Chapter 40 - Solstice
A blizzard of snow swirled around him on that cold mountain peak in Cascadia. Each piece of his plan coming together perfectly as fitted pieces of a puzzle. The folds of his warm, dark coat fluttered in the wind. Debonaire and dashing, he looked the part of a country squire two centuries ago. The length of his hair tied back with satin, alabaster skin shining in the light of the parted clouds he appeared as a god on the mountaintop.
A god among men, soon to shine his face on the world. No more hiding in dank sewers, pretended nighttime saint. He would slice through the crowds of humanity, moving freely amongst the masses.
Caius smiled wittingly as he descended from the mountain top. Each piece of his plan had gone off without a hitch. Gaining access to Edward had been easier than he thought. At first he wasn't sure the boy would want the human he'd once left behind. Being older gave him the advantage. Caius had many skills and unlike many of his race, did not believe he was immune to danger with age. The blueprints had been simple, almost too simple. That was the beauty of it all.
The companion he'd found in Boston had been enthralled with the idea of becoming immortal. It was simple to turn him into a Renfield, teasing the man with the promise of everlasting life. Humans were so easily enthralled it was almost boring to bend them to his will. Drugs had been an entertaining diversion in the mental breakdown of this particular one. Heroin had been simple enough to procure. The back alleyways of large cities were awash with dregs trying to turn a buck. Just for the fun of it, he'd even paid for the drugs instead of just killing and stealing them, finding the cheap human experience undeniably exhilarating.
The girl had jumped like a fish at the bait, leaving behind her life to sit by the side of her ailing father. Her presence proved to be more useful than he'd imagined. Stirring up the tenacity of the local shifters had proved interesting. The age old game of hunter versus prey had become boring and he was ready to be done. Soon his plans would come to fruition and they would be wiped out entirely. Though, perhaps some could be convinced to remain by his side as guards. Money could buy just about anything and he had enough accumulated wealth to last a dozen lifetimes. Surely the idea of leaping out from under poverty's foothold held charm for one or two of them.
Soon it would all be over. Three birds, one stone. Two of Carlisle's most prized toys and a powerful new vampire would be his to cherish. The empath would likely follow the seer, giving him four powerful allies.
Caius's mood was light as he made the descent. Tonight he'd have a little fun. It had been a few months since he'd led the shifters in a game of cat and mouse. Perhaps he'd catch a tiger by the toe... except he wouldn't let go when the kitty screamed.
ooo000ooo
Childlike laughter fell merrily from Bella's parted lips, her fingers wound tightly in the fur on the neck of the wolf as it raced lithely over snow and ice, sliding down muddy slopes and leaping over moss covered logs. The air tickled her cheeks pink and her eyes looked with wonder at frost covered branches twinkling majestically under the bright winter moon, jewel-covered scepters overseeing Mother Nature's brilliant handiwork.
The soft fur of Jacob's body ruffled in the breeze. Flanked by Paul and Leah, they navigated the forest with ease. All a blessed reprieve of lighthearted fun in the face of uncertainty. In this moment they were kings. Gods of the forest, sacred deities unto the birds and elk they took as subjects, just as they made the trees, mountains and streams their home.
A startled shout pierced the sky when Leah boldly leapt over the rocky edge of a small mountain crevice, causing the faerie carried on her back to grip handfuls of fur as he held on for dear life. The two made a comical picture, the lone she-wolf carrying a man whose virility walked unchallenged.
At first determined to make the trip under his own volition, he'd refused when her cold snout insistently nudged his feet. The wolves looked on with unconcealed amusement as she stubbornly gestured he get on, determined to bend Matt to her will. Two equal forces of nature held their ground, refusing to budge an inch in a little game of dominance.
In the end it was a whisper, just one little word - chicken- that caused him to reluctantly climb atop Leah's back. No more than a second after settling his legs across her flanks, the lone female wolf lunged forward unexpectedly, eager to show off to her rider with a wild burst of preternatural speed. Nearly falling backward, Matt righted himself, cursing his pride and the bright laughter of his cousin for calling out his weakness.
The world glittered in heavenly delight, a fresh dusting of snow coating the landscape in a white blanket of fluff. For a few wonderful minutes, the pack pricked up their ears and played as children, enjoying the feel of the wind on their hair and the ground beneath their feet.
All too soon, they crept closer to their ultimate destination and the levity of their journey again weighed heavy on their shoulders. Each fell in step with the other, slowing into an arrow formation, allowing Leah to lead the way. The electricity in the air was palpable, as though each footfall towards sacred land increased the magic flowing with them. Matt's posture atop Leah became more rigid, the set of his shoulders straight and strong, an inhuman glow seeming to emanate from the center of his being.
The rush of water could be heard before being seen, echoing loudly in the silent, naked forest. Leah slowed, twisting her body carefully onto a narrow path that opened wide along a rocky outcropping. It was there she stopped, Jacob coming to rest beside her to gaze down into the gorge. One by one, the rest of the wolves drew up to the flanks, each one staring in wide-eyed wonder at the scene below.
Just behind the flow of water, a golden light pulsed, barely concealed by convergence of trailing vine and jagged rock. This was the gateway, a fabled veil of one world to the next from which Máire would emerge sometime in the next twenty-four hours.
Bella glanced over at Matt, watching him slide easily from Leah's back. His eyes never leaving the doorway to home, as though a piece of him wished to leap inside, leaving them behind. The edges of a tattoo peeking from beneath his shirt sprang to life, throbbing beneath his skin. She stared transfixed at little silvery branches that seemed to breathe in tandem with the rise and fall of his chest.
Taking one step forward, she clutched hands with the men on either side of her. Tension rolled off their bodies in thick waves. The smell of uncertainty and fear heady in the damp mountain air. On the ledge of a crevice, high up on Pyramid Mountain, Bella Swan stood in the moonlight unknowingly facing her destiny, while the rest of the pack waited shoulder to shoulder for what was to come. She could feel them behind her, vibrating from the intensity of it.
Minutes crept by, slowly working their way into hours, while the waning moon above counted the passage of time in the night sky. Winter Solstice had arrived, ushered in with no more pomp than the quiet of the forest surrounding them.
The deafening crack of a branch echoed like a gunshot in the stillness, though the warriors never broke rank. An elk maybe, searching for something to eat, or the weight of snow and ice bending the weak bough of a tree to the ground.
Then another crack, and another, and another- each one louder than the last as though something or someone was coming closer. Large, wide shoulders, tense with muscle coiling beneath the surface bent to spring, when suddenly, the ball of light emanating from deep within the mountain grew bright.
Máire was coming.
What happened next moved so fast that Bella had a hard time piecing it together later when her weary head finally hit the pillow. The sickly, sweet smell of death fluttered past on the breeze, carrying the hollow laughter of evil issued from a forked devil's tongue.
The pack closed around her, Matt and Jacob and Paul forming a tight circle of safety none could breach. A blur of white skittered past her line of vision, quickly chased by the licking flames of fire extending outward from Matt's hands.
The air quivered with the heady mixture of supernatural magic. Flashes of fur tore past in a blinding fury of color, while snapping jaws growled in defiance of the unwelcome intrusion. Bella's fingertips dug into Jacob's waist. Beneath them the warm golden skin of his body began to stretch thin, muscles elongating, bones shifting as he fought back the inevitable. With all the strength she could muster, Bella placed the palms of her hands flat against his already curving spine, shoving forward with all her might.
Leaping toward battle, Jacob's body blurred and in an instant flesh gave way to fur and razor sharp claws.
The hunter seeking its prey.
Jacob dove into the fray, while Paul and Matt closed ranks around Bella, blocking from view the deadly fight happening just inches from where they stood.
Howls resounded into the sky, growing ever closer to the battle. Inexperienced pups led by a mighty wolf, moving so fast that the black spots of his fur blurred with the gray when he burst through trees. Time stood still, while Bella could not see but only hear, somehow discerning each warrior by the sound of their feet and the growl of their chest.
The mind of the pack was jumbled, their thoughts in messy disarray from the enemy who continued to evade their grasp as easily as a thief in the night.
It was no longer a battle of dominance, but a war of survival. Sporting a wicked smile, the cold one deftly reached down, snatching two of the wolves by the tail. With the grace of a dancer, he rose into the air, twirling around with outstretched arms, face to the sky with all the delight of a child spinning until dizzy. In the blink of an eye his hands released their bone-crunching hold, sending the wolves careening into the trees.
The cracking split of wood and ensuing howls of pain from broken bones forced Bella's hands to involuntarily clamp over her ears in fright. The enemy laughed with delight, it was all naught but a game to him, one in which it seemed he'd never tire.
Paul shifted slightly to one side, in doing so allowed her to bear witness to the horrific chaos around them.
Terrified, a strangled cry escaped her throat as when the evil claws of the immortal monster darted out, snatching the russet wolf she loved by its hind leg. Sharp fingernails parted flesh and fur as if it were no more than butter. The bleach of winter's bone stained the ground red in an arc of spraying crimson, melting snow and watering the earth with the ancient blood of power.
The winds shifted, loosening the curls of her hair, blinding her eyes and the monster from sight.
The jaws of the wolf snapped viciously at their target, spittle dripping from its teeth each time they clamped down on nothing more than air. Matt inched forward, enough to reveal the small protection of her hiding place, just as the ancient vampire breathed in the cool, crisp air.
As if in a trance, the cold one stilled, the betrayal of wind revealing the scent of a human nearby.
Just as it had been so long ago when the sweet smell of blood sent James into a frenzy, it turned, locking its blackened eyes on her. In that moment, fear sliced Bella's heart like a knife.
She had seen this vampire before. Images raced through her mind, flickering like a sick slideshow from the past, Edward's musical voice narrating this horrendous nightmare from which it seemed she'd never wake. A seventeen-year-old girl standing in Carlisle Cullen's office, concentrating on the masterful painting hung on the wall. Four men, more beautiful than saints, staring benevolently down as though blessing her with their grace and wisdom. Evil lurked just beneath the surface of their angelic facade.
A name. One that sent the cold fingers of dread racing up her spine.
"Volturi."
It smiled as she whispered the word, the magnetic force of its thrall beckoning her forward. "Isabella," it called, twisting the beautiful name into something more sinister with his Italian tongue.
Seizing the moment of distraction, the wolves renewed their assault but to no avail. The ancient vampire bent his body with the wind, exacting vengeance on those who sought to destroy him.
A thrum of sound vibrated in Bella's ears and the earth started to tremble beneath her feet. A gust of warmth pressed against her back. Instinctively digging her heels into the ground, she turned, focusing her attention on the light below. One hand reached backward to clutch Paul for support when a shower of gravel beneath her sneakered toes fell over the edge of the sheer drop off, plunging into the churning gray water below. The veil to the next world increased in size, throbbing wildly with a mysterious glow. Then suddenly it contracted and from its depths emerged a beautiful woman with the face of a warrior.
"Máire."
Effortlessly as though walking across the grass, she scaled the slippery footholds, tearing past Matt in a blur of midnight satin and ebony curls. Slung low across her slender waist hung a golden cord in which was sheathed a sword, its hilt etched in ancient druid runes.
The eyes of Mathúin recognized the kingly treasure of Tuatha Dé Danann at once. "Claidheamh Soluis," he whispered. The Sword of Light.
Standing atop the precipice of rock, Máire drew forth the weapon, unsheathing a blade of fire. Brighter than a thousand candles it sliced through the blackness emitting golden light.
The wolves all turned, the heat of battle forgotten as the sword called out to them in a siren song.
Blood red eyes turned dark with greed, the neck of his prey forgotten in the lust for power. It drew him close, calling out to take and possess.
Mathúin edged closer to his grandmother, the power inside him doubled through their connection and the holy day of solstice. The blade pulsed, glowing brighter, flames of blue and gold dancing over the tip. The fire in his palms itched, balls of heat begging to be loosed.
Unable to resist, the vampire sped forward in a blinding rush. With a battle cry on her lips, Máire gripped the sword tightly between her fingers, then spun, neatly slicing the monsters head from its body. Fire rushed forth from Mathúin's hands, turning the immortal into purple smoke and ash.
The game of cat and mouse was over. The immortal Roman god known as Caius lived no more.
Hate Cliffies? Me too... Let me know how much. I feel the urge for a double update Friday!