Chapter 14 – Glittering in the Sunlight
The large white house that the Cullens called home loomed like a ship marooned in the forest, the plate glass windows reflecting the trees and motion that swirled around it. As we approached, I could hear noises – the clacking of computer keys, the shuffling of papers, a washing machine agitating water, soap and fabric. The sounds were not remarkable, for they existed in every house at some time or another. But standing half a mile away, listening to what was most likely towels going through the rinse cycle, further reinforced the fact that everything would be very different now.
Aside from my voracious liquid appetite, the most noticeable changes to the 'new me' had been my senses, which were heightened to epic proportions. I could see the details on trees that loomed on the horizon, hear Emmett talking to Rosalie on the far side of the house, and smell window cleaner.
There were other changes, like my speed and stamina, which felt boundless. In our quest to find food, I'd run inconceivably fast, covering miles in mere minutes, never getting winded or needing to stop to rest. The vampires I'd encountered were all fast and strong, more like superheroes than humans. Were these traits special, like the way some people could curl their tongue into a U, or did everyone have some simple latent gift that could be called upon as needed, like Edward's mind reading or Alice's precognition? Could I capture a buck by the antlers or throw a boulder fifty feet? Without putting my body through the paces, there was no way to really know.
"Hang on a sec," I said, breaking free of Edward's grasp.
We'd just crossed over the rise of the hill, roughly five hundred yards from the house, passing a stand of cedars and pines. At the far end of the group, one cedar stood alone, towering over the others, its massive trunk a dark, dusky brown. While not as wide, the cedar was easily as tall as the giant redwoods in California tourism posters, calling to mind the silent sentinels who'd endured a lifetime of storms, cold, and fits of nature. The sapling can't withstand the shadow of the ancient oak.
We'll just see about that.
"Come on, Bella! We don't have time!" Edward insisted, but I was already halfway up the hill, kicking rocks and pebbles out of the way in my assent. They scattered easily, forgotten residue from glaciers and rivers that had carved out these valleys thousands of years ago. No two were alike, the years turning each stone into a distinct entity; some round, others flat, each one truly unique.
I stopped fifty feet short of the large cedar, and bent to scoop up a rock. It was strange oblong chunk, roughly the size of a small child's football, which I could heft easily. A week ago, I would have no doubt dropped the rock due to its sheer weight. Now I could toss the stone around as if it were made of plastic or something even lighter without fear of dropping or bobbling it.
"What are you up to?" Edward asked. He'd crept up behind me, his hand slipping underneath my hair to massage the muscles in my neck. Since we'd reached an understanding by the river, Edward and I hadn't been out of physical contact. The anger and the distrust had been shed, replaced by the sweet, attentive man I'd come to know over the past few weeks.
"I thought you would be mad at me," I said, finally finding the courage to address the proverbial elephant in the room. "I forced your hand at the beach. Everything was about me and never about you. That was wrong."
Edward laughed, his fingers kneading my muscles gently. "You are apologizing for the one thing I'd accepted a long time ago, Bella. I've always known I would be the one to change you. I just didn't know when."
"If you tell me that Alice saw this…"
"No, she didn't see it. I'm kind of surprised Carlisle didn't figure it out, to be honest. He's the one who has dissected the prophecy a thousand times."
He slipped his free hand down my arm, his palm cradling my hand so that we both supported the rock. "Irish servant will bend English oak to make a vow of strongest stone."
"If you are saying I am plain like this river rock, I am going to make what you did to Emmett look like child's play," I warned him. It was easier to be light and joke now, but I found that I craved his approval, and I needed to hear him spell everything out. I wasn't completely ready to read in between the lines just yet.
"Everyone's always been hung up on the first part of the prophecy, which identified Charlie and Renee, and then you. But there's one more person in there. Someone had to turn the vow into strongest stone."
"Enough, Nostradamus, spit it out already." I tried to pull my hand away, but Edward refused to let go.
"I'm the only one that sticks with the name Cullen consistently. Well, aside from Esme that is. The others float in and out, but they always return to their given name." Edward elevated my hand so that it was level with my heart, my arm extended out in front of us like an offering. "After this long, they've probably all forgotten that I'm not a Cullen. I may have to start using my real last name again, since it suits you so well."
A small thrill pulsed through my body, the same traitorous flutter I felt when we kissed by the river. After years of being alone, someone wanted me enough to keep me around. Maybe forever. It had nothing to do with who I was supposed to be, but who I was now, who I'd always been. Edward saw through it all, and he liked what was underneath.
"I hope it's not Button," I said, trying to joke away the charge that hung in the air between us. "Bella Button would be a fate worse than death."
"No," Edward said, his index finger tapping the underside of the rock. "It's Masen. Like a stone mason. I helped create you, Isabella Masen. Vow of Strongest Stone."
He released my hand, his fingers trailing slowly up my arm, leaving a raging fire in their wake. I was finally starting to understand how must it have felt for him, watching this all unfold, helpless to stop it, and not entirely sure he wanted to. His anger over the broken wine glass made so much sense now. It had always been just a matter of time for him, and yet he'd still been brave enough to approach me, the ticking time bomb who controlled his fate.
Edward kissed the side of my neck, his breath raising little trails of goose flesh as he spoke. "It's always been about you, but I didn't see the 'us' in that equation, too." He blew on my exposed skin, laughing as I shivered. He was acting like a little boy, playful and lighthearted as a whole new world rolled out before him. "We are a team, you and I. We are stronger together. Nobody was banking on that."
I turned the rock over in my hand, studying the grooves and crevices, considering Edward's point. It appeared solid, with no fractures. It was so tiny and compared to the giant cedar tree. Could such a plain little object cause much damage to something so large and ancient?
"I need to know what I can do," I said, breaking free of Edward's grasp. He let me go, stepping back without protest.
Raising my arm, I cocked it back behind my body, mimicking the motions of a pitcher going into a windup. I aimed high, targeting the massive trunk of the red cedar. As my arm whipped forward, the rock sailed high, a gray blur on a collision course with the tree.
The rock by itself wasn't large enough to do a significant amount of damage, but the velocity at which I threw it was. The projectile arced to the left, missing the trunk and crashing through a dense clump of branches. There was a deafening crack as the limbs were shorn free from the tree, the debris plummeting to the ground with a muted thud. The rock continued its flight, crashing to the ground roughly twenty feet further into the forest. When I retrieved it, I found the surface exactly as it was before, no scratches or pits. My one little rock hadn't taken down the tree, but it had made its mark and come out unscathed.
I looked up, squinting as the sunlight filtered in through the bare spot. The sky was a soft, gentle blue with gauzy clouds frosting the afternoon sky. One little rock had changed the dynamic of the forest, letting light into an area that be shrouded in constant shade.
"What are you thinking?" Edward called from behind me.
I knelt on the forest floor, watching as the sunlight brought the unassuming gray river rocks to life. Swirled into the gray stones were subtle blues and purples, along with tiny crystals, which danced in the afternoon sun. I'd revealed a new world just by sheering off just couple of limbs.
"How much does Garrett weigh?" I asked innocently.
"I haven't the foggiest, why?"
"When this is all over, I am going to launch him at least fifty yards, and I hope he comes down in some water." I wiped my hands on my jeans as I stood, mixing streaks of dirt with the blood I'd managed to splatter on myself during my feeding frenzy. "And I am going to enjoy every minute of it."
For the first time in as long as I could remember, there were things to look forward to. Not arbitrary concepts like when I finish school or when I find a job, but tangible things like terrorizing Garrett or finally seeing a tree change from green to red, or snow coating the ground.
Edward must have caught the shift in my mood, for he darted forward to catch me around the waist, lifting me easily up off the ground. I didn't fight, allowing him to spin me around as our laughter mixed together, rising up to blend with the birds and the leaves before fading into the sky.
"When this is over, we are going away," he promised. "We'll leave the world behind and get to know each other, no titles or ominous prophecies. Just you and me."
Edward stopped spinning and released me, his hand grasping mine so that he could turn me around and pull me into an embrace. I closed my eyes, allowing the sounds and scents of the forest to sink in. This was real, this dream that had unfurled in my head for weeks. There were things I wanted to control, my role in this grand drama and the impact of the so called prophecy. But there were other things – like this, that I wanted to live in. There was a balance to be found between control and fate, and we were both slowly coming to understand just exactly what that meant.
"You are the vow," Edward whispered, kissing my forehead. "I believe in you."
Ω Ω Ω
Half an hour later, the family, as Edward called them, convened in the kitchen at our request. According to him, the living room and the dining room were their normal conference locations, but I needed us to be on equal ground in a place where no one had any sort of physical or emotional advantage. Short of going to my grandmother's house, the barely-used room that represented a normal human life would have to suffice.
Alice, Rosalie, Esme and Carlisle sat at the long kitchen table, their hands clasped in front of them patiently as they waited for what was to come. Emmett had hopped up on the island, his long legs dangling over the edge like a large child. On the other side of the room, Jasper leaned against the wall; his arms crossed over his chest as he silently took everything in.
When we made eye contact, he winked at me, the corner of his eye crinkling slightly. He was so comfortable in his skin. I envied that, and wondered if there would be a time when I could feel that way in mine.
"Well, we're all here," Emmett said impatiently. "What gives?"
Edward glanced at Alice, who stared up at him, her big round eyes full of wisdom.
"Do you remember when Alice had her first vision?" Edward asked. He leaned back against the island, just a few feet from Emmett, with his hands stuffed in his pockets and ankles crossed. He created the outward appearance of complete relaxation, as though he was finally at ease with the events that had unfolded around us. "The weird dreams, the forest, and the prophecy?"
No one spoke, waiting for him to continue.
"We weren't in the area four months when the Volturi arrived and started the fire." Edward stared intently at Carlisle, who was composed, waiting patiently for him to continue. "It was only the guard the first time. Why would Aro know to come now?"
"It could be a number of things," Carlisle replied, nonplussed. "Once Bella was found and the communication went out to the Council, I'm sure word leaked. The Volturi have a wide range of contacts, any of whom could have found out about Bella's presence."
"That makes an awful lot of people aware of this prophecy," Edward said, "a lot more than you led us to believe."
He and Carlisle stared at each other for a long time, as the others looked on in silence. Behind Rosalie, Emmett shifted uncomfortably, glancing from Edward to Jasper as if he expected Jasper to intervene.
"There were a number of people in the room that night," Carlisle responded, not at all put out by Edward's thinly veiled attack. "News spreads. People like gossip."
"This is just a bit more than gossip," Edward said sharply. "What you've lead us to think about Bella isn't as black and white as you believe.
"I don't see where you are going with this, Edward." Carlisle said, leaning back in his chair. "We all know Alice's vision came true. Bella's here, just like the prophecy said."
"The prophecy is subjective," Edward corrected him, "at least parts. So are Alice's visions."
They stared at each other for a long time, something strange and unspoken passing between them. The room might as well have been empty, for none of us existed, just Edward and Carlisle, locked in some strange philosophical battle that no one else was following.
"Look at you," Carlisle finally said, his hand drifting lazily between Edward and me. "Ruby red and purest gold, what more proof do you need?"
"It's one version of the truth," Edward countered, his voice flat, "but it's not the only one."
Out of the corner of my eye I caught Jasper move subtly, shooting Rosalie a look, his brows raised in an expression that looked an awful lot like 'I told you so.' She nodded slowly.
Everywhere I looked there were fissures forming. Veiled looks, arms crossed across chests, and uncomfortable silence betraying the fact that the others might have their own doubts where the prophecy was involved. I was amazed at the shift in dynamics, for the Cullens had always presented a united front to me. In hindsight, I realized it wasn't that the others were in agreement with Carlisle, they simply never spoke out.
Edward pushed off the counter to slowly circle the room. "Charlie wanted Bella to have a normal life, away from all this insanity. He believed she would return to Forks with the ability to take everything in stride. Look at how she's handled herself, Carlisle. The way she faced down Garrett's verbal sparring, as well as a room full of vampires. She knows who she is, and she's not going to be controlled. Charlie sent her away, not to let her live her life, but to help her find her will."
Rosalie nodded slowly, her gaze locked on Edward. No one looked at Carlisle, who was clearly wounded by her apparent defection. The dynamic in the room was shifting, away from Carlisle as leader to one where everyone was on equal footing. I'd never realized before just how much Carlisle held sway, and it was clear he was not handling this realignment well at all.
"When Bella came back to Forks she set off a chain of events, both through me, and through Aro when he touched me. She needed to be scared and confused, just like I needed to resentful and hotheaded," Edward paused, letting the point sink in. "The minute Aro saw my thoughts he saw everything I knew: the visions, the council, Bella's reactions, how I felt, everything. He accepted them as fact because I believed them all to be true. He's making his decisions based on my view of the world."
"Which is hardly fact," Rosalie murmured. "He's treating your take on everything, including Alice's visions, literally."
Edward nodded, his pace around the room picking up as he continued to speak. "Aro believes that Alice is infallible, because I believe it, although I realize now it's more complex than that. By being so angry and resentful, I lulled Aro into a false sense of comfort. He thinks his cause has already been won. He expects us to fold."
"That's all well and good," Rosalie interjected, taking over the questioning from Carlisle, who sat, head cradled in his hands, in stunned silence. "But how does that solve our problem? We still have a potential war brewing, with the lives of a lot of innocent people at risk. Aro's not going to give up until he takes Bella back to Italy with him. He wants her bad."
"Oh, he wants her bad," Edward said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He'd seen into Aro's mind, and knew just exactly what the man had planned, things I was suddenly grateful I didn't know. "He wants her so bad, and is so sure, that he forgot everything outside of Bella. Even a mile away I could hear what was going on in his head. That's where he went wrong. He tipped his hand, and I think I know how to slow him down."
Carlisle looked up, suddenly alert. "Tipped his hand how? What did you hear?"
Edward stared at him for a long time, his arms crossed over his chest. When he did speak, his words were measured and thoughtful. "I never understood the part about the libertines. The Volturi are controlling, manipulative even, but they aren't malevolent. They enforce their laws, but they don't kill randomly. Or do they?" Edward hesitated, his eyes boring into Carlisle's. "Aro was thinking about his sister, and how he wished she could be here to see this."
"That means nothing," Carlisle said sharply. "Didyme died thousands of years ago. Aro was devastated. As was Marcus."
"You're not making sense, Eddie-boy," Emmett said, trying to diffuse the tension in the room. "Who's this Didyme chick, and why should we give a hoot?"
"Marcus's wife," Carlisle said reverently. "She died long before my time with them, cut down by an unknown attacker. Everyone who knew her loved her, most of all Marcus. Her death ruined him, turning him into a shell of a person." He paused, reaching out to clasp Esme's hand. "People said that she soothed a savage side of him, allowing Marcus to find peace where there had been none before. To know her was to know happiness, and when he lost that, he lost his will for anything."
Carlisle's voice grew wistful as he recalled the tragic story. "They had planned to leave, to live out a life of peace, but in a blink she was gone, and Marcus didn't have the will to face life without her. He's stayed, hidden in the shadows of Volterra, helping to create the kingdom that we know today."
"How did he help create the kingdom?" Emmett asked. "What makes him so powerful?"
"Outside of mated vampires, those that consume human blood don't often establish emotional ties. There are pacts, alliances even, but to live in harmony the way that we do is all but unheard of," Carlisle explained. "Without emotional connections, bonds are weaker, and can be easily broken. Marcus can sense the emotional connections of groups, and sense the points of incursion or weakness. He is invaluable in battle or negotiations, showing where to attack and how to break dissenters down. And unlike Aro, he doesn't need to touch you to see this."
"O-kay," Emmett drew the words out as he digested the information. "And all this means what to us?"
"Out of context, nothing," Edward admitted, "but add in the fact that Didyme died at Aro's hands, and it changes matters entirely."
Esme gasped, her hand flattening over her mouth in shock. Over her shoulder, Jasper was lost in thought, his tawny eyes distant and unfocused.
"You're sure," Carlisle demanded of Edward with uncharacteristic harshness, "Aro destroyed Didyme?"
"With the silver spark weapon Caius carries on him," Edward responded. "Aro destroyed her, and then gave it to Caius as a gift."
Emmett whistled. "That's twisted."
"It makes sense." Carlisle murmured, his hand pressed against his forehead as if he needed to stabilize himself. "Aro can't stand without Marcus's skills and Caius's zeal for destruction. If one were to leave, they would fall apart."
"But if he had something that made Marcus want to stay," Edward ventured, finally looking at me. "Maybe even bring him back to life…"
"Like a queen," Alice said, breaking her silence. "One who brings happiness with her."
"Someone that everyone can love." It was the first time that Jasper had spoken, and it was strange to hear him speak so dispassionately. "Someone that everyone believes in."
"You're both right," Edward agreed. "A re-engaged Marcus brings back the full strength of the three. Add in the mythological Queen," he hesitated, glancing quickly at me before continuing, "Who would refuse to follow? Rule by myth or rule by intimidation, either way the power is absolute. Marcus mated to Bella, the power restored, the Volturi would be unstoppable."
"We can't allow this to happen," Carlisle said, his eyes burning with conviction. He'd forgotten Edward's verbal sparring from earlier, intent on the weakness of his enemies. "We have to use the prophecy, and rally those that want to fight back. We can use it to win support - "
"No one will come," Edward said, cutting him off. "They're too scared. The boy, Alec, showed me a coven in Sweden who was destroyed for spreading word about the prophecy. It would seem that Aro has recently formed a secret group, led by the boy's twin sister, tasked with executing anyone who dissents. They are here, and they plan to destroy us after Aro takes Bella. We will not be allowed to live."
"That's not going to happen." Emmett jumped down off the counter, drawers and cabinets rattling at the impact. "They want a fight? I'll give them a fight. No one is messing with my family. We stick together."
"I have no doubt about that," Edward said. His expression softened as he took in the large man, the affection for his brother etched clearly across his face. He loved these people more than I ever realized. They might not actually be related, but there was no doubt about the bond. "And I think we can use that to our advantage. The boy knew of the attacks, but the woman, Chelsea, does not."
"That doesn't mean anything," Jasper cut in. "A good military structure doesn't share information across all branches."
"True," Edward agreed. "But they also do not depend on one individual to keep the group together. Chelsea is their unifier, their strength. She keeps Marcus in Volterra, and she links the guard. Without her, the center will not hold. It makes Aro's duplicity a very powerful weapon."
"Could it be that simple?" Rosalie was leaning forward, her elbows propped on the table, all of her attention focused on Edward. "Use propaganda to bring him down?"
"I recall Chelsea and Renata both having very clear senses of right and wrong," Carlisle said, his posture mirroring Rosalie's. "They are happy with their place in the guard because they believe it keeps the balance. They are not malicious, they want peace."
"Peace that you are threatening," Edward shot back. "They are aware of the nomads that move through here, practicing their own special brand of euthanasia. To the guard, we are monsters offering false promises for salvation."
"That argument sounds familiar," Jasper mumbled under his breath. Carlisle shot him a look, one of weary irritation.
Everything seemed to be swirling together in a dizzying blur of absolutes, with Aro at one pole and Carlisle at the other. The people I'd believed were cleanly aligned were actually trapped in between, like a game of monkey in the middle, waiting for all the facts before declaring allegiance.
"The point being," Edward said, ignoring Jasper's commentary, "a large portion of the guard has a distinct view of right and wrong, and trust that Aro is upholding that. They all believe he is something that he's not -"
"And if," Carlisle cut in, his accent more pronounced in his excitement, "if the people that protect Aro and keep the others loyal question his commitment, specifically Renata and Chelsea, can we win them over to our side?"
"Purest gold embraces ruby red as the libertines suffer their fate," Alice said, her voice low. "It was never about Edward and Bella; it was about us embracing those in the guard who believe in good to shift the balance of power. They are the ruby red, not the libertines."
"That is correct," Edward said, staring directly at me. "They aren't the libertines. Not at all"
Everyone was so focused on the revelations about Aro and the potential hole in their united front, that no one noticed the change in Edward. He'd found his confidence. He was right. We were stronger, simply because we were together. Aro wasn't banking on that, and it gave us a true advantage.
Context really was everything.