The Cardinal Mother

In a solemn Kingdom, girls in frilled white dresses shiver as they march past gardens haunted by disquietude; trapped within a blithe choir, they dare not break its cadence. Kassandra Agatha attends an academy of witches and warlocks who must adhere to such strict, painful routines of repentance and rituals. Instead of punishing criminals, the Kingdom disciplines its victims, who fearfully know that whenever they do not comply, horrific events carried out by an Unspeakable Curse befall their home. Kassandra never knew her mother Arabella, but upon a chance encounter with a mysterious boy, it is revealed to the witch that she was a sacred figure revered by a forbidden faith.

Forced against her will to act as a living shield for warlock soldiers, Arabella ran away from the academy, and in her sleep, fell into a nightmare. Upon awakening, the lost girl felt a sinister aura harbored within. She had discovered the Cardinal Mother, a deity who was worshipped by a dark cult that granted its acolytes the means to enact revenge, yet reveled in inflicting death and pain... even to those who did not deserve it. Arabella became devoted to using the Cardinal Mother's gifts to judge the sins of others as fairly as she could, believing that it was her destiny to persuade the Kingdom to relinquish their practice of sacrificing innocents, for she had foreseen another way to stop the Unspeakable.

But as Kassandra delves deeper into the past, she begins to unravel the truth of what really happened to her mother on the night of her disappearance...

WARNING: This story contains grotesque and violent descriptions. Includes strong profanity. Reader discretion is advised.

Photo credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/art-dark-eerie-hands-259591/