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

Shyleen cocked her head, relaxing slightly and returned ‘questioning, puzzlement, patience.’ Clearly, she had never before met a wolf that could or wanted to communicate in such a way.

Trying to explain, Cat sent, ‘wolf camouflage. Human of nature concealed.’ Now was not the time to quibble over being half-Faery.

Shyleen relaxed further and offered, ‘invitation, reveal human.’ Cat shifted to her human form. She expected Shyleen to recognise her, but the leopard seemed even more agitated than before. She sent, ‘weapons, questioning.’

Cat was also getting waves of pain, and she understood. The part of Shyleen that was from a higher plane couldn’t think clearly because of how much Mandalee was hurting. The part that was actually a leopard was running on little more than instinct.

Cat continued to explain, sympathically, ‘defence, protection, like claws.’

Shyleen accepted this, but insisted, ‘retract claws’ – an order for Cat to disarm, which the druidess complied with fully, laying bow, arrows, staff and all spell components on the ground. In return, Shyleen retracted her own claws and sat down, though she still guarded the path to Mandalee.

Reverting to human speech, Cat urged, “Shyleen, it’s me, Catriona – Cat. I’m your friend. I’m Mandalee’s friend. Please let me past you so I can heal her. Please, Shyleen. I know you hurt terribly, but you must fight through it and recognise me.”

Shyleen brightened at that, getting up and walking over to rub her flank against the druid. After a good sniff, Shyleen sent a new sympathic message. ‘Mandalee scent on Cat. Friendship confirmation/acceptance.’

Catriona smiled at the sudden warmth from the big cat and asked, “Will you let me see Mandalee now? I will try to heal her.”

Shyleen nudged Catriona towards the spot where Mandalee lay quiet, pale and still. She was alive but drained of all energy. Shyleen sent ‘trust, protection’ and resumed her guard duty. As far as she was concerned, she now had two humans to defend.

Catriona’s examination revealed something off in her friend’s system. It didn’t seem like poison. Rather, her magic seemed to indicate an infection that Mandalee had absorbed from Shyleen. Cat took out her water skin and poured out a little into a carefully cupped hand, so she could begin sprinkling droplets on the assassin’s body, thinking to use the healing properties of water to draw out the infection. She didn’t dare bring it into herself as she would if it were poison. What if her Faery side was more susceptible to whatever it was? She would be no use to Mandalee if she got sick and died. She would have to use water. It was less efficient, but it was the better option under the circumstances.

Clearly, though, this wasn’t going to be so easy, as her first attempt had no effect. Thinking it through for a moment, Catriona hit on an idea and sent out a message to Shyleen, ‘staff.’ The leopard understood and obediently went to fetch it. Cat could have just willed it to her hand, but she was worried about scaring Shyleen. Using the staff would aid her focus. To heal Mandalee without draining herself as severely as her friend, she was going to need every bit of help she could get. Taking the staff from Shyleen, she used her druid magic to shape the ground a little. Next, she poured some of her drinking water into the newly shaped area and multiplied that small amount into a human-sized shallow pool.

Cat then stripped Mandalee of her clothes, saying, “Don’t worry, my friend, I’m not just fulfilling some secret fantasy about seeing you naked again. I need to bathe you in nature’s healing water, and I can’t do that while you’re wearing clothes made from stupid magically resistant synthetic super-fabric.”

Catriona asked the leopard to help her move Mandalee carefully into the water. Shyleen wasn’t too keen on water, but she could see it was barely more than paw-deep at the edge and she didn’t mind a bit of wet fur if it would help Mandalee. Once in the water, Catriona set about bathing her friend, enhancing the healing properties of the pool, and asking the surrounding soil to absorb the tainted water at the same rate as she replenished it with fresh, clean, pure water. She also sprinkled a little into Mandalee’s mouth and induced the swallow reflex to ensure it would not go the wrong way and enter her lungs. There was no point clearing Mandalee’s infection, only to drown her instead. Once the trickle of water was in the right place inside her, she could carefully multiply that, too, so it could begin the healing from the inside out as well as the outside in.

Cat knew she had to take her time, healing gradually to avoid draining her own strength or taxing the healing reserves of Mandalee’s body, but she could afford to relax a bit, now. Mandalee was no longer in any immediate danger. It was just a matter of time.

Chapter 30

It was into the night, and the temperature had begun to drop before Mandalee came around.

Sensing her friend was with her, she croaked, “Cat? Why am I freezing cold and wet?” Opening her eyes, she then saw that she was devoid of clothing. “And also naked?” she added.

Cat smiled at her friend and joked, softly, “Well, I told you this pool was too cold and shallow for skinny dipping, but would you listen?”

Mandalee tried to laugh, but it hurt too much, so she stopped and just asked, “Is Shyleen OK?”

The leopard came over and nuzzled her friend, ‘I am right here, do not worry. Please thank Cat for me – communicating her way is difficult.’

Mandalee relayed the message, then asked, “Cat, where’s Daelen?”

“Still flying around out there, I expect. I was waiting until you recovered so you could reassure Shyleen. She was a bit wary of me at first; she was hurting so much. I didn’t dare risk Daelen dropping out of the sky and scaring her, so