Solstice

VOLTERRA

Last time I was here, it was the festival of San Marco; the road had been clogged with cars that crept, inch by inch, towards the main gate. Today, the road was empty and silent. Snow lay heavily on the fields. A cloud of rooks flew from the trees and floated like ashes in the flat grey winter sky. I shivered, although I could no longer feel the cold, and drew my coat tighter around me. Jasper, wearing dark glasses and looking incredibly chic, seemed unconcerned.

'Has anything changed since the last time you were here, Bella?' he asked in a light, conversational tone.

'Not that I can see,' I responded in a similar voice, and hoped that I sounded natural. 'We were in a bit of a hurry, though. I was racing to make sure Edward didn't step out into the sun.'

'Which we can never thank you enough for,' Carlisle murmured as he navigated the car through the narrow streets and pulled to a halt in a handy spot. I was sure that people weren't really supposed to park there, but the car had diplomatic plates, so I guessed he was able to get away with it. 'It must have been quite the race against time.'

'It was,' I told him as we got out and started walking towards the main square. I slipped my hands into my pockets, Jasper lightly touching my elbow, keeping me calm. 'We couldn't get into the town, so I hurtled out of the car and started running. Because it was so windy, I couldn't see anything until I smacked into a solid wall of people. I shoved my way through the crowds, sure I wasn't going to get there in time. I felt like the whole world was going to end. I ended up racing across that –' I gestured at the fountain as I passed it '–and because my clothes got icy-wet, it made the crowd back off some. Then I charged towards Edward, screaming at the top of my lungs. He didn't see me at first,' I told them as we passed beneath the grim portcullis of Volterra's vampire hideout. 'He had his eyes closed. When I ran into him, he said: 'Carlisle was right'.' He meant what you said about the afterlife,' I told my father-in-law, whose eyes softened. 'And then...' I swallowed and looked down as I remembered what had happened afterwards. 'Then we got to meet Aro. That was when Aro found out I was a shield. He invited me to join them.'

'You never told me that, Bella,' said Jasper, still in a light, conversational tone. We entered the business front of the Volturi's operations, which was chic, upmarket and bland. A stunning young human woman at the main desk asked us to sign in and gave us identity badges. I was inclined to roll my eyes at the charade, but restrained myself.

'Didn't I?' I asked indifferently as we got into the elevator and ascended to the second floor. The room where we'd waited – where I'd gone to pieces – was in front of us, just the same as before. The large vases of massed white lilies made me feel like I was in a funeral parlour. Another young woman – not the Gianna I'd remembered from the first time; I wondered if she'd been eaten – welcomed us and told us to go straight in. We were expected.

I paused on the threshold, girding my feeble strength. I had to get through this. For Edward. For Ness. For Ness and Nahuel, whatever their future might be. For my family, so we could live under the Symposion in peace, and undisturbed. For the sake of the vampire world, which had gone in fear of the Volturi for so many centuries. For the sake of the mortal world, so that vampires would no longer be free to slaughter at will. Under the Symposion, we would all be vegetarians, unless we found willing feeders. Gregorius had assured me of that.

'My very dear, dear friends.' Aro glided forth to greet us with every expression of delight as the heavy doors clanged shut behind us. Ancient immortals drifted through the grey light, their wasted voices no more than sighs. Aro looked behind me, and frowned. 'But where is your so-charming daughter, Bella? I thought that she was to join us today?'

'She's in Rome with Edward, her fiancé and the rest of the family. It's her first trip to Europe, and she's incredibly excited to see everything. She'll join us at Jajce Castle, of course.'