Samantha waited for him to slash at her with the knife again and then chopped the blade from his hand. She wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him close to her. The reverend scrambled to free himself, but her grip was too strong. "I don't need your spiritual guidance. I have people who care about me. They're my Way."
"What do you intend to do with me? Kill me like Pryde?"
"I'll lock you up until we can decide what to do," Samantha said. She dragged Reverend Crane away from the fountain, towards the entrance.
"No! Prudence, you must help me. Save me from her, I beg you." Prudence stared at them, her body shaking with indecision. "My child, please. I've loved you as a father. You must help me now in my hour of need. Don't you want to go to Heaven? Pick up the knife, Prudence, and bring it to me."
Prudence stared down at the ground. She looked back up at the reverend and then went over to pick up the knife. "Prudence, no!" Samantha shouted.
That was the opening the reverend needed to free himself from Samantha's grasp. He shoved her down and then snatched the end of the rope she still had tied around her waist. He dragged her towards the fountain with Prudence looking on, still clutching the knife. Samantha clawed at the ground, but couldn't find any purchase. She managed to sit up enough to reach the rope and work at the knot. She had gotten part of it loose when Reverend Crane reached the fountain.
"Now you will be mine," he said. With a final heave, Samantha slid across the ground and towards the fountain. She screamed as she dropped towards the water. "It is finished," the reverend said.
He went to the edge of the fountain, his face turning white with surprise. Samantha's fingers gripped the edge of the fountain, her waist contorted at a painful angle to keep her feet hovering an inch over the water's surface. "Such foolish heroics, my child," Reverend Crane said. He raised his foot to stamp on the fingers of her right hand.
An instant before his boot could land on her fingers, she swept her hand behind his foot. The reverend teetered on the edge a moment before toppling over Samantha. His hands sought something to grab, latching onto Samantha's left leg. She screamed in pain as he wrenched her leg down into the water.
A flash of white light blinded her for an instant. Her fingers clutched onto the edge of the fountain, digging into the rock until her nails bled. "Prudence, help me!" she shouted. Her vision cleared enough to see a white glow had crept up the length of her body to the tips of her fingers. They shrank bit by bit until Samantha could no longer hold onto the edge of the fountain. Her fingers slipped from the stone, leaving her clawing at air.