Back to Official Fiction

Biohazard Symbol The Daughters of Sarah Biohazard Symbol


Unto the hand of Arbiter Trian Hurley, guardian of the blessed stronghold of St. Bethias from the Most Beloved Jaina Cornelius, High Inquisitor.

Dear Trian,

I write to you on the eve of Consecration. As our young men and women prepare to be accepted into the fullness of this life we have carved for our people, my spirit is uneasy.

I waited in the cloisters with the other Unconsecrated, wondering if I would feel any different when it was over. Gita held my left hand, while Tasha fiddled with her ceremonial vestments. Zoe and the other girls whispered to each other or stood quietly, listening to the muffled voice of Elder Ezra preach to the congregation. The boys - Judges now - were just finishing their consecration rites. Soon, it would be our turn.

"...and the Lord told Sarah, 'The Word of my realm is Power. No one else dwells there, except the warriors of great power, the spiritual heroes. Only they are fulfilled, imbued with My essence.' We men are warriors by His command. We judge the wicked as we have been called to do. The Lord has made us his agent to cull the sinful, and we have accepted this terrible duty. Today, these young men have come of age and have pledged themselves to our righteous cause. The Lord be praised!"

"Praise Him!"

A host of voices cried out. I was shocked at how loud they were. There were more people in the church than I had expected. I felt my heart start to race as I pictured standing in front of them - all those eyes staring at me. I was unused to being looked at by men. I felt the blood rise to my cheeks, thinking about standing at the altar, being watched by so many people. How good it would feel to return to the women's quarter, away from those eyes.

Gita squeezed my hand. "I'm scared, Rachel. I don't want to go out there." Her dark eyes peeked out from beneath her bangs. I tucked her black hair behind her ear. I was one of the older girls at the ceremony, and if I was frightened, then the younger ones like Gita and Tasha must be terrified.

"No reason to be scared. You should be happy. We're going to become Cherished today. Just think, Gita, in a few minutes, you'll even get to meet the High Inquisitor herself."

I thought I would have to force myself to smile to hide my own unease, but the idea of finally getting to see Jaina Cornelius was genuinely thrilling, and I found myself grinning unexpectedly. As the most cherished and beloved member of our community, the High Inquisitor only left her chambers a few times a year to attend our most important ceremonies: Consecration, the Feast of Shiva, and Judgment Day. Even then, those who were unconsecrated - children and uninitiated penitents - were not allowed to look at her.

It has come to my attention that there exists now a den of iniquity, a haven of sin unlike any we have dealt with before. A woman named Ceilia Winters has reopened a film projection house that existed before the Fall. This strumpet has collected films depicting the most disgusting and reprehensible behavior one can imagine-everything from premarital sexual relations to the glorification of mutants. She shows these films to all who will watch them, spreading sin with every frame they see. You cannot imagine the damage such evil brings - and so close to the Ark! I fear for our young Judges to be exposed to these films. It is at times such as these that I am thankful the Cherished and the Unconsecrated are safe within these walls.

I wondered what she would look like. Carolyn said that the High Inquisitor was so pure and full of the spirit of the Lord that she could call down holy fire. She would've told me more, but Zoe overheard us and told Mother Essie that Carolyn was telling secrets to an Unconsecrated. Mother Essie sent Carolyn to Penance with Master Solomon, and she'd barely speak to me at all after that. But today, I'd be named as a true Daughter of Sarah, one of the Cherished, and Carolyn and I would be sisters again.

I'd never consider myself to be Zoe's sister, though. I knew that was wrong of me, but I just didn't like her. She was always trying to make herself seem better than the rest of us.

One time, Mother Helen cooked the worst batch of lima beans we'd ever eaten, and Zoe convinced all the girls at the table - Carolyn, Gita, Mariah, Robin, and me - to hide the beans in our napkins instead of eating them. We knew it was a sin to squander our food, but we agreed to do it, and no one noticed. Then at evening prayers, Zoe started crying, and said she felt too guilty to keep it a secret. She told Mother Helen it was her idea, and begged to be sent to Penance for all of us.

Master Solomon kept Zoe in Penance all night, and when she came back to the women's quarters, she was covered in angry, red welts. Had it been me, I would have kept a low profile until they healed, but Zoe wore them like a badge of honor, and talked loudly at dinner about how happy she was to expunge her sin and how holy her bruises made her feel.

Then she said, "You know, you'll never be free from your sin, because I took your punishment for you."

And that's when I knew she'd planned it all, set us all up to be sinners forever over of a handful of rotten beans.

Suddenly, I realized everyone had fallen silent. I couldn't hear Elder Ezra anymore or the congregation. None of the girls were speaking. My heart skipped a beat as I looked up and saw the figure of an older woman in the doorway, covered head to toe. Her clothes were red as fire, but her eyes were ice.

High Inquisitor Jaina Cornelius looked around the room, and once she had everyone's attention, she nodded curtly. Then she spun on her heel and walked toward the door leading to the nave. Silently, we fell into a line and followed her into the church. The whole congregation was on its feet, watching us, but I barely noticed. I couldn't take my eyes off the High Inquisitor. I suspect everyone felt the same way.

We stopped in front of the altar, and Elder Ezra moved to the side as the High Inquisitor climbed the few steps of the platform so she could be seen and heard by all. She closed her eyes and raised her arms, her hands reaching for the heavens, and as she did, her fingers began to glow like embers. Suddenly, her hands burst into flame.

The fire licked up her arms and across her chest. Carolyn had not lied. Jaina was terrifying and beautiful, a holy instrument, a mortal connection to the Lord. I dropped to my knees and bowed my head.

As the fire flowed around her like an eddy in a stream, she intoned words from the Vulgate: "And the Lord saw that Sarah was pure and free from sin. And He told Sarah to gather to her the righteous, 'For it is My decision to devour man by the fire of my fury. The Day of Judgment has come. I have prepared to slaughter the sinful and unrighteous and have chosen their executioners.' And the Lord told Sarah that she would lead these Judges, as would her daughters after her."

Sweat began pouring from my face, but the heat sucked the perspiration out of my skin so fast, I didn't have time to sweat. A layer of salt started forming on my upper lip. My throat dried. I could hear a strange whine in my ears and I felt dizzy and numb, and as I stared at the flickering shadows on the floor I thought I might pass out.

"The Lord said, 'I have judged thee worthy, Sarah Cornelius, so that thou might judge the world."

Suddenly, the room grew cooler. The shadows had changed. The humming in my head stopped, and I licked my lips and swallowed, working moisture back into my mouth. With a deep breath, I ventured to peek at the High Inquisitor. The flames were gone, and she stared at us. It was as if those icy blue eyes of hers had quenched the fire.

Celia Winters must be stopped. Her precious films must be destroyed. Her theater must be burned to the ground. The townspeople are too deeply entrenched in the sin she has wrought to be saved. They must all die.

The Judges near the Ark are too busy with Bellhook and Reflection to focus their efforts on the town the locals call "Drive-In." You must tackle this problem for me. Send as many Judges as you can spare. I will send Jonathan Lomas to lead the group. He has experience from helping cleanse Pinkston. Make an example of these vile sinners, I encourage you. If possible, I would suggest the bodies be mutilated and hung up for display, as an object lesson in the wages of sin.

"Daughters of Sarah, you too have been judged worthy, consecrated in holy fire. Rise now. From this day, you bow to no one but the Lord Himself. You are the virtuous ones, chosen to lead these good men in the Lord's work. Once, you may have called yourself a Kale, a Carin, or a Stodd. You were your father's child, your mother's girl. But now, you are a Cornelius, a Cherished. The Lord be praised!"

The congregation spoke as one: "Praise Him!"

I knew that somewhere in the crowd, Carolyn was watching me. I hoped she was happy for me; I looked forward to returning to our quarters and meeting each other again as equals. Pride swelled within in me, and I felt tears welling up. I was a woman of the Judges.

Jaina Cornelius spoke again. "Each year, Consecration brings our young people fully into the fold. Elder Ezra initiates our men, and I initiate our women. Every year, Consecration is a happy and special time for us, but today is particularly special. I hope you'll indulge me for a few moments."

"The Vulgate tells us that Sarah Cornelius led the Judges at the beginning. When she died, her young daughter Noelle was raised to High Inquisitor. I was not born as a Daughter of Sarah. Noelle sent her husband, Jonathan Leland, to find a girl that the Lord had told her about, a pure child surrounded by the unholy, and - Lord be praised - he found me in Bellhook. Jonathan tried to reason with my parents and bring them to righteousness, but they were sinners, and they refused to glorify the Lord. Some of you remember when Jonathan took me from them. Elder Orrie Stodd was there. He can tell you about it, how those people in Belhook reviled us, how our people fought to save me, how Jonathan Leland lost his life that day."

"I became a Daughter of Sarah. From the time I was old enough to understand the sacrifice the Judges had made for me, I prayed to be worthy of their effort. When I was thirteen, I was consecrated by Noelle Cornelius. And on that day, she named me as her heir, First Daughter."

As the High Inquisitor spoke, I jumped with the startling realization of what was going on.

She was going to name her heir from one of the newly consecrated.

I heard Gita sniffling, and I could tell Tasha was fidgeting again. Jaina looked me right in the eye, and those pale orbs burned my soul. She knew every sin I had ever committed. She knew every sin I would ever commit. My breath was shallow in my chest, and I wanted to pray, but I wasn't sure what I should pray for. Should I pray she would name me? Or should I pray that I would be passed over?

Her gaze shifted, and then she smiled.

She smiled at Zoe.

"Zoe Cornelius, step forward and pledge your oath of service."

It couldn't be. Could it?

I have decided to name Zoe Cornelius as First Daughter. I know you hoped I would name your daughter, Rachel Cornelius, but I must tell you, Trian, that she does not possess the right temperament. She is gracious and kind, lovely and thoughtful. The younger girls adore her, I'm told. She will make a fine wife and mother one day. However, she has not shown the steel beneath the velvet glove that is required to carry out our work.

The High Inquisitor began. "Sarah laid herself before the Lord and promised Him service, saying, 'I will punish those who refuse your worship...'"

"I will punish those who refuse your worship." Zoe repeated.

"...and those who steal and kill for their own glory."

How black my heart must be, to think that I could judge Zoe. Jaina Cornelius saw in her the most promise, the purest soul, the best leader. If she saw those things, who was I to say different?

"I will search in this land's darkest corners to punish those ripe with sin."

And yet, may the Lord have mercy on me, I hated her. My hate was a sin; my sin was grave. I should've reported myself immediately after the ceremony to one of the Mothers and ask for Penance. I should've. But I knew I wouldn't.

"I will purify the wicked and make them worthy of Your love."

I half-turned and looked at the crowd, scanning faces to find Carolyn. I locked eyes with her for only a second before turning back to look at Zoe and Jaina, but that was enough to know that Carolyn felt the same. Very well, then. We were both sinners. But we'd be sinners together, and neither one of us would sell the other out like Zoe had. We were Cherished sisters.

"I will keep myself and my daughters from the damning influence of men."

Still, we were all Cherished, even Zoe. Did it matter who was named First Daughter? I thought about how excited I was when the day began, fantasizing about returning to our quarters and beginning the next phase of our lives as women. What would this change? I would still become a wife, a mother, a tool of the Lord. At the end of the day, I would be Rachel Cornelius, just as I had imagined.

"And I will lead them and teach them, so they may better serve you."

So, Zoe would become High Inquisitor when Jaina passed. It didn't matter that she was chosen; it didn't matter that I hated her; it didn't change who I was. Zoe would lead, and I would serve. We all had our duties. We were Judges. May the Lord be praised. Praise Him!

On the matter of Ponderosa, I am pleased with your efforts. Your calculation that fifty souls were cleansed through beneficent death is commendable. I understand that you were able to spare a promising brother and sister from the town. When the young man has been purified through righteous pain and penance, you may send him to the Ark for further instruction. The young woman has already arrived here. She said her name was Desire, but of course, that sinful name was taken from her during decontamination. The Cherished call her Chastity. I'm told that she is quite willful. I have no doubt we will show her the error of her ways. If not, we will have to expunge her sin permanently.

In perfect judgment,

Jaina


This story is posted on the FE Forums, click to see the original thread.