Chapter Fifty Two

Caius

Although I knew where The Major was going and where he started from I couldn't track him down. All I knew was that he was moving fast and wouldn't stop until he tracked the Cullens down, his first victims. Much as I hated to admit Aro might be right. I hated the idea I could have been manipulated by Edward Cullen more. Aro had been right that Alice hadn't warned them of the dangers the human girl would bring or they would have avoided her, nor did she warn them of my decision to send The Major after them, so chances were Alice was not the powerful gift Edward made her out to be. In which case he and I would be having a reckoning all our own and this time I wouldn't need The Major's help.

The news that the Cullens had left Bellingham and moved to New York took its time to trickle through to me, Felix reporting directly to his master Aro. That meant they were out of The Major's reach provided we could call him off in time. No one wanted a war amid millions of teeming humans though I doubted that would bother The Major himself, he didn't seem to care about anything except the task handed to him. It was Felix also who found out where The Major was and established a line of communication by the simple expedient of offering information on the whereabouts of his targets. I didn't speak to him myself, Aro did, but I can imagine he was not happy having his task cut down.

Aro

Felix came through as he always did, persuading The Major we had information for him and I found myself speaking to him on the phone.

"I thought I might be hearing from you Aro. I was right, your brothers were acting behind your back. Do I have new orders?"

"Let's just say they have been reworked. The Cullens are to be left in peace while they remain among humans in the city of New York. The Denali's are guiltless and can also be struck off your list."

"So this trek was a complete waste of time?"

"No, you certainly got our message across Major."

"I'm not a delivery boy Aro and I am not happy but don't worry, I hear your orders and I will work within them. Don't call me again, I don't like changes in my orders and if you three can't make up your fucking minds what you want then maybe there should be fewer of you."

He rang off leaving me somewhat amazed, I knew he was dangerous and unpredictable but I hadn't expected quite such an answer but I knew he wouldn't be listening to anything else from any of us until he had fulfilled what parts of his mission still remained. The Cullens were safe so long as they stayed in New York, not ideal but over time The Major would be sent on another mission and then the hunt for Carlisle and his family could be aborted permanently. Marcus words came back to me strongly, perhaps I had created a monster I could only partially control but for now he was still answering to me.

Caius

Aro rang me with the news he had contacted The Major and he had agreed albeit reluctantly to pull back from the Cullens. Well my brother might be happy about that but I was not and one way or another Carlisle and his family would pay the penalty for breaking our laws. I had Marcus watching out for any information coming in from The Major because if he were not to touch the Denali's and the Cullens were out of his reach that left only the human girl Bella Swan and I knew exactly where she lived. Leaving the Volturi jet waiting in Seattle I drove out to Forks to see if The Major had found her at least but part way there I heard from Marcus,

"Don't waste your time brother, Bella Swan isn't in Forks, the Cullens warned her, she's with them in New York and safe so long as she stays there."

I cursed bitterly, everything that could go wrong with my plan had and Aro would have the last laugh again.

"However, The Major has visited Forks and he seems to have a plan of his own to lure the Cullens out into the open."

"Really? What?"

"The girls father, the Chief of Police was involved in an accident a few hours ago, his cruiser hit a deer and taking evasive action plunged off a bridge into the river. They are trying to pull it out now but there's no sign of him. They think he may have been washed downstream, there was some blood on the door post, its beginning to look like he might have drowned."

"So The Major kidnapped the girl's father to lure her out, it seems he wasn't at all happy with Aro's new orders, I'm starting to feel more optimistic already. Still if we can leave The Major to deal with the girl and possibly even the Cullens if they decide to act all heroic then I can concentrate on Edward Cullen. Where is he Marcus?"

"Waiting to hear how we intend to convey him safely to Volterra. Ironically he is also in New York, do you want to tell The Major to add him to the list?"

"No, I think we can deal with the lying dog ourselves Marcus. Tell him you are sending the jet to the airport and I'll be waiting for him there, you don't need to tell him who his escort is of course, let's keep that a surprise shall we?"

Aro

Felix had two pieces of news for me, neither of which were exactly good. I should have expected The Major to find a loophole in my orders but there was little I could do about it now except warn Carlisle to keep a close watch on the girl if she was that important to him. As for Edward Cullen, well coming to Volterra wasn't the worst thing that could happen but I still had my promise to Carlisle to keep. Caius and Marcus might want him to suffer for his "lies" but they wouldn't agree to his death, his gift was too valuable.

Well that was true but my word was far more valuable so he would meet his end here and I would make sure he understood why he was to die. Carlisle had warned the Denali's that they were on The Major's list and I had no idea what they had decided to do as a result but I could inform them that they were safe once more. I needed to speak to Eleazar in any case.

He answered the phone sounding very nervous, did he think The Major would be ringing him with an invitation to his own execution? When he recognized my voice fear replaced nerves,

"Eleazar, I know you have spoken to Carlisle, you know about The Major. What did you decide to do?"

"We didn't lie to you Aro. Alice's gift could be very powerful, will become so in time, but for now it is wildly unreliable as you must know. After all none of us saw The Major coming."

"How true, so where are you?"

He sighed, he thought I would tell The Major where to find him, as if The Major needed my help to track down his quarry!

"We stayed in Alaska, close to the guardians."

"Hoping they might attack if The Major arrived on their doorstep? Quite a good plan but in the event no longer necessary. You are safe, you and your "family". As you say, you didn't exactly lie to us."

"And Carlisle?"

"His crimes alas are not so easily swept under the carpet, he brought a human into our world and you know the penalty for that."

"Can't you help him? He's your friend Aro."

"Yes he is and I have tried but circumstances are now out of my control. He is safe...for now, if he continues to be so is down largely to him."

"Thank you for telling me Aro. What about Edward?"

"Oh I think Edward will be taken care of one way or another."

I had only just put down my phone when the next news hit me as Felix came rushing in,

"The Major has the human girl's father and intends to use him to force her and the Cullens out into the open."