'What qualifications does he possess for him to receive your gift? Am I not worthy?'
Numerous times he asked himself this question after he parted with the young lord of the Lezhalt family. Each time, he was not given a reply.
To be blessed by the mother herself was an honor worthy of praise. Those who were, all ended up having status' equal to that of a king. Each and every one of the mothers' loyal subjects wished to be baptized by her, and fully embrace all that she has to offer.
However, she only picked a few.
As he kneeled down on the marble floor with his hands in prayer, staring up at the large white statue of Mother Nessa, his mind was filled with thoughts.
For twenty-two years he has served her faithfully, but the first time she has spoken to him it was not to praise him or reward him. Instead, it was to tell him that the young lord was under her care, her protection. For his soul was the purest of them all, but clouded by guilt and anger.
Slowly, he got up from his position.
"Have you given him the scriptures?"
This was the bishop Leah knew, the one who spoke in a calm tone. One who had the trust of the citizens. Not that side of him he showed her earlier.
Leah nodded.
"He has received them and had no trouble reading the symbols. It is as if he was raised here and inherited all we have to offer."
For her, she knew how difficult it was to learn how to read those strange symbols. It took her two years to finally make use of them. That was two long years of studying while only taking breaks to eat and sleep.
A random person would never be capable of understanding those symbols unless they were taught.
It greatly shocked her when she found out that Jacob could read them with ease.
He did not ask for her help, instead, he craved more. To her, it seemed that he was disappointed with only obtaining the first few scriptures, but she also knew that those three would keep a normal person busy for months.
"That should come as no surprise. That child is blessed by the mother herself."
"Really? All of those who obtained the blessing were members of the temple who were raised from a young age. How much does she favor him to allow him to acquire her blessing?"
Leah could not help but ask.
"This I do not know, but we can not allow him to leave here without taking an oath. He needs to pledge himself to the mother and forget his noble ways."
"But sir, we can not do that. If he gained her favor it must be for a reason, one which we are incapable of seeing."
"Do not argue with me!"
The bishop roared as he glared at Leah.
"It is an honor to be welcomed into our order and to work for the mother. He will find it most fascinating once he realizes what we have to offer."
Saying those words his eyes looked Leah up and down.
"Ava is out currently, so you will have to do. I hear he is fifteen so still young and naive, you should find it easy to manipulate him. Let him do as he pleases for a night, then we can trap him."
Leah clenched her fist tightly.
On her lips that she was biting, blood could be seen if she removed her veil.
She was not a whore, or someone who moved at another's beck and call. She was a holy woman who has given herself to Mother Nessa.
Yet, the bishop in front of her was suggesting she do something unholy right here. With a fifteen-year-old boy at that!
This was not what she envisioned when she gave herself up. All she wanted was to help those in need, to alleviate their pain.
"No. I will not do that!"
Leah was resolute in her decision.
What he wanted her to do went against everything she was taught, and everything she believed in. Kick her out if he must, but she will never stoop that low to seduce a young boy.
"You!"
The bishop was clearly angry, but he quickly calmed himself down.
There was more than one way to deal with a young boy, but using a woman was the fastest.
"One day you will have to grow up Leah and realize that when you are called upon, it is all in the name of Mother Nessa. I will forgive your insubordination this time, but there will not be a next. Now leave my sight!"
Turning around, Leah walked out of the small room.
It was just a room with no door that had candles lit around a large statue of Mother Nessa. The room was for people to pray in and hope that you would receive an answer from the mother herself.
As she passed through the door, Leah's eyes caught a figure standing close to the white walls.
She knew who it was at first glance. It was Amelia, the young girl who recently joined the temple.
Leah was not sure how much Amelia has heard, but she did not care. In fact, she hoped Amelia would choose a different path than herself.
Amelia was still young and has not yet taken the oath. There was plenty of time left for her to leave the temple and seek another path.
As for Leah, she was bound here.
If she knew what she knew now back then, she would have never become a priest. There were other ways to help the citizens.
After stopping for a moment, Leah continued to walk away.
As for Amelia, she had her own thoughts. She did not linger around for much longer and vanished.
Two minutes after Amelia and Leah both left, the bishop came out of the prayer room. Glancing up towards the second floor that Jacob stayed in, he nodded his head.
"I should contact the archbishop, he'll know what to do."
While he had more ideas on how to proceed forward, the power in Jacob's body was too big of a deal. This was not something he would be able to keep to himself.
As long as the archbishop was on board, it was only a matter of time before Jacob would be forced to join the order.