Edward cleared his throat loudly and Caius glared at him. Aro placed one thin, delicate hand over his own face as if he was embarrassed for the other ancient.
Caius, its the middle of the day, Edward pointed out. He gestured to Jacob. These are not Children of the Moon, clearly. They bear no relation to your enemies on the other side of the world.
You breed mutants here, Caius spit back at him.
Edwards jaw clenched and unclenched, then he answered evenly, They arent even werewolves. Aro can tell you all about it if you dont believe me.
Not werewolves? I shot a mystified look at Jacob. He lifted his huge shoulders and let them dropa shrug. He didnt know what Edward was talking about, either.
Dear Caius, I would have warned you not to press this point if you had told me your thoughts, Aro murmured. Though the creatures think of themselves as werewolves, they are not. The more accurate name for them would be shape-shifters. The choice of a wolf form was purely chance. It could have been a bear or a hawk or a panther when the first change was made. These creatures truly have nothing to do with the Children of the Moon. They have merely inherited this skill from their fathers. Its geneticthey do not continue their species by infecting others the way true werewolves do.
Caius glared at Aro with irritation and something morean accusation of betrayal, maybe.
They know our secret, he said flatly.
Edward looked about to answer this accusation, but Aro spoke faster. They are creatures of our supernatural world, brother. Perhaps even more dependent upon secrecy than we are; they can hardly expose us. Carefully, Caius. Specious allegations get us nowhere.
Caius took a deep breath and nodded. They exchanged a long, significant glance.
I thought I understood the instruction behind Aros careful wording. False charges werent helping convince the watching witnesses on either side; Aro was cautioning Caius to move on to the next strategy. I wondered if the reason behind the apparent strain between the two ancientsCaiuss unwillingness to share his thoughts with a touchwas that Caius didnt care about the show as much as Aro did. If the coming slaughter was so much more essential to Caius than an untarnished reputation.
I want to talk to the informant, Caius announced abruptly, and turned his glare on Irina.
Irina wasnt paying attention to Caius and Aros conversation; her face was twisted in agony, her eyes locked on her sisters, lined up to die. It was clear on her face that she knew now her accusation had been totally false.
Irina, Caius barked, unhappy to have to address her.
She looked up, startled and instantly afraid.
Caius snapped his fingers.
Hesitantly, she moved from the fringes of the Volturi formation to stand in front of Caius again.
So you appear to have been quite mistaken in your allegations, Caius began.
Tanya and Kate leaned forward anxiously.
Im sorry, Irina whispered. I should have made sure of what I was seeing. But I had no idea. . . . She gestured helplessly in our direction.
Dear Caius, could you expect her to have guessed in an instant something so strange and impossible? Aro asked. Any of us would have made the same assumption.
Caius flicked his fingers at Aro to silence him.
We all know you made a mistake, he said brusquely. I meant to speak of your motivations.
Irina waited nervously for him to continue, and then repeated, My motivations?
Yes, for coming to spy on them in the first place.
Irina flinched at the word spy.
You were unhappy with the Cullens, were you not?
She turned her miserable eyes to Carlisles face. I was, she admitted.
Because ? Caius prompted.
Because the werewolves killed my friend, she whispered. And the Cullens wouldnt stand aside to let me avenge him.
The shape-shifters, Aro corrected quietly.
So the Cullens sided with the shape-shifters against our own kindagainst the friend of a friend, even, Caius summarized.
I heard Edward make a disgusted sound under his breath. Caius was ticking down his list, looking for an accusation that would stick.
Irinas shoulders stiffened. Thats how I saw it.
Caius waited again and then prompted, If youd like to make a formal complaint against the shape-shiftersand the Cullens for supporting their actionsnow would be the time. He smiled a tiny cruel smile, waiting for Irina to give him his next excuse.
Maybe Caius didnt understand real familiesrelationships based on love rather than just the love of power. Maybe he overestimated the potency of vengeance.
Irinas jaw jerked up, her shoulders squared.
No, I have no complaint against the wolves, or the Cullens. You came here today to destroy an immortal child. No immortal child exists. This was my mistake, and I take full responsibility for it. But the Cullens are innocent, and you have no reason to still be here. Im so sorry, she said to us, and then she turned her face toward the Volturi witnesses. There was no crime. Theres no valid reason for you to continue here.
Caius raised his hand as she spoke, and in it was a strange metal object, carved and ornate.
This was a signal. The response was so fast that we all stared in stunned disbelief while it happened. Before there was time to react, it was over.
Three of the Volturi soldiers leaped forward, and Irina was completely obscured by their gray cloaks. In the same instant, a horrible metallic screeching ripped through the clearing. Caius slithered into the center of the gray melee, and the shocking squealing sound exploded into a startling upward shower of sparks and tongues of flame. The soldiers leaped back from the sudden inferno, immediately retaking their places in the guards perfectly straight line.
Caius stood alone beside the blazing remains of Irina, the metal object in his hand still throwing a thick jet of flame into the pyre.
With a small clicking sound, the fire shooting from Caiuss hand disappeared. A gasp rippled through the mass of witnesses behind the Volturi.
We were too aghast to make any noise at all. It was one thing to know that death was coming with fierce, unstoppable speed; it was another thing to watch it happen.
Caius smiled coldly. Now she has taken full responsibility for her actions.
His eyes flashed to our front line, touching swiftly on Tanyas and Kates frozen forms.
In that second I understood that Caius had never underestimated the ties of a true family. This was the ploy. He had not wanted Irinas complaint; he had wanted her defiance. His excuse to destroy her, to ignite the violence that filled the air like a thick, combustible mist. He had thrown a match.
The strained peace of this summit already teetered more precariously than an elephant on a tightrope. Once the fight began, there would be no way to stop it. It would only escalate until one side was entirely extinct. Our side. Caius knew this.
So did Edward.
Stop them! Edward cried out, jumping to grab Tanyas arm as she lurched forward toward the smiling Caius with a maddened cry of pure rage. She couldnt shake Edward off before Carlisle had his arms locked around her waist.
Its too late to help her, he reasoned urgently as she struggled. Dont give him what he wants!
Kate was harder to contain. Shrieking wordlessly like Tanya, she broke into the first stride of the attack that would end with everyones death. Rosalie was closest to her, but before Rose could clinch her in a headlock, Kate shocked her so violently that Rose crumpled to the ground. Emmett caught Kates arm and threw her down, then staggered back, his knees giving out. Kate rolled to her feet, and it looked like no one could stop her.
Garrett flung himself at her, knocking her to the ground again. He bound his arms around hers, locking his hands around his own wrists. I saw his body spasm as she shocked him. His eyes rolled back in his head, but his hold did not break.
Zafrina, Edward shouted.
Kates eyes went blank and her screams turned to moans. Tanya stopped struggling.
Give
me my sight back, Tanya hissed.
Desperately, but with all the delicacy I could manage, I pulled my shield even tighter against the sparks of my friends, peeling it back carefully from Kate while trying to keep it around Garrett, making it a thin skin between them.
And then Garrett was in command of himself again, holding Kate to the snow.
If I let you up, will you knock me down again, Katie? he whispered.
She snarled in response, still thrashing blindly.
Listen to me, Tanya, Kate, Carlisle said in a low but intense whisper. Vengeance doesnt help her now. Irina wouldnt want you to waste your lives this way. Think about what youre doing. If you attack them, we all die.
Tanyas shoulders hunched with grief, and she leaned into Carlisle for support. Kate was finally still. Carlisle and Garrett continued to console the sisters with words too urgent to sound like comfort.
And my attention returned to the weight of the stares that pressed down on our moment of chaos. From the corners of my eyes, I could see that Edward and everyone else besides Carlisle and Garrett were on their guard again as well.
The heaviest glare came from Caius, staring with enraged disbelief at Kate and Garrett in the snow. Aro was watching the same two, incredulity the strongest emotion on his face. He knew what Kate could do. He had felt her potency through Edwards memories.
Did he understand what was happening nowdid he see that my shield had grown in strength and subtlety far beyond what Edward knew me to be capable of? Or did he think Garrett had learned his own form of immunity?
The Volturi guard no longer stood at disciplined attentionthey were crouched forward, waiting to spring the counterstrike the moment we attacked.
Behind them, forty-three witnesses watched with very different expressions than the ones theyd worn entering the clearing. Confusion had turned to suspicion. The lightning-fast destruction of Irina had shaken them all. What had been her crime?
Without the immediate attack that Caius had counted on to distract from his rash act, the Volturi witnesses were left questioning exactly what was going on here. Aro glanced back swiftly while I watched, his face betraying him with one flash of vexation. His need for an audience had backfired badly.
I heard Stefan and Vladimir murmur to each other in quiet glee at Aros discomfort.
Aro was obviously concerned with keeping his white hat, as the Romanians had put it. But I didnt believe that the Volturi would leave us in peace just to save their reputation. After they finished with us, surely they would slaughter their witnesses for that purpose. I felt a strange, sudden pity for the mass of the strangers the Volturi had brought to watch us die. Demetri would hunt them until they were extinct, too.
For Jacob and Renesmee, for Alice and Jasper, for Alistair, and for these strangers who had not known what today would cost them, Demetri had to die.
Aro touched Caiuss shoulder lightly. Irina has been punished for bearing false witness against this child. So that was to be their excuse. He went on. Perhaps we should return to the matter at hand?
Caius straightened, and his expression hardened into unreadability. He stared forward, seeing nothing. His face reminded me, oddly, of a person whod just learned hed been demoted.
Aro drifted forward, Renata, Felix, and Demetri automatically moving with him.
Just to be thorough, he said, Id like to speak with a few of your witnesses. Procedure, you know. He waved a hand dismissively.
Two things happened at once. Caiuss eyes focused on Aro, and the tiny cruel smile came back. And Edward hissed, his hands balling up in fists so tight it looked like the bones in his knuckles would split through his diamond-hard skin.
I was desperate to ask him what was going on, but Aro was close enough to hear even the quietest breath. I saw Carlisle glance anxiously at Edwards face, and then his own face hardened.
While Caius had blundered through useless accusations and injudicious attempts to trigger the fight, Aro must have been coming up with a more effective strategy.
Aro ghosted across the snow to the far western end of our line, stopping about ten yards from Amun and Kebi. The nearby wolves bristled angrily but held their positions.
Ah, Amun, my southern neighbor! Aro said warmly. It has been so long since youve visited me.
Amun was motionless with anxiety, Kebi a statue at his side. Time means little; I never notice its passing, Amun said through unmoving lips.
So true, Aro agreed. But maybe you had another reason to stay away?
Amun said nothing.
It can be terribly time-consuming to organize newcomers into a coven. I know that well! Im grateful I have others to deal with the tedium. Im glad your new additions have fit in so well. I would have loved to have been introduced. Im sure you were meaning to come to see me soon.
Of course, Amun said, his tone so emotionless that it was impossible to tell if there was any fear or sarcasm in his assent.
Oh well, were all together now! Isnt it lovely?
Amun nodded, his face blank.
But the reason for your presence here is not as pleasant, unfortunately. Carlisle called on you to witness?
Yes.
And what did you witness for him?
Amun spoke with the same cold lack of emotion. Ive observed the child in question. It was evident almost immediately that she was not an immortal child
Perhaps we should define our terminology, Aro interrupted, now that there seem to be new classifications. By immortal child, you mean of course a human child who had been bitten and thus transformed into a vampire.
Yes, thats what I meant.
What else did you observe about the child?
The same things that you surely saw in Edwards mind. That the child is his biologically. That she grows. That she learns.
Yes, yes, Aro said, a hint of impatience in his otherwise amiable tone. But specifically in your few weeks here, what did you see?
Amuns brow furrowed. That she grows quickly.
Aro smiled. And do you believe that she should be allowed to live?
A hiss escaped my lips, and I was not alone. Half the vampires in our line echoed my protest. The sound was a low sizzle of fury hanging in the air. Across the meadow, a few of the Volturi witnesses made the same noise. Edward stepped back and wrapped a restraining hand around my wrist.
Aro did not turn to the noise, but Amun glanced around uneasily.
I did not come to make judgments, he equivocated.
Aro laughed lightly. Just your opinion.
Amuns chin lifted. I see no danger in the child. She learns even more swiftly than she grows.
Aro nodded, considering. After a moment, he turned away.
Aro? Amun called.
Aro whirled back. Yes, friend?
I gave my witness. I have no more business here. My mate and I would like to take our leave now.
Aro smiled warmly. Of course. Im so glad we were able to chat for a bit. And Im sure well see each other again soon.
Amuns lips were a tight line as he inclined his head once, acknowledging the barely concealed threat. He touched Kebis arm, and then the two of them ran quickly to the southern edge of the meadow and disappeared into the trees. I knew they wouldnt stop running for a very long time.
Aro was gliding back along the length of our line to the east, his guards hovering tensely. He stopped when he was in front of Siobhans massive form.
Hello, dear Siobhan. You are as lovely as ever.
Siobhan inclined her head, waiting.
And you? he asked. Would you answer my questions the same way Amun has?
I would, Siobhan said. But I would perhaps add a little more. Renesmee understands the limitations. Shes no danger to humansshe blends in better than we do. She poses no threat of exposure.
Can you think of none? Aro asked soberly.
Edward growled, a low ripping sound deep in his throat.
Caiuss cloudy crimson eyes brightened.
Renata reached out protectively tow
ard her master.
And Garrett freed Kate to take a step forward, ignoring Kates hand as she tried to caution him this time.
Siobhan answered slowly, I dont think I follow you.
Aro drifted lightly back, casually, but toward the rest of his guard. Renata, Felix, and Demetri were closer than his shadow.
There is no broken law, Aro said in a placating voice, but every one of us could hear that a qualification was coming. I fought back the rage that tried to claw its way up my throat and snarl out my defiance. I hurled the fury into my shield, thickening it, making sure everyone was protected.