The night was clear and crisp, the heat of the day long since faded away. Now the sounds of late summer dominated the landscape which included chirping insects and the sound of the wind in the trees. Above the sky was dark and filled with a billion sparkling stars. The moon was huge and glowed with its pale light. All around the grassy fields rippled with waves as the wind bent the grass over. There was the scent of earth on the wind.

Atop a small hill was a beautiful mansion standing as a beacon of orange light in an ocean of deep night. It was surrounded by pretty gardens with rocky walkways that winded through and around the estate. There were more torches lit outdoors than most tonight and the windows were aglow with the bright light of warm fire. Outside many carriages sat arranged in the front lot as there was a party going on tonight.

This was the private home of the lord Olibor Fleche: the local lord of the province of Rellabellum. The province that was known for armed conflict and boarder disputes that was situated in the south-west corner of the kingdom. Here violence was more common than anyone would have liked and rule of law was enforced with force.

Timothy stood inside the main ballroom along the outside wall of the huge space. He was dressed in much fancier robes than normal although they were still clerical in nature. In his hand was a glass of wine, something he wasn't touching as much as other party goers were. Meeting important people like lords and ladies still wasn't his strong suit and he wouldn't even be at these kinds of places if it wasn't for his goddess dragging him along.

Out there among the well to do people was the little girl goddess Jenna. She had been invited to this function by the local lord of this province and came only because she felt it her duty to be involved in the politics of the kingdom. She clearly didn't like it but was doing it so she could better know the enemy so she put it. This was a province far from the capital and help from the crown, meaning it had to rely on itself for most of its problems.

Timothy was lost in thought when a middle aged woman walked up to him and startled him. She was quite pretty in the traditional sense with her long blonde hair and fancy well fitting dress. The way she looked at him made him feel like a prey animal being stalked by a predator. She was also holding a wine glass of course though hers was emptier.

"Well hello there young man." She said smiling. "I'm told your that high priest. Is that true?"

With a nervous smile he looked at her face, though he was avoiding eye contact.

"Well yes ma'am. My name is Timothy and I'm the high priest of the Goddess Jenna."

The woman smiled happily and shifted her weight to one leg, holding her wine glass up near her chest.

"Its so nice to meet you Sir Timothy! My name is Reece. Please tell what its like living so close to such power."

This seemed like the kind of woman his father would warn him about while growing up and it made him very uncomfortable just being around her. This was the kind of thing he'd have to get used to though as a powerful figure however. Besides if there was actual trouble he could solve it easily. He could do actual magic now, gifted to him by Jenna as it was. The goddess was also here too of course but he wanted to avoid asking her to bail him out of this.

Timothy coughed and smiled nervously.

"Oh well its pretty nerve wracking sometimes honestly. The part that's most difficult to get used to is her size changing." He rubbed the back of his head. "As you can imagine its difficult not to feel worthless when someone that looks like a little girl suddenly grows taller than a castle."

He dropped his arm and straightened up not noticing the subtle body language of the woman.

"Honestly its not like I'm afraid of being stepped on or anything! It's just its a lot to take in sometimes. I know it doesn't make me worthless just because she's a goddess but I still feel like a insect next to her."

This Reece woman didn't seem to be judging him on his feelings like he feared. Instead she had a strange distant look in her eyes like she was looking at something imaginary. She was still listening to everything he said of course. After a moment she smiled and spoke again.

"I can imagine that's quite emasculating but she seems like a kind goddess. I'm sure we're all safe in her hands." Her expression seemed almost hungry. "Do you think you could introduce me to her? I'd so love to talk to her about her plans for the kingdom."

Timothy was starting to feel sweat form on his forehead. What was with this woman that made him feel so weird? He supposed it wasn't a big deal in the end as it seemed she was about to become Jenna's problem, at least if she wanted to talk to her. He nodded and turned to walk towards where he heard the goddess's voice when he almost ran over a young boy.

The boy was about eight years old and was dressed in the attire of the other servers. He was carrying a platter with small snacks on it and due to his height Timothy completely missed seeing him when he started walking. The platter was just barely saved from falling over and the boy stammered as he backed away.

"Oh! I'm sorry sir!"

Timothy looked at the boy in confusion. It was strange to see someone so young doing this job and now that he thought about it he might have seen other children around here. Maybe he was imagining things. He smiled at the boy and held up his hand.

"Don't worry about it! It was my fault honest!"

The young boy quickly disappeared into the party goers without another word. The woman didn't seem to notice enough to say anything so Timothy continued making his own way through the people towards Jenna's voice with Reece following behind him.

Jenna was standing near the center of the room and was talking to two taller men. She was so small compared to them but such a visual discrepancy was something he had gotten used to by now. They seemed to be talking about the local politics and the boarder disputes going on with another kingdom. The boy with the platter walked close by where she was standing and she gave him a strange look.

Timothy sped up his steps as Jenna's gaze landed on him.

"H-Hey Goddess Jenna!"

She looked up at his face above her when he walked up, then her eyes darted to Reece before back at Timothy.

"Yes? Here to introduce your girlfriend? I didn't know this was your type."

This joke made him blush deep red and got a laugh out of the two men standing with Jenna. Reece was blushed in embarrassment herself while Jenna was grinning wickedly.

"N-Not funny!" Timothy lamented. "This is Reece and she- she's here to talk to you actually goddess."

Jenna let out a sigh and shook her head, her smile showing her amusement.

"I'm just messing with you silly!" Her tone then stiffened as she addressed the woman. "And what did you want with me?"

Reece seemed for the first time to be lacking in confidence. Being directly addressed by the goddess and being put on the spot as the butt of a joke could do that to people. She quickly recovered however and smiled a pleasant but fake smile while giving a nod to the two men there.

"Oh I just wanted to speak to you woman to woman Goddess Jenna. That is once you're finished with your current conversation."

The taller of the two men chuckled and clapped his hands together.

"Of course you can speak to her! We were just about done anyway. The goddess despite looking so young is wise beyond any human."

Jenna's face didn't have the look of someone who was happy to be complimented like this. There was a hint of disgust that Timothy wondered anyone else was picking up on. Maybe since he spent so much time around her he noticed this things better than others.

Jenna turned her attention to Reece but then her eyes following something else while she spoke.

"Yeah yeah. What kind of stuff did you want to speak about anyway?"

Timothy followed Jenna's gaze and noticed that across the room there was a pair of maids. One looked like she was in her twenties while the other was a young girl probably no older than ten years. By the time he looked back at the goddess however she was already walking in that direction and seemed distracted.

"Give me a moment" Jenna said dismissing herself.

The three adults just gave each other a look of confusion but otherwise seemed not to be disturbed by her behavior. A goddess surely had many important things to do after all.

Timothy however knew that this was a sign she was fixated on something and that could lead to trouble. He followed her and when she suddenly stopped he almost tripped up over her. She just stood there staring blankly ahead for several seconds. What was she doing? The seconds stretched on until it had been at least half a minute.

"Goddess?" He asked. "Are you alright?"

Suddenly Jenna whipped her head around and looked directly at him. He jumped in surprise at the sudden movement and then his heart filled with strange dread when he noticed her eyes. They were wide open and glowing brightly. Something about her was different but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Without a word she reached out and grabbed his right wrist and began walking towards the exit of the room while dragging him behind her.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"H-Hey! Where are we going goddess?"

She ignored him completely, her gaze fixed ahead as she pulled him along. Her grip was so tight it felt like she might break his bones but yet she didn't. As the walked various guests greeted her but she remained mute. Quickly they left the room and then out of the mansion itself.

At this point Timothy didn't bother asking her asking her what she was doing. It was clear her focus was unbreakable and his best option was to go along with her without question. Even when they were outside in the night air her grip didn't loosen and her eyes didn't glance to the left or right.

The night air was almost chilly compared to indoors and a shiver ran down his spine. Jenna kept dragging him behind her until they reached the very edge of the main lawn where the tall hedges stood. They were green and bushy, expertly trimmed into a square shape.

Once they were here Jenna finally released her grip on his arm and turned around to face the mansion.

"Stand here."

After giving this order she lifted up her hands and a large red object appeared in the air which she took hold of. It was square and looked like a container of some kind. It was bright red in color and there was the sound of something sloshing around inside it. After manifesting this she walked back over to the mansion.

Despite just being given an order to stay put Timothy followed after her. There was clearly something wrong and it was starting to scare him. Even as he jogged after her to catch up the rebuke he expected for disobeying never came. She was acting like he wasn't even there.

Once she made it to the mansion she lifted the container up and began pouring out a strange amber liquid all over the side of the building and the plants around it. It stank so badly Timothy had to cover his mouth and nose, the air itself seeming to burn the inside of his nose.

"Heavens! That water smells awful! What is it?" He gasped,

Jenna continued her work without turning to look at him, walking around the building as the container never seemed to run out of its fluid. She did respond to him in a flat voice.

"Its called gasoline."

He gulped and took a step back to avoid the burning smell. He was still feeling fearful but decided to ask another question.

"What are you doing with it?"

Her responses continued to be oddly emotionless.

"Its highly flammable. I'm going to burn this place to the ground."

This must be some kind of prank. It had to be. Timothy was really starting to get scared now. She wasn't acting like herself at all and this had to be some kind of act she was putting on. She did all kinds of crazy things she thought were funny.

"W-Well couldn't you just use magic?" He asked trying to play along. "Also what about the people inside?"

They had walked halfway around the building now and Jenna finally stopped pouring out of the container. The strange thing then vanished into thin air again and she stood up straight. She then turned around and looked up at him for the first time. Her eyes unblinking and vacant.

"It's more cathartic this way."

Immediately after she finished saying those words Timothy's vision went black for a split second. Suddenly he found himself standing all the way across the lawn and next to the hedges again. How did he get over here so quickly? What had just happened? Where was Jenna?

He didn't have time to ponder however as children began appearing just as quickly all around him. There were boys and girls of various ages ranging from as old as fourteen to as young as six. Some were dressed in servants attire while others were dressed in rags. They all seemed just as confused as he was to suddenly be outside and looked around in fear and confusion as more of them appeared. After about ten seconds it seemed they had stopped showing up. There were about eighteen of them and by the looks of it a few of them were even malnourished.

Timothy took a step back in shock as they began looking up at him and asking him what was going on. He was saved from the situation momentarily however as a sound caught all their attention. Turning towards the sound he saw Jenna standing there facing them about halfway between them and the house. There was a small box in her right hand.

She pulled a tiny stick from the box and it almost looked like a match. With one smooth movement she struck it on the side of the box and it lit up with a tiny flame. Then she flicked the match over her shoulders and it flew through the air before landing in the bushes next to the mansion. Once that was done she began walking towards them.

Within a few seconds the entire building burst into flames. Whatever that gasoline had been it was indeed quite flammable. Soon the mansion was embroiled in a raging inferno, the crackling flames bursting glass windows and reaching up into the sky. The night air was filled with billowing smoke and the screams of panicked people as the light of moon darkened through the veil of ash.

He was so enthralled by the inferno of death in front of him he didn't notice what Jenna was doing until some rumbling made him look down again. To his further shock there were at least a dozen earth golems standing around the yard now, their bulky frames looming over the little goddess. She continued staring in the children's direction as she gave them orders.

"No one makes it out."

With her command given the golems began stomping over to the burning mansion, their heavy footsteps kicking up dirt and causing small tremors. They were quicker than they looked and soon they had formed a perimeter around the structure. Then the golems moved in and took up positions at every exit before stepping right up into the fires to presumably throw anyone trying to escape back in.

At this point the younger children were starting to cry and Timothy was at a loss for what to do. He still couldn't take his eyes off his goddess as she finished walking over to them. Her eyes were as bright as the moon in the sky and her glowing hair was tinted orange by the raging inferno behind her. The darkness enveloped her and filled his heart with gripping fear.

Jenna stopped walking right next to the small group and Timothy instinctively stepped up between her and then children. They had all huddled together near the hedges and moved behind him slightly. The younger ones were fully crying now and the older ones were stunned in terror.

Their crying seemed to affect the goddess somehow and her eyes twitched. Suddenly they stopped glowing and her hair returned to its normal dim sparkle. Her face was dominated by an expression of shock as she looked around blinking. She glanced up at Timothy and then immediately at the children.

"Oh! Hey now guys don't cry!"

She started taking steps towards them but they shrunk back in fear. Noticing this her face changed to one of pained understanding. She looked up at her high priest again, her eyes full of sadness and dismay.

"Take them to the edge of the forest. Come on now!"

This was the goddess Timothy was used to and he agreed with her order. They needed to get the kids to safety and away from the tragedy. Even after whatever had come over Jenna had passed she wasn't making any moves to stop the fire so fleeing was all they could do.

He turned and started pushing along some of the children with his arms.

"Let's get over to the forest's edge. The fire can't get us there. Come on you can do it."

The older children understood the situation and helped the younger ones to their feet. Together they all started hurrying through the gap in the hedges Jenna opened up and across the field towards the treeline. The goddess herself followed a short distance behind them with a confused expression and seemed to be deep in thought.

All the screams and sounds of burning timber faded more the further they went from the mansion, the night air clearing up fresh and cool as a light breeze blew by. The moon remained as a bright eye high up in the sky looking down on them as they stumbled through the night.

Timothy finally worked up enough bravery to speak again and looked over his shoulder at Jenna.

"W-Why goddess?"

Jenna kept walking and her gaze stayed fixated on the ground. Her tone seemed shaky, her usual confidence absent from her voice. She seemed distant.

"They were doing things... To the children... The basement..."

It didn't take an extreme genius to extrapolate what was going on inside that mansion and Timothy quickly put a rough outline together. That alone was enough to make him feel sick and he knew about such things going on in the higher echelons of society. He never thought he'd end up visiting such a place and he hated himself for not seeing the signs earlier. There wouldn't have been anything he could've done though. Jenna however, was her drastic action justified?

"What about the servants?" he asked.

Jenna sounded defeated as she answered meekly.

"They couldn't be saved... They were complicit in it you see."

After about another minute of jogging across the open field they finally made it to the edge of the forest. The trees loomed overhead and cast the area beyond into deep darkness. Sounds could be heard coming from the gloom that sent shivers down the spine as wild beasts of the night prowled about between the trees. The stars that sparkled overhead were blocked out by the thick leafy canopy.

The children all stopped and huddled up together as their escorts stopped close by. They still looked at Jenna fearfully and seemed to turn to Timothy for direction.

Timothy smiled warmly and gestured to himself and then Jenna.

"My name is Timothy. This here is Jenna. She's a goddess and she's here to help you. You don't have to be afraid of her alright?"

Jenna put on a timid smile and stepped forward. She was genuinely happy to see all these children safe but she was clearly plagued by doubt or regret.

"Hey there. I'm sorry for scaring you back there. I... Well I didn't have a choice."

One of the older children, a teenage girl who was coddling a much younger boy, looked up at her with despair.

"Where will we go now? What will happen to us?"

Jenna stepped closer to them and they didn't slink back any further, either due to lack of fear or a sense of acceptance for their fate. For her part the goddess was now keeping a positive attitude and her warm radiance had begun again.

"Well I know a fun place we can all spend the night!" she said with some excitement in her voice. "It's actually my place. We can go there if you want."

The children all looked among each other and then up to Timothy to see his reaction. He nodded and put on a gentle smile himself. This seemed to convince the children and they started giving their affirmatives to Jenna. Some of them began to ask about what kind of place it was to both the adult and each other.

Jenna chuckled and stepped to the side, a glowing portal opening up next to her. Its magic runes rotated around and inside it a land flat stone plane could be seen. She gestured invitingly towards the doorway.

"Go on in! Timothy you lead them wont you?"

It was obviously her castle and Timothy nodded.

"Yes goddess."

With Timothy's leadership all the children followed through the portal and into Jenna's goddess domain. Once they were all through she stepped through herself and the portal closed behind them.

Suddenly they found themselves in an entirely new and strange place. The dark and cold night was gone and with it the horrors of the fire. The screams of the dying were replaced with a quiet calm. All around them were the furnishings of an elegant castle entryway, however they were all absolutely massive in size.

The children gasped and looked around in complete amazement. Their cries now ones of wonder and joy as they took stumbling first steps into this new and fantastical castle.

"Everything's so huge!" one of the little boys cried.

One of the older girls looked around wide eyed yet tried to keep control of the group.

"Y-Yeah... Be careful though!"

Jenna let out a small sigh and shook her head. She then called out so everyone could hear her.

"It's perfectly safe everyone. Nothing can hurt you here so feel free to explore. Just don't leave this room ok? I'll bring out some tasty food once I'm done talking to my friend here ok?"

There were cheers of excitement from the children as most of them dashed off into the immense room to explore all the amazingly gigantic objects. The older ones helped the less healthy ones walk out into the room. The trauma in their lives was forgotten, if not for this night, now replaced with the wonder of discovery.

Timothy turned to look at his goddess and saw a genuine smile on her face as she stood there with her hands on her hips. She was watching the children run off and seemed to be back to her usual self at least. The sparkle in her eyes had returned and it brought great relief to his heart.

"So um..." he started. "They like your castle."

Jenna nodded knowingly.

"Of course they would! I knew they'd think it was cool. It'll distract them from the horrors they've had to live through recently."

Timothy gulped and looked back towards the children.

"Wh-What happened back there anyway?"

With another sigh Jenna crossed her arms across her chest, her gaze still forward towards the children.

"I don't want to talk about it. Just don't worry about it for now."

Timothy looked down at her and gulped nervously. Whatever had happened it was clear it wasn't his business for now. It was clear his goddess was still just as kindhearted as she always had been but this was the first time he'd ever seen her pass out judgment. He wasn't sure he liked this new side of her, though he supposed it had always been there. Its not like he was fearful she would bring any harm to him of course, but it was clear she had less reservations for punishing the wicked now than she did before. The thing he was most afraid of he supposed was that he'd never be able to see her the same way ever again.