Here is part 14 of Nessie and Jake's Story. I hope everyone enjoys and I look forward to your comments! Thanks!!!
The scene was epic- everyone was poised awaiting the first move. I held my breath waiting, but I didn’t have to wait long. I could see Alec’s oozing gift stretching the distance between the two lines. Then, all at once, the Volturi guards lurched forward and sprang into the air. Caius lifted off the ground and made his advance on Zafrina.
Even amidst the horror of the moment, Caius and the guard were the very definition of grace in motion. It hurt to watch as Caius’s massive form catapulted towards Zafrina’s lanky frame. I prepared myself for the lines to submerge creating a swarm of white bodies, but it was quite the opposite.
Marcus stepped back quickly, and to my surprise- and utter horror-, Zafrina and the small vampire standing beside Renata stepped forward slightly. The little one looked very young, no more than fourteen or fifteen with a head full of golden curls. She was possibly as small as Alice and wore an oddly calm expression in the mist of all the carnage.
She raised her hands in front of her and furrowed her brow in concentration. With exaggerated purpose, she thrust her arms out in front of her with her palms facing out. Even though she was only pushing against air it looked like she was shoving against a mountain.
All eight of the Volturi guards stopped in midair like they had hit an invisible sheet of glass, and were hurtled backwards behind the Volturi line. Then, she took one of her tiny hands and turned it palm down towards the ground with her fingers spread wide like she was driving an invisible stake into the ground. You could hear the sounds of struggle coming from the guard, but they were frozen in place unable to move.
Caius hit the ground without a sound as he landed a few feet in front of Zafrina. It was obvious he couldn’t see but he lunged towards her anyway. My father and Emmett were on him in seconds pinning him to the ground, but even without his sight he was a skilled warrior.
He fought against them, biting the air and clawing at them. In one swift movement he managed to get his feet under Emmett’s massive frame and launched him backwards into Marcus. My father fought bravely as he tried to hold him down but Caius was an experienced fighter and my father was struggling to keep the upper hand.
The little blond vampire locked her eyes onto Caius as he flailed wildly against my father’s rapidly fading grasp. She held her other arm out towards Caius and with a swift flick of her wrist he went flying across the ground with astounding speed back over the Volturi’s line.
Caius had gotten to his feet along with the other guards, but kept his place. Alec’s ooze had stopped five feet from Marcus’s side. Marcus helped Emmett to his feet and stepped forward so he was again standing at the front of his battalion. With each deliberate step he took, the ooze retreated. With great pageantry the rest of his line advanced with him until they stopped only a few feet from Aro. Marcus stepped forward with the tiny vampire, her arms still outstretched and ready with her palms forward, as well as Zafrina on his right. Aro stood very still with his eyes narrowed waiting for Marcus to speak.
“Your time to reign is at an end, brother.” He spoke the words to Aro decisively.
Aro smirked at him and gestured to the new followers behind Marcus.
“You have amassed a talented following…they could be a wonderful addition to our family,” he said in a placating tone. “Do you really think the Volturi is to be overthrown so easily? We are in place to enforce the law, to administer justice-“
He threw Aro a harsh look and held his hand up, clearly not interested in Aro’s babble.
“It is been a long time since I have seen justice served by this court. I have seen only bloodlust and crusades for power over the last centuries. And now you launch another against this family.” Marcus interrupted,
“Nonsense,” Aro defended, “this is no crusade. This is to correct an aberration to our species….who knows what trouble could come of this new race?” He argued.
Aro’s head snapped around to where we stood and we locked eyes. I felt a chill roll down my spine as he glared at me. His earlier pretense of sincerity and kindness had completely faded and for the first time his true colors were showing.
“The Cullen girl is in love with a shape shifter! What is to become of their offspring? Are we willing to take that risk….I think not! We have to exterminate this threat immediately. Surely you can’t deny that, brother?” Aro challenged.
The snarl building in my father’s chest erupted in to a violent roar and was echoed by my entire family. Both lines shifted nervously in response, but Marcus’s face remained perfectly composed, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just transpired. He held up one finger cautioning his side as he continued.
“All I have witnessed here is you bringing down terror on a peaceful family. As for the offspring created between she and a shape shifter…well that has not even come to fruition yet.” He pointed out.
“Since when do we condemn the hypothetical? These shape shifters are strongly bonded to this family and are peaceful as well. I see no threat here other than you and your tyrannical guard. It is time for you to step aside.” He concluded.
Aro lifted his chin arrogantly but he knew he was defeated. He had no more premise for a logical argument- and he knew it. Marcus had him covered from all angles.
“You would kill your own brother, Marcus? With all your talk about justice and peace this is hardly a good example of either” Aro hedged
Marcus leaned in closer to him and placed one hand on Aro’s shoulder bowing his head.
“I don’t want it to have to come to that, but I will if I have to. Step down Aro.” He ordered fervently.
There was a long pause and both sides looked around at each other anxiously. My mother reached over and squeezed my arm in anticipation. What would this mean? I heard Rosalie and Alice suck in sharp breath.
Aro looked at Marcus searching his face. His lips curled back over his teeth in defiance and his hands curled into fists at his side. He abruptly stepped back from Marcus shoving his hand off his shoulder.
”NO!” he shouted and motioned for his guard to take their places. “I will not yield so easily brother…you will have to force me.” He challenged.
Everyone tensed in reaction but Marcus looked down to the tiny vampire beside him and nodded. He face remained hard and stoic as he beckoned for her to begin.
She closed her eyes and raised her slender arms slightly above her head. Very deliberately she lowered them, as if she were motioning for someone to bow. She stopped with her palms out and her arms stretched out in front of her parallel with the ground. She opened her eyes and quickly flicked her wrists in a sharp downward motion. To my amazement, the entire Volturi guard, including Aro and Caius fell to the ground on their knees in perfect unison.
Their bodies quivered in place as they struggled to get up but they were again frozen in place by some invisible force. Marcus looked to Zafrina to do her bidding, and you could hear their frightened gasps as she took away their sight.
“I wished it hadn’t come to this, but you leave me no choice, brother,” Marcus said stepping forward whispering in Aro’s ear. “Now you will die, stunned and sightless, like so many others you have condemned.”
Aro bowed his head but said nothing. Marcus’s face normally so expressionless contorted into a mask of pain as he motioned with his finger for the tall Nordic vampire to step forward.
The blond vampire stepped forward with stunning grace and fluidity to stand by Marcus with his hands by his side. He nodded solemnly at Marcus, but the regret was evident on his face. Unexpectedly, he bowed to the Volturi, showing his respect for what I could only assume was a worthy opponent, and quickly righted himself.
It was very dramatic-he began from left to right letting his piercing gaze fall on one member of the Volturi guard to the other, and as he did each of their bodies erupted into a fury of flames, sending sparks flying into the air, and giving off plumes of black smoke. He moved quickly saving Aro for last.
Marcus turned his back, unable to watch, as his brother burned silently. Carlisle put a hand on his shoulder trying to comfort him, but Marcus was inconsolable as he shook with tearless sobs.
The entire field was black with smoke for over an hour as we all sat in silence too stunned to speak. Finally, the rain picked back up and the smoke cleared, leaving small piles of white ash where each member once stood.
Everyone looked to Marcus but he hadn’t moved an inch since the fires had begun. Carlisle broke the silence, walking over to Marcus and leading him away from the clearing toward our home. Our family followed closely on their heels. My father politely extended an open invitation to the new comers as well as the wolves.
I shook off the numbness forcing myself to place one foot in front of the other. Everyone had begun to exit but the feeling was almost surreal. Had this all really happened? I looked around for Jacob who had disappeared into the woods to phase. He jogged out from the east, barefoot in a pair of athletic shorts and a t-shirt. He put his arms around me and picked me up so he could kiss me.
Feeling his lips on mine, the heat radiating off him, hearing his husky voice brought me back down to reality. I couldn't hold myself together as I my hands began to shake. Tears streamed down my cheeks as the enormity of what just happened filled my head. We were alive, my family was safe, and he and I were together….forever. He kept his vise like grip on me as he rocked me slowly from side to side, stroking my hair, until I was able to regain my composure.
I took a few deep breaths and wiped the tears from my cheek with my shirt sleeve. The panic and relief had subsided and a warm happiness slowly began to spread through me. I gazed up at him and grinned.
“Let’s go home,” I said. “It seems we have some new friends to thank.”
He smiled back at me warmly as he put me down and led me by the hand following the procession back to the house….