[BamaFan121s]

"So, as vampires, the four of them sought to hunt out and eliminate the werewolves that threatened to expose them all. They did manage to put their plan in action, but their progress was very slow. They found out very soon that werewolves were very evasive and much harder to locate than they’d expected. They realized very quickly that they needed more help. Marcus and Caius called upon two others they’d worked with in Italy—two individuals who were eager to take on such a challenge..."

Carlisle stopped speaking and looked to Edward. I felt his body tense beside me and heard his teeth snapped together. Through clenched teeth, he finished Carlisle’s statement, "Demetri and James."

The gasp that escaped my mouth was mirrored by Alice. I absentmindedly moved my fingers to trace the crescent shaped scar on my hand, still present even after my transformation. My memory conjured images of James, leaning over me, taunting me in a room lined with mirrors on a hot Pheonix day. Why was it that so many of my human recollections had become so vague and unclear, yet those that had brought me inches from death, the most horrible images imaginable, had remained so vivid and clear? I moved my hands to cover my face, trying to will the images from my mind.

I felt Edward wrap his arms around me comfortingly, pulling me closer to him. I could picture James’ face in my mind as clearly as if he stood before me now. I understood that the efforts of the four vampires so long ago had been to protect the secrecy of our kind, yet I couldn’t help feel the slightest bit of compassion for any individual—human or otherwise—who became a target for the lethal tracker, James. "Bella," Edward spoke softly, "you don’t have to hear this…"

"No, I want to," I replied as I move my hands, demanding my body to regain composure. "It just caught my by surprise is all. I’m sorry, Carlisle, please continue."

He cast me a wary glace, but proceeded. "Marcus and Caius, in turn, were responsible for transforming Demetri and James, who’s talents were also magnified in their vampire state. As you know, James was a talented tracker, as is Demetri. They proved to serve their intended purpose well and in a matter of months, the six had hunted the werewolf population into near extinction. They had accomplished their mission. Suspicions faded and they were free to resume the peaceful lives they’d hoped for.

"They resided together for a short while, but eventually, Marcus, Caius, Demetri and James became restless. Caius, in particular, was still enamored by his new found invincibility and expressed interest in returning to Italy to resume work with the church, eager to see how much more successful his newfound abilities would make him. As you can easily imagine, it was not difficult for him to convince Marcus, Demetri and James to comply with the idea. The Romanians were concerned by Caius’s love of power, but saw no immediate danger in their decision to return. They parted ways as friends.

"It was upon their return to Voltera that they met other individuals who had filled the role of performing their duties in their absence. One of whom was Aro. Aro worked in one of the church institutions and took great interest those individuals who were being brought in and labeled as conspirators. He was a doctor, although I can assure you, compared to the advancements the medical world has seen in recent centuries, it was a field that was very primitive in those days.

"Aro’s position resulted in his working with Marcus and Caius, who grew to appreciate his dedication and enthusiasm to his duties. In time, they became very close friends…so close that they decided that Aro should join them in immortality. Like Marcus and Caius, Aro enthusiastically embraced his new life and talents. Eventually, he continued in his work with the church, however, he now viewed it much differently than he had before.

"It was at this time that the Volturi as we presently recognize them began to take form. In time, the magnitude of Aro’s talents became evident. Now when he worked with those incarcerated, he was able to learn much more about them than before. As you all know, he gained access to every thought, every memory that had ever entered their minds. And soon, he began to grow attached to those individuals that presented the most intriguing cases.

"At his request, Demetri and James focused on locating and acquiring the most disturbed individuals. It was a very rare occasion that when paired together, these two most skilled trackers could not secure their target…" At these words, Carlisle trailed off and cast a meaningful glance towards Alice, slightly cocking his head to the side.

"Finding enjoyment in the challenge alone, they had no issue with obliging his request. Before long, Aro’s curiosity got the best of him and he began transforming his most prized patients and adding new members to the Italian coven. Even after the crusade had ended, Aro still continued his mission to locate such individuals.

"He was not disappointed, many of those he transformed did possess various gifts. Several of those he found you all know—Felix, Heidi and Caius’s wife Athenodora for example. There were a few however, that possessed abilities that were very powerful—that rivaled those of Jane and Alec. They were Aro’s most prized acquisitions. As I have explained, many people were falsely labeled as having been under the control of demonic entities. However, there were some who truly did seem to have fallen victim to that mysterious phenomenon. As humans, their minds were controlled by unknown forces, as vampires, it was they who were able to control those around them."

"Wait a minute, Carlisle, you mean there were members of the Volturi who were actually able to possess the minds of others?" Alice asked skeptically.

Carlisle merely nodded solemnly, before continuing, "Qui Imperium, they were called. You can imagine how this pleased Aro. However, his actions backfired on him. As it was his first experience with newborns, he soon discovered how difficult they could be to control. They did not consider the consequences of their actions and soon began drawing unwanted attention. As we are all aware, they learned from their mistakes and have since become very diligent in intervening when they fear others are guilty of the same while at the same time ensuring that they were not in a position to be threatened.

"It became such an issue that the Romanians decided to step in. You see, although they showed no regard for the lives of humans, they did highly regard the lives of those they were responsible for transforming. They located those created by Aro who they felt posed the greatest risk and took them back to Russia where they would resume responsibility for them, leaving behind a warning for those who remained in Voltera. Naturally, this infuriated Aro who was convinced that Vladimir and Stefan’s motivations were not noble, but to use these individuals for their own benefit—the Volturi viewed them as a threat and were convinced that their only promise of survival was to destroy them.

"After much discussion on how to best proceed, the Volturi, knowing they had the advantage of numbers, traveled to Romania where they burned down the domicile of the Russian coven. They succeeded in destroying much of the Romanian coven as well as Qui Imperium. Vladimir and Stefan were the only survivors. Having diminished their numbers, they no longer viewed them as a threat and returned to Voltera where they have maintained permanent residence ever since." Carlisle relaxed somewhat in his chair in conclusion and folded his hands on the table in front of him.

I pondered this new information for a fraction of a second before my attention was pulled back to the present by Edward’s sharp words. "It was evident even then." He stared down at the table, his jaw clenched tightly, a look of resentment etched on his face. "Their desire for power…even when they were human. They’ve never shown any disregard for destroying anything that stands in their way…that threatens their way of life."

"Yes Edward. It was very much a part of their nature even then. However, with the formation of the Council, we are all hoping to be able to have a more open means of communication. We hope to be able to prevent future misunderstandings like the one we all faced months ago. Aro was at one time a very dear friend of mine, son, and I can assure you he has shown nothing but remorse in the past months. He has been more than hospitable on each of my recent visits and is eager for the changes at hand to take place," Carlisle explained, looking at Edward with understanding eyes. Edward met Carlisle’s eyes and nodded once in obvious acceptance of Carlisle’s reassurances.