-Athenodora-
Humans always felt so fragile to me, like newborn babies. So many things could kill them that you wonder how they've been able to even survive this long. I believe this perspective I have has only been furthered by having a human mate. She was so soft, yet with just the flick of a finger -unintentionally too- I could end up hurting her irreparably. She smelled good too, a smell of fruits that always filled the room the second she walked in. Even then the smell would linger in the room after her leaving. The day I saw her in that throne room I made sure to have similar smelling toiletries kept in stock in her room.
We had all gathered in her room, Bella having fallen asleep a long while ago. She had of course begged for the womens life greatly, pleading for us not to punish her too severely. It was one of the traits I noticed in her, her ability to forgive so easily. It was a trait that greatly concerned me to say the least, it was not a characteristic that benefited very much in world such as this.
Sulpicia sat at the foot of the bed where she ran her fingers through her hair in frustration, in all honesty there was too much going on that any of us needed to be worried about rogue vampires running amuck in the castle. To be fair we were to blame also, we were so confident in our ability to protect Bella that the thought of even assigning a guard to her had somehow made its' way to the bottom of the list of things we needed to do. Our anger was not just directed at the vampire, but ourselves also. However, that wasn't what really concerned us. According to what the vampire told Bella, the army was nothing but a distraction for something else. That it would be a mistake for us to go to North America.
What could be meant by that ate away at us for the better part of the night, considering we had yet to receive word from the guard we had observing the army in Washington. In two weeks we were set to fly to the US. I had an uneasy feeling about this, but it seemed in all circumstances I would have no choice but to go to North America has planned. This did not mean that Bella would go without a guard however, the better part of the night was spent deciding who would have the honor of keeping her safe.
Didiyme suggested Chelsea one our higher ranking guards, she has and is always around us. If anything, Sulpicia herself has even said that if she were ever to decide to leave, we would have no choice but to dispose of her because of how much she knows. It would be highly unfortunate if it were come to that, considering Didyme is very close to Chelsea. She had discovered her on short trip to Greece, the poor girl was ill-fated enough to have been the victim of a a group of mycenean soldiers on their way back from war. The soldiers had dumped her body in a river nearby after they were done with her, her body was so badly ravaged that the river turned red around her the second her body hit the water. Didyme rescued her and changed her teaching her everything there is to know about being a vampire, Didyme had also made sure she allowed Chelsea to take revenge upon those soldiers however she wished. Even providing her with the tools and a private room in the dungeon to do so. From then they have grown closer becoming like sisters one would say, so it made sense that she would suggest Chelsea to be Bellas protector.
Sulpicia however, suggested Corin.
She didn't even get a chance to make an argument before Didyme and I quickly shut down the idea. Bella was not our prisoner, she was our mate. Yes, Corins talents could help ease her, but not in the way we would want. I felt bad for the girl, her gift made it so that none wanted to be around her. Before she came to us, she had been a part of the previous Kings guards. There are many that have seen and know what she can do with her gift, and many are afraid of what she would do to them if they ever got near her.
"Come on Di, Dora, you must consider the possibilities. The following days will not be easy for her, especially with how newly mated we are. If Corin was with her she could keep Bella at ease and allow her to focus on the bond she shares with us. Lest I remind you if she chooses to allow us to be her mates we can make sure her transition into this world is easy with no other complexities." Sulpicia argued.
"True." Didyme sighed."But you know the side effects-"
"That doesn't matter, because Corin will not be able to use her gift on her." Sulpicia looked off to the side, her jaw clenched. Her tone was enough to prove that this didn't have much to do with Corin at all and more to do with something else.
Didyme and I shot each other a worried glance, she moved to Sulpicia where she embraced her from behind and tucked her chin into the crook of her neck. Sulpicia continued to sulk, her jaw wind tight in an effort to hold back her tears.
"It's just us, Cia." Didyme started sprinkling her neck with kisses. "Better to let it out then hold it in, or you'll be like a dam ready to burst at any moment."
That was the thing with Sulpicia, emotions and her do not go along. She's too prideful sometimes when it comes to allowing herself to be vulnerable. I've told her before that I've theorized it may be due to the position she holds in the Volturi, that she struggles in such a way. There was also the matter that in her human years she was not allowed to really allow herself to have emotions. It was one of the things that had contributed to certain arguments over the years. Although, we understand why she is as she is, there are still moments where we have to encourage her to let herself, well, feel.
Finally she succumbed to Didyme, and allowed herself to be pulled towards Bella and I, cuddling up against her just like last night.
"What's this about my love." I stroked her face."You seem very upset."
Sulpicia looked off to the side refusing to meet any of our gazes, finally she took a deep breath and the look we were met with sent an uncomfortable sensation running through my body. I tensed up ready for whatever unfortunate news Sulpicia had to bear.
"Since we've had news of this whole newborn vampire ordeal, I've had a bad feeling." Her voice was low and shaky, as if she was afraid to allow her voice to go any higher."I feel that something much, much darker is afoot."
"What would make you say such a thing, Cia?"
She disappeared for a moment and returned with a letter in her hand, by the broken seal it was clear it had already been read."It arrived this morning, I wanted to wait until Bella had gone to sleep before I brought attention to it. I felt it would be more appropriate considering what I need to tell regarding this letter." She handed me the letter.
My queens,
It is with great displeasure that I bring you more unpleasant news relating to the matter of the newborns in Washington. I have observed and listened just as you have asked and their development have taken a turn for the worse. I fear that the exposure of our world to the humans is only imminent if this army is allowed to continue to grow. They fight so loud the locals fear wild and dangerous animals are making their way into the city from the nearby forest. They hunt and feed with little regards as to who may see or hear, many a times the newspapers have made reports of mauled and dismembered bodies being discovered in alleyways, dumpsters, the streets, and sometimes even in broad daylight for all to see. Some blame wild animals, others are starting to suspect another serial killer may be at large, whatever the reasoning it won't be long before fingers begin to point at... a more unfavorable direction."
-Sincerely Theobas
I chuckled and handed the letter Didyme. "I can see why you're so stressed, this letter is short and vague. How are we supposed to know what's happening with those newborns."
"That's not the problem, when this arrived it arrived just as you see it now." Sulpicia handed me the envelope." The seal broken, the paper haphazardly shoved back into into the enveloped, and most of all citrus and mint. The smell so overpowering I have yet to be able to rid my rooms of the scent."
Citrus and mint, during the old days and to this day I think when a vampire did not want to be identified or found they would attempt to hide their scents with citrus and mint. They believed a combination of the smells was enough to alter or at the very least make their scents difficult to be identified.
"Maybe the guards got curious and decided they wanted to see for themselves what is happening." Didyme suggested. "They're just as restless as we are, I mean it's been years since they've last had the chance to be in battle."
I scoffed"Look at you Di, even you yourself don't believe what you're saying. And it couldn't be the guards, they know very well that citrus and mint wouldn't be enough to cover their tracks that if we really wanted to we could still find them."
"Even so-"
I shook my head at her, Didyme was always the first one to look on the bright side, it was one of the things I always admired about her. In this instance however there was no bright side to look on not with the way the circumstances seemed to appear. She sighed but did not say anything else.
"The only reason I have suspicions is because of the previous letter, before this they were all detailed being at most two to three pages in length." Sulpicia disappeared from the room and came back with a few more letters in her hand, immediately the room filled with the smell of citrus and mint. She put them on the table in front of us, letters with broken seals and shoved back into the envelope carelessly." Now they're vague and have been coming to us opened and smelling like mint and citrus. Not only that, but communication with Theobas has completely stopped. The last I heard from him was four days ago and since then I have I heard nothing else. It's not an assumption I want to make, however I fear that things may be worst then I thought."
We knew what Sulpicia was saying without having to go into detail, you don't stay in power for this long by taking situations such as these lightly. Although it brought about a feeling of dread and worry we understood well enough what this could mean.
"What did Theobas last tell you?" I asked.
She sighed and looked away, it was a never a good sign if Sulpicia looked away during matters like this. It meant things were a lot worse then she was willing to admit. "The last thing he told me is he believed something was...not right with these newborns. That whoever is the leader of this army either has no control over them or something must be seriously wrong with the newborns..." she closed her eyes, biting her lips. "...he said their eyes were pitched black as if they were starving, and their mouths..."
My jaw clenched, My grip on the armchair tightened in an attempt to keep them from trembling. It was the only thing I could do to keep the feeling of dread from taking over me completely, and even then that wasn't enough.
"That is impossible Sulpicia, that practice was... outlawed to say the least." I let out a deep breath, trying to focus on my breathing. "I thought you said this was nothing, but a vampire trying to build an army of newborn vampires as revenge. Even the reports given by Remus and Cato-"
"Those reports were forged." Sulpicia whispered.
"Excuse me?" Didiyme's eyes were wide in disbelief from what she was hearing. "What do you mean forged?"
Sulpicia disappeared again this time reappearing with more letters in her hands. Her hands shook as she handed them too us."When compared to other letter we've received before this it's clear to see somethings seems suspicious about these letters. They may appear the same, but they most definitely are not"
It was clear to see what Sulpicia meant, to the human eyes these letters would look so alike the suspicion wouldn't arise in the first place. However to a vampire the forgery would be noticeable at first, but when compared could definitely be seen.
"What are we to do Cia, we leave in two weeks for North America." I asked.
Cia sighed and looked over to where Bella was sleeping. "Unfortunately we can only hope for the best and prepare for the worst, if it comes down to it well take an aggressive approach if we must. However i'm afraid this maybe a worse situation then we think."
"And what of Bella?" Didyme said quietly. "Her father still remains in Washington, as so do some of her friends also."
"Tomorrow when she wakes up, we will speak with her after her breakfast, whatever she chooses to do we will accommodate." Cia said moving a wisp of hair out of the girls face.
And although we did not speak of it much that night, the feeling of fear we felt was not so easily rid of. We stayed with Bella for a bit before we were forced to go back to our rooms to prepare for a new day. "Hope for the best prepare for the worst" words that I haven't heard in a very long, it was something one said when they knew losing was inevitable. When the sight of success was so far gone you questioned whether it was still a possibility for you. "Hope for the best prepare for the worst", words that I've uttered before myself to many vampires that found themselves in sticky situations.
Looking back in the mirror I couldn't help but look back at the woman staring at me, her lips tightly pursed, her fist and jaw clenched as could be. Even if she didn't want to admit it her eyes gave her away, she was afraid. The uncertainty of the situation scared her like no other, deep inside she knew that this was bound to take a turn for the worst. What was there to be afraid of? Well it was an easy answer.
War.
Personally I didn't believe there was ever a winner in war, everyone always lost something. Whether it be a money, a friend, or even more a mate. Nothing made war rage on longer then when the other side lost their mate. I've seen wars go on for decades, centuries even if amidst the war a mate was killed. Especially if it was to prove a point. War was nasty business, nasty business that we were soon to be part of.