The next morning...

"Good morning everyone!" Keith shouted as he entered the briefing room. The agents saluted. "At ease guys. I don't stand on formality. What's the top stories?" he said taking a seat on the floor. Some agents cocked an eye as they hadn't seen him this energetic in some time. "We got scouts in place keeping an eye on the church" Fiona said speaking. "In cover?" he asked. Fiona nodded. "And the status on Bloom's comprehensive check?" he asked. "So far nothing strange that doesn't comply with the standard one. Well, there is one thing. Not many pictures of her. Just two or three. For someone so famous that's odd" Fiona added. "Forward what you have to my email. What's next on the agenda?" he asked. "You've been asked to perform the commencement ceremony today for the Festival of Lights" she replied. "Today is December 1st. I'll do it around seven this evening. What else?" he asked. "The children science fair is Monday. You're the guest judge" she replied.

Keith smiled. "Nothing like inch tall kids wanting to become the next Einstein. Count me in. It'll me a nice change of pace to hold some tiny kids in my hand besides intelligence reports.  Hold on..." he said as his phone began playing "You got the Touch" by Stan Bush. "I like 80's music. Sue me" he shrugged seeing her smirk. "Yes, this is Keith McCormick. Oh thank you for calling. Yes...okay...whoa you sure? Alright. Thanks for doing this for me. Just something I overheard. No, I don't know who spoke it. Thanks again" he said ending the call. "Fiona...that was the linguistics professor from Oxford. She was able to translate that phrase. "It was no prayer. It said, "you'll make a fine figurine".

"Oh my god" Fiona muttered. "I want team leaders to begin preparations for an extraction. You got a half hour. Fiona, stay behind" he commanded. The others left the room leaving her and him. "There was one other thing she told me. The language she spoke was Hungarian. A dialect not spoken since the days of the Ottoman Empire. I want you to look up the following keywords..."Hungary, chisel, hammer Nyírbátor, old dialect" he said.  It crushed her to see the worried look again in his eyes. He seemed so happy earlier. "I'm asking you since you're in command of Intelligence. Time is a factor here" he said softly. She walked up to his shoe. "We'll get it done boss. Count on it" she said patting it. Keith cracked a smile and nodded.

Meanwhile...

Susan watched as Ruby packed what meager things she had. "You sure this is what you want to do?" Susan asked. "I want to serve the Lord" Ruby replied. Susan saw her pivoting back and forth on the ball of her bare foot. She could smell the anxiety in her sweat. "Will you at least write?" Susan asked. "...sure" she replied. Susan was very conflicted at the moment. She did not want her to go. It seemed to fishy for her. She wanted to protect the girl, keep her close, teach her about their ways. She knew firsthand how difficult the fourteenth year for a borrower girl was. Going into heat for the first time. Changes in her body. The desire to be with someone. Teach her traditions like hunting and gathering. Susan smiled for a second remembering how Ruby had lived. The girl could probably teach her a thing or two on that. Desperately she wanted to grow right then and there, snatch up the small girl in her hands and run back home. But the dirty truth was Ruby was bait. If Bloom was going to make her move it would be on Ruby. Susan counted on her speed and skills to save her.

"Make sure you comb that hair. Looks like it gets frizzy easy. Eat your vegetables and proteins. Your body will need them as you mature. Make sure you take care of your feet. They'll sweat more and get more sensitive. And..." Susan stammered. "You sound like my ma" Ruby chuckled. "Or a big sis?" Susan asked. She couldn't bear to look at the girl then. "God will look after me" Ruby said standing on her tip toes wiping Susan's tears away. Susan bent down slightly a gently kissed her rosy lips. "For luck" Susan muttered. The girl deeply blushed and nodded. Ruby went to leave and turned to wave bye. Susan just nodded slightly. She followed them and sure enough it led back to Bloom's house. "Are you ready my child?" Bloom asked. "Yes Mother" Ruby replied. Bloom shut the door just as Susan slipped in. Her worry was making her bold. Too bold...

She followed them right to the same room as last night and Bloom placed her on a very fine cloth sitting on a desk. Susan walked along the edge of the wall and began climbing onto the shelf above. "Susan looked so upset I left" Ruby said. "...sounds like a good friend" Bloom muttered. "I got so used to her in such a short time. She doted on me. Answered questions with that funny accent" Ruby chuckled. Susan watched as Bloom was using the pestle to mix plaster. The giantess studied a picture of Mary Magdalene. "Accent?" Bloom asked. "A American southern accent" she replied. Susan tensed up. She listened for Bloom's heartbeat to rise signaling anger, anxiety, or fear. "The hell?" Susan wondered as she heard nothing. Absolutely nothing. "You familiar with the story of Mary Magdalene? She was a disciple of Jesus, one he trusted first with his news of resurrection. Do you know why?" the giantess asked as she put down her pestle and mortar. "No, I don't Mother" Ruby replied. Bloom had her sit down.

She began removing her sandals using her fingernails. She smiled warmly as her tiny toes curled on her fingertips. "Because the Lord knew she suffered the most among his flock. And he knew the suffering to come. The names she would be called, the doubters of her love. So in his divine grace, he cleansed her of mortal sin. Made her a virgin in the eyes of God. A way she could have a fresh start and hope. And this is why virginity is the highest sacrifice we can offer other than our very lives. And the greatest may do both" Bloom replied pulling her dress off. Ruby shivered as the cool air touched her skin. With gentle care, Bloom pulled off her panties leaving the girl exposed. She had the girl stand once more. Bloom dipped her pestle in the plaster and dropped a small pool of it on the cloth. With no word of warning, she picked Ruby up, held her legs together, and pushed her bare soles into the plaster. "M... Mother?" Ruby asked.

Bloom gave her little notice. A look of rapture in her eyes. Ruby tried to move as the plaster seeped between her little toes. Her feet wouldn't budge as the plaster hardened. Bloom got together a large wad of plaster and dropped it on the girl. With a small thin putty knife began to spread and shape the plaster around her thighs taking exquisite care not to injure the girl as she spread it around her crotch. "Mother...please what are you doing?" Ruby asked frightened. "Don't fidget. I don't want to ruin you...especially down there" Bloom replied. Bloom dropped another wad right on her head. "I change my mind! I don't wanna do this!" Ruby sobbed.  "Shhh...you'll be perfect forever my child. Forever" Bloom muttered. A sick realization had occurred for Susan. It was clear what Bloom was doing to Ruby, but her mind had solved the oddity of the figurine from earlier...the one that looked like David.

"It had no balls. The figurine had no balls. And that Doctor said she helped a boy that had his cut off. Oh fuck...that boy was entombed in that figurine! Each and every one of them...she killed them all to make them" Susan muttered turning her head to look at them. Her heart stopped as when she did, the figurine closest to her was looking dead at her. She moved her body and the eyes followed. "Take her. She's seen enough" Bloom said. A plaster covered hand gripped Susan's wrist crushing it. The girl yelped in pain. Susan went to punch it nearly breaking her hand on it. "Fuck are you made of OOOMPH!" she said just before a fist impacted her cheek. Susan was out cold.

Back at the mansion...

"Keith. We found something you should see. Control send it over" Fiona said over a link. Keith saw his email light up. He opened the attachment. He was very quiet for a few minutes. "What are you saying?" he asked. "That Mother Bloom isn't who she says she is. We have reason to believe this is who she truly is" she replied. "I admit the resemblance is striking but these are old paintings" he said. "Face recognition hit on the eyes, nose, chin, and earlobes. Unlikely it's a coincidence" Fiona said.  "Ancestor?" he asked. "That person came up under the keywords you gave me except the chisel and hammer part. Looks the same and speaks a dead dialect of Hungarian?" Fiona asked. "She would be centuries old. Fae?" he asked. "Don't know but if that is who she is then we have a bigger problem on our hands. Every virgin girl there is her potential victim" Fiona warned. "Assemble Briar Patch. I want a full division ready for sortie in 20 minutes. I'm calling Protocol Omega" he said. Fiona was speechless. As far as she knew that protocol had never been enacted. "Yes sir" she said.

Back at the Church...

"Goddamn my head hurts" Susan groaned. She tried to move but found her ankles and wrists tied together by string. She glanced around her surroundings to find she was in the doctor's office and not alone. Bloom, the doctor, and Holmes the dress fitter stood on different sides of the table. "You took me away from my pastime. I don't appreciate that" Bloom said standing over her. "Fuck you and the horse you rode in on" Susan hissed. "Brother, Sister, there are some that will never accept salvation. There are some that are...sent by the devil himself" the giantess said eyeing Susan hard. She bent really close and used her fingernail to tear off her earring. Susan yelped in pain from her torn earlobe. Immediately, her glamor disappeared regaling her true looks. "As you can see, the works of the devil" Bloom said as she ground the enchanted earring into dust.

"I'll kill you for what you've done!" Susan yelled. "Dear child. You and your friends are no threat to me. I know they're coming. I know that sinful debauchery you call a man is coming. And he will meet his end accordingly" she chuckled. The doctor took her tweezers and pulled apart her pussy lips. "As you thought, she is no virgin. An awful trick Mother" the doctor said upset. "One must steel themselves in the face of evil. You may leave if you wish. In fact, go check on our breathern. Make sure her deceitful ways have not sullied them" Bloom said. The doctor smiled at the honor and left. "Worried...that she will see you true colors?" Susan groaned as her pussy hurt from the rough treatment.  "I would spare that gentle soul what is to come. Yes, my trap has sprung beautifully if you're here. What? You think it was coincidence I let myself be photographed wearing my signet?" she asked. The giantess stood back up. I must finish my work. I only have to finish the hair on my Mary Magdalene. Brother Holmes, do as you will. Show her no kindness as she is an agent of Satan" she said before leaving the room.

"...as you say" he muttered. He closed the door behind her and looked out his window. "Please Holmes. Do hurt me. She's insane. She killed innocent teens because they're virgins" she stammered. "Blasphemy" he said. "I saw her do it! She covered my roommate in plaster till she fucking suffocated! She made her corpse into a statue!" Susan screamed. He ignored her as he took out his phone. "She's the voice of our salvation and savior of hundreds of your kind. And there you lay transformed before my eyes. Surely the work of the devil" he said aiming his phone at her feet. "What...what are you doing?" she asked. "I'm not perfect. I have my own vices. One is the pretty little feet of borrower girls" he said taking pictures.

"I'm begging you here to let me go. She's dangerous. I'm trying to help people!" Susan screamed struggling. He put the phone down. "I used to have a borrower as a pet. A model to work from. I loved her very much. She liked having her feet pampered and they were works of art. Perfect toes. Smooth soles. Nice curved arches" he muttered sitting on a stool at the edge of the desk. "She must've loved you very much. We don't let anyone worship our feet. Pet or not" Susan said trying to appeal to him. "One day I did a forbidden thing. I held her down and injected my semen into her. She cried and fought me the entire time, but I loved her so much I wanted a baby with her" he said softly. "She got pregnant, very pregnant. When it came time to deliver...they died. I had killed them both with my sin" he said shedding a tear. "I'm sorry for your loss" Susan said. The giant reared closer. "Bloom showed me there is forgiveness even for a man like me and I'll let nobody take that away" he said coldly.

His nose smelled her feet. Susan began to struggle anew. "Amazing how there is a scent even with feet so small" he said. His lips enveloped her feet. Susan whimpered in disgust as she felt his mouth sucking her tiny feet. His saliva between her toes. His finger pushed on the top of her head as he sucked more and more of her into his mouth. "No...no! Don't eat me! For god's sake...I'M PREGNANT!" she screeched. He let her lower body fall out of his mouth. "A lie. A lie by a blasphemer" he said. "I'm not lying! I missed my period!" she sobbed. He looked distraught. "Bloom wants you gone but you carry an innocent" he said rocking back and forth.   Suddenly, the window was blown out by a gust of wind. Five small figures flew through it and landed on the desk. "Take aim!" Fiona shouted. The giant looked stunned as small people holding guns with barrels glowing aimed at him. "Hold! Hold fire! Disable only!" Susan shouted. The hesitated. "Follow my order!" Susan yelled. They fired.

Holmes was struck by hurricane force winds and thrown violently into the wall knocking him out. "He was going to devour you alive! I saw it!" Fiona yelled cutting the strings that bound Susan. "He's...disturbed.  Troubled and Bloom took advantage of him. He's not evil" Susan said rubbing her cut skin. Fiona began healing her. "Well it's unlikely anyone else that works for her is getting the same mercy. Protocol Omega is in effect" Fiona said. Tossing a spare uniform to Susan. "Omega?! There are innocent people here! Only twice has Protocol Omega has been authorized! Of all the reckless..."

"Bloom isn't who she says she is. If our findings are correct, she's the most prolific female serial killer in history" Fiona said. "What?!" Susan asked pulling the uniform over her bare ass. "That phrase you told me was an old dialect of Hungarian not spoken in over a hundred years and very remote when it was. We did some digging and found some old pictures that looked almost exactly like this woman" Fiona said. "So who the hell is she?" Susan asked zipping the uniform up. "Countess Elizabeth Báthory. A noblewoman from the 16th century that murdered hundreds of virgin girls so she could bathe in their blood to stay young*. You getting why Omega is in effect now?" Fiona asked.    

(Authors note: This is a real person and yes, she holds the record for being the worst female serial killer in history. Born 1560 and died 1614, she lured lower caste or peasant girls from ages 10-20 on the promise of good pay or lessons in etiquette. She killed them and literally bathed in their blood to stay young. She was caught and her title kept her from being hanged. She died in solitary after four years and was first buried in the village graveyard until the people were outraged enough to revolt. She was removed but her final resting place is unknown. It's said her body count was as high as 650 and was partly the influence of Bram Stokers Dracula)

In the far distance, they could hear a fire alarm. "And that would be Keith and his team" Fiona said. Susan looked at the emblem on the others' uniforms. A rose encircling the blade of a sword. "All of Briar Patch here?" Susan asked as she caught the sword thrown to her. Fiona nodded. "Leave her to me. I have a score to settle with her" Susan hissed. Susan saw no reason to keep her normally small form and grew to human size. "She turned them into figurines Fiona. She entombed them in plaster still alive and begging. I watched her do it to a girl I cared for" Susan said softly. Susan ran off so fast they couldn't keep up. Her body glowed as she fortified.

Keith walked calmly watching his footsteps to avoid crushing the fleeing congregation. Some however ignored the fire alarms and stayed. Forming a prayer circle around Bloom, who herself eyed the young man calmly approaching. "About time you showed. I was starting to get bored" she said. "I know who you are Elizabeth" he said pointing Rune Edge at her. "Or should I just call you Countess?" he asked. "A title I haven't had in centuries. A title for a dead kingdom. Knowing who I am won't help you in the slightest. And once you're gone...THORN will be a harmless rose to be cut from the stem" she said. "How did you do it? Cheat death I mean? Can't ask you after I pummel your abominable ass" he said closing the distance. "Who said I did?" she asked looking down at the five borrowers at her feet. "Which among you is a virgin?" she asked them. One held up his hand. She snatched him up and Keith took off running. Báthory threw the young man into her mouth and chewed him up. His screams of pain muted suddenly before she swallowed what remained. The others were shocked.

Báthory smashed her foot down on each one as Keith flattened tiny chairs. "Blood. The same after centuries. The souls of the clean nourishing me" she chuckled Keith swung hard to her neck only to see it clack hard on her skin. His eyes widened as cracks formed around his strike. "What...the fuck?!" he said before a punishing blow knocked him 15 feet backwards. When he looked on her again, he could see a faint glow of red coming from the crack in her skin. "Still alive? I should've devoured the soul of the red-haired child as well. That measly boy wasn't young enough. Not pure enough" she growled. Keith staggered to his feet. "Adet" she commanded. Dozens of figurines appeared on the floor around him. They turned to face him. He was too stunned to say a word. Susan arrived. "Mind if I cut in? I owe her pain" she said. "The statutes..."   

"Are moving I know. She encased the bodies of innocent virgin teenagers in them. I think we got a necromancer in our midst" she finished. "That explains how she's here now. Some idiot brought her back" he said. "That idiot was a good man...for a Jew" Báthory said. Susan growled and hurled herself at her. "You killed innocent kids. Turned them into tools and weapons. Perverted beliefs. And now show your hate from what is different from what you believe. I swear on whatever is waiting for us when we die...I will see you burn" Susan hissed as she brought her sword down. The blade made a loud clank and did nothing to her skin. Not even a crack. Báthory grabbed Susan by the throat and with inhuman strength threw her so high she crashed into the ceiling. Susan roughly landed on the floor.

Keith helped her up. "Burn it. Burn it all" he hissed. Briar Patch began lighting the walls on fire. "You seek to burn me? You're a bigger fool that I thought!" Báthory yelled stepping into the center of her figurine army. "Before I entered, I sealed the entire building with an arcane barrier. The last of it activated when they arrived. You won't get out. The trapped oxygen can burn at 4,000 f. Clay will shatter at 1,800 f. You do the math" he said looking at the fire spread. "You'll burn too" she said cocking her head. "There are protocols we follow. Protect the innocent. Keep magic out of the general knowledge. And preserve our life unless the other protocols take precedent. Then there's the other protocol. Omega. Eliminate the threat by any means necessary. Collateral damage is acceptable. Briar Patch! Engage at will!" he ordered.

Susan shook off the concussion to see Keith striking the woman. Insane as it was, she parried his attacks with her bare hands. "Then won't go down! THEY WON'T GO DOWN!" someone shouted as he laid into a figurine. Fire did nothing, lighting just scorched. Water and air didn't even slow them down. "STAY BACK! STAY BACK!" a woman borrower yelled as a figurine looking like an innocent cherub calmly took her sword strikes. He grabbed her throat and snapped her neck. "Alyssa!" a man yelled. A sword through his back from a figurine with wings ended his life. "Your flames won't burn me. Your weapons won't cut me. Your magics won't shatter their skin" Báthory laughed as she held his stomach and punched him over and over. Keith coughed blood. He spat and coughed out a word. "Harrowing"

The oxygen gathering around her due to the fire back drafted and blew her free of him. The air got hotter and thinner. Parts of the roof began to crumble. "If this is it...Susan I'll drop the barrier to let you out. Tell my kids..." he muttered. "Tell them yourself! We're in it to win it!" Susan yelled taking a stance before slamming her foot down on a figurine. She lifted her bare sole off him, and Keith held her to steady her. He roughly kicked the thing away. "And they mocked him as he preached his sermon" Báthory muttered as she stood up. Her skin was covered in cracks and red light shines out of them. "Fuck is that?!" Susan asked. "The answer to her cheating death I'm sure" he said. "Correct it is. What I did in life gave me a reach beyond death. Every virgin that died by my hands, their souls catalyze in me" she said. "Philosopher stone. Her goddamn bones are coated with it!" Keith yelled. "And Rabbi Loeb's writings paved the way to my resurrection. It was his student who found my bones and gave me this power. THIS power" she said holding her cross.

"Keith. This isn't just be necromancy. This is golem magics! Loeb was a master in golem magics!" Oberon shouted. "My squad is falling like flies and we're cooking in here! Get to the point old man!" Keith yelled. "A golem is a creature of clay animated by a magical or holy word inscribed on it! Break the inscription and they stop!" Oberon yelled. "Susan look for..." Keith said until he saw Susan gripping a figurine clawing at her throat. "Stop please! RUBY!" Susan screamed. She knew it was pointless. The body of her friend inside was quite dead and a puppet of this unholy woman. She grew tired as oxygen deprivation was kicking in plus fatigue. "Find an inscription! Destroy it!" Keith ordered. "WHAT?! NO!" Báthory yelled.

And with that the tables began to turn. In her arrogance, Báthory had inscribed "Emet" (the Hebrew word for truth), the word that gave golems false life, in the same place. The back of the head. The surviving Briar Patch members snuck up on figurines too simple to realize they were being flanked and slashed the inscription. Almost instantly, their skin shattered like porcelain revealing the horror within. Depending on the age of the figurine, what was inside was either a skeleton, a mummified body, or one very well preserved. Susan gripped Ruby as the thing broke her thumb painfully. Susan didn't let her out of her grasp as she spun her around. With her sword, she placed the edge of the blade at the nape of her neck and pulled right. The cut had found the only place the skin was vulnerable and revealed the dead pale body of her friend after a shedding of de-magicked plaster. "You're done" Keith said to Báthory.

"I don't need the artifact to animate the dead fool" she said waving her hand. Her exposed bones glowed as dead members of Briar Patch rose from the floor. Part of the roof caved in separating him and her.  Keith glanced for a second to see what he knew was coming. The members slew their dead comrades by cutting their heads off. "Shocked? They're trained to kill their target by any means. They don't have cute code names like Tulip or Daffodil. Nightshade, Bloodroot, and Foxglove to name a few. Names of deadly flowers. Now feel their wrath! Empty your clip! Maximum power! WIND!" Keith screamed. Báthory felt fear for the first time in centuries as three-inch soldiers pointed guns no bigger than tic tacs at her. They pulled the trigger as a hurricane level gust of wind raced around Keith who dug his feet into the floor. The wind kicked up a firestorm that blinded Báthory. Her vision as if sticking her face into a blowtorch.

The giantess staggered as Keith leaped high into the air over the burning rubble of roof and landed behind the woman. "RUNE BREAKER KUSANAGI MODE! KAMIKAZE!" Keith screamed as the blade transformed and sucked the flames into it. He swung with all his might at the nape of her neck. There was a loud crack. Cracks formed in her skin and expanded all over her body. Her enchanted skin flaked and fell off like fragile egg shell. "Please...help...me..." she muttered from her skull mouth. Keith looked at her bones in disgusted awe. Glowing and red as if someone melted ruby gemstone over them. "What temperature does Philosopher stone take?" Keith asked aloud. "1,000 at most" Susan muttered heartbroken. "Enjoy the sneak peek of hell you fuckin' monster" Keith said tearing the artifact from her neck before leaving her.

Keith dropped the barrier and ordered a withdrawal. Susan walked behind him. Her tears coating her cheeks. "I can't do this anymore. Give her back! Give her back!" she screamed with all her soul. Suddenly, everything froze around her. The smoke, the flames, everyone and everything went to pause...except her and a figure standing before her. "You can't stay here! Come with me!" Sudan said gripping a child with her empty hand. When she touched the young girl, a chill went up her spine. "I'm fine. I'm here because it's my nature child" the girl said in an eerie tone. Sparks of light, the very souls of fallen members of Briar Patch began collecting in her pale childish hand. Susan could see her eyes were unnatural. No pupils just blackness. "Morrigan. You're Morrigan" she gasped. The girl nodded slightly as she looked around. "Keith told me stories of you. How you saved him from death. Please. I have a young girl in my hands. She doesn't deserve this. Please bring her back. Please..." Susan said falling to her knees.

"You ask a deity of death to restore life? The audacity of your request...amuses me" the girl said. She bent down and seized Susan’s chin. It felt as if her soul was turning to ice. She looked up at her to see the face of a woman now. "Interesting. I'll grant your request but there must be payment" Morrigan said. Susan nodded. "Balance must be maintained. A life for a life" Morrigan said. "I know. Take mine" she said softly. "I will child, but you do know this girl will have no soul. She will be a meat puppet at best. No free will, no emotions. No dreams no desires" Morrigan warned. "Her soul is gone then..." Susan said. "I've not taken it nor has the woman known as Elizabeth Báthory devoured it. It remains in this world...for the next few moments before I collect it" Morrigan said. "Can you restore her soul too?" Susan asked. The woman nodded. "The offer still stands. Take my life, take my soul" Susan said. "No" Morrigan muttered softly.

"WHY NOT?! Didn't you just agree to the exchange?!" Susan yelled standing. She immediately saw the error of raising her voice to such a being as those haunting eyes seemed to pierce her soul. "Forgive my rudeness but didn't you agree on the deal?" Susan asked with a lowered tone. "This is a different deal. The last time I deferred the collection of a life and their soul was for the man you call Keith. Even then I granted that boon for exchange of the life of an immortal. As your kind say...a trophy kill. You are NOT immortal. Simply put, your life and soul aren't worth enough" she said coldly. Susan closed her eyes and wept. "However, you do have something else that barely has adequate value" Morrigan said pointing to Susan's abdomen. "My baby?!" Susan asked. "Which holds the beginning of its lifespan and all the possibilities it contains. Decide quickly before I change my mind" Morrigan replied.

For Susan, this was the most heartbreaking choice of her life. Save someone she had grown to love or save her unborn child. Her motherly instincts called to both. Whatever choice she made; she knew it would haunt her regardless. "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away...do it. You have a deal" Susan said trembling. Morrigan took the body of Ruby from Susan’s hands and held it in her right. With her left hand, she placed it on Susan’s abdomen and turned her palm. Sudan felt a searing pain as Morrigan pulled her hand back. The spark of life floated out of her womb where the spark of Ruby's soul flew from the frozen skeleton of Báthory. The two dancing around one another. They floated into the tiny body of the girl. Susan watched in awe as the pale death color of her corpse warmed into the living hues of cream, rouge, and peach. "Done" Morrigan returned the girl to Susan.

"Tell me child. What do you know of your parents?" Morrigan asked. "My folks were simple borrowers. My mom was eaten by a human. Dad sold off leaving me behind. Never saw him again" she replied. Morrigan cocked an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?" Susan asked. "Because only those of archmage talent or high-born blood can interdict in my affairs like you did today" Morrigan said. "But I didn't. You appeared before me" Susan said. "Did you not scream with all your soul to "give her back"? Whom did you think you were asking?" Morrigan asked. Susan was silent. "There is more to your bloodline than simple borrowers. That much is certain. Farewell Susan Durmont. Pray we do not meet again for many decades to come" Morrigan said. Suddenly, the world began moving once more.

"Pick up the pace! It’s coming down!" Keith yelled. Everyone got out safely just before the rest of the roof caved in incinerating anything still inside. With her superior hearing, Susan could hear fire engines coming. "Keith. Fire trucks about two miles out" she said. "Understood. I'll pull the team out and call Rose. Since it's Sunday she won't be in class. We can use her status to spin this" he said watching relieved as the agents he dispatched to the greenhouse had succeeded in evacuating people. "I'll stay behind" she said. "You sure after everything. I can have Fiona..."

"No" Susan said abruptly. "Take her. She needs medical attention" she said handing the still unconscious Ruby to him. "Jesus! You had a survivor in your hands? Christ...she's just a kid" he sighed.  Keith went to the car and gave her a change of clothing. "Alright. We'll see you when you get home" he said kissing her forehead. He got into the Range Rover. He drove off with the rear full of agents shaken by this afternoon's events. Susan saw the woman who brought her in, the doctor, and the dress fitter standing their dazed. "Take a good fucking look. That's what evil truly can do" she said. They turned to see her and were aghast. "What...what are you?!" the woman asked. "Agnes was it? I'm that which keeps evil at bay" Susan replied. None could comprehend the tiny woman from before was as big as they were now. "Demonic magic" the doctor hissed. "The only demon was Bloom. Telling kids that they are god's chosen if they don't have sex. Answer me this, is that true then how the fuck do we have kids?!" Susan shouted at them.

"None of you bothered to fucking ask to see what this seminary looks like? Where it was? She murdered dozens of kids. DOZENS! And not one of you had the decency to question. Evil prevails when good men do nothing" Susan said coldly at them. "She spoke to our hearts. She gave our lives meaning again. Why would we question that?" Agnes asked. "Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" Susan muttered to them. Agnes broke down crying as she knew of that scripture. "I know of the bible. When I was very young, my parents took me to the church nearby. We even lived in it during winters. I know how it feels to feel lost, alone, forgotten. And when I lost them and my sight, I gave up on god. Faith isn't a magic wand to make you feel all better. It's a Band-Aid for your soul. The change lies in you not some person with fancy words" Susan said before leaving them.

She sat down and had the borrowers gather close to her. She kept an eye on the sky for Hawks and an ear out for field mice or snakes to would make a meal of the survivors. They watched crying and sobbing as the church burned to its bones. Many asked if Bloom had made it not seeing her. "No" Susan simply replied. The fire tricks arrived to put out the blaze and Susan had them give her a blanket for the people to sit and lay on. A half hour passed.

"One confirmed human fatality. Burned to her blackened bones. The corpse dogs got multiple hits. Won't know they tally until later" one fireman said to the chief. Susan cracked a slight smile to blackened bones and grit her teeth at the rest. Rose appeared in her Mini Cooper not long after. "My god Suzie. If you're here then..."

"Yeah Rose. We need to get these people back home" Susan said. "I'll call a rental van. How many are there?" she asked. "200 or so. Excuse me" she said leaving her. Susan saw a familiar face. It was none other than the taxi driver. "How horrible! Mother Bloom...is she alright?" he asked the woman approaching him. "No, she died" she replied looking at the figurine on his dash. The man hung his head. "Beautiful figurine you have. Make sure you never break it" Susan said. The man barely nodded. Susan saw no point in taking it as it gave him what comfort he needed. With Báthory dead and her artifact in THORN's hands, the corpse of his shrunken daughter would never move, and the secret would remain...as long as it was never broken. Susan glanced to see the first news reporters scrambling to the fire chief and Rose. She listened to Rose saying she knew little of the events and that her organization (the public face for borrower humanitarians) would shelter the survivors.

Later that night...

"Where are my dress socks?" Keith asked looking around. "Here" Susan said handing the pair to him. Keith sat on the bed and put them on. "You look nice" she said. Keith smiled and nodded. "The survivors are done being processed. Most have been assigned housing while the others are staying with volunteers" he said. "They're staying?" Susan asked sitting beside him. "Their beliefs were shattered. All of them" he replied. "So they know?" she asked. "Magic, those figurines, her real identity" he said. "Guess they deserve to know the truth" Susan said. "I'm glad that girl is gonna make it. A miracle she survived. When she wakes up, we can find her parents" he said. "She's doesn't have any" Susan said. "You know her?" he asked. "My roommate when I was undercover. She's got nobody" she replied. "Interesting that she happened to be right there in the thick of it. And of all people to save her it was you. Is there something I should know?" he asked. "Nothing of consequence" she replied. There was a pause between them.

"About earlier I'm sorry for sneaking out" she said. "Damn right you're sorry. Anyone else I'd have their sword and rank. However, I was wrong to let my personal feelings get in the way. We shouldn't have sex anymore" he said. Susan was quiet. "I still love ya and will hug and cuddle you when you're lonely. Even suck your toes" he stammered. "Keith. It's okay. I agree" she said squeezing his hand. Susan shrank down and sat on his shoulder. "Ready for that speech?" she asked. "We'll see" he said leaving his room.

The colony was unusually dark. Thankfully, nobody was in the streets as his socked feet stepped down. Only the center of town was lit. People who couldn't go sat in dark houses looking out of windows as the giant passed by. When he got to his destination, he stood before thousands. Rose stood to his side in a white dress. Her giant bare feet on the stone street was oddly kept warm by the crowds barely millimeters from them. Their body heat soothing to her. She didn't move a muscle as some of the tired citizens sat on her toes and feet. "Today is December 1st. The first day of the Festival of Lights. A festival that honors the memory of those that passed on. Each light a loved one or cherished friend no longer in our lives. But as we stand here tonight, we are reminded by our new guests that faith is what brought us here."

"Faith that there is something better for us. Faith that there is meaning to loss for if we never lose anything, we would cherish nothing. It's fitting that it's lights that are the symbol of that. For its the light that will vanquish the darkness that tried to hold sway in our lives" Keith said as he picked up a switchbox. "My family. I give you the light" he said flicking the master switch. Strings of lights turned on illuminating the entire city. It was as if the stars in the sky had found refuge in the colony. The people clapped and applauded. The survivors, given special setting up front were amazed at the sight. And at that moment, saw that their faith had not died. It had only been transformed.

"That was beautiful Keith" Susan said. "Is there someone looking over us Susan?" Keith asked looking up. "God is in his heaven. All is right with the world" she replied. As soon as she said that, a searing migraine struck her. She closed her eyes and found herself seeing a memory. In it was a congregation of churchgoers praying before her. She stood on a podium before an old hand plucked her up and placed her on the chest of an infant. The breathing was ragged and shallow. A warmer in her body and suddenly the baby cried. People chanted thanks to god and she looked up to the person picking her up once more. "You did well Suzie...you did well" he said. Susan opened her eyes. "You okay? You drifted away for a second" Keith said.

"I'm fine. Just...just tired" Susan replied disturbed.