Fate

Shifts In Power, Shake The Tree

Marcus

On the surface, all is calm in the vampire world and many are fooled because of it, but it's a well-crafted facade. Those who neither knew nor understood tactics, see only what they are meant to by Aro. But here inside Volterra, a power struggle begins to break through, awakening after a long enforced sleep. We, three brothers, are now about to be pitted against each other, two knowingly and one only bent on rebuilding his beloved guard, he holds the casting vote. Caius' power comes from the older guards and they are loyal to a fault. Respect was a concept that didn't appeal to Aro, not like fear or subservience.

Aro had twisted the truth once again, telling the guard that Caius wearied of them and handed them over to him due to boredom, this now has returned to bite him. Caius may be under Chelsea's thrall, but he is a soldier first and last. As he reprimands and hands out punishments, much becomes clear to the men in his charge,

"How I ever let Aro convince me to relinquish command eludes me and beggars belief as I stand here before this, pitiful display you all present!" He demanded of no one,

But many heads slowly turned to Chelsea and she stepped back, fear etching her face. Glancing wildly around herself, she sees me watching her with undisguised disgust marring my usually placid face. They all know and she is in serious danger, more are outwith her control than under it. Once more Aro had lied, obviously telling her no one would ever find out.

She for the first time makes a choice for herself and releases me from her grip on my mind. I shake the haze away and speak,

"Caius, May I borrow Chelsea from you?"

"Yes, yes, she's no fighter. I never understood why she was part of the guard anyway!" Caius growls and I beckon her to my side.

"Time to make reparation, don't you think Chelsea? I need to know who and why? Then one by one you will release them in my presence. Any mate bonds you broke on his behalf must be fixed first. Once all are free I suggest you run, take your mate and flee!" I tell her calmly.

F

Peter

Now it's time to have a semi-honest man do our biddin'. Felix Volturi had let himself be led astray. He was disillusioned by his hero, unaware that Caius was under Chelsea's spell at first. He'd let Aro's lackeys pull him into situations he would never have gotten into before, do things he was not proud of. But his own sense of honour was now his ultimate weakness. Jasper had allowed him to live, after his stupidity of attemptin' to hurt Bella, all for an insult to his pride and that meant he owed Jasper a debt of honour. So I have sent a message to him, we needed a spy within the Volturi and he was it. I assured him, we didn't want to move against the Volturi, just be ready if they were to move against us.

Caius had demoted him he told me mortified. This to him was a humiliatin' fall from grace and then Caius had personally taken Felix's place as leader of the guard. But most tellin' was Demetri was no longer in the elite guard at all. So Caius was no fool, he knew who was trustworthy and who was not. Even if his will was not his own, his innate soldier's psyche knew. Jane also was demoted and sent to watch the Queens as punishment for her many sins, but Alec was promoted to be Felix's counterpart. So two seconds and not just one, Caius was preparin' for war, maybe not intentionally for now.

But the best news was Marcus' takin' of Chelsea under his protection. She had been a key player in the past and now was on the side of right. Aro must be aware Marcus was now free of her control, he had to be worried. Now was our time to break free, informin' all the coven leaders in our part of the world what was happenin' in Volterra galvanised them. Freedom was within our grasp, they were preparin' to petition for independence.