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Cat's Confidence at Wittegen Press
Category:
Fantasy
Publisher: Wittegen Press
ISBN-10: B00FJ23YY8
Pages: 293
Copyright: Sep 29, 2013
Price: $3.29 (eBook)
The Seer says that a Questor is always prepared for the Task for which they are chosen, but it never occurred to Charlie that being ready would mean specific training for a specific Task. Charlie, Kaelyn and Alexander are given six weeks to become a Dragon Warrior team: all they need to do is master magical telepathy, archery, flying and, the trickiest of all, how to put on a dragon-harness in under five minutes!
The Seer says that a Questor is always prepared for the Task for which they are chosen, but it never occurred to Charlie that being ready would mean specific training for a specific Task. Charlie, Kaelyn and Alexander are given six weeks to become a Dragon Warrior team: all they need to do is master magical telepathy, archery, flying and, the trickiest of all, how to put on a dragon-harThe Seer says that a Questor is always prepared for the Task for which they are chosen and Charlie has been a Questor long enough to know the Seer is always right. Still, it never occurred to him that being ready would mean specific training for a specific Task. Charlie, Kaelyn and Alexander are given six weeks to become a Dragon Warrior team: all they need to do is master magical telepathy, archery, flying and, the trickiest of all, how to put on a dragon-harness in under five minutes!
Once through the portal in the land of Snijela, they must pass as veterans, make friends with other dragons and figure out why they’ve actually been sent on their Task in the first place. Add in a volatile young queen, two feuding nations either on the verge of peace or all out war, as well as spies, sexism and an alarming acceleration in Charlie’s premonitions, and nothing is ever going to be straightforward.
Join Charlie and his friends on this epic task for the 3rd instalment of The Chronicles of Charlie Waterman.ess in under five minutes!
Excerpt
There were no two ways about it; Charlie was worried. The previous evening the most he had had to be anxious about was where to take Junko as a surprise date, something he still hadn't decided. They had been officially a couple for just over three weeks, but there wasn't really anywhere to go for an evening out in Between and he wanted to visit somewhere different. After all Junko had done all the work in getting him to admit they made a good couple, so he figured he owed her a real date in return. Something special was going to take work, but of course he wasn't quite sure what Junko would expect from a proper date. He'd even gone so far as to question Alexander since the vampire and Junko came from the same place, but had only received the unhelpful reply of: "I have no idea how humans go about courting."
Of course that paled in comparison to what was going through his head now.
He had arrived at breakfast expecting to find everyone waiting for him, because he was running a couple of minutes late, only to find the table light two people. Junko and Thane had been missing and everyone else had been looking pensive. As it turned out a third Task had been called the previous evening and only Junko and Thane had been summoned, which was why Charlie was staring at his cereal and not eating it.
He had never stopped to think what it might be like for there to be a Task and not be one of the ones chosen for it. The fact Junko was on the Task while he found out what it was like to be left sitting at home, was not helping at all.
"They are both well prepared," Yesenia said.
"Totally," Diallo agreed with a nod, but it didn't help Charlie settle.
Everything had been going so well: Yesenia seemed very happy to have Barr as her mentor; they were all settling back into training; everyone they had told seemed really pleased that Charlie and Junko had finally acted on their mutual whatever it was.
Now, suddenly, things were so serious again.
"It's so soon," he said, since that was one thing that kept coming back to him and was possibly the only thought that wouldn't make him sound like a melodramatic twelve year old.
"It does not seem that such matters work to a particular timetable," Alexander said, "but yes, it does seem somewhat expedited."
Kaelyn nodded as well and patted his hand, giving him a small supportive smile.
He was overreacting, he was sure. He was well aware that both of his friends were superb fighters, as well as being able to blend in, adapt, and were more than capable of taking on anything that came their way. It wasn't that he doubted either of them, he just couldn't help thinking up nightmare scenarios in his head. He'd always had a vivid imagination and it wasn't a blessing in such situations.
That he didn't know anything about the Task was also preying on his mind. They might have only had two Tasks prior to this one, but he had become used to always being in the loop. Questions were going round and round in his head as he tried to figure out why Junko and Thane might have been chosen above the rest of them. The fact he was supposed to be a leader and had no idea what was going on did not sit right, or at least that was what he was telling himself.
"The Task probably just needed someone who can swim and someone he might actually listen to when they told him to get out," Yesenia said, clearly attempting to cheer him up.
He did his best to give her a smile for trying, but breakfast was rapidly becoming awkward. This was not a scenario he had imagined happening so soon and it was harder to deal with than he would have guessed.
"Sorry," he said, pushing his bowl away and standing up, "I'll see you later."
He left quickly before anyone could try and convince him to stay. There was no point staring at food he was not going to eat and he really wasn't in a pep talk kind of mood. He didn't know what to do in his current situation and he was torn between trying to find Akari or going to visit the Seer, so he let his legs decide while his brain just worried. The door to the Seer's rooms was open when he arrived and he went up to them and knocked quietly to announce his presence. It probably wasn't necessary, but he liked to be polite.
"Come in, Charlie," the Seer said where she was eating her own breakfast, "please join me."
The Seer was among her pile of cushions with a small table just in front of her and Charlie walked in and sat down to her right. He was handed a cup of tea before he even opened his mouth.
"Thank you," were, hence, his first words.
"What troubles you?" the Seer asked.
"Am I allowed to know about the third Task?" he asked, since there was no point in beating around the bush.
"Why would you wish to know," the Seer asked, sipping her own tea, "it is not yours to complete?"
That was the kind of answer Charlie had been expecting.
"I know," he replied, "but I'm supposed to be one of the leaders of the group and I don't want to interfere," well he did, but he knew that wouldn't be right, "but I want to be prepared."
"For what?"
He had to think about that, because he was still sorting out everything in his head.
"In case Junko or Thane needs something when they come back," he finally replied, because he knew it was the most he could do.
"Are you sure it is Thane you are worried about?"
That made Charlie stop and think again even though he wanted to say yes straight away.
"Yes," he eventually decided, "but I am more worried about Junko. Not because I think she is less capable or ..."
The Seer smiled at him and patted his knee as he ran out of words and blushed.
"Allowing our loved ones into danger is always hard," the Seer told him and he was completely unsurprised that she knew about his fledgling relationship even though neither he nor Junko had specifically told her.
"I'm crap at this," he finally confessed. "I don't know what to do."
"There is nothing we can do," the Seer said, taking his hand gently in her own, "except try not to worry too much."
"Do you worry?" he blurted out.
That earned him another gentle smile.
"All the time. You are my children and yet I must send you into danger, but I trust in your strengths and your weaknesses and the power the Great Spirits have entrusted to you. It was a very long time ago, but I still remember the first time I sent Questors to a Task. To let them go when I had seen what awaited them was one of the hardest moments in my life. It has not become much easier with time."
Charlie had never thought of it like that. Of course the Seer had also been there when Questors had not come back, which had to make every time even worse. It was hard to imagine.
"I'm trying to trust," he said, "but it's hard."
"Each Task is different," the Seer told him, "but I can see the reasoning behind the choice of each Questor as they are summoned. I do not think it will help you to explain what the current Task is about. In the end that will just give you more definite ideas to worry about. Just know that Thane and Junko are well suited to what they have been sent to do. They are strong and thanks to you and Alexander they work well together."
"Me and Alexander?"
"It is your example which brought this group together," the Seer said and handed him a piece of fruit from her own plate. "You have done far more than you realise."
Feeling it would be rude not to eat what he had been given, since it was in fact the Seer's breakfast, Charlie popped the fruit into his mouth. Only after he had done this did he realise he needed to reply.
"They're really well prepared?" he asked, swallowing quickly and deciding to skirt round talking about himself; for once he wasn't worried about that.
The Seer smiled at him and gave him half a buttered bread roll.
"Of course," she said in her usual serene manner.
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