CHAPTER 18 - TRACKING
We all stood there not saying a word for hours. Nobody knew what to say, and we had the whole night to stand there and wait.
Everybody had their own way of waiting. Zafrina, Huilen, Carlisle and Joham watched the TV. Emmet and Jasper were doing silly little competitions to try and find out who was better at what. Rosalie and Alice watched them happily. Sometimes Edward and I joined in, Edward doing the competitions and me watching with Alice and Rosalie.
For a while I was running up and down the stairs. Nobody knew why, not even me. It wasn’t as if I was going to get any fitter. It wasn’t as if I would get tired or out of breath. I just needed something to do I think. I couldn’t keep still.
I did that for ten minutes then moved on to pacing back and forward in the small front hall for the next five hours. It reminded me of Eleazer when he heard that the Volturi were coming. He paced back and forth in the Cullens large open plan, white living room for ages.
Edward finally grabbed my arm. He had been watching me the whole time. He must have been bored although he never showed signs of it. He had changed positions every hour from standing or leaning against the wall to sitting. This was the first thing he had said.
“Everything will be fine. When Demetri, Aro and Marcus come in the morning we will find them.”
“How? How do you know that? What can they do that we can’t?” I asked.
“Demetri” he answered simply.
“What?” I was confused.
“Tracking” Edward replied.
Oh. It was easy. I could be so silly sometimes.
“Bella. Everything will be absolutely fine. Demetri will be able to track down Caius and the others. It will be no problem for him. He’s the best tracker in the world. We can go with them and you can protect everyone with your shield. Think about it. There are six of them and about thirteen of us. And, their powers will be rendered useless against your shield” he explained.
“But Aro and Demetri and Marcus. They won’t fight against their own....their own family. It’s just like you and Jasper fighting. Or you and Emmet, or Carlisle or Alice and me. It’s.....it’s just wrong” I spluttered.
“Yes they will. I can hear them. They’re just turning on to the path now. They’ll be here in less than two minutes. They are so ashamed at what they have done. Aro especially. It has destroyed the Volturi in their eyes. They will fight with us. They have already made up their minds” he told me. “They are less than thirty seconds away now.”
About five seconds later I heard them opening the gate at the top of the garden. Everyone stopped what they were doing and we gathered in a big group in the front hall. I heard their fast approach towards the front door. They were running and they had arrived.
BRING! The shriek of the doorbell startled me. I knew it was coming, although I expected it to be more of a DING DONG sound rather than the sound in made. That sounded more like a telephone to me.
Everyone’s eyes turned to me and Edward. Edward took a half step forward before I put my hand on his chest and stopped him. He looked confused, but he stopped. Instead of him going, I walked forward slowly myself and opened the door cautiously. Standing on the doorstep were three figures.
Two were in black cloaks. That was Aro and Marcus. The other, Demetri, was wearing a very dark grey, almost black but not quite. The all had their heads down and hoods up.
“Come in” I told them in a hushed tone.
They walked in with their heads still down. I wondered why they were keeping their heads down and hiding their faces until Edward mouthed the word ashamed to me. I understood then.
“Aro, Marcus, Demetri” Carlisle said calmly. “We are not angry at you. It is only Caius and the other five members with him that we are angry at. We do not blame you, so you should not blame yourselves. We know you had nothing to do with this.”
Aro’s head snapped up when Carlisle had finished his little speech. “We have every right to be ashamed. Caius is Marcus’ and I’s brother and the other five are our family. They have disgraced us and made us look worse than the vampires committing crimes. I should have spotted this. We all should have. But we didn’t. Caius was never one for doing good things, or doing what he was told. He was outraged when I was made head leader of the Volturi. He wanted to rule this world, make everything how he wanted. But his ideas were wrong and the rulers before us recognised that. I should have touched his hand and read his mind before he left. And the others, what can I say. I knew Jane was always tricky and Felix too. But Alec and Renata had never been like that. They were quiet, and I wouldn’t expect them to do something like this. And Abree, I didn’t know what to expect.”
“Who’s Abree?” I asked.
“The new member” Demetri answered, lifting his head up. Marcus slowly lifted his head up too, so all of them were now looking at us.
“Interesting powers” Edward commented. “That would explain what Joham was saying.
“What kind of powers” I asked curiously.
“She is very talented. Perhaps the most talented out of all of the vampires in some aspects. She can hide her own scent and mind. It’s like she’s in her own little bubble. She can also take somebody else’s scent and use it as her own or disguise it too. The mind shield works differently. She can protect herself all the time but the other people she is protecting are only under her shield for a maximum time of twenty-four hours” Aro explained.
“Can’t they just go back under when the twenty-four hours is up?” I asked.
“No. It’s as if the shield recognises the mind. It can only go under two days later” Marcus answered.
I looked him directly in the eye. Marcus was never a man of many words. He always looked bored, but this time was the first time I had seen him without that expression on his face. He looked like the other two standing by his side.
I looked at each of them individually. They had taken their hoods down as well. Aro’s jet black hair had been cut. It was about a quarter of a centimetre shorter than what it was the last time I saw him. Not visible through a human eye but certainly visible through these eyes. Nothing could hide with theses eyes.
I moved on to Demetri. There wasn’t a change at all. Not even a haircut like his leader. Marcus also had no change.
“Are we ready?” Emmet asked excitedly. He knew there was going to be a fight. He loved fighting, and I don’t know why. I felt sorry for Rosalie with him always like that. It must be worrying for her.
Demetri closed his eyes and focused on tracking. It reminded me of Alice trying to see a vision that didn’t come itself. She goes into one of her little trances. Completely unfocused on the present, miles away focused on the future. Only there in body, mind doing other things. Demetri was exactly like that.
We all waited patiently for Demetri to track them. After what seemed like an hour he opened his eyes. He sniffed like a human would if they had a blocked nose and breathed in deeply.
“Ten miles away. North-east. Middle of the forest in a small brown hut. All six disowned members there. Not separated. All five kids there too.” I was amazed, but surprised at the term ‘disowned’. Caius, Jane, Alec, Felix, Renata and Abree were probably extremely important in the Volturi guard. Probably the most important. Without them the Volturi would need another six new members with better powers. And now they were just
We were just about to head out the door when Aro stopped us. “Wait. You” – he pointed at Joham – “Well done. You will be allowed to see your kids whenever you like after this. Just don’t make any more.”
“Really? I get to see my kids? Thanks.” Everyone could tell how happy he was. He was elated. His happiness was oozing out of him and it felt like you were lying in a nice hot bubbly bath. It was lovely.
“I have a plan” Joham started. “A plan of attack I mean.”
“What?” I asked.
He looked to Edward for confirmation. When Edward nodded his head he started telling us his plan. “I will run a few minutes ahead of you and say to them that I brought the Cullens. When you come I will act like I’m on their side, pretend. Then, when they are not looking, I’ll attack. Fight against them. Trick them. What do you think?”
“Brilliant. Can we just go?” Emmet said impatiently. We just ignored him.
“Great idea” I commented.
“I agree” Alice said quietly.
“Me too” Jasper agreed.
Everyone agreed and we set off out the front door straight into the woods. Demetri led the way. We left the front door wide open. We didn’t care. We were going to find the six ‘disowned’ Volturi and the five children. For the first time since they were taken, I had hope. And a lot of it.