Redshift by Ashlynn Chantrea (free ebook reader for ipad .txt) 📕

“What?!” Laney nearly screamed.

“We can’t ask that of you, Adam.” Carlisle was much calmer as he spoke.

“I’m volunteering.” I insisted, “I go, play ambassador, hopefully come back with a peaceful resolution. If I don’t come back, you know to start preparing for the inevitable. It’s the safest way for all of us.”

“I’m going with you.” Laney growled.

Then the rest of my family joined in, insisting on going with me. They were yelling, actually yelling at me. The anger and the fervor were surprising. I let them vent uninterrupted for a moment before speaking.

“It’s safer if only one of us goes.”

“I don’t care!” Laney shrieked.

“Yeah, you’re not leaving us behind.” Bianca snapped.

“If things go badly, which is a distinct possibility, whoever goes in probably won’t be coming back out. If we all go, we could leave the Cullens to face the Volturi and their newly created army, all alone.”

“Fine then!” Pim shouted, “I’ll go.”

“No!” I yelled back at him.

“I’m the one that they started this with. I’m the one that they forced to find every one of you. I’m the one that is going to bring an end to this.” He said, glaring at me.

“This isn’t about revenge, Pim.” I tried to keep my voice level, “If you go in there looking to accuse them and deliver judgment, you won’t be coming out of there alive.”

“We have to do this together.” Rain insisted. “We’re stronger when we’re together.” Zephyr agreed. “We won’t make it if you don’t come back.” Meadow added.

“I don’t want you girls anywhere near them.” I said feeling protective, “Even if this turns into a war. I want you three and Laney to run. Stay hidden until it’s over.”

All four started screaming at me again. There was much profanity thrown around, especially from Laney. She looked like she should be crying. The triplets just looked pissed. They got on to me about being gender biased. They said I confused chivalry with chauvinism.

“I don’t think you’re weak.” I protested, “You’re all very powerful and probably the best weapons we have. But you’re also our resident vegans.”

They stared at me, confused.

“You were willing to starve yourselves indefinitely rather than kill anyone or anything. You three won’t even swat a fly. You value life, all life. I don’t want to put you in a position where you’ll be forced to take lives.” I turned to Laney, “And you can make sure that happens. You can feel them coming. They’ll never be able to find you and the girls. They’ll never have to become killers.”

“We don’t advocate mindless savagery.” Rain said. “But, ‘the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.’” Zephyr murmured. “We have no intention of standing by and doing nothing.” Meadow stated.

“I still don’t think we should all go.” I argued, “It’s not practical.”

“Stop using that big brain of yours so much and try going with your gut.” Hector advised.

“It isn’t logical.”

“But it is right.” Laney said defiantly, “We’re all going, or none of us are.”

All of them were shoulder to shoulder, arms folded over their chests. They had formed a semi-circle around me. They were a united front. I could argue all I liked, it wouldn’t do any good. If I went, they’d follow me.

“All right, we all go.” I relented. “But, no one speaks except me. No one does anything aggressive unless it’s in self-defense. And at the first sign of trouble, we evacuate. Rain,” I looked at her, “Be prepared. We may need you to get us all out quickly.”

They agreed willingly.

We prepared to go. Rain looked at maps, getting an idea of where we should land. Everyone else took some time to mentally prepare for what was coming. I took Zephyr aside, out of hearing range of the others. We discussed ideas I hoped would prove unnecessary.

When we were ready to leave, I turned to Carlisle and his family. Esme was hugging Carlisle around the waist, holding on to him tightly. Edward and Jasper had a hand on each of his arms. It was like they were trying to keep him from trying to go with us. He didn’t feel right about us going. I could see it in his eyes.

“Be ready,” I looked at Alice, “If things don’t work out, the moment things go wrong, start calling everyone you know. Anyone willing to fight, get them to come to you. There’s safety in numbers. And if this does go south, I get the feeling things will become very unsafe very quickly. Move fast.”

“We can’t ask you to do this for us.” Carlisle protested.

“We’re not doing this for your family. We’re doing this for ours. For everyone that lives in fear of the Volturi.”

Then Rain placed her hand on my shoulder and the Cullens were gone.

It was night, which wasn’t surprising since it had been daytime on the other side of the world. We had ended up in a courtyard next to a clock tower. It was quiet, no people roaming around just then.

I could smell the scent of many different vampires. I followed it, hoping it would lead me to them. My family followed close behind me. We walked down an alley. It curved around and ended at a brick wall. I was confused. The scent was just a strong here. They must have climbed the wall.

As we got closer, I noticed a round grating at the end of the lane. I pulled it out of the way and stuck my head inside the dark hole. The scent continued into the sewer. These vampires and their clichés.

I jumped in first. When I was sure no one was down there waiting for us, I signaled for the others to join me. We moved quickly through the wide tunnel, following the smell of those that had traveled this way before us. It didn’t take long to reach a large metal grate with a door. The door wasn’t locked. We walked through, still no one around.

We had moved into a building of some sort. It looked like an office building, with the usual eggshell colored walls, horrible gray carpet, and florescent lights in the hung ceiling, the lights currently turned off. We were here after hours. I wondered if they had business hours. Do you have to make an appointment to meet with Aro? Were they more like a business than I had originally anticipated? Or was this a front for unsuspecting humans?

“I remember this place.” Pim murmured. “Jane brought me here before she turned me.”

I nodded. Confirmation. Whoever started this was here. Either Caius had masterminded this or Aro had a good method for avoiding Alice’s visions. I was hoping for the former.

We followed the scent down the drab hallway. It ended at an elevator. I pushed the button, lighting it up. When we got inside things became considerably more complicated.

“Which floor do we chose?” Laney asked.

“Not a clue.” I answered.

“We could try them all.” Hector offered.

“Let’s not.” Bianca replied. “Do you remember, Pim?”

“I wasn’t really paying attention at the time.” He quipped.

“Well, we’re already underground, from what I can tell. Nowhere to go but up from here. Let’s try the lobby, maybe we’ll get lucky.” I said and hit the appropriate button.

We exited into an office reception area. It had a very human appeal to it. There weren’t any windows but there were painting of landscapes spread out across the walls.

“I waited right there,” Pim pointed to the ash gray leather couch, “for Jane to comeback for me. I should have run. I don’t know why I didn’t just run right then.”

“Yeah, ‘cause she never would have caught you.” Hector’s tone was mocking.

“No way for her to find you once you found your way out of here.” Bianca added, sarcastic as ever.

“Enough you two.” I whispered. “Although, they make a valid point, Pim.”

There were a pair of large wooden doors. Slowly, we walked to them, feeling sure we were getting close to finding them. These doors were locked. There was little effort involved in breaking the doors open. What concerned me was the noise. It was a large bolt that locked these doors and the resounding splintering and snapping of the wooden doors alerted them that we had arrived.

We entered the lavish hallway, but we stopped there. It was best to wait for them to come to us from here, since they knew we weren’t one of them.

Two vampires appeared from behind a hidden door in the wall. Not what I was expecting. I thought the huge gold doors at the end of the hall would be the entrance to Aro’s lair. It seemed appropriately grandiose and pompous.

“Who are you?” One of them snapped at us, “What are you doing here?”

“We’re here to see Aro on a matter of important business.” I told him, keeping my tone calm and polite. No need to ruffle feathers if I could avoid it.

The guard narrowed his eyes.

“Our intentions are peaceful. Trust me, he’ll want to hear what we have to say.”

“Let them in, Santiago.” A soft voice sighed from inside the room. His voice had a strange quality to it. It sounded weaker, slightly rougher than other vampires I had heard.

We followed the two vampires through the hidden door. Inside we were back to the cliché, high vaulted ceilings with long thin windows so high you’d have to climb up there to see out of them, walls and floors made of stone, a drain in the floor. Very gothic chic.

We walked to the center of the room. I stood in the lead, Laney and Pim behind each of my shoulders. The girls were lined up behind Laney and Pim, standing shoulder to shoulder, holding hands. Bianca and Hector stood on either side of the triplets. I could feel how close they were to me. I wanted it that way. Rain was in the center, within reach of all of us if we needed to leave quickly.

Three vampires sat in three oddly spaced, ornately carved, wooden thrones.

“It is rare that we are surprised with visitors.” The vampire in the center throne with long ebony black hair and skin that looked like tracing paper, said to us.

“Are you Aro?” I asked.

He stood, watching me with inquisitive and calculating eyes. Two other vampires, a male and a female, walked over to stand nearer to him. They didn’t get in his way or even stand next to him. They just seemed to shadow him.

“I am.” He replied in a congenial tone, gliding slowly over to me, his entourage following behind him, “And you are?”

“Adam.” I answered, “There is something we wish to discuss with you. Something I think you might not be aware of happening within your ranks.”

“Is that so?” He didn’t sound worried or all that interested.

“What is the meaning of this?!” A white haired, ill-tempered looking vampire called in astonishment. Caius. I could tell by the inflection of his response and the look of utter disinterest on the other dark haired vampire’s face.

“Let us see.” He said as he reached his hand out like he meant to shake hands with me.

I knew what he was doing. And I knew it needed to happen but I wasn’t sure if I could stop my mind from blocking him.

“Oh,” I said apologetically, “Your gift might not work on me. But Pim knows more than any of us. He was with them the longest.”

“May I