The known stranger

13. Duty

Ethan's POV :

Confused, I asked for her name.

"Minerva" she said.

"How do you know who I am" I asked.

"We've been waiting for you, the whole coven has been trying to find you, time is running out before the temple of Maia is desecrated, the priestess told us that we will feel the ancient magic awaken in our blood in your presence and....I...felt it" she was on the verge of tears as she said it.

"Why does it have to be me?" I asked taken aback by her sudden revelation.

There was fire in her eyes as she spoke "because you are the blood of Cordelia, the true descendant of Ester, ancestors will desecrate the temple without a true descendant as the leader of our coven and all the witches of the coven will lose their magic forever, including the high priestess, the ritual needs to be performed every 36 years, wherein we choose our high priest or priestess and in return the ancient gods keep the magic flowing through our veins" my mother was the high priestess, Maria had told me.

"Please save us, or we are going to lose our magic forever" she kneeled down in front of me and I stepped back, overwhelmed by the whole situation.

"My mother is the high priestess, only she can do it" I didn't want to get involved in anything in this realm, but this was directly related to my mother.

"Every 36 years the next descendant needs to consecrate the temple, and it's been more than 36 years now, the magic is weakening, the temple needs to be consecrated again" she said with a firm resolve.

"Is the coven, still faithful to her?" I asked.

She looked troubled as she spoke "she was the high priestess, the chosen one, even the elders respected her- not because she was powerful, but because she never abused them against anyone" 

I felt heaviness settling in my throat as she spoke about my mother, I never got a chance to know her, everything that I knew about her was because of what other people told me, there perception and stories of her, I didn't even remember her face that well now, for I was just 4 years old when she cast me out of hell.

I looked on as she kept on speaking

"...but it was a huge shock to everyone when she left us for the demon king" she left, because she loved that monster, love is a disease that makes you feel helpless but at the same time gives you courage to do the most outrageous things in most difficult situations but I didn't believe in love, because if it really existed she wouldn't have suffered the same fate that she did for loving someone so blindly.

"The coven expected her to come back for us, but she never did" her voice was barely a whisper now.

"What brings you here anyways?" She asked, her eyes were hesitant and her reddened cheeks told me that she was shy in my presence.

"....it wasn't her choice" I said biting back the venom that was constricting my throat at the thought of my mother being considered a traitor "she was..he has kept her against her will" I felt helpless, while admitting this to a totalcstranger, oh what I would give to have her free again.

"Will you help us?" Her eyes were expectant.

I didn't know what to do, would my mother want me to help them? To consecrate her temple?

"Where are your elders?" I asked her patiently.

"They are all scattered now, but the eldest one Ines, still lives in the temple"
She shivered slightly while mentioning her.