𝘖𝘉𝘚𝘐𝘋𝘐𝘈𝘕 ° 𝘈𝘓𝘌𝘊 𝘝𝘖𝘓𝘛𝘜𝘙𝘐

[22] IDES

             THE DEAD OF WINTER WAS WELL ON ITS WAY. Novosibirsk was a small city located in southwestern Russia. It was also where the next meeting of the Solis Order would take place, per the information obtained from Ysaac's unfortunate torturing and interrogation.

     All of the Elite Guard were sent to follow after Alec's trailblazing start to the mission. Demetri, Felix, and Santiago were assigned, in addition to Aurora's security detail at their masters request—which no one was particularly fond of, but fan of, but given the gravity of the threat directly to Aurora, the mission required all-hands on deck.

     So to Siberia they went.

     Jane and Aurora had told everyone that they had sent Alec ahead of them to scout the cult. Or, that was what they were covering up his quick leave with anyway. He wasn't answering their phone calls or texts. He hadn't even turned on the device for them to track his location. Stubborn bastard.

      Under the scope of the mission, they had to establish boundaries of their search for the cult members. Since it was still daytime, tracking Alec down wasn't a priority for anyone else aside from Aurora and Jane. They couldn't draw attention to their concern nor press the issue, lest they draw suspicion of Alec's loyalty—a dangerous play. For the time being, they made themselves comfortable in the base. 

     There was a grand stone manor house just off of the main road, styled as an extravagant mountain cabin. The mountain ranges around the area placed the estate and forest in a picturesque valley. The hunting lodge operated as a bed and breakfast for hunters, hikers, rock-climbers, destination vacationers and the like when not in use for the Volturi.

        However, the ownership of the hunter's lodge was obvious. Like many of the Volturi estates scattered across the world, this one was unnecessarily grandiose and large, with a cavernous main hall featuring exposed wood beams, bronze chandeliers, a granite fireplace and embalmed forest creatures plastered to the stone walls. There were three levels to the country estate, with far too many rooms including bedrooms, bathrooms, a few studies, drawing rooms, a solarium, a library and a game room. Intricate patterning of the Volturi crest made up the wallpaper of several rooms. Paintings of Italy, of Volterra, decorated the walls. Half of the library was in Italian or Latin.

     Her bodyguards set themselves up outside her suite and around the perimeter of the building. She watched them walk around outside from the bay window of her suite. She marked a V-shaped junction at the center of a winding hedge-maze behind the manor. Beyond was an impenetrable snow-capped forest, the large Siberian taiga filled with a thick myriad of larch and pine trees.

    She realized at that moment that it was almost Christmas. Soon enough, it would be her birthday. It would soon mark a year since she had met Alec and subsequently had been Changed into a vampire. Her newborn year had certainly been busy, rife with eternally endless drama.

     Time had passed by much too quickly. The simple human life she had once known was far from recognizable now.

     She unpacked some of her luggage, hanging a few coats and dresses up in the cherry-oak armoire. As the Elite Guard would go into the city themselves, blending in amidst the humans was a must. And considering their targets were aware the Volturi were looking for them, she was able to opt out of the signature obsidian cloak and crimson veil of the Rossas.

There were her usual pick of dresses to choose from, but she eventually changed into a white bodysuit and boots, wrapping herself up in a mid-length leather coat, lined with black fur. She didn't recall when she had gotten the designer item, but she recalled seeing it in her closet after they returned from Forks. She was adjusting a very odd fold in the sleeves, as if it were pressed improperly, when one off swipe of her fingers sent a delicately folded parchment fluttering into the air. She caught it half a second later on its descent to the marble floor.