Hellfire
328 years ago:
When the first torch touched the kindling at the base of the wooden pole, Mary Sturgess moaned and writhed against the rope binding her in place. She dug her bare feet into the dirt underneath her as if to dig her way out and away. The wood to her left caught quickly and she felt the sudden heat in the warm night air. The first Elder stepped back, his eyes shining in the flickering light. The second Elder stepped forward and quickly set his torch to the wood to Mary’s right. Younger than the other two and only just raised to his rank, he didn’t raise his eyes to the woman in front of him. …