CHAPTER 36
-:- Every Man Has His Price -:-
THE ONLY THING MISSING was the sound of thumping bass drums pounding away as we stood at the edge of the battlefield. It would have completed the climatic vibe we were all feeling, but I kept my thoughts to myself so as not to give Emmett any ideas. All morning his head had been filled with enough running commentary to score an entire soundtrack for this fateful day. I suppose it was a way for him to deal with his unease. His pent up energy had found an outlet in the form of song. He kept his fears locked tight to the lyrics he recited over and over in his head, except he couldn't hide them from me. His songs had ranged from heavy metal and rap, to rock and even some Neil Diamond when he was near Rosalie, but as we stood waiting, his whisperings changed from, 'let the bodies hit the floor' to a different sort all together.
"Stop it!" I hissed at him and his melodramatic thoughts.
Sorry, Edward. Just nervous, I guess.
I didn't acknowledge his apology, because now the sound of thumping bass drums had invaded my mind. I couldn't get the melody of O Fortuna out of my head thanks to him. Over and over, the drums pounded in tune to the heartbeats of the humans who stood behind us on the walls. I could hear the voices of an imaginary choir singing in my head while we waited for our destiny to be delivered to us.
I had never experienced war.
I had lived through a few, but never took part. I'd never stood at the edge of a battlefield at dawn waiting for the enemy to come, and I'd never stood side by side with a brotherhood of men (and women) who would give their lives for a worthy enough cause. I never knew what it was like to hold a weapon in my hand knowing I could kill with it.
Looking down at my hands, with Emmett's soundtrack playing in my head, I realized I was the weapon. I would be the killing machine, not some metal instrument that could be fired across the length of a field. It would be me and these hands which would end the lives of my enemies. My family would depend on me, these simple hands, to save them. This was my fate, and it was so closely tied to every one of them and every one of my adversaries.
Yes, I had killed before, but somehow this all felt foreign to me. It felt much more dramatic killing en mass—killing for my loved one's survival. Clenching my hands into fists, I took a deep breath to find my center, to block out all of the voices around me.
I sought out the silence of Bella. She was beside me, and seemingly at peace—more so than the rest of us. She had left me, and in her place was her other self, the one who had survived a decade of torture and learned to fight until there was no one left to fight. This was the warrior who had seen many battles.
.
"Tonight," she said. "It will be tonight." I didn't disagree with her. We had the reports of where Maria's army was and the miles she was covering each day. It would be tonight or early afternoon.
"It's a red sky," she said turning away from me toward the window. A sliver of the sun could be seen through the trees and it was blood red.
"Don't hold any stock in that," I said, pulling her closer. "It was the same sky the morning of the harvest festival. And that was a good day."
"Promise me you won't be a hero."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You know what it means. I know what's in your heart. I've heard you with Jasper and Garrett."
"Bella," I whispered, prompting her to turn around so I could look at her, "I want her to pay for what she did to you, that's no secret. But that was before. These people, our friends are more important to me. We are more important to me."
"I just found all of you," she said under her breath. "What was the point of all of this?"
"We're not going anywhere. We lost each other once, it will never happen again."
She didn't need tears to let me know she was hurting. "Don't be a hero. Please," she whispered.
Edward. Carlisle's thoughts came from downstairs. The sun is rising, it's time.
.
This morning, under a blood red sky, was the last time my Bella was with me. Carlisle had announced the dawn, and she had switched off. In her place was Garrett's Phoenix. I didn't begrudge her. All of us had turned off a part of ourselves. Whether it was Emmett reciting lyrics, Carlisle and Eleazar praying, or Leah meticulously going through her supplies for the umpteenth time, this day—while we prepared for what was coming—was spent finding that place where we were calm and centered. For me, it was just being near Bella.
I sought her out even though I knew she was right beside me. The familiar and constant voices continued to rattle around in my head. I needed to find her and not rely on my sight if I was going to have her help me. Reaching out my hand with my eyes closed, I felt the caress of her skin against the back of my hand as she took hold of it.
The voices of the many have been with me for over one hundred years. I've grown accustomed to the incessant buzzing. It's easy to filter the noise, now that I know what to filter, but I still revel in the spare time I have with Bella when we're far away from everyone else and there is nothing but her. She lessens the pounding that hammers away inside my head, but it's never truly gone.
So when the collective voices were there one minute and gone the next, it caused me to stumble from the impact of the silence. They all just...stopped.
My eyes snapped open, and I looked down at our joined hands and then up to Bella whose shocked expression must have mirrored my own.
"This is it," Jasper said.
This was what he meant by the black hole. It was just as he had described, except in my case it was a void filling the space where the voices had always existed.
It was peaceful—serenity and joy all wrapped into one. My ears rang with an impossible silence. The quiet was something I always imagined heaven was like. Years of filtering the thoughts, digesting them and compartmentalizing them...and now the effort was gone. I hadn't even realized I was smiling until Bella brought it to my attention.
"It's constant, isn't it?" she asked.
To lie would have been wrong. "Always."
"I'm sorry." There was a longing in her voice, filled with a bit of sorrow.
This was what it was like; how normal people felt. Shutting my eyes, I indulged in the tranquility. Voices were loud and clear, but they were in my ears, not my head and it wasn't a struggle to figure out where the sounds were coming from, which was thought and which was voice.
Emilia was here, and with her the army that would protect her.
The few minutes of peace the immortal child could bring was nothing compared to the joy Bella gave me.
"I can't deny it," I said. "It's wonderful and terrifying all at once. All I've known is what people are thinking. I know their truths and their lies, and now there's nothing."
"Except me," she said, holding my hand in hers.
"Except you. But I think I still know your truths, Bella."
"Always."
There was a light scattering of snow from this morning which still dusted the ground, hiding the branches and debris we had used to cover the pits. It wasn't raining, and looking out across the expanse of our chosen endgame, one couldn't help wonder if Carlisle was right. God was on our side.
The field stretched a half a mile long, all the way to the tree line where we knew they would be coming from. We weren't sure who she would send first, our only concern was our numbers. She would see how little of a threat we were and potentially she wouldn't send all of her bloodthirsty, savage newborns. Our element of surprise wouldn't work unless she sent the unpredictable ones our way. We needed all of them to charge the field and fall prey to our traps. They had to come over the ridge for Seth's plan to turn the tables.
There was movement to the right of us, to the west, almost behind us. It was unexpected and troublesome. Our reports never mentioned her army would come this way. Never once had we thought the direction would be from the ocean. Jasper held his hand up, signaling everyone to hold. Not a breath was exhaled as we waited to see who was coming. We had other contingency plans, but this meant the battle was going to be over a lot quicker than we anticipated, and most likely not in our favor.
Through the trees to the west, one lone figure emerged dressed in a dark, long cloak, similar to the one we had seen only weeks ago.
"No!" Esme gasped.
The figure dropped its hood, revealing his easily recognizable face. Felix, one of the Volturi guards was here.
"What has Aro done?" Carlisle said, his voice desperate and defeated.
More familiar faces stepped through the trees, some were at the meeting, and some were fresh faces we had never seen before, but they all had the same piercing red eyes.
Jasper was right. This was it. Carlisle was wrong about his God. The Volturi had teamed up with Maria. Aro had played his last piece and I could practically hear his calls on the wind. 'Checkmate, old friend.'
Felix began his approach with one other vampire, who remained shrouded in his cloak. Their hands were raised which I assumed was to peacefully negotiate the lives of Bella and Alice.
"My master wishes to speak with Edward," Felix said. None of us could contain our surprise. Panic was settling in when I realized I didn't have the luxury of knowing what my enemy was thinking, or what truths would be hidden by them.
"Do not be afraid." I recognized the voice, and a sigh of relief swept through me. Marcus unveiled himself to my family and me. Like before, his face gave nothing away. His arrival was unexpected, but I had a feeling it wasn't in the way we thought.
"Edward?" Carlisle asked, but I knew there was no time to explain and took a step toward the ancient vampire.
"Walk with me," Marcus said. He pointed a long, slender finger to a path along the tree line, and I followed. "So, she has come." His voice resonated through my bones and I felt the age and wisdom in it. I glanced to the ridge where we knew Maria's army to be. "We have time. My scouts tell me the rebel is regrouping."
"Why have you come, Marcus?"
"I have over a hundred vampires at my service. They are loyal to me, and to the old ways. They are mine to command."
We walked for a few more strides while I patiently waited for him to continue. It was odd being so close to such an ancient one. I felt a pull in my body toward him, like something willing me to be near him, protect him. I had never experienced it before, not with Aro, or Caius or even when the three of them were together. He stopped suddenly and looked down at me. His skin was pale, like layers of an onion, translucent but glowing with the fading light.
"It is young," he said. "It does not have the power or the experience to command me." I expected him to smile, but still there was nothing in his face.
"Emilia?"
"Do not give it a name," he said. "It will be destroyed. That is our way."
"Is that the only reason why you have come?"
"So you feel it, then?" There was slight movement in his cheek, a tic, as though he wanted to smile, but hundreds of years of sorrow had prevented him from knowing how. "You feel the bonds. You are no longer distracted by the voices in your mind. Your other senses are heightened. You feel the pull."
"The pull?"
"Your allegiances, Edward. They are changing. You are beginning to trust me." Turning from me, he resumed his steady pace.
He had me at a disadvantage. Perhaps this is why he came, why Aro sent him, to see Emilia in action and report back to him, but something was telling me this was not why he was here.
"My brothers lost their way many years ago. And now, they do not seek to restore order to the way it was. The old ways are all we have...all I have left. If we do not have that, then I have nothing." He stopped walking, and turned to the west and the setting sun. "Your family has always been a threat to Aro. You always will be. You compromise the very nature of who we are."
"Why are you here, then?"
"Absence from those we love is self from self - a deadly banishment." He started walking again, slow, deliberate steps. "I do not fight for them," he nodded his head toward my family, "or your humans. I have lived thousands of years. Never have I met someone whom I thought could understand me. But you, Edward, I think you do. We know what it is like to wish for death, to seek it out, yet we are both still here. Real or forced, we are alive because of the bonds we share with our family." He paused, and for a brief moment I saw the torment, dark and deep, in his eyes. "My brother spoke to me of your Isabella. Happiness has found its way to you again." He looked off into the trees, and just when I thought I couldn't bear the solitude he was trying to seek, he spoke in a soft and broken voice.
"No, I do not fight for them, or for you, but because it is what my Didyme would have wanted."
At his words, my stomach turned and I felt his ache for the love he lost. It was unexpected to hear the poetry coming out of this ghostly vampire's mouth, but more importantly, I never would have thought I would identify with him or him with me. But he knew the anguish I went through this past decade, because he had been living with it for thousands of years.
He shamed me.
"I know what Aro is," he said, "or more importantly what he has done, and make no mistake, my brothers will hunt all of us down for this betrayal. He will come for me. He will come for you and yours. But first, we must survive this night. Come, let us talk strategy with your Southern Major. I remember him as quite the adversary in his day."
Marcus was a few steps in front of me, and still I felt the pull. I wondered what it looked like, if it was the same light as I saw weeks ago surrounding my family, and why I could never feel these bonds like I did now.
"It is because of what I am, that you feel it. I am one of the first. And no, it is not the same, it never could be. But I believe we could have a mutual respect, young one. Do you not agree?"
"Yes," I answered. "I think we could."
"Felix, Santiago." Marcus beckoned two of his guards forward as we bridged the distance to where we had left the rest of the family. The two vampires who flanked me said nothing to me, nor showed any pleasantries. It was understood where their loyalties were, I just wondered what their motivation was. I trusted Marcus, but I did not trust any of the others.
When I reached Bella's side, I wrapped a protective arm around her, giving her a reassuring hug. "They're here to help," I whispered in her hair.
"Help?" She pulled back from me. "And you believe them?"
"I do," I said, smiling. "They bring a hundred vampires with them."
"Marcus," Carlisle said. "Is this true?"
"It is, friend," Marcus said, and his voice held the emotion his face did not. "My scouts tell me she has triple our numbers, but they also tell me you have been busy."
"You've been watching us?"
"We have," Felix spoke up. It was clear who was going to do the talking now. Marcus had said all he wanted to say, and it looked like he had shut down.
"We're grateful for your help, we are, but we have humans here," Carlisle said. "Fighting alongside us. We can't—"
"They will not be harmed by any of us. You have my Master's word on that," Felix said.
"And the wolves?"
There was silence, and I saw the range of disgust and horror cross both of the vampire's faces. "As long as they stay out of our way."
-:-
MARCUS STUCK TO HIS promise and sent a few vampires to discover the exact whereabouts of Maria's army. We knew they were here; none of us had any of our abilities which meant Emilia was nearby. Neither Garrett nor Bella knew how long Emilia could keep up her power. It had never been tested in front of them because there was never a need for it. They weren't sure if it took effort on her part or if it was just a part of who she was. We did know she could turn it off and on, but it didn't seem as though it sapped her energy like Bella's did when she over-extended herself. Regardless, we had to proceed as though we were powerless until Emilia was destroyed.
Felix, Marcus' second in command, did all the speaking for his Master, and even though some of my family, and especially the wolves, were not so quick to trust them and give away our secrets, they trusted my word. Without clear insight to their thoughts, they could have been lying to me, to us. Perhaps they were part of Maria's army, infiltrating us while Emilia's powers kept us all blinded from their motives. It was a possibility Jacob shared with me, but I had to believe in the pain and sadness I had experienced coming from Marcus only weeks ago. That was real, and now I knew why he sought me out. I knew what it meant to suffer his loss, and he mine. To carry on living when all hope was lost for only one purpose…family. But that was only part of Marcus' suffering. Thousands of years of loyalty only to discover one's bonds were forged by the one person who might have destroyed the love of your life. My heart would bleed for him if it could. The pain was unimaginable, but when I looked at him, his face remained the expressionless mask he so cleverly wore.
No, this man was not deceiving us. This was his own "crossing of the treaty-line" just as I had done months and months ago when I thought all hope was gone. I was ready to die then, just as Marcus was ready now. This battle would kill him, and if it didn't, then he would expect us to help him destroy Aro when he came after all of us for his brother's betrayal.
The Volturi have never done anything without a price.
Carlisle's words echoed back to me. With Marcus' help we had a chance to win this battle, but the war would still wage on. Aro and Caius would not let this go unanswered.
"Edward?" Jasper's hand touched my shoulder. It startled me not hearing him as he approached from behind. I still wasn't used to all this quiet, and it left me lost in my thoughts so easily.
"It's not going to end here, is it?" he asked, and all I could do was shake my head. Jasper knew enough about war to understand when one was beginning and one was ending. "Edward, I won't let you down—"
"You mean 'we,'" Alice said joining us. "We won't let you down. You can count on us, brother." She gently placed her arms around me, squeezing me tight. "I'm going to take her out for what she did to Jasper."
"I believe in you, Alice," I said, resting my chin on the top of her head. My eyes locked on to Jasper's, and he knew what I was asking without having to vocalize it. She'll never be out of my sight. His eyes said to me and then they went on to say, I won't come back if she doesn't. Maybe I didn't need my powers after all.
"Is everything worked out? Did the scouts come back?"
"Maria is regrouping beyond the second ridge," Jasper said. "She does have triple our numbers, but Garrett says she's lost close to half of her newborns along the way here. They must be fighting amongst their own ranks. Their inexperience and the smell of the blood is causing skirmishes. She's having difficulty controlling them, but as far as Marcus' scouts can tell, she has no idea the Volturi vampires are here. Which means…"
"We have the advantage."
"Exactly, dear brother!" Alice smiled and winked. For the first time in weeks, I felt the tightness in my chest let up. I returned Alice's smile, giving her one last kiss before seeking out Bella. She wasn't far—she never was—but I celebrated our reunion by picking her up and swinging her around.
"Don't get cocky," she said with a warning, after I shared what I had learned from Jasper. "Triple our numbers."
"Such a pessimist. I thought that was my job?" She sighed, rolling her eyes, but when they found mine again, I saw the light dancing in them. My warrior was just as hopeful as I was.
"I guess you'll be expecting me to wear that ice rink of a ring when all this is finished." Her eyebrows were raised in jest. "For the record, your mother must have had giant hands to be able to wear this—"
I cut her off with a laugh and a kiss, and when we separated, we found we had an audience. The silence was comfortable, and it was divine not knowing what any of them were thinking, at least until I caught sight of Marcus watching us ever so closely. Clearing my throat, I smoothed my shirt, hoping for someone to intercede and tell us what was to happen next.
Carlisle took a step forward, smiling at the two of us for the briefest of moments before his expression lost all mirth. He lifted the radio, glancing up to Charlie and Seth who were listening on the other end—somewhat safely on the compound walls with the other humans. "It's been agreed, nothing changes," Carlisle said, speaking to all of us. "Felix thinks our plan is solid, so we keep to it. Like the wolves, Felix and his army will be another element of surprise. They'll flank the field once the initial newborns come charging across. When they land in the pitfalls, Charlie's team will light them up. Jasper and Alice, all of the wolves will go with you now to take out Emilia. There's no point adding further discord between the wolves and the new vampires. Once the first wave has been eliminated, a handful of Felix's experienced fighters will help Edward and Garrett get Maria away from the others. The rest of us fight the remaining masses to give Bella the time she needs to get into position. Everything else stays as planned."
Maria was arrogant, and this was in our favor. She wouldn't see our group as a threat. Standing on the edge of the field, we would only look like fourteen vampires trying to protect a compound filled with humans. The wolves and Marcus' army would be out of sight and she would have no reason to suspect them of being here. We had been patrolling daily and as far as we could tell, she had never sent scouts ahead, proving just how confident she was. We wanted her to think we could be easily crushed. Bella and Garrett were certain she would send her newborns to eliminate all of us, and she would laugh while she did it. The rest of us weren't so easily convinced. The Volturi had managed to spy on us without us knowing, Maria could as well. If there was one thing Bella's journal had taught me, it was that when it came to Maria she was anything but predictable.
Taking one last glance up to Charlie and Seth while everyone got into position, I prayed for their lives. Charlie and Bella never said their goodbyes, both of them too stubborn to say them. Instead they vowed to not give up, and I truly believed neither of them would.
Without everyone's thoughts, I was blind to their fears and their hopes. Maybe it was a blessing for all of us. They could finally think freely without having me eavesdrop on their convictions. Going down the line, I sought out each of their faces, committing them to memory. And that was when I realized I couldn't bear to lose any of them, not even Garrett. Each of them was a part of me and it extended beyond my family. For the past few months we had developed a kinship, a bond, just as Marcus had described. I could feel it.
Vampire, wolf and human fighting as one. Maria would never see it coming.
The sound of drums began again, but this time I wasn't imagining them in my head. I felt a small vibration in the ground. We all did as the drums continued from the direction of the ridge. It took a few moments to realize they weren't drums but footsteps, marching in time. It was the sound of a large force of bloodthirsty vampires heading our way.
The first line of soldiers crested the ridge.
Not a sound was heard from our side of the field. Still and unyielding, just like chess pieces waiting for the opening move. And that's when I saw her. I recognized her from Jasper's memories. She was shorter than I thought she would be, but wasn't that always the way? That one tiny woman was the cause of all this strife.
Maria was standing in front of her army, a few feet ahead of them and all alone. The wind was wickedly violent up on the ridge and was whipping her brown hair out all around her. Dressed in simple grey pants and a grey T-shirt, she looked more like a primary school teacher than the hellcat we knew her to be. She held enough malice to make up for a thousand vampires, and you could see it in the army she commanded.
She began her march down the ridge, and her horde followed in step. These must have been her loyal soldiers, for they didn't act like newborns. They stayed in formation, and stayed two lengths behind her maintaining her appearance of power over them. How could one woman command so many and instill so much fear?
Hundreds of vampires were coming toward us, but there was no sign of the immortal child amongst them.
"Phoenix!" came Maria's voice on the wind when she reached the edge of the field.
Bella took a step forward, and I joined her. It wasn't hard to mistake Maria's smile when her eyes landed on her prize.
"Let's end this! Come with me and I will spare them."
"I know your truths and your lies, Maria! Time apart from you hasn't changed that."
Maria shrugged and laughed. "Bring my Jasper with you and then I'll let them go. Someone will have to pay for your insubordination. You've dragged us all across this miserable country, killing and slaughtering along the way. There is penance to be done, and Emilia will be all too happy to deliver it."
My eyes cut to Alice, but she was just as stoic as Bella.
"Where is she?" Bella yelled. "She's here, where have you hidden her?"
"Oh, Phoenix, do you really think I'm that stupid? She's safe, and now you're powerless. You all are. You think you can stand up to me? To my cavalry? You know what they can do. Stop this nonsense before I destroy them all, and take those humans you're protecting. I won't be so kind to this settlement. Emilia could use a few new playmates her age."
The conversation would have appeared one sided to the humans behind us. They couldn't hear Maria with the wind blowing; they would only hear Bella's responses. Charlie would only hear and see his daughter, this fierce woman, my warrior queen, playing the diplomat to the legion across the way. I didn't need to hear his thoughts to imagine his pride, for I felt it too. Where Maria was dressed in grey, once again, Bella wore red. With her hair pulled back, hanging down the length of her spine, she stood with her feet shoulder width apart with her arms at her sides. So focused on her role to play, I wasn't even sure Bella knew I was beside her. This was the 'Phoenix' Maria had coveted.
"Maria, give us the immortal children, and we may let some of you leave with your lives."
Maria's wicked laugh carried across the field. "Phoenix, I know your truths and lies, too. You seem to forget...I always win when it comes to you."
"This is your last chance, Maria! Surrender the—"
"No! This is your last chance before I let my Ravagers come and ravage all of you. They smell the bloodbehind those walls. They're hungry for it." She raised an arm, signaling the vampires to create a path behind her. Like waves parting in the sea, they moved in one fluid motion. She laughed one last time, throwing her head back to the sky. It was a deafening sound which caused the rest of her vampires to join her and essentially create their own battle cry, one that travelled down the spinal column solidifying the growing fear she instilled there.
This was it.
God, if you are there as Carlisle believes you are—as I believe you are— please guide us to victory.
Over the ridge they came, screaming and running like the newborns they were. Over a hundred new vampires she had kept from our sight. She sent them all, and she was laughing just as Bella and Garrett predicted. They were not the conditioned army that stood with her at the bottom of the ridge. These were the savages Maria had bred to crave gore and bloodshed, who would massacre everyone behind the compound walls. She had been busy. And although we shifted uneasily on our feet, surprised by the terror they conveyed, we held our ground and waited for them to come to us.
As they ran, we held.
With our hearts in our throats, we saw the humans ignite the arrows.
The newborns followed the trail of blood laid out earlier by Eric and Tyler and the others. Most of it was deer, but Charlie and Seth insisted it be mixed with human blood. Where they got it, we never asked, but it did what it was intended. The newborns headed straight to the pits Emmett and I had dug out and covered over. The pits that were filled with oil Tanya and her family had provided, which would be lit on fire with the arrows covered in tar the wolves had made from burning pine resin deposits from the trees. Every one of us had played our part in this plan, and every one of us was essential to making it work.
'Steady hands, steady hearts,' is what Eleazar had told the archers when the time would come for them to raise their arrows. Lifting his arm, he pointed Charlie's handgun straight above his head and we could hear the humans reciting the mantra. They took aim, and an impressive line of flames could be seen across the wall.
The first of the newborns hit the intended mark. The snap of branches was heard, followed by the sound of a single gunshot. The flames went through the air lighting up the darkening sky, and then disappeared into the holes along with the rest of the newborns as more of the branches gave way. For just a split second only the echoes on the wind were heard as the arrows sailed after the vampires had fallen. It was closely followed by a whoomp when the flames took light across the oily surface.
Screams erupted and then more screams as the oil stuck to their skin and burned.
And still we waited.
A rushing boom came next, and the sky lit up with an explosion of orange and yellow as oil and flame became one.
We waited. And watched.
None of us knew how Maria would react to the attack and decimation of her cavalry. Almost a hundred went into the pits and only a few had come out. They crawled up the sides, engulfed in flame from head to toe, hitting the ground to try to douse their burning skin. They would live and heal, but their loyalty would be tested. Our hope was that most would flee in panic.
The field was swallowed up in dense black smoke, mixed with a deep purple that choked the sky. We could hear the moans and ear-piercing screams from some of the survivors as they tried to crawl to safety. There was an acrid stench, like thick incense, permeating the air from the burning hair and venom, making it uncomfortable to breathe. We didn't have to inhale, but the humans were not so fortunate. The smell was too strong; enough to make some of them wretch.
The plan had worked far better than we anticipated. We had decimated Maria's precious cavalry.
"PHOENIX!"
That one single name was all that was heard through the smoke. With it carried the threat of annihilation. We had unleashed the she-devil.
"You think I didn't know about your humans!" she yelled. "Nothing gets past me. Nothing! I warned you, and now...THEY WILL ALL PAY!"
Eleazar raised his arm again with his finger resting on the trigger of the gun. Safely behind the walls of the compound, we knew the trebuchets were being loaded. Maria had a second wave, so did we.
Eleazar fired. The creak of the wood from the recoil of the arm was heard as the counterweight came swinging down, launching the bags of burning tar. They sailed across the sky heading straight for Maria's camp. The air was too thick with smoke to see, but we knew where she was. As we watched, we heard a whoosh followed by a low whistle from their side. Something was coming toward us. My stomach turned as soon as I realized what it was.
"Get down!" But it was too late to warn them.
The side of the compound exploded, raining concrete and metal all around us.
"What the—" Emmett shouted. "How the hell did they get their hands on an RP—"
"Incoming!" Jasper yelled. It missed its intended mark this time, having gone wider than the last one, but it still managed to take out more of the wall. There was no mistaking the damage done with those two shots. We could already smell the blood from the loss of human life.
Maria had her own wildcards. Panic ran rife while we watched in horror, wondering who had been hit and whether or not there would be more.
"We're okay," Charlie's voice came over the radio. Bella gasped, letting out a quiet sob. She held her hands to her mouth, trying to maintain what little control she had. "Six dead," he said, "more wounded. But we're here."
We waited for a few more breaths. Perhaps all she had were those two shots, but we couldn't wait here any longer to find out. The humans couldn't help us anymore and Maria knew this. Her army charged, yelling their cries as they ran across the field. The time for flame was over. It was our turn now.
"Go kick some ass," Charlie said.
"Nicely put, Chief," Emmett said, and took off running toward the army and everyone followed. Jasper and Alice went to the trees toward the eastern side of the ridge to join the wolves who were waiting for their turn. Emilia had to be on the other side of that ridge somewhere, and we had to trust they would find her.
Even with the eighty or so newborns gone, we were still greatly out-numbered. We needed Bella.
She was paler than I thought possible. Standing motionless, staring at the mess of concrete and wood where her father had been standing only a few feet away. I watched her expression go from a frightened, fragile girl to a woman with a daring resolve who was looking to seek retribution. With the fire behind her—gold, yellow and red burning on the battlefield—it was as though her plumage was back. I was reminded of the cabin in Montana. The first time I laid eyes on this truly beautiful and mythical creature who was about to take flight.
Reaching out to touch her one last time, I grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Wait," I said, taking hold of her face in my hands. "Live," I breathed out, as my heart broke in two one last time.
"For a thousand years more," she said, and for the briefest of moments Bella's vulnerability shone through her eyes giving me the courage I needed.
-:-
I KNEW EXACTLY WHERE Bella was heading, and this wasn't part of the plan. She was going after Maria, and no amount of pleading would deter her. Maria was hers. I saw it written all over her face.
"Change of plans!" I yelled to Garrett.
"I can see that," he said as we chased after her. "Nix!"
She wouldn't listen to either one of us. When the smoke cleared, and Maria was gone, Bella charged ahead with no regard for anything but finding the woman responsible for all of her sorrows for the last ten years. This wasn't the plan, but then none of this was. It was too soon for the hand to hand combat. We had needed to take out more of her soldiers—make them question their loyalty to Maria—but when they attacked the humans that part of the plan came to an abrupt end. We had to take Charlie and the compound out of the equation, and fall prey to Maria's plans instead. We could only hope the help from Marcus' vampires would be enough.
As we skirted the battle, following where Jasper and Alice had gone, we could see the fires still burning below, glowing in the dusk. Screams were heard as more vampires were caught in the traps. We had the advantage of knowing where they were, and Esme and Rosalie carried torches, igniting the oil as they ran. Over a hundred vampires surrounded our people, and Felix had yet to appear. It was all going south far too quickly. There were too many of them.
I heard Garrett's breath catch as we ran, and followed his gaze. Kate was surrounded by four vampires. She was holding her own but she was tiring.
"Go!" I said to him. "Go! We'll be all right." He was gone before I finished speaking.
Bella and I ran for a while, through the trees, along the ridge, but there was no sign of Jasper, Alice or the wolves. I had to have faith they were alive and following through with what they needed to do. It was clear Maria had other vampires with special talents we never knew about. She had known about our plans. Unpredictable wasn't what I'd call her. Calculating was more like it.
"I smell her."
I wanted to tell Bella this was a foolish plan. We needed to stop and think about what we were doing, not blindly run after a woman who was always steps ahead of us. But Bella was past rational thought. Maria was sure to be surrounded with her own army of vampires to protect her. The two of us wouldn't stand a chance against her. We needed to wait for Felix's help. Despite knowing this, I still followed Bella, even if it was to our deaths.
As we came up over the last ridge overlooking the field below us, we saw just how many vampires Maria had with her. She was waiting for us in a large clearing on a rock outcrop. Flanked by at least a dozen guards, she laughed when she saw us coming through the brush.
"I knew you'd come," she said. "But I never thought you were stupid, Phoenix. Only two of you?"
"That's all we need," Bella spat back. "Where's Emilia?"
"You truly are foolish if you think I'd bring my child anywhere near you."
"She's here."
"Of course she is. I couldn't have you at your best, now could I?" Maria's eyes glanced to me, and then back to Bella. "You know I'll rip their heads off." Her lips peeled back as she circled around us and her guards spread out leaving us no room for escape. "Every last one of them...starting with him." She pointed at me and Bella growled. I steadied her with my hand. Maria was taunting Bella, hoping she would make a mistake. In a fight, without Bella's powers, Maria was sure to win. She hadn't survived this long through so many wars not to know what she was doing. Maria was older and stronger even than I was.
"He's the one, isn't he, Phoenix? The one you pined for...the one you loved." She threw her head back and laughed while she continued to circle. We were outnumbered and she could easily have taken us, but she wanted Bella alive. "Can he fight?"
Maria winked at me and I saw her hand signal. The man to her right sprang at me, his teeth bright and sharp. I spun, kicking out, aiming low to hit him in the stomach. He flew back, falling, but he was on his feet ready to charge again. Maria held up her hand to stop him.
"What, no help for your lover, Phoenix?"
"He can take care of himself," Bella said through gritted teeth. She reached for my hand and held tight, letting me know she was keen to what Maria was doing.
"I can see that. And does he have any...special talents?"
"Many. But none that I'm willing to share with you," Bella said, and despite my better judgment, I laughed.
"I'm going to enjoy breaking him in."
"I'm going to enjoy breaking your face."
"Phoenix, let's be reasonable. You're outnumbered. Come willingly and accept that you're mine and I'll let you keep him." Maria looked directly into my eyes. "You're one of Jasper's, aren't you? One of the Cullens. Pitiful creatures. All of you...sparing these humans!" She licked her lips and looked to the field below. "Smell the blood? Doesn't it sing to you? Come with me. I'll show you things, and I'm not talking about the blood."
Bella's hand tensed under mine. From the corner of my eye I saw her neck muscles flinch and before I could stop her, Bella went for Maria. She got past Maria's guard and slammed her fist into the woman's face. The sound of their flesh colliding seemed delayed, for Maria was on the ground by the time it had reached my ears. Three of her guards were on Bella, but she was waiting for it and fought back, flipping over them and driving her foot into one of their backs. She truly was magnificent to watch. She anticipated their moves and was one step ahead of them. Kicking and punching, lashing out at them until each one of them had taken a beating.
I saw the blow coming from my left and countered just in to time by driving my body downward. The vampire stumbled over his feet, giving me access to his neck. I snapped it clear off his head, like a branch from a tree.
Another, a woman this time, landed on my back and sunk her teeth into my shoulder. I bit back a scream, the sting of the venom was excruciating, but I had no intention of letting this one take a piece of my flesh. I reached up behind me, and grabbed her throat in my fist and squeezed. Her teeth let go, and her fingernails raked across my cheek, coming dangerously close to my eye. She wasn't a seasoned fighter, that was evident, and as I held her throat, I twisted my body and threw her to the ground. It was a matter of seconds before her head was detached from her body.
I glanced to Bella, who seemed to be holding her own, having taken two down and working on another. I fought my way toward her, knowing we would be stronger at each other's back. I didn't see the vampire coming from the left, almost as though he flew up from out of nowhere. He tackled me to the ground, and his knees were on my chest while his teeth were snapping at my throat. I desperately tried to hold him above me. He was strong, as strong as Emmett, and I was going to lose this fight if I didn't do something soon. Slipping my hand to his chin, I pushed with everything I had, but we were in a deadlock. I swung my right arm outside of his left, putting it over my other hand and pushed both palms upward. His arm straightened ever so slightly, giving me the leverage I needed, and I thrust my hips to the side, rolling him off of me. I had him pinned and just had to deliver the final blow.
"I wouldn't do that!" Maria's voice was loud, causing me to turn my head. Distracted, I caught the brunt of the vampire's foot on my shoulder and it propelled me forward in the air a few feet. Righting myself, I landed in front of Maria who was rubbing her jaw. Her eyes were black and hard. She glanced to my left and I followed her gaze. Bella was being held by two vampires and another was behind her, holding her head between his hands. My heart dropped and I stumbled from the shock of seeing her life dangling so precariously. Anger surged, raging inside of me. With a mad, undulating growl I lunged for Maria.
"Ah-ah," Maria said raising her hand up. "She's dead. One more move and I'll have them snap her head clean off her body."
"You want her alive."
"True. Of course her legs are of no use to me...or her arms. So you'll cooperate."
"Edward, don't," Bella pleaded.
"Edward!" she said, mocking my name."How rich. Between you and Jasper, my days and nights will be quite busy."
"I did enjoy it," Bella said, interrupting her.
Maria turned to her. "What did you enjoy, exactly?"
"Breaking your face."
I had to stifle another laugh. This was a side of Bella I could get used to.
"Don't worry, you'll pay for it," Maria said. "You know how this works. I always win."
Footsteps were heard coming up the ridge. I only needed guess to know who it was, and from the look on Bella's face, she did too. Garrett pushed through the brush and came to a halt once he saw what was happening. Two of Maria's guards, immediately grabbed his arms.
"Nix, having some troubles?" he asked. He was smiling but I saw the terror in his eyes. The vampire still held Bella's head in his hands, ready to twist if Maria gave the word.
"Just the usual. Pissing off Maria."
"You do love doing that." Garrett looked at the four dead vampires on the ground. He nodded his head toward me. "Nice work."
"Well, well, well. Isn't this quaint?" Maria signaled to another three vampires behind her. They moved to my side and held me just as the other three held Bella. "Release her," she said. "A little déjà vu for you, Phoenix? Only this time the stakes are much, much higher."
"You think you've won?" Bella asked, spitting at Maria's feet. "We're just stalling for time."
"Then let's pass the time with a little game. Shall we?" She motioned Garrett and me forward and the vampires shoved us closer to her, until we were only a few feet in front of her. "Come, Phoenix, let us play 'Whom do you love?' For every wrong answer, you'll have to choose which one we remove an appendage from."
Bella's face was fervent. All three of us knew it was only a matter of time before Alice and Jasper broke through the lines with the wolves and found Emilia. We just had to survive until that happened. Maria was smart, playing off our weaknesses. Neither Garrett nor I would let Bella be hurt, and she knew it. By putting the choices in Bella's hand, it was just one more form of torture she was inflicting upon her. Three vampires held each of us. Either one of us might have broken free, but we could never reach Bella in time before the vampires standing with her ended her life. We had rushed into this without a plan. We hadn't anticipated such a strong force to be protecting Maria, which meant Emilia would have even more with her. And if Alice and Jasper failed, it wouldn't matter how many appendages were ripped from our bodies, we would be dead before the night was through.
"I'm not playing your game," Bella said. "You can have me. I'll go with you, just let them go."
Maria laughed. "Oh, I'll be taking you, but I'll not be leaving these two unscathed so they can hunt us down. No, Phoenix, you'll play, or they both die." She tapped her fingers against her chin. There was a rustling in the bushes to the left of us. All heads turned to watch a tiny, dark-skinned vampire step through the trees. He grinned, a wide and toothy grin, waving a hand to all of us as though we were friends. I recognized him from Jasper and Garrett's memories. This was Isaac.
"Where have you been?" Maria snapped. "I told you to stay with me."
"Sorry, Missus, bin lost in da treez." He smiled again, seemingly unaffected by Maria's hostility. "Mizzus." He nodded at Bella. "Em 'appee to see you."
"It's good to see you, too, Isaac." Bella smiled back.
"Gee," Isaac acknowledged Garrett, dragging the sound of his letter out.
"You've come just in time," Maria said. "Why don't you show this new one what you can do?"
"Me no work wid'a lil' wun."
"Yes, she is rather inconvenient at times, isn't she?" Maria had a far off distant look in her eyes, and if I had my gift back, I'd probably confirm she regretted Emilia at times. "Fine. We'll do it my way. Time for round one," she said. "What will it be? World Politics, American History, Current Affairs?"
"Current affairs? You're about to get your ass kicked by a bunch of humans," Bella said.
"Wrong!" Maria touched the woman beside her. She was almost as tall as I was, and she looked like she used to be a professional athlete in her old life. With her gleaming red eyes zeroing in on me, she sauntered her way over, swinging her hips back and forth until she was inches away in front of me. I struggled in my captors arms, and it took all three of them to take me down.
"Not a move, Phoenix, or off goes his pretty little head with his pretty little hair."
"Don't do this!" I heard Bella scream, but it was drowned out by the pain coming from my left hand. The woman wrestler had bit off my ring finger.
"Stop!" Bella pleaded. "I'll do whatever you want, just stop."
"That's in case you have any ideas like your friend Jasper and his wife. Where you're going, you won't need that finger," Maria said. Garrett was next, and she had the woman do the same to him. He didn't struggle, though, knowing it was futile. There was only a burning hatred in his eyes and they never left her face.
"Nix, I know you want to kill her, but please, let me. Give me that gift, at least."
"She's yours," Bella said, clenching her fists. She was testing to see if her powers were back, and as soon as they were, we were all going to be in trouble.
"This is the lightening round," Maria interrupted. "How fast do you think you can answer? Or maybe we should just skip ahead to the showcase round. I'm bored of your empty threats." She folded her arms, and took a turn around the clearing, eyeing each of us. "The final question, it's not really a question per se, but a Would You Rather." Stopping in front of me, she bent down to come face-to-face with me, but my eyes were still on Bella. Grabbing my hair, she twisted my head to force me to look at her. "This is what I meant, Garrett. When I said she was never yours...well, you were never hers. But this one..." She shoved my head. "Yes, this one. He is. Isn't that so?" Her laugh echoed through the mountains. "This couldn't have worked out better for me."
"Let's end this, Maria," Bella said. "Me for them. It's what you want. I won't fight you anymore. I won't try to escape. You have my word."
"Oh, honey, you're in no position to make demands. I will be taking you, but it's just the matter of whom 'would you rather' come with you. You do understand I'll need my leverage over you, now more than ever. And three's a crowd last time I checked. You can't have them both. A girl can't be greedy in this apocalyptic world. As my final showcase, you'll choose: vampire number one," she pointed to Garrett, and then to me, "or vampire number two."
"I can't, and you know it."
"You will," she shrugged, "or they both die. It's simple." She looked at her guards holding the both of us in death grips and laughed. "I always seem to be in this predicament with you. Now why is that? Why do you always vex me so? You would think you would have learned by now. I always get my way."
Bella took a step toward Maria. "Unh-ah." Maria wagged a finger. "Are you so willing to lose both? Very well."
"No!" Bella stopped with her hands in the air.
"I'll give you a minute to decide. I can't imagine it's an easy decision. I can sympathize with that. I'm not a heartless monster." She giggled. "Oh, wait, I am." She held up her hands as though she was weighing the options. Garrett and I both struggled against our captors, but it was useless, six hands on both of us; we couldn't move.
"Now, boys, don't make them rip your arms off. It will be difficult to fight in my pits without any arms."
Bella looked defeated. She stood in front of us, her arms hanging at her sides. The screams from the fighting below carried over the clearing. We had no idea if Felix and the rest of guard had joined the battle, we could only hope they had.
Bella was losing faith in Jasper and Alice; it was written all over her face. Her hope was lost, but I wanted to tell her mine wasn't. They would come through. I had every confidence they would not fail, it just might not come in time for us. The one for the many, I thought. This wasn't a choice I'd force Bella to make. She wouldn't cast a death sentence on either of us. It would kill her to have to choose.
I opened my mouth to speak, to tell her I loved her, that these past few months were more than I could have hoped for. I wanted to tell her not to make the decision, that I would make it for her. I opened my mouth to tell her everything—
"Nix," Garrett croaked. "Bella." He used her name for the first time. "You know what the right decision is."
"No," I said and cursed the man. "It has to be me."
"Don't listen to him, Bella," Garrett said. "I'm the one who made you. I'm the one responsible for you, not him. Your life has always been destined for so much more than me." His eyes shifted to me, and my instincts told me to look away. I didn't want to look him in the eyes, but I couldn't do that to him. Instead I stared with an unwavering resolve. He would know how much this was costing us all.
"Oh, how sweet. Both of your lovers offering themselves up. What is it about you?" Maria had her vampires bring us forward, while she had Isaac light a fire. "So, it's this one, then?" Pointing a finger at me, she asked, "He's the one you want to save?" She ran her finger down the side of my cheek. "I really am going to enjoy you."
"Never." Bella's jaw was clenched tight and there was a fire in her eyes. "You'll never touch him."
Looking at her, I willed her to understand. We needed to stall. It's all we had to do. Jasper would come though. I believed it to the depths of my soul. He would not let us down.
"Maria!" she said. "You do this and I'll never help you. You think you can control me with your threats, but it doesn't work that way. You will not do this!"
Ignoring Bella, Maria walked over to Garrett. "Such a pity. We had become so close, hadn't we? I never understood why you protected her so much. She's weak, Garrett. I could have given you everything, but you couldn't see that. She clouded you, turned you against your very nature. Look at you!" She grabbed his cheeks, poking at his eyes with her fingers. Over the past few months, both Bella and Garrett's eyes had started to fade from the deep red to light, orange amber. "You're pathetic. You don't deserve to live!"
The panic was starting to rise. It felt like bile in my throat, and it didn't help when I saw the pain etched across Bella's face. This was going to destroy her. She would never come back from this. I fought with everything I had to break free from the arms holding me, but they were steel vises, and no matter how much I struggled nothing was giving way.
Maria placed her hands on either side of Garrett's head.
"Time to say goodbye, Phoenix."
A wave came crashing into me, slamming up inside my head all at once. The pressure of it was too much and I buckled, screaming as the pain and agony rattled between my temples. It was like sharp needles jabbing at my eyes from the inside out and the intensity caused a blinding white light. The guards dropped their hold on me, startled by my outburst. Grabbing hold of my head, I tried to control it, but it was one wave after another, pounding, screaming until it felt the world had exploded inside my head. I hadn't felt this kind of invasion since I first woke in this second life, only this time it was much worse. It had been comforting and peaceful not having the constant onslaught of thoughts invading my head. I had grown accustomed to the black and the silence. I'd let my guard down, and now it had all come back in a violent surge, hammering the cells of my brain.
It could mean only one thing. Alice and Jasper had done it. Emilia was destroyed.
Bella could feel it too. A slow smile spread across her face as she stared down Maria.
"My name is Bella."
With a quick snap of her wrists, Maria twisted and then took off running.
"NO!" Bella screamed, running to Garrett's side.
"Bella," I managed to say. But she didn't hear me over her sobs and mutterings as she lay next to Garrett. My eyes couldn't focus, and I was paralyzed until I could learn to filter the voices again, and focus on the ones that were important. In my head I was there, fighting every one of their fights. I felt all of their pain, and suffered through all of their horrors. Hundreds of them all frightened, enraged and filled with anguish and anger.
Searching for Bella, my eyes slowly came into focus. She was my center, and I could hear her grief even if I couldn't see her. She needed me, and we needed her.
"He'll live." I got to my knees, crawling to be next to her. She wasn't listening to me. "He'll live!" I said, grabbing hold of her arms and shaking her. "We have to go. They need you down there." The voices had nestled their way to the back of my skull, and the images of what was happening below were devastating to see. "He'll be okay, but they won't." I pointed past the ridge.
"She's getting away."
"Let her. We have to go."
"She's getting away!" Bella pressed. "I have to go after her." She broke free from my arms. I tried to rise as well, but there was too much jarring.
"I'm sorry, Edward. I can't let her get away."
"Bella!" I yelled after her, but she was gone, leaving me with a hundred others inside my head and Garrett to watch over. He was healing, and his thoughts were few and far between but he was coming back to us.
Finally managing to stand, I had to go after her and make her listen. They were all going to die if she carried out her vengeance. I had to make her see that.
I had to ground out all the noise in my head. Turn the voices off, but there was one voice which came shining through loud and clear. It was one voice I couldn't ignore.
"BELLA!" I raged with everything I could muster.
-:-
I COULD HEAR SETH'S cries in my head as he tried to dig Charlie out. The side of the compound where they had been trying to reinforce the wall had come crumbling down again, and he lay buried at the bottom of the rubble with two tons of stone and timber on top of him. Charlie was alive, just barely, I heard him, but Seth had no way of knowing.
There was a large stone lying across Charlie's chest preventing him from calling out. Seth was on top of the debris, working in a cold, controlled fury removing piece by piece, his fingers raw from the shards of rock and splinters of wood. I could see him across the field, and my heart sunk. I didn't know how long he had been at it, but from the looks of him, it had been a while for his energy was starting to give out. The rocks were too big for him to move. He was struggling to remain upright while he tried to get some leverage from a piece of timber.
Having seen where I was headed, Eleazar caught up with me, and his thoughts were just as grave as mine as he pieced together what was happening.
Seconds passed which seemed like hours, but we were finally at Seth's side.
"Seth," I said softly, touching his arm. He was in shock. He looked at me with a ghostly expression. Everything had drained from him.
"Charlie." His voice was hoarse as he croaked out his name, pointing below. He bent down to try and pick up another rock, but he fell to his knees tumbling down the side.
"Hijos míos, let us work," Eleazar said, helping him to his feet.
"No!" he screamed. Tears were falling down his cheeks, and his hands were dripping blood from trying to move the rocks. He shrugged off Eleazar's arm. "It's my fault." His thoughts were on the verge of hysterics. "He pushed me out of the way. It was my fault...it should be me!"
Charlie and Seth had been working to get the injured to Leah, while the others had been barricading the fallen pieces of the foundation. It was futile, but Charlie knew they needed something to do while the world fell apart around them. He didn't want them panicking so he gave them a task to keep them busy. The wall was unstable, but it didn't stop Seth from climbing up it to get a better view of the battle. As he began his climb down, the wall started to give way. Charlie leaped, pushing his son to safety.
"It's my fault!" Seth sobbed.
I grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him a little bit. "We'll get him," I said, gently moving him off to the side and sitting him down. He was choking back more tears, and only nodded. He was numb to everyone and everything around him.
Eleazar and I began the task of removing the pieces one by one. We moved steadily and swiftly, making sure not to cause any shift in the rocks. I knew he was at the bottom, and I knew that what we would find was not going to be pretty.
Charlie could not survive this.
Dios mío! He will not make it, Eleazar said silently to me and then added, Is there enough life in him to bring him to the light?
I refused to answer Eleazar's question. The thought of losing Charlie was unbearable, but to turn him...that was a decision I was not prepared to make.
Rock by rock, timber by timber, we moved the wreckage until we could see his blue, plaid shirt and could smell the blood that was covering it.
Edward, Carlisle said silently from the other side of the field. He was on his way, having just seen what we had been doing. I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing Carlisle could make the decision that I wasn't ready to make.
"Charlie," I called out, even though I knew he couldn't answer. I had enough medicine to know we couldn't remove the last rock pressing down on his chest. I needed Carlisle to assess the damage. Charlie was broken and bloodied, but he was conscious.
Edward...I can't get any air to my lungs.
"I know. Carlisle's on his way."
Some fight, huh? How'd we make out?
"We got Emilia. She's dead, and Bella is doing her thing." At least I hoped she was. It would all be for nothing if she wasn't.
Carlisle arrived at my side assessing the scene. His face was as somber as I felt.
We can't move that rock. I nodded. He'll bleed out. I nodded again.
If we moved the rock Charlie would die, there was no question about that. He was being kept alive from the pressure of it restricting his blood flow.
What do you want to do, Edward? Carlisle said, waiting for me to make a decision. Turning, I took a quick glance behind us. Bella was nowhere to be seen. The fighting continued all around us. They needed our help. I let out a frustrated yell and clenched my fists to my eyes. Charlie couldn't die...
He will make a fine vampire, Eleazar said silently, touching my shoulder. He's a remarkable human and will have a remarkable gift.
He didn't deserve to be stuck with this life.
Edward, I heard Charlie. I know what's going through that head of yours. And I'm going to make it easy for you. I moved over to him so he could see my face. I gently placed my hand on the slab of rock resting on his chest. I don't want it. He paused and then continued. I've not judged you and what you are. It's not what defines you. You're a good man. But that life's not for me. You have to let me go.
"Charlie…"
You have to, because I don't want it. Can you promise me they'll all survive? I suffered through the loss of my daughter once. I won't go through that again. I can't watch all of them go before me. This is how it's supposed to be.
Bella. She was going to lose her father. She needed to be here, she needed to make this decision.
"You have to save him!" Seth had stood up, pleading with me. "Turn him." His eyes were wild, looking for an answer in my eyes.
Don't listen to him. This is what I want. Lift the rock, Charlie said.
I shook my head violently.
"What's he saying?" Seth grabbed hold of my shoulder pushing me out of the way. "Charlie, please, don't do this," he begged. "Let them…please. Stay with me."
Edward, lift the rock.
"I can't do that," I cried.
Yes, you can. You have to do it before Bella gets here. I won't be as strong if she's here. You know this is the right decision. He tried to cough, but couldn't, only blood spilled from his lips.
"Son," Carlisle said to Seth, "he's in pain."
"Then turn him! Save him!"
Charlie's eyes pleaded with me. This is the right thing to do. No one was to be turned to be saved. Not even me. You promised me.
"What's he saying?" Seth's panicked voice reverberated through my spine. He was sobbing, and wasn't listening to reason.
I turned to Carlisle and Eleazar. "He wants us to lift the rock."
"Charlie," Carlisle whispered. "My friend, it doesn't have to be that way. Are you sure?"
"No!" Seth yelled. He tried to shove me, and took a swing at me. I let him hit me, knowing the physical pain as his fist connected with my face would help lessen the pain in his heart.
"Seth," Carlisle said softly, "it's what he wants. We won't turn him if he doesn't want to be turned. It's his decision. This life is not for everyone and I won't force it on anyone…especially not my friend."
"Please, Charlie," he said, imploring one last attempt and Charlie smiled sadly in return, closing his eyes.
"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry." Seth gulped trying to get air in his lungs.
Tell Seth they saved me. Leah, Sue, they made me a part of their family when I thought I had none. Tell Seth I love him as my own flesh and blood. And Bella…my life was complete when I laid eyes on her again. That was all I ever wanted was to see her once more. She'll think I gave up, but you tell her I never did. And that's the truth. I would do it all again for her.
Edward, you marry her and make it right. He tried to smile. I, too, have done my penance…now it's my time. You have to let me go. They need you out there, so get this over with.
Eleazar was whispering as Carlisle moved to the other side of the boulder. "Aunque ande en valle de sombra de muerte, no temeré mal alguno ; porque tú estarás conmigo; tu vara y tu cayado me confortarán…"
It was only a matter of seconds after we lifted the rock, when the light in Charlie's eyes left him, and then he left this world for good.