Cult of the Lamb : The Man in the Forest

Chapter 29: What Was Left Behind, Part One: Displaced Disciples

[Author's Note: Sorry this update took so long! I wanted to post all four parts at once so it would flow better for you guys. It ended up being a total of 18,219 words lol So, you can imagine why it took me so long to write and edit them.]

Nearly an hour had passed before the door to Caxton's cabin opened again. The yelling had stopped some time ago, and Merida hoped that had been a good sign. When she saw both her mother and Aerwyn exiting the dwelling, she stood. Kenedra did as well, her hands clasped nervously over her lap. The stag headed off towards his own home, and Mir̃alai met Merida in front of the temple. She looked positively stressed.

"I am going to have a word with Harleen and her parents tomorrow. She had no right to disclose that information to Khalyn." The Lamb sighed.

"Is Khalyn alright?" Merida asked, keeping an eye on the cabin in case the rabbit emerged.

"As alright as she can be given the circumstances. She's calmed down at least, this has all been quite a shock for her. I would suggest giving her some time to herself, she needs it to sort all this out."

"I figured." Merida crossed her arms, "How many of his followers are living here? Harleen made it sound like there were a few." Mir̃alai's brow furrowed.

"It does not matter how many there are, Merida... They are not a threat."

"I never said that. I'm just curious." She shrugged. When her mom did not reply, she rolled her eyes. "Come on, Ken and I are the last creatures that are going to judge anyone because of that. I get why you wanted it kept a secret, we're not going to tell anyone else about it." She insisted and Kenedra nodded in agreement.

"Oh, very well. Go inside and we will discuss it." Satisfied, Merida turned and entered the temple along with Kenedra and the Lamb. Once inside the home, the three settled themselves in the living room. Mir̃alai sat down in an armchair and crossed her legs. "I will not give names... But, there are currently twelve of his followers here."

"Harleen said a few of them got banished."

"Yes, that's true." She sighed. "There are twelve now, but there were eighteen that converted to start. The majority of his followers refused to convert either because they did not want to serve me specifically, or they no longer trusted Bishops in general. Regardless of their reasoning, those followers fled to live in the Faiths on their own and we let them go in peace. Most of the converts had good intentions... Unfortunately, there were four who wished to get revenge on Narinder's behalf. Aym and I had expected as much though, so we kept a very close eye on them, as did Caxton. It was fairly easy to weed them out, they were banished without incident. Those who remained were as faithful as they could manage to be." She paused and leaned forward, looking seriously at Kenedra. "Are you sure you want to hear all of this, dear?" The cat hesitated to answer, her fingers twirling the strings of her cloak anxiously. Eventually, she nodded.

"It is alright, I am aware of how he used to be. I can separate it from who he is now." Mir̃alai nodded.

"Very well." She rested back in her chair again. "The things those followers had witnessed in his Domain had caused lasting damage to their minds. I will admit that I have carried out sacrifices in the past, but mine were entirely consensual and painless. His, on the other hand, were forceful, and unnecessarily brutal. It had started with simple beheadings. Not to say that beheading isn't barbaric, but when compared with the torture he carried out later in his reign, it is rather tame. I was fortunate enough to only witness one of those late-stage sacrifices, and that image is still burned in my mind to this day. I cannot imagine seeing so many creatures slaughtered in such a way... Then knowing that many of those sacrifices had family living within his Domain too at the time, it is truly awful. As it turns out, many of his followers were not so willing to serve him. When they were recruited by Aym and Baal, they were unaware of the type of leader Narinder was. They believed they would be living in a sanctuary, safe from the dangers of the Faiths much like my followers or Nykka's. It didn't help that Narinder had been painted as a powerful, reemerging God. That much was true though. Naturally, they were quick to join him. The more powerful a leader is, the better they can protect their flock. The poor things had no idea what Narinder had planned for them. Once they found out, it was too late to leave. They would have been killed anyway for dissenting. Their only hope for survival was to obey him and pray they were not picked for sacrifice." She waved a hand with a heavy sigh. "As you can imagine, the followers who made it out were...damaged. Nykka was not as powerful then as she is now. She could do nothing permanent for them like she did for you, Merida. She's only had that ability for a couple years, or so. In any case, Nykka was never told about the converts. Deciding what to do with them fell on me. So... they had to manage their trauma just like everyone else. I am sorry to say not everyone could bear it." Merida looked at her lover. The cat appeared a bit bothered, but she seemed to handle the information alright. She rested a reassuring hand on her thigh before looking back towards her mother.