Chapter 43~ See No Evil

We are standing a few miles from the castle. I look at everyone's faces. I can see fear, devotion, determination, but mostly I see tired. This has been a fight, a battle of good verses evil plain and simple. A war between the ones who want to rule the world against the ones who just want to live in it. " Everyone ready?"

I keep my voice steady, I am not worried about myself I am worried about everyone else. I can feel the pain pulling me toward Mara. She is my beacon, that is where I need to be. " Edward and I are going that way." I point

" Everyone else knows their jobs, drink, wait and go." They all nod. There aren't words, we are fresh out. " Good luck everyone." I grab Edwards hand and head down the hill toward the eastern part of the castle where Mara is. Jake isn't far behind. He needs to stick with us to stay with Mara. Seth will stay on the hill and make sure no one starts to charge toward Carlisle's.

The grounds are fairly empty, normally I would welcome it but its too quiet. " Keep your eyes open, ears to this isn't right." I whisper.

" Do you think they know we are here?" Jake asks.

I shrug, " They DO have Alice, let's just hope for the best."

We reach the large iron door, naturally its locked. But that ridiculous lock is no match for me and we are inside in seconds. I close my eyes and halt for a moment. Taking in every sound, every vibration and feeling. But its pointless, Mara's energy is grabbing me. " This way." 

We rush stealthily down the corridors. Edward focuses on thoughts, I focus on Mara. Jake is bringing in the rear.

Pull, Tug, yank... its strong, its painful, my heart is suffocating in anguish... Mara.

We stop in front of a door, " She is in here." I say barely a whisper.

" Wait." Jake says, " You said there were guards."

" I hear nothing." Edward answers.

" Yeah doesn't that seem a bit odd that we are meeting no resistance?" Jake has a point.

" Everyone else is on the grounds and meeting no retaliation either, lets hope its just coincidence." I know I am fooling myself I am sure it will be a war zone the second we try to head out.

I place my hand on the knob, take a deep breath and open the door. Mara is still laying on the bed, pink and plush. " Baby?"

No movement. Edward and I slowly enter. We don't rush her we are cautious. Every slow step is killing us. Closer.... I can hear her breathe... closer.... her chest raises and falls, repeat....closer... whimpers are released from her tiny mouth. We reach her, I sit on one side, Edward on the other. " Mara?" He whispers in her ear.

Her eyes flutter open, and fall, she repeats this several times till her eyes lay upon Edward, " Daddy." Her voice is low, tired, painful. She shifts her head to me. 

"Mommy."

" Hey baby, I told you we would be here before you wake." I feel the lone tear slide down my cheek. Mara tries to lift her hand to my face only to realize she has no strength. 

" She can't move." Edward says in an angry whisper.

" I know, but mommy will make the pain go away." I smile at Mara, she understands. We are linked, my blood heals, everyone. But right now its only for her. I lift my wrist to my mouth and bite, streams of crimson dance along my arms. I lower it to her lips. I see them quiver, wanting, needing. Her cotton soft lips rest weakly on my skin.

I watch her raw arm, the bite marks, slowly begin to heal, her color returns, her hair begins to glisten. " Amazing." I hear Jake's voice from behind me. " You are saving her Bella, here in this room." I look at him and give him a smile. " I see no evil in this body Bella, you are an angel." 

" Thank you Jake, I would give her every drop to save her." I would!

After a while, Mara releases my arm and beams, " I feel much better." Edward scoops her up and pushes her into his embrace. 

" I love you baby."

" I love you to daddy."

My perfect family, here we are in a vortex of horror and uncertainty clinging to just one moment of perfection. 

" OK Jake head out the way we came, Edward and I will follow you out, and make sure you make it to the hill. But I can't go back till I know everyone is safe." He nods.

" When you return make sure Carlisle releases everyone." 

" I know my job Bella." Edward turns and hands Mara off to Jake. He takes her in his massive arms. The second he grabs her I can feel the protective vibe pour out of him. His arms are shielding her from everything, I know in that moment he too would die for her.

We cautiously but quickly make our way out of the room and down the corridor. We turn the corner toward the exit and finally are met with the resistance we dreaded. 

" Well well well, how rude, are you leaving with out even a fair thee well?" Demetri quips. But its the one standing next to him that has my attention. Alice!

Edward and I fan out our arms, protecting Mara and Jake, " You are going to let us go Demetri, you know it, I know it." I turn my head to Alice, " She sure as fuck knows it." I snap back.

Alice's tinkering laugh echoes off the stone walls, " Bella, sure we can let you walk out of here, but lets be honest here do you think behind that door isn't a hundred murder hungry vampires?"

I'm getting angry, I am about to speak when I feel a twinge of pain, then another same spot, someone's in trouble. I look at Edward, he is shooting mental daggers at Alice and Demetri, " Edward?"

" What?" He says it without dropping his eyes.

" We need to get Mara out of here, NOW!"

The urgency in my voice has grasped his undivided attention, he nods.

" Alice," He begins, " I can hear the conflict in your head, you don't really want to be here, so tell me why you are?"

What is he doing? She looks at Demetri who is wearing a rather bored look on his face.

" I do want to be here Edward, it was hanging around you fools that made me realize how clueless, and powerless you all were." 

I watch Edward begin to inch closer to her, he is distracting her. " We were always good to you Alice, Jasper loved you and you just LET Moriana take the only good thing in your life, and then you played the most perfect actress didn't you?"

I can see her agitation, I can feel her hatred, its working. Demetri is totally focusing on this altercation between Alice and Edward, he's entertained. Perfect.

Using my hand I gesture to Jake to take a few steps back. He does. 

" I admit losing Jasper was unfortunate, he was an amazing fuck, but he was weak, pathetic!" Alice yells.

Demetri's head falls back and laughter is filling the corridor now. and that would be opportunity knocking.

It only took a moment, it was fast, fierce. I grabbed Edward's arm and pulled him back toward  Jake and Mara. With my other hand I extended it toward Alice and Demetri, I let a triumphant smile play on my lips before saying the word that will erase their existence," Fire."

The last thing I see is the terror, and finality on their faces before the are engulfed in flames. I can hear them scream, beg, shrill. I stand before them, I will the fire stronger, harder, hotter. I wait until they are nothing but ash.

Finally the fire is extinguished, I turn to Jake and Edward, Jake is horrified but amazed, Edward is proud, but sad. " Don't dwell on it, we need to go, I have to get to Esme, she is in trouble." They both look at me. 

Edward races out the door and we rush to the hill where we see Seth waiting. " Go Jake, don't say anything to Carlisle." He nods and they run. Edward and I turn back to the castle, we see hundreds of red caped figures pouring out of the entry ways. " They know we are here now." I say

Chapter 42~ No Rest For The Weary

" So we just drink this green bubbly disgusting crap and we become you?" Seth asks with his fingers pinching his nose.

" Well its a little more complicated than that Seth, you drink it sure but it only will last a few hours, however if we are all fairly close to each other I will be able to sense  when its wearing off before it happens. So if anyone is trapped hopefully I can get to you fast enough."

Edward squeezes my arm, " Bella and I will be together, so one of us will find you, right now we need to enter the castle as close to Mara as possible." 

Carlisle pulls up the blue print with all the lights. Mara is still resting, Moriana and Aro seem to be a fair distance away from her. There are few guards outside of her room. " Rose and I can totally take those fuckers outside her room." Emmett confidently exclaims.

I smile and nod, " That sounds like a perfect place to start then, but you have to enter unseen, the second they see two Bella's then the whole thing is a wash."

"Where should I be?" Esme whispers

" You are going to watch out for Aro, if you see him I will know it, My guess will be that he will attempt to touch you, DON'T LET HIM!" She nods. " Then just keep him distracted, don't let yourself get cornered or taken."

" How can I evade capture Bella?"

" Like I said I will know when he is near you, I can sense all of you especially since you are all carrying a little bit of myself in you, so I can be at your side in seconds Esme, its just vital you don't let him touch you."

" Ok, alright I can do that."

"And what about Moriana?" Zaf asks

" She is mine and no one else, she is far too powerful, but with in the castle walls her powers are severely weakened so I stand a good chance of taking her."

Jake and Seth step forward, " And us?"

Edward takes a black bag and hands it to Jake, " In this bag is a small blow torch, two actually, when we get Mara Bella and I are counting on the two of you to keep her safe, with your own lives if you have to."

Jake just glares at Edward, but as soon as he realizes his duty he softened, " I won't let anyone hurt Mara, but what are the two of you going to do?"

" Edward and I have to make sure the others stay safe, as soon as Mara is safe here, Carlisle will order the rest of everyone here to the castle."

" And then what?" Seth asks

" Then we end this!" I snap

" Thats very noble of you and all Bella, but I think as soon as Mara is back here Seth can take care of her, you need me in this fight!" Jake argued

Edward pounded his fist on the table cracking it in half,we all turned to him stunned, " We are never going to get this organized if everyone is going to argue what their jobs are, Jake the second Moriana or Aro figure out that Mara is gone they will unleash holy hell to get her back, so either stay and protect my daughter or get the fuck out of here!"

" Alright everyone lets just calm down." Seth hold up his hands and looks from Jake to Edward trying to defuse the situation. " Everything we do has a purpose, let's just do it alright Jake?"

Jake and Edward's eyes were locked, both maddening angry looks on their faces. Jake finally takes a deep breath and shifts his gaze to me, " This what you really want Bella?"

" Jake, honestly I don't want any of this but if Edward and I can't be the ones to protect Mara, then I can't think of anyone else who could protect her better than you... and Seth of course."

He just nodded

" OK great moving on..." Emmett says trying to end the great stare down. 

" So we wait until we get close to the castle before you all drink, we need it to last as long as possible, it will take seconds and its totally painless, Edward will not be drinking it." I turn to him, " SO don't you leave my fucking side!"

He smiles, " Not a chance."

"Alright then, everyone get your shit, meet us in the front in ten minutes." Everyone nods and starts organizing, I turn to Carlisle. " When Jake and Seth return release the others."

" What if they don't return?" It was a question I wish I wouldn't have to answer.

" If they don't return, if you see their light fade, send the reinforcements anyway, we need to get Mara out of there!"

He looks at me in understanding, " Please Bella, Esme is all I have."

I put my hand on his shoulder, " I promise I will watch over her, I will do everything in my power to keep her safe."

I grab my bag, Edward takes my hand and we head out of the training room to the front. 

We step outside, the breeze is cool, it dances gently through our hair. The sunflowers are giving off an amazing aroma. I feel Edward's hand slip from my grasp, I turn to him. His eyes are on fire. Every emotion is weighing on his features. He cups my face in his hands and crashes his lips to mine.

He whispers into my lips, " I love you Bella."

I close my eyes and breathe in his scent, storing it to memory, I kiss him again my tongue invading his mouth capturing his taste. " I love you Edward."

Everything we had to say to each other could never be spoken ,only felt. We love each other, we live for each other, and I knew if I died today he wouldn't be far behind. I had to keep him and everyone else safe. I could only pray that if it came down to it and I perished he would stay alive for Mara.

Our blissful embrace was abruptly severed by Emmett's booming voice, " OK fuckers lets get this show on the road, there is no rest for the weary!"