To wander; what an intriguing concept. To roam the Earth with no destination, goal, or target. An aimless force of nature with no purpose, going forward merely for lack of alternative — for where else would it go? There is nowhere else. Humans run, and they run right into Death's eager arms. They have no other option but to throw themselves into her cold embrace. They know it, and what a comfort to know exactly where you are going. To be certain.
Immortals — they walk.
Shrouded by the shadows of the night, they walk resolutely to nowhere.
Through the dark, they wander.
sine duce, per tenebras errant
The screams were always background noise. Like the knife meeting the plate, or the sound of chewing. The clinking of cups. They were louder, for sure, but they were also remarkably briefer — a few seconds at most. The humans barely had time to take notice of their deaths, only catching a glimpse of the brink of the precipice before being thrown over its edge. They fell so quickly… the pain would barely start and then it was over. They were gone, their existence as ephemeral as the sighting of a falling star, and most of them not nearly as captivating. Little flies falling at their feet, dry and useless.
Their souls should rejoice. They have arrived. Their bodies served a purpose, and now they may rest.
Their culprits will keep wandering.
They were made to hunt, these deadly creatures. During those thrilling moments, they had an objective; a purpose. Their ageless bodies were weapons they could finally use, and their prey was a much-needed target. Seek, find, consume. Rinse and repeat.
Fulfilling. Satisfying in its simplicity.
Demetri's experience was vastly different from others of his kind and very much the same in essence. His gift allowed him to seek much more efficiently, but it also made it all the more necessary. He ached to search, and he could hardly settle, always anxious for the next goal, always itching for the next target. The next human to drink, the next lawbreaker to bring to justice.
The next lover to conquer.
Target found; eyes locked, quest initiated.
He was patient. On such occasions, walking was not enough. There was a finesse required, a certain technique to be employed. To learn what type of prey had been found, to decide what approach to take, which deck to play; it was all part of the fun.
On such occasions, he waltzed.
And he had plenty of memorised choreographies to choose from. He had centuries to learn, adapt, and polish his steps. Granted — choosing was not always easy. He had grown picky over time. After a certain number of adventures, the experiences began to repeat themselves. He had to filter, to be creative - being the one choosing had its downsides.
There had been one occasion when his target had chosen him instead, one time when he was starstruck from the moment he laid eyes on her…
He tried to never think of it.
He usually succeeded, too, being such a busy guard. Always needed, barely ever home. The constant focus required for his pursuits kept his mind occupied enough to prevent any type of reminiscing on most days. Yet, he would still think of her from time to time.
Not too often, though.
Until, of course, she stepped inside his home. Reborn. Human.
Undetectable.
He halted. Target recovered, eyes locked, quest resumed.
He was starstruck.
You're not escaping me now.
The wind was crisp as it gently blew past him and the rest of his group, moving their cloaks softly in the dark. They were true to their name, wrapped in the thick, black fabric – vultures flying through the night, circling their prey as they counted down their remaining days. Moving in synchrony and silently snatching wrongdoers, coordinated like only an ancient army of undefeated demigods could be. At the head of the diamond, Jane shot through the gelid air like an arrow. She didn't need to check if she was followed; several lifetimes of rigid training rewarded them with a connection no other coven knew, for no other coven achieved such a level of familiarity between its members.
Not even the Cullens.
No, they were unmatched. It was more than just gifts and gimmicks, it was a true connection, grown and fed patiently and organically over time. They knew each other, no need for mind-reading or unravelling intentions from a muddy glimpse of a possible future. No, they acted on muscle memory. Other guards were to him like extra limbs when they were on a mission. There was no need for verbal cues; they knew each other's micro-expressions like the palms of their own pale, cold hands.
So, when Jane entered the bright-coloured house with no warning or hesitation, the other three immortals did the same, still in formation. They rearranged themselves into a line as soon as the last one stepped in, the precision of their movements as menacing as a sharp blade.
Jane was at the very centre, flanked by Felix and Santiago. Demetri stood closer to the door, knowing he should lead the group towards the two occupants should those decide to escape.
They tensed in their embrace, preparing themselves to do just that.
"Don't bother," Jane warned calmly, almost bored. "I think you know who we are, so you must know that there is no point in trying to surprise us. Or hide from us. Or fight us. Or run."
Felix's deep chuckle reverberated through the place.
Jane smiled, her face beaming with an innocent glow that made her look every inch the pure little girl she was not. Her voice remained devoid of emotion, a discrepancy that was fascinating in its absurdity. "We are not here to destroy you. Yet."
The two vampires in front of them took a few steps away from each other, disentangling themselves. It was clear they were caught in an intimate moment.
Demetri watched with displeasure.
The woman crossed her arms. "If you're not here to kill us, then… what?"
Though her stance and the nature of the question exuded petulance, her voice was shrill, and her eyes were wide. Her companion glanced at her apprehensively.
"We seek to know your intentions here. Specifically, if they involve… a certain local clan."
What followed was a dance or more of a theatrical display. They were not there to gain any sort of information. Isabella Swan made sure to keep them informed, both knowing and unknowingly. They had more than enough information on the matter to decide what to do, and they had already decided. They would let the young ones try to destroy the Cullens to be then destroyed themselves.
It was almost too convenient. A lucky strike, per se. To have someone interested in their destruction, someone to do the dirty work…
It was at that moment that Demetri fully believed in all of it. Fate, the stars, and how the Universe worked hard in its own way to lead them through a certain path. Why else would things work in such a way? Why would an entire army of newborns be created to vanquish the Cullens right after they threw his soulmate into his arms? The timing was immaculate, and he couldn't force himself to doubt it anymore.
He watched with mild interest as Jane granted the woman five days to accomplish her goal. The outcome of the imminent confrontation was inconsequential to all of them, even to Demetri. Isabella Swan was safe in Volterra, and should they succeed in killing any or all of the Cullens their fates would be the same as if they failed: extermination.
Even so, he was not without worry. Jane was right; it was not their way.
The Volturi do not give second chances.
"We'll need to be fast and clean," she warned once they reached a safe distance. "As soon as they're done, we step in and finish it. No leftovers."
No liabilities.
Santiago frowned. "They'll disperse quite easily, even in battle. We'll need to shepherd them."
"We can't." Her voice dripped with displeasure. "We can't risk being seen by the vegetarians, or heard by Edward Cullen. Due to him, we will need to stand several kilometres away."
Felix grunted. "I suppose we should police ourselves around him?"
Santiago hummed in agreement, but Jane merely shrugged. "Pointless. I don't believe we would succeed in doing so, and should he survive the ordeal he will either come with us and read our thoughts forever or be disposed of. "
Despite his better efforts, Demetri frowned at her words. He reined in almost immediately, but Santiago grinned.
"If he does come with us, I think he will be disposed of shortly upon arrival."
His companions laughed. Jane's high-pitched voice was easily distinguishable among the lower chuckles. Demetri pressed his lips together and ignored them, looking away into the distance.
It was a risky move, but it was not his place to question Jane. Aro gave her all the decision power.
They were venturing into unknown territory. Never before did Jane or any of them have to be put in such a position. It made everything much more thrilling, for which Demetri was grateful, but it also made them prone to mistakes.
They were not used to it.
"We'll be close enough for me to map out all of them as they fight," he reflected as if he heard no provocation. "We'll catch them afterwards if we need to."
Jane pursed her lips. "We won't need to."
He couldn't blame her for her sourness. Their situation was unusually uncomfortable. Though he had to agree with her; it was unlikely that they would need to trouble themselves with a chase.
Sadly.
If he was honest with himself — a luxury he couldn't always afford — he always wished for fugitives.
"We might have a few runaways," Jane admitted, "but two or three rogue newborns won't wreak enough havoc for us to waste any time catching them. If they are smart enough to escape, then it's Fate."
She smiled at Demetri, making her little jab obvious.
"I myself am pleased with Fate lately," he conceded, and his peers laughed again.
"I imagine the Cullen boy is not," Felix said.
Jane's smile widened. "Good."
Santiago raised an eyebrow. "You don't like her."
"I don't have to like her." Her response was like a whip. Then she was pensive for a second. "She might grow on me… Alec thinks so."
"Alec sure is having his fun." Demetri tried to keep his voice neutral but was unsure he succeeded. He didn't like the idea of Alec toying with Bella Swan, especially in his absence, though he knew the boy meant no harm. Still, he had a history of getting too violent much too abruptly.
"You're worried he's having too much fun." Felix's suggestion sounded more like an accusation.
Jane cut him off before he could answer. "Alec knows when to stop."
He refrained from scoffing but Santiago did not. Jane zeroed in on him like a falcon. His shrill scream was brief and reasonably contained as he fell to the ground.
"She's perfectly safe with him," she insisted, raising her voice. Santiago decided to keep quiet, standing up and dusting himself off.
Demetri sighed. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled.
Entering the evident battleground, they lowered their hoods, eyes glued to the immortals in front of them. The sweet smoke hadn't dispersed yet, though the fires no longer burned. Listening in for any invisible threats, they scanned the grounds with professional caution. The winds gracefully blew the smoke away from them.
"Impressive."
As usual, it was Jane's clear voice that broke the silence. Pairs of golden eyes stared back at their group, almost fierce in their suspicion.
Too many eyes.
The clan was intact, to their surprise and disappointment. He felt his newfound trust in the Universe shake.
Focus. You're at work.
He discreetly looked around, wondering if someone else noticed the strange, musky scent not entirely concealed by the funeral pyres. Felix stared resolutely ahead, but Santiago met his eyes for a fraction of a second.
He noticed.
It was positively repulsive. He wasn't familiar with that particular smell and curiosity threatened to swallow him whole, but he quickly retreated to his own mind. The voices became muffled background noise as he swept their surroundings for the remaining members of the army, locating a few not far from there. He counted them.
Five… no, six. He stretched his search further away just to be sure and found four more.
Too many to ignore.
He looked for the redhead last, stretching so far that he started to wonder just how soon she abandoned her army. He located her somewhere near Fairbanks.
She had to be travelling for at least ten hours to be there.
Carlisle's voice pulled him back to reality.
"We were lucky."
Jane scoffed.
"I doubt that."
"Many scattered before the battle," the patriarch insisted. "They must have noticed Bella wasn't here. She is the one they were after. We tried to bait them with her clothing and other personal objects, but they must have realised she was absent."
It was a sound reason. Demetri didn't want to believe him, but he had counted the runaways himself. He also remembered the message Isabella received from Edward Cullen discussing this. The day he indulged himself, leaning over her shoulder and reading a shameful amount of messages she decided to open that day… he remembered the way he inhaled so deeply that she eventually noticed him, and how he spoke only to disguise the fact he had been standing right next to her for hours on end.
Edward hissed.
There was inevitable tension in the air. Demetri imagined mind-reading was quite pointless in situations like this; everyone's thoughts were obvious on their faces. It was as difficult for the Volturi to hide their disappointment upon seeing all of the Cullens alive as it was for the other clan to conceal their accusatory glances.
Jane lifted her chin. "We're not used to being rendered unnecessary."
"We're not unnecessary, we have fugitives to pursue," he thought with unapologetic pleasure.
Edward Cullen pursed his lips. "If only you arrived half an hour ago you would have fulfilled your purpose."
The implication of his words was impossible to miss. Another frivolous dance, Demetri thought. Another mere display.
Still, Jane treaded lightly.
"Pity."
He searched her face for guidance, noticing how Felix and Santiago did the same. A subtle quirk of her eyebrow informed them that their plan had just been discarded. With all of the Cullens surviving the attack, they had nothing to do there, and the only newborns remaining were far from the clearing; it was time to leave.
They were curious, though. At least, Demetri was. He ached to know how the vegetarians handled the army on their own, a feat that was certain to put them even higher on Aro's list of threats, even accounting for the deserters. He was also intrigued by the mysterious stench around them.
Edward flinched.
"Let's go." With a swirl of her cloak, Jane turned on her heel. Felix and Santiago immediately flanked her, prompting Demetri to move closer to the Cullens to complete their formation.
"Wait."
Jane looked over her shoulder. They waited in suspense, and Demetri was sure they would finally be accused.
But Edward closed his hands forcefully into fists and hesitated. His voice was strained when he finally spoke. "How… is she?"
A sharp pang hit Demetri deep in his guts, spreading through his chest. It scared him, for he knew exactly what it was. He suddenly felt warm in a most unpleasant way, containing himself not to lash out, shaking slightly with the effort.
It gave Jane obvious satisfaction to answer.
"You correspond frequently." She shrugged. "Ask her yourself."
Edward shook his head. "I need someone else's opinion. Someone who wouldn't lie to me to spare my feelings."
"Though I certainly meet the requirements, I'm afraid I barely pay her enough attention."
"Please, Jane," Carlisle intervened softly, "I'm sure you can be mindful of his situation."
Jane raised her eyebrows, staring at Demetri pointedly before speaking again.
"I suppose it is none of his business now."
She ran then, a smirk lingering on her lips, followed by Felix and Santiago. Demetri hurried to keep up with them, but Edward called out once more.
"Demetri."
He baulked, startled by the direct address. Looking the gaunt teenager in the eye, he struggled to keep his manners.
"She's fine," he all but spat, but in his head he corrected himself.
She's mine.
The boy growled, and his sire had to catch him by the arm. The rest of the vegetarians inched towards them.
"Edward," Carlisle cautioned.
Demetri didn't wait; he had already made a mistake by staying behind for those few seconds. Not wasting another moment, he turned and ran to meet the others. He needed to reach them and take the lead—their mission was not over, and he was the one who knew where to go.
He hoped the teenager could still hear him when he recalled whispering in Isabella's ear as he read her messages on the computer; when he mulled over how delighted he was by her lovely scent and by the pale elegance of her long neck, so very close to his lips then.