They came with pageantry, with a kind of beauty.

　　They came in a rigid, formal formation. They moved together, but it was not a march; they flowed inperfect synchronicity from the trees—a dark, unbroken shape that seemed to hover a few inches abovethe white snow, so smooth was the advance.

　　The outer perimeter was gray; the color darkened with each line of bodies until the heart of the formationwas deepest black. Every face was cowled, shadowed. The faint brushing sound of their feet was soregular it was like music, a complicated beat that never faltered.

　　At some sign I did not see—or perhaps there was no sign, only millennia of practice—the configurationfolded outward. The motion was too stiff, too square to resemble the opening of a flower, though thecolor suggested that; it was the opening of a fan, graceful but very angular. The gray-cloaked figuresspread to the flanks while the darker forms surged precisely forward in the center, each movementclosely controlled.

　　Their progress was slow but deliberate, with no hurry, no tension, no anxiety. It was the pace of theinvincible.

　　This was almost my old nightmare. The only thing lacking was the gloating desire I'd seen on the faces inmy dream—the smiles of vindictive joy. Thus far, the Volturi were too disciplined to show any emotion atall. They also showed no surprise or dismay at the collection of vampires that waited for them here—acollection that looked suddenly disorganized and unprepared in comparison. They showed no surprise atthe giant wolf that stood in our midst.

　　I couldn't help counting. There were thirty-two of them. Even if you did not count the two drifting,waifish black-cloaked figures in the very back, who I took to be the wives—their protected positionsuggesting that they would not be involved in the attack—we were still outnumbered. There were justnineteen of us who would fight, and then seven more to watch as we were destroyed. Even counting theten wolves, they had us.

　　"The redcoats are coming, the redcoats are coming," Garrett muttered mysteriously to himself and thenchuckled once. He slid one step closer to Kate.

　　"They did come," Vladimir whispered to Stefan.

　　'The wives," Stefan hissed back. 'The entire guard. All of them together. It's well we didn't try Volterra."And then, as if their numbers were not enough, while the Volturi slowly and majestically advanced, morevampires began entering the clearing behind them.

　　The faces in this seemingly endless influx of vampires were the antithesis to the Volturi's expressionlessdiscipline—they wore a kaleidoscope of emotions. At first there was the shock and even some anxiety asthey saw the unexpected force awaiting them. But that concern passed quickly; they were secure in theiroverwhelming numbers, secure in their position behind the unstoppable Volturi force. Their featuresreturned to the expression they'd worn before we'd surprised them.

　　It was easy enough to understand their mindset—the faces were that explicit. This was an angry mob,whipped to a frenzy and slavering for justice. I did not fully realize the vampire world's feeling toward theimmortal children before I read these faces.

　　It was clear that this motley, disorganized horde—more than forty vampires altogether—was theVolturi's own kind of witness. When we were dead, they would spread the word that the criminals hadbeen eradicated, that the Volturi had acted with nothing but impartiality. Most looked like they hoped formore than just an opportunity to witness—they wanted to help tear and burn.

　　We didn't have a prayer. Even if we could somehow neutralize the Volturi's advantages, they could stillbury us in bodies. Even if we killed Demetri, Jacob would not be able to outrun this.

　　I could feel it as the same comprehension sunk in around me. Despair weighted the air, pushing medown with more pressure than before.

　　One vampire in the opposing force did not seem to belong to either party; I recognized Irina as shehesitated in between the two companies, her expression unique among the others. Irina's horrified gazewas locked on Tanya's position in the front line. Edward snarled, a very low but fervent sound.

　　"Alistairwas right," he murmured to Carlisle.

　　I watched Carlisle glance at Edward questioningly.

　　"Alistair was right?" Tanya whispered.

　　'They—Caius and Aro—come to destroy and acquire," Edward breathed almost silently back; only ourside could hear. "They have many layers of strategy already in place. If Irina's accusation had somehowproven to be false, they were committed to find another reason to take offense. But they can seeRenesmee now, so they are perfectly sanguine about their course. We could still attempt to defendagainst their other contrived charges, but first they have to stop, to hear the truth about Renesmee." Then,even lower. "Which they have no intention of doing."Jacob gave a strange little huff.

　　And then, unexpectedly, two seconds later, the procession did halt. The low music of perfectlysynchronizedmovements turned to silence. The flawless discipline remained unbroken; the Volturi froze into absolutestillness as one. They stood about a hundred yards away from us.

　　Behind me, to the sides, I heard the beating of large hearts, closer than before. I risked glances to the leftand the right from the corners of my eyes to see what had stopped the Volturi advance.

　　The wolves had joined us.

　　On either side of our uneven line, the wolves branched out in long, bordering arms. I only spared afraction of a second to note that there were more than ten wolves, to recognize the wolves I knew andthe ones I'd never seen before. There were sixteen of them spaced evenly around us—seventeen total,counting Jacob. It was clear from their heights and oversized paws that the newcomers all were very,very young. I supposed I should have foreseen this. With so many vampires encamped in theneighborhood, a werewolf population explosion was inevitable.

　　More children dying. I wondered why Sam had allowed this, and then I realized he had no other choice.

　　If any of the wolves stood with us, the Volturi would be sure to search out the rest. They had gambledtheir entire species on this stand.

　　And we were going to lose.

　　Abruptly, I was furious. Beyond furious, I was murderously enraged. My hopeless despair vanishedentirely. A faint reddish glow highlighted the dark figures in front of me, and all I wanted in that momentwas the chance to sink my teeth into them, to rip their limbs from their bodies and pile them for burning. Iwas so maddened I could have danced around the pyre where they roasted alive; I would have laughedwhile their ashes smoldered. My lips curved back automatically, and a low, fierce snarl tore up my throatfrom the pit of my stomach. I realized the corners of my mouth were turned up in a smile.

　　Beside me, Zafrina and Senna echoed my hushed growl. Edward squeezed the hand he still held,cautioning me.

　　The shadowed Volturi faces were still expressionless for the most part. Only two sets of eyes betrayedany emotion at all. In the very center, touching hands, Aro and Caius had paused to evaluate, and theentire guard had paused with them, waiting for the order to kill. The two did not look at each other, but itwas obvious that they were communicating. Marcus, though touching Aro's other hand, did not seem partof the conversation. His expression was not as mindless as the guards', but it was nearly as blank. Likethe one other time I'd seen him, he appeared to be utterly bored.

　　The bodies of the VolturFs witnesses leaned toward us, their eyes fixed furiously on Renesmee and me,but they stayed near the fringe of the forest, leaving a wide berth between themselves and the Volturisoldiers. Only Irina hovered close behind the Volturi, just a few paces away from the ancient females—both fair-haired with powdery skin and filmed eyes—and their two massive bodyguards.

　　There was a woman in one of the darker gray cloaks just behind Aro. I couldn't be sure, but it lookedlike she might actually be touching his back. Was this the other shield, Renata? I wondered, as Eleazarhad, if she would be able to repel me.

　　But I would not waste my life trying to get to Caius or Aro. I had more vital targets.

　　I searched the line for them now and had no difficulty picking out the two petite, deep gray cloaks nearthe heart of the arrangement. Alec and Jane, easily the smallest members of the guard, stood just toMarcus's side, flanked by Demetri on the other. Their lovely faces were smooth, giving nothing away;they wore the darkest cloaks beside the pure black of the ancients. The witch twins, Vladimir had calledthem. Their powers were the cornerstone of the Volturi offensive. The jewels in Aro's collection.

　　My muscles flexed, and venom welled in my mouth.

　　Aro's and Caius's clouded red eyes flickered across our line. I read disappointment in Aro's face as hisgaze roved over our faces again and again, looking for one that was missing. Chagrin tightened his lips.

　　In that moment, I was nothing but grateful that Alice had run.

　　As the pause lengthened, I heard Edward's breath speed.

　　"Edward?" Carlisle asked, low and anxious.

　　'They're not sure how to proceed. They're weighing options, choosing key targets—me, of course, you,Eleazar, Tanya. Marcus is reading the strength of our ties to each other, looking for weak points. TheRomanians' presence irritates them. They're worried about the faces they don't recognize—Zafrina andSenna in particular—and the wolves, naturally. They've never been outnumbered before. That's whatstopped them.""Outnumbered?" Tanya whispered incredulously.

　　"They don't count their witnesses," Edward breathed. "They are nonentities, meaningless to the guard.

　　Aro just enjoys an audience.""Should I speak?" Carlisle asked.

　　Edward hesitated, then nodded. "This is the only chance you'll get."Carlisle squared his shoulders and paced several steps ahead of our defensive line. I hated to see himalone, unprotected.

　　He spread his arms, holding his palms up as if in greeting. "Aro, my old friend. It's been centuries."The white clearing was dead silent for a long moment. I could feel the tension rolling off Edward as helistened to Aro's assessment of Carlisle's words. The strain mounted as the seconds ticked by.

　　And then Aro stepped forward out of the center of the Volturi formation. The shield, Renata, movedwith him as if the tips of her fingers were sewn to his robe. For the first time, the Volturi ranks reacted. Amuttered grumble rolled through the line, eyebrows lowered into scowls, lips curled back from teeth. Afew of the guard leaned forward into a crouch.

　　Aro held one hand up toward them. "Peace."He walked just a few paces more, then cocked his head to one side. His milky eyes glinted withcuriosity.

　　"Fair words, Carlisle," he breathed in his thin, wispy voice. "They seem out of place, considering thearmy you've assembled to kill me, and to kill my dear ones."Carlisle shook his head and stretched his right hand forward as if there were not still almost a hundredyardsbetween them. "You have but to touch my hand to know that was never my intent."Aro's shrewd eyes narrowed. "But how can your intent possibly matter, dear Carlisle, in the face of whatyou have done?" He frowned, and a shadow of sadness crossed his features—whether it was genuine ornot, I could not tell.

　　"I have not committed the crime you are here to punish me for.""Then step aside and let us punish those responsible. Truly, Carlisle, nothing would please me more thanto preserve your life today.""No one has broken the law, Aro. Let me explain." Again, Carlisle offered his hand.

　　Before Aro could answer, Caius drifted swiftly forward to Aro's side.

　　"So many pointless rules, so many unnecessary laws you create for yourself, Carlisle," the white-hairedancient hissed. "How is it possible that you defend the breaking of one that truly matters?""The law is not broken. If you would listen—""We see the child, Carlisle," Caius snarled. "Do not treat us as fools.""She is not an immortal. She is not a vampire. I can easily prove this with just a few moments—"Caius cut him off. "If she is not one of the forbidden, then why have you massed a battalion to protecther?""Witnesses, Caius, just as you have brought." Carlisle gestured to the angry horde at the edge of thewoods; some of them growled in response. "Any one of these friends can tell you the truth about thechild. Or you could just look at her, Caius. See the flush of human blood in her cheeks.""Artifice!" Caius snapped. "Where is the informer? Let her come forward!" He craned his neck arounduntil he spotted Irina lingering behind the wives. "You! Come!"Irina stared at him uncomprehendingly, her face like that of someone who has not entirely awakenedfrom a hideous nightmare. Impatiently, Caius snapped his fingers. One of the wives' huge bodyguardsmoved to Irina's side and prodded her roughly in the back. Irina blinked twice and then walked slowlytoward Caius in a daze. She stopped several yards short, her eyes still on her sisters.

　　Caius closed the distance between them and slapped her across the face.

　　It couldn't have hurt, but there was something terribly degrading about the action. It was like watchingsomeone kick a dog. Tanya and Kate hissed in synchronization.

　　Irina's body went rigid and her eyes finally focused on Caius. He pointed one clawed finger atRenesmee, where she clung to my back, her fingers still tangled in Jacob's fur. Caius turned entirely red inmy furious view. A growl rumbled through Jacob's chest.

　　"This is the child you saw?" Caius demanded. "The one that was obviously more than human?"Irina peered at us, examining Renesmee for the first time since entering the clearing. Her head tilted tothe side, confusion crossed her features.

　　"Well?" Caius snarled.

　　"I... I'm not sure," she said, her tone perplexed.

　　Caius's hand twitched as if he wanted to slap her again. "What do you mean?" he said in a steelywhisper.

　　"She's not the same, but I think it's the same child. What I mean is, she's changed. This child is biggerthan the one I saw, but—"Caius's furious gasp crackled through his suddenly bared teeth, and Irina broke off without finishing. Aroflitted to Caius's side and put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

　　"Be composed, brother. We have time to sort this out. No need to be hasty."With a sullen expression, Caius turned his back on Irina.

　　"Now, sweetling," Aro said in a warm, sugary murmur. "Show me what you're trying to say." He held hishand out to the bewildered vampire.

　　Uncertainly, Irina took his hand. He held hers for only five seconds.

　　"You see, Caius?" he said. "It's a simple matter to get what we need."Caius didn't answer him. From the corner of his eye, Aro glanced once at his audience, his mob, andthen turned back to Carlisle.

　　"And so we have a mystery on our hands, it seems. It would appear the child has grown. Yet Irina's firstmemory was clearly that of an immortal child. Curious.""That's exactly what I'm trying to explain," Carlisle said, and from the change in his voice, I could guessat his relief. This was the pause we had pinned all our nebulous hopeson.

　　I feltno relief. I waited, almost numb with rage, for the layers of strategy Edward had promised.

　　Carlisle held out his hand again.

　　Aro hesitated for a moment. "I would rather have the explanation from someone more central to thestory, my friend. Am I wrong to assume that this breach was not of your making?""Therewas no breach.""Be that as it may, I will have every facet of the truth." Aro's feathery voice hardened. "And the bestway to get that is to have the evidence directly from your talented son." He inclined his head in Edward'sdirection. "As the child clings to his newborn mate, I'm assuming Edward is involved."Of course he wanted Edward. Once he could see into Edward's mind, he would know all our thoughts.

　　Except mine.

　　Edward turned to quickly kiss my forehead and Renesmee's, not meeting my eyes. Then he strodeacross the snowy field, clapping Carlisle on the should............