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Even being here a second time was strange, Alessandria knew that as soon as the Inquisitor led them into the meeting chamber and left them.
The meeting chamber hadn't changed too much since before but it was just so strange. The walls were still covered in an impressive array of red, pink, blue and orange feathers that coated the walls thickly. Alessandria didn't know if she liked the feathers. They made the room interesting but it was an assault on the eyes. And all the feathers had a slight scent of lemon with a hint of cedarwood to them.
Moving her glare to the middle of the chamber that had changed. Alessandria cocked her head as she stared at the large pile of bird bones with a sort of small brown bird's nest on top.
Alessandria wanted to go over and inspect it but that might have been disrespectful. Then she thought about the Inquisitors being able to turn into birds. What if that was someone's bed?
Again she heard the shrieking of birds nearby. Before Alessandria had thought the Order trained birds but now, she didn't know. Did they train birds or did they train human birds?
Alessandria shook her head at the thought. Human birds. There had to be a better name for that surely.
The sound of Hellen tapping her massive wooden stick against the feather covered walls made Alessandria want to tell her to stop. But the idea of moaning at Hellen frightened her. Especially as it felt as if Hellen's time was limited. Alessandria knew she was just being paranoid.
Her beautiful Nemesio in his red and blue fiery armour paced around her before they all stopped as the door opened again. The Sage of the Order of the Divine Air walked in. His body looked different than before less defined and more fatigued. Even his long feather covered cloaked looked tired and aged.
Looking up at his face, Alessandria's eyes narrowed as she saw him wearing another bird skull. This time it was a massive Eagle of some kind. Definitely not native to Ordericous.
“We have to work together,” he said, his voice harsh and rough.
“We wanted to work with you. We wanted your help,” Alessandria said.
The Sage nodded. “I’m sorry but our secrets. Our abilities. Our... I don’t know,”
Alessandria really looked at the Sage. He was so different from all the others. He wasn’t an arrogant, extremist who wanted all the unholy to die. Alessandria saw him as a man who wanted to protect the country he loved and its citizens.
“Why are the mob here? Why target this place?” Nemesio asked.
The Sage tilted his head back. “Us. We’re special, unique whatever you want to call us. Fateweaver is something to do with our history,”
Alessandria stepped forward. “Tell me everything,”
“Whenever we ascend to Sagehood we are given a book to read. If our Minds can survive reading it, we become a Sage,”
“What this book laddy?” Hellen asked.
“The dark truth of the Inquisition so-called Saint Bennett didn’t make the Inquisition freely. Fateweaver made him. No one ever knows Fateweaver made them do anything,”
Alessandria nodded.
“When the Inquisition was broken up, a shard of Bennett’s consciousness made the Divine Air a secret from Fateweaver. We were charged with finding and killing the Fateweaver Family,”
“My Father?” Alessandria asked.
“He came to us so many times. I don’t know how he knew about us. He just did. He knew our secret history. I turned him away,”
“Why!” Alessandria shouted.
The Sage looked to the floor. “I don’t know. Pride. A citizen did what the Inquisition could not,”
Alessandria spat at the Sage.
“I deserve that. I really do. My Order kept tabs on him. He did great. I’m sorry he died,”
“My Mother?”
The Sage probably smiled under his bird skull.
“Quite a woman. Yes she came but she wanted something very specific and she gave me very specific instructions,”
“That sounds like ya ma,”
Alessandria nodded.
“Your Mother wanted me not to do anything about Fateweaver. She demanded it,”
“No-”
“That’s true Lady Alessandria,” the Sage said.
Alessandria couldn’t believe it.
“Then your Mother asked me to give her two things. The passage that you probably found in her hand and some plant to give her-”
“A heart attack,” Alessandria said.
Nemesio hugged her.
“Ya Mother final scheme,” Hellen said.
Alessandria laughed. Her Mother knew how to scheme and plot to the end.
“What else?” she asked.
“Not much else. She told me to turn you away when you first came. Then your Mother gave me two final demands,”
Alessandria placed a hand on his feather covered shoulders.
“Please tell me,”
“She demanded I take you through the secret tunnels into the castle. Then she demanded I explain the Loom of Fate,”
“Why we gonna find it in that Churchy?”
“Miss Hellen, you are mistaken. Lady Kinaaz Fireheart wanted to miss lead you. She needed you heading in this direction, and she knew the mob would throw you off. Then there’s a probability Nemesio would lead you here,”
Nemesio shook his head. Alessandria kissed him.
“He lives in between all the lives of us and he rests in front of the Loom of Fates. Falling asleep as he weaves the Loom,” the Sage said.
“Where?” Alessandria asked.
“There’s a chamber in the Castle. A very old and some say haunted chamber in the castle. The tunnel leads you straight to it then the throne room is close by,”
“And the Loom is in there and we can kill Fateweaver,” Alessandria said, her excitement building.
“Not quite. Kill the Loom and Fateweaver can’t Weave the Fates anymore but he’s still dangerous,”
Alessandria stepped away and hugged both Nemesio and Hellen. It felt like they were nearing the climax. A do or die moment. Alessandria didn’t want anything to happen to them.
The Sage let out an almighty bird cry.
“Come on,” the Sage said as he opened a gap in the wall. Tens of Inquisitors already there waiting. “We fight for the freedom of the world today,”