Howl

Chapter Fifteen

Howl's POV

    "What do you mean? How could you even know who my mother is?" Artemis throws questions at me like darts at a board.

    "I will explain," I take her face into my hands," if you will calm down and listen. No interruptions, okay?"

    "Yes," she responds, breathless, as I lead her to the wooden table in the foyer. She sits on the faded table top, all color drained from her cheeks. "Your mother, Athen Ashford was the most powerful sorcess in existence. She was Solomon's teacher."

    "But Solomon is so much older-"

    "Your mother is half a decade younger. She came into full powers when she was fourteen. She and Solomon were best friends after an accident. They had lived on a farm together, both as indentured servants, when the war before this new one began. Athena, your mother, taught Soloman everything she had learned from forbidden books she had found in the home of the family who took the two of them in." I giver Artemis a moment to register what I am telling her. She is taking ll of this quite well, considering the circumstances.

    I continue after the all too breif moment. "The family kicked the girls out after they started practicing in a nearby orchard at night. These books were disguised to mortals, so the family new something was not right for these girls to be chanting spells from their favorite books."

    "What books did the fmaily think they were?" Artemis asks, stiff as a board.

    "The family thought that these were bibles."

    "What family has mulitple bibles?" Artemis seems puzzled.

    "In that specific family, they pass bibles on for generations. Let's say that you have your grandmother's bible, your own, and one of your other predecessor's. That would become your familie's bible collection. Another bible to the collection for each additional person in the bloodline. Anyways," I conintue with the story of Artemis's past. Her mother's past really, but if this had not all happened, she would not sit before me now . . .

    "After going from home to home, the girls were seperated. They both continued their studies and practices with magic, though. Your mother must have come from parents that were both extremely powerful, for she was stronger than Solomon in every way. Solomon eventually was taken in under the queen's wing. She told the current king, who was her much younger husband, that Solomon was a very powerful sorceress. Solomon was tortured until she would swear her life long allegiance to the throne." 

    Suddenly, Markl tromps into the foyer.He stares between Artemis and I. "Aren't one of you going to make me food?" he asks.  Such awful timing . . .