Tempest Rise (Treborel) - By Alaina Stanford Page 0,17

her arm and spinning her around to face him.

“I wasn't sure . . ." Kendra started to explain.

"Why didn't you warn me? I nearly blew the sraeb out from under you." Cap snapped at her. The incident had frightened him more than he cared to admit.

"It's alright." She smiled up at him and reached for her boot. “I brought my knife." She waved the weapon in his face as her laughter filled the silent clearing. Turning back to the sraeb she pulled the bolt from its shoulder and handed it to Cap ignoring his angry scowl. "The wound is pretty deep, she must have tried to get it out herself and drove it in until it struck bone.” Kendra explained, still smiling as she placed a healing touch on the wound. "She'll sleep until morning. The cubs should be back by then." Turning back to Cap, her amusement disappeared as she noticed how pale he had become. "Are you alright?"

"Do you realize, one swipe of its claw and it could have taken your head off? “ He answered quietly, realizing how pretty she was.

"If you hadn't insisted on pulling that little prank of yours, I never would have known about the injury. She was in such a deep sleep, I couldn't feel her pain." Kendra scolded him.

"I could have taken care of it myself. I just didn't want to leave the cubs to starve." Cap answered, shoving the bolt in his belt.

"When are you going to get it into your thick head that I'm not some helpless little girl that needs your protection!” Kendra spat, tired of his paternal attitude. "If I didn't think I could handle it, I wouldn't have tried!"

They stood glaring angrily at one another for several seconds before Cap conceded with a grin. "I surrender. You obviously knew what you were doing. We're both still alive." He held out hand as a peace offering. "Just give me a little warning next time, okay?"

"Are you going to make any more cracks about my dirk?" Kendra frowned, her attitude softening.

"I'll do my best to keep my mouth shut." Cap promised, still waiting for her to take his hand.

Placing her hand in his, Kendra smiled up at him, relieved they had come to an understanding, "Will you help me find this clearing in the morning? I want to make sure the cubs return."

"First thing after breakfast.” He promised with a smile.

Still holding hands they left the clearing and returned to the lodge. Katar was asleep in the high backed chair and a meat broth was simmering on the stove. Cap insisted on finishing the broth while Kendra caught some much needed sleep.

As dawn arrived, Bosen woke, strong enough to have the infection healed. This began a pattern of eating, then working to heal his broken bones every few hours. Cap had designated himself as Kendra’s assistant, attending to her every need. Katar watched, amused by his friend's infatuation with the young Empath. He’d never seen him like this before. When Cap was near Enda, he stumbled over himself, clumsy and nervous. It wasn't so with Kendra. As they worked together to heal Bosen, Cap became more confident and relaxed. The more time they spent together, the more Cap showed his true self.

That evening Hanlin appeared, rested and hungry. Cap and Kendra were inseparable. By the end of the third day, Bosen was fully conscious and anxious to tell the others what had happened that day in the ravine. Kendra left them alone and went to clean the dinner dishes so they could talk. Able to sit up, Bosen he ate the hot stew Eades had made and told his story between mouthfuls to them.

"Commander Connor was asking a lot of questions about Borel, Eades and the Queen's Guard." Bosen began. "I answered some of them. Then he began to get specific I couldn't understand what he really wanted, much less answer most of his questions."

"What was he asking?” Katar frowned.

"At first, he was just curious about the city patrols and the sraeb. Were there any problems with them so close to the city walls? Then he started asking about the night patrols and the harbor fleet. I told him I'm just a blacksmith. Yes, my father was the Kings Valet and I grew up in the palace but I wasn’t into politics and such. He didn't seem to understand, the questions just kept coming. Finally, I told him he should be asking Eades those questions, not me. I also