This is the end of the first part of Artesia's story. I do have more Battlemage written and more planned.
WARNING: Unlike the earlier Battlemage stories (Dara, Kameel, Amara) there is no sex in this installment. So, with that said, I hope you read it anyhow and enjoy.
"What are you doing here?" Dara hissed after closing with Artesia.
Artesia flexed the fingers of her left hand while holding her sword in her right. "Same as you, proving I belong here."
"He's never taken four people before," Dara said while moving her sword back and forth to test Artesia's defenses. "We'll have to take at least one of the others out to both get in."
Artesia smiled.
Dara's eyes widened. "You... you wouldn't! Not after... I thought... I thought we had something?"
"We do," Artesia assured her. "You are very special to me, Dara. Very."
"Then..."
"I have a plan," Artesia said.
Dara's eyes narrowed. "You know what happens to plans, right?"
"I have a plan for that too," Artesia said and lunged forward.
Dara arched her back, contorting around Artesia's thrusting blade, and spun like a dancer to bat it away with her curved blade. As she spun she ducked low and swung her foot out, catching Artesia in the ankle.
Artesia's leg didn't budge. Her ankle stung from the kick, but the effect on Dara having her momentum stopped put her off balance and made her tumble to the side.
Dara didn't live in the moment, she planned for the next one. She rolled and came up, missing a chop from Artesia's sword and then she hopped back the other way, flipping over Artesia's blade in mid-air.
Dara's scimitar cut across the air even before her feet were fully supporting her light weight.
Artesia's left hand lashed out and up, her fingers contorting as she breathed out the words to a spell that made a caused Dara's sword to deflect up and away with a lash of purple light. Artesia jerked her hand back and kicked out, trying to plant her boot in Dara's stomach.
Dara spun with the direction her scimitar was taking her and guided it around and up higher before bringing it down on Artesia's outstretched shin. Her sword cleaved through it so cleanly Dara was stunned by the suddenness of her victory.
So stunned she registered Artesia twisting around and then slapping her in the back of the neck with the flat of her blade so hard it made her stagger forward a step and then fall to her hands and knees. She twisted her head to look over, expecting to find her lover hopping on one leg and bleeding profusely across the stones.
Artesia waved her left hand. "Picked up a new trick the other day," she said. "I got the idea from watching someone use a glamour spell."
Dara gawked at her for a moment and then bowed her head. "You beat me."
"Get up, we're not done yet," Artesia said.
"What?"
"Kameel and Aamara," Artesia said. "Aamara's keeping him at a distance but he'll figure out a way past soon enough."
"I don't..."
"You work for me now," Artesia said. "Remember?"
"Remember? I never--"
"Yes you do," Artesia said. "I proved I can protect you, that's part of what you wanted. The other part was that I care for you... and protect your heart as well."
Dara gasped and then a smile lifted her lips. "You're right... and you did."
"Now rise, My Lady, and fight for me."
Dara nodded and scooped up her dropped scimitar before she stood up. She swung it back and forth and nodded, the grin still on her face.
Side by side they approached the other two still fighting. Kameel glanced over at Artesia and his face darkened. He looked away, but not before Aamara took advantage of his distraction and swung the heavy blade at the end of her pole arm at his head.
Kameel leaned out of way, slipping under the blow, and then grunted as she jerked the weapon around put the butt end into his side and back. He staggered away, putting more distance away from her.
"Go after him," Artesia told Dara.
Dara's grin turned wicked as she pounced after the bruised lord.
Aamara turned on Artesia and made a half-heart lunge with her halberd. The attack wasn't meant to harm, just to warn.
Artesia batted it aside with her sword and settled in. "He would have got inside your reach soon," she said.
Aamara ignored her observation. "Think you know me because you scouted me the other night?"
"No," Artesia admitted. "That was my way of meeting you. I really want to get to know you though."
Aamara sneered at her. "You arranged it all then? The bar fight and everything?"
"No," Artesia said while hopping to the side to avoid another thrust. "I went there to meet you, yes, but the brawl was not my idea."
"You're good at improvising," Aamara said and swept her polearm low, forcing Artesia to leap to clear it.
Artesia leapt forward instead of up or back, bringing her sword into range. A shimmer of magical defenses slowed her counter strike enough for Aamara to not only ignore it when it struck the rivet studded thick leather of her pauldron. Aamara used the same tactic she'd used on Kameel, flipping her polearm about and striking Artesia in the side with the wooden haft of her weapon.
Artesia winced at the bruise she'd have on her ribs and reached for the staff of Aamara's weapon out of instinct.
Aamara yanked it out of reach too quickly and stepped back, restoring the optimal distance between them for her weapon. "If you're good at improvising," Aamara said while she let go of her halberd with one hand and began to trace a quick sigil in the air, "try this!"
Artesia recognized quickly spat words as magical but didn't know what they meant. Flames erupted from Artesia's boots and raced up her legs, enveloping her in less than a second. She barely had time to react to the threat and then noticed there was no actual heat to them. They were just flames that wreathed her body. She felt a slight tingle in her skin from the magic interacting with her own.
Artesia grinned and Aamara's eyes widened.
"I can do something like that too," Artesia said. "The difference is, mine hurt. I didn't want to hurt you."
Aamara's eyes narrowed and she snarled. She grabbed her weapon in both hands and tensed to attack.
Black flames burst from Artesia's free hand as the spear tip of Aamara's halberd sped toward her. Artesia swatted the weapon to the side with her sword and took a step closer. She realized her mistake as Aamara pulled the polearm back from her left to the right and jammed the beak that served as a counterweight to the axe blade into Artesia's hip.
Artesia's mix of chain and leather spared her from a penetrating wound but the force of the trauma made her grunt in pain. The black flames in her hand doused the red and yellow ones immolating her body and then they raced up Aamara's halberd from where Artesia grabbed the shaft just behind its head.
Aamara's eyes widened but she couldn't react fast enough. The infernal flames leapt onto her hands and raced up her arms. She gasped and let out a strangled cry before the pain made her clench her teeth together in agony.
Artesia poured more and more of the flames up the length of the weapon and into Aamara, returning the favor of immolating her. What Artesia knew and Aamara did not was that the infernal flames did no physical damage. Granted, the pain was real enough while they lasted and the damage to her psyche might linger, but her body wouldn't be harmed.
Aamara fought on, clinging to her weapon with a grim resolve that impressed Artesia even as it made her take pity on the woman. The beast inside of her rumbled its displeasure at what it considered Artesia's show of weakness.
"Yield," Artesia demanded.
"N--never!" Aamara said.
Artesia scowled. "This is only a taste of what I can give you."
Aamara struggled against the wracking agony and spat out, "Pain? Give in or suffer?"
"Pain is for my enemies," Artesia said. "For my chosen, I prefer pleasure."
"Pleas--what?"
Artesia dispatched the flames in an instant. Aamara staggered, the relief almost more shocking and painful than the continued torture had been. In that moment Artesia yanked the halberd free of her grasp and tossed it to the side. She stepped forward and reached out, touching Aamara where her shoulder met her neck.
Through that contact let the tendrils of her demonic energy flow. She slipped through the woman's defenses and caused Aamara to gasp and then groan as her body softened and betrayed her. She struggled, stiffening for a heartbeat, and then relaxed and staggered forward a tiny step, coming closer to Artesia. Her mouth opened and then a fresh surge of energy from Artesia made her eyes roll up and her eyelids flutter. She swayed on her legs, her willpower under siege.
"I can help you," Artesia said. "But I can't do it for nothing. There is a price. Join me, Aamara, and I will get you what you desire...and more."
"More?"
"What you're missing in your life. Family, friends, something to fight for, and someone who will fight for you," Artesia said.
Aamara trembled and panted. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood and then opened her eyes and stared at Artesia.
"The choice must be yours," Artesia said and let go of her. She took a step back and watched. She was ready to react if Aamara tried anything.
Aamara blinked as the powerful feelings stopped building in her. They didn't disappear, but without reinforcement the reality of her situation began to reassert itself. She looked around, spotting Dara and Kameel sparring in what almost looked like a choreographed performance. Both bled from a number of minor wounds. Murad was watching, his eyes flitting back and forth between combatants. The lines on his forehead deepened as he took note of the lack of action between Aamara and Artesia.
"Who are you?" Aamara asked as she returned her gaze to Artesia "Or should I ask, what are you?"
Artesia smiled. "I'm Artesia, and nothing would make me happier than to be your Mistress."
Aamara gasped.
"Make me happy, Aamara. Give me what I need to help you and make us both better and stronger for it."
Aamara stared at her, swallowed, and then bowed her head and dropped to her knees.
Artesia fought the urge to do a victory pump with her fist. She smiled and stepped a half step forward to reach out and place her hand on Aamara's cheek. She curled her fingers under the woman's chin and picked it up, guiding her to look up at her. All the while she let her magic soak back into Aamara and pour fuel directly into the fire in her belly.
Aamara tried to gasp but couldn't find the air to breathe. Her eyes rolled back again as her tightly wound body tightened even further and then released. Only Artesia's touch kept her from tumbling to the ground.
Artesia smiled and said, "That's a taste, my beautiful Aamara. Later, we'll make it official."
