Chapter 12
The Price of Power
Bishop learns the secret behind the coven's amplified magic. It is not drawn from dark rituals or stolen souls, but from a unique, symbiotic connection with the children they protect. The children, often orphans or those abandoned by society, willingly share their nascent magical potential, thriving under the coven's care. This mutual bond, a source of strength and protection for both, fundamentally alters Bishop's perception. The 'evil' he was sent to eradicate is, in fact, a community built on mutual reliance and a desire for safety.
The air in the witches’ sanctuary hung thick and sweet, like overripe fruit left too long in the sun. Bishop Dark, soul-scorcher of the Church of Radiant Light, found it… cloying. He’d expected brimstone and the stench of fear, the usual bouquet of places where the ‘unholy’ gathered. Instead, it was the scent of lavender, woodsmoke, and something akin to warm milk. He shifted, the worn leather of his duster creaking a protest. He’d seen enough to know that sweet often hid rot, but this was a new kind of unsettling.
Sister Petra, bless her naive little heart, was practically vibrating with a mixture of terror and morbid curiosity. Her hands, usually clasped demurely or fiddling with the hem of her novice’s habit, were now clenched so tightly her knuckles were white. Her wide, innocent eyes darted everywhere, taking in the impossibly smooth, moss-covered walls, the soft glow emanating from crystal shards embedded in the ceiling, and the small, sleeping forms nestled in woven cradles scattered throughout the cavernous space. Children. So many children.
“Bishop,” she whispered, her voice a reedy tremor, “this… this isn’t what they said.”
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