple request."
"Hear, hear!" Fred cheered from nearby.
"Who was that?" Alistair growled, looking all around with paranoid suspicion. "Is this a trap?"
Carlisle held up his arms to show he wasn't a threat and meant no harm. "No, that was simply a newborn we inherited after his sire was killed. He is waiting over there with my mate. He enjoys his privacy as much as you do."
"Smart man," Alistair grumbled, scowling fiercely. "So you had no intention of even introducing your mate, Carlisle?"
Carlisle offered him a patient smile. "I had hoped you would agree to meet her, but didn't want to overwhelm you with all of us at once."
Alistair frowned at him, glaring suspiciously. "Fine, then invite them over here."
Carlisle nodded slowly, before asking in a pleasant voice, "Please come, Esme and Fred, and meet my friend Alistair."
Esme moved gracefully to Carlisle's side, stepping easily into his embrace, while Fred dragged his feet, approaching more slowly than a human would, keeping his head low and his eyes fastened on the ground in front of his feet.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Alistair," Esme greeted, offering him her hand. He ignored it, simply grunting in response.
"Fred, please be polite," Carlisle sternly commanded. Fred reluctantly lifted his head and made eye contact with Alistair. Both of them gasped and moved closer to each other, staring into each other's eyes. Carlisle and Esme exchanged a confused glance.
Alistair suddenly grabbed Fred's hand and the two of them disappeared from sight, racing off into the woods together.
Carlisle and Esme stared after them, neither with any desire to follow. After a few moments of staring at nothing, where there used to be something, Carlisle cleared his throat and gathered his composure. He turned to Esme and offered her his arm. "Shall we move on to the next name on our list?" he asked.
"Did they just . . .?" Esme wondered hesitantly, still staring into the distance where the two antisocial men had disappeared.
Carlisle cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably, before muttering, "Um, I, uh, think so, dear."
"Have you ever seen that type of mated pair amongst vampires before?" she inquired in a small, quiet voice.
"Uh, not personally, no, though that doesn't mean it's never happened before," he replied, adopting his professional, clinical voice. "It hasn't been socially acceptable until recently, well other than in ancient Greece, so if there were, they probably hid it."
"Hm," she grunted, blinking her eyes. "Well. That was certainly unexpected." She turned to Carlisle and smiled awkwardly, while taking his arm. He smiled down at her, patting her hand lovingly. She gave him a real smile in return this time. "I do think moving on with our mission would be the wisest course of action at this point."
Carlisle nodded and they raced on together, arm in arm, looking for any other vampires they knew, to share the news of the impending rebellion.
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"Fred just mated with Alistair!" Jasper laughingly announced to his mate, putting his phone back into his pants pocket. "The two recluses have gone off to be alone together, spurning all other sentient interaction. Guess it's a good thing we didn't kill him with all the others."
"Really? Well, Fred has a bad attitude, always complaining about every little thing, so I can't say I'm sorry to see him gone," Bella admitted. "I doubt anybody else is going to miss him either."
"Interesting. He managed to repulse you even without the use of his gift," Jasper snickered, embracing Bella and running his hands up and down her back affectionately. He nuzzled her neck, then murmured thoughtfully, "It's so weird how everybody is finding their mates these days. If it weren't such a positive thing, I'd call it an epidemic. It's like Fate has been usurped and replaced with a bored housewife playing matchmaker. Feeling how happy everybody is now with their mates, I'm certainly not inclined to complain though. It makes for a nice emotional atmosphere for an empath. I must admit, this new Fate is doing a much better job than Cupid ever did."
"A little less talk and a lot more action," Bella purred, teasing her mate. "We came out here for a reason, before that little phone call interrupted us. Focus, Major! You have a mission to accomplish here."
Major Jasper's hands came down to cup her ass, pulling her up into his arms and grinding his pelvis against her center. Hearing her moan in response, he smirked against her neck and nipped her lightly. "Yes, ma'am, Colonel. I'll get right on it," he teased back, squeezing her ass cheeks. Purring with love and excitement, he proceeded to shred their clothes and got right down to the business of pleasing his mate, making her shout his name to the heavens with each blissful climax over the next several hours.
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AN: Hmm, that sneaky Fate. LOL. I wonder who she could be. *looks around innocently*
A slightly different format this time to show what was happening around the world in response to Aro and the Cullens. What did you think?