~ Chapter Thirty-One — Into The Fray ~

Eleazar POV

I tried with all my might, but I was unable to persuade Tanya and her sisters to join us in Volterra. The wounds left from their mother's demise were still raw, even a millennia after the incident. They swore that they would leave Alaska for Russia that night. So, with a heavy heart, Carmen and I left for the airport.

Our flight and journey into Volterra passed in almost silence. I was lost in thought of the battle Isabella was heading into, and Carmen sensed my distraction. I hoped I would reach the castle before Isabella set out. I wanted to at least have a chance to speak to her before she went to fight.

As we passed into the town limits, I felt my nerves reach a new level of anxiety. I never thought, when I left here all those years ago, that I would return, not least of all with Carmen at my side. I trusted Isabella though, if she said we needed to be here for safety, I believed her.

We were almost at the castle when I heard the soft footsteps of one of my kind.

"Eleazar, my old friend, it is good to see you." Marcus stepped out from behind a wall.

I smiled widely. Of the three ancients, Marcus was always the one I felt real kinship with. He was a good man. My smile faded as I saw his the tense set of his shoulders and his dour expression.

"What has happened?" I asked.

"I'm afraid I have grave news. Tanya and her sisters have been taken by Maria."

A thrill of horror swept through me. Carmen gasped and clutched a hand to her throat.

"No."

Marcus nodded solemnly "Indeed. The psychic saw it. They are now, or shortly will be, with the rest of Stefan and Vladimir's army. They are hoping to trap Isabella."

I knew what he meant well enough. Isabella was fond of Tanya and her sisters. If she thought they were in danger her focus would be split, making her an easier target for their attacks.

"I am going to her now," Marcus continued oblivious to my inner turmoil. "I hope I can reach her before she launches her attack."

"But what will you tell her?" Carmen asked hotly. "What do you expect her to do. We all know Isabella well enough to know their plan will work."

Marcus stiffened. He was not used to such forwardness from anyone but Isabella. "I intend to remind her of the fact she does not fight for her life alone, now."

"You mean she should sacrifice Tanya, Kate and Irina to protect herself." Carmen asked.

"I mean that she should not allow her hot head to overcome her," Marcus said serenely. "She has vast numbers with her. If she strategizes, there is no reason they shouldn't all make it out of the fray."

He did not mean all of their army. Some would be lost. Such was the nature of war. But if Isabella, Tanya, Kate, and Irina made it out of the fight, my mind would be at peace.

"I want to come with you," I said. Despite the fact Tanya led our coven, I felt a certain responsibility to protect them. If the situation was reversed they would come to me.

I expected Marcus to argue, but her merely nodded and said," Very well."

I took Carmen into my arms and kissed her fervently. "Go to the castle. There you will be safe."

She looked me deep in the eye for a moment and then, seeing the resolve in my face, she nodded and flitted away in the direction of the castle.

Marcus watched her go and then turned to me. "Well, my old friend, I believe you and I are going to war."

Under the cover of darkness we were able to reach greater speeds than Isabella and her amassed troops would have been capable of.

Our speed was not enough, however. When we reached Piombino Isabella had already left. We were too late.

xXx

Isabella POV

We were delayed by the humans. I was travelling among fifty other vampires and it made traversing the small towns dotted along our journey complicated. I considered taking cars, but a convoy the size of ours would have drawn attention, too.

It was almost midnight by the time we reached the port of Piombino. The humans were less populous here but still present. They ambled along the docks, enjoying late night promenades after their evenings activities.

I followed Demetri's scent path and found him and the dozen guards he had taken with him lurking in a alley unobtrusively.

He greeted me with a low bow. "Isabella."

"Demetri." I spoke formally, then ruined the affect by taking his hand in my own and squeezing it. I would never admit it to anyone, except perhaps Jasper, but I was nervous. I had never led a guard of this size alone before. Added to that was the fact we were heading into the greatest fight there had been since the Romanians had been overthrown. I was distinctly uncomfortable.

I led him back to where I had left my guard in a small deserted area surrounded by warehouses which would be the perfect place for us to enter the water.

For the first time, I was able to see our number as one, and it relaxed me somewhat. It was a formidable sight. Fifty vampires primed and ready for the fight. The Romanians newborns didn't stand a chance.

I had left Alec at the castle as his gift against the shield was useless and I was sure she would be here among the army.

"The army is at the foot of Mount Capanne," Demetri said.

I nodded. "I would have expected as much."

Stefan and Vladimir had left the Carpathian mountain range, but they sought out a similar environment for their lair now. They were as predictable as ever.

"Follow me," I called out to the amassed guard and stepped in to the waves.

I allowed the current to draw me deep underwater, concealing me from human eyes. We moved like sharks, skimming through the deep water with ease. There was no need to surface to check our course, I could see clearly through the water to the shadow that was Elba's shores.

When we reached the rocky beach of the island, I rose to almost to the surface and scanned the area for human eyes. There were none here; we had arrived on the sparsely inhabited east shore. We came out of the waves quickly and hurried to the cover of one of the small copses of trees that covered the island.

The island was sparsely inhabited, and due to the hour, we were able to move at greater speeds than we had been before. Soon, we could see Mount Capanne looming over the horizon.

I called the guard to a halt and turned to look at them. I had never commanded a group of this size before and had to take several deep breaths before I found my voice. "You will advance calmly and with dignity." My voice carried clearly over the still night air. "You will remember who we are and whom you are serving. We do not race into the fray like the newborns we face." I took another deep breath and issued my last order. "You will destroy this threat."

A ringing cheer followed my words. I had roused them into a frenzy which, of course, was exactly what I had wanted to do. We were so loud that surely the Romanians and their army would have heard us and would know we were on our way. Seeing no need to delay further, I turned on my heel and waited as the group fell into formation. When they had positioned themselves around me I began walking at the slow steady pace tradition dictated.

As we approached the Romanians new lair, the sounds of the newborns could be heard. There was a great deal of snarling and growling coming from them. There was also the thick scent of blood. The population of Elba had clearly suffered for the Romanian's presence. I hoped they had at least been careful in their hunting practices. I had no desire to massacre more humans to protect our secret.

My nerves disappeared as we drew closer to the mountain. I felt a surreal calm take over me. This was where I thrived—leading others into battle. I had found my joy and my home with Jasper, but heading to war I was more myself than ever before. I sped my pace a little, as did the vampires around me. We were ready.

As we broke through the trees into the vast clearing created by supernatural means at the foot of the mountain, the newborns stilled their movements. I made a hurried examination of the scene. There were over forty vampires. It was more than I was expecting, but still less than my own assembled guard. Stefan and Vladimir were standing at the very rear beside three other vampires whose attention was fixed on something I could not see through the mass of vampires. Maria was beside them, and it was her that spoke first.

"Isabella, it is wonderful to see you again. I see you have not brought your newfound mate with you. It is a pity. I was hoping to see my former lieutenant again. No matter. Once I have dealt with you I shall pay him a visit."

I hated to hear her speak of Jasper. It sent a wave of fury through me, but I quashed it before it could register on my features.

"You will not touch him," I said stonily.

"Ahh, but Isabella, I already have." She smiled cruelly. "Many times in many ways. I am sure you have learned he is well educated in the ways of pleasing women. I was his tutor."

Her words were intended to injure, but they did not. I knew Jasper's history and I knew what she had been to him. It did not concern me that she had carnal knowledge of my love.

"Then as his tutor, I must thank you," I said guilelessly. "I appreciate all the hard work you must have put in."

Felix sniggered beside me. I quelled him with a look.

"Enough of this," Stefan snapped. "Let us introduce our guests."

The newborns parted and I saw the object of focus for the three vampires I had noticed before. Kneeling at their feet were Tanya, Kate and Irina. They were silent as each of them was pinned in place by mammoth newborns with one hand at their throats. A simple twist of the hand and they would be slain. They stared up at me with fearful eyes.

"You see how we have brought old friends together," Stefan said mockingly. The girls that detest the Volturi are now at its mercy."

Vladimir spoke up. "We offer you a bargain. We will release the Denali females into your care in exchange for your surrender, Isabella. You will join with us and we shall lead our world as a trio."

"You must know we are the better option to those Italian scum you are now with now," Stefan said. "They will never truly accept you as one of them. We will."

I had no desire to be accepted as one of the ancients; that was never my place, and I had always known it, though they disagreed. Stefan and Vladimir did not know me at all. They thought I would hunger for the power they offered. They couldn't be more wrong. Though the thought of sacrificing Tanya and her sisters to win this fight was equally as repugnant.

You could end it all if you retired from the fight now, a small voice whispered in my mind.

"You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain," Stefan crooned.

"That is where you are wrong." A voice rang out behind me and I turned to see Marcus and Eleazar stepping through a created space in the guard. "She still has something to lose: Jasper."

His name worked as a stimulant. I could not resign now; he was exactly what I was fighting for. I locked eyes with Tanya and spoke in a clear confident tone. "You will be fine." That said I addressed the guard amassed behind me. "We fight."

As one, we surged forward and into the fray.