White Hot Chocolate

Chapter 12 in Oh, For the Love of Coffee!
Seth may be able to travel unchecked, but we weren’t far enough away to risk it, so we continued doing what we were before. Our lives molded into a pattern: wake up, pack, walk, get food if possible, walk, walk, walk, stop, sleep, repeat. We stopped at various towns when our supplies got low, making sure to keep a low profile, but we couldn’t go on like this forever. Sooner or later, hopefully later, our supplies would be gone along with any money to buy more. We just had to hold out as long as we could.

I had lost track of the days, but I knew we were somewhere in the lower West corner of Montana. We were walking through the woods when I heard the twang of a bowstring. “DUCK!” I yelled. We all hid behind our shields, taking cover from the volley of arrows coming our way. I came out from behind the shield and grabbed Hesperus, feeling better as the weapon formed in my hands. It had turned into a bow as the attackers were too far away for a sword. Rebecca and I started returning fire, alternating between shooting and shielding ourselves. I saw that they were all girls, about middle school age. We didn’t aim to kill, just disarm. They were at a good distance, not too far, so my accuracy was pretty dang good if I do say so myself. I hit one’s bow, and it snapped. Rebecca shot another one. We were doing well, holding our own. Then, something else flew at me. To this day, I’m not exactly sure what it was, but it didn’t look friendly. Hesperus changed into a sword and I swung at it, cutting it in two. The assault then lessened somewhat.

“My lady.” I heard one say. She was dark-skinned with a silver circlet upon her head. “Did you see that?”

“Yes Zoë, I did.” Her voice rang with authority, even though I could tell that she was not the oldest of the bunch. “Cease fire. I want to talk with them, and I will go alone.”

I could tell that the one called Zoë was about to protest, but the girl silenced her with a stern look of authority. She approached us, weapon-less and unafraid. Hesperus changed back into a bow, and I pointed it at her, drawn and ready.

“I wish to speak with you alone.” She said, looking at me. I shook my head. No way was I going to go with her alone. I wasn’t stupid. She then looked at each one of my companions, one at a time. A frown of distaste appeared on her mouth when she looked at Seth. She turned her gaze back to me, and my friends fell to the ground. I stepped back immediately, making sure they were okay without taking my gaze completely off of the freaky person. She looked to be twelve years old for Pete’s sake. What the heck!?

“They are fine,” she said to me, “only fainted.”

“What do you want?”

Instead of answering, she eyed Hesperus. “I helped create that weapon; I do not care to have it pointed at me in this manner.”

She waved her hand and Hesperus changed back into the charm at my neck. Suddenly it dawned on me who this was. I knelt and bowed my head, giving the goddess the respect she disserved. “Lady Artemis.” I said.

She nodded and swept her hand toward the forest. “And these are my hunters. They accompany me on my adventures.”

Oh shoot, I thought. I just shot at them. “I trust that none were hurt…”

“Yes.”

Whhhooo, relief.

“I have been watching you closely Kassi.”

“You have?” I asked, perplexed.

“When you give someone a gift, you tend to keep an eye on them, seeing what they do. So I have been watching you, looking at your choices. And seeing as our paths have crossed, I want to make you an offer. I want you to join my Hunters.” Artemis described the Hunters, telling me everything. I had to admit, it sounded wonderful. I knew it was something I wanted to do, but there was one problem.

“I can’t. Not right now. I know that this is an honor, don’t get me wrong, but I have to finish up here. I don’t think I’m ready yet.”

Artemis looked surprised. “I don’t normally offer this more than once.”

“I realize, but I’m not ready. I think I need to stay at camp a bit longer. I would love to join you, but not right now.” Plus, I thought, I don’t want to leave my friends.

“I understand. I shall ask you one more time, when I believe you are ready. But know that that will be my final offer.”

“I understand.”

“Good. Then I shall leave you now, but I would like to leave my mark on you so that all will know that I have called out to you. Let this mark be my claim to you and remind you of your upcoming choice.”

“Uh, okay.” The next thing I knew I was being shaken by Natalie. I focused on reality and looked around. Artemis and her Hunters were long gone. I looked at Natalie. “What happened?”

“We were walking and all of a sudden you fainted.”

I told her I would be right back and went to look where the Hunters had been. Sure enough, there were footprints. I was reassured, knowing it wasn’t a dream. As I was walking back, I saw my reflection in a puddle. There was a tear in my shirt, on the back, at the shoulder blade. I sighed and looked at it closer. I saw a mark on my skin. I pulled open the slit and saw a crescent moon tattooed on my skin. But it wasn’t like a tattoo. It was just like my regular skin except it was a little paler, and it glowed ever so slightly, almost undetectably, with a silver light. I knew that this was the mark of Artemis, a mark I would bear for the rest of my life.

“Ready to go?” Natalie asked.

“Uh, yeah.” I knew that my friends had no memory of the encounter, and never would. Perhaps it’s for the best, I thought, knowing as I looked at Natalie, that I was going to leave her someday, and sadness gripped my heart.

Next Chapter ~ Chapter 13: Salted Caramel Mocha

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