The pale woman peered down at Estra, running a thin hand through her snow-white hair. She slowly raised her other hand, garnering a surprisingly immediate reaction from the heretics raiding the convent around her.

At the woman's gesture, a sluggish sensation passed through Estra. As if by divine command, the heretics all stopped going about whatever gruesome task they were pursuing and promptly faced their leader in silence. Even the sisters of the Faith seemed to fall into a quiet daze of obedience.

The sounds of the atrocities taking place outside continued, but the convent had fallen into a hush deeper than even the most reverent of services. The pale woman circled Estra. Her footfalls clapped out an ominous rhythm, as if each step she took within the hallowed convent was a decree of desecration.

"Do I know you?" the woman asked. Her voice was no louder than a whisper, yet it slid into Estra's ears like a snake hungry for its prey.

There was a long pause before Estra realized that the woman was waiting for an answer to come from her. Whatever the demon wanted to hear, Estra didn't know how to give it. "Please, just let my mother go," Estra's voice came out in a whimper, but she was far beyond any sense of pride at the moment.

She knew that her pleading wasn't the answer that the woman was looking for, but it was all she could think of as she watched her mother's face grew redder by the moment in the hands of the bearded giant that held her.

"Hmm," The woman turned to regard the holy mother for a moment before turning back to Estra. "I won't be able to do that. But I am a bit pressed for time, so I'll tell you what I am capable of. If you would be so kind as to answer my question truthfully, then I may just allow you to live. Is that satisfactory?"

Estra's mouth hung open, at a loss for words. She 'd always heard stories that warned against the faults of making deals with devils, but in the face of true fear, Estra found that she was no less vulnerable than all the rest. "I don't... No, we've never met before," Estra said, stammering. "Please, my mother-"

"Thank you," The red-eyed woman said, cutting off her words with nothing more than another hand gesture. The heretic leader turned towards the big man with a curt nod. He set the Holy Mother on the ground almost tentatively, allowing her to suck in a few deep breaths before he dug his thick fingers into her hair and dragged her over to his master.

"Much appreciated Dost," the woman said, facing the holy mother. "This girl does not lie with her claims of knowing nothing, but surely you remember me, Jennah? I admit that my appearance may have changed quite a bit over the years," The woman smiled, revealing twin rows of serrated teeth. "But surely you can't have forgotten? Surely you recall what you and the others did?"

The holy mother's face twisted in disgust as the demon leaned in closer to her. She tried to pull away, only to scream in pain as the big man wrenched her neck back in place. "Helena, there's no reason for you to do this," the holy mother cried out, her voice seeping with desperation. "I tried to stop them. You know I did."

A chill ran through Estra as she listened to the exchange between the two women. She didn't understand how her mother could know such a person. Estra's mind reeled at the thought of her mother and this vile creature having some sort of history together. It immediately became apparent that there was something deeper between the two of them than Estra couldn't comprehend.

"Yes, you did try, didn't you?" Helena said with a cackle that sounded like the clicking of a beetle's legs in a glass jar. "You tried, and you failed. That alone I could excuse you for, but remind me how it is that I ended up a victim in the first place," Helena spread her arms wide, allowing the dark veins that crawled from her eyes to spread down her clenched neck and crawl their way up her wrists. "Please, for the sake of all these devout followers of the Enlightened, speak aloud how a desperate girl was tricked into sacrificing what was most precious to her and then discarded as if she were nothing more than pig shit."

Estra's mother stood with her mouth agape, incapable of finding her words. The holy mother's gaze shifted from the monstrous figure in front of her to her daughter. There was a silent plea in her mother's eyes. It bespoke of a guilt that could have only been born of the most grievous sins.

"I'm so sorry Estra," her mother whimpered with a stream of tears rolling down her face.

"Oh no, don't be mournful. Be proud of yourself Jennah." Helena reached towards the Holy Mother. The veins lining her palm pulsated with an arcane darkness that devoured what little light remained in the room. "It is because of your deeds that I saw the other side. I have spoken with gods that your faith would seek to call demons, I have given up my very soul to take my vengeance, and I have become truly powerful. Revel before the monstrosity that you created."

Helena's hand sprang forward, clutching her mother's face. The skin beneath the woman's palm steamed, raking screams from the holy mother's mouth. The sorceress smiled as Estra's mother thrashed about helplessly, watching as skin bubbled and peeled away from the bone.

"Stop! Enlightened please!" Estra cried out, her vision blurred with stinging tears. "She's all I have!"

Estra struggled to her feet and lurched towards the sorceress. A blow from the giant man's free fist caught her on the side of the head, sending her sprawling on the floor once again. She clutched at the pain tearing through her side, half-way conscious, watching powerlessly as the gruesome scene unfolded. The horrid stench of melting flesh wafted through the room, mingling with the scent of wood smoke and death. Estra watched in muted silence as the sorceress stole away all that had once made her mother human.

When there was nothing more for her to take, the sorceress snatched her hand away, letting the lifeless body of the Holy Mother crumple to the ground. Estra crawled on hands and knees, heedless of the pain burning through her broken ribs. She took her mother's smoldering head in her lap, shaking her in the hopes of getting some response.

"I've decided to let you live girl. Consider it a kindness for the suffering I've caused you," Helena said standing over her. "However, the man that you killed was Dost's brother, and I would be remiss in my duties if allowed this to go unpunished."

The sorceress turned her red eyes to her giant servant. "He is justified to give you a thorough beating and nothing more," she said pointedly. The brutish man gave a solemn nod in response before Helena returned her attention to Estra. "Though you may not believe me, I'd like you to know that I find no great pleasure in my deeds. I'm simply doing what must be done for the good of us all. I won't go as far as to ask for your forgiveness, but before I take my leave, allow me to share a bit of wisdom with you child."

The sorceress leaned in close enough for Estra to feel the heat of her breath against her cheek. The woman spoke so low that she was nearly inaudible, but there was a strangely earnest tinge in her tone, "All that you have been led to believe is a lie. Your gods are a fallacy and your religion is a delusion. Today you are blinded by the false light that the Faith seeks to veil itself with. If you live long enough you will inevitably come to learn the truth. The darkest shadows hide beneath the brightest of lights."

Estra didn't hear the sorceress's words at all. In the face of realizing that the person who'd raised her with unconditional love was now dead, the world around her had lost its meaning. She was deaf to her own cries of anguish that filled the halls of the convent. Overcome by her suffering, Estra saw nothing that occurred around her as Helena gave the order for her followers to continue going about their pillaging. It was only when Helena departed and the huge man clutched Estra by her neck, that anything seemed to matter. That night became nothing but anguish for Estra. A moment in her life that would forever torment her.

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