Gathering Storm (The Salvation of Tempestria Book 2) - Gary Stringer (read e book TXT) 📗

worried that the dark clone that has singularly failed to kill Daelen for a thousand years when he was at full strength, is suddenly going to find a way to do it in his weakened state. You think I don’t make sense? You’re not exactly a rock of consistency yourself.”

The White Assassin had to admit when she put it that way, she had a point. There was just too much going on that Mandalee didn’t understand, and she didn’t like it.

She decided a walk was the preferable option, Shyleen at her side, leaving Catriona to her book. A book on photography, of all things. Mandalee had no idea why Cat would want to study that at a time like this, but then she’d never understood half of what her friend was interested in.

*****

When at last Daelen returned, appearing high above StormClaw Island, his power level was far beyond anything his mortal companions had felt before.

“Catriona!” he boomed, “I want to begin your training right now. Come on, do you really think that you can ‘deal with me,’ or are you all talk? Just look at the powers you have – none rival mine, and nor do yours, Mandalee. You two think you can beat me? Then come on, get your butts up here. Now!”

The building shook as if Daelen’s voice was an enormous thunderclap. Powerful gusts of wind seemed to come from every movement of Daelen’s hands and feet.

“Come on! At least give me a taste of what little powers you have. I mean, you say that you can deal with me, so come on and try it!” Daelen boomed.

Mandalee and Shyleen rushed to Catriona’s side. “What’s happened to him?” the assassin whispered.

Daelen heard her.

“Something amazing!” Daelen bellowed. “I’m more powerful than I have been for centuries, which means I don’t need my pets anymore.”

Calmly, without hurrying, sitting in a bubble of serenity, untroubled by Daelen’s storm, Cat put her book away in her pocket dimension.

Leaning on her staff to help her to her feet, she demanded, “What the hell is wrong with you, Daelen? This is not like you. Is your dark clone too powerful for you to keep in check, now that you’ve merged?”

“They’ve done what?” Mandalee gasped.

Cat did not reply.

“You look down on our powers, shadow warrior,” she continued, “but at least we can control ourselves. You can’t even do that. You’ve lost it Daelen; get a grip.”

“How do you know about our joining?” Daelen thundered.

“You just don’t learn, do you? Knowledge is my business. You think you can dismiss me with a wave of your hand, but you can’t. It’s time somebody taught you some respect for others. You come here, issue your orders and expect us to jump to comply. Well, forget it. I am on this mission for my own reasons, but now that I have the information from Calin’s Tower, maybe I don’t need you anymore. Now I know my destiny, I can choose to walk away. If you kill Kullos by yourself, that’s up to you, and if he kills you…well, right now, I’d say that’s no great loss.”

“Just as I thought – a weakling and a coward.”

“Oh no, it takes courage to choose not to fight and strength to walk away. It is cowardice for you to join with your dark clone just because you’re scared you won’t be able to defeat your enemy. It is weak to join with someone and allow them to dominate you. Ha! When I join sympathically with Pyrah, it’s on equal terms even though she’s powerful enough to kill a shadow warrior. I, a ‘mere mortal,’ have more willpower than you do. You’re pathetic.”

With that, Cat deliberately turned her back on Daelen and calmly walked away.

Livid, Daelen roared, “Don’t you dare turn your back on me!”

Cat just ignored him, and Daelen’s rage got the better of him. Without warning, he powered up his beam cannon and fired, killing Catriona on the spot.

“No!” Mandalee screamed, running to her friend’s side. “To think I was just beginning to like you!” she spat at Daelen, cradling Cat’s lifeless body in her arms. “You think you’re some kind of hero, but you’re just a filthy, stinking monster – I should have fulfilled my contract and killed you when I had the chance!”

Daelen didn’t respond; he was too stunned.

‘How could I do this to her?’ he wondered, floating down to the ground.

Had he spoken that aloud? He didn’t know; he didn’t care. In blackest despair, he did what few people had ever seen him do – he sat down and wept.

“She was so beautiful and smart and funny. She helped me at great risk to herself, and I killed her. She was right, I’m a weak coward, allowing my dark clone to achieve by joining what he couldn’t in combat. I let him dominate me and use me to destroy her.”

“If you’re going to kill me, Mandalee, do it. I won’t try to stop you. But if you let me live, I swear I will keep my dark side under control long enough to kill Kullos. After that, I don’t care what happens to me. Either way, it’s your choice.”

Mandalee was torn as never before. She didn’t know what to do. Fortunately, she was saved from the choice when a wolf slunk out of the shadows. Both Daelen and Mandalee looked on in disbelief as it changed into Catriona Redfletching.

“So, does this mean we’ve got the real Daelen back, or what?” she asked, in the same tone she might use to ask the time of day.

“Cat!” both her friends exclaimed at once and wrapped her in a three-way hug.

“Be careful,” she laughed, “or you’ll kill me for real this time, by suffocation!”

“But how?” Daelen asked.

With a wave of her staff, the dead Catriona vanished.

“A simple Mirror Image spell,” she answered, as if that explained everything.

*****

My mother was three steps ahead, as usual, gentle reader. She had been working on the spell since she found out Daelen could copy himself. It