The Divine Apprentice (The Divine Series)

by Allen J Johnston

“The dragon is right outside the barrier. Right along the path,” Kade said as he pointed animatedly. He found himself trying to, once again, analyze his master’s reaction.

  “I did feel a slight pushing in that vicinity,” Zayle said more to himself. “Could be anything from fluctuation in the Divine Power to a large animal, but we shall see. Okay,” Zayle said resolutely, “show me your dragon. I will come to see if it exists. We leave after I get my walking cloak. Be ready.”

  Kade breathed a sigh of relief but even five minutes was torture. Every second that ticked by brought thoughts of disaster. What if the dragon is gone? he thought as he felt panic well up again. Why would a dragon wait for me when it barely knows me? How would it know how long it was supposed to stay?

  Fear of losing his apprenticeship worked its way back into his heart. He was deep in thought with all the possible things that could go wrong when he jumped at the sound of Zayle’s voice. Kade went in and saw his master standing just inside the door to the den. He had his red walking cloak on, but was not moving. Kade froze as he watched Zayle standing very still, staring into the Blue Flame of the Divine while it danced in his hands. His eyes were the blackest of black, with no whites showing. He was studying the flames as if watching a scene unfolding before him. His eyes looked this way and that way, taking in what he was seeing. Zayle frowned deeply, and then he looked up to see Kade watching him. The flame faded out and the frown disappeared as though it had never been. The black faded and the Master Chosen’s eyes returned to normal. Kade had only seen his master do this one other time, and it unsettled him just as deeply now, as it had then.

  “Alright Kade, I shall go see this dragon,” Zayle said as he brushed past his apprentice.

  Kade found it hard not to push as he fought to stay behind his master, as was appropriate. He found he was breathing in huffs of frustration as he struggled to control the urge to race ahead, or prompt his master to pick up the pace. Every time he opened his mouth to compel Zayle to a greater speed, he would close it again, knowing that his teacher would only stop and lecture him on proper behavior. An apprentice is not to tell a master what to do.

  Besides, he kept telling himself, at least he is going to see the dragon and know that I have spoken the truth.

  Kade looked at his beloved teacher several times and could have sworn that it was a look of worry he was seeing. It was clear he was contemplating something, but what? They continued on like this the entire walk. He was considering asking what would worry his master when he realized they were approaching the spot where his dragon should have been. He tried to swallow and could not. His throat seized up as his fears about the dragon leaving became a reality. That feeling of just about falling off a cliff and barely catching himself at the last moment was back, but this time it was different; this time he was going over the edge. Everything was falling apart. He found it difficult to think as he raced past his master and stared at the empty spot where his dragon had been.

  “He was right here! I swear he was!” Kade said in rushed words, as desperation started to crush any hope he had of proving that he had spoken the truth.

  Kade was afraid to look his master in the eyes. His mind was still racing when he started yelling for the dragon at the top of his lungs. He yelled over and over, but there was nothing. The only thing that answered him was the sound of the wind. Kade did not see that Zayle was watching him intently, studying him.

  “Dragon, where are you?” Kade screamed, frustration and anger gripping his heart. Still, the area was quiet. Zayle seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and glared at Kade with a look that said, “I knew this was going to happen.”

  “I swear on my life, Master! He was right here!” Kade said as he stabbed his figure toward the ground. “Look,” he said as he noticed the scrape marks where the dragon had clawed at the dirt.

  Without even a glance, Zayle started to turn and walk away, saying, “I’ll expect you to pack your things tonight. I will give you a day to figure out what you are going to do,” he said, knowing that he was only doing this to force the truth out of Kade. At least, he thought he would not force his beloved apprentice to leave. Maybe it would be for the best, but that was to be decided later when things settled down. For now, Zayle would let his apprentice believe he was to leave.

  Kade, now angrier than his master had ever seen him, screamed until he was hoarse. Over and over, he called out to the silent forest. He listened hard for any sound, but the area was quiet. Kade took a deep breath and put everything into his next call, turning red in the face.

  “Dragon, where are you?” Kade screamed.

  Surprised by this last attempt, Zayle slowly regarded his apprentice with narrowed eyes. Kade yelled several more times, every yell becoming weaker and weaker until he stopped and hung his head. Grief overwhelmed him at the thought of leaving the one place he truly felt like he belonged. His place was here with Zayle, studying to be the greatest Master Chosen there ever was. Now, his dreams were fading right before his eyes. He told himself he would not break down, but instead, he would be a man about it. He could feel the start of a tear form in his eye.

  “I am sorry,” Kade said with as much control as he could muster. “I guess he left,” he added but already regretting saying it, knowing his master did not believe the truth. Persisting when Zayle had made up his mind never worked out in his favor.

  Kade walked past his mentor on his way toward the cabin. He could not even bring himself to look at the Chosen for fear of seeing disappointment in his eyes. But, he still glanced back, and before he could look away, noticed a strange look on the Master Chosen’s face. Zayle was turning his head as if listening. He slowly raised his hand over the ground, as though feeling heat rise from a fire. After several movements with his hand, and a few unrecognizable words, a shimmer shot forth to hit the ground.

  Kade started to get a bad feeling in his gut. Zayle seemed tense and it worried him. It worried him deeply. He took a couple of steps toward his master and asked, “What?”

  “Hush,” Zayle commanded. “Something,” he said slowly. “Something comes. And, it’s large.”

  Zayle slowly looked up and regarded the woods, but it was worry that Kade saw in the man’s eyes. Why? he thought to himself. Why would Master appear to be so worried and even…afraid? Kade pondered as he saw a look in his master’s eyes that he could not ever recall seeing. It was then that he felt the vibrations of something hitting the ground hard and coming fast. The vibrations were getting stronger by the second. His heart leapt as his hopes started to soar.

  Could it be my dragon? Kade considered, fearing to hope too much. He paused for a moment, liking the thought of having a dragon once again. He liked it more and more, considering no one else had a dragon. Well, no one that he had ever heard of that was alive. There were stories of Ancient Chosen having dragons, but that had been millennia ago. Any moment his dragon was going to burst out of the woods, proving to his master that everything he had been saying was true.

  His hopes were rising until his analytical mind took over, forcing thoughts into his head that were not as promising. What if it is another animal? What if it’s another grimalkin? He fought the panic as he watched the woods intently. It has to be the dragon, Kade thought as the shaking of the ground increased. The thought of a cat-like creature charging at them had him on edge. He relaxed just a little but only a little as the protective barrier shimmered.

  Kade noticed his master watching him, reading all his facial expressions. He wondered what his master saw and what conclusion he drew. But, the look of worry on Zayle’s face did not sit well with him. Kade was certain his master was keeping something from him. He was considering asking what was wrong, but the sound in the forest was getting louder, and closer. When it seemed as if it was almost upon them, there was a deafening roar that made both men’s hearts jump. The sense of shear power in that sound made Kade swallow hard. The dragon burst into the opening and slammed into the barrier. It bounced off so violently th
at Kade thought it might have broken its neck. After a few moments, it quickly regained its feet, and its eyes locked onto Kade. The dragon reoriented and pushed against the barrier, trying to get to the man it had known only a few short hours, but was attached to, nonetheless. The stories he had heard about the Chosen having dragons briefly flashed through his mind, and then he was focused on this one.

  Kade felt as if his heart might explode with joy as he raced toward his dragon and threw his arms as far around its neck as he could. He never felt a more sweet sensation on his face than the supple, leathery feeling of his dragon’s scales. Zayle looked on in horror, expecting this beast to snap up his apprentice with those dangerous teeth.

  “I thought you had left,” Kade said in a rush. “I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am to see you,” he said, not wanting to take his hands off the dragon, as if doing so might cause it to flee and never come back.

  Kade turned with pride and overflowing joy to introduce his new dragon but froze with the words stuck in his throat. The look of horror and dismay on Zayle’s face mixed with fear on the edge of panic caused Kade’s pulse to quicken. Overwhelming confusion filled him as he looked upon his master, whose eyes appeared to be coming out of his head. This was very much not in Zayle’s behavior, and it had Kade scared to the very core of his being.

  “Master, what is it? What is wrong?” Kade pleaded.

  “This can’t be!” Zayle said as he quickly spun through the moves that would bring the Blue Flame of the Divine to life. The Master Chosen’s eyes turned pitch black, as if made of marble. Kade winced at the image. This was twice in one day and it was more eerie than Kade cared for. The fire danced in Zayle’s bare hands. He moved his head back and forth, watching…something. He quickly snapped his hands shut and the flame drifted away. “Is the part about the grimalkin also true? Is it really out there?” Zayle said, regaining his composure.

  “Yes,” Kade said, an uneasy feeling spreading through his body.

  “How?” Zayle asked himself, as his mind worked furiously. He spun on Kade, and with eyes more intense than the apprentice had ever seen, demanded, “Quickly, take me to it! Hurry! I must see this!”

  “I am not sure if I can. I was deep in thought as I was walking and not really paying attention where I was going,” Kade said, hesitantly.

  “I must see this creature,” Zayle said with so much force that Kade flinched and took a step back.

  “I will do what I can,” Kade replied as an idea came to him. He turned to the dragon. “Can you take me to the grimalkin?” Kade asked. The dragon looked at him in confusion. Chastising himself for being a fool for thinking the dragon would understand, he got down on all fours and pretended to take a swipe at the dragon where it was previously injured. He was at a complete loss as to how to communicate what he needed, but he had no other ideas so he repeated the action. The dragon gave a huff and took a step backward.

  “So, you know I am talking about the grimalkin. Well, that is good. Now, how to get you to take me to it?” he asked to himself as much as the dragon. It was tilting its head back and forth, watching Kade closely. “Where?” Kade asked as he stood and walked in the general direction he knew it had to be. “Where?” he asked again, as he indicated the woods with a sweep of his arm while looking at the dragon. Kade felt something brush his mind, and then it was gone.

  “OK, well I will do what I can, Master, but I only recall the general direction,” Kade said, giving up on communicating with the dragon. He turned and started down the path. Suddenly, the dragon gave a grunt and lumbered by. Both men watched it with curiosity as it stopped and turned to look at them. Kade got the feather-light touch on his mind again and looked deep into the dragon’s eyes. He could almost swear he was connecting with it in some way, but that was crazy thinking. It had to be.

  “Master?” Kade asked, surprised at the dragon’s action?

  “I say we follow. I must see, and if this is the only way, then we try.”

  Kade and Zayle worked their way through the heavy brush, trying to stay with the dragon, but it did not want to stay on the path, so it was not easy going. It only made sense. The dragon had to be following the scent of the grimalkin, leading them directly to it.

  The dragon had to stop several times to wait for the two men. After having to call the dragon back constantly, it did a curious thing; it came over next to the two men and knelt down. Kade and Zayle looked at each other in amazement.

  “Master, do you suppose he…wants us to ride?” Kade asked in disbelief.

  “It would appear that way,” Zayle said as he narrowed his eyes, studying the fearsome creature. “There is only one way to find out, and that is to try mounting,” he said in awe.

  Kade had never seen his master in awe of anything. As a matter of fact, he could not recall ever seeing his master show much emotion of any kind, aside from anger and frustration. Kade cleared his head and focused on the task at hand.

  “Here goes,” Kade said as put his foot on the dragon’s leg. He reached up, grabbed ahold of the ridges on the dragon’s neck and struggled to pull himself onto its back.

  Now, it was Zayle’s turn. He approached the dragon cautiously from the left side. As he closed the distance, the dragon swung its head around to follow his movements. Zayle hesitated, noticing those sharp teeth. The dragon’s lips were twitching slightly.

  “Are you sure this dragon of yours will not try to make a meal out of me? I don’t like the look in its eyes,” Zayle said as he matched the dragon stare for stare.

  And, to make the point even more so, the dragon gave out a low rumble, as more of its razor-sharp teeth showed. Clearly, it was not accepting of all people. It was then Kade realized Zayle was drawing on the Divine.

  “Master, I think it senses your use of the power and does not like it.”

  “And I am to completely put my life in its hands?” Zayle asked, incredulously.

  “Master, would I be sitting on its back if it planned on killing us?”

  “Apprentice,” Zayle said, “you had better be right.” And with that, Zayle let the Divine Power melt away.

  “Dragon, it’s okay,” Kade said as he stroked its neck. “He is not going to hurt you,” he said in a soothing tone.

  The dragon craned its neck just a little more to look at Kade. After a moment, it seemed to accept his urgings and allowed the Master Chosen to approach. Zayle held his breath as he reached up to grab Kade by the forearm and smoothly swung up to land behind his apprentice. The dragon tensed at the new touch, but to their relief, did nothing more.

  “Your new pet is very solid,” Zayle said. He looked over at the wings, readying himself for flight. It took a moment for Kade to realize what his master was expecting. He chuckled but only briefly as his master glared at him hard enough to freeze him solid. Even if Kade was turned away, he could have felt that glare right through the back of his head.

  “He cannot fly, Master. He was injured in the fight and needs time to heal,” Kade said humbly. Zayle relaxed slightly, but only slightly.

  “Well, it will still be much faster than walking, so let’s get your new pet moving,” Zayle said as he looked the creature over in amazement.

  The dragon was regarding the pair as they talked. It appeared to be very curious as to what was going on. Kade and Zayle were both surprised to see it holding perfectly still as it analyzed them. They looked at each other and then shrugged. Zayle, again, became impatient but sat still, waiting.

  “Okay, dragon, let’s get moving,” Kade said as he pointed the way they had been going. “Let’s go find that grimalkin.”

  The dragon let out an ear shattering roar that shook both men to the bone and left their teeth rattling. With that, it leapt with amazing power that almost unseated them both. After a few uncomfortable moments of getting situated, the dragon settled into a comfortable lope. But, even at this, it was not easy to stay seated.

  “Why does he do that?” Kade asked, expecting his master to always
have the answers.

  “I believe they do it to warn any predator to stay out of the way, or it could be some kind of dominance or territorial issue,” Zayle said as he rubbed his ears.

  “Well, if I heard a sound like that, I would definitely stay out of his territory.”

  After running for almost fifteen minutes, the dragon came to a stop just fifteen feet from the charred remains of the grimalkin, or what left of it. There were considerably more animals in the area now and they were all of the predatory variety.

  The dragon flexed its shoulders while sticking its neck out and glared at the animals in the clearing. Several moved but many more continued to feast on the cooked meat. The dragon let out a deadly hiss, causing a few more to scamper out of harm’s way. The dragon, feeling its warning was not being taken serious enough, stood up and opened its wings to their full size. Kade was amazed with the splendor of this magnificent beast as he slid down to the ground. Zayle also quickly slid down, sensing it was going to attack at any moment.

  The dragon obviously took offence that not every living creature had run for its life and launched into the remaining animals with another one of those ear-splitting roars. It proceeded to rend everything it could get its jaws and claws into. It was not a pretty sight at all. It made Kade slightly queasy to think back on what would have happened to him had the dragon not been so badly injured when he first blindly stumbled onto it. Ironically, it occurred to him that he probably owed his life to the grimalkin.

  Kade shook his head and watched his dragon do what it did best; hunt, tear flesh and feed. He glanced at Zayle and saw his master deep in thought. The feeling that something serious going through the Chosen’s mind returned, and the more Kade thought about it, the more he knew he needed to know what it was.

  Later, he told himself, but it was getting more and more difficult to keep saying later.

  The dragon charged around the carcass in search of something on the other side to fight. Kade looked around the head of the cat-like monster and saw a grizzly bear hit the ground for the last time. The dragon looked up, sensing something coming and took a step toward Kade, hissing as it got ready to pounce for its next attack. It stumbled slightly as it caught itself, just barely recognizing Kade before it leapt. It lowered its head and took a slow, shuffling step backward as its head swayed from side to side. It was a pitiful sight.