Benjamin guessed that it would be wiser to convert Tia before taking her back to Amun.
Benjamin guessed that it would be wiser to convert Tia before taking her back to Amun.
He created a deep fissure in the desert outside Suez and carried Tia inside. There he bit her, and then waited with her through the three days of her transformation. As soon as she was transformed, Benjamin took her hunting. When she was satiated, they went back to Amun‘s temple.
Amun was at first enraged, but quickly calmed down as Benjamin explained. Clearly, no harm had been done. Having Tia with him as a vampire would remove Benjamin‘s one tie to the human world. And Benjamin had proved that he could be relied upon in the outside world.
Amun‘s coven began to live a little more normally, though always with the greatest secrecy possible. Benjamin was very happy in his coven, with Tia as his mate. He did not question Amun‘s motives.
FAMOUS QUOTES
“It"s a pity you couldn"t replace my will with your own in the process; perhaps then you would have been satisfied with me.” Breaking Dawn, Chapter 34
“Apparently, I"m a hot commodity. It appears I have to win the right to be free.”
Breaking Dawn, Chapter 34
KEBI
NAME: Kebi
DATE OF BIRTH: Before 2500 B.C.
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: Unknown
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Amun
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Egypt
HAIR COLOR: Black
EYE COLOR: Red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 5‘3‖
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Kebi has long, curly black hair and a faint olive cast to her pale skin, denoting the darkness of her human skin.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: She does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: She is Amun‘s mate. Benjamin and Tia are also part of their coven.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Kebi was chosen by Amun from his human slaves because of her beauty and total loyalty to her master. Even after her conversion, their relationship was never one of equals. When Amun decided to bow to the Volturi‘s demands, Kebi followed his lead without question. She would have done the same had he decided to defy the Volturi and end both their lives.
Kebi has little emotion for anyone besides Amun.
Kebi has little emotion for anyone besides Amun. Benjamin she tolerated because he made Amun happy, but she was somewhat jealous of the boy. When Benjamin brought Tia home, Kebi was pleased; she hoped Amun would be less entranced with the boy when it was clear he loved Tia more than Amun. Kebi‘s hopes about that rift were not entirely fulfilled, as Benjamin continued to love Amun as a father. But Amun‘s jealousy of Benjamin‘s affections, though well concealed, was enough to make Kebi content.
TIA
NAME: Tia
DATE OF BIRTH: Between 1790 and 1800; three years after Benjamin DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: Five years after Benjamin‘s transformation, at age 17
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Benjamin
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Egypt
HAIR COLOR: Black
EYE COLOR: Red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 5‘4‖
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Tia has heavy, straight black hair and pale skin with a slight olive tone, indicating the darkness of her skin before transformation.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: She does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: She is Benjamin‘s mate. They are in a coven with Amun and Kebi.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Tia had a very large family; she was one of many children. Her overwhelmed and financially distraught mother began placing her children in the care of her second cousin (Benjamin‘s great-uncle) when she could no longer feed them. Tia was given away when she was five. She had a good singing voice and nimble fingers, so the uncle kept her with him. When she was about seven, Benjamin came to live with the uncle. Though Benjamin was three years her senior, he became her best friend and confidant. Tia was the first person to whom Benjamin revealed his gift with fire. It was Tia who suggested he show the uncle; she knew that a special ability like this would ensure that the uncle would hold on to Benjamin, thus keeping them together. As the years passed, their close friendship became more serious, and they planned to someday run away together. They held back small amounts of money instead of turning all their earnings over to the uncle, saving for that future.
Tia was devastated when Benjamin disappeared.
Tia was devastated when Benjamin disappeared. When the uncle‘s body was found, everyone assumed that Benjamin was dead, too. Tia searched out her mother, whom she found in slightly better circumstances. Tia had all the money she and Benjamin had saved, and her mother was happy to let her stay with such a contribution. Tia continued performing and stealing to help her family. After a few years, Tia‘s mother was offered a dowry for the girl, which she accepted.
Tia was married to a clerk for a shipping company and taken to Suez. Her circumstances were more comfortable than at home, and she was not unhappy. However, she did not love her husband.
When she realized that she couldn‘t effectively stay with him as a human, she was willing to become a vampire.
When she saw Benjamin in her garden, Tia didn‘t question for a second that she would be leaving with him. Though she was totally unprepared for his changed appearance or revelations, none of it made a difference. When she realized that she couldn‘t effectively stay with him as a human, she was willing to become a vampire.
Tia never embraced Amun or Kebi as fully as Benjamin had. She could see that, like the uncle, Amun was interested in Benjamin because of what he could get out of him. But as long as Amun‘s goal was the same as hers — to keep Benjamin safe — she had no problem staying with his coven.
The Irish Coven
The three members of the Irish coven are old friends of Carlisle Cullen‘s. Siobhan is the leader, but she and her mate, Liam, trust the judgment of their newest member, Maggie, who has a gift for knowing a lie when she hears one.
LIAM
NAME: Liam
DATE OF BIRTH: Around 1615
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: 1651, at approximately age 36
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Unknown
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Ireland
HAIR COLOR: Dark brown
EYE COLOR: Red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 6‘5‖
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Liam is tall and lean, with an imposing countenance.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: He does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: Liam‘s mate is Siobhan. Maggie is the other member of their coven.
Once a vampire was totally sated, she might continue to drink blood for enjoyment rather than need.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Liam was an Irish warrior who fought in the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and later against Cromwell‘s reconquest of Ireland. Liam became a vampire through one of the most common types of accidental transformation: battlefield excess. After the Volturi came to power, vampires were unable to kill as recklessly as before, and most were forced to curb their appetites to avoid notice. The circumstances of war, however, gave them an opportunity to kill large numbers of humans at once without attracting attention from either humans or vampires. It became common among nomads to seek out human wars as an opportunity to feast. One of the consequences of this practice was the occasional unplanned transformation. Once a vampire was totally sated, she might continue to drink blood for enjoyment rather than need. In such situations, she might not drain enough blood from her victim to kill him. If she left him in that state without any further violence, he would begin the transformation process.
After Liam‘s conversion was complete, he went through the normal period of newborn behavior. He met Siobhan during his first six months of vampire life. She instructed him on the vampire laws, which kept him from drawing negative attention from the Volturi. Liam was very taken with Siobhan‘s strength and be
auty. They joined forces quickly. Though it was never discussed, from the beginning Siobhan was the coven‘s leader.
When Liam was no longer a newborn, he became selective about his prey. For centuries he would kill only Englishmen. English soldiers are still his preferred victims.
Liam and Siobhan were well aware of the Volturi and their rules, and always behaved circumspectly. For Liam, as long as the Volturi did not become corrupted by their power and attempt to control more aspects of vampire life, he had no problem with them. He was born into a world where their laws of mutual convenience were accepted fact, and he did not question them.
Liam was not as fascinated as Siobhan by the stories of the Volturi guard‘s special talents. When Siobhan discovered Maggie and wanted to try to create her own talented vampire, Liam was opposed. He was concerned that the Volturi would resent the imitation, if they found out. More than that, he didn‘t want to share Siobhan‘s attention with anyone else. Siobhan transformed Maggie regardless, leaving Liam quite unhappy with her decision. Siobhan pled with him to give Maggie a chance, and he grudgingly agreed. It didn‘t take long for Liam to see the benefits of having a talented coven member, and over time he became quite fond of Maggie.
He learned to consider her a younger sister.
MAGGIE
NAME: Maggie
DATE OF BIRTH: 1832
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: 1847, at age 15
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Siobhan
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Ireland
HAIR COLOR: Red
EYE COLOR: Blue (human); red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 5‘2‖
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Maggie is short and very thin, and has bright red ringlets.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: She is able to tell if a person is lying.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: She is in a coven with Siobhan and Liam.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Maggie always had difficulty dealing with authority, on a parental level and on a community level. The normal everyday hypocrisy that most people expected was always foreign to her. If someone said something that did not correspond with their true feelings, Maggie was instinctively aware of that discrepancy. In those situations, she felt compelled to point out the lie.
Though this often led to punishment, sometimes quite severe, she was unable to let the lie pass.
Her accuracy made people uncomfortable, and the closer someone was to her, the more uncomfortable she made them.
In reality — as Maggie was well aware — she was sacrificed because her parents did not love her as much as they loved her siblings.
In the mid-1840s the Great Famine decimated her village. Everyone who could afford to immigrate to America left. This included her family, who had not quite enough to buy passage for every member. Maggie‘s maternal grandparents, who were already in poor condition, were left behind. Maggie was left, ostensibly to care for them as best she could. In reality — as Maggie was well aware — she was sacrificed because her parents did not love her as much as they loved her siblings. She was a trial to them, and they sometimes wondered if her abilities were demonic.
Siobhan and Liam found Maggie alone on the road to Cork, nearly dead from starvation.
Naturally, when Siobhan questioned Maggie, her answers were the whole truth.
After Maggie‘s transformation, her ability became even more pronounced. A person did not have to speak aloud for Maggie to know if he was behaving in a way contrary to what he believed. If a person misrepresented himself in either appearance or action, she knew.
Because Siobhan and Liam were routinely honest with each other and themselves, having Maggie join their coven was not the strain it might have been. It was easier for Maggie to be with them than it would have been otherwise; after her transformation, any kind of deception made her physically uncomfortable.
FAMOUS QUOTE
“I know truth is on Carlisle"s side. I can"t ignore that.” Breaking Dawn, Chapter 34
SIOBHAN
NAME: Siobhan
DATE OF BIRTH: Around 1490
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: Around 1510, at approximately age 20
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Sancar
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Ireland
HAIR COLOR: Black
EYE COLOR: Violet-blue (human); red/black (vampire) HEIGHT: 6‘2‖
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Siobhan is very tall, muscular, and voluptuous, with thick black hair and exceptionally beautiful facial features.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Though Siobhan does not believe she has any talent, some suspect she can affect the outcome of a situation through willpower alone.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: Her mate is Liam, and Maggie is also in her coven.
Eventually, she became an accepted part of village life and grew famous in the surrounding areas as the big blacksmith girl.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Siobhan was the only daughter of a blacksmith and his wife. This made her unusual in a village where most families were very large. She had a strikingly attractive face. Large violet-blue eyes, surrounded by incredibly long lashes, were her dominant feature. She also was known for her perfect fair skin. Aside from these things, however, she was unlike the other village beauties. By the time she was fourteen, she was taller than any other woman in the village. By the time she was sixteen, she was taller than all of the men, except for her father. She was also stronger than many of them; as an only child, she‘d always helped her father at the forge. He died in an accident when she was seventeen, and by then she was strong and knowledgeable enough to take over his craft. This was unheard of, and disapproved of by many. However, it was what she wanted, and the village needed a blacksmith. Eventually, she became an accepted part of village life and grew famous in the surrounding areas as the big blacksmith girl.
Despite her beautiful face and generous hourglass figure, Siobhan did not have suitors.
Her height, strength, and profitable occupation were intimidating to the village men. This did not bother Siobhan, who saw no need for a husband. She was able to comfortably support herself and her mother, and she did not want anything else.
The physical size and strength that awed the locals, however, brought her to the attention of a Turkish vampire named Sancar. Sancar was creating a vampire harem, and he desired unusual women for his collection. Sancar traveled through all of Europe with human servants, seeking the exceptional. He heard of the beautiful Irish woman who was stronger than a man, and sought her out. She was like no one he‘d ever seen before, and he decided to add her to his assortment of females.
She was intrigued by the amazing things they were rumored to be capable of, and by the warriors in the bunch.
Sancar gave Siobhan no warning or explanation. He abducted her in the night, raped her, bit her, and then carried her back to his home while she was still in the painful throes of the conversion process. Sancar had a difficult time dealing with the newborn Siobhan. She was incredibly strong, even for a newborn vampire. She also had no love for Sancar. For a while he was able to keep her distracted with plenty of blood, but before her first year as a vampire was over, she killed Sancar. She was then forced to destroy the three members of his harem coven who were devoted to him. The four others were not upset by Sancar‘s demise, and they all went their own ways. Siobhan spent a few years traveling and learning the way vampires lived before she returned to Ireland. She was more widely nomadic for her first century, hunting across most of Europe and Asia. During that time, she met a few members of the Volturi guard. She was intrigued by the amazing things they were rumored to be capable of, and by the warriors in the bunch. She wondered if she was strong enough to be acceptable. But she never went to the Volturi to be considered. She didn‘t want to belong to anyone but herself.
On one of her return trips to Ireland, she found the newborn Liam. She was attracted to his fierceness and focus, both of which were apparent despite his newborn wildness. She could see that he was totally uneducated, and so she took him under her wing. Aft
er they joined forces, they stayed mostly in Ireland. Liam was most comfortable there, though he did travel occasionally with Siobhan.
Siobhan and Liam had just finished hunting one night when they came across Maggie.
Siobhan was startled when the delirious child accused them of not being human. Intrigued, Siobhan asked her how she knew, and Maggie explained the curse that had led to her abandonment.
Siobhan was sure she had discovered one of those special humans who would have an extra ability as a vampire. She was excited to proceed.
Siobhan was sure she had discovered one of those special humans who would have an extra ability as a vampire. She was excited to proceed, but Liam was upset. He didn‘t understand why she would want to add someone to their coven. Weren‘t they happy as they were? Siobhan overruled him, and invited Maggie to join them, promising that she would never be hungry again. Maggie could sense that Siobhan was telling the truth, and that Siobhan did not mean her harm, so she agreed.
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