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

Daelen nodded.

“And, Cat, you don’t really want to leave, do you?”

Catriona shook her head.

“Good,” Mandalee breathed. She then suggested that Daelen let Cat go flying that night for as long as she wanted. She thought it would do her friend a world of good to get out of the house for a while in a way that worked best for her. Then when she returned, all happy and relaxed, they could all sit down calmly together, talk, and discuss what they might do the next day.

“Does that sound like a reasonable plan to both of you?” she asked.

They both agreed that it did.

“Excellent,” Mandalee declared, much relieved. “In that case, I guess we’ll see you later, Cat.”

Cat hugged her friend. “Thanks, Mandalee. You’re the best.”

Stepping away, she shifted to Tawny owl form and flew straight out of an open window, into the cool night air.

*****

Later that night, Daelen and Mandalee were doing some cooldown stretching exercises together, when Mandalee noticed an owl glide silently behind Daelen and shift to Catriona’s natural form. Cat pounced on Daelen, but his reactions were faster, and a moment later a bewildered Catriona was sitting in the pond. To Mandalee’s dismay, she still looked annoyed. She hoped there wasn’t going to be another fight.

“Cat, I’m sorry, please forgive me?” Daelen gasped. “I didn’t mean to throw you in the pond. It was just a reflex.”

To the assassin’s relief, Cat smiled and told him it was OK.

“You just looked pissed off.”

Cat shook her head. “For once, Daelen, not at you.”

She explained that she’d been having a great time until she ran into a male owl who took a shine to her markings and wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. “By the gods, Daelen, I swear even you would draw the line at such a macho display!”

The shadow warrior grinned. “So, I wasn’t the only guy to ruffle your feathers today, then?” he remarked.

Cat laughed, “You could say that.”

That’s when Mandalee pushed Daelen in the pond, too, sharing in the laughter just for a moment before unexpectedly joining them. Cat had worked her magic to ask the ground to rise up, suddenly, under Mandalee’s feet causing her to lose her balance.

“Actually, Daelen,” Cat giggled while splashing the others, “I think the shock of a nice cold bath was just the thing for all of us.”

The three climbed out of the water and sat down together. Given the cool night air, they’d have to head back inside the house, soon, so they could dry off and change, but first, there was something Daelen wanted to say.

“Cat,” he began, “I really will do my best to treat you better from now on.”

“Good,” the druidess relented. “Now, would you like to start again? Pretend we just got here tonight, and tomorrow is Day One.”

With a supreme effort, Daelen politely asked, “How would you like to spend the day tomorrow? I would like it very much if you would train with me a little. All I ask is that you try a few things that I suggest. If you’re not comfortable, if they don’t suit your style, then that’s completely up to you to decide. If there’s anything specific you’d like to learn, please feel free to ask, and if there’s anything you want to teach me, go ahead.”

“There,” Cat approved with a warm smile. “Didn’t hurt, did it?”

“Little bit.”

“Poor baby,” Mandalee snarked.

“Tough,” Cat insisted, “and to answer your question, I can see that a certain level of training to improve my physical fitness level could only be a good thing.”

“Agreed,” her friend nodded, “and I think that once we’ve had a few more days’ training, you and I should combine our skills to take Daelen on and basically kick his arse.”

Cat liked that idea immensely.

“Perfect,” she agreed. To the shadow warrior, she added, “Together, we can demonstrate that for all your power, you have your weaknesses that can be exploited. Power isn’t everything.”

Daelen agreed to the plan, so it was settled.

“See?” Mandalee spoke up. “Wasn’t that easy once you two stopped yelling at each other?”

That earned her a hug from both sides.

“Can I ask you a question, Cat?” Daelen broached carefully.

Cat nodded and assured him he could ask her anything he liked. It was being dictated to that she objected to.

“Believe me, I’ve got that message, now,” he affirmed.

He pointed out that with her micro-portal connection home, her druid magic was at full strength and with a cotton underlayer, he was confident she could wear the body armour without any ill-effects. “Would you consider wearing it or something similar? Obviously, we’d all monitor you closely to make sure it doesn’t affect you.”

“As an experiment,” she considered, “while I’m in this world, I could try it for a short period, but there’s no point getting used to wearing it because back on Tempestria, it’s just not possible. I’m sorry, Daelen. I know you’re trying to help, and I appreciate that, but the Council of Wizards forbids it. The law is quite clear: ‘A wizard mage, or druid mage, shall carry and use but one bladed weapon and shall wear no armour or shield.’”

“Mandalee uses bladed weapons,” Daelen countered, “and seems quite happy wearing armour.”

“I’m different,” Mandalee explained. “I’m a cleric. We have our own rules. I’m not the mage that Cat is. Primarily, I’m a demon hunter and assassin, and your body armour suits me.”

Cat winked at her friend. “In more ways than one.”

Mandalee smiled back before continuing to explain that her magic was mostly a way to enhance her physical skills, adding strength, speed, agility. Plus, her affinity for nature expressed itself in different ways to Catriona’s. She could talk with animals, treating them like her own personal network of spies. “Because even when people think they’re alone, there are often animals around who can see and hear everything,” she pointed out. “I don’t often fight with magic directly the way a mage does. I can do a bit, but it’s not my style.”

“But I promise I’ll