The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 31. Talented

What is the werewolves part in this? T whatevera asked then, eyeing Jacob.Jacob spoke originally Edward could answer. If the Volturi wont stop to try ab by Nessie, I mean Renesmee, he corrected himself, storage that Tanya would not confusedstand his stupid nickname, we will stop them.Very brave, child, just now that would be impossible for much experienced fighters than you argon.You dont sleep with what we eject do.Tanya shrugged. It is your own life, certainly, to over see as you choose.Jacobs eyes flickered to Renesmee still in Carmens arms with Kate hovering over them and it was lax to read the longing in them.She is special, that little one(a), Tanya mused. Hard to resist.A very talented family, Eleazar murmured as he paced. His tempo was increasing he flashed from the admission to Carmen and back once again constantlyy trice. A mind reader for a father, a vindication for a mformer(a), and then what eer magic this bonzer child has bewitched us with. I wonder if on that point is a name for what she does, or if it is the norm for a vampire hybrid. As if much(prenominal) a thing could ever be considered normal A vampire hybrid, indeedExcuse me, Edward say in a stunned voice. He reached out and caught Eleazars shoulder as he was near to turn again for the door. What did you just c both my wife?Eleazar witnessed at Edward curiously, his manic pacing disregarded for the moment. A shield, I see. Shes occlude me now, so I so-and-sot be sure.I stared at Eleazar, my brows furrowing in confusion. Shield? What did he mean about my blocking him? I was standing near present beside him, not defensive in any way.A shield? Edward repeated, bewildered.Come now, Edward If I cant get a read on her, I interrogative sentence you can, either. Can you hear her thoughts remunerate now?Eleazar asked.No, Edward murmured. But Ive neer been able to do that. Even when she was homosexual. neer? Eleazar blinked. Interesting. That would indicate a rath er powerful latent talent, if it was manifesting so clearly purge before the transformation. I cant aspect a way with her shield to get a reason of it at all. Yet she must be raw still shes only a few months old. The look he gave Edward now was roughly exasperated. And apparently completely unaware of what shes doing. altogether unconscious. Ironic. Aro sent me all over the world searching for such anomalies, and you barely stumble across it by accident and dont even realize what you have. Eleazar move his head in disbelief.I frowned. What are you talking about? How can I be a shield? What does that even mean? in all I could picture in my head was a ridiculous chivalric suit of armor.Eleazar leaned his head to one side as he examined me. I suppose we were overly formal about it in the keep. In truth, categorizing talents is a subjective, haphazard business every talent is unique, never exactly the comparable thing twice. But you, Bella, are fairly easy to classify. Ta lents that are strictly defensive, that nurse some aspect of the bearer, are always called shields. Have you ever tested your abilities? Blocked anyone besides me and your mate?It took me few seconds, despite how apace my new brain worked, to organize my answer.It only works with certain things, I told him. My head is sort of private. But it doesnt stop Jasper from being able to jackpot with my mood or Alice from seeing my future.Purely a mental defense. Eleazar nodded to himself. Limited, however strong.Aro couldnt hear her, Edward interjected. Though she was human when they met.Eleazars eyes widened.Jane tried to hurt me, but she couldnt, I verbalize. Edward think backs Demetri cant find me, and that Alec cant b new(prenominal) me, either. Is that good?Eleazar, still gaping, nodded. Quite.A shield Edward said, deep satisfaction saturating his tone. I never thought of it that way. The only one Ive ever met before was Renata, and what she did was so different.Eleazar had reco vered slightly. Yes, no talent ever manifests in precisely the same way, because no one ever thinks in exactly the same way.Whos Renata? What does she do? I asked. Renesmee was interested, too, aptness away from Carmen so that she could see around Kate.Renata is Aros personal bodyguard, Eleazar told me. A very practical variant of shield, and a very strong one.I vaguely remembered a lessened crowd of vampires hovering close to Aro in his macabre tower, some male, some female. I couldnt remember the womens faces in the uncomfortable, terrifying memory. One must have been Renata.I wonder, Eleazar mused. You see, Renata is a powerful shield against a physical attack. If somebody approaches her or Aro, as she is always close beside him in a head-on situation they find themselves diverted.Theres a force around her that repels, though its nearly unnoticeable. You simply find yourself going a different direction than you visualizened, with a confused memory as to why you valued t o go that other way in the first place. She can project her shield several(prenominal) meters out from herself. She also nurtures Caius and Marcus, too, when they have a contend, but Aro is her priority.What she does isnt actually physical, though. identical the vast majority of our gifts, it takes place inside the mind. If she tried to keep you back, I wonder who would win? He shook his head. Ive never heard of Aros or Janes gifts being thwarted.Momma, youre special, Renesmee told me without any surprise, wish she was commenting on the color of my clothes.I matt-up disoriented. Didnt I already know my gift? I had my super-self-control that had allowed me to skip rightly over the horrifying newborn year. Vampires only had one extra business leader at more or less, right?Or had Edward been correct in the beginning? to begin with Carlisle had suggested that my self-control could be something beyond the natural, Edward had thought my restraint was just a product of good prepara tion focus and attitude,hed declared.Which one had been right? Was on that point more than I could do? A name and a kin for what I was?Can you project? Kate asked interestedly.Project? I asked.Push it out from yourself, Kate explained. Shield someone besides yourself.I dont know. Ive never tried. I didnt know I should do that.Oh, you might not be able to, Kate said quickly. Heavens knows Ive been working on it for centuries and the best I can do is run a current over my skin.I stared at her, mystified.Kates got an repellent skill, Edward said. Sort of deal Jane.I flinched away from Kate automatically, and she laughed.Im not sadistic about it, she assured me. Its just something that comes in passy during a fight.Kates words were sinking feeling in, beginning to make connections in my mind. Shield someone besides yourself shed said. As if there were some way for me to include another person in my strange, quirky silent head.I remembered Edward cringing on the ancient stones of the Volturi fastness turret. Though this was a human memory, it was sharper, more painful than most of the others like it had been branded into the tissues of my brain.What if I could stop that from happening ever again? What if I could cling to him? Protect Renesmee? What if there was even the faintest glimmer of a surmisal that I could shield them, too?You have to teach me what to do I insisted, unthinkingly grabbing Kates arm. You have to show me howKate winced at my grip. Maybe if you stop laborious to crush my radius.Oops SorryYoure shielding, all right, Kate said. That move should have about ball over your arm off. You didnt feelanything just now?That wasnt really necessary, Kate. She didnt mean any harm, Edward muttered under his breath. Neither of us paid attention to him.No, I didnt feel anything. Were you doing your electric current thing?I was. Hmm. Ive never met anyone who couldnt feel it, amaranthine or otherwise.You said you project it? On your skin?Kate nodded . It used to be just in my palms. Kind of like Aro.Or Renesmee, Edward interjected.But by and by a lot of practice, I can radiate the current all over my body. Its a good defense. Anyone who tries to touch me drops like a human thats been Tasered. It only downs him for a second, but thats long enough.I was only half-listening to Kate, my thoughts race around the idea that I might be able to protect my little family if I could just learn fast enough. I wished fervidly that I might be good at this projecting thing, too, like I was somehow mysteriously good at all the other aspects of being a vampire. My human life had not prepared me for things that came naturally, and I couldnt make myself trust this aptitude to last.It felt like I had never wanted anything so badly before this to be able to protect what I loved.Because I was so preoccupied, I didnt notice the silent vary going on between Edward and Eleazar until it became a spoken conversation.Can you think of even one exception , though? Edward asked.I looked over to make sense of his comment and realized that everyone else was already staring at the two men. They were leaning toward each other intently, Edwards expression tight with suspicion, Eleazars unhappy and reluctant.I dont want to think of them that way, Eleazar said through his teeth. I was surprised at the fulminant pitch in the atmosphere.If youre right , Eleazar began again.Edward cut him off. The thought was yours, not mine.If Im right I cant even grasp what that would mean. It would change everything about the world weve created. It would change the meaning of my life. What I have been a part of.Your intentions were always the best, Eleazar.Would that even matter? What have I done? How umpteen lives Tanya put her buy the farm on Eleazars shoulder in a comforting gesture. What did we miss, my friend? I want to know so that I can argue with these thoughts. Youve never done anything worth castigating yourself this way.Oh, havent I? Eleazar muttered. Then he shrugged out from under her hand and began his pacing again, faster even than before.Tanya watched him for half a second and then focused on Edward. Explain.Edward nodded, his tense eyes following Eleazar as he spoke. He was trying to understand why so many ofthe Volturi would come to punish us. Its not the way they do things. Certainly, we are the biggest uprise coven theyve dealt with, but in the past other covens have joined to protect themselves, and they never presented much of a challenge despite their numbers. We are more closely bonded, and thats a factor, but not a huge one.He was remembering other times that covens have been punished, for one thing or the other, and a pattern occurred to him. It was a pattern that the rest of the guard would never have noticed, since Eleazar was the one passing the pertinent intelligence privately to Aro. A pattern that only repeated every other century or so.What was this pattern? Carmen asked, watching Eleazar as Edwa rd was.Aro does not often personally cite a punishing expedition, Edward said. But in the past, when Aro wanted something in particular, it was never long before evidence turned up proving that this coven or that coven had act some un acquitable crime. The ancients would decide to go along to watch the guard administer justice. And then, once the coven was all but destroyed, Aro would grant a pardon to one member whose thoughts, he would claim, were particularly repentant. Always, it would turn out that this vampire had the gift Aro had admired. Always, this person was given a place with the guard. The gifted vampire was won over quickly, always so grateful for the honor. There were no exceptions.It must be a heady thing to be chosen, Kate suggested.Ha Eleazar snarled, still in motion.There is one among the guard, Edward said, explaining Eleazars angry reaction. Her name is Chelsea. She has mould over the emotional ties between people. She can both loosen and obtain these ties. She could make someone feel bonded to the Volturi, to want to belong, to want to please them___Eleazar came to an needlelike halt. We all understood why Chelsea was important. In a fight, if we could separate allegiances between allied covens, we could defeat them that much more easily. If we could distance the innocent members of a coven emotionally from the criminal, justice could be done without unnecessary brutality the guilty could be punished without interference, and the innocent could be spared. Otherwise, it was impossible to keep the coven from conflict as a whole. So Chelsea would break the ties that bound them together. It seemed a great kindness to me, evidence of Aros mercy. I did suspect that Chelsea kept our own tintinnabulation more tightly knit, but that, too, was a good thing. It made us more effective. It helped us coexist more easily.This clarified old memories for me. It had not made sense to me before how the guard obeyed their masters so gladly, with al most lover-like devotion.How strong is her gift? Tanya asked with an edge to her voice. Her gaze quickly touched on each member of her family.Eleazar shrugged. I was able to leave with Carmen. And then he shook his head. But anything weaker than the bond between partners is in danger. In a normal coven, at least. Those are weaker bonds than those in our family, though. Abstaining from human blood makes us more civilized lets us form true bonds of love. I doubt she could turn our allegiances, Tanya.Tanya nodded, seeming reassured, while Eleazar continued with his analysis.I could only think that the reason Aro had decided to come himself, to bring so many with him, is because his last is not punishment but acquisition, Eleazar said. He needs to be there to control the situation. But he needs the entire guard for aegis from such a large, gifted coven. On the other hand, that leaves the other ancients susceptible in Volterra. Too risky someone might try to take advantage. So they all come together. How else could he be sure to keep back the gifts that he wants? He must want them very badly, Eleazar mused.Edwards voice was low as a breath. From what I saw of his thoughts last spring, Aros never wanted anything more than he wants Alice.I felt my mouth fall open, remembering the nightmarish pictures I had imagined long ago Edward and Alice in black cloaks with bloodred eyes, their faces polar and remote as they stood close as shadows, Aros hands on theirs. Had Alice seen this more recently? Had she seen Chelsea trying to strip away her love for us, to bind her to Aro and Caius and Marcus?Is that why Alice left? I asked, my voice breaking on her name.Edward put his hand against my cheek. I think it must be. To keep Aro from gaining the thing he wants most of all. To keep her power out of his hands.I heard Tanya and Kate murmuring in disturbed voices and remembered that they hadnt known about Alice.He wants you, too, I whispered.Edward shrugged, his face utter ly a little too composed. Not nearly as much. I cant really give him anything more than he already has. And of course thats pendant on his finding a way to force me to do his will. He knows me, and he knows how unlikely that is. He raised one eyebrow sardonically.Eleazar frowned at Edwards nonchalance. He also knows your weaknesses, Eleazar pointed out, and then he looked at me.Its nothing we need to discuss now, Edward said quickly.Eleazar ignored the hint and continued. He probably wants your mate, too, regardless. He must have been intrigued by a talent that could defy him in its human incarnation.Edward was uncomfortable with this topic. I didnt like it, either. If Aro wanted me to do something anything all he had to do was threaten Edward and I would comply. And vice versa.Was death the lesser concern? Was it really capture we should fear?Edward changed the subject. I think the Volturi were waiting for this for some pretext. They couldnt know what form their excuse would c ome in, but the plan was already in place for when it did come. Thats why Alice saw their decision before Irina triggered it. The decision was already made, just waiting for the pretense of a justification.If the Volturi are abusing the trust all immortals have placed in them, Carmen murmured.Does it matter? Eleazar asked. Who would moot it? And even if others could be convinced that the Volturi are exploiting their power, how would it make any remainder? No one can stand against them.Though some of us are apparently insane enough to try, Kate muttered.Edward shook his head. Youre only here to witness, Kate. Whatever Aros goal, I dont think hes ready totarnish the Volturis reputation for it. If we can take away his argument against us, hell be forced to leave us in peace.Of course, Tanya murmured.No one looked convinced. For a few long minutes, nonexistence said anything.Then Iheard the sound of tires turning off the highway paving onto the Cullens dirt drive.Oh crap, Charlie, I muttered. Maybe the Denalis could hang out upstairs until No, Edward said in a distant voice. His eyes were far away, staring blankly at the door. Its not your father. His gaze focused on me. Alice sent shot and Charlotte, afterall. Time to get ready for the next round.