Gathering Storm (The Salvation of Tempestria Book 2) by Gary Stringer (howl and other poems .txt) 📕

time was right, Dreya would have his power, too. After that, they wouldn’t need Daelen to go after Kullos. She could just do it herself. Then the world would finally be rid of all three of them, and she would forever be the Greatest Mage Who Ever Lived.

*****

Miles away, in the FaerWay Tavern, the crystal on Catriona’s staff glowed, and she heard the same ethereal voice that had spoken before:

Black faction first attempt gone. Two attempts remain.

*****

Daelen awoke after a little over three hours. Cat could see he was looking a lot better. His energy levels were back up again – not all the way but improving almost in front of her eyes.

Cat asked if it was now safe to give back that portion of his essence that she still held inside. It had definitely been useful, helping her to unlock more of the security protecting the core power of her staff. Now she wanted it gone.

“Yes,” he assured her, “I promise you it’s safe. The problem before was the extreme difference in energy levels between what I had when I entered you and what I was left with after the battle and the accident. Now the difference is not so great, it will not be such a shock to my system.”

“OK, I take it that means we’ll have to kiss again?” Cat inquired.

“I’m afraid so. If there were any other way…”

Cat shushed him. “It’s just an essence transfer,” she reassured him. “No need to make a fuss. As you said, it doesn’t mean anything, right?”

“Right,” Daelen affirmed as he rose from his bed and stood before her.

For a second, Catriona thought she saw a flicker of disappointment flash across his face, but she dismissed the idea as pure fantasy. Daelen offered to go somewhere private if it made her more comfortable, but Cat just pulled him close and kissed him passionately in front of the whole Tavern. They had no idea there was an essence transfer going on. They thought it was merely the relief of a young woman whose lover had just recovered from a terrible injury. Many of them even applauded.

Playing to the crowd, the druidess curtseyed, and removed all of her magically created barriers with a flourish and a reiterated heartfelt apology for keeping them captive for so long. Pyrah returned to her nest in Catriona’s pocket, and the crowd left the Tavern.

To a stunned Daelen, she explained, “People talk, and news of this will spread. They don’t know who you are, but many will recognise me in the stories they tell. This way, the narrative will be that Catriona has taken a new wizard lover and they’re off on some whirlwind adventure together. If the stories spread to the ears of our enemies, they should have no reason to pay it any heed because they’ll have no reason to connect it with you.”

“Good plan,” Daelen conceded.

“Thanks,” Cat smiled. “It’s all part of being an information trader. Control the information and you control the situation.”

Now that Daelen was back on his feet again, it was time to get back on the road. Having ‘borrowed’ Justaria’s horse, Cat felt responsible for him. The best thing they could do, she decided, was to keep him until they reached the port where Daelen’s ship awaited them. The port maintained secure stables for the convenience of travellers. Daelen offered to pay. He insisted it was the least he could do.

“Speaking of trading information,” Cat ventured, returning to their previous conversation, “as I mentioned before, there’s somewhere I’d like you to take me on our whirlwind adventure. Don’t worry, it’s on the way – not even a day out of our way. It’s on the island of Esca.”

“I know it,” Daelen agreed. “I’d planned to make a stop anyway, on another island near there, to take on fresh water and supplies.”

Puzzled, Catriona dug out her map and unfurled it. “There aren’t any other islands near Esca,” she asserted.

Daelen just smiled, “Not one you can see, no,” he acknowledged, mysteriously. He would say no more about it. She would just have to wait and see.

They engaged in small talk for a while as they rode for a few more hours until it began to grow dark, and Catriona, who had been up for nearly twenty hours straight, yawned repeatedly.

“Daelen,can we stop for the night, soon, please?” she asked sleepily.

“Of course,” the shadow warrior agreed. “Do you want to try and find an inn?”

She shook her head. “No need for that. I’m happy to sleep under the stars. It’s been a while. Let’s just find a comfortable spot before I simply fall asleep right here and fall off the horse. Oh, and do you mind taking first watch?”

Daelen told her she should just sleep and not worry about a thing. Cat maintained that she was quite capable of keeping watch, but he reassured her that he didn’t doubt her for a moment.

“The way I see it, you’ve done more than your share already, today. You guarded me for hours, carrying a part of my essence inside you for far longer than you should. I think it’s my turn, now.”

Cat decided he was right: she’d scored enough points for one day. Better to make sure she did equally well tomorrow rather than try and score any more tonight.

*****

When Catriona woke up, the first thing she noticed was the smell. Bubbling away over the campfire was a stew pot. Rabbit, if she wasn’t mistaken. Daelen was sitting with his back against a tree, blades in his hands as if guarding her, but strangely unmoving. As her brain warmed up, she realised why: Daelen had fallen asleep.

“So much for keeping watch,” she grumbled good-naturedly, wandering over to him. “It’s a wonder you haven’t boiled our breakfast dry.”

The instant she touched him, however, he crumbled to dust. Catriona screamed in shock, which was only compounded further when Daelen rushed back to their campsite and ran to her side, asking what was wrong.

Cat poked him in the