"Then go, Penance, and do your duty. This ceremony stands dismissed."
As a final formality, a gong was banged.
Katherine turned and left the Great Hall, being the first one out of the room. As she opened the big doors and left, and found Candace and Samantha waiting for her outside.
"Lookin' sharp," Samantha said to her.
"Congratulations," Candace said, giving her a big hug.
It was rare that hunters were allowed to retain any of the friendships they had enjoyed in their former identities, but this was a unique situation. Candace and Samantha were an angel and a demon sworn not to interfere by a compromise reached for the sake of Katherine's soul. They retained their respective alignments and their fates were sealed, but for the rest of their mortal lives they remained themselves. The order of hunters had permitted the duo to travel with Katherine in her travels as part of a pilot program to see if the Darkness and the Light could be trusted to work together with a hunter. If it succeeded, perhaps similar team-ups would be possible in the future.
Reunited with her friends, the trio decided to...
Sat Jul 13 10:49:43 2002