AN: S Meyer owns twilight.
CHAPTER 3
PPOV
Today would signify the start of a new era of peace. Dora, Picia and Esme waited behind Marcus and Aro in front of the elevator. Charlie stood to one side with Emmett and Rose on either side of him. He was semi hidden by his cloak and mask. We lined up behind Caius as the wolves walked out of the bus. Dora flew at her mate, welcoming him home.
Dem and Felix unloaded the bus as the wolves walked to greet Aro and Marcus, their hoods hid their faces. We got into the elevator in groups, even then it was a tight squeeze. I saw Marcus smirk and touch Aro's hand as they entered the carriage with Charlie and a few wolves.
Felix and Dem escorted the next group of wolves up to the masters' quarters and it was finally our turn to ascend. We had the duffle bags in our possession, the smell of fresh oozing venom irritated my nose, but I understood it would be better for us to escort the prisoners than the werewolves.
We reached the main foyer of the Masters' quarters and moved to the neighboring elevator which descended to the dungeons. Aro, Marcus and Fred joined us, I felt bad for Fred having to put up with the smell of fresh venom. The three of them spoke quietly in their native language as the elevator headed to the underground dungeon.
When the door opened Fred seemed to relax, I turned to him "are you okay?" I asked. He nodded and added "I hate the smell of spilled venom."
"Really? I think it smells like victory." I joked, he chuckled lowly and replied. "Someday this war's gonna end."
We put the Romanian brothers in neighboring cells and Carlos in a cell by himself at the end of the row. We kept them disassembled, they'd put themselves together in no time.
The other limbs belonging to the guards were set alight. Purple smoke left through a small chimney in the ceiling, but the smell of their remains lingered. Marcus moved to a corner and picked up a dustpan and brush, collecting the ash and putting it in a hidden compartment on the south wall. I looked at him confused. "We keep the ashes from each execution we perform. Usually the guard will clean up the ash after we've left, but until the prisoners are punished we won't allow anyone but a few down here." Marcus explained. Bella turned to him and asked "why keep the ash?"
"A couple of reasons; first, we can't let the ash fall into the hands of humans. Second, with all the vampires we've executed over the years Volterra would be covered in the soot of our kind. Lastly, you never know when we'll have to make repairs or build a secure area." Aro said.
Aro, Marcus and Fred turned and headed to the elevator. "Once everyone is settled we'll decide what to do with Carlos and we'll apply the sentences to Vladimir and Stefan." Marcus said as we rode the elevator back to the Master's quarters.
The wolves would be staying in Aro and Marcus's wings for the time being. Rose and Emmett would attend to them and work out any changes to the remedies. Alistair, Alice, Charlie and one of the female werewolves, Brenna, were waiting for us in Caius' study. Brenna was average height with long blond hair and deep blue eyes. We removed our cloaks and masks and sat down to join them. Fred sat next to Brenna and introduced himself to Charlie.
Caius appeared shortly after. "Thank you for all the work you've done." He addressed the room. "Each of you has contributed greatly to our cause. We've never been so close to the future we envisioned all those years ago." He turned to Charlie and smiled "I understand you have news for us." Charlie nodded and blushed. Brenna took his hand as he announced "I've imprinted."
Good on him! He was watching Bella carefully, she smiled widely. "Congratulations dad. It's about time." He smiled in relief. Caius spoke "its excellent news. Aside from how happy you'll be with your mate there is the added bonus of true impartiality. You're a spirit walker who is mated to a werewolf and you have a vampire daughter. No one will be able to say you're biased."
"Oh god no, I don't want this to turn into a three ring circus. I just want to heal people." Charlie groaned. "I didn't mean it that way, Charlie. Your job description will always be Healer. Although, we could use your input when it comes to making new laws between the three supernatural species." Caius said kindly. "Okay, but nothing else." Charlie conceded and Caius nodded his head.
"Now, I'd like to discuss a few things before we head to the feast the wives have arranged. There is a lot to do over the next few months; convince the Vampire world to work with other Supernatural creatures and give up human and animal blood, unite with the werewolves and unite with the spirit walkers and witch covens."
"We should invite the older vampires who were around when the Romanians ruled to witness their sentencing. Maybe we can get their help in getting the coven leaders and nomads on our side." J suggested. "We were going to invite the leaders and nomads later, but we've already made arrangements for the Denalis and Egyptians to witness the punishment. A lot of the older vampires are already here as part of the Guard; they fought with us to overthrow the Romanians and stuck by our side."
Bella spoke to her dad "what's the progress with the synthetic blood?"
"Actually, that's more Rosie's project than mine. Last time I checked it was going well, they'd been able to increase the volume they created. Rose and Em have been working on a way to enrich it." Charlie said.
Caius added "Aro has organized factories to be built in a few remote locations, it's going to be a big job making it available for everyone. Aro's been toying with the idea of disguising the outlets as blood banks, humans can donate their blood for medical purposes and vampires can use a back entrance to get blood."
"Will there be a cost?" Alice asked. Caius shook his head "no. It will always be a free blood service. It's just a matter of getting the manpower."
"What about creating a volunteer service where we get blood in exchange for time?" Alice suggested. Caius nodded "that sounds like the only viable solution we've heard so far. Aro has labs working in Russia, America and Australia to create the blood, it's just a matter of getting it to where it's needed and building factories to mass produce it."
"I know many werewolves who would be happy to work in factories." Fred offered. "I'm glad to hear it, we can provide all of you with the necessary training needed. The fewer humans we have to employ the easier it will be to keep the secret." Caius said.
"Would humans be able to use the synthetic blood instead of donated blood?" Bella asked. Charlie answered her. "From what Em told me it'll be a blank slate, no A or B antibodies and neither positive or negative. It would be a universal blood that could be used for donation, but it wouldn't be as good as the real thing for humans. Em and Rose are already finding ways to enrich it and improve the flavor for vampire consumption, but I doubt the enriched blood would work on a human needing a transfusion."
There was a knock on the door and Dora popped her head in "dinner's ready. No need for any disguises, it's a family dinner." We followed her into the foyer that acted as an occasional dining room. Another table had been added. Fred, Marcus and Aro were seated at one end chatting comfortably. Esme, Dora and Picia were bringing out serving trays of food and punch bowls full of blood. Charlie sat close to Aro with Brenna beside him. He passed a small glass bottle to Aro, it was the healing elixir to make him look less brittle.
Bella and J took a seat next to Brenna and started getting to know one another. Caius sat next to them and Char and I joined him, leaving a seat free for Dora. The wolves and vampires seemed to be getting along really well, Rose and Em joined us with a barrel of beer.
Em cleared his throat and everyone quieted. "Rose and I have been refining the mixture to hide the werewolves' scent and keep them in touch with their human mind during the full moon. We searched for a reason why the Rowan tree was so off putting to the species, but nothing really stood out. All our research showed was there were harmful ingredients, but nothing to explain why it would smell so bad to your kind. From what Aro and Marcus told us they ate the berries regularly as humans, but only after they were cooked. We gave up on that route and decided to look at more botanical options.
"The Rowan tree is part of a wide variety of species. One of its close relatives is the Chequer tree, humans used to eat the berries when they became over ripe and they were said to be very sweet. It just so happens the berries were occasionally used in beer before hops was introduced. We arranged for some beer to be imported and added a similar mixture that the wolves of La Push used to keep their wits while they phased. We're hoping this is a palatable, yet effective option." He put the barrel on the table and started pouring glasses. We waited for Fred's impression. His nose didn't wrinkle like it had with the Rowan mixture.
"I like it." He said happily. Em and Rose let out a breath. Aro smiled and turned to his brother "would you and your pack be willing to stay here for the full moon so we can assess its effect?" He asked. Fred replied, "we want to help you with the other packs, we can travel with you in the meantime and return before the full moon starts."
"Excellent, brother." Aro leaned closer to Fred and sniffed "your scent seems to have improved, but we won't be able to see its full effect until the rowan is gone from your system."
Aro turned to Rose "how long will the effects last?"
"We're not sure. We're unfamiliar with the species so we don't know anything about their metabolism and dose needed. We have imported some Rowan liquor from Austria, we can supplement it if needed, but it'll taste terrible."
"I'll arrange for some Chequer Trees to be imported for the garden, if this works we'll need a lot." Marcus said.
Everyone returned to their meal. With the scent of the wolves under control it was easy to talk to them. As the last of the plates and bowls were taken to the kitchen Aro and Fred brought us into their conversation. "We need to work out a plan of action. Of course our first priority will be the Romanians, we have to ensure they are out of commission permanently.
"As soon as Demitri updated us that the Romanians had been taken prisoner by Caius and his team I called Amun and Eleazar to advise them and invite them to witness their punishment. They'll be here tomorrow. We'll need to tell them about our alliance with the werewolves, it will be a trial run for how we approach the other leaders."
"What if they attack?" Brenna asked, Aro answered her. "One of our laws is that honored guests cannot be harmed within these walls. Any attack will be seen as an attack on Caius, Marcus and myself and would be punished with death."
"Amun's just started to trust you, this could be a problem." Alistair pointed out. Marcus responded "Amun was around long before Aro, Fred and I were born. He's one of the oldest alive, he knew the true history of the wolves even though he hadn't encountered them personally.
"I stand by my nephews and my people. I will continue to stand by them, even if it means killing my own kind. The werewolves have been dealt a hard existence thanks to both humans and vampires. If anyone has a right to attack it's them. It's time our species quit their barbaric ways and grow up. We are not the most powerful race, nor are we evil. The same applies to all Supernatural creatures. I fear when it comes to the unity of the supernatural world I will be a tyrant. I have worked hard and sacrificed everything to get to this point, I will not give up." Fred and Aro started clapping.
Hell yeah, Marcus was right. When the applause hushed I announced "Fate will fight for the unity of the species. The Romanians caused many deviations in the paths of Fate and it is time the balance was restored. We may be vampires, but we are also Guardians of Fate."
"Thank you, Peter." Fred said. I leaned towards him "there is no thanks needed. This is the path your species must walk, Fate has brought us to together. You will all be free to live the lives you choose."
"Has your gift told you anything, Peter?" Marcus asked. I shook my head. I knew the unity would happen, but I wanted to see the steps of how it would come about. As frustrating as it was, no news is good news. The others resumed their conversations.
I listened to Aro, Marcus and Fred. "We'll make the introductions when Amun and Eleazar arrive, then we'll congregate in the dungeon-" Fred interrupted Aro "I wish to use my gift on the Romanians. Once they've been given the darkness I can trap them in time, slowing it down so each day seems like a millennium." Aro paused to consider it and turned to his uncle, Marcus nodded and Aro replied "that would be greatly appreciated. We don't want to keep them alive any longer than necessary. Do any others have gifts?"
"I can speed up the growth of plants, I was really useful back in home." Brenna said, no wonder she was with Charlie. This was perfect. "When were you turned?" I asked her. "During the start of the millennium 1000AD, I grew up in Iceland. My family migrated there after the Vikings settled. I was a little too curious about the cave network and did a little exploring. We had our own folk lore about the mountain dwellers back then and knew to carry Rowan wood at all times. Our houses would have brooms made from Rowan and we would lay them across the threshold at night to keep evil away. I walked with a staff made from Rowan wood and climbed deep into the mountains. I saw the pack and tried to run, but it was the first day of the full moon and I was bitten. They didn't rip me apart like they would have if I hadn't had my staff."
"Does the transformation hurt?" I asked. Fred shook his head "you fall unconscious for nine days and awake feeling stiff and sore, like humans do when they have a bad cold. It's disorientating, but the hardest part is getting used to the idea you turn into a blood crazed maniac once a month." My mouth fell open in shock, Fred laughed "I know Peter, werewolves have the better end of the deal sometimes. Aro showed me what the transformation and newborn year were like. I'm glad I'm a wolf, especially now we have options and could be free for the first time."
Questions continued; there were more gifts including a physical shield, weather control and scentlessness. There were three other packs; two in the remote parts of Australia and one in Iceland. They never remembered anything that happened during a full moon. They could get pregnant, but would miscarry during the full moon transformation. There were no wolves born as a result and they ate herbs that would act as a contraceptive.
It was sad to hear how few there really were out there, less than 200 by Fred's estimate. With the Healers' remedies they wanted to try living normal lives; get a job, a real home where they could live in peace and have freedom to choose how to live their lives. I knew my destiny lay in protecting the wolves and spirit walkers and I was truly glad fate had brought me here. Whether they'd be accepted by vampires remained to be seen.