In Another Life: Book Two - Taming the Beast

Chapter Nineteen: ... And Let Slip the Dogs of War! (Part Two)

Battleground - February 17th - 9:30 am

Isabella surveyed the gathering, which accounted for everyone except for Esme, Rosalie and Talia who stayed back to tend the handful of newborns they had chosen to save. The group had only suffered a single loss, finding Felix's body torn to pieces on a beach up north. Culling the newborns he left behind was a relatively easy task, as they had all split off into smaller groups and were aimlessly wandering the woods. Some gave up without a fight, some had already collapsed from the poison coursing through their bodies. The rest tried to fight, and were handed quick deaths. In all, of the nearly thousand souls that had originally gathered on that battlefield barely seventy were still alive.

The line was full of people Isabella loved. Each represented a piece of her soul that had been slowly stitched back together, and a single loss would be devastating, from which she might ever recover. Yet how could she ask them to stand down now, when so much was on the line? It was almost too much to cope with, so she pushed it from her mind and focused on the present, her face set in a determined glare as she launched herself up into the air on ephemeral wings of shadow. Surveying the area she discovered around a dozen vampires approaching from different directions, and the pack of enemy wolves flanking them at the rear and on each side.

She couldn't spot Joham among those approaching, but she was sure after the rest of this mob was taken care of he would show his face and then everything would be over. She let go of her power and landed in front of her family again, looking briefly at each face and meeting their eyes. She found friendship and love and above all a confidence in her with each exchange. Even those that she barely knew seemed to be invested in her leadership and this cause. Surprising her more was how committed the Volturi seemed, with Sulpicia and Athenodora ready and waiting to fight.

Marcus and Charlie both beamed a look of pride at her, and this was more than enough for Isabella to turn to face their enemy with a clarity of mind she hadn't felt in a very long time. Joham's Lieutenants and Captains, led by Fitz and Aliyah crossed over the tree line and let out a warcry, breaking into a run towards Isabella's line of forces. While numbers favored Isabella and her coven, Joham's forces began to change as they ran towards them.

Isabella roared a challenge and started forward at a run, followed by everyone she loved. As the forces grew closer everyone set their gaze on a target on both sides, and then the lines crashed into each other. Isabella took on the biggest and strongest, their fight immediately breaking the enemy line and pushed him back so they were alone to fight one on one. He was slower and weaker than her at first, but had some skill. Enough that most of her attacks were countered to a degree.

Then something shifted, and he began to grow both in strength and speed, the thin black lines running up and down his exposed skin thickened and he seemed to grow several inches in a second. The fight turned deadly, but she wasn't about to let this new abomination get the victory against her. After a furious exchange of blows, she knew her beloved had broken through the line and was coming, and timed her next attack to coincide with her joining the fight.

He was taken by complete surprise, as his legs were swept out, and Isabella used his forward momentum to grab ahold of his head and snap his neck. It was a delaying tactic, and only worked long enough to paralyze him for a few seconds. But that was long enough as she looked up at Alice and motioned to help her remove his head. It took some effort, but a strange cross between a stone-like crack and a wet slap echoed through the clearing as they managed to free his head from his neck, splattering black blood over both of them.

Life instantly drained from his eyes and Isabella turned back to see what she could do to help only to realize that the fight was well in hand. So she looked at Alice and motioned up, hoping she might find Joham lurking somewhere.