Chapter Eighty Four

Darius

After this we sat down once more to make final plans, we now had sufficient numbers that we could stop anything, even Caius and his friends. No one expected it to come to an all out war but if it did we could and would win. My only concern was The Major, he was stuck in the enemy camp and I wondered if he had an exit strategy.

"What about Jasper? How is he going to get out from Caius' camp?"

Bella had voiced my unspoken concern and I was about to answer when Peter beat me to it.

"He'll stay until he can see an opening to take out Caius. He's our best bet as a trusted part of Caius' army and if he can he'll take out Stefan and Vladimir too. That is of course if Aro's diplomacy fails."

He shot Aro a look that said, "and you know it fucking will" but Aro merely smiled indulgently.

"How do you know all that?"

Peter smiled at Bella's query.

"Because it's exactly what I would do and he trained me."

"Peter's right, The Major won't leave until he kills the leaders."

"Thanks for that but I didn't need your fucking weight behind my words. If I had my way we'd rip your head from its shoulders too."

"Its good to know you still love me Captain."

"Go to hell!"

"Oh I expect to don't worry about that but as we're on the same side for now shall we try to get along?"

"I wouldn't trust you if you told me it was night without checking bitch."

"Then I'll be sure to draw you a picture instead."

Peter turned away cursing under his breath but personally I thought Maria was winning the war of words hands down.

By the time we had explained our plan to the Volturi it was time to move out. Aro and his party would go ahead, by half a mile until they were in sight of Caius' camp when our people would begin to close up but stay just out of sight in the rock formations Peter and Edward had used for shelter. Aro wanted the opportunity to see for himself just how much support Caius had and how far he was prepared to go before he would move in.

Peter had to have the last word of course and it was aimed directly at Aro,

"Let's just try to remember The Major and any who stand with him are on our side shall we?"

Everyone nodded, even Aro although in the heat of the battle, if indeed it came to one, that might be forgotten by some of the soldiers not that it would worry The Major much but it might mean some of his followers being killed. But then those were the fortunes of war.

Aro

Darius had chosen well, from our vantage point we could just see Caius' compound which seemed full of activity and men although I couldn't spot The Major anywhere, or my dear brother for that matter. Shortly after making ourselves comfortable along with Darius and Peter who has insisted on coming along leaving the others at the further waiting point I received the call I had been expecting and took out my cell phone everyone else falling silent. I was ready, interested to hear what tale he was going to weave for me that would persuade me to leave Volterra with my guard, not knowing just how close I was to him as we spoke.

"Caius, at last. I thought you must have been mistaken my brother, are we to expect you home soon?"

"I told you there was something going on with the Romanians Aro and I was right."

"Really brother? I'm shocked to hear that, what exactly are they planning?"

I think he felt I was being flippant when in fact I had never felt less so in my life.

"This isn't a game Aro, Stefan and Vladimir have already launched one attack on my small group which we managed to repel now they are massing for an overwhelming attack on Volterra. We need to stop them reaching Italy and I happen to know where their camp is. We can take them by surprise and crush them before they even know we are there."

I waited for him to elaborate, to explain where his guard were but I didn't mention them directly…yet at least.

"Go on then Caius, please I should know what is going on but I don't understand why none of our spies reported anything."

"I followed up the rumors I told you that had reached me and found someone who had been approached to join the rebellion. The Romanians were very clever and I'm not really surprised our spies heard nothing, as I said we have largely ignored this continent, to our cost as it turns out."

"Really? Who was this informant of yours?"

"It doesn't matter he's dead now, I killed the traitor. However I got enough information from him first to track them down to a site in Death Valley."

"Death Valley? How very poetic, I take it from your comment that we are talking of somewhere within the United States?"

"Yes. Its remote so there's little chance of their being discovered even accidentally. They chose well."

"I see, just answer me one thing. Why would the Romanians go to all the trouble of setting up a camp in the United States when Romania is much closer from which to launch an attack on us?"

"They didn't want to be discovered before they are ready and they felt here would give them more secrecy, after all we rarely bother with America, most of our work is in Europe."

"True. So how large is this force they have mustered?"

"There are around one hundred trained fighters. I took a chance and spied on them. They are good but not as good as the Volturi guard."

"Then surely we should wait for them to attack here."

"I think that would be unwise, they are picking up support as word spreads. The longer we wait the stronger they will become. We need to crush them here before they become too powerful. Make an example of them."

He pitched it just about right and I have to say in his defense that if I had no knowledge that he was lying I might well have been taken in by my dear brother.

"Very well. Give me two days to make arrangements for transportation. We will fly over and join you and then you can show me this camp and we can make our plans from there. In the meantime be careful Caius, I would hate to see you caught by the rebels and killed. What a good thing The Major is no longer with us, he might have been tempted to join this rebellion."

"Yes, I was right about that too Aro."

"How fortuitous that you decided to join our team in the United States when you did. I take it they are with you?"

"They will be by the time you arrive. I heard from Jane that they found our other rebel and destroyed him. I told her not to contact you in Volterra for fear Stefan and Vladimir might intercept the call and be forewarned of a Volturi presence already in the country. After all they too must have spies watching Volterra."

So, someone had imitated Jane so Caius would not discover that the party he had supposedly joined were no more, I assumed that had probably been Charlotte Whitlock or possibly Alice Cullen. I wondered who out of those now dead Volturi guards had been traitors, Jane? I doubted that very much. Felix, no he was loyal to me and had been for centuries, the others I was not so certain of but the loss of any loyal to me was a tragedy and their places would need to be filled. A difficult enough task in Felix place but almost impossible where Jane was concerned. I would need to start hunting for gifted vampires once more when this unpleasantness was over, such a tedious and on the whole unrewarding task.

Either Caius had determined to kill those of the group who were loyal to me when they arrived, supposing he really had contacted them as he thought, or he would keep them away until the war had been won and give them the choice to join him or die. Well either way he was in for a shock because any loyal to him weren't going to be there to support him in this, his final battle and not even those he was depending on would all stand at his back when the fighting started.

Poor Caius was in for a terrible shock and the only consolation he had was that it wouldn't last very long, only until one of his many enemies got close enough to strike. I was under no illusion it would be me, there were too many far closer and I was willing to bet The Major would be at the head of the lengthy queue.

I turned to Darius,

"I don't think it would be right to keep my brother waiting too long Darius, it would be most rude, especially as he has been so good as to deliver the invitation in person as it were."

He nodded and took out his own cell phone ringing to give the order for the rest to join us. Peter looked up at the slowly descending moon and nodded his agreement. As the sun rose in the morning, about two hours from now we would make our move.