The Divine Apprentice (The Divine Series)

by Allen J Johnston

  “Just watch,” Kade said and felt good about finding this simple solution to their problem.

  He used several branches to move the wood around the pile of rocks. He heaped several more on top of the pile and gave the fire just a little help to increase the heat. He stood back and smiled.

  “It’s an oven. You will see. The rocks will cook it but not let it burn,” Kade said proudly. Doubt came from Rayden as confusion drifted through the link. “Well, it’s the best we have,” Kade said defensively. “Okay, you just wait. When I have hot, steamy pork, you will see.”

  An hour passed as Kade to fire. It was not difficult to keep the fire burning hot, but it was hard to be patient as the smell of cooking meat wafted through their little camp. Kade looked at the dragon with an I-told-you-so expression, but Rayden seemed not to notice. Kade almost believed it until he saw the drool starting and burst out laughing so hard he actually doubled over. The dragon snapped at him but it only served to confirm what he suspected.

  Recovering from his fits of laughter, Kade patted the dragon on the side. He chuckled to himself, wrapped his arms around Rayden’s neck and hugged him tightly. Rayden relaxed ever so slightly.

  “I would not trade you for anything,” Kade said. This seemed to help even more. “I know what would make you happy,” Kade said as he picked up a pole he had cut from a nearby tree. He shifted the rocks away from the boar to display their prize. Just then, Kade flinched as a big, wet splotch hit him on the head. Reaching up and running his fingers through his hair, he pulled his hand away to display a massive amount of slimy wetness. He wiped his hands on the ground and glared at the dragon.

  “Was that necessary?” Kade asked as he tried to clean more of the drool out of his hair. “Do you have to hover over me and do that?”

  Kade used several large leaves to clean his head the best he could and then returned to their feast while looking forward to bathing in the lagoon. He could almost feel the water washing away the days travel. He was wiping his hair with another handful of leaves when an odd sensation drifted through the link, causing his eyes to widen and his mouth to hang open. Kade looked at the dragon in shock.

  “Oh, so now that’s funny, eh? Okay, just remember you started this,” Kade chided, feeling a friendly rivalry starting. He was good with this kind of challenge, even though he would have preferred not to have a head of slimy, wet hair. He refocused his attention on removing the boar from the makeshift oven. There were a few burnt spots, but for the most part, it had cooked nicely. Kade quickly forgot all about his hair as he licked his lips in anticipation of the juicy meal.

  It took just a little work, but soon, Kade had one leg severed from the boar. He had to use leaves for pads or the meat would have burned his hands. With his portion in his hands, he motioned for Rayden to eat. The dragon’s head dipped toward the boar and then shot back up to look intently at Kade.

  “Yes, all of it is yours,” Kade said, sensing the unasked question.

  Rayden did not need to be told twice as he lunged at the boar as though it were trying to escape. Dragging the carcass away just a few feet, the dragon dropped down and tore hungrily into its prize. Using its front claws to hold the boar, it tore the meat apart easily and eagerly. Kade found himself staring at the dragon’s ferocity. Returning his attention back to his own food, he did his best to eat the steaming meat, but unfortunately, he did not have the dragon’s tolerance for heat.

  As soon as the food cooled, Kade stuffed himself full. Not able to eat even one more bite, he sat back against the tree and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of a full belly. After a moment, he noticed it was quiet, too quiet. He opened his eyes and turned to see Rayden staring at him. No, not just staring but locked onto him without blinking or even hardly breathing. It shot a glance at his left hand, which was holding the meat, and then returned to staring at him. Kade smiled and motioned with the boar’s leg.

  “It’s yours,” Kade said, allowing the thought to pass through their mental link. The dragon did not need any urging and snatched the meat up so fast that Kade flinched. “Easy boy, easy,” Kade said, checking to see if he were missing any fingers.

  Seeing that all appendages appeared to be intact, Kade smiled to himself and watched the dragon quickly engulf his leftovers. There were only a few bones left with just scraps of meat on them. He hoped the dragon had, had enough, but he had his doubts. Kade knew it could eat a whole cow in one sitting, so this was probably more like a snack.

  Leaning back against the tree, Kade enjoyed the calm of the woods. He looked around the clearing and for the first time really noticed the nature that was surrounding him. The air was clean and he felt good for the first time in a long time. He knew that having a full belly, plenty of water and the company of his dragon had a lot to do with it, but he was ok with that. He took in the sound of birds and smiled. He looked at his pile of books to make sure they were still secure and considered sliding them next to him in case he drifted off. He quickly discarded that idea, worried that he would inadvertently open one during his sleep.

  He could feel his eyelids growing heavy, and welcomed it. He was almost out when the snoring dragon startled him. He smiled again, and then let go, enjoying the feeling of every muscle turning to jelly as his mind drifted in any direction it wanted. He felt himself take a deep, long breath, and as he was exhaling, the world faded.

  The sound of insects chirping slowing worked its way into Kade’s mind. His muscles protested as he tried to shift. The ground was not the most optimal place to sleep and his body was letting him know. His back hurt and his joints ached. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself up on one elbow. He rolled onto all fours and then sat back on his legs. With the exception of the dragon taking long breaths that had a deep reverberation, the world was quiet. Wetting his lips, he looked around as his mind continued to wake. The sun was just starting to rise.

  Something seems…off, Kade thought to himself as he scratched the sand out of his hair. Several small twigs and a good amount of dirt fell to the ground. He looked around but did not see anything that he felt should alarm him.

  What could be giving me that feeling? he asked himself as he sat there staring at the ground, his mind still struggling to awaken. With a jolt, his eyes shot to where the books should have been.

  “NO!” Kade yelled out, bounding to his feet. He ran around the giant tree several times but found no sign of the books. He was on the verge of full blown panic. His mind raced. He spun around and almost bounced off the dragon. Rayden sensed Kade’s panic and was watching him intently, trying to find what was causing him to be so frantic. Worry flooded the link.

  “The books are gone!” Kade said in a rush as he started to pace. He immediately suspected the unknown evil Zayle had warned him about as his heart started to pound. “I will get them back,” he vowed, pounding his fist into the palm of his hand. For a moment, Kade looked at the tree as his fury started to boil over. He considered punching it to vent his anger, but his logical mind took over. If he were to damage his hands, the callings he could perform would be limited. A Chosen needed his hands.

  “I need to think this through,” Kade said out loud, trying to calm himself. He was partially successful. “Why steal the books without trying to kill me? That does not make sense,” he said as he looked around suspiciously.

  Kade definitely started to get the feeling there was more to this than he was seeing. He forced himself to calm considerably and looked around the area for any sign of what might have taken the books. Nothing presented itself. Turning to the dragon, he spread his hands, and with his mind, asked if the dragon sensed anything. He was not sure if Rayden could understand what he was asking, but it was worth a try. Surprisingly, the dragon sniffed the air several times but could offer no answers.

  Kade felt frustration building and clenched his jaw in determination so as to not let it cloud his thinking. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, attempting to relax. On the second breath, he exhaled
and ground his teeth hard enough to crack them, or at least it felt hard enough to crack them.

  “What can I do?” Kade asked in desperation of Rayden. Unfortunately, all the dragon had by the way of help was a blank look as it swayed slightly.

  “What callings do I know?” Kade asked as he started to slowly pace. “The Divine Fire will only burn the forest down. The Lightning Calling is useless. There is the Drift Calling. That is possible, but I will save that for last. What else?” he asked as he narrowed his eyes, thinking. “I wish I had learned a Locate Calling,” Kade mumbled as exasperation started to set in. So much power at his fingertips, and yet, he felt as helpless as ever to solve this dilemma.

  Kade stood next to the tree, trying to figure out what to do next. He was not about to give up, but things were not looking very promising. No matter how bleak, though, he always kept trying until he was absolutely certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that he had exhausted every possible option. It was one of the things that Zayle admired about him.

  “What other callings do I know? The Disarm Calling. The Reveal Calling…THE REVEAL CALLING!” Kade said excitedly. “If the books are close, I may be able to see the protective Divine callings placed on them. With luck,” Kade said, feeling a bit of excitement at having something to try. It was a slim chance but it was something.

  Kade closed his eyes and started to concentrate. The slight trickle of Divine Power flowing through him felt good. The familiar tingling felt like an old friend that he could trust to always be there, but it was even more than that. The master had said that it has a slightly addictive quality and to be careful not to be seduced by it. He could see how someone could become addicted. It felt like power and it felt good.

  Taking a deep breath, his eyes darted back and forth behind his closed lids, looking for any sign of glow that would indicate that the Divine Power was present. Turning slowly and peering as hard as he could, Kade held his breath, hoping. He had turned three quarters of the way around when he saw a faint, blue light. His eyes flew open only to find he was facing the tree.

  Kade knelt down and studied the base of it closely. He examined the ground as his mind worked. What am I missing? he asked himself. Then, he saw it; faint scrape marks along the ground. He chastised himself for being so blind and refocused his mind. He studied the faint trail closely. Kneeling down slowly, not taking his eyes off the marks as though doing so would cause them to disappear, he ran his fingers over them.

  Getting down on his hands and knees, he followed the scrape marks around to the back side of the tree. They disappeared in some moss and behind a sparse growth that was just enough to hide a small opening. Kade closed his eyes and was rewarded with a strong vision of the Divine Power directly in front of him. A sense of relief washed through him as certainty settled in that he had located his precious tomes of knowledge.

  Calling up a small amount of Divine Power for light, Kade cast his hands toward the hole, preparing to reach in when he flinched back. His body reacted to a pair of eyes and a hiss even before his mind realized what was happening. His heart was pounding as he watched the hole intently, waiting for the owner of those eyes to come racing toward him. After several long seconds, he let out a breath that he was not aware he was holding and slowly crept back toward the hole.

  Kade called on the Divine Power for light once again and cast the illumination over the entrance. Slowly, moving closer and closer, he peered in intently, expecting the creature to come bolting out. Closer and closer he crept, and yet, he was met with complete silence. Ever so slowly he reached in to light the darkness. Two feet into the tree, his light fell across the bundle of books, but unfortunately, they also lit up the two eyes that were watching him closely.

  The eyes had an eerie white glow that made Kade stop and stare into them. The animal appeared to be as calm as if it was getting ready to lie down and go to sleep, but Kade knew better. It did not blink nor move and it did not even appear to be breathing. The animal shifted its gaze over Kade’s shoulder and panicked as its eyes went wide. It took a deep breath and emitted an ear piercing shriek that seemed to go on forever. Kade leapt back and bounced off Rayden. If he had been a little more observant, he would have noticed that the dragon’s muzzle was slowly creeping over his right shoulder.

  “You scared him,” Kade accused as he put his hand on the dragon’s muzzle and gave him a gentle push backward. Rayden resisted to a point, then huffed and sat back. Laughing at being sneaked up on by this lumbering beast, Kade turned back to the tree.

  Once again, lighting the small hole, Kade started to reach toward what he had hoped was a docile creature. He quickly changed his mind about the creature being docile. The closer he moved his hand, the more teeth it would bare. When Kade was just a mere six inches from the books, the small creature that could not weigh more than fifty pounds, had almost two inches of fang showing and was issuing a deadly hiss. It was not going to give up its prize very easily.

  Kade considered lunging for the books, but he knew, from the way the creature was tensing its muscles, it was not going to go well for him if he tried. He pulled his hand back slowly and the creature retracted its fangs proportionately. He reached forward again, but for every bit he moved forward, the creature would bare more and more of its fangs, tensing its muscles as if readying for a strike. There was sickly green ooze dripping off its fangs, causing Kade to grimace. He was not sure if that was poison, but he was not ready to take that chance.

  Running his callings through his mind, he was not able to find anything that would help. Again, he was at a loss, having so much power at his disposal, and yet, having nothing that would help retrieve the books. His eyes lingered and then he sighed, thinking there was probably a calling in them that could have helped with this situation. The irony of it did not sit well with him.

  He went to look over his shoulder at Rayden and almost smacked nose to nose with the dragon. It hardly noticed as it was intently focused on the hole. Shaking his head at being sneaked up on so easily again, Kade moved back to consider his options. Rayden moved closer to the hole and took several quick sniffs.

  “I think this is going to take a more delicate touch,” Kade said as he shoved the dragon’s head out of the way.

  Moving forward toward the hole, Kade peered in cautiously. The creature had not moved one inch and was still watching him intently. Kade’s heart jumped and his eyes widened as he saw the chew marks on the straps that were supposed to be securing the books. The straps were not in danger of breaking…yet. At least, from what he could see, they did not appear to be in danger of breaking.

  “Come out,” Kade coaxed. “If you don’t come out, I am going to have to come in and there is definitely not enough room for both of us.”

  Kade sat staring at the hole and smiled as his master’s favorite saying came to him. Zayle used to love saying, “For every problem, there is a solution.”

  Kade let his mind relax and then almost laughed out loud as the simplest solution possible came to mind. Still smiling, Kade got up and walked over to where the boar had been. Picking up a bone, he returned to the base of the tree.

  Kade slowly reached in with the food and stopped when the creature’s lip started to lift. He held still for several long moments. As he hoped, the creature’s nose started to twitch more and more as it took in the scent of the meat. Its eyes shifted between Kade and the bone as it considered the temptation of food. The more Kade sat still, the more the creature’s eyes would linger on the bone with its scarce pieces of meat still attached.

  Kade could not help but to smile. The moments dragged on, but the creature was becoming more and more interested in the food. It focused on the bone, and with its nose twitching furiously, started to stretch its neck. Kade moved back ever so slightly as the creature extended its head out as far as it could. Any further and it was going to have to take a step. Kade held still, waiting. His patience paid off. There was the first step. The creature darted quick glances at Kade, but only fo
r a moment, not wanting to take its eyes off the prize.

  Kade glanced over his shoulder momentarily, making sure there was room for him to move backward. He was expecting to see his dragon crowding him, but surprisingly, it was out of the way. The last thing he wanted was for Rayden to mess this up by scaring the creature back into hiding. Kade retreated and the creature moved with him. Half of its body was out of the hole when it stopped and nervously looked around. Content that it was safe, it refocused on the food.

  Kade moved back a couple more steps, trying to coax the creature the rest of the way out. It seemed to consider the bone but leaving the safety of the tree was something it was not accepting easily. Kade got the feeling that it was going to retreat and moved forward slightly to entice it again. Suddenly, there was a loud crashing of teeth that came together on the creature dragging it violently out of the hole in one swift movement.

  Kade was lying on his back, looking skyward, gasping from having the wind knocked out of him as his heart raced wildly. He could not even recall being pushed over. All he knew was that he was now on his back, looking up at the sky. He glanced at the dragon that had bitten down hard on its victim, formerly known as the creature. The dragon sensed Kade’s outrage through the link and froze, not understanding why Kade’s anger was growing.

  “No!” he yelled as he scrambled to his feet. “Drop it!” he commanded, feeling that he had betrayed the trust of this creature. Rayden sat there with it half dangling from his mouth. Kade could see that it was still alive and struggling to breathe, but it had taken serious injury from those long, sharp, dagger-like teeth.

  “Now!” Kade demanded as he stepped toward the dragon. It did not sit well with him that this creature was going to die like this. In a way, he felt like he had been dishonest with it. Rayden opened his mouth to let the creature hit the ground with a thud. Kade felt sick to his stomach. It flipped over a few times, showing signs of having a broken back. Kade did not hesitate to bring the Healing Calling to life. Ignoring its teeth and claws, Kade placed his hands on the silky fur and felt the Divine Power take hold. He completed the calling over and over, willing the creature back to life.