Honeybee

Chapter Twenty-Seven~The Volturi.

Chapter Twenty-Seven
The Volturi.
Elizabeth Masen
Volterra, Italy. March, 2006.

"Damn sunlight." Carlisle hissed as he shut the window covering. "These coats aren't going to be covering enough. Thankfully I packed our gloves, but those still won't provide enough coverage."

"Maybe we can find something in the gift shop? Scarves and sunglasses can usually help. We just need enough coverage to make it to the tunnel system without drawing attention, don't we?"

"They have an access grate on the outer edge of the city. That is, if the system is still the same from the last time I used it a century ago." He sighed worriedly. "We'll have to find a car with blacked out windows."

"We have to have faith that we will make it in time." I smiled as much as I could manage to at him.

"You're right." He smiled softly back at me, kissing my hand, right as the plane began its descent into Florence, Italy.

Once off of the plane, we came across our first good stroke of luck.

An Italian vendor was selling trinkets in honor of the Saint Marcus Day Festival happening in nearby Volterra. He was speaking excitedly, in both Italian and English, about the capes, masks, and fake vampire teeth he was selling.

"Carlisle, look." I pulled him to halt, pointing the vendor out. "Follow my lead?"

"Of course, dear." He ushered me forwards.

"Oh! Honey, look!" I played the part of cheerful tourist as I stopped us in front of the vendor. "There's a festival nearby?" I asked the seller excitedly.

"Yes, Bella Signora!" He cheered, acting just as excited as me at the prospect of a good sell while I tried not to cringe at the sound of Bella's name. "Volterra is celebrating Saint Marcus Day in its usual grandezza!"

"Funny, we're headed to Volterra now!" Carlisle laughed charmingly.

"Then you and your beautiful moglie need the best celebratory costumes around!" The vendor laughed with him before beginning to outfit us properly.

Luckily, after our purchase was made, we were able to find a car with dark enough windows to carjack from the long term parking lot. I was suddenly very thankful I had learned so much car knowledge from Rosalie's thoughts, as I was able to hot-wire it in an impressive amount of time.

With Carlisle's driving, I knew we would never make it in time, and so I hopped in the drivers seat and got him in the passenger side before tearing off like a bat out of hell towards Volterra.

"Leave it to our son to pick the most dramatic timing." Carlisle spoke conversationally as a way to ease both of our panic. "High noon on the most watched day of the year. The Volturi would never allow our kind to make a show of themselves on Saint Marcus Day."

"Even in his grief, Edward is still going to be Edward." I agreed with him. "We're already too late, Carlisle. It's twelve-thirty."

"Yes, we just have to hope that Bella got to him in time and that Alice has gotten them all out of there." Carlisle shuddered.

"What will happen if we arrive and we're too late?" I asked my husband, my voice no more than a terrified whisper.

He sighed heavily and my stomach somehow turned over painfully. "I expect that they won't allow either of us to leave the city alive, Elizabeth." Carlisle spoke in reverence. "We'll all be seen as his accomplices. Alice, Bella, you, myself, all of us. We might be able to talk them into leniency for Alice and Edward by placing blame on ourselves. But, I doubt very much that they'll allow Bella to leave once they understand how much she knows."