She and her sisters had split up over two hours prior in search of their mother. Sasha, their coven leader - and mother figure above all - had taken the child and departed toward the north in an attempt to teach the newest member of the coven of their way of life. This was four days ago. Irina had first suggested combing the area the day before, but Tanya had been sure Sasha would return. Now, speeding through dewy fields, she wished she had listened. Sasha had never stayed away from them for so long...
Tanya tried not to blame Vasilii, but he inherently needed more attention and care. Sasha spent nearly all her time with him, stroking his cherub cheeks and cooing into his ears. He was an angelic child, vampirism only enhancing these traits. His speech was broken, as he was only three, but he did not go wanting. They had struggled to control his thirst, above all, for the boy did not understand the delicate living arrangements of the sisters. If they wished to stay in the countryside of their beloved birthplace, they could not draw attention to themselves. And that was all Vasilii received; adoration.
She circled another town, unable to catch the scent of her mother and the newborn, and swore under her breath. A mile from the town, Irina and Katrina caught up with her, crimson eyes wide. “Tanya, there is trouble,” Irina whispered, her voice almost timid in fear. Katrina reached out to grasp Tanya’s arm, tugging her close. “Come, there is a blaze - you do not think it is them...” It is less of a question and more of a request from her eldest sister to assuage her fears. “Take me there, stay close. Do not fear.” Tanya smiled tightly at both women before they all raced in the direction of the site.
And what a sight awaited them. As the women closed the distance, all could see there were several dwelling places ablaze, but the town was strangely silent. Against the bright orange flames and dancing embers, Tanya could see Vasilii. He sat calmly in the arms of a vampire child, a blond girl who was flanked by over a dozen cloaked figures. Only a few feet from them, a large mound of bodies lay burning brightly; the air was rank as a result, blood and sweat and manure and burnt cotton mingling in her noses. Tanya gasped when she saw, a few feet from the pyre, her mother, held down on her knees, face contorted in lingering pain and evident fear, her familiar eyes never leaving Vasilii.
Tanya felt a fire surge through her, and she ran forward toward the wall of strangers. “No!” It sounded a little choked, but it was how she felt. Two arms enclosed around each of her shoulders, jerking her back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a larger man pull Katrina back, his thick trunk of an arm snaking tightly around her middle. Irina took little to hold, as she was already half weeping.
“Welcome, ladies. I was worried you would not be on time.” Gritting her teeth, it took seemingly all her control not to snarl. “On time for what,” she half growled, earning an almost leery smile from the man. “Forgive me, I have yet to introduce myself. I am Aro, of the Volturi.” He waved his hand before him, motioning to the cloaked group around them. “We received news of the predicament here and find it necessary to intervene you see.” Katrina responded faster than Tanya, cutting her off. “Intervene? For what reason... and under what authority? We are autonomous!” The man smiled again, toothily and entertained.
“I understand my dear, but when one of our kind endangers our anonymity, something must be done. I am sorry, ladies.” With this, he turned away. If her heart were not already stone, Tanya felt it would have stilled in shock upon hearing Aro’s words. She struggled in the grip of his henchmen, her lungs choked by the sudden foreboding that now sat heavy in the air. A younger, blonde man stepped forward to stand next to the child, Vasilii still quiet in her arms. “For your crime in creating an immortal child, the creator and creation are sentenced to death.”
What followed was cacophonous; Tanya threw all her weight forward in a desperate attempt to free herself. Sasha’s scream clashed with Irina’s cry, but no woman’s attempts were able to stop the fate of their youngest coven member. He was dismembered quickly, by two or three Tanya could not tell. The flames danced higher as he was disposed of, and Tanya could barely see over the shoulder of a Volturi member rushing past to help hold back her sister when she meets Sasha’s eyes, only for a moment. There were pain and fear in them, unlike any that Tanya has seen in her eyes, but there was also love for her and sisters, and a hope for the future. A future, they both realized, would not include Sasha. So steadfast and nurturing, loving and all too soon, gone.
Much like Vasilii, she was torn apart quickly, though not before Tanya could hear every crack of her breaking limbs, her own chest shuddering as Sasha’s body tumbled to the damp ground. The grip around her shoulders tightened in anticipation for her struggles in protest, but Tanya did not fight. What could she and her sisters do against this small, self-righteous legion? Despite her disbelief and rage, Tanya pleaded with her sisters to stand down, lest they invite further judgement at the hands of the Volturi.
Aro’s voice sounded miles away as he ordered his guard to release them, and she glanced up at him, her face defiant, jaw set, crimson eyes tainted by sorrow. As her sisters rallied at her side, she met each of their eyes. A slight shake of her head told them both to stand down, and they did so, following her away from the grisly scene. As they ran, Tanya felt her chest constrict, her breathing, despite the fact that she did not need to, suddenly shallow and uneven. It was not until her shoulders quivered that she realized she was crying, albeit tearlessly.
That night, the three sisters sat upright against each other, Tanya’s arms wrapped around their shoulders. Irina kept her head on her shoulder heavily, eyes half closed, her breathing hitched. Katrina used the wall for support more, rubbing Tanya’s hand every now and again. Between them, Tanya played the last moments of her mother’s life over and over in her mind. She wondered if they could have done anything differently, and found herself dwelling on their future. “What will happen to us...” Irina whispered before daybreak, lifting her face toward the light as she voiced the question Tanya had asked herself during the night many times.
Kissing her sister’s forehead as she squeezed Kate’s hand, she answered as surely as she could. “We will do as we always have. I do not believe Sahsa would want us to waste away in mourning...” And that was true. Their mother had been the strongest woman they knew, a true example and leader for the sisters. Tanya knew that they would look to her now in the wake of the greatest loss of their vampire lives. Eyes set in determination, Tanya moved lithely off the bed to watch the rising sun; she was ready.
