9. JUDGEMENT
Sasha jumped up as she recognized Felix's scent. "Vasilii, RUN!" she commanded her son."Don't look back, just keep running!"
Vasilii was scared "Are you coming with me?"
"Go baby! I will find you, I promise! GO!" She shouted at him.
Vasilii obeyed and took off heading south. It was a good thing that he was a newborn to give him the extra strength to run harder and faster. Sasha's expression hardened. Felix's intimidating figure came into view. Sasha saw his face. He was smiling.
When he came closer he spoke, "Looks like you've been a bad girl, Sasha."
"I don't know what you mean," she lied to him.
"We almost believed you, you know. We were going to head back to Volterra but something about you, it was just bothering me. You were too interested in keeping us from heading east. So we went anyway, and found Provideniya. That little monster you created did quite a number on that town," Felix chuckled.
Sasha looked at Felix with all seriousness. "It was me. I killed them."
Felix laughed. "Nice try. We know you're not traveling alone. Immortal children have a certain smell to them, almost sweeter. I'm sure you've noticed. And we know for certain that none of your daughters are with you."
Sasha growled. "How do you know that?"
Felix laughed again. "We got some reinforcements who are taking care of them right now. It's a shame really; all these beautiful women will be punished for your mistake."
"You won't touch them!" Sasha shrieked as she leapt through the air and attacked Felix. She clawed at his face but he was so strong that he grabbed her body and slammed it against an old pine tree. The impact splintered the wood and the old tree groaned as it fell over.
Sasha got up again and Felix came running towards her. She knew that there was no way she could beat him. He was just too strong and powerful. So when he came within inches of her, she did the only thing she could think of. As his gravity flew towards her she used every ounce of strength she had to kick him in the groin. His eyes bulged and the breath was knocked out of him. He fell to his knees and Sasha quickly took advantage of his weakened state. She placed her mouth on his throat and just as her teeth were sinking in, a voice interrupted them.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Sasha looked up and saw Vasilii struggling in the arms of Demetri. He had tracked down her child before he could get away. Vasilii bit into Demetri's forearm and Demetri hit him in the head for it.
"Don't hurt my boy!" Sasha growled at Demetri.
"I'll kill him right now if you don't let Felix go," Demetri threatened.
Sasha was defeated. She released Felix from her grip and he balled up in pain on the ground. "How did you find us?" Sasha asked. She had tried so hard to cover their tracks and they had crossed an ocean. She was mystified.
Demetri smirked. "I'm a very good tracker."
"But we left no trail!" Sasha was exasperated.
Felix coughed as he was laughing and tried to pick himself up. "My brother, Demetri, doesn't need a trail. He can catch the tenor of a person's thoughts and find them that way."
Sasha's shoulders sunk. It didn't matter how far they got, Demetri would always be able to find them. Felix grabbed Sasha by the arms and started pushing her along while Vasilii continued to struggle against Demetri. The fugitives were forced to go back to Russia. This time on the trip back, the waters between Russia and this new world had frozen over. So instead of having to swim across, they just walked across the ice. Sasha realized that this must have been how the Inuits had migrated over.
They traveled into the Russian wilderness on the frozen tundra. Finally, a scene came into view. Tanya and Irina were sitting on the ground while other vampires were standing over them. The alarming thing was that Kate was lying lifeless on the ground, staring blankly at the sky.
"What have you done to her?" Sasha shrieked as she broke away from Felix and ran to Kate. She gathered the limp body in her arms and searched for injuries trying to figure out what had happened.
"Don't worry," Felix said as he caught up to her. "Corin just paralyzed her. It'll wear off."
Sasha looked at her other daughters who seemed perfectly fine. "Why her?" she asked about Kate.
Corin answered "She kept shocking us! We had to put her down."
"Mother, why is this happening?" Irina asked Sasha. "They told us you knew."
Sasha started rambling. "I'm so sorry girls. I didn't know at the time. I never wanted to get you involved. I'm so sorry."
"What?" Tanya asked frustrated. "What did you do?" Her eyes darted to the little boy in Demetri's arms. She had an idea but didn't want it to be true.
Demetri brought the little boy to Sasha and she wrapped him up in her arms. "Girls, this is Vasilii. I found him in the cemetery. He just reminded me so much of the son who I knew should be mine. I needed him…" Sasha's voice broke. "I didn't know until later that it was against the rules to change a child."
"So you admit it." A handsome male with long dark hair stepped forward with a timid girl close behind him. There was something regal about him and the way the others moved about him seemed as if he were in charge. "You created an immortal child whose actions are uncontrolled and is a liability to us all. He annihilated an entire town which, if found by another human, would have exposed us all."
"I covered it up!" Sasha said in their defense. "I won't let that kind of mistake happen again."
The leader's face was hard and serious. "No. No you won't." Then he stepped even closer and took Sasha's hand into his. He pressed his palm against hers and closed his eyes. Sasha realized that this must be Aro, the only member of the Volturi who could read thoughts by touching palms. When he finished with hers he repeated the process with Vasilii, Tanya, Irina, and a lifeless Kate.
He took a moment to ponder before he spoke. "It seems you have been telling us the truth. The girls truly are innocent and should not be punished for your crimes."
Sasha let out a sigh of relief, knowing that her family was safe. The relief, however, did not last for long.
"I am sorry though, that you and boy must suffer the consequences." Aro gave a signal with his hand and suddenly the guards were grabbing Sasha and Vasilii and pulling them away from the other girls.
"NO!" Tanya and Irina shrieked. "No! Please, don't kill her!" The venom was just beginning to wear off of Kate and she tried to object as well.
"It's okay girls!" Sasha tried to comfort them while being dragged away. "Cross the ocean! Find a place called Denali. A new life awaits you there! Don't forget, I will always love you…"
The girls tried to follow but they were forced to stay down on the ground and Corin bit into Kate again to keep her paralyzed. Their bodies shook with heavy sobs as they watched what was happening.
They were still in view of the girls but far enough away that they couldn't intervene. Sasha and Vasilii were thrown on the ground and Sasha grabbed her son and clutched him close to her chest.
"Mommy, I'm scared," Vasilii whimpered.
"I know baby. Just close your eyes. It will all be over soon," she whispered.
Sasha wrapped her body around her baby boy to protect him for as long as she could. Afton stepped forward and shot a heavy flame down on them. It burned Sasha's body and she cried out at the pain. But still, she clung tight to Vasilii, protecting him with every last ounce of strength she had in her. The snow began to fall and the flakes would sizzle as they hit the fire. Her daughters were crying and screaming as they watched the horrific scene. As Sasha's body disintegrated into ash, the flames moved onto Vasilii until there was nothing left.
