Temporal Tide
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, nor any of its characters or franchises.
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Chapter 16
Bella
"I guess it was too much to hope that you had disappeared for good."
A velvety voice spoke behind me. I whirled, hackles up, only to come face to face with Sasha.
She was more put together then she was earlier in the day. Her lighter red-gold hair was now tied back, intricate twists and knots woven into a bun. The bright red of her eyes made her sharp expression as intimidating and beautiful as I'd come to expect. She was now adorned in a sunny linen dress, which I could only assume she received at the nearby village.
"Sasha." I greeted her neutrally. Despite our distaste for each other, more on her end than mine, I would be polite for Tatyana's sake.
Speaking of, Tanya climbed out of the pool and retrieved her clothes, it was obvious to us both that the time for playfulness had passed. She slipped a green dress tunic over her head and cinched it around her waist with a bronze clasp. I couldn't help but admire how well the color contrasted with her skin and hair. Tanya noticed my gaze, and slanted me a sly look.
Dismissing my presence, Sasha turned her head to Tanya, just in time to catch our shared glance.
"Tatyana," she snapped, pursing her lips. "We have a location. The detachment is passing by in a few candle marks. We need to be in position before they arrive."
"Of course mother." Tanya dutifully replied.
It was strange for me to see Tanya defer to another so easily, but I had to remind myself that this wasn't exactly the same woman I knew in the present. Her eyes kept flicking to me, and it was obvious that she was conflicted about leaving.
"Come along." Sasha rebuked as she began to walk away.
I was under no delusion that I was invited.
Tanya reluctantly began to follow, glancing at me over her shoulder for several paces before a determined expression settled on her face. In a blink, she was back by my side, her fingers seizing my hand before she began pulling me along with her.
Stumbling slightly at the strength of her grip, I pressed into Tanya's space, close enough to keep up without stumbling. The way her shoulders relaxed; I knew I'd made the right decision in allowing her to pull me along.
The day was, at this point, creeping into late afternoon. The sunlight began to take on a soft orange glow as it filtered through the trees. More than once I had to keep myself from getting distracted by all the beautiful details I would have missed when I was human.
It only took a few moments of running before Sasha seemed to realize I was along for the ride.
Skidding to a stop, she turned to face us with a thunderous scowl.
"Stop right there. You aren't accompanying us." Her eyes narrowed in on me. Her entire body was stiff, daring me to disagree.
Instead of rising to the bait, I instead turned to look at Tanya to see how she would react.
Tatyana's jaw clenched; her fingers tightened around my own before she tilted her head up in stubborn defiance.
"Anya," she muttered in Magyar, which I recognized as the word for mother. "She comes with me. It's not fair for you to treat her this way because she cannot control her gift."
Sasha growled quietly; her red eyes dark. "How I treat her has nothing to do with her ability and everything to do with the way she abandons you for years at a time."
My heart sank, and I lowered by eyes in shame. There was nothing I could say to that.
Tanya opened her mouth as if to argue further, but she paused when I gently squeezed her arm.
"It's fine Tanya. Your mother is right. My power makes me an unreliable companion. If I could, I would spend more time with you, but until I learn how to control my gift, we will have to make due with what we have."
Sasha seemed surprised by my agreement, but sighed loudly once she realized that Tanya wasn't budging.
"Fine," she snapped. "Just stay out of the way." Before turning and taking off again.
Tanya and I exchanged glances before darting after her. Keeping pace with Tanya, I quietly whispered to her, making sure to keep my voice low so Sasha wouldn't overhear.
"So what exactly are we doing right now? Something about a detachment?" I spoke in English, hoping that Sasha hadn't bothered to learn it.
"We're going to ambush a, how do you say, not a caravan. A carriage with escort? One of the people in this party is a vampire. They've created a following of humans that has attracted too much attention. We have to take care of it before The Royals in Italy hear of it and decide to make it their issue."
I paused. "Too much attention, how?" I asked, my mind flicking to the man in the motel room.
Tanya shrugged as she leapt lightly over a fallen tree, her speed slowing slightly to allow me to catch up. I bounded over, taking Tatyana's outstretched hand despite not needing the help.
"Mother says there have been rumors of an unnaturally fast woman with red eyes, who feasts on the blood of her slain enemies. Apparently, she also claims to be a god, and promises eternal glory to her followers."
"Are you sure it's just the one?" I inquired, worried about Tatyana's safety.
As far as I knew, I was the only one between the three of us with any kind of training, but even that might not do any good against superior numbers or a vampire with the sort of fighting experience Kate had. That wasn't even accounting for potential gifts.
"You know its rude to talk around someone in a language they're not familiar with." Sasha drawled, glancing at us over her shoulder. "My man says there is one. Should be simple to put their face in the dirt." Sasha's heavily accented English had me sighing with resignation. It was obvious she wasn't fluent like Tanya, but it was enough to prompt me to switch back to Magyar.
"I don't like this." I murmured, kicking off several trees to bound over a steep embankment. "We should at least do some physical recon first." I said, thinking about how I'd almost got myself killed with my impulsive decision to run to Seattle. "Perhaps we should speak to them. We might be able to convince them to stop drawing so much attention."
Sasha paused, skidding to a stop as she looked at me over her shoulder with an increasingly incredulous expression.
"Vampires who fashion themselves as gods aren't the type to stop if you ask nicely. More than likely we'll have to dispose of her and her followers, human zealotry can often get out of hand if left unchecked."
I felt deeply anxious hearing those words. My mind kept flashing back to the hotel room.
"They're only human. No real threat to us. Without a vampire at their helm, they're just insane and delusional. Killing them shouldn't be necessary."
Sasha growled, and I felt myself stiffen defensively. Tanya came up to stand behind my back as she stared down her creator.
"No. The Volturi and are not lenient. The law is clear. Mercy would sign our own death warrants."
I clenched my fist, frustrated at her dismissive attitude regarding human life.
"They're still people. People with loved ones who will mourn them. People who love and laugh just the same as us. It's not their fault that they've been brainwashed by one of us. You know the effect we have on them." I snarled with no small amount of bitterness. I could remember all too well the way Edward had dazzled me. I'd hardly stood a chance.
Stomping toward me, Sasha seized the front of my shirt as she yanked me in close. Teeth bared; she did her best to loom over me as she leaned in. I felt my chest rumble warningly.
"I don't care if you want to sit on your high horse and get yourself killed; but I'll be damned if I let your recklessness put my daughter in danger." Sasha hissed in a deadly whisper.
Before I had a chance to reply, Tatyana's hand shot out and wrapped around Sasha's wrist. Her nails dug in as she peered at her creator with black eyes.
"Let. Go."
Sasha winced as Tanya, still holding her wrist, forced her back a few steps. I now had finger shaped holes in my shirt, but I otherwise remained unharmed.
"Look," I muttered, trying to straighten the wrinkles in my blouse. "We don't see eye to eye on a lot of things, but I think we can both agree that this vampire is bad news. I'll keep quiet for now, but don't expect me to let you kill innocents with no action on my part."
Sasha yanked her arm out of Tanya's grasp, shooting her adoptive daughter a harsh glare before settling her ire on me.
"We don't have time for this." She huffed, before turning and speeding back into the forest. Tanya came over to gently pluck at my shirt, inspecting the damage.
"Well, your modesty is still intact." Tanya mumbled, her eyes flicking up and away. "I'm sorry I didn't intervene sooner."
"It's not your fault. I can handle myself, and you shouldn't have to intervene." I smiled lopsidedly and gently squeezed her hand. "Come on, lets go before we lose her completely." I started to step away, but paused when I felt her fingers tighten around my own.
Tanyas eyes had lightened from their previous black into a dark red ochre. Her hair was still damp and curly from the water as she leaned in to place a tender kiss against the corner of my mouth. I felt myself sigh and tilt into it, enjoying the press of her lips for several long moments.
Eventually Tanya pulled away, her eyes alight with happiness.
"Now we may go." She spoke with a coy smile.
Sighing dramatically, I laughed and pulled her along after Sasha.
Eventually we caught up with Sasha, who was crouched atop a bluff overlooking heavily wooded hills. A mile or two away, I could see a road winding through the trees. It curved from around a bend of rock before snaking its way down through the hills close to our position.
For a human, our position made for an excellent lookout, but was too high to make a good ambush spot. However, for a vampire, the fall was negligible. It made dropping down to ambush a group from above very feasible.
My week of training with Kate had included fighting and ambush tactics, since catching your enemy by surprise was often just as important as being physically prepared to fight them.
I felt a brief swell of nausea at the thought that I would be using them non-defensively today.
To take my mind off it, I asked Tanya about her brother and if she knew how he was doing. Her face lit up.
"Damek is married now. He and his wife seem devoted. They have five children. I have three nieces and two nephews." The pride in Tanya's voice was unmistakable. "Of course, I haven't approached them directly, but when Sasha and I are in the area I will sometimes watch them from afar. Occasionally I will leave them presents, the way you did for us when I was younger." Her voice and eyes softened as she held my gaze. "Now I get to be the Domovoi, and his children leave offerings for me on the mantle."
I felt my heart swell with affection, and I couldn't help but wrap her up in a tight hug.
"I'm glad you get to see them at least a little. I'm sure your brother misses you." I asserted, as she reciprocated my embrace.
The moment didn't last long however, because Sasha snapped her fingers to catch our attention.
"Get ready. Our quarry has arrived."
Moving quickly to the edge, I immediately spotted a large carriage rounding the bend. It was surrounded by six heavily armed and armored men and women on horseback. From this distance I was unable to see the occupants of the carriage. However, riding in the back donning thick leather armor and wielding a wickedly edged spear and sword, I spotted a familiar figure.
I felt a cold wash of terror as Kate Denali rode proudly to her death.
As a human Kate had freckles, her face had a pleasant ruddy glow, and I would hear the pulse of blood pounding through her veins. All thought of moral conflict and resistance fled my mind in an instant. I was left with startlingly pure purpose.
Protect Kate.
My mind raced as I tried to figure out what to do, but I didn't get a chance to act before Tanya and Sasha were plunging off the bluff.
Cursing to myself, I jump after them.
Sasha barrels into the carriage, snapping the axel and shattering one of the wheels as it careens onto its side. The noise and the subsequent plume of dust had the horses rearing in fear, giving Tanya the opportunity to push them over, spilling their riders into the dirt.
I took it all in as I dashed past the carriage, beelining to Kate's horse. Nothing else mattered but reaching her first. My form was a blur as I vaulted onto the back of Kates steed and flicked her in the back of the head with my finger.
She didn't even get a chance to register my presence before I knocked her out.
I was extremely grateful that Kate had been so insistent on teaching me that trick, making me practice on dummies over and over again until I learned the right pressure. It was more than a little ironic that she was the first one I got to use it on.
Catching her body as she slumped in the saddle, I slid off the horse with Kate clutched firmly to my chest. The horse screamed & reared once more, kicking at me with his hindquarters. Ducking out of the way, only my vampiric reflexes kept that poor horse from shattering his legs on my back.
A figure exploded out of the downed carriage.
The vampire, a woman with east Asian features and covered in beautiful furs, immediately attacked Sasha. Her swings were wild and unfocused, and surprisingly clumsy for a vampire.
At this point Tanya had killed or mortally wounded four of the six guards. The fifth, terrified, wheeled his horse around and galloped back the way he came. Blood was spattered across Tatyana's hands, arms, and mouth from where she'd torn through her opponents. The air was heavy with its sweet metallic tang. Fire roared to life in my throat, and I willed myself to stop breathing.
Tanya rushed to assist her creator, giving me ample opportunity to retreat off the road with Kate.
From the cover of the trees, I watched Tanya and Sasha make short work of the vampiress. None of them were particularly skilled fighters. Their attacks had a lot of wasted movement, and relied mostly on brute strength. As such, two against one made quick work of things. With a snarl and a vicious twist, Tanya ripped the vampires head off while she was focused on Sasha.
Breathing deeply, still holding the severed head of her opponent, Tatyana turned her coal black eyes toward me.
I tensed, unsure of what to expect, but she remained utterly still. Her eyes kept flicking between me and an unconscious Kate, who I still held in a bridal carry.
Her eyes narrowed. She dropped the head.
A low rumble issued from her chest as her eyes locked firmly on Kate.
I could hear disturbing cracking noises as Sasha finished ripping apart the vampiress, but I didn't dare take my eyes off of Tatyana.
"Tanya?" I cautiously murmured.
A low groan broke the quiet.
I heard Kates heart beat accelerate as she began to stir. I looked down as her eyes fluttered open. Her eyes took a moment to focus, I could read a brief instant of confusion cross her face, before she reared back and cracked me across the face with her fist.
Unfortunately, I was so surprised, that I forgot to roll my face to the side to lessen the blow. As a result, the only thing that cracked was Kates hand.
With a yelp, she snatched her arm back and jerked out of my grasp. Hitting the ground, she rolled away from me with a pained gasp, nearly tripping over her dead comrade as she scrambled to her feet.
Taking in the surrounding carnage, the blood drained from Kate's face as her eyes darted between me and Tanya. For the most part, Sasha was ignoring us as she gathered kindling for a fire.
Drawing the sword at her waist, Kate gave an impressive battle cry as she charged me. Unlike the fight I'd witnessed earlier, Kates movements were smooth and precise. If I wasn't a vampire, she would have cut me to ribbons. As it was, I smoothly dodged each of her strikes, hoping she would wear herself out.
I could tell she was favoring the arm she punched me with, gritting her teeth with pain at every movement. Sweat was pouring down her face, and her breath came in ragged gasps, but still she persisted.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Tanya twitch. Reacting instinctively, I lurched & pivoted sideways just in time to intercept Tanya as she slammed into my front. A second late, and Kate would have been a smear in the dirt.
Kate, not wasting my moment of distraction, slashed at my back with her sword. The blade shredded the cloth on my back but scraped ineffectually against my diamond hard skin.
Retreating to what she thought was a safe distance, Kate gaped in disbelief. Her expression grew tight with fear, but she shifted her feet obviously unwilling to go down without a fight.
Locking my arms around Tanya, I was trying my best to restrain and calm her, when the sound of Sasha's full bellied laughter had us all freezing.
Purple smoke drifted into the air from a fire behind her as she sauntered forward.
"My My!" she chuckled, her eyes glinted delightedly as she took in Kate. "What a feisty thing you are. I appreciate your fighting spirit."
As Sasha got closer, I moved to intervene, but Tanya pulled me close with a jealous huff.
Circling around Kate, who kept her in sight with her sword at the ready, she clicked her tongue and made approving noises the way you would inspecting a prize horse.
"Very impressive." She leaned into Kates space, who immediately swiped at her with the sword, but Sasha shifted out of the way with a laugh. "I like you," she murmured peering closely at her features. A strange look entered her expression as she did. "You look like my daughter." Sasha paused for a long moment before she seemed to snap out of it and turned to Tanya with a smile.
"She looks like she could be your sister, doesn't she Édesem?"
From her place plastered against my back, Tatyana glared at Kate with a sullen expression.
Sasha rolled her eyes as she thoughtfully looked between us. "Someone has to have some sense around here besides me."
Whirling back to Kate, her mouth stretched into a smile.
"Tell me warrior, do you want to live?" Sashas red eyes bored into Kate. I could hear her heart pounding with renewed adrenaline, the tip of her sword wavered slightly; before she nodded.
"Wonderful. Then you'll tell me everything I want to know about that." Sasha pointed back to the burning body parts of the vampire. Kate swallowed and nodded again, easing her stance slightly. "What's your name? Why were you following that woman?"
Clearing her throat, Kate spoke, her voice nearly the same husky lilt I was used to.
"My name is Katrina. She took over my village. Declared herself the new lady when she murdered the previous lord. Killed anyone who disagreed. We didn't want her to hurt our families, so we agreed to serve."
"That won't be necessary now." Sasha stated in a blasé tone.
"Clearly." Kate rejoined, her eyes flicking to the burning pile.
"You'll lead us back to your village; were we will search for more of her kind. If you try to deceive us, we won't hesitate to kill you."
Katye grudgingly nodded, finally dropping out of her fighting stance as she sheathed her sword. Now that she wasn't fighting for her life, she more clearly favored her hand, keeping it close to her chest as she winced. Once Tanya and Sasha took a moment to wash off the gore in a nearby stream, Kate turned and began to lead us back up the road.
Once we were far enough away from the bloodshed, I allowed myself to breath again. Snapping a branch off a nearby tree, I split it in half with my nails, trimming it down until it was a serviceable splint. Ignoring Tanya's scowl, I tore my shredded jacket into strips and jogged up to Kate.
"Here, your wrist will heal wrong if we don't straighten it. I'm sorry you injured your hand on my face." Kate slanted me a weary look, but allowed me to apply the splint. Her wrist was clearly swollen and painful, so I made an effort to be gentle.
From my peripheral I could see Tanya watching us like a hawk. I was beginning to realize that Tanya might be feeling insecure. After all, from her perspective, I'd gone to great lengths to protect a beautiful stranger. More than likely, she felt our bond was far from cemented.
Once I finished tying the last knot, I dropped back to walk beside Tatyana. Purposefully leaning against her side, I picked up her arm and draped it around my shoulders. The tension in her muscles immediately dropped. Tanya's fingers caressed my shoulder as she pulled me flush against her. I had to make a concentrated effort to walk so that we didn't stumble. I could still smell the blood residue on her skin as she leaned in to kiss my cheek.
Emotionally, I felt numb; I hadn't let myself feel any which way about the carnage I'd just witnessed because protecting Kate was priority.
I couldn't let myself think about their screams as they were ripped apart.
I couldn't let myself think of the acidic stench of burning vampire.
I couldn't think about the blood spray, or the loss of life, or any damn thing that distracted me.
My eyes and throat burned fiercely.
"I'm going to go retrieve one of the horses." I croaked, staring firmly at the tree line. "If we want to make good time, she'll need a mount." I stated blankly.
Sasha seemed to regard me for a moment before nodding. I could tell she was getting impatient with Kate's pace and I was afraid what might happen to her if Sasha decided it would be faster to search without her.
Without waiting another moment, I dashed off the road and into the woods.
Focusing my hearing, I honed in on the first large heartbeat I could find. A large mountain goat was nibbling on some nearby grass. It wasn't what I was looking for, but the burn in my throat grew sharp. Making a split-second decision, I pounced, raking my nails across its throat before slaking my thirst.
The sound of crackling leaves disturbed my meal. Dropping my prey, I spun around, teeth bared and ready for a fight.
Tanya steps into view, her red eyes gleaming as she examined my kill. By this time, I'm sure that my eyes had returned to their usual gold.
Sighing, I allowed her curiosity as I went about disguising my kill. Especially here, in the past, nothing could appear strange or supernatural about its cause of death. Wolves or bears would take care of the rest.
Making eye contact, Tatyana tilted her head and pressed her lips together.
"Why did you protect that woman? I saw what you did. You ignored all the others. Why?"
I obviously couldn't tell her that it was because I was from the future, and that some day "that woman" would be a dear friend and her precious sister.
"She looks like a dear friend of mine." I whispered, meeting her gaze straight on. "I couldn't bear to see her killed." I gave her as much truth as I dared. I didn't want to lie to her.
Tanya gazed at me for a long moment, her eyes measuring my sincerity before she nodded.
"Are you finished feeding?" Her voice was soft, like she felt I needed to be treated gently.
I nodded.
Slipping her hand into mine, she nodded to the south, slightly off of where the main road should be.
"Come on, I can hear the creak of leather and a strong heartbeat in that direction. I bet we'll find a horse there."
Sure enough, we managed to find one of the spooked horses, and lead it back to Kate and Sasha.
With the steed, we made good time.
As we came close to the settlement, I began to feel uneasy. Something was making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and I wasn't completely sure what it was. The feeling kept growing and growing, until I had to stop in the middle of the road.
The others paused, looking back at me as I nervously scanned our surroundings.
"Something doesn't feel right." I muttered, trailing off as I looked around.
I couldn't see anything lingering in the trees. The air was clear. The birds…
The birds.
With a growing sense of dread, I realized that the forest was dead silent.
Not sound disturbed the forest except for the shuffle of our feet.
"Kate," I asked, voice tense. "How much father to your village?"
She frowned, glancing down the road as if estimating. Her face was pale and covered in a sheen of sweat.
"Should be around this next bend. We are extremely close now."
"We should hurry." I said, trying to ignore the ominous feeling I had.
Confused and a little grumpy, she spurred her horse forward at a quicker pace. I shot my other two companions significant looks.
Unfortunately, nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to see.
Rounding the bend, the thick stench of death hit me like a wall.
Before us was what would have been a picturesque village were it not for the bodies strewn across the ground. There were people, or parts of them, hanging off roofs and lying in doorways. Dull sightless eyes looked back at us, their expressions racked with pain.
In the center of this massacre, 7 black cloaked figures stood around a central person.
A black cloak hid most of his features, but his chin length snow white hair and deep red eyes were immediately clear. His fingers were wrapped around the throat of a soldier, who was dangling in the air as he struggled against the vampire's iron grip. I recognized the soldier as the man who fled our ambush earlier.
The vampires face was twisted into an expression of cruel glee as he watched the soldier struggles grow weaker and weaker.
Slowly, his head turned to regard us with a callous curve of his lips.
"Ah, we have visitors."
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AN: And there we have chapter 16. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Please don't kill me.