Diamond Legacies Interlude: Eddie

This is a bit of a surpise / bonus chapter in Eddie's POV. Its a break from the main story and isnt actually required to be read in the flow of the story, but i really wanted to write from his pov since Esther's absense and explain a little bit more about how these new guests will effect the running of the Volturi and Esther's family. I will post the normally scheduled chapter from this week (the Nova chapter) on Tuesday as a mid week special.

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Chicago, August 2226

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Eddie Cullen

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“Where is the body?”

“Excuse me?” Zio asked carefully.

“The body of Esther we want to protect it.” It didn’t matter how many years, who said it or how often I heard it. Hearing my best friends name shattered my heart each and every time and yet I had to be strong. I couldn’t show my own pain because I had to help everyone else in theirs, I had to fill my best friends’ shoes. It was exhausting.

“It is under as much protection as it needs. I promise you she’s safe.”

“that’s not a risk we’re willing to take” the leader argued. The Volturi court was in session, and we were all face to face with ten individuals claiming to be the ‘Luna Disciples’ Zio has been hearing so much about from his guard members across the world. The Volturi leaders were wondering if they’d show their face here and they finally had.

“And yet it isn’t your decision. Esther trusted us to protect her, and we will” Zio argued.

“She didn’t know she had an entire following of people willing to die to keep her safe”

“Then you should have found her sooner” Asta blurted out and Zio looked back at his granddaughter in warning.

“You are the grandchild of our paragon, yes?” the leader asked seeing Asta sitting on her throne.

“Why does that matter?” she asked.

“You are under our protection as well. The sacred bloodline.” He said with a bow of his head, all those behind him did the same. “we wish to meet anyone connected to Esther. They are our charges.”

“That won’t be happening” Matthew uttered, knowing for well all his three children were a part of that blood line, not to mention his wife.

“We are not here to harm only protect.”

“You must understand why that’s hard to believe” Zio answered before Matthew could.

“We show only devotion to the great paragon. She gives many of us life. And keeps us safe from the dark evil.” The leader said and I shivered at the preaching undertones of their language.

“We will find where you’re keeping the paragon and we will stay with her to keep her safe. We will pray to the moon for her protection and when she finally wakes, we will be there to serve her.” One of the other followers said and I sent an alarming look to Zio. They believed every word they were saying, their minds were coated with devotion and praise but there was also a relentlessness there. A fanatical urge to protect. But I knew that protection could be just as bad for Esther as good. These people would do anything to find her. Even if they put it under the name of ‘protection’ they had no right to control the events around Esther. She didn’t want to wake to an army of devotees. She just wanted her family.  She wouldn’t agree with this religion that had been formed around our creation. She certainly wouldn’t want to be seen as a saint.

I focused on the other Luna Bambini’s in the group. There were three out of the ten. So not too many but they had to have been born since Esther’s sacrifice or she would have felt their arrival as she had the few before. I wondered if they had been born into this religion out of curiosity of the species or found it themselves.

Zio, we can’t push these people away. Their devotion is stoic. You could very well start a war for Esther’s body if they believe were not enough to protect her. Its time to deliberate and decide how to go forward with this. I placed in his head.

“Very well, I offer you all room and board here at the Volturi, whilst myself and my advisors discuss your offer of protection to Esther. I hope we can begin to trust each other and work together to combat the fight we are up against. If you truly love Esther and want to protect her, we need your help to bring her back.” Zio said changing his tone to the visitors after my projection. I saw how some of the others behind Zio were shocked at his change of tone.

“Thank you Pancrazio, we knew you would see reason. You are after all the greatest leader our world has ever known.” The leader said with a bow of his head, but the after thought in his mind gave away his lie. Whilst he acknowledged what Zio had done for our world, in his mind he thought Esther should be running the Volturi. I wanted to laugh but held back my reaction. Little did they know how much influence Esther had in these courts. Zio was but the face of the Volturi but many people ran it, it was not just one man.

Inform the guard I need them to remain in here, get Ariella off the desk. We need her. Zio thought as he motioned for the prime guard to the meeting room.

I relayed the information to the guard, placing a newer and lower ranked guard member on the desk whilst some of the higher ranked guard members led the new guests to the secure guest rooms to wait for the meeting to be over. Half the guard remained in the court room as prime guard and Cullen alike entered the meeting room.

Many other important members of the family were called in. Micah, Ivy, my parents, and other Cullen’s arrived within ten minutes.

The large meeting room looked small with the amount of Cullen’s and guard members in that room. I smiled as Chloe entered with my parents and her and my mother stood at one end of the room. I wanted to go stand with her, but I knew I was crucial here. I had seen their minds; Micah was immediately sent off with my father to meet our new guests and get their own readings on who they were. I started to relay what I had seen myself to the table and inform them why Zio had made a sudden change of heart.

“So, they’re fanatics” Ivy said with a sigh.

“Its just as dangerous as if they were enemies.” Zio said with a nod.

“We don’t know where they will draw a line. Who’s to stop them thinking that anyone can see her, when she wakes, she’ll be weak, and we don’t know them well enough to say they wont just slay her for glory. They can’t physically be sure of every one of their followers’ beliefs. Who’s to say they won’t try get to her to test if she truly is the immortal saviour they think she is? They won’t know the kind of spell used to keep her the way she is. They’re too much of a risk.” Matthew announced.

“I agree” Lidiya agreed with her husband immediately.

“And don’t get me started on the threat they show to Esther’s bloodline. They already showed their interest in Asta.” He added.

“they’re asking Micah about Ivana and the twins” I added as I tried to keep part of my mind on my father’s mind as he questioned them and the other part in the room. It used to be hard keeping up with two conversations but at this point in my life I was used to it. “They keep talking about blood, the power in Esther’s blood” I continued.

“Esther may be covered with impenetrable barriers now, but her children and grandchildren are not” Matthew continued.

I know its selfish but I’m suddenly very glad Eden and Nova have the spell on them. Ivy’s thoughts drew my attention and I looked over the table to see her watching me.

It’s not selfish. It’s a natural thought and I am too. Its one less thing to worry about. I answered her and she nodded as if she needed the validation to not feel guilty.

“Okay so let’s go down the list of who their main targets would be…” I said looking around the room. “Eden and Nova are protected. No one knows about them, and they can’t be connected to Esther. Ana and Eva are hundreds of miles away living their lives outside of the supernatural. Asta, Ben and Alle are safe here and no one will come for them in fear of Lidiya. I don’t think they’ll come for Lidy, Annie or Ivy. Their powers are no secret and would be fools to get on the bad side of any of them. But I will say to all of you, Asta, Ben, Alle, Lidy, Annie, Ivy. You need to be aware of people more than ever before. Don’t trust anyone trying to get close to you.” I said looking to each of them in the room. “You are their living connection to Esther. They’ll want to befriend you for a chance to know Esther when she returns, if they don’t get their way.” I said.

“We can take care of ourselves. They’d be idiots to come after us.” Asta announced.

“doesn’t mean they won’t try.” Matthew turned to his daughter. “They have before” he said looking to Allesandra across the room. The words left a poignant feeling in the air.

“I have an idea. A stupid one, but it will protect Esther and in turn her bloodline and lower the risk of a hostage information situation,” Zio said and it was the first time I focused on his mind.

“How do you expect to pull that off?” I asked him realising his plan.

“It’s been done before” he said looking to his son at his side and then Ariella.

“that’s why you asked for Ariella. You knew this was what you were going to do” I realised and ran my hands through my hair. “It won’t work. We need someone to know where she is.” I tried to reason but everyone around me was confused.

“Explain uncle Eddie” Ivy spoke to the room.

“He wants to remove our memories.” I said looking to Matthew.

“Let me explain” Zio announced when the room burst into chatter. They quietened for Zio to speak.

“We all know where she is. It was a risk even from the start. I don’t know why I didn’t think it through, but it all happened so fast. We were supposed to have months to prepare for Esther’s plan, but it had to be done quickly. Those in this room were told of the plan and we just assumed she would be safe where she was. Although we expected people to try and come for Esther whilst she was vulnerable, we never thought about the kind of pressure and risk it would put on each of us. Too many people know too much. The only people that need to know where Esther is are the two that can break the spell.” He said and looked to Alena and Axton by the door. “They were trusted by Esther to protect her with their magic, they should be trusted with her location too.” He explained.

“And what if something happens to them?” Lidiya asked nervously.

“If something happens to them, Esther never returns to us anyway. It’s a moot point. The life of Esther is already in their hands. Us knowing the location of her body makes no difference to her chance of return. All it does is puts us and our loved ones at risk. It puts Esther’s bloodline at risk. What if someone’s life is hinging on that information. If no one knows it, they can’t use it against us. We don’t know the kind of powers these people possess. They have followers of Lilim in their ranks, they have Luna Bambini and they have vampires. We don’t know what every single Luna Disciple can do. How do we know they don’t have an ability that we can’t combat against? The fear of Esther protected the Volturi, without her we have to work with what we have. And our main priority is to protect the vulnerable here, and right now that’s Esther’s bloodline. No matter how strong you think you and your sisters are Ivy, you can still be hurt through people you love. It’s happened far too many times in this family. We need to start learning from those mistakes.” Zio announced and everyone remained quiet.

“So, what? Matthew makes us all forget her location? What about the cameras in that room? The door? Wont we get curious?” Lidiya asked.

“We brick up the door, just as we bricked up the other access point on that floor of the building.”

“We brick her up? So, no one can get in there?” Annie asked and her voice shook in response.

“She’s already behind an impenetrable door Annie. A brick wall is nothing” Lidiya said softly to her sister.

“The cameras will be disconnected. Any trace of the room taken off the blueprints to the estate. No one will know it exists. No one but Alena and Axton.” Zio announces.

“And me” Allesandra said her voice barely above a whisper.  Everyone turned to look at her. “You can’t wipe my memory. No abilities work on me. So ill know. I’ll know my Nonna is trapped behind a brick wall, I’ll know she’s alone where no one in the world knows where she is.” She said her voice breaking.

“I’m sorry Allesandra but I think this is the only option to protect both Esther and the people in this room. We all have weaknesses and most of them are tied to people more vulnerable than ourselves.”

“What about me? If I’m making you all forget, I’m going to know” Matthew asked.

“that’s where Ariella comes in. You told me you made yourself forget as a child using her ability. You’ll have to do it again.”

“I knew though, I knew a part of my memory was missing, my mind knew I had done it even if I couldn’t remember it.” Matthew explained.

“We can put a block on your mind, so you won’t be able to access the remnant of the memory” Axton answered.

“This is getting far too complicated” Chantelle sighed as she placed her hands on the table in front of us all. The room began to buzz with whispers and conversations. I knew everyone needed to just get everything out of their system. It was going to be a long day of discussions and planning before anything happened.

I stepped back to stand with Chloe and my mother. Chloe’s hand slipped into mine instinctively, we didn’t even look at each other. My mother stepped to my side and rested her head on my bicep as she hugged my arm. The three of us just remained silent as we watched the room buzz with conversation. My father and Micah returned a few minutes later to update the room on what they had learned from the minds of the disciples and the room continued to chatter as the plan was laid before Edward and Micah.

My head was buzzing with thoughts and emotion filled my throat without me even realising. I watched as the room filled with noise and my mind filled with their thoughts overwhelmed my head.

This was what happened to Esther. Working here under this roof would do this to her too, especially if she was emotional over something else. And I was always emotional these days, the absence of my soul mate ached in my chest every day. Every day was a reminder she wasn’t here. Every day was a reminder a part of me was missing. Every day I woke up and I had to go through the same cycle again and again. I had to fill the shoes of my best friend, the most powerful being in the universe. So powerful that it took 3 of us to even come close to replacing her in the court of the Volturi. I looked to Axton and Alena who were quiet in the corner. They were overwhelmed too, this entire plan stemmed on them. They had the weight of the entire world on their shoulders and that wasn’t even an exaggeration. They didn’t sign up for this, just as much as I didn’t. I loved Esther, but I also hated her for doing this to us. I didn’t blame her, but it was selfishly hard not to resent her absence. I missed her more than I could ever fathom or explain.

I was now suffering in my mind. My telepathy had never seen so much action in the two hundred years I had been alive. I was drowning in the minds around me. It was so hard to separate everyone’s thoughts, it was overstimulating. I saw my father take his place next to my mother and his head fell back against the wall. He was having the same problem. This room. It was too much. I looked down to my mother at our sides and noticed she was watching her husband, her face concerned. She turned to look at me with equal worry and suddenly my mind went blank. The voices disappeared and I sighed in relief.

“Thanks momma” I whispered, and she placed a kiss on my arm. We stayed there, in the room but not a part of the conversation as I waited for the drama to die down. I watched as Ivy and Micah left the room and I knew how this topic would be playing on Ivy’s grief, so I decided to leave the protection of my mother’s shield and follow them out. The second I left the room I was exposed to the thoughts again, this time though it was manageable. I focused on blocking out the room behind me and letting others in. I could see the thoughts of Lottie, the guard member I had placed on the desk were panicked and confused. I realised she had been in a small conflict with Nova who was waiting at the door of the Volturi frustrated she was being kept out.

Ivy, Micah, your daughter is here. I placed in their heads as I walked towards the lobby of the building.

Bring her into the 2^nd meeting room. Micah responded and I did as he asked.

I was barely in the room for a few minutes with Ivy and her family before my father was calling for me in his mind from the hall. I had to go back in.

I left Ivy, Micah and Nova in the room and entered the main room. I knew from the look on the faces in the room they’d made a decision.

“it’s happening” I said in realisation. Zio gave a small nod and turned to look at his son.

“Its time to call those back to the Volturi that know of Esther’s whereabouts. Her family, her grandchildren. The guard. Have them in the throne room in an hour. Ill use Ariella to wipe everyone at the same time.” Matthew nodded to the room.

“Ivy has instructed her children to stay away from here. Her other daughter is in New York. Its not fair to disrupt her life.” I answered hearing the conversation in the room next door with Ivy and her daughter.

“Then ill attend to them separately, away from the mansion. Inform Ivy ill pay her and her family a visit tomorrow, make sure Eden is there.” Matthew answered and I gave him a small nod. That was more acceptable than expecting Eden to fly home in the next hour on a Friday lunch time.

“What about her other grandchildren?” I asked looking to Anelie.

“Ana and Eva were never told where Esther was. They can be left alone” Anelie said, and I gave her a small smile, grateful at least their lives wouldn’t be disrupted by this plan of Zio’s.

“It’s not ideal. I know you’re all scared. But this is to protect Esther, to protect our loved ones. It has to be done, I’ve asked many sacrifices of you all these past few years and this I’m afraid is another one. I regret I am not a better leader; I regret I don’t have a better solution, but until we know who these people are and more importantly, their intentions, we must remain as vigilant as possible. We don’t want history repeating itself,” Zio said solemnly, he looked to his daughter in law and Lidiya had a tear in her eye as she nodded in acceptance.

I hated the thought of not knowing where Esther was. I couldn’t imagine what her daughters were feeling. I looked as Micah and Ivy re-entered the room and prepared myself for the chance Ivy was going to lash out.

Zio explained it to her and she stood motionless for a moment.

I waited; the entire room waited to see what she was going to say. I saw in her mind the acceptance of the situation. The fear of her daughters being used against her for the safety of her mother ran through her mind, dozens of situations, and scenarios until she finally settled on one emotion. She was thinking only as a mother, focused on the safety of her children and she knew this solution would protect them, so there was only one emotion naturally strong enough to outweigh the others.

Relief.