Artemis Child

Artemis Child Ch20

The creature was diving fast, so I had very little time to react. Out of reflex, I scrambled to reach the side and jump to the nearest wyvern. My hands clasped onto the nearest on, which didn't like my company.

I didn't stay long on it. I quickly made my way down the swarm to reach the train. Andrew had pinned one down, only this one had red scales. Also it was much larger than the rest. Finally landing onto the train, I made my way to the pinned creature.

'They are intelligent creatures. I wonder.' I thought to myself. I grabbed Andrew's sword and put it to the the wyvern's neck. "I assume this is your alpha, so back of and he lives!" I shouted to the swarmed sky. Many made sounds of disapproval, others fled.

Soon all the wyverns didn't want to take the risk and left. After the sky was clear, I sliced off its wings.

Its eyes looked betrayed, but I was getting even for attacking first. Andrew had used what was left of the rope, that we used the day before to keep it pinned down.

"I don't know why you are here, or why you and your betas are not in your home country. But.." Andrew started although he was cut off by the wyvern's voice.

"I was offered a rare chance, to kill the first and only child of Artemis. You blood will be the catalyst to all worlds and all their treasures. " The voice was like an old woman, yet it had an untraceable accent.

"If that is all, then I'm sorry. We will have to turn you into dust now." Andrew said, with a ting in his voice that said he didn't like being cut off. He was about to off her, then she changed completely.

"Wait, wait. My species have been worshiped in many religions, blood lines, and countries. I an alpha, have something that could kill anything short of a god." She started, but stopped to think more on her words. "If I give it to you, will you set me free?" She asked and kept looking from Andrew, to me, and to his weapon.

"What about your wings? Won't you attack me for dismembering them?" I asked, not trusting her. "Alpha's are the first of our kind, and we are meant to be kept around. If I was stupid enough to speak vengeance for such a pitiful thing at my age, well I wouldn't be there now." She answered, and looked backwards. Already the new wing nubs were starting to sprout from her strength and vitality of an alpha. An alpha being a high value target in tartarus.

"Your life, for the blade. Right?" I asked to make sure. The wyvern shook its head to reply although here eyes weren't happy. This was something far better than I realized at the time.

Andrew got the ropes off and handed my spear back. The Red wyvern, stood to its full height, but didn't attack. Instead it brought its talons slowly forward. One of all the claws stood out. Instead of a sick yellow like the others this one was blue.

"This I can only do once every few years, so don't lose this gift." She warned, as she used her talons on her other leg to cut of the toe holding the blue claw. The scales and muscle started to turn to dust, along with some of the claw.

Soon all was left was a blue blade laying in gold dust. As if on que, the wyvern's wings stretched out wide, fully healed. She didn't say anything else, she just dove of the train and fled in a different direction than the train.

I moved forward, and put away my spear so I could pick up the peculiar blade. It was roughly a eight inches long, but it had no handle or grip to it. "Hope this was worth it." Andrew said.

"And it does everything that was said." He added as we made our way back into the train. I looked around, for scraps to make a makeshift handle. I found a wedge pin clutch, that had been damaged during the attack.

"Hey Gen." I called to her, without looking away from the clutch. She answered my call by tapping on my shoulder. "What?" She asked. "Can you put fire on one finger?" I asked with my idea still in my head.

"Ok good, I need to borrow your finger." I said to her, trying my best not to make it sound weird. I used her finger torch to melt a hole big enough for the pin clutch to hold it. Then I welded the pin shut and flatted out the bent parts of the clutch.

"I feel so used." Gena joked as she went back to controlling the train. The sun was making the train uncomfortable, so Andrew and I opened what little windows that weren't busted. Then when that did nothing to help with the heat, him and I climbed up onto the top of the train.

"Cory." He called my name from the other side of the roof. "yeah?" I asked and looked back. He was sitting with his back to me, and looking at the passing trees, power lines, and occasional buildings. "What is your worst fear?" He asked, which made me feel as he was afraid of something. "My worst fear, is the ocean." I answered truthfully, and laid out across the damaged train roof.

"What about you?" I asked back, and moved my head to look at him. "Heights, I hate heights." Was all he said before looking out the broken window of the train to the moving terrain.