3. THE STONES
"Wait right here!" Athenodora said with urgency. She left the turret and within a few moments returned. She walked up to Marcus and held out her palm. A beautiful diamond ring rested in her hand. It was the ring that had belonged to Marcus' mother. The same ring that he had given to Didyme on the night that she died. It was her wedding ring.
Marcus looked at Athenodora in disbelief. "You had this all this time?"
She nodded and dropped the ring into his hand.
"Why didn't you tell me? Unless… You knew?" Marcus couldn't believe it.
Athenodora hung her head shamefully. She didn't want to answer him but the truth was evident in her humiliation. She had gone along with Aro's secret.
Marcus was disgusted. He looked at Sulpicia and Caius. "And you too? Did you both know as well?" They did not answer him. "Did everyone know except for me?" Marcus was astonished at how good his best friends were at the art of deception. He refocused his attention on Athenodora- she was the one who had understood him best, she had was the one who had been there for him while he was in pain. "You make me sick." He uttered the words with revulsion.
She shrank back, feeling the same way about herself that he felt about her. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
Marcus turned away from the traitors back to Aro. "Well I have two objects then, one for each oracle. How do I find these oracles?"
Aro smiled. "There is a lake that sits on top of an old volcano, Mauna Kea, on the Big Island of Hawaii. The lake is called Waiau. It is one of the highest elevated lakes in the world yet it is only seven feet deep at the most. The first Oracle lives in these waters and guards the entrance to the path that leads to the underworld. However, there are three objects that are stone-like that you must collect first. In order to summon the oracle to the surface, you must throw these three stones into the water."
Marcus was getting frustrated. It seemed that the task was getting more and more complicated. "Then where do I go to collect the stones?"
"It's interesting really. The first vampires hid them in three different places, spread out far from each other. Yet there are vampire covens today that have been drawn to their power, even if they didn't know it, and happened to settle right where the stones have been hidden. The first stone is in the Amazon. Zafrina and her friends aren't even aware of its presence. The second stone is in Egypt. It had been discovered by slaves working for a wicked Pharaoh. The Pharaoh became obsessed with its beauty and demanded to be buried with it. It is in his tomb. Isn't it peculiar that the Egyptian coven settled in that exact same tomb? It lies there among the treasures, Amun may not be aware of it. The last stone is somewhere in Asia. This one has been discovered. The Asian coven of four sisters found it centuries ago. They are aware that it is powerful yet they do not yet understand its use. You will have a hard time getting this from them as I'm sure they will not willingly part with it."
Marcus knew about the Asian coven. They were made up of four sisters who controlled the four elements. One had power over fire, another over water, one over wind, and the last over earth. They are an elusive group and rarely become involved in the affairs of other vampires. Aro had tried before to get them to join his guard but they would not. They are very strongly bonded to each other, as if their minds are linked. "Alright, so first I get the three stones, and then I go to Lake Waiau and throw them in. Then the first Oracle will appear and I give her one of Didyme's objects. Then she allows me to enter the path to the underworld. Then at the end of the path I meet the second Oracle and give her the other object belonging to Didyme. Then I go into the underworld, get Didyme, and come back out?"
Aro laughed. "You make it sound so easy but I assure you it is not. Mind you Marcus, I have never embarked on this journey nor had Eveline. There may be things about this journey that I know nothing about. I have told you everything I know. Good luck."
Marcus began to head for the door when he paused and looked at Aro one last time. "Aro, if you're lying to me and I survive this, I swear to you- I will make you wish that I had killed you today instead."
Aro looked frightened but only for a moment. "Good bye Marcus," was all that he said.
Marcus left the turret and raced down the staircase into the main lobby. All of the guards were standing about. When Corin and Maggie saw him, they ran to his side.
"My lord, what is happening?" Corin asked.
"Aro has just told me how to get Didyme back," he replied.
Corin's eyes went wide. "There is a way to bring someone back from the dead?"
Marcus saw what kind of hope this had sprung in his servant and was sad that he had to crush it. "I'm sorry Corin, you cannot bring Abby back. She was a mortal. Aro has taught me how to bring back a vampire from the underworld."
Corin nodded sadly.
Maggie interrupted. "You should have let me stay in the turret so that I would know whether or not he was lying."
Marcus nodded. "Aro is smart and he enjoys toying with people. Honestly, if he's telling the truth then I'll have everything I ever wanted. If he's lying, then hopefully this wild goose chase will end up being the death of me and then none of this will matter any way." They were now about to enter one of the underground tunnels that led out of the castle.
"Where are you going first?" Corin asked.
"The Amazon."
"Marcus, why don't we take the helicopter to the airport and then I can fly you there," Corin offered.
Marcus hesitated. "I can't ask you to go on this journey with me. It could be very dangerous."
Corin smiled. "You don't have to ask me."
Marcus nodded. "Thank you, Corin."
Then they both looked at Maggie who was biting her lip. "I'm sorry Marcus, but I think this will be the end for me. Siobhan and Liam will be worried. I should get back to them."
"Of course," Marcus stated. "We can drop you off on the way."
The three of them changed course and raced to the roof instead of taking the underground tunnels. They all climbed into the helicopter and Corin was the pilot. He took them to the airport where they landed and then switched to their private jet. Again, Corin was the pilot while Marcus and Maggie sat in the plush leather seats.
"Thank you Maggie, for everything. If it hadn't been for you then I still would never have known the truth." Marcus said.
Maggie shook her head. "No, it's no problem. I'm just sorry that I can't do more to help you."
"You've done plenty," Marcus argued. "Besides, if you came you'd probably just end up getting in our way," he teased.
Maggie and Marcus both laughed. It surprised him. He hadn't laughed in so long. He could feel his old self coming back. It helped that Chelsea was no longer around him, tying him down with bonds towards the rest of the Volturi. They finally landed in Ireland and Marcus said his goodbye's while Corin refueled the jet.
"Take care of yourself, Maggie," he smiled down at her.
Her red curls bounced as she jumped toward him and hugged him tightly. "Good luck Marcus, I hope you really do find her." Then she turned around and walked away, heading back to her home with Liam and Siobhan.
Marcus really was grateful to her. She had helped to awaken a part of him that had been dead for so long.
"Ready to go?" Corin asked. The plane had finished refueling.
Marcus smiled and nodded. He was already beginning to feel so much better as the hope of finding Didyme rekindled his spirit. He climbed aboard and the two of them headed for the Amazon.
They landed in the Manaus, Brazil airport and rented a car. They drove towards the Amazon rainforest and got as close as they could before abandoning the vehicle. Then they moved on foot at lightning speed. The humid air hung around them like a wet blanket. The sound of the forest was rich with animal cries and bird calls. The colors were vibrant and alive. Marcus had no idea where the Amazon coven lived, specifically. He used his talent to get a vague sense of a strong bond. He could feel it between the three sisters of the coven. That was the direction that they headed for. All the rivers, swamps, and marshes seemed to slow their pace. Corin began to regret not getting a boat to go down the river ways instead of trying to run through them.
They had been running through the rainforest for nearly a day before Corin heard a cracking sound that made him stop and Marcus halted alongside him. Then they heard a catlike growl. They spun around to see a beautiful vampire riding on the back of a very large black jaguar. It was Zafrina.
"Zafrina!" Marcus said with a waving hand in the air. She looked at him suspiciously. It was obvious that no one else trusted him right now because of what had happened in Forks with Renesmee. "We come in peace," Marcus offered.
With a sudden jerky movement she hopped down from the beast. "What can I do for you, Marcus?"
"There is a stone that has been hidden here in the Amazon that is precious to me. I need it, Zafrina, although I cannot tell you why. Only that an innocent life hangs in the balance."
Zafrina cocked her head to the side. "There are many stones here, you may help yourself."
"No, this one is special. I do not know what it looks like, only that if you saw it then you would know that there was something special about it."
Zafrina's eyes widened for just a brief moment. "I fear that if I help you, the Volturi will come against us like you did against the Cullen's."
Marcus shook his head. "I am no longer a part of the Volturi. I have left them. Please Zafrina, you must trust me. I will never do anything to hurt you or your coven."
She then looked at Corin.
Corin put his hands in the air, "I'm with Marcus. I will not bring harm to your coven."
Zafrina nodded. "Very well, then. Come with me. I will take you to Akahim."
