Whew! Sorry for the wait. Here is the next chapter in the Purity: Earth Priestess saga!
WARNING: This chapter has no action in it, just explanations and a very angry demigod.
Chapter Four: Explanations
Mariette stared at her uncle. For a moment, she expected him to laugh, to say it was a joke, and that Brittany had been either lying or was simply delirious; but no, Marquis' face stayed deathly serious. She felt lightheaded; it was all too hard to take in. She sat down just as Marquis pulled a chair out for her. He sat down across from her and began to speak.
"Fourteen years ago, you were nothing more than an infant; you had not yet spoken your first word. You lived in Wyoming, near a forest. Your mother… Her name was Katia. When she was a young girl, she discovered something truly wonderful: a Benitoite artifact." From his pocket, the man produced a beautiful blue-white pendant. He held it out for Mariette to touch. When she did, a warm tingling sensation spread through her. The pendant glowed. She quickly drew back, and the necklace's glowing ceased.
"Benitoite is a very rare crystal, and it is known for its power of purity. There are six Purity crystals in all, and the Benitoite in Purity Spring is special, because it was infused with the crystal Rhodocrosite many millenniums ago."
"Purity Spring?" Mariette tilted her head slightly. "It sounds familiar to me."
Marquis sighed. "Do you remember the lullaby your mother sang to you as a baby?"
Mariette stared at her uncle. How could she possibly remember that far back? Then, as if just to prove her wrong, an image flashed in her mind. A woman, with beautiful light brown eyes and long hair, singing over her. The words were as clear as day, and Mariette felt a tear come to her eye. Her uncle patted her on the back before continuing his story.
"Your mother was my younger sister. When she found her gift, she did all the research she could. Being the Earth Priestess meant that she had the power to defend humans from the demons that try to control them. These demons try their very hardest to destroy humans by any means possible, and make the world as corrupted and evil as they can." Mariette looked aghast.
"But why? Why would they? Is there some sort of motive?"
"Yes my dear. Their motive is to make an evil world under the rule of the demigod Shade. They despise kindness, are revolted by happiness, and fear the light. It was a Minotaur that attacked the school today – and I am unhappy to say that they were looking for you.
"Because you were born with the power of the Earth Priestess, the dark forces wished to destroy you before you came to know your powers. they went after you one night when you still lived in Wyoming. A Minotaur came in undetected and...it killed your parents." Mariette made a slight sound, sounding a bit like "oh, no". Marquis continued on.
"It was then that the Minotaur came after you. I was on my way, but I unfortunately got there too late for your mother and father. However, it was when the Minotaur went to strike you did your powers truly awaken. You kept it at bay long enough for me to destroy it.
"Ever since then, I took care of you. It took a bit of-er-modifying to get the story straight, but to the rest of the world your parents were killed in a fire."
Mariette sat still, absorbing all the information. She still had one question.
"What are we going to tell everyone else?"
"They have been attacked; they deserve to know."
Meanwhile, Alvin was being fussed over by his brothers and friends. At first he didn't remember what had happened, but everything soon came back to him.
"It was a Minotaur."
Everyone stopped and stared at the red-clad chipmunk. Brittany spoke up first.
"It was a what?"
"A Minotaur. It's a monster with a bull's head and a man's body. That's what attacked the school today."
Everyone shared apprehensive looks. Simon sighed inwardly. Again with the monster business, he thought to himself. But then again, what could that thing have possibly been?
Marquis entered the room, followed by Mariette.
"Ah, I see you're feeling better."
Alvin nodded. "Um, thank you…for, you know…helping me and stuff…"
Marquis flashed a small smile. "Not at all, my boy." His expression then turned serious. "I assume you all want answers. Keep in mind that I am telling you all of this because you have been attacked."
The teens in front of him exchanged skeptical looks. Alvin, however, spoke up.
"That thing that attacked us…it was a Minotaur, right?"
Marquis looked slightly surprised. However, he waved it aside and nodded.
"Yes, it was a Minotaur." Everyone except Alvin and Mariette gasped. Marquis continued on.
"Now, I know it is hard to believe, but this is true. That Minotaur was most likely straying from its orders…" The man trailed off, as if thinking hard.
Simon and Jeanette looked at each other. Their faces obviously showed that they were extremely skeptical. There had to be some other explanation, a more scientific one. Alvin spoke next.
"What do you mean orders?"
"A Minotaur is a demon. It and many others are all ruled by one person. His name is Shade. The Underworld is their home, and their goal is to destroy goodness in any way possible. Yes, there are others. More Minotaurs, as well as –
"Serpents, golems, vampires, werewolves and zombies." Alvin finished the sentence for him. Marquis nodded. Theodore looked very scared at this point.
"W-why was t-that Minotaur at our school?" he asked, his voice trembling. Marquis looked grim.
"It was after Mariette." Everyone finally seemed to notice that she was in the room. She looked down at her feet. Brittany spoke up next.
"When that demon thing attacked us, what happened to Mariette? She was all…glowing and stuff!"
"I have just explained to Mariette. She has discovered her power." Everyone was now thoroughly confused. Marquis elaborated.
"Mariette has inherited a special power from her mother, who was the last Earth Priestess." Alvin seemed to want to speak, so Marquis stopped talking and nodded slightly at him.
"I read something about that. Yeah, isn't the Earth Priestess, like, the protector of good or something?" Marquis nodded.
"Yes, it is the job of the Earth Priestess to protect the world from the evil-doings of Shade and his group, also known as the Occult." After this, no-one spoke for a while. Finally, Simon said something.
"Why are you telling us all this?"
"You were attacked by a Minotaur. As far as I have come to know, you were the only ones who were physically harmed by it. That is also why I brought Alvin here instead of to a hospital. Wounds inflicted by demons are contaminated from the start. No ordinary hospital would have had the right treatment. If a demon wound is left untreated for too long a time period, there are…dire consequences."
Everyone looked at Alvin, who had unconsciously raised his hand to his cheek. At that moment, the doorbell rang. Marquis stood up. He said one last thing as he made his way to the door.
"Please, children, you must not tell anyone. If all goes well, you will never see another demon again. Take care of yourselves."
Two minutes later, the Chipmunks and Chipettes were on their way home with Dave. It was hardly evening, just past 3:00. Alvin kept thinking about all he had heard. Back at her own home, Mariette laid on her bed thinking of everything her uncle had told her. She didn't feel at all up to this new task. She turned over and sighed.
"I thought I told you fools not to ruin this." A shadowy figure said. He was looking over the balcony. Despite his calm tone, he was scaring the living daylights-or in this case, dead darkness-out of another man, who was on one knee and trembling.
They were in a throne room. Shadows danced across the walls without their partner objects from the dark red light the candles gave off. It was stiflingly hot, as would be expected when you lived in the Underworld. The man kneeling on the floor finally got the courage to speak.
"S-sir, I had n-no intention at all of losing track of the Minotaur…"
The man at the balcony was silent for a moment. When he spoke again, there was a tinge of annoyance in his voice.
"Minotaurs. They are strong, but too stupid to follow simple orders." The other man, still kneeling, nodded slightly, as if afraid to move.
"Y-yes sir. And so untidy. They always go for the gore."
"When I wish for your opinion, I shall ask for it," the other man said. The man on one knee shut his mouth instantly, except for a quick apology.
"M-my apologies, sir." The other man walked from the balcony to his throne.
"Our next attack. It shall be on Halloween night. But where?"
The man still on one knee spoke again.
"If I may suggest, your Highness…there will be a Ball of some sort on Halloween, at the school."
"Hmmm, yes. This could turn out well. However, I think I shall put Cloak in charge of this mission…" The bowing man lifted his head instantly.
"Cloak? But sir! I am the head general-
"YOU DARE DEFY ME!" The man on the throne jumped up. The candle flames grew huge, red light filling the room. The head general's face was full of fear. Thunder boomed from overhead.
"I-I…very well, sir." The second man walked back to the balcony.
"Go. Leave my presence."
"Yes sir." The general bowed slightly and left the room at a hurried pace. The other man stared out of the window to the red-glowing kingdom below.
"This is my last chance."
Whooo! That was awesome! What chance is this guy talking about? Why does the general hate Cloak so much? Could there be-gasp-BACKSTORIES ahead? And how is all this gonna affect the Chipmunks and Chipettes? Find out next time on PURITY: EARTH PRIESTESS!
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