Divina looked at the hapless girl covered head to toe in gore. Her body was emaciated, whether by famine, sheer personal neglect, the costs of necromancy, or the demon’s dark habits, it was anybody’s guess. She looked back at her surroundings, at the families that once filled this place with life. At the shattered glass-depictions and destroyed relics, that once gave hope and peace to those who sought refuge from the storms of life. All these things were gone. Lost for little more than power and greed. Leather creaked in the silence as her white-knuckled grip tightened on her sword. Static crackled at unpredictable intervals as the occasional metaphysical shift in the demon's body caused it to flicker. Stillness sat draped over the room. The stillness of an abrupt and brutal end. It was a stillness gently broken by a whisper.

To the Paladin's surprise, the witch-child began to whisper the simple prayers that she had learned as a child. The prayers that any lost soul might have uttered in their hour of need. Divina looked around at the dead, from face to expressionless face and thought of all the moments that had been stolen. Stolen from parents who would never see their children grow and learn and create lives of their own. Stolen from families that would never celebrate life’s important milestones ever again. Stolen from friendships, and from siblings, and from mentors, who might never get the chance to grow deeper in their relationships. Who would never share in the wisdom and experiences and joy they had lived. Divina was aware that her breathing had become ragged and shallow and tears welled up, threatening to bring with them the cascading grief of recent trials. She clenched her jaw and blinked sharply, focusing her mind on the duty at hand. There would be plenty of time to mourn later, she reminded herself, but this was not it.

“Ahhh thunder priest, decide quickly.” The demon's resounding voice interrupted Divina’s thoughts. She scowled at the creature with righteous indignation at being urged and goaded to make an important decision like this with haste. “I grow impatient. Take your vengeance for these wretched souls and go. Leave me to my domain.”

And in that moment Divina knew what had to be done. The course of action took shape in her mind. A plan as hard as a diamond, and as sharp as a knife. She turned back to the girl and strode forward toward the altar paying little attention to the leering form of the demon. She replaced the sword into its sheath. The room plunged into darkness for a moment, and a whimper of momentary fear flashing the prayers of the girl. That cold, empty, stifling darkness swelled around them until Divina deftly drew the shining silver dagger from her belt. As she drew it, it rang with a note. It chimed in key alongside the tone that had been made by her sword. The smaller blade flared to life with holy light and Divina saw true terror in the harshly lit face of the girl. She crouched down beside the altar to best study the young girl’s green-speckled eyes. By the light of the dagger, she saw that her pupils were almond shaped, almost like that of a cat. She held the girl's gaze for a little longer, the stammered prayers still mumbled in fits and starts, as she searched for something beyond the fear. And then she found what she was looking for. Was it resolution? Resignation? No, it was more like relief.

“Ahhh, yes. Yes. Yes.” Whispered the demon oddly stressing the single syllables of the simple words.

The demon's body shuddered with excitement, and in anticipation, it stretched its neck impossibly further towards the two women without ever moving its torso. The demon drew its head to a position beside Divina and watched with malicious glee at what was about to take place. As the Paladin whispered another spell-prayer to the goddess, divine power shifted and the dancing motes of light, that up until now covered Divina, began to dance their way along the table in front of the younger girl settling around her form.

Divina gripped the curved blade firmly as she lowered it to her side. She looked down at the girl, Divina’s eyes now hard, resolute. “Before I act, I have three questions.” The words had no room for compassion. Filled with a tone that demanded truth. “Will you answer them?”

The girl looked up into Divina’s stony stare and gave a short sharp nod in reply.

The Paladin felt the metaphysical tension around the demon tighten. She hoped to Audrashni that that it was the creatures curiosity rather than boredom.

“Good. What is your name, child?”

The young girl looked taken aback at this first question. There was a moment of hazy recollection, and she eventually answered, voice trembling. “Philippa, ma’am. My name is Philippa Grening.”

Divina took a moment in which to file this information away alongside the things she had noted about the girl's unique appearance. Taking a deep breath she moved briskly on to her second question. “Are you responsible, Philippa, for the terrible things this demon has done here?”

As she studied the young girl's face Divina noticed, now that she was this close, that under the dirt and blood, the girl's hair was a vivid shade of moss-green. It ran wildly down her back to where, between her naked shoulder blades, ran a slight, but protruding, ridge of bone along her spine. It was clear to Divina that this girl was something more than human.

“Yes. I summoned Askathstral.” She confessed. “I heard it’s name from a travelling conjuror when I was a small girl. When my family got sick with a pox, there was no one around to help us. I didn’t know what else to do, so I spoke its name three times. At midnight, it came crawling from my mirror to meet me. It had come from the abyss.” Tears filled her eyes and the girl seemed acutely aware of the demon’s presence as she relayed these events though gasping sobs. Her eyes darted from Divina to Askathstral and back again. “I asked for its help to spare my family and they were spared the pain of the pox. Though they were no longer my family. They had something else inside them. Three days later they began to perform their atrocities. Taking the lives of our neighbours at first. I tried to stop them but they slaughtered them all and burned their holmstead, crops and livestock to the ground. Then they found the village. They enslaved the minds of the honest folk there and convinced them to tear apart the temple. Finally, once the entire village had succumbed they all became little more than animals, lashing me to this table and then tearing each other to pieces. Askathstral made me watch the whole thing.” Trauma and grief overcame her and the sobs gave way to wails of despair.

Divina bit her lip as she felt sympathy, the same loss and fear that the girl had felt. She fought hard to keep her composure and methodically filed this answer away also, weighing each response against the outcome. She reminded herself that time to grieve would come later.

“Why do you cry, Philippa?” She asked the question and her tone became harder. “Do you wish to seek redemption for what you have done?”

This time there was no hesitation in Philippa’s response. “Yes. Please.” She begged. “I am responsible.” Her voice broke with desperation. “End my life. I only want redemption for my crimes.”

Divina's expression hardened, and stood up over the girl. She knew there was nothing more to be done or said. Now was the time to act.

“Ahhh, yes! End it.” Askathstral’s words licked their way across the Paladin's ears full of the same greasy suggestion as before.

The Paladin raised her knife, silver in the werelight and, with a decisive flash, brought it down upon the girl.