Her parents have remained a mystery, her earliest memories being of a couple who served as her foster parents for most of her early life.

At the age of six, Amanda was taken from her foster parents and placed in a convent, under the direct supervision and tutelage of Sister Catherine Isabella. She was taught the things one would expect a young girl to be taught in a convent, but she learned other things as well... things that few would ever understand. She was trained in the use of her particular gifts... gifts from God, she was told, that would be of great importance when her calling was made clear. She was trained to see the darkness of the world for what it truly was... given the knowledge and tools to identify the threats that the shadows posed for humanity.

Seven years after she entered the convent, Amanda lost the only person she could remember having as a close friend. Sister Catherine was found dead one morning, her blood drained from her body and her crucifix hanging on the bed post.

Amanda understood, at that moment, the power these evils could utilize... their cruel insanity driving them to destroy all the goodness that might stand in their way.

But it was time to make a stand. This was what she had been taught to do... to take Sister Catherine's place on the front lines of the war with the demons that threatened to take over the world.

She studied the journals Sister Catherine had left behind, a trail of terror that dated back several hundred years. She studied the texts that she inherited from Sister Catherine... the journals, the catalogs, the indexes. She learned them. They became as much a part of her mind as her prayers.

She knew when the letter arrived that transferred her to the western diocese that it was because of who she was... that strings had been pulled behind the scenes and that this was where she needed to be. She also received a letter from Sister Catherine, the envelope listing the instructions for delivery... spelling out that it was to be placed in her hands the night before she would "travel the burning river."

"Walk with caution, Amanda, when you travel the burning river. Few there are who they appear to be. Few are loyal. Few are true. Follow your heart and let God guide your steps."

Amanda read the letter, expecting most of it. She had learned that she would be going to Saint Michael's in Rio Hevrir... which, loosely translated, was the burning river. She also knew that Sister Catherine would have foreseen these things and was trying to prepare her for all that might happen.

One thing did shock her, however... a note added onto the end as an afterthought...

"Your brother, Kevin, has been there for many years. You do not know him, but he will know you. Upon your arrival, he will be your only true friend..."

She spent three days on the train, passing most of the time reading - alternating between her bible and the journals she was able to carry with her. The others would be waiting for her at Saint Michael's, but these were the ones she had now.

When the train pulled in late Friday night, she could feel the evil in the air. This place needed her, that was certain. It was a cold night, the last traces of winter holding on persistently.

"Amanda?" The man's voice was warm and comfortable, but she turned, nonetheless, with her hand resting gently on the knife concealed in the folds of her habit.

He smiled, and somehow she recognized him, although she could not remember ever meeting him before.

"Kevin," she said softly, allowing him to lead her to his waiting car.

"I have much to tell you, Sister," Kevin Mallory said quietly, opening the car door and smirking at the play of words her title had caused him to make. "There is not much time. The winter is a bad time for them. It's best to get you to your church..."

That had been late in February, and, although the activity of the demons in this place was incredible, none had surfaced who were truly willing and able to battle this force of evil. But now it was June. Daylight lasted longer and the nights were shorter, the weather more temperate for the mortals who would battle the demons.

And they had come to her, just as the visions granted to her had foretold. The boy who had survived their attack, one who had remained untouched, and the two girls, already under the spell of evil that had corrupted the very soil of this place. But they had come to her... now it was time for the battle to truly begin...