Etchings of archaic weapons glared up at her. The beautiful weapons, etched with precious jewels in the hilts and ornate carvings etched into the metal, reflected in her ruby red eyes. She peered up at Aro. "What are they?" She asked softly, her eyes falling back to the pages, weathered and crumbling with time, one finger lightly glancing over the blades.
He gave a titter. "A formidable weapon that no one, mortal or immortal, has laid eyes on for millennia. Some call them the Cursed Blades, others call them Soul Iron." He mused, amusement lacing his voice. Olivia looked up at him. "They sound like names mankind gave them to explain the unexplainable." She retorted.
A laugh rippled from his lips before he steeled himself. "Quite right, Miss Felton. We cannot substantiate what particular era they came into existence under. No one outside the Volturi knows of their existence. The secrecy is vital. If other vampires knew of such a weapon, they wouldn't hesitate to use it against us all, to wipe the Volturi off the Earth."
A frown marred her face as she gently closed the book. "I don't understand. Why tell me of such a weapon if it hasn't been seen for a thousand years?"
Marcus drifted towards them, getting off of his throne and drifting towards her where she sat at the long, mahogany table. He sighed, the sound as though he'd swallowed ashes. "Whispers," he groaned, sinking into the seat at the other end of the long table. The blonde haired man beside him scowled. "There are always whispers," he sneered.
Aro chuckled. "Yes, there are always whispers, dear brother, but not from the Russian coven." He corrected. Olivia frowned. "I don't know of them," she murmured and Aro hummed. "You do, my dear. They were the ones behind yours and dear Alec's most unfortunate imprisonment some three decades ago." He answered lightly, watching her reaction closely.
As if on cue, her whole marble limbed form went stiff and still. A few glances were exchanged behind her, the taller of the two guards who were on duty immediately appearing behind her. Aro glanced at them and motioned them back. "Fret not, dear ones. Miss Felton is no danger to my brothers or I. You may resume your posts." He answered lightly, the underlying order not concealed whatsoever. With a deep bow of their heads, the two lower guards melded back into the shadows that lined the walls.
She could sense and feel their displeasure from where she sat, her fingers gripping their mirrors on the other hand tightly. A small crack appeared in the pale creamy skin before it healed in less than a second.
Olivia nodded numbly, her eyes flickering upwards. "I thought they were destroyed." She responded coolly and Aro hummed, his fingers pressing together in front of him as he surveyed her less than appeased features. "We destroyed the majority of the coven, as you well know. Demetri tracked the last remaining three members to Northern America, then back to Europe. He was almost upon them with the twins just months ago and then they simply vanished. I felt his anger, his anguish, his sense of failure at not being able to find them. It was as though they were trackable one moment, and gone the next."
She swallowed. So that was where the they had gone weeks ago... She looked squarely at him. "Are they behind the whispers of those weapons? How would they even have knowledge of them?" She asked and the raven haired leader nodded. "They are indeed. Our allies throughout the world confirmed our suspicions." He answered.
The doors to the main room burst open, a man she had only seen a mere handful of times in all her decades here striding towards them, milky red eyes gleaming brightly beneath cropped, shortened dark hair. Aro gave a pleased laugh. "Ah, Arcadius!" He greeted cheerily.
The man -Arcadius- gave a sweeping bow, something Caius gave a snort at. The milky red eyes moved over to him. "Nice to see you too, Caius. My sister wishes for your companionship once all matters have been dealt with." He stated and the name clicked in her head. He was the Lady Lysandra's older brother, and one of the rare few immortals who'd been sired by her husband.
The blonde ancient gave an incline of his head but nothing more, leaving it to Aro to speak further. "What do your travels bring?" He inquired and Arcadius hummed disapprovingly. "Humans are vanishing from Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia, all countries bordering the latter, where the Russian coven is set to be taking up a stronghold in the uninhabited area of the country." He revealed, Olivia feeling her skin begin to crack further as she gripped tighter. "The respective governments haven't connected the pieces yet, but they will, and we risk exposure should this be permitted to continue."
Aro nodded. "Thank you, my friend. Have you gathered your allies throughout the world?"
The dark haired man nodded once. "I have indeed. Laurentia returned some while ago with a few of her friends she has made during her time within the Volturi. They're eager to help rid us of this scourge." He answered strongly.
Caius spoke up at that moment. "Brother?" He murmured, pressing one smooth finger into Aro's palm. Milky red eyes shone with amusement, but he nodded. "Go, brother." He stated calmly with a cheery smile. "I am sure that dear Lysandra eagerly awaits your companionship." He soothed, the blonde ancient not needing another moment before he vanished from sight. Aro gave a chuckle. "Still so devoted after three millennia's." He chuckled and the dark haired man opposite him gave a wry smile just as a woman with hair a red as blood and as dark as red wine came into the room. She gave a warm smile to all in there, Arcadius being the first to return in dazzlingly. "I share the sentiment."
Sitting silently in her chambers gave her time to strew, and boil, so when Alec came to see her later that night when he was relived of his patrol, she was close to exploding. He was puzzled to see her facing the window, one of the only few in the castle considering most was underground. He closed the door behind him. "Olivia?" He called quietly. He had heard rumours from the guards as they gossiped about the conversation that had taken place during his outing, but he hadn't believed them.
Now though, he was questioning that doubt.
Olivia remained silent, one hand gripping the wood that lined the outside of the window frame on the wall. Alec appeared behind her, her hand tightening as he placed on of his lightly on her shoulder. Splinters clattered to the ground. She inhaled sharply. "When were you going to tell me the Russian coven wasn't completely destroyed?" She asked quietly.
The rumours had been true. Alec hummed, moving closer, winding an arm lightly around her waist as he pressed his lips to her marble like cheek. "I wasn't, for you would have reacted as you are now, closing yourself off to everyone," he gave a soft sigh. "Including myself. I wanted to remove their presence from this world, erase all trace of them, make it so they didn't hinder you anymore." He murmured.
Her lips parted slightly. "Regardless of us, that wasn't your decision to make," she whispered softly and he hummed. "It wasn't; it was masters. He didn't want you to revert back to how you used to be, cold, shut off from everyone, even him. I agreed. I do not wish to see you like that again, Tesoro." He soothed.
Olivia gave a harsh hum at the back of her throat. "Why, because they all took turns raping me?" She clipped harshly.
Alec didn't say anything, just merely rubbed the thumb on the sand that held her waist over her uniform, the touch doing little to quell the pain and fury that was ripping through her mind and body. "No," he murmured. His lips brushed against her cheek once more. Her crimson eyes cut to him sharply, and he merely gave her a tender smile, one she knew he reserved solely for his sister and herself. He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. "Because I love you."