CHAPTER 16
The Angel and The Gambler – Iron Maiden
Leah followed them through the "human entrance" as they called it. They said it like they were paying them some kind of great courtesy by bringing them through an actual door.
'They' consisted of Demetri and a much larger guy. She knows from her research that this must be Felix. He towered over Jacob, even. And was about twice as wide as her former alpha too.
They passed by a receptionist desk. A pretty blonde woman was sitting behind it. Human. She greeted Demetri and Felix by name, cheerfully. They greeted her back, a little flirtatiously, like she was a friend. Marcella, was her name. Like Julien, she was impeccably dressed. Leah narrowed her eyes, and avoided looking at her. She knew what the woman was. Just like she knew what Julien was. She unwillingly felt pity for both, so she chose to hide it under rudeness.
Marcella showed them to a well-decorated sitting room, a few yards from her own desk. They sat down in uncomfortable silence. Felix explained unhelpfully that things were being prepared. He and Demetri were shielding surface thoughts from Edward. Renesmee was bouncing, holding herself back from saying something. She sat between her father and grandfather, and she kept touching them. Edward kept shaking his head at her. Neither said anything out loud.
Demetri knew that it was because they were still shielded by Bella. Interestingly enough, Felix and Marcella were also shielded. This was a sign of a flaw in Bella's shield. She was shielding over a perimeter blindly, unable to control who is protected and who isn't under a wide umbrella that she had cast.
Edward.
He called in his thoughts. The younger vampire did not react. It may mean that he was shielded as well. Or it could be a trick.
Renesmee, impatient with being ignored, blurts out, "Why is there a human here, if vampires aren't allowed to expose themselves to humans?"
Carlisle, Edward, and Jacob all visibly winced. None of them wanting to give the very difficult answer. Demetri and Felix were still. Marcella was too far to hear them.
"She's their familiar," Leah answered.
"Familiar?" Renesmee repeated.
"A non-supernatural creature in service of a supernatural one," she stopped.
Renesmee moved to an even more awkward topic. "Why are they serving vampires?" Again, no one wanted to touch that topic.
"This is not an appropriate discussion to have at the moment," Edward said.
"Sometimes familiars don't have a choice. They're compelled to serve. Sometimes they're willing. For money. Power. Protection. Chance for immortality," Leah replied, ignoring him. It isn't like it's brand new information for the Volturi.
Renesmee gasped loudly. Leah thought it was theatrical, and wondered if the youngest Cullen inherited her parents penchant for putting on an act and lying. And yet she seemed genuine when she says with more than a little judgment and scorn in her voice, "I can't imagine those are very good reasons to do such a thing."
"Relax, kid. If your dad's family was less accommodating, your mom might've sat on that desk herself." That set off a round of chuckles from Demetri and Felix.
Renesmee's eyes grew wide.
"Leah!" Jacob scolded her.
"Do you mind?" Edward said angrily.
"No, I don't mind, but thanks for asking," Leah replied casually, playing with her hair and looking around.
"Not what I meant," Edward muttered under his breath. But Leah's attention was drawn away from him. Her eyes settled on a carved stone plaque above the receptionist's desk. It looked like one of the many littered in ancient towns like this one, stating the year and the name of an emperor or pope.
One of the first things Leah did when she realized her memory was holding on to an unnatural amount of information after she began hearing the voice in her head was to study ancient languages. Because supernaturals tend to be ancient. Or information about them was ancient.
Renesmee's eyes settled on the piece. "It's a retelling of William Somerset Maugham's story, which itself is a retelling of a story in the Talmud and an even older one from Mesopotamia. It's written in Latin but the original is in Aramaic." She was eager to show off her knowledge.
"A merchant travels to Baghdad and encounters a woman in the marketplace. He recognized her as Death, and he flees at great speed to Samarra, where he believes Death will not find him. When he arrives there, he sees Death again. And to him, she says, "I, too, was surprised to see you in Baghdad. For my appointment with you was always here. In Samarra."
"What a talented young lady you are, Miss Renesmee! Tell me, do you understand the moral of the story?" Demetri asked, like he was a teacher in a classroom.
"Of course! Well, it's about the inevitability of Death. All the interpretations of the parable are consistent," Renesmee replied confidently. She was very well-read.
"And perhaps Miss Clearwater has an alternative explanation?" he asked.
"I think it's exactly the kind of humor I would expect to find in Castle Dracula," Leah replied, trying to look like she didn't care. Demetri laughed.
"I don't understand," Renesmee asked, her brows furrowing.
"The more the merchant tried to postpone his death, the sooner he found it," Carlisle explained. Renesmee was finally silent, confusedly turning the words in her mind.
Demetri nodded at him. They had placed the plaque above the receptionist's desk, a warning that often goes unnoticed by the humans who sit underneath it. Miss Clearwater read the situation as a sick, twisted humor on their parts. It was that, too, but only partly. It was also a warning that often goes unheeded, even by those who can read the plaque. It was ignored by the humans who want immortality, and by the vampires who reject their vampirism, their 'death', causing them to violate Volturi law and leading themselves to their doom. One way or another, they were all running to Samarra.
From this, Demetri deduced two things. First, Leah Clearwater was determined to see the worst of their kind. Second, Renesmee Cullen still has the mind of a child and was not capable of deeper philosophical thoughts, regardless of any intellectual skill she may have.
How very interesting of both.
A door opened to Alec and Santiago.
Now, for the second part of their test. They will take their guests through the circuitous taverns below to one of the multiple throne rooms. Which one it is, Demetri and Felix had not been told to prevent Edward from gleaning the knowledge and informing Bella beforehand. This is a test on how far Bella can project her shield. The Cullens chose to be on their field, giving the Volturi a home court advantage, so to speak. A true mistake.
Of course, Demetri was cautious. If they can set up tests like these, the Cullens could be cunning in eluding them as well. The vampires got into a very large elevator using a key card, and their trek down to the underground castle begins.
As they walked, very slowly in Leah's opinion but was actually much faster than human speed, she began to frantically look for an escape route. She was dismayed that there weren't any. She felt air blowing through crevices and knew that there had to be other tunnels. It will take years, decades even, to learn all of the different passages. Even if she managed to break free and run away, she'll probably get lost in this underground cave for an indefinite amount of time. If they don't find her first, which they most likely would. They know these tunnels like the backs of their hands.
Leah forced her breathing to slow down. Not her first underground situation. There was Somalia. She'll be fine.
She was glad that Seth wasn't with them. If shit does go south, hopefully he can manage to get to one of the places she named in her backpack. Hopefully, he'll be given sanctuary, which is actually the bigger worry. Supernaturals are not exactly friendly or welcoming or helpful. If they don't kill him at first sight for trespassing, he has a chance. Better chance than here in this Volterra labyrinth, at least. Not by much, but still. Those are the places where he can be safe from the Volturi.
A few miles down and Demetri feels it. Bella's shield was weakening. Somewhere in-between the Tchaikovsky he was playing in his mind to block Edward, he smiled to himself.
After what seemed like miles of walking, the party arrived at another set of elevators. Leah noticed they were much smaller this time.
She also noticed how they were crowding her and Jacob away from the elevator, herding them towards the back of the group. Whatever they were up to, Leah didn't like it.
She sped past the two additional Guards, taking everyone by surprise with her speed. She squeezed into the elevator with Renesmee, Edward, Demetri and Felix, just as Carlisle was stepping on.
"Oops, sorry to cut in line. Late for a meeting," she joked like they were in an office elevator. She caught Jacob's eye. He won't like being separated from Renesmee, but she hoped he would stay calm. Who knows what type of provocation the Guards will try to create an excuse to kill them all. She hoped that her being with his imprint would calm him somewhat. And Carlisle being the one to stay with him will calm him down, too. Maybe.
Demetri was annoyed. They had wanted to test the imprint bond between Renesmee Cullen and Jacob Black. They had also wanted to subtly test Alec's ability on the wolves. He can cut off only one sense, maybe their sight or hearing, see if they notice or react. But Carlisle will notice having known Alec's powers before. He will know that their guests are being tested.
And Leah Clearwater was in the elevator with them.
"So eager for our company, signorina?" Felix teased her.
Leah rolled her eyes. She was trying to think of how to get out of this sardine trap. She stepped backwards trying to make space for herself, but also to take space away from Demetri and Felix making it harder for them to move their hands freely.
"Easy, lupa bella. I'm sorry to break your heart, but you're not my type."
"That's fine. I wouldn't want fleas crawling up my ass," Leah shot back.
Demetri was surprised. Felix laughed delightedly. Renesmee was shocked; her family would never use such language around her. Edward was outraged.
The elevators opened.