Fifth Lord

Chapter 2

The decrepit church housed had once housed many, begging relief from their suffering from their god. They wailed and cried at the statues to save them. They found no solace in the church.

Followers once sat in the pews and chairs much like the lords now did, waiting for their mother to grace them with her wisdom and word.

"I have brought you together today to introduce a new member to our family," the haughty tone echoed throughout the room. The woman sitting upon her ornate throne of rotting wood and twisting gilded metal ran her clawed fingers through the long black hair of the figure kneeling beside her.

From the left of the church, tall and garbed in white, a woman rose from her seat. "Mother Miranda, I must protest! What need have we of another?" She loomed forward, her gloved hands out and pleading, "Are we not enou-"

"Silence! You know better than to question me, I have given you to much yet you dare defy me." Miranda did not rise from her chair but her displeasure rang true. A quiet whimper was drawn from the kneeling figure, clawed fingers rising from knotted hair dripping with blood. Glinting fingers resumed their rhythmic stroking before she continued, "Sit down."

The tall woman sighed with displeasure before sitting down in her large chair and smoothing out non existent wrinkles from her gown. "I am only so kind as to allow but one interruption, do not make the same mistake twice Dimitrescu," cold eyes glaring through the gilded cage of her mask from the dais, Mother Miranda turned to the three other lords the message unsaid yet speaking with the same disdain.

"As I said, We are here to welcome a new family member," Looking at each lord individually before continuing, "This is Corvus."

As her name was spoke she silently rose from her place kneeling beside the throne, Miranda's hand sliding from her hair to grasping her wrist with a hold so tight the gold filigree dug into her skin.

"Now, she will need a place to stay until her health returns to her and her gifts stabilize she must have a place to stay," she paused to let what she said sink in, "Once she has grasped her gifts she will take house Merle and complete the five houses."

"She cannot stay with the Beneviento's due to the hallucinatory properties of the vegetation nor the Moreau's as most of the land is underwater. As such she will be staying in the castle or the factory," With this announcement the church went silent, though Dimitrescu's hands shook with barely restrained rage. "Currently Heisenberg is working on a project for me and so Dimitrescu, you are entrusted with Corvus' care."

Once the last word was spoke, there was no more argument to be had. Mother Miranda's word was law.

Corvus felt the air change as Mother Miranda's figure burst into a flock of black birds, leaving through a broken window. An invisible tension had left the room and with it the lords rose from their seats.