THE STEWARDS’ TESTAMENT DIONE
THE STEWARDS’ TESTAMENT DIONE
The second daughter, Dione, traveled with the Stewards to the southern cliffs along the shore. They sought shelter there, but were met with solemn welcome, for the people had already heard it told of witches in the Trench.
But Dione hosted a magic the likes of which had never been seen.
She kept the escarpment from crumbling into the ocean, and with it, many of its houses.
She tamed demonic waves before they could sink their boats.
She built them a church to prove her faithfulness to God, and for this, the townspeople gave her refuge.
Dione married in the church she herself in weeks prior had erected, to Mister Rackley Duponte, the founder’s son. She was, on the day of her marriage, ten and four, and no family passed her hand to her betrothed.
She became round with a child quickly, and when the beast invaded the moors, the infant was born into the night. Her husband was not to be found by her bedside, nor her father by law, for they had fled the land and taken to sea. Only the Stewards remained.
Dione was discovered quickly, for the village was promised its safe return to its custodians if Dione was surrendered. The enemy was led to her birthing bed, and her child taken from her arms. In doing so, it awakened in her a terrible monster.
She held her captors at bay for three days and three nights, drowning the men with giant waves until she tired.
She was tied to the sea boulders and bled dry.
She wilted there to the audience of her captors, until the ocean, as though sent by God, came mercifully to cradle her remnants down to the depths of the sea.