Chapter 22~ Zafrina

We ran back to the castle as fast as we could, grabbed everything we could or that we would need. Jake was explaining everything to Maggie and the others. I glanced over at Alice; she was sitting on the couch, her hands still in fists, jaspers ashes remained in her grasp. I could feel her pain, it was overbearing. I just wanted to run from the room.  Maggie gently caressed my hair, “Sweetheart, I am not sure that Alice will be able to go any further.”

I nodded and was about to speak when Alice’s tiny voice broke through the chaos, “No Maggie, I will go.” 

Edward’s face was pierced in confusion, like her thoughts were all jumbled and he couldn’t make them out. “Alice, no one will blame you if you stay.” 

She lifted from the couch slowly, raised her arms and opened her hands; she just stared as Jaspers ashes slid through her fingers onto the floor. Then she turned to me. “Your mother will die Bella, I have seen it, but she is unpredictable, it’s how I couldn’t see she was going to kill Jasper before it was too late, you need my gift.”

“I am not going to stop you, you have every right to see this through, and I just want to say…” Alice raised one hand in silence. “Please Bella don’t say you’re sorry, I just don’t think my heart can take anymore today.”

I complied with my silence. Stephanie met us at the front door. “I can go no further Bella, I must do a lot of work here and make this place safe again.”

We exchanged smiles, I had no intention of inviting her, and the list people I could trust was dwindling and I didn’t need the distraction of wondering where her loyalties lied baring down on me also.  Rose and Emmett joined us. After what Alice went through they, well we all felt we owed her at least every ounce of fight we had in us to avenge Jasper. 

“Edward, I can’t figure out why Moriana would take Zafrina, out of everyone she was far from my closest friend.”  His gaze was distant, but finally he answered, “I can’t say for certain but I think Zafrina is more valuable to her then you know.”

“How so?” Every one huddled closer as we walked, to hear Edward’s thoughts.

“ Clearly Moriana knows you and Zafrina had a falling out, but your mother would also know if Zafrina was truly against you or die hard with you.”

Jake interrupted, “So you think that she saw Zafrina as a possible ally?”

Edward shrugged, “it’s hard to say, either that, or she thinks Zafrina can lure you in.”

I could hear Rose grunt, but I agreed with her, I wouldn’t go out of my way to help Zaf, not after her serious lack of trust we had for each other, “I lean toward foe Edward, and she would rather die than help me.”

He placed his hand on my arm, stopping me from walking, I turned and looked at him, “What is it Edward?”

“Bella, I listen to everyone’s thoughts here, and Zaf’s are the most difficult for me to decipher.”

“That’s, weird Edward, I would think all you would hear is, I hate Bella, die die die!”

He smirks, “No on the contrary, there are times when you will be practicing, or talking and I will catch her off guard and she will be thinking the most gracious things about you, but if I catch her, she will think vile things, it is as if she is trying to make you think she hates you, but I don’t think she does.”

“Edward, I killed her family, maybe the sincere thoughts are the planted ones.”

“I thought about that, so I stole her cell phone the other night.”

Maggie smacked Edwards arm, “Shame on you child.”

“Sorry Maggie, I promise I did return it but not after I had a chance to go through it.”

Rose stepped up, “Why are you spying on everyone?”

“Because Bella feels there is someone untrustworthy here, and with Zafrina’s thoughts being so erratic, I had to check.”

“So tell us what did you find?” Alice asked

“She had been keeping a bit of a journal entry in her notes, and in it were maps, numbers, and what she called, when we are fucked plan.”

Jake and the rest of the wolves were chuckling, but I was once again confused, “So what was this fuckery plan?”

“OK now Bella you can’t get mad or freak out alright?” He looked at Alice, she nodded

“What is it Edward?”

“I don’t know how but part of the plan had involved Emily.”

Everyone’s heads perked up, but it was Jake who asked the question we were all thinking, “Does she know where Emily is?”

“It looked as though they were talking, but I don’t know how they got each other’s contact information. But my bet is Moriana figured out that Zafrina was talking to her.”

I was motionless, my mind was spinning, all this time Zafrina knew where my daughter was, she had this dangerous secret she was walking around with and now my mother has her and is likely getting every bit of information out her, my daughter, my Mara, I had to find her. The rage poured out of me, I screamed so loudly that Edward and the others grabbed their ears and ducked to the ground as the trees around us shattered and collapsed.

When quiet befell the forest, Edward took my face in his hands, “We need to find Zafrina”

I glared into his eyes, “I need to find our daughter.”

“No Bella, because if Zafrina is truly there for you , then she isn’t telling your mother anything, if you use your power to search for Mara, you will lead Moriana right to her, and Jasper and Aro will have died for nothing, and Zafrina will be killed.” 

I calmed myself, sat down, “How do we find Zafrina?”

“Well Bella, you are going to have to use your powers for that.”

“She will know we are looking for her then.”

“ Yes, she will know, and she will resist, and force you out of her mind, you need to focus, you need to find her, I know you can do this, it’s the only way.”

“Wait,” Jake knelt down, “What was Zafrina’s plan, can’t we use that?”

Hope spread across my face, “Yes of course, you never told us the plan.”

Edward couldn’t make eye contact with me, “Bella we can’t use that plan.”

“Why not, call her tell her to run go somewhere else, that way if Zafrina does tell Moriana, they will have moved by then.”

“Bella, I said we can’t use Zafrina’s plan, let’s just leave it alone, now concentrate.”

I stood up, “No, you tell me the plan we all have a right to know.”

He sighed, knowing there was no way out of it, “ Her plan was if everything else failed, because the power in the wrong hands would be too great, if Moriana was to ever get her hands on Mara, humanity would cease to exist, the plan was if we all died and all hope was lost.”

His words were going in a direction I didn’t much like,” What was it Edward?”

He stood up, took my hands, “ If we die, if we don’t win this fight, Mara’s life would be strictly as a blood source, until there was nothing left of her, Moriana would torture her.”

I grasped Edward’s hands tighter, “The plan is to kill Mara if we fail?”

“Only Emily would be able to do it.”

“But how would Emily know if we failed before my mother showed up to claim her?” 

There was a long silence,” That’s the tricky part, and why finding Zafrina is so vital Bella.”

I could see he was clenching his teeth, I could feel anguish and pain all around him, and I knew I wasn’t going to like the next words that came out of his mouth. 

“If Zafrina doesn’t call her every evening by seven PM and every morning by seven AM, Emily is to be made to think we have failed, and is to kill Mara.”

I looked at the sun, it was noon, and we had seven hours to find her, “Holy Fuck Edward.”

His eyes, said more than anything else would, “Let’s get to work then, we are running out of time.”