3rd person P.O.V
Alder focus:
There had been an emergency meeting called at the Hague, the notification had been waiting for the General in her office when she got there after escorting the men to their rooms. While the biddies packed up everything that would be needed Sarah wrote a short note for Tally in case she came to the office to look for Sarah, she hid the note under Tally's spot on the sofa as she knew this was a private space and very few were able to enter her personal living quarters. She then had one of her aides send a message to Anacostia to let her know that she would be off base for an emergency meeting. Knowing the levels of gossip on base everyone would know by the lunch service.
She also knew that Tally would know when she left the base. But after spending time together over the last few weeks things should be more manageable for the both of them. It was these facts that pushed her to leave a note, she knew that nobody would enter her office if she was not on base and that Tally could still access the office through the wards that accepted her as family.
The plane ride to the Hague was quiet, Alder and the biddies feeling the loneliness from being away from Tally when magical energy was at its highest and the blessing most effectual. The plane trip was long, over the Atlantic ocean and into the Netherlands to the city named for the witches council. They would be landing in the early hours of the morning by their time, but it would be mid-morning and they would only have enough time to change out of their travel clothes after leaving the evening of the boys' arrival.
Sarah walked into the meeting room, after changing in her suit at the Hague building, her biddies filing in after her. The rest of the congregation stood at the table and all of them, Biddies included, sat down at the same time. "Khàsémé àvà," Sarah commanded as they sat down. Conversation quickly turned to the Sree and an attack on a military base belonging to one of the Hague members. Conversation that was repeated many times over many meetings. Several nations wanting to strike at the Spree without confirming information, India's General Sharma proposing a change of leadership. The only real change was new intel from the Russia representative who revealed new seeds from a nomadic tribe on Russia's border with China. The seeds were familiar to Sarah, they were old seeds that she had not heard off in several decades.
"That's enough." Sarah said noticing the water in her glass start to move and ripple. The Russian general placed the stopper back in the egg that was emitting the old seeds, and the sound stopped as did the rippling water. It was at that point that Sarah felt a sharp pain in her chest and she turned around to look at her biddies, her eldest biddy Corrine had keeled over in her chair. Sarha knew one of her biddies had been feeling weak over the last few days and after centuries she was very aware of the feelings leading up to the death of a biddy. It never made it any easier to lose one of the women who dedicated themselves, heart, mind, body and soul to her.
As soon as one of the aides had declared that Corrine was unwell Sarah and her entourage were back on the plane to Fort Salem so that Corrine could die amongst her sisters and so that a new biddy could be brought into the link. Whilst on the plane home Sarah thought of Corrine and of Tally. She knew that once they arrived on base they would only have an hour at most to make it to the resting room in the necropolis for Izadora to witness the death and separation of the link and ensure that Corrine made it safely into the afterlife. Then Anacostia would bring the new Biddy into the room and she would join the link supervised by Izadora and Anacostia.
Sarah had no idea if Tally would know what had happened at the Hague or if she would find out after Beltane when they had agreed to meet each other once again. A selfish part if Sarah hoped her wife would be waiting for her to arrive on base and would be with her for the duration of the death and linking process. Tally had grown fond of all of the biddies and they had all made their fondness of Tally clear to the both of them. But the military part of Sarah knew that having her wife there could put the linking at risk and could jeopardise those first few moments that Sarah had with her new Biddy to acclimate the both of them to the change in the bond and introduce her to the other biddies.
When passing through the wards of Fort Salem all 8 passengers of the truck gave a visible sigh of relief as they were driven immediately to the Necropolis, Izadora would make the call to Anacostia once they had settled in the resting room in the underground bunker. All of the biddies who were not killed in combat were laid there in their final hours in comfort surrounded only by Sarah and the other biddies until the final moments. This tradition started with the death of Sarah's first biddie Florence, they didn't know that she was going to die and only thought that she had fallen ill, which is why she was taken to the resting room in the necropolis to provided medical care in privacy from the cadets at the fort. When Sarah's second biddie, Anne, had been close to death she had asked to die in the same place as her sister in work Florence and the tradition had been born.
Entering the Necropolis, Izaroda was supporting Corrine, they came across an out of breath Cadet Craven who was staring wildly around the surrounding area. "Sarah, are you okay? Are you hurt? I felt pain a few moments ago and I knew I had to come here." Tally rushed not even noticing that Izadora was standing there.
"Tally I am fine, however Corrine is dying and we need to get inside the Necropolis" Sarah said gesturing towards the biddie, Tally looked over and took Corrine's other arm to help support her. "Izaroda, let's go. We don't have very long, I will explain afterwards." Sarah stated pushing past the open mouthed necro to hold open the door for the group to enter. Izadora nodded and directed Cadet Craven through the door and down a set of stairs. The resting room was near to the entrance of the necro building by design for emergencies like this where they did not know exactly how long they had left, in these cases Izadora would stay in the room with them when normally she would wait outside.
"General?" Izadora asked after settling Corrine down into the bed there with Tally's assistance.
"Oh, Izadora meet Cadet Tally Craven, My wife," Sarah said as she lit the seven cables which stood on the dresser, whispering each biddies name as she did so. Tally reached over to shake Izadora's hand. "Sergeant L'Amara, please call Drill Sergeant Quartermaine and have her bring the top candidate here immediately." Alder ordered leaving no room for questions from the Necro. Izadora nodded and ran out to her office to make the phone call. Anacostia had been made aware of the situation when the plane had landed and was just waiting for the confirmation call to bring the Candidate down.
Once the room was clear Tally pressed a kiss to each of the biddies cheeks, "I'll be just ?" she said quietly to Sarah who sat down on the bed and squeezed Tally's hand before letting her leave the room to give them all a chance to have their goodbyes. Tally stood directly opposite the door and Sarah could see her lean against the wall. Turning back to the bed a tear slipped down her face "thank you, Corrine for your sacrifice." ALder said, leaning over on the bed towards the dying biddie. The other 6 had said their goodbyes mentally while Alder had talked to Izadora. "It was no sacrifice, it has been my greatest honour," Corrine said just as her candle burned itself out. Anacostia then brought the new candidate into the room and Izadora appeared in the doorway next to the Drill Sergeant. The biddies performed the necessary seeds to link the new biddy to Sarah and the older witch felt her years melt away, as the newest addition to the group took them from her, aging rapidly in a few short moments.
Sarah and the biddies left the room leaving Corrine's body to be prepared for burial by Izadora, Sarah would contact Corrines family if she had any and inform them of their daughters passing, although she would not be able to say how or why Corrien died she felt it was the least she could to to inform the family personally. Alder noticed that Tally was no longer in the hallway and she wouldn't have gone further into the necropolis unattended, she said she would stay and Sarah believed her, the only option was that she was standing at the door to hold it open for them all.
"-ere was absolutely no need for you to be there, Craven, so I will ask you again. Why were you in the Necropolis outside the resting room?" Anacostia could be heard from the other side of the external door. Sarah raced up the stairs and out of the door to see Anacostia standing, glaring at Tally, who had her head ducked down.
"I can't tell you. I've been sworn to secrecy, unless incase of a life threatening emergency." Tally said, barely glancing up at her Drill Sergeant.
Sarah banged the door shut behind her and the biddies startling the duo, "Quartermaine, do you mind explaining what is going on out here" Alder demanded, the use of Anacostia's last name was not lost on any one.
"Craven is not authorised to be in this area ma'am i was trying to find out why she is here." Anacostia explained moving to look at the General instead of the Cadet. Sarah moved forwards past Anacostia and towards Tally. "Craven, what did you tell Drill Sergeant Quartermaine?" she asked
"I told her I was not allowed to tell her why I am here and that I had been sworn to secrecy unless it is a life threatening emergency." Tally repeated, this time looking Sarah in the eye and standing at attention. Sarah reached out to her wife and took her hand before turning around to Anacostia and pulling Tally forwards to stand next to her. "Sarah?" Tally asked quietly, turning her head away from Anacostia.
"Anacostia, this is my WIfe Tally Craven. We married before conscription day. This information is to be kept confidential, the only people on base who know this are the three of us, my biddies, Izaroda and the Imperatrix." Alder said, before kissing the back of Tally's hand and walking off with her wife and biddies in tow. An open mouthed Drill Sergeant left standing outside the Necropolis. Sarah heard Izadora come out and lead Anacostia inside, she caught the last part of what the Necro said to the Blaster. "It was a shock for me as well, but you can process this in my office in private."
Sarah chuckled at that and saw Tally smile at the sound. When they reached the tree line Tally dropped Sarah's hand. "I've got to get back to the dorms, I will see you after Beltane." The young witch said. Sarah thought back to the agreement that they had made to avoid all contact until after Beltane. "We shall see, you might end up in my arms after all darling." Sarah said with a smirk and pressed a kiss to Tally's lips before turning and walking off to her quarters to settle the new biddie in properly.