Born in Flames / / C. Volturi

{15 The Immortal Child}

Sometime in 1000 AD

Adela Volturi

The stench of death lingered in the air uncomfortably as we approached the crowded village. The fires burned brightly against the night sky as the once living villagers lay dead and scattered across the muddy earth.

It was just as the stories said, a demon had been hunting down the town, though instead of a hulking beast with feral claws or a shadowy figure drawing off helpless victims into the night we were presented with a child. He couldn't have been more than three years old, with pale blonde hair and crimson eyes.  Clearly immortal. We had no choice but to intervene now before our existence became exposed. The laws were implemented for a reason after all.

He stood innocently in the carnage, wide doe eyes stared at our coven like there were not corpses strung around the village. The blood leaking from his lips clearly showing he was the culprit. With seemingly no one else left alive and no creator in sight it appears to be easy enough to dispose of the child.

Secrets do need to be kept after all.

Felix and Demetri sought to create a bonfire in the middle of the town while the rest of the coven gathered around to ensure the deed was done, mostly lower guard members who joined us in case of a large-scale coven being behind the crime. Though now we know this was clearly not the case.

Shaking her head and waging her finger with a click of her tongue Jane went and easily picked up the immortal infant, who not knowing any better did nothing to stop her. He simply wrapped his arms around her neck and allowed the girl to continue carrying him without a fuss. His creator was obviously far too safe in their ideas that they wouldn't be caught and make their creation far too trusting.

But before we could continue we were interrupted by the shrill cry of a blonde vampire running for her creation. But she was quickly silenced by a simple glance from Jane as she collapsed to the floor in agony. The culprit was an older woman wearing a simple grey dress, looking up from the floor in complete desperation.

I suppose I should feel guilt or maybe sympathy for the woman before me but I could not bring myself to care. She had done this to herself, she could have lived a life undercover amongst the humans like many others of our kind but instead chose to jeopardize it all for the life of an infant who would never know better.

She cursed this child by actively choosing to stunt his growth and mental development. Vasilii could have been turned at a later date but I suppose the selfishness of Sasha Denali wanted something to coddle over and spoil. She wanted a child that would never grow old and would be just as cute as he was now. But what a stupid mistake that was on her part.

She had condemned them both.

While she lay heaped on the floor Felix and Demetri took the chance to restrain the woman, pulling her swiftly to her knees as they forced her to look on at her beloved creation. Her struggling was futile as she weakly attempted to reach for the boy. Caius took the torch from the hand of a lesser guard and began to cremate the bodies of the humans, making it look like somebody had burned the village to the ground rather than some fantasy story of men and monsters.

A trio of blonde vampires soon came screaming for their mother as they ran helplessly into the arms of the guard and they themselves became restrained just like their mother before them.

"Now, we do have a predicament here don't we" called Caius condescendingly at the young woman "Did you also know about this?" he called with a sickly sweet tone, mocking them further.

"Mother?" the oldest called in confusion, clearly wanting an explanation from the woman who knelt trembling before us.

"It was me, I did it, but please don't hurt him!" she whimpered in anguish, tears that would never fall began to cloud her eyes. Stepping forward slowly and with calculation, Aro approached Sasha forcibly taking her hand to see her thoughts. He seemed to ponder for a moment before he nodded to Marcus who took the woman's head in his hands. With surprising ferocity, he severed her head as Felix and Demetri took her arms.

Her daughters began to cry and struggle against the guard as they watched on helplessly as her limbs were tossed in the flames. Each one causing a rise of sparks and embers as they crackled violently. With little consideration to the undead boy in her arms, Jane swiftly threw in Vasilii to join his venom mother as the fire sparked up one final time.

The Denali woman stood in shock as the events passed all too quickly in front of their eyes. The eldest seemed to recover the quickest, hatred quickly igniting in her eyes as she looked at us, but there was nothing she could do about it now anyway.

The crime was committed and justice had been served.

I felt Caius come to stand beside me as his arm slipped around my waist, the twins stood in front of us. "Why have you done this?" snarled the eldest daughter who fought harder to escape the grasp of the guard.

"Did anyone teach you the law?" I ask, just as sweetly as Caius before me and her heated gaze snapped to mine in an instant.

"Law?" she breathed astounded "What law" she spat.

"Hunts must be inconspicuous" I taunt nodding my head to the destruction around us "Immortal children are not to be created" I continue exaggerating my look towards the bonfire where Vasilii now lies "False witnesses will be punished by death, we are not to make spectacles of ourselves, the creator is responsible for their newborns, both their behaviors and their teachings" I smile falsely at the woman "And most importantly our existence must remain a secret" I finish with an air of smugness "And how many of those did your mother break?"

She growled lowly at me with her teeth on display but it was already over.

"Now if we are done here, I'd like to go home"

Thank you for reading~