She paused in her narrative. Still somewhat disbelieving of her story I said peevishly, "So I guess you didn't jump."
Smiling, she looked up at me and said, "No, Roric, I didn't jump." Feeling like a chastised little boy under her gaze I fidgeted waiting for her to continue.
She began again, "I accepted the new path offered to me and it completely changed me. I've never been the same since then. I could have walked away from the temple life there and then and enjoyed a peaceful life away from the darkness of this city. I got the feeling that although I had the Creator's blessing to leave; there was more to be gained by staying here and helping to right the wrongs of this place. I've had to be wise about it though. The people here see only what they want to see. The vision that you saw when you first came in here and saw me is still what they see because that is what I want them to see. It is safer that they see me as such so that the mission that I have undertaken has less of a chance of being found out."
"This mission concerns children?" I asked.
Nodding her head she said, "Yes. You see contrary to what popular belief is there have been no sacrificial slayings here of newborns since I took over the high priestess position in charge of the sacrifice. Only a select few know of this however. The children are switched for fake doll babies before the ceremony and as high priestess I preside over the ceremony as the head executioner. A position unchallenged by the other priestesses as they much prefer someone else to perform the actual sacrificial slaying of their newborns rather than themselves. The real babies are smuggled outside of the city to an outlying farm that I've set up to care for them."
Crossing my arms I stared at her, "I find it hard to believe that this has evaded the notice of the temple priests?"
"Oh, but it hasn't. They have known about it from the beginning."
At my puzzled expression she explained, "You see, it has been increasingly difficult in recent years to find girls and boys that have the sufficient innocent appeal that is craved by the temple's most ardent financiers. As the societal life of the Zoarinian Empire has decayed, so has any semblance of morality in its youth. It may sound like an oxymoron, but innocent children are preferred by the temple priests, who are the first to initiate them into their new life of whoredom. Not surprisingly the children of this land are far from innocent when they come to the temple doors, which isn't surprising given the hedonistic examples that their parents hand down to them. I suggested to the high temple priests that the continuing financial support of these grounds and festivities would be best served if the children meant for sacrifice were instead raised apart from the society, until such a time was needed for a renewal of the currently available flesh to be had. They would then be able to provide their most affluent backers with fresher product so to speak. The priests have been only too willing to provide assistance with their part of the subterfuge. Most of the girls and boys here are riddled with diseases that are carefully concealed by the priests so that can they can continue to reap in the profits, but it is increasingly hard to disguise the sickened state of the temple consorts. The priests have decided to do away with all the current stock and bring in the children that I have rescued over the years to replace them, which will allow them to raise the rates because of the higher quality of the new stock. They couldn't be happier with me or my plan, as it is they stand to make a lot of extra money. They will be collecting them from the farm at the end of the month, which is where you come in Roric."