Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer is the creator of these intriguing characters. She and the filmmakers have made a fascinating and beautiful trilogy. I wish to borrow her background and add a plot twist of my own. I also made use of the site ' wiki/Volturi' a fantastic site if I may say and well worth a read for twilight fans.
Chapter 32 – Fear
Edward's POV
Neither Alexia nor I were happy to go to the Volturi coven and at first we both wanted to refuse but I was told that refusal might put Bella in danger so I accepted; as for Alexia I don't think she dared refuse knowing how aggressive Caius could be.
I soon discovered that Alexia had no true knowledge of the Vampire life as she had just been at the Denali's a week before Alice and I arrived. She was literally and orphan vampire and had little to no experience with her own kind.
I promised the Denali's that I would take care of her while we were staying at the Volturi and not let her out of my sight.
As soon as we boarded the plane Athenodora asked me to inform Alexia about the Volturi coven and its members. I tried my best to explain everything to her without terrifying her, but it was difficult; after all we were talking about a ruthless lot and knowing most of them had deadly talents didn't help things much.
About three hours later we had finished our discussion and I looked into her mind to see if she was able to understand everything and link the names to the extraordinary skills.
Having finished our conversation I took a moment to reflect on the situation. I didn't know much about Athenodora's plans but I knew it balanced on the brink of treason and before I stuck my neck out (or that of Alexia) I wanted to know exactly what was going on, so I listened in on Athenodora's thoughts.
Her mind was exceptionally energetic but she had one prominent thought and that was to get Bella, Caius and herself through this predicament. She was convinced that Aro was planning to take Bella under his wing and knew Caius would not give her up. She was afraid that either Bella or Caius would be slain leaving the other one in an impassive state of mind just like Marcus.
I found it so strange that she thought Aro was behind the death of Didyme; after all it was his maternal sister. Thankfully her mind was on Didyme and the more she remembered about the time of her death the more I saw the events that had shaped her opinions. My understanding of her suspicions over Aro grew as the past repeated itself in her mind.
Athenodora mentally asked me if I had finished my discussion with Alexia and subsequently invited me to join her and Caius asking me to bring Alexia along with me.
As we sat opposite her and Caius she began to talk to me with her mind as she felt the less Alexia knew of the mission the better it would be for her.
'The reason we are taking you and Alexis with us is because we have need of your gifts. You see the moment you and Isabella arrived at Volterra you both altered the state of affairs. The most important change being that Marcus saw the bond between Isabella and Caius. For me it was a blessing as it allowed me my long sought freedom and change of lifestyle but for Caius and Isabella their new found bond, brought them vulnerability'.
I didn't understand what she meant and my facial expression must have conveyed that as she started to explain.
'As you know Aro treasures a gifted vampire and Isabella caught his eye as soon as she blocked both his and Jane's talents. He aspired to have her in his special guard; you even saw that in his mind; having her would also give him you as well. Marcus changed all that with his statement but then Aro thought even though she would be with Caius he would be able to get her. He knew that Caius had no use for affection and especially not in a human so Aro waited and hoped he would make a mistake in his treatment of Isabella allowing him to seize her "In the best of interest for all involved"'.
Aro however miscalculated Caius, Isabella and the bond they share. Isabella is fascinating; not only to me but also to Caius. The bond allows him to see her refreshing qualities and he is experiencing things that confuse but also captivate him. Caius is a vampire that has always fought viciously for what he desires and has, in his mortal and immortal life triumphed because of this. It has allowed him to achieve and retain his position as one of the Volturi rulers. Caius cannot change his personality, he is very arrogant and possessive and now that he has accepted Isabella as his, he will never allow Aro or anyone else for that matter, to touch her'.
"Does he do this for Bella or himself" I asked realizing how strange it must be for the others around us to only hear part of our conversation.
'Both; as you know Caius is a dominating man and now that he has a true mate he will keep her at his side at all costs. His affection for her has grown and he wishes to please her so knowing she does not want to be in the special guard he will not allow Aro to force her. She will be able to survive in the Volturi coven but only with Caius's help; without it she will be Aro's puppet'.
I was shocked and realized that she was right in her assumption. Bella would be forced to do things that she would hate herself for and yet have no choice. If her life was purgatory now, it would be hell if this were to happen.
'I believe Aro has played this game before when Marcus and his mate Didyme. When they decided to leave the Volturi Aro gave his blessing although he wasn't happy with the decision. Just before their departure Didyme was conveniently murdered and the perpetrator was never found. Marcus is now but a shell of his former self, his soul wishing to be released from his body'.
"So you are afraid the same thing will happen to Bella?" I asked looking at Caius as I said this.
'It is a distinct possibility'.
"OK, I wish to help but I do not think it advisable that Aro should know of my presence; my gift allows me to hear his thoughts if I am in close proximity but if he were to touch me he will know everything. I also wish to keep Alexia under their radar so I need some guarantees concerning her safety; after all she is my responsibility". I said as I nodded my head sideways towards Alexia and then added "By the way why did you ask that Alexia come along?"
All of a sudden I heard Caius's think 'This boy's gift is indeed very powerful'.
I then glared at him saying "I am not a boy; I became a vampire at almost 18, you were in the beginning of your twenties so our mortal ages were not that different"
He quirked his eyebrow, and shook his arrogant head saying "maybe so but I am 3000 immortal years older; I was changed while training to be a gladiator".
Alexia's jaw dropped.
And me? Well what could I say to that! No question about it, he had me beat; so I didn't honor his remark with an answer.
Athenodora then spoke out loud as our further discussion now concerned Alexia. "I wish to find a secret hidden within the walls of the Volturi castle. As Edward already knows one of the Volturi kings lost his bonded mate, she was murdered long ago" she explained to Alexia. "I have a theory about that and I wish to know if there is any truth to that theory. I have brought you both with me in hopes that you will be able to help me".
"How can I help" Alexia said "I have no idea of the politics involved and actually have very little to contribute. Edward has his strong telepathic abilities which could be very helpful but I can only perceive logical and emotional information. This is good for the hunt and to avoid conflict but otherwise quite useless".
"My dear" said Athenodora looking into her eyes "Eleasar has the aptitude to sense if a vampire has a talent and to identify it. He believes that your talent to perceive emotional information will enable you to see strong emotional events that have happened in the past"
She then went on to say "The way Eleasar sees it; some humans have strong human traits and when they are transformed into a vampire that particular skill or characteristic is intensified. It becomes a supernatural power of some sort, so to speak. Therefore if you had a pronounced skill or intuition as a human it would become even stronger if you become vampire".
Alexia smiled and said "I'm afraid Eleasar is mistaken"
Athenodora, tenacious as usual said "I very much doubt that; he used to be Aro's chief advisor until he left with his mate to join the Denali coven".
After a moment's consideration she asked Alexia "has anything strange happened in your youth? Have you ever had strange visions?"
"No" she said but her answer was a little too quick. Feeling our scrutiny she added "Not that I know of".
"Are you very sure?" Athenodora persisted
I saw Alexia hesitate for a second before she resolutely said "Yes, I'm sure"
"Well" said Athenodora, her voice mingled with patience said "we will see."
In a fraction of a second I heard Alexia's mind protest and felt her fear escalate but not being able to get through the static. I just let it go.
Alexia POV
I hated the way Edward adored Bella, he was risking both his and my life to help his ex. Although I admired his devotion, I was sure he was being played and I didn't like being included in this game.
Hell, I have been alone for year now and after all my wanderings I finally find a group to learn from but before I get a chance to, I am taken away. It's not like I had a large bond with the Denali group but I was finally able to relax in their presence. Now I was on my way to visit the most notorious and treacherous group possible.
Listening into half the conversation going on between Athenodora and Edward was quite frustrating especially when Edward spoke of me and I didn't hear her answer. After our discussion about the Volturi at the beginning of the flight I was smart enough to keep my mouth shut. Although neither of these vampires had special gifts just irritating one of them was the perfect way to get myself slaughtered.
When Athenodora finally included me in the conversation I asked her why she needed me to help her. Answering me she began to talk about the gift that Eleasar had told her I possessed. She told me that some humans have strong intuitions and when transformed into a vampire that particular skill or characteristic is intensified. I panicked at the thought and said "I think Eleasar is mistaken"
And when she asked if anything strange happened to me in my youth or if I had, experienced any strange visions?" I was totally shocked
I had tried to lock it away and bury that piece of me in the deepest part of my soul as it always brought shivers to my spine. No one ever said that it would get stronger now that I had become a vampire; I froze… this can't be true. I have been a vampire for a year now and had no problems so they must be wrong. I wouldn't even think of it! They are wrong! I was almost sure that Edward was listening to me so I tried my best not to go there as I muttered "No".
I saw Edward's hand clamp around the armrest of the airplane chair and was sure that he was listening to my mind so I tried my best to calm down.
Edward's POV
When the plane arrived I was smuggled into the castle with the help of Caius and Athenodora. They showed me a map of the city and told me of the sewer system that would lead to numerous Volturi passageways. While they passed through the main entrance I would use these sewer systems. The drains were covered by heavy iron grilles which I would have no problem lifting. My largest advantage would be that I could hear the minds around me so that I couldn't be taken by surprise. I entered the drainage system and followed the maze until I found the connection to the Volturi underground. There I waited for Athenodora who came later to pick me up and guide me through a secret passageway that led to my room.
Alexia was relieved when I arrived; the fear of being alone with the Volturi had been eating away at her.
Alexia had been given the room adjacent to mine so that when we needed to communicate I would be able to go unseen from my room to hers. There were also secret passageways that lead from my room to many places throughout the castle and I made sure it was barricaded when I didn't use it so I could be warned if anyone wanted to enter.
Once I was settled in the three of us discussed our tactics. After that Alexia proceeded to call the Denali coven and inform them of our safe arrival as I texted my father telling him of our plans knowing that this was the safest option. He texted me a reply telling me watch my back and take care. I had to smile as he was always concerned with our welfare; I was really glad to have my parents. After that I decided to relax a bit knowing this would be a long 3 weeks and took out a book I had brought with me.
About half way through my novel I suddenly heard a bloodcurdling scream which sent my book flying through the room. For a second I froze and then sprinted into Alexi's room; her eyes were closed and I had difficulty trying to calm her so I looked into her mind trying to find the source of her distress.
She was watching a multitude of vampires being slaughtered in battles unknown to me. She stood in the middle of everything and watching the images, I realized her mind has been transported to a time when only the most aggressive could survive. She saw Caius in all his glory, covered in blood and his face ecstatic as he ferociously attacked all those around him. I realized this must have been the time that the Volturi Coven overpowered the Romanian coven as I saw the face of Stephan between the other Romanian members.
I then felt Athenodora touch me as she asked "What is wrong with Alexia?"
"She is in trance" I explained "and I am having difficulty getting her out".
"What the hell is all this commotion about?" Caius said as he strode into the room apparently annoyed by the noise.
I ignored him and kept coaxing Alexia to come back out of her hypnosis. When words were not enough I tried to enter her thoughts and become a part of her illusion. It was an overwhelming experience to be capable of entering her subconscious state of mind but it was also terrifying as my senses registered it as a very real threat. I looked around myself at the horror of the battle and it took me a moment to recover from my amazement and my fear. I then walked towards her and was capable of comforting her, telling her that this was an illusion and could not harm her.
When she finally was released from her trance I held her tight cooing into her ear "Shhhhh…..You're safe now Alexia, you're safe". Her eyes were as large as saucers and she held me at arm's length trying to recognize her surroundings. All of a sudden she began to scream for a second time, this time pulling away from me and trying to escape something I couldn't see. I suddenly turned my body around in search for anything that may have restored her fear and my eyes fell on Caius.
Caius facial features revealed his anger as he shouted "keep her quiet she'll bring the whole palace on our necks"
I angrily shooed them away with my arms and thankfully Athenodora quickly understood my message grabbing Caius's hand and leading him out of the room. Which wasn't an easy task considering his arrogance and curiosity.
Alexia's body trembled as the emotional reactions to her illusions took over. I slowly moved towards her realizing how fragile her mind and body were. She was like a small scared bird looking for an escape route and just before she jumped up to escape I was able to catch her. She was terrified and I held her tight as she struggled to break free. I quietly murmured in her ear "Alexia please come back. You're safe; I won't let anyone hurt you. I promise!" I stroked her hair as I repeated my pleas and her body slowly began to relax. After a while she started clinging to me like a drowning woman clutching to her last chance for humanity. I softly caressed her back as she held on.
I felt guilty about bringing Alexia with us now that I knew her secret. Seeing and feeling her frightening gift made me realize how difficult it was for her to bear, if I had have known I would have never allowed her to come.
After a half hour she relaxed, resting on her bed. I tried to get her to talk about her illusions hoping they would become less frightening now that she knew she was safe but she refused to talk to me. When I made a motion to leave she gripped my hand and whispered "Please stay. Don't leave me, please". So I lay beside her and she snuggled against me with her arm around my torso, her fear the foundation for her actions.I just lay beside her trying to give her the comfort she so desperately needed.