Temporal Tide

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, nor any of its characters or franchises. AN: Warning: This chapter contains graphic descriptions of corpses.

x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x

Chapter 18

Bella

The moment the cloaked figure spoke, his companions quickly moved to surround us. They glided, swift and silent, faces hooded like wraiths. I felt my hair stand on end as I fought the urge to flinch.

The stench of death was thick and cloying. I felt my eyes go black. The blood was coagulated and sticky, therefore less appealing, but the iron scent was still enough to make my throat burn.

The figure pushed back his hood, fully revealing his features as the soldier dangling from his grasp began to convulse. Foam gathered at his mouth, his eyes rolled back in his head as he made a disturbing gurgling noise and lost control of his bowels.

I took a half step forward, wanting to help, wanting to end his suffering, wanting to do something, anything.

Tatyana's hand shot out, clamped around my wrist and aborted my forward movement before it was more than just a half-realized impulse. Her face was tense and scared as she pulled me back, eyes darting to the forms boxing us in. Remembering our situation, I allowed her to pull me closer. Intertwining our fingers, she became slightly less tense once she realized I wasn't going to resist.

The vampire in the center seemed amused.

Now that his cloak was down, I confirmed his short pale hair, bright ruby eyes, and surprisingly delicate features. All in all, he looked rather androgynous, and would have seemed somewhat angelic were it not for the cruel set of his mouth and eyes. He watched us with calculating intensity, not even sparing a thought for the man still in his grasp, twitching in his death throws. The sharp, unnerving force of his eyes lingered on me especially, swept up and down my figure as he took in my appearance.

Tanya's fingers tightened in my grasp, and I realized with a sinking feeling how out of place I looked. Sasha, Tanya, & Kate were all in standard attire for the time period. I on the other hand, was clothed only in a t-shirt and cargo pants.

"Are you the ones responsible for this little cult?" he asked as the soldier gave one final desperate gasp and slumped, unmoving.

He dropped the corpse.

Sasha stepped forward; lips pursed nervously as her eyes flitted around.

"Of course not, my liege." Sasha bowed deeply, shooting us a warning glance as she did. We followed her example, Tanya grabbing Kate and dragging her out of the saddle when she was too slow to react. She made a noise of pain and distress as she hit the ground, wrenching her arm. I hissed quietly, not liking how rough Tatyana was being.

Thankfully, Kates survival instincts seemed to be working, because she didn't try to move from her prone position in the dirt.

"We were actually on our way here to dispose of any additional agitators. We dispatched one of the troublemakers further up the road." Sasha continued, pointing behind her up the road. Even now purple smoke could be seen rising in the distance over the treetops.

The black robed figures, shifted and murmured around us, too quietly even for our enhanced hearing to pick up. As the white-haired vampire considered us, I took the opportunity to do the same.

I wasn't sure exactly who this was, but I could recognize him from the painting in Carlisle's study. If I was correct, this was one of the Kings of the Volturi. Sasha's deference made more sense now, although it also could have been attributed to how severely outnumbered we were.

The king motioned to two of his guard and flicked his fingers toward the smoke with a dismissive gesture. They immediately started running, darting through the trees with supernatural grace as they rushed to verify our claims.

Kate meanwhile, seemed to have fallen into shock as she looked at the ruin of her former village with glazed eyes.

Having just fed, I was barely able to keep a hold on my instincts surrounded by so much gore. Considering the way Tanya was gripping my hand, I had to assume she was in the same boat. I tried not to look at the bodies.

"What are your names." He asked, his expression falling into disinterested boredom as he addressed Sasha.

"My name is Sasha m'lord, this is my daughter Tanya," she related, gesturing as she did so. Grimacing with distaste, she paused when she got to me. "as well as my daughters' mate, Mari."

I blinked. Sasha's words pierced my breast like an arrow. My mind raced a mile a minute, and I felt breathless, like the wind had been knocked out of me. I struggled to stay focused on the conversation, and forced myself to pay attention.

With a dismissive flick of his eyes, the Volturi king's gaze fell heavy upon me.

"And where are you from? I've never seen such a manner of dress." His lip curled in repugnance, and I could practically hear the disapproval of my unfeminine attire. I had the feeling that I would not be able to get away with evading the question. I had to be as honest as possible without being too honest.

"I'm from across the Atlantic, m'lord." I muttered, tilting my head down in deference. His ruby eyes seemed to glow in their fervor.

"Fascinating. We'd only just heard about that Norse barbarian's trip across the ocean. To think, we had cousins across that vast gulf. Is this how your people dress in the new world?"

"Not everyone, just my people." I spoke stiffly, unable to hold his gaze for more than a few moments at a time. He hummed, seemingly dissatisfied, before his attention settled on Kate.

"What of the human?" he drawled, looking down at Kate the way one might look at a bug they were about to squash.

I tensed.

Sasha, noticing my involuntary reaction, quickly drew his attention back to her.

"She's been helpful in our investigation, and appears to be a talented warrior. I was going to add her to my coven in reward for her service."

A spark of interest lit his eyes, and he crouched down to get a better look at her face. Kate barely reacted. Her gaze was fastened on the body of a young boy, whose head had been partially crushed from what had probably been a single, powerful, blow.

Don't look.

I wrenched my eyes away, feeling nausea curling in my stomach.

After a moment, the king straightened with a sigh, apparently disappointed with what he'd seen. One of the two volturi guards reappeared from the forest behind us and flashed to his lords' side. Leaning in, he sub-whispered into his master's ear.

A longer sigh issued from his throat as he waved off his subordinate.

"It appears that my tracker was able to confirm the remains of a vampire. Your story also matches what I learned from these villagers." He made a magnanimous sweep of his arm to encompass the carnage. "You're free to leave, but I insist that you begin her change now." Pointing down at Kates unresponsive form.

"You are obviously familiar with the law regarding humans. I would hate to have to punish such loyal subjects." His eyes gleamed with malice, and the guard pressed close, to remind us of their presence.

I leaned back against Tanya, shielding her from the closest figures and pushing her toward Sasha. It took everything I had not to drop into a defensive stance.

"Of course, Lord Caius. Your will be done." Sasha immediately knelt beside Kate, grasped her chin and forced her to make eye contact. "I'm sorry for this." She whispered as she met Kates blank stare.

Like a snake, Sasha struck, sinking her teeth into Kate's neck with alarming speed.

I lurched forward, heart in my throat at her piercing scream of pain. I knew that pain. I'd lived that pain not long ago, and I would never wish it on another human being.

Tatyana pulled me back, flush against her side, eyes black as night. The fresh scent of Kates blood was filling the air, and I felt my chest rumble with hunger. Tanya leaned forward to press her lips to my temple, and that possessive touch was all that kept me from ripping into the flesh of a woman I considered a dear friend.

I stopped breathing.

Sasha bit her twice more in quick succession. One on each arm. Kate began to thrash, her fingers clawing ineffectually against her skin as she gave voice to her suffering. Only the knowledge of what she would become kept me from putting her out of her misery.

Even now, I wish someone had done me the service of killing me quickly rather than face that agony.

Sasha stood, her lips and eyes were painted a violent crimson red.

Caius, as I now knew him, smiled smugly. His eyes lingered on Kates convulsing form with poorly hidden glee. After a few moments, he motioned to his guard with a circular twirl of a finger. They began to disperse and gather behind their king.

"Since you're all so keen to prove yourselves useful," he said, speaking to Sasha. "Why don't you dispose of this mess." He motioned imperiously to the cadavers.

"We're done here." He spoke to the guard before turning once more to us. "Tell any others of our kind what happened here today. Remind them the consequences of breaking the law."

Sasha lowered her head submissively.

Caius surveyed us one more time, and just like that, we were suddenly alone in a village full of carcasses. Kate was still lost to the burning; each howl of torment caused my heart to well with remorse. Before I could do more than take a step in her direction, Sasha had Kate in her arms and hissed at me when I tried to approach. I growled back weakly, but to be fair I probably looked feral.

Twirling away, Sasha ran off toward a church on the edge of town, no doubt wanting to be away from the gore all over the town square.

Now that the danger had passed, it was impossible to ignore the repugnance of the task before us.

Dazed, I walked down the street and between the huts, taking in the carnage left in the wake of the Volturi.

A young couple, their chests ripped open and ribs spread like a side of beef.

A man, torn in half, his chest connected by a trail of intestines to his legs.

A woman, throat and dress torn, splayed over a fence post like a macabre display.

Horror after horror. Nightmare after nightmare. Now, perfectly preserved in my vampiric memory.

Stumbling over to the well, I tried to breathe, tried to look away from these images I didn't want to keep.

I looked down into the water.

There were little bodies floating.

Still, pale, bloated figures.

A wave of panic washed over me, and I dashed out and away.

Away from the village. Away from the stench of death and decay.

I ran. I ran until I couldn't hear or smell or see anything but forest for miles.

My knees buckled as I collapsed to the ground, clutching fistfuls of dirt between my fingers. I needed to regain my bearings. I felt dizzy, queasy, unable to forget those tiny faces. My hands shook.

Closing my eyes, I strived to will away the images.

I heard the quiet crunch of leaves behind me. They slowly approached, and I breathed deep, catching Tatyana's sweet scent in my lungs.

I let my shoulders slump as gentle fingers stroked my hair. I heard the earth shift beneath her feet as she crouched before me. I could feel her breath on my cheek, her caress ran down from the hair at my temple to linger along the line of my jaw.

I opened my eyes.

Tanya's face was mere inches from mine, her expression intent and soft with compassion.

My heart swelled, and I couldn't believe how wonderful Tanya had become.

She must have read something in my face, because an affectionate smile curled at the edge of her mouth and she leaned in, pressing her forehead against mine. With her thumb and the back of her fingers she reverently stroked my face from my brow to my temple in a slow repetitive motion.

Eventually my grip loosened. I let the soil fall from my grasp as I reached out to clasp her hands. She didn't pause her ministrations, merely entwined our fingers as she tenderly brushed my skin.

"Better?" Tanya murmured, her eyes searching.

I nodded without speaking.

"Do you want to stay here? I can take care of the village." She soothed; voice warm as she kissed the place between my brow.

I jerked my head before haltingly rising to my feet.

"No, that wouldn't be fair to you. Just give me a moment. I've never seen such brutality before. So much death." I trailed off. I wiped my mouth with my arm, as if doing so could wipe away the memories.

Tanya blinked slowly and cocked her head, before she also gracefully straightened.

"But you're a vampire. You must have spilled blood more than once." Her eyes narrowed in thought. "How old are you exactly? I know you've been a vampire for most of my life. So at least twenty years."

I slanted her a wary look, but her expression showed only genuine interest.

"I was turned not long before I met you." I replied truthfully, omitting certain facts. "I was still in my newborn phase. It was actually rather miraculous that I didn't end up killing you that first time." I smiled weakly at the slightly alarmed look on her face. "But no, I've never killed another human being. The closest I ever came was an incident with a pair of vampires. I tore them apart, but I didn't burn their bodies, so there's a chance that they eventually recovered."

Tatyana merely gazed at me with bewildered amazement.

"How is it possible that you've never killed a human? Not even while you were first learning to resist your thirst?"

"No. I've never tasted human blood."

Tanya stared at me for a long moment.

"You're not lying." She stated blankly, her eyes wandered to the side and far off into the distance.

I wondered what she was thinking.

Wiping the dirt on my hands off on my pants, I tentatively offered Tanya my hand.

With a slightly melancholy smile, she took my hand.

Eventually we made our way back to the massacre. We began by digging a large pit outside of town, and breaking down some of the wooden houses & thatched roofs for kindling. With so many dead, and the necessity of obscuring their cause of death, it became clear that we would have to burn the remains.

I retched and had to flee several times as I loaded up the bodies of men, women, and children into carts to haul them to the pyre.

Kates echoed screams was the only noise to break the silence as we worked.

At one point I looked up and saw a small cloaked figure in a tree. A pale delicate hand grasped a nearby branch as they watched us haul cadavers.

Something dark burned in my chest at the sight. Part of me wanted to rush over and sink my nails into their marble flesh and rip. It was the least they deserved for what they'd done here today; but the thought of the retribution they would bring against Tanya, Kate, and Sasha helped me temper my impulse.

By the time the two of us finished stacking the pyre, it was dark, and the two of us were moving with robotic detachment. Tanya in particular was methodical. Her eyes betrayed no emotion as she moved through the village. Our clothes were stained with blood and other fluids, as we'd just spent the better part of the day hauling corpses; but the monstrosity of the situation didn't seem to penetrate her cool countenance. My heart sank with the notion that Tanya already seemed to be adopting her older counterpoints relationship with death.

After retrieving a barrel of pitch from a nearby home and dousing the heap, Tanya used some flint to light the spark that set the whole thing ablaze.

For a moment, I watched the fire burn and dance, before the scent of cooking meat forced me to look away.

A glance at the tree line told me that the hooded vampire was gone.

Sickened, even as my throat burned fiercely, I turned and stumbled off in a daze.

This day didn't feel real, it felt like a bad dream that I couldn't wake from.

Walking back in the direction of the waterfall, I eventually came across a series of shallow pools. They were no more than three feet deep at the center, fed by a creek that probably merged into the river downstream.

Wading into one of the pools, I began to wash the blood from my hands. The water became stained with crimson. I felt tears well in my eyes, and a sob got caught in my chest as I began to frantically scrub at my skin; but the blood was everywhere.

Dropping into the water, I tore at my clothes, tossing the blood-soaked garments onto the bank in an effort to rid the feeling of being tainted. Desperately seizing handfuls of gravel, I scoured every inch of me I could reach. Plunging myself into the water over and over again because I could still remember the squirm of torn flesh in my hands. Could smell it clinging to my skin and under my fingernails.

I didn't want to remember.

Eventually, I collapsed. I wrapped my arms around my legs and hid my face against my knees. The cold water rushed over my shoulders.

It's where Tanya eventually found me, motionless, lit only by moonlight. Which was more than enough for both our vampiric senses.

Lifting my head, I looked at her from my place in the water. She seemed entranced, her eyes seemed to absorb the light as her gaze seemed to linger on my exposed arms and shoulders. Locking eyes with me, she set down two bundles and slowly began to undress.

Uncinching her belt & undoing the laces on the front of her tunic, she pushed the material off her shoulders and let the cloth drop.

I felt my mouth go dry.

I doubted I would ever see anything as beautiful as Tanya in that moment. Bathed in starlight, her skin was pale, smooth, and flawless. Tatyana's strong graceful limbs emphasized the gentle arch of her neck and sensuous curve of her breast and hips.

Spellbound, I watched as she sauntered forward. Stepping into the creek, she lowered herself into the water behind me. Oh, so gently, Tanya's arms slid around my neck as she pressed herself against my back; her legs bracketing my own.

My breath hitched. I froze, but my heart would have pounded in my chest had I still been human.

With a hushed sigh of longing, she placed a lingering kiss against the pulse of my neck; her hands simultaneously stroked my arms. Turning my face toward her, Tanya brushed her lips against my eyes, my cheeks, my mouth in quiet devotion.

Something loosened in my heart and I began to cry in earnest, deep choking sobs that I hid in the crook of her neck as I clung to her.

Tanya's arms held me close, offering nothing but wordless comfort.

We lingered under the light of the moon.

x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x

A/N: Hey guys, this chapter is a bit shorter then normal, but this was a good stopping point for the end of the chapter so I had to use it. I wanted to have this be a chapter where Bella gets a bit of a wakeup call, but im not sure if I made it too dramatic. I was trying to keep it balanced, but these things can be tricky. Did you think it was too graphic? Was it over the top or unrealistic? Did everything seem plausible and in character? Please let me know! Your feedback helps fuel my motivation. Till next time guys!