Something was crushing Elizabeth, squeezing her from every direction. Moments ago, she was in Capernaum, surrounded by six ash-knights. The world faded to white and before her vision had even returned, twelve ash-knights were actively expelling a wave of noctra, constricting her body. All she could see were the knight’s rectangular shields that stretched from the marble floor to their polished chins. Silver lined the edges of their shields and wove the pattern of a flame in their center.

  She collapsed onto the bronze plate. Her body would not respond, not even to breathe.

  Then she realized what it was she was lying on. This plate, it’s the Messiah’s plate, my doorway back to Earth. If she could send her lifespan into the plate in the same way, she did on the Apostles plate of Matthew in Capernaum she could return to Earth, but she couldn’t. Using noctra in this state was a pipe dream. Not only did the ash technique reverence restrict the body, it squashed the soul and made weaving lifespan impossible. Before a drop of her lifespan left her body, a calloused hand grabbed her ankle and wrenched her off the plate. Free from the circle of ash knights she was not able to stand. Instead, she lay in a disheveled heap, soaked in sweat and gasping for air. I wouldn’t have survived another second.

  She looked up and the twelve ash knights had already returned to their diligent watch of the Messiah’s plate, ready to use reverence on whomever else may pass through. It would be impossible for Elizabeth to pass them, not now.

  On shaky knees, Elizabeth climbed to her feet and a wave of fresh air washed over her. It smelt of the sea and tasted of salt, its humidity felt sticky on her skin. She looked around the room, which had no walls. The marble floor stretched ten meters from the Messiah plate in all directions and was greeted by ivory pillars, carved into the likeness of ancient jungle trees. A golden vine coiled up their trunks supported a copper dome. The copper had long oxidized and turned almost emerald. Looking between the ivory trees, Elizabeth could see the room was high above the Messiah’s land, buildings of white and gold speckled down the lush hill, covered in meticulously trimmed hedges, flower gardens and lawns. In the distance, docks and naval vessels lined the deep blue sea. A three hundred and sixty turn revealed the Messiah’s land to be a small island, about the size of an apostle’s city.

  A giant snake slithered amongst the chiseled trees. Its scales were creamy white, blending with the ivory bark, but Elizabeth wondered how she could ever overlook such a large predator. Its body was nearly as thick as the pillar it slithered around. It had a lapping forked tongue longer than her body and golden eyes that watched Elizabeth the way a leopard stalks its prey. She felt a chill run down her spine and reached for her blade. Its pale scales reminded her of the snow drake, but the calculating look in the serpent's eye told her it was more dangerous.

  ‘Stop it you fool,’ Marshal said. ‘What do you think will happen if you draw your blade in a room full of ash-knights and a trained monster?’

  ‘Trained?’ Elizabeth asked, refusing to take her eyes off the beast that was now extending its slithering head from its post, getting a better look at her flesh. ‘That thing wants to eat me, I can feel it.’

  ‘I’m sure it does,’ Marshal said, ‘but it won't. Unless you give its master a reason to.’

  ‘Who is its master?’ Elizabeth asked, taking darting glances around the room, never letting her eyes leave the serpent for more than a second.

  ‘A real piece of work,’ Marshal said. ‘You don’t want to meet him and you don’t want to give him any reason to meet you.’

  The snake hissed in reply and Marshal turned his back on it, walking down marble stairs.

  Elizabeth followed him, but she walked backwards, refusing to turn her back on the serpent. Its head extended further out, following her until she left the room. Marshal led Elizabeth through a maze of corridors filled with portraits of old men and chandeliers of a thousand diamonds. They stepped out of the capitol building and into the open sun, not a single cloud in the sky. They walked through posh streets with polished stone paths and spotless bridges that overstepped running streams until they arrived at Marshal’s personal residence.

  ‘It isn’t much, but welcome to my home,’ Marshal said, showing off his white and gold bungalow. Elizabeth agreed that compared to the mansions they had passed on their walk here, this was nothing more than a shack. Yet compared to her old home on Earth, or the barracks in the Honor Village, this was a palace. The house was square with a flat roof and a brick chimney protruding from the side. The front lawn and hedges were immaculate and the smell of freshly cut grass indicated the gardener had recently been.

  Elizabeth was sweating under the sweltering heat and was excited to enter the shade. She realized it was probably time for an outfit change. She wore many layers which provided extra defence from the cold, but not only did they slow her movement in battle, they swaddled her in the heat, cooking her alive. I guess it will depend where we go next. What if we end up on another icy mountain? Then Elizabeth remembered, she wouldn’t be going anywhere on Purgatory ever again. By Tomorrow, she would be back on Earth. The need for an outfit change became even more urgent. What will Luis say if he saw me dressed like some barbarian? He might not even recognize me.

  Elizabeth supposed that could be answered later, and rushed through the threshold.

  The building’s layout was simple; there was no entrance, instead the door led directly into something of a common room, with a small dining table, few chairs, a sword rack and an attached kitchenette. On the far side, from left to right, was a real flushing toilet, the first Elizabeth had seen, a washroom for both clothes and bodies, a door to the backyard and then two bedrooms. The first had a double king’s bed, with extra thick legs and the entire room smelt like Marshal. The second was about half the size, with a single bed. A real bed, not a hammock, mat or the floor itself, but a real, plump bed. The room also had some old looking swords and dusty journals sitting on the desk.

  ‘This room used to belong to my last squire, Wolfgang. He was a strong kid, bright too. Wanted to explore all twelve countries and write about them. Unfortunately he passed away about two decades ago.’

  Elizabeth didn’t know what to say, but Marshal continued, ‘I am sure when he died, he went to Heaven. He was a good person, a kind soul that one, definitely earnt his repentance. This room is yours now. The key should be around here somewhere…’ His voice sounded less confident than his words, and there was a slight choking in his throat. No one really knew what qualified someone as having repented. Even in Purgatory, the path after death was a mystery. Nothing would change that. Marshal searched around in the draws turning his face away from Elizabeth, his large fingers were clumsy and sent rattles and cracks from other objects against the wooden panels. As he worked, it looked like he tried to wipe his eyes with his clumsy fingers. Eventually he pulled out a grey skeleton key attached to a piece of twine and placed it in Elizabeth's hand. He gave her a smile, but his eyes were red.

  ‘Thank you, I will look after it.’

  Marshal grunted, it seemed his chief response. ‘There will be a meeting amongst the holy order tonight. It will be long and tedious, so it is important you get some rest now.’

  She nodded and Marshal clicked the door closed quietly, a few seconds later his bed groaned and cracked so loud she thought it may have broken.

  Elizabeth would need to rest too, but not for what Marshal thought. It would take everything she had to pull off the stunt she had planned for tonight. To use the Messiah’s plate uninterrupted she would have to sneak into the gateway unnoticed, defeat a giant snake and slip past twelve ash knights. Just thinking about it made her tired, her eyelids drooping. With a yawn she collapsed onto the bed, it was terribly soft and she slipped away without tossing or turning.

  It was dark outside the window when Elizabeth woke to three knocks on her door. ‘Come in,’ she said, her voice gravelly from sleep.

  Marshal opened the door and Elizabeth’s cheeks blushed in a wave of embarrassment when she realized she had fallen asleep still fully dressed in her gear. Even her sword was still attached to her belt. Although on reflection, it was not much different to how she slept in the wild.

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  ‘It’s time to leave,’ he said, wearing an outfit she had never seen. It was a white military uniform with golden lining, buttons and epaulettes. His blade was sheathed in some fancy golden scabbard. He still wore his golden shackles on his wrist, the proof he was a holy-knight from the school of honor. Marshal tugged at the starched collar around his neck and the golden buttons over his belly were fighting for their life to hold his blazer together.

  Elizabeth almost spat. ‘You look ridiculous.’ the Red Bear had been put into his circus costume. She would not be caught dead in something that stupid looking.

  * * * *

  Elizabeth tugged at the stiff collar around her neck, it smelt of bleach and perfume, she gagged. The creaseless shirt was tight around her chest, shoulders and elbows. Swinging a sword in this stupid getup would be impossible. She even had to leave her normal sword behind for a ceremonial one because hers didn’t fit the stupid bronze scabbard. She had become especially fond of that blade, she put it through hell daily and it never even got nicked. She would have to find a way to thank that blacksmith back at the honor village, whatever his name was.

  ‘Why do I have to wear this thing?’ Elizabeth complained as they walked towards the entrance of the capitol. It was a beacon of the night. A hundred thin window set ablaze, highlighting its ivory trees and emerald canopy high above. The roof was made of three main domes. The green copper at the peak with two white and gold domes sitting below. The sheer face stretched down to the base where the entire building sat on top of a cliff, connected to their path by stairs. Two guards saluted Marshal as they ascended, one wore boiled leather and the bronze shackles of honor and the other was dressed in full plate armor.

  Marshal returned the salute. ‘You wear it because it is your uniform and this is a formal event,’ he said. ‘I can’t have my squire looking like a street urchin.’

  Elizabeth groaned. Just after laughing at Marshal’s white and gold uniform, he pulled out a matching white and bronze one for her.

  ‘Hurry along now, we are late from all of your whining earlier.’

  ‘But this uniform sucks. How do you expect me to fight like this?’

  ‘I don’t,’ Marshal said and then sighed. ‘You know, you are supposed to be a holy squire, not a rebellious teenager, which I should remind you is a prestigious position.’

  Elizabeth rolled her eyes and to her surprise Marshal smiled, his rusty beard curling around the lips. ‘Just endure with it for tonight Beth.’

  Maybe Marshal could see no reason for her to fight tonight, but Elizabeth knew she would have to if she wanted to reach the Messiah’s plate. She wondered how this ceremonial blade would stack up against the snake’s scales.

  A murmur was growing as they approached the meeting room. It was so bright inside, all that showed through the doorway was a blank wall of light with shifting glares behind. Stepping through, Elizabeth’s eyes took a second to adjust. The ceiling was impossibly tall with a domed roof and a hanging diamond chandelier. Velvet drapes and portraits of old men lined the walls. There were around a hundred people milling about the room, mingling and chatting. In the corners of the room were men in indigo cloaks and hoods. Above each of their heads, a ball of brilliant white light radiated. Elizabeth squinted, but her eyes still hurt to look directly at the orbs.

  ‘Do not start any fights tonight, Beth.’

  ‘I wouldn’t do that.’

  ‘Just making sure,’ Marshal said with a glance around the room. ‘The majority of holy-knights from all Purgatory are present tonight. That by itself is a historic event. Stay weary of anyone with a white and gold uniform, they have the same rank as me. Avoid anyone with tassels on their uniform at all costs.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘They are senior even among the Holy Order. Disrespecting them, even by accident will mean death. However, they will have little interest in you, so do not worry. You will see many in a similar uniform to yourself; they are holy-squires. While there is no problem with you talking with them, as you hold equal rank, they still may try to cause trouble in an attempt to prove themselves.’

  Elizabeth looked around. About half of the members wore the white and gold uniform and most had one person orbiting them. Every holy-squire she saw from the honor school wore bronze shackles. ‘It looks like I am the only one who hasn’t reached knighthood yet.’

  ‘I do not regret choosing you. I would wager you will surpass them all in due time.’

  The holy-knights who originated from the order of honor all wore golden shackles and their respective squires wore bronze with bronze lined uniforms to match Elizabeth’s. On a count, there were twelve holy-honor knights besides Marshal, and eight more squires. The honor-knights were loud and boisterous. It sounded like an echo chamber, making claims of strength and telling tales of feats. After a few brash words, the squires came near drawing swords and their holy counterparts were not much better. The order of ash were the most numerous, at a count of eighteen holy-knights and seventeen squires. They had a golden shield on their back, their squires with a silver shield and silver lined uniform. They seemed to congregate near the honor knights and were having civil discussions between themselves. A few holy-honor squires on the edge of the group would taunt the ash squires, but were returned little besides a glare. The holy-cryptic knights were the scarcest with a count of six. Elizabeth had never seen a cryptic knight in person before, much less a holy-cryptic. They had a golden vambrace on their forearm and their squires a black vambrace with a black lined uniform. Only two of the six actually had squires and the entire group hung away from the larger crowd, obscured into a corner. There was not a single whisper from their direction.

  The center of the room was filled with a ring-like table able to seat twelve and then another larger ring circled that, capable of seating thirty-eight. Enough to seat Purgatory’s fifty holy knights, but it looked like there were only thirty-seven here tonight.

  A gong rung twice, its sound reverberating off the tall flat walls. ‘Order!’ A woman with golden shackles, golden armor, crimson clothes underneath and flowing golden hair stood up on top of the table. ‘It seems everyone who would arrive has arrived. If you would all please take your seats.’

  Slowly, the people filtered to their spots. The few holy-knights with golden aiguillettes draped over their shoulders made their way to the center table. Three sat above the rest. A proud looking ash-knight with a pointy chin sat on the left, a cryptic knight on the right, slipping in so silently that Elizabeth didn’t even see it happen. Finally, the holy-honor knight with the flowing golden hair sat in the highest seat. All were physically no older than teenagers. The cryptic knight looked fourteen or younger, but each had ancient white irises. The champions of the three sword schools gathered in one room. Through training there was a running joke that if all three heads sat in one room, none would be alive in the morning.

  Marshal took a seat in the outer ring and Elizabeth stood behind him, copying what she saw the other squires do.

  ‘Housekeeping,’ the ash-knight with the pointed chin said. ‘Status of the cardinals.’

  Another ash-knight in the outer ring jumped to attention, ‘Sir, all cardinals are currently in their villas, under strict surveillance.’

  A woman in thick armor by his side whispered something, his face flushed red.

  He cleared his throat. ‘Correction to my last. All but one. The Cardinal of Iscariot has not returned from his visit to Kerioth. Waiting on holy-knight Goland to make contact.’

  ‘Send a raven first thing at the close of business. Otherwise this should be fine, Goland will be able to finish the job from Iscariot.’ He flicked a sheet of paper in front of him. ‘Arcane order?’ he asked.

  A man covered with a purple, hooded cloak walked into the center of the inner ring. When he stopped moving, he bowed his head and kept it low. He produced a giant looking crystal ball. It glowed blue, with a faint swirling mist inside. ‘They are listening.’

  ‘Good. Seal the room.’

  Guards stepped out of the room, and closed the doors behind. A heavy iron bar slammed on the grate. Then the wizards in the corners of the room who were controlling the orbs of light raised their hands. The light spread from the ball and wrapped the entire room. A thin seen covered the floor, the walls and the domed ceiling. When this was completed knights surveyed those next to them skeptically, but after a protracted silence, the holy-honor knight with the flowing golden hair stood up again.

  ‘It is good to see that our ranks, at least those here tonight, remain clean.’ She cleared her throat. ‘You must all be wondering why such an urgent meeting was called…’ She kept talking and there was much discussion around the room about some demon, but Elizabeth zoned out. She did not know who this Saleos guy was and frankly she didn’t care.

  One of the holy-cryptic knight from the central table disappeared whilst they talked. Elizabeth wasn’t looking directly at him, but one moment he was on his seat, the next he wasn’t. She looked around the room and saw he was behind her, walking for the door. This was her chance. Whatever his reason, he was leaving and while everyone was distracted with some demon she could slip off to the Messiah’s plate.

  Elizabeth followed him, when he reached the doorway, he knocked twice and it opened. He stepped through the sheet of light that coated the doorway and walls and turned a corner disappearing. Elizabeth copied this without trouble. As soon as she passed through the rambling speeches of the holy-knights cut off into silence.

  Two bored guards by the door went back to their game of cards. Elizabeth looked down the hallway, but that cryptic-knight had already disappeared. She made her own way, not really knowing where she was going besides knowing she had to go up. Off to behead a snake.