7: Hecate

There's a shift in the strings of fate. Darkness had steadily grown stronger over time, but so did its opposite. Even now the gears are turning as they always have, but for how long until someone came along and stalled them?

 

As the sun peered over the horizon, the fiery sky overtaking her nightly domain, it was time. Her young Witch had shown the time was nearing for the climax of the story, her visit stated. A troubled young girl, still struggling to find her place in her society even with all the pain and hardship she had endured up to this point. She hoped that soon enough she'll realize her importance in the story, just as much as her leader has.

 

The sea of blue soon drowned the fiery flames of the morning light out, revealing the beautiful landscape of a seaside temple. Columns collapsed and shattered, the stone ceiling broken and torn apart.The waves crashed against the tall cliffs, splashing and reaching to the sky and yet unable to touch it. She descended onto the stone floor of the temple; the shadows swirling around her ankles. She felt a cool slithering sensation wrap around her ankle, gradually wrapping around her body until the scaled nose of her serpent rested against the arc of her neck. The creature steadied her as she glided across the large open space to the edge of the worn down temple where another figure sat in wait for her. A woman with soft brown hair in waves down her back, partial braids pulled back. She wore what appeared to be a pastel blue thin dress with a rope tied around her waist. A large brown Wolf sat beside her, but they focused its eyes on the new arrival rather than the sea its companion was looking at.

 

"Leto." She spoke the woman's name. Without turning toward her, the other woman, Leto, rose to her feet and continued to gaze out at the sparkling sea.

 

"Hecate. Only a select few knew my hiding places." Leto spoke with an airy tone, her hand reaching out and combed through the Wolf's fur. It leaned into her touch, but kept its eyes on Hecate still. Not threatened, merely observing her.

 

"Then you know why I have come." Hecate said as she strode over and stood on the other side of the large Wolf. She wasn't unfamiliar with the breed, but she preferred her scaly companion. Leto's shoulders slumped ever so slightly, followed by a little sigh.

 

"It is all coming together. I knew the day was coming, just not so soon." Leto said, almost sounding disappointed in the realization.

 

"I wish it was on better terms. For it to work out in this way is quite unfortunate." Hecate replied, her fingers tracing circles on the serpent's forehead.

 

"I do not believe it is unfortunate. Fate works in twisted ways, but in this matter..." Leto stopped her fingers in the Wolf's fur. "I believe it will all work out in the end."

 

"Humans bypass travesty." Hecate said before finally gazing at the Goddess beside her. Leto continued brushing the Wolf's fur, a bit more absent-minded now, but she noticed the slightly twitch in the woman's brow. "You are worried about her."

 

"Should I not be?" Leto asked her, letting out another sigh. This time, the Wolf pressed its head against her waist reassuringly. Leto smiled at the beast like a mother to a toddler that was trying to console her. "You are worried to, are you not?" She asked the beast. It whimpered softly in response to her before dropping to the floor to lie by her feet.

 

"What will you do when the time comes? Will you intervene?" Hecate asked her. Leto inclined her head as she set her hands out in front of her, her palms facing toward one another. Within the space of her fingers came a gentle glowing light that swirled chaotically until easing into place. Her fingers folded around the light, bringing it to her lips, and whispered to it. As she released the light, it became a small orange orb that sparkled and shimmered in the sunlight. She blew on it like one would to free dandelion seeds and watched as it floated away into the morning.

 

"It would not be fair if I did, but how could I stand by knowing the danger she will be in?" Leto asked her. Hecate understood perfectly of the Goddess' concern. Especially as of late with the visit from her follower.

 

"She is not like Artemis and Apollo, where you may step in to help avoid their punishments because you are their mother." Hecate stated. Leto lowered her hands to her side.

 

"She may not be mine by birth, but she is still my own all the same. They all are." Leto's eyes lowered to the Wolf at her feet, who appeared to still be awake even with its deep breathing. "A mother has every right to worry about her children. I am glad though that she has finally met her true Mate after all this time." A sweet smile settled on the woman's lips and a distant look glazed her amber eyes.

 

"We must tread lightly. Any further assistance with any of them will shatter the line of fate. Even now it trembles just speaking about it." Hecate reached out her hand, the serpent coiling around her arm until it poised itself in front of her. She gazed into its void like eyes, delving into their abyss. Within those eyes, she can see the Light Witch leader reaching her final destination.

 

"Besides, you can not truly scrutinize me for how my children act when one clearly caused this rift." Leto retorted. Hecate knew she was only stating the obvious, but she couldn't ignore the hurt it brought regardless. As much as she didn't want to, she blamed herself from her the problem that occurred. Had she given more guidance, maybe the problematic future would have been avoided. The serpent returned to her shoulder once more, settling into the crook of her neck like an infant would to their mother.

 

"It will not be long until the book is discovered. Will you be ready by then?" Hecate asked her. Leto looked up at the sky, using her hand to shade her eyes from the sun.

 

"I will have no choice but to be ready." Leto told her as she brought her hand back down again, "Hecate, do you remember the day I created her?"

 

"Of course, you kept it in secrecy, after all. Only a select few of us know of it." Hecate said to her. Leto smiled softly at the memory.

 

"I only wished to give the King a proper Queen. To think they would need her in such an affair." Leto pouted a bit at that.

 

"You were not exactly easy on the creation of her, remember? I gave her a blessing as a gift as well, if I recall correctly." Hecate drummed her fingers gently along the serpent's head. Its eyes slowly fell shut.

 

"A protection spell if I remember correctly, but if this Karmina being has taken notice of her, I would say the spell is wearing thin by now." Leto told her. The Wolf raised its head suddenly, its ears twitching as its attention swiveled behind them. Several more Wolves approached, a mix of grey and brown mingled as another woman stepped forward. A bow rested across her back, a quiver strapped to her thigh. Her dark brown hair was braided and draped over her shoulder. She wore what appeared to be animal furs and hides stitched together.

 

"Mother." She dipped her head in a small bow before casting her brown eyes on Hecate. "Good morning, Hecate." She dipped her head again respectfully. Hecate bowed her head.

 

"It is time for the hunt." Leto reminded herself aloud as she turned back toward Hecate. "How much time does she have?"

 

"Six years at most." Hecate told her. Six years sounded like a long time for some, but before long, the time will come. Leto nodded before approaching Artemis, the brown Wolf in tow. Hecate watched the mother and daughter greet one another with a simple gesture over their hearts before disappearing. Hecate stood alone in the abandoned temple, the sound of singing seagulls and crashing waves her only company now. Maybe it was because she was accustomed to it, but the darkness at the edge of the horizon seemed to inch ever so closer. Six more years until fate rested in the palm of the hands of a mortal, but that's how stories normally went. Heroes and heroines, ready to fight for the greater good of humanity. Humanity wasn't the only world at stake anymore. Hecate could feel the doubt in her bones. Her own Witches were splitting apart at the seams, and only one could help save the rest. If only she can have the same confidence as her mother did and realize the potential she truly had as a Witch.