It took me awhile, but the new chapter is up! Enjoy!
Chapter Forty-Four
When my ears started ringing, I gasped.
"Edward he's going to go kill Caius!" I yelled as I tried to climb onto him. "We've got to go now! We have to stop him!"
Edward's eyes furrowed. "Bella, I do not think—,"
"Edward I'm not kidding," I said. "You're father will die fighting Caius. He's in his most primal state right now, you know how—,"
Edward gasped and took off, running as fast as he could through the jungle. He wasn't going as fast as I knew he could so, I pinched his arm.
"Edward run faster!" I screeched.
"Bella, I cannot—,"
"Just go!" I screamed loudly into his ear. "I will be fine! Go!"
Edward growled and started running faster. I felt a little nauseous, but I pressed my face against his chest so I couldn't see the blurry jungle moving around me.
I needed to stay focused and be strong. Somewhere in a small part of my brain, Esme's voice was screaming at me.
I could hear her crying about Carlisle dying. It had been her vision for years and it was actually coming true. I hadn't given it much thought since that day she told me, but now, it was all I could think about.
When the air was chilly, I knew we were close. Edward was out of breath at this point, but he kept pushing. He wasn't used to running at his full speed and carrying me when I was so heavy. I felt bad, but I knew we had to hurry.
I urged Edward to go faster. I knew Carlisle had now reached Caius and Tanya and I knew things were about to become explosive. Caius wasn't in his right state of mind. He would be so wrapped up in protecting his mate, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from killing his brother.
I knew we were close when we heard the loud roars and the colliding of solid stone. I felt my gut twist horribly.
"Fuck fuck fuck!" I gasped. "Edward please go faster!"
"I am going as fast as I can," He whimpered. "I cannot go any faster."
I heard the worried tone in Edward's voice. I immediately pressed my face into his neck. "It will be okay, my Edward. Just keep running."
By the time we made it to Caius's cave, it was completely silent. The silence was even more frightening than fighting. I jumped out of Edward's arms, ignoring the painful burning in my ankles when I landed on my feet.
A loud shrill cut through the silence. I ran in the direction of Tanya's sobbing. Edward stayed right on my heels, as if afraid to run any faster and see what he didn't want to see.
My knees almost gave out as I took in the scene before me. After that, it felt as though I were moving through jello, slowly making my way to Carlisle, who was sprawled out on the ground, covered in blood.
Caius was standing above Carlisle, completely naked, looking down at him with bewilderment. As if he couldn't believe what he had just done. Tanya was on the ground, just as naked as Caius with her hands on Carlisle's chest.
I dropped to my knees beside him, placing my hand on his chest.
"I-I did… I did not—," Caius whispered before screaming in agony, dropping to his knees. He gathered Carlisle up in his arms and started rocking him. "My brother! No, no, no! You are not dead! Come on, wake up. Please, please wake up. I am sorry."
Edward dropped beside me, staring at Carlisle while tears fell down his cheeks and onto the ground. The only thing that moved on his body were his shaking hands as he stared at Carlisle, as if he were waiting for him to wake up.
I reached forward with shaky hands. "L-let me try…"
"What can you do!?" Caius snarled. "This is because of you! Had you stayed away—,"
"You killed him!" Edward snarled back. "You did this! He is dead because of you! You… outcast!"
"Screaming at each other is not helping him!" I snapped at them both, "Put him down on the ground and allow me to work."
Caius very carefully placed him on the ground. He let out the softest of sobs as he stroked Carlisle's bloody hair off from his forehead.
I placed both of my hands on Carlisle's chest and closed my eyes. I focused all of my energy on Carlisle, as I did so, the babies inside of me kicked and twisted wildly as they felt the life draining from me into Carlisle.
I gasped and I felt pain in my neck, radiating all the way down my spine. I was suddenly jerked away from Carlisle.
I snapped my head over at Edward. "What are you doing!?" I screamed at him.
"You are dying!" He cried. "I-I cannot…"
"Get off me!" I screamed at him, jerking out of his grasp, and putting my hands back on Carlisle's chest.
I inhaled deeply, throwing my head back and focusing all of my energy into him. I felt my ears buzzing so painfully that I felt extremely dizzy. But I forced my hands to stay on his chest.
I screamed out as every nerve ending in my body seemed to explode with pain. So much blood poured out of my nose that I nearly choked on it. Edward placed his hands on me again.
"You have to stop." He begged, holding me tightly. "You cannot do this."
I sobbed. "I can't let him die!"
"S-shh, Bella," Edward whispered in my ear. "You did what you could."
I sobbed. "It's all my fault!"
"No it is not," Edward said, rocking me gently.
Caius was hunched over Carlisle's body, sobbing wordlessly, as was Tanya. Grief replaced the cold air as I felt no longer felt the stingy breeze. All of this was my fault. I failed. Again.
"My child," The soft, feminine voice of the goddess called out to me.
"I-I failed," I sobbed to her, looking up at the sky. "Why would you allow me to fail again!"
"You have not failed, my child," She said softly. "There is time. Carlisle can be saved."
"How!? Tell me how! Tell me right now!" I shouted at her.
"Carlisle needs the healing waters of the Hunphai river. He was born in the water; he must be revived in it."
"There's no way we can get Carlisle to the Hunphai river in time."
"The top of the mountain," Caius said, looking over at me. "The beginning of the Hunphai river is near. Will this bring my brother back?"
"Yes," I nodded, "We need to get him there fast!"
Caius carefully gathered Carlisle into his arms. Edward scooped me up in his and allowed Tanya to jump onto his back.
As Caius led us to the river, my ears started ringing. I closed my eyes to focus on what the goddess was telling me, but all I could see was violence and anger. It took me several moments to understand the meaning of the scary vision.
"The men… t-the family. Esme. They're coming," I gasped before looking at Edward. "They're coming! They know something is wrong!"
"It will be alright."
"We have to heal Carlisle before then," I said, looking into his eyes. "They're going to kill Caius."
Edward made a face as if that weren't such a big deal, but I hissed at him.
"Caius cannot die! If he dies, then we cannot protect the women! All of this will be for nothing!"
"Let them come," Caius yelled over his shoulder. "I will face them all!"
"There will be no more fighting!" I snapped at him. "That is not your purpose!"
We made it to the start of the river. The water flowed from clouds that were extremely close to the peak of the mountain. I would've been overtaken by the sheer power and beauty before me if I weren't consumed with bringing Carlisle back to life.
I jumped out of Edward's arms and followed Caius into the water. Caius held Carlisle's head above the water.
I placed both of my hands on Carlisle's cheeks and my lips against his forehead.. "Hear me Carlisle. Now is not your time. Come back to us. Please."
I poured all of my energy into Carlisle. My knees felt weak, and the blood resumed flowing from my nose. I had to swallow bile from my stomach so I wouldn't vomit.
"Carlisle!" I heard Esme screech. I also heard splashing as she ran into the water.
She appeared before me, on his other side, looking down at him with horror. Not a moment passed before she let out a horrific, ear-piercing scream of agony.
There were several voices behind me. Caius growled as I heard the yelling. What they were saying, I wasn't sure. It sounded like they were miles away. I couldn't break my focus. I had to focus on bringing Carlisle back.
"Get back!" I heard Tanya snarl. She appeared beside Caius, blocking his body with her own.
Caius growled and knocked her aside before roaring at whoever was challenging him. When she tried to protect him again, he moved her aside with his tail, keeping her out of the line of fire.
"Edward control this!" I said through gritted teeth.
"Bella," Esme sobbed. "M-my Carlisle… He is—,"
"No! I'm not letting him die!" I screeched at her, squeezing my eyes shut so I didn't break my concentration. "Make everyone back up! No one attacks Caius!"
Esme looked over at Caius, her nostrils flared. She hesitated, as if unsure of what to do, but something happened behind me. She lifted her lip, exposing her teeth before taking her hands off Carlisle and running to stand in front of Caius.
"Back away!" She screeched. "Away! You heard her! Stay away!"
"He has killed our protector!" I heard an unfamiliar male voice roar. "He must die for his crimes!"
God damn it. Come on Carlisle! Come back! We need you back!
"He is not dead yet!" Tanya screeched. "You are not killing Caius! This was not his fault!"
"He is a danger to us all!"
"Back off!" Edward roared. I heard a scuffle behind me, and I knew Edward was physically pushing people back. They just needed to give me a few more moments.
The scuffle and screeching from behind me suddenly stopped. In fact, it seemed as though everything stopped. My heart was beating so slowly and the pain I had experienced was gone. Now, I felt as though I were floating.
I opened my eyes to see that I was still in the water, my hands on Carlisle. Standing across the river, on its edge, was a large Ektix, staring. I smiled, knowing that it was Carlisle.
"Come back," I said to him. "Please Carlisle. We need you. You are our protector. We need you."
The Ektix cocked its head to the side, then to the other side before stepping into the water. I smiled widely as the Ektix looked down at Carlisle's body. Once it was close enough, I stepped away from Carlisle's body.
The Ektix leaned down, closing its eyes, and pressing its large head against Carlisle's. I closed my own eyes and felt myself being pulled back to reality.
I could feel my body falling down into the water, but before my head went under, someone caught me and held me up.
I groaned softly as I forced myself to open my eyes so I could see who was holding me. I smiled widely when I looked into Carlisle's face.
"Glad you're alive," I mumbled.
Carlisle chuckled before standing to his full height, still holding me in his arms. The loud noises and scuffling around us suddenly stopped as Carlisle stood, shocking everyone who was near.
"Carlisle!" I heard Esme cry as she splashed into the water and ran to him.
Carlisle chuckled and placed his head on top of Esme's. "You did not think I would leave you so soon, did you, my Esme?"
"Thank you, Bella," Esme cried, throwing her arms around me. "You saved him. You brought him back from the beyond."
I closed my eyes again, feeling overwhelmingly tired. "No problem."
"Bella," Edward sighed in relief as he took me out of his father's arms. "My Bella… you are so weak…"
As soon as I was safely tucked into Edward's arms, I let my head fall to the side and went on to sleep.
Two Days Later
As I stretched, I winced, feeling my sore, unused muscles. I was still somewhat out of is as the bed I was laying on top of moved and brought me to a seated position.
"Bella?" I heard Edward say, his cold breath swirling around me.
I peeked an eye open. "Just a few more minutes of sleep."
He chuckled. "You have been asleep for two days and nights. I believe you have had enough sleep."
I stretched again, trying to shake off the sleepiness in my bones. "Only two days? Not nearly enough sleep."
I felt Edward's hand on my large belly. "Well, if you would like to continue sleeping, that is fine, but dinner ready."
"Dinner?" I said as I opened an eye.
He laughed. "I thought that would make you open your eyes. Your stomach as been growling for a long while now. I was starting to get very worried."
I sat up on my own and rubbed my heavy eyes, looking around. "We're home?"
"Of course," He said, pressing his lips against my forehead. "Where did you think you were?"
"I don't know," I frowned. "I don't remember… what happened?"
"You truly do not remember what happened two days ago?"
"I do not." I said.
"You snuck off in the night to see Caius, which of course forced me and Tanya to have to come after you, then, we had to leave Tanya—,"
"Oh," I said, slapping my forehead, which caused Edward to grumble before pulling my hand away and placing his lips against my forehead. "I remember now."
"Mm."
"How is your dad?" I asked, remembering that I had brought him back from the dead but part of me was afraid it had just been a dream.
"He is fine," Edward smiled. "My mother is making him rest, but he claims he feels alright."
"And… how is our family?" I asked nervously.
He let out a soft sigh. "Everyone is… quiet. They all seem to be in shock at the miracle you preformed."
I nodded. "Is anyone angry? Or doubtful? Or demanding I leave."
"No," He shook his head. "Everyone is just in shock. They knew you were special, but they did not realize that you were the daughter of Auk'ell'ieks'Ognil."
"And they know now? After seeing what I had done?"
"My mother and father told them everything. It was time the family was told everything."
I nodded. "How did they take it?"
"They are in shock. Some want to be in disbelief, but they cannot be because of what they witnessed or what their mates told them. Everyone is just processing the information and the changes to come."
"I'm sure they're all dying to know what changes are coming."
"My mother explained as best as she could but you have not told her everything, so our family is still very curious to know what you know."
I took a deep breath, "Then it's time we go tell them everything."
Edward nodded once before helping me to my feet.
Next Sunday (hopefully) The next chapter will be up!
