Gabriel took a sip of wine as he sat by himself in the corner of the large hall of the Cathedral. Frames of gold and silver lined the glass tapestries that depicted Genesis, the Crucifixion and the Ressurection. The Four Archangels knelt beneath statues depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Trinity. The grandiosity of it all made him feel small and insignificant.

"Gabriel! What are you doing here all by yourself? You can't even see the dancers from over here!"

Gabriel put on a stoic face. "Brother Samuel, leave me be."

"You will miss the best part of the celebration, you know." Samuel grinned and walked away.

Gabriel sipped his wine and his gaze drifted to another part of the room, when his eyes came to a halt at a girl probably a few years younger than him who wore very loose clothing. She leaned against the wall and looked up, gazing into the endless ceiling.

Is she praying? Gabriel wondered.

He kept his glass on the table next to him and walked over to the girl. Her eyes were fixed to the ceiling, but as Gabriel approached, her gaze soon shifted to meet his. He was awestruck by her beauty, but moreso by the sadness in her eyes. Knowing her probable fate, he wished to burst out crying then and there, he wanted to fall to his knees and ask God why He, the creator of all humans, is allowing His children to face such persecution. But he could not do it. All he could do was stare into her lifeless eyes.

"What is your--"

CLAP. CLAP.

"Come now, girls. It is time for the dance! Are you not excited?" A missionary interrupted Gabriel from finishing his sentence.

The girl stared at Gabriel for a little longer and then turned to walk away. He thought he saw her mouth move, but he did not notice what she wished to say.

"Ah, Gáv. Perfect, yer already standin'." The captain nudged him towards the hall where the dance was to take place. This room was also tall, as expected from the construction of the Levantines. They would use all the gold and resources sent by the King on building extravagant infrastructure such as this, instead of useful ones such as docks or ports. The lighting in the room was dim, but Gabriel was not aware why. A man locked the door as he and the captain entered, which threw the room into an even greater darkness.

Chairs were arranged in rows, and several brothers draped in their signature black gabardines were seated upon them. Gabriel chose to sit in the row furthest to the back. After a while, the Gehennite girls dressed in loose clothing that he had seen earlier appeared. They began dancing slowly, lifelessly, their faces barely discernible in the darkness. The missionaries sat in silence eyeing them head to toe.

Samuel, having made his choice, stood up from his seat and walked up to one of the girls. He cupped her cheek gently in his palm and smiled.

"Brothers, every successful auto-de-fé requires a celebration. And what better celebration than to provide our Lord with more followers?"

Gabriel winced at this, thinking that this was some sort of elaborate baptismal. But he would have never imagined what this would actually turn out to be.

"Come, Brothers, let us rejoice."

The missionaries all rose up in tandem and walked over to the girls who knew their fate. They then stripped off the loose garments of the dancers and raped them.

Aghast, the innards of Gabriel's body began to churn. Sweat beads formed across his forehead and he felt faint from what he witnessed. The gigantic hall suddenly felt like a cage, for despite all of his power and prestige in the world, he felt so utterly powerless in the face of this horror being committed in the name of the Lord. All he could do was watch.

The flickering candles illuminated the face of the girl beneath Samuel for a split second, it was the same girl he had interacted with outside. But now she did not have an empty gaze, no; now she was screaming and crying for help.

And all Gabriel could do was watch.

"Come now, Gabriel," the captain said to him, "Do not tell me you have pity for these filth." Gabriel had begun crying unknowingly. He wiped his tears quickly before anyone noticed.

"I have to leave now, my apologies."

Gabriel unlocked the door and ran outside. He ran, and ran, and ran. Upon reaching the garden, he vomited into the bushes. Mari, he thought back to before the dance. Back then, she was telling me her name.

Gabriel screamed in agony, but his voice reached no one. He did not understand why he felt so pained, perhaps he wished for God to hear him, to take heed of the crimes being committed in His name. Nay, perhaps he merely wished to save a beautiful girl in a  foreign land and be deemed a hero. He did not know. He could not know. His entire mind was scrambled as he heaved. No matter what his true reason for sorrow was, the truth is that he did not act. He did not go to their aid. The fear of death overruled his morality. All he could do was watch.