Chapter 140: Training with Artemis
~THIRD PERSON POV~
~THIRD PERSON POV~
It was colder today than normal. Light snow flurries, a forecast to the snowstorm that would come tonight. The training ground was mostly the same, except, this time the air was buzzing faintly with magic. Artemisia had casted a boundary spell, one that helped with silence and kept all the destruction that could happen inside the sphere. Odette stood in the center, her pulse drumming in her ears, excitement and anticipation was the cause. Artemasia didn’t bother with a countdown, she just walked in and began training with an attack. She just clapped her hands together and then pushed them outward, and a barrage of invisible force slammed toward Odette like a freight train.
Odette reacted quickly, her fight instinct kicking in, she vanished in a blur, the ground exploding where she’d stood. She countered with a telekinetic shove that uprooted soil and splintered a tree, but Artemisia simply stepped aside, her dark hair whipping in the wind. The air shifted; Artemisia twisted her fingers, pulling down a whip made of wind.
Odette blocked with her own gust of wind, the two blasts smashing into each other. The fight became a rhythm, Odette darting in for close strikes, Artemisia turning each into a spell trap, or using nature to block it. Neither gained ground, until Artemisia’s shield cracked from one of Odette’s raw force strikes. But before Odette could follow through, the sound of an alarm blared around the clearing, signaling the time limit.
"Always be ready for an attack but try not to live in survival mode. As a goddess, balance is key to your power’s growth, development and control. I’m impressed you responded instantly, and I didn’t land a single attack." Artemasia complemented.
"Thanks, I was expecting it though, it’s how my father would start a lot of random training sessions, sometimes with an attack, sometimes a joke. But most of the time an attack." Odette laughed a little.
"It paid off. I can’t say what’s going to happen, but I do know you need to be prepared for the trials ahead." She was being cryptic. "Let’s get back to it, and don’t hold back, we need to see what you’re capable of, but don’t use divine fyre please, I don’t want my soul to burn, that would be a really shitty start to my Tuesday."
"Burn your soul?" Odette asked.
"You don’t know what Divine Fyre does? We don’t just have magic to practice; we have knowledge to acquire." Artemasia was annoyed, she knew Odette was so powerful yet had so little knowledge. Those stupid vampires. That damn seal Artemasia realized they must have messed with the seal.
"I learned a little late, I didn’t know. Remember." Odette reminded her.
"Yeah, we’ll talk more about that later, let’s go again."
A glowing circle of stones lifted from the dirt and Artemasia pulled the circle in tighter.
She looked at Odette and told her "It is forbidden to step out of this circle forbidden." This was forcing Odette to move in close quarters. Which surprised Odette, but made her smile, she worked well in close quarters. Odette attacked with first, her movement was precisie, her palm flicking out plumes of fire that curved unnaturally to follow Artemasia’s movements.
Artemasia countered with bursts of air to deflect them, then lunged, fist swinging hard with a fist that crackled with electricity. Odette caught the blow with a telekinetic shield and spun, her boot catching Artemasia har in the ribs. Pain flashed hot. Artemasia winced, not expecting such strong force to come from a physical attack, Odette didn’t wait she struck again with a telekinetic blast that sent Artemisia skidding back, but it was wild, too much force, no control.
Artemasia smirked, muttered a word, and the crystals ignited into a barrier of flame. The sudden heat stole Odette’s focus. Artemisia closed in, but Odette took control of the flames, redirecting the stones fire, to trap Artemasia in.
Odette was impressed with her own ability using fire, she was never this good before, never felt this confident.
The snow was falling heavier now.
Artemisia didn’t favor this environment, but she could use it to her advantage, summoning snow and molding it into ice shards she sent them flying toward Odette, they were as sharp as blades. Artemasia really wasn’t holding back Odette realized. This made her smile. Odette’s telekinesis tore through them, her power crackling visibly now as her strength grew. Her aura was radiating power.
Artemisia began with relentless bombardments of: wind, ice, and hail forcing Odette to answer with telekinetic shields, trying to calculate out a way to attack and defend at the same time.
Artemasia was strong, and she was out of shape and out of practice.
Minutes became a blur of light and force. Odette things up, dropping the defense and going full offense, fists of fire and magic came gunning toward Artemasia, she quickly manifested an ice shield, Odette’s punches colliding with Artemisia’s with such furry that she punched straight through the solid block of ice. The air itself became charged with energy, humming like a living thing.
Both of them were staggering by the end, hair wild, sweat dripped from their faces, despite the cold settling around them as the snow fell harder, magic still sparking around them. When the alarm blared again signaling the end, neither of them moved for a moment, just stood there, breathing hard.
"I think let’s call it a day, it’s getting to snowy for my taste." Artemasia dusted herself off, and brushed the snow flurries from her hair.
And then Odette busted out in laughter and applause. "Oh man, that was so much fun! Thank you Artemasia, seriously. I owe you. That was the most fun I’ve ever had in a training session."
"Fun?" Artemasia raised an eyebrow at her questioning her sanity for that statement.
"Yes, fun, I didn’t hold back. I didn’t have to and I got to see how much I was capable of with what I have learned about my elemental magic so far." Odette explained why she felt so happy about this.
"I could tell, and I am pleased to be the one who gave you the best might, princess and goddess in training." Artemasia genuinely felt a sense of pride. She was the one training the MoonChild, not the Circe Coven and Arya, like they had expected. "I’ll see you on Thursday. Don’t set anyone on fire with your newfound confidence."
"You got it, Artemasia, and seriously thanks again."
Odette was genuinely grateful and couldn’t wait for her next chance.
Odette had so many things to be excited for: school, work, training, Christmas, friends, and even a mate.
She was going to convince Ambrose to let her contact her family. Their bond was complete now; she had accepted him.
’No.’ She thought, ’I am a goddess. I can do as I want. And I want to talk to my family and let them know I’m okay and that I don’t have Stockholm syndrome alone, that he’s my mate and I want to confront them on their lives and secrets. As break up with my fiancé.’
She longed to talk to her family.
When Odette arrived back to the room she noticed Phera was gone.
Odette felt panic at first but found a stone sitting on her nightstand. She recognized it, it was the kind that recorded moments, a magic camera but it only replays once.
"Someone who shouldn’t be on my mountain in my realm is on my mountain, I will be back, I have a floor to mop with a son of bitch."
Odette was stunned. Phera sounded petty and her words dripped with a menacing intent. It gave Odette chills; she’d hate to be in that person’s shoes. Phera was one scary fox.
***Authors Note: the book is not being quit on. I am in the process of moving and do not have wifi for inkstone uploading. But I am still writing Chapters and when we get internet hooked up, I will drop a lot of Chapters for you all. I’ve already got three. I’d go to a library, but I am slammed with moving boxes trying to get everything out over the next two days. So thank you for your patience, I will turn off privileges next month so no extra charges to make it up to you guys. Just please be patient and check your library for updates eventually you will check in and find several new Chapters. I will also being drop a new character when I can get on inkstone. Thanks again. I LOVE YOU! I’ll post a picture of the new place on the newest Chapter***