Resident Evilove (Lady Alcina Dimitrescu - Resident Evil)

Chapter 9 - The Meeting of the Lords part 2

When he passed the large wooden doors to enter the cathedral, Mathias had an unpleasant shiver as he saw this place again. He still remembered the first time, when he had woken up here, chained, and had been handed over to the lycans for a manhunt party organized by Heisenberg. A bad memory that Mathias would like to get rid of. And he was coming back here, always as a prisoner, but this time, of Lady Dimitrescu, and who luckily had not planned to serve him as prey to the monsters of the village.

No, because today's meeting was about a very different subject: taking the necessary precautions and decisions to find the person who tried to poison the mistress of the castle with wine.

Looking up, Mathias could see other Lycans, all armed with various medieval weapons or tools, all standing high on remnants of stone pillars or in the balconies on the upper floor of the church. All remained perfectly still, but their gazes followed everything that passed below. Damn beasts, thought Mathias, looking at them.

And in the center of the immense ruined room, stood Mother Miranda, still dressed in her black feather dress and her face hidden behind her golden mask, busy lighting siers arranged on small pagan altars, covered with rather strange and esoteric symbols, and also open-topped human skulls serving as receptacles for candles.

Lady Dimitrescu, as a member of the four lords, came to sit on the bench reserved for her for the council meetings. By her simple presence, but also by firm gazes, she made the few Lycans in her path back away, who did not seek to linger any longer. Before sitting down, the countess came and tied the chain from Mathias's necklace to the arm of the bench, and made him sit on the cold and dusty ground.

_ "Remember: speak only if I authorize you to do so." She whispered firmly to him one last time, before sitting down next to her on her bench. Mathias understood correctly and was sitting there, doing nothing and watching in silence. The other three lords also came to settle in their respective places: Heisenberg sits on the bench opposite Dimitrescu's, and put his metal hammer next to him. Donna Beneviento in a chair a little back, to the right of the pagan altars. And Salvatore Moreau, on another chair, to the left of the altars.

Once the Lords of the Four Houses were in their place, Mother Miranda turned to them, looking at them one by one. She also seemed to notice Mathias's presence, unwillingly seated next to Countess Dimitrescu's bench. She didn't seem so surprised to see him here and didn't care more than that. The young man had not dared to meet her gaze. Something was making him really uncomfortable with this woman.

_ "Good. I declare open this new assembly of lords." Mother Miranda spoke, whose voice echoed in the walls of the cathedral in order to be heard by all. "If we met here, it was at the request of Lady Dimitrescu who wished to share with us a more than intriguing fact ... Lady Dimitrescu ..."

The countess nodded to thank Miranda and rose from her bench to walk into the middle of the assembly and speak. Around her, the Lords Beneviento and Moreau remained silent, intrigued by this intriguing fact which had led to this assembly. Heisenberg, although curious too, was still showing a detached attitude, slumped on his bench and seeming boredly waiting for time to pass. Mathias observed him discreetly. This assembly seemed to be of great importance to the Lords, of which he was normally a part, but he didn't seem to care at all. Dimitrescu noticed it too, but being accustomed to Heisenberg's inappropriate behavior, chose to ignore him and not give him the pleasure of showing herself offended.

_ "Thank you, Mother Miranda ..." spoke Dimitrescu "... lords of the four houses, listen to me ... early this morning, I received a shipment of a wine that had been sent to me ... but it turned out that this wine was poisoned ... so someone was attempting to take my life, which is perfectly intolerable, so I am waiting for the perpetrator of this assassination attempt to be punished accordingly."