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"Final? There's more? But you said the whipping would be the most painful thing." "The whipping is the most painful event of your young life so far, but soon that will no longer be true." "What do you mean? What are you going to do to me?" In a panic Maryann looked around the room. She caught sight of the hibachi smoking in the corner. Up till now, I'd tried to keep myself between it and her, but now it was in full view, even to her somewhat blurry vision. "What's that? What's it for?" "It's for you, of course, witch. What else could it be for?" "You're not going to... 'marked for life'... Oh my god! Oh, no. Oh, no. Please don't. Please. Please. You can't. Oh god..." Maryann was in stark panic. The color drained from her face. I thought she was going to faint. I slapped her again, but not hard. Just enough to jar her system into functioning. I didn't want her going into shock..
"Silence, witch. If you would meddle in the black arts, you must be prepared to accept the consequences. In my day you would have been burned at the stake." "What happens, what happens after?" "After you are marked? My job will be finished and your punishment will be completed. You will not see me again. I will turn my attention to others. After a short period of detention, you will be returned to your homeland."