The Divine Apprentice (The Divine Series)

by Allen J Johnston

  “Step back from the wood, and I will show you,” Kade said as he prepared the Fire Calling. He let the Divine Power envelop the wood, causing the logs to burst into flame.

  Dran stopped chewing and the food fell from his lips. Tracella and Adalm also stopped chewing and stared in awe. Torvod, was of course, impressed. Adalm was clinging to his mother in mortal fear. Tracella slowly turned, looked up at her husband and said, “He says he is the one the evil men were seeking.”

  Dran stood, frozen, looking at Kade, his face going white. The Apprentice Chosen feared that Dran had stopped breathing and was going to pass out if he did not inhale soon. Kade waited for the moment to pass and started to feel impatient. This was not the glorious moment he was expecting. He found it confusing that after displaying his amazing powers, he was not enjoying this as much as he thought he might.

  “You can do that, too,” Dran barely whispered. Every sense in Kade came alive as he replayed the last words spoken.

  “What do you mean…too?” Kade asked more forcefully than he intended. He was afraid he already knew the answer to his question.

  “There was this man that could do things like that,” Dran stammered.

  “He says he is one of the Chosen that the men were looking for,” Tracella said again while indicating Kade, her voice full of fear.

  Dran just stared at Kade as he worked through this. He was dealing with an internal struggle as indecision gripped him. After several seconds, he squared his shoulders, and in a confident voice, said, “If those men are looking for you, then obviously you are not with them. If you are against them, then I stand with you.”

  Tracella’s head whipped around so fast Kade would have thought she had whiplash. Her mouth went tight as her eyes started to smolder in anger. Dran feigned not to notice. Kade mentally cringed, knowing she was going to really let him have it when they were alone.

  “I mean what I say,” Dran said, holding his head high.

  Kade was touched by the man’s conviction. He looked from face to face as he considered Dran’s pledge. He thought about it only for a moment and then quickly came to the realization that he had to decline the offer. He shook his head slightly and stepped up to him. He placed both hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye. Dran tensed.

  “Thank you,” Kade said with deep compassion in his voice. “But you have a family to take care of, and I would never ask you to risk your life when they need you.”

  He nodded once but Kade was not convinced. There was a fire that had been kindled in the man’s heart and it was growing into a blaze. Kade feared that he was going to cost this family their father and husband. He recognized that blaze. He had the same fire in his heart for weeks until the giant lay dead.

  Tracella grabbed her husband’s arm and squeezed. He hesitated for a moment and then looked into his wife’s eyes. She glared hard at him but he glared just as hard back. She gasped in exasperation and dug her nails in but he still held his ground. If they meant this to be between them, they were failing miserably. Kade did his best not to notice.

  Settling down on the blanket, Kade spent the next hour telling the family all that had happened to him. Torvod sat in complete rapture as he soaked up every word that Kade spoke. Adalm sat close to his mother, never leaving her side. When Kade mentioned the grimalkin, he noticed Dran stiffen.

  “What town did you say you were from?” Kade asked, seeing the man’s reaction to the creature.

  “We have come from Arden,” Dran answered. Kade’s eyes came open wide and he leapt to his feet, startling the couple.

  “I am sorry but I must leave now! My mother and father live in that town and I need to get to them as soon as possible!” Kade said and sent a strong mental command to Rayden to prepare to leave immediately, causing him to jump. Kade grabbed his books and turned to run for the dragon when Dran grabbed him by the arm, holding him firmly. Kade spun around so fast the man let go and jumped back with his hands up.

  “Your parents are probably gone already. I am sure the men own the town by now,” Dran said, trying to placate him. “Who was your…,” Dran started to ask when he grunted from the impact of Tracella’s elbow in his ribs. “I am sorry,” Dran said sheepishly. “Who are your parents? Maybe we know if they got out of town,” he continued, his gaze shifting between his wife and Kade.

  “Garig and Judeen Stone. You might know my father. He is the town peace keeper,” Kade said while watching the couple’s expressions closely. They exchanged a knowing look. Kade felt a knot in his stomach and it was tightening by the second.

  “My father would not have left unless everyone was out safely or the men were turned aside. Am I correct? What is it that you know?” Kade demanded. “What has happened to my parents? Tell me!” Kade said as he felt a lump develop in his throat. He fought the panic and swallowed.

  “You are correct. They never left,” Dran said, compassion in his voice. His eyes held such a fierce look that Kade almost took a step back. “I will come with you!” Dran pledged, almost demanding to be allowed to join the fight. For one fleeting moment, Kade, once again, considered letting him come and then shook his head.

  “I cannot. It will be too dangerous!” he said, matching Dran’s fierceness. “You have your family to take care of. Once they are safe, then…maybe. I have to go now.”

  “Then at least take this sack for your books. You are bound to drop them if you continue to carry them like that,” Tracella said as she thrust the bag at Kade. He hesitated as he looked at Tracella, not wanting to take what meager belongings they had left. She put the sack to his chest and he quickly took it, shoving in the books. It was a relief.

  “This may also come in handy,” Dran said as he pulled the well-honed weapon from its sheath and handed it to him. Before the apprentice could refuse, Dran held up his hand and said, “I have another identical to that one. Take it.” Kade took the knife and slid it into his boot.

  He ran to the dragon, and with a much practiced acrobatic move, quickly bounded up the side of the dragon, landing squarely on its back. Rayden let out a fierce roar, causing the family to cringe. The young boy covered his ears and cowered behind his mother’s skirts. Torvod smiled and clapped his hands excitedly. Kade tied the sack in place and spurred the dragon.

  Dran watched as rider and mount disappeared into the woods. He was focusing so hard that he did not hear his wife say his name until she shook him by the shoulders. She grabbed him by the arm and turned him, or tried to turn him, but Dran was too focused as his mind worked.

  “Dran!” Tracella said as a warning. “No!” He glanced at her, and for several long moments, they locked eyes. “Husband, what fool thing are you considering?” she asked as her voice broke. She was on the verge of crying.

  Without answering his wife, Dran quickly packed up their possessions and headed toward sanctuary at a much quicker pace than they had been previously moving. Stopping after just a few steps, Dran looked around for the eyes he felt on him. There, in the weeds, almost invisible, was a black, silky creature with one bent ear. After just a few moments of studying each other, they both moved off in different directions.

  Tracella watched after her husband, feeling exasperation growing, knowing that he would not share his thoughts with her until it was too late. She also knew that once his mind was made up, whether logical or not, he could not and would not be swayed. She was afraid to press him more. When he kept something from her, it usually meant she was not going to like it. She started down the path after her husband. A flash of something black moving through the brush caught her attention. When she stopped to look for it, there was nothing. With a shrug of her shoulders, she turned and followed after Dran.

  *CH6*

  Kade hunched over Rayden’s back to keep the wind out of his face. The only thing that mattered was that his mother and father were in grave danger because of him, and he had to get to them in all haste. Kade did his best to be positive by telling himself that his parents were safe, but i
n his heart, he feared the worst.

  If you hurt my parents, Kade thought to the unknown evil as his lips curled. He knew his father was very clever and extremely capable of handling almost any situation, but this had to be too much for him to deal with. If Zayle, the most powerful Chosen could fall, then clearly an ordinary man would have no chance.

  Kade fought to keep his mind from torturing him with all the horrors that his parents could be experiencing, but failed miserably. The thought his parent’s lives might be in peril at that very moment was twisting his gut in knots.

  The dragon, sensing Kade’s panic, surged constantly. As much as he tried to shield his mind from the dragon so it would pace itself, his thoughts would, inevitably, return to visualizing all the suffering that his parents may be experiencing. He had to find a way to keep his mind from visualizing the worst.

  “Pace yourself, my friend. You must not push yourself this hard or you will wear out too fast,” Kade pleaded.

  Rayden slowed considerably but Kade could tell that it was as if the dragon were pulling against unseen chains as it fought to maintain a consistent pace. It was torture for both the rider and dragon. He knew he had to content himself with this, as it was the best he was going to get. Hopefully, the dragon would find a speed it could keep, but he feared the worst.

  Maybe they won’t know who my mother and father are. Maybe they are just looking for me, Kade thought, but still, he was unable to remove the knot in his stomach. Well, if they did find out who they are, I am sure they would keep them alive for leverage, if nothing else, he considered, seeing just a small ray of hope slip through the clouds of doom. Of course, they would most likely resort to some form of torture first to get what information they could, he thought as his heart constricted.

  The dragon surged again and Kade quickly chastised himself once more for broadcasting his thoughts of dread. His hands started to feel slippery against the dragon’s hide. He wiped them on his pants to dry them, but it only helped temporarily.

  The trees and land were a blur as they raced along, but even at that pace, they would not get to Arden fast enough. He forced his mind to stop thinking and made himself look around at the landscape. None of the area looked familiar, yet.

  Kade needed something to distract his mind or he was going to howl in frustration. He considered his recent lessons in the Divine and started running the moves over and over in his head. After a while, his mind drifted back to the first and simplest calling he had ever performed. It was the calling for light. The only requirement was to channel the Divine into his body, urge it into his hand and hold it there while shaping his hand as if he were holding a bowl. Then, he just needed to let it build. The more of the Divine he let fill the calling, the more it would glow and turn to light. He was thoroughly amazed at this easy calling when he first learned it. He recalled how his master even forbade him from making light because of how much he used the calling. For a brief moment, he almost laughed as he recalled his master’s sarcasm.

  “You would never know night ever came with how much you use that calling,” Zayle had quipped.

  In the blink of an eye, Kade felt sadness threaten to slip into his mind at thoughts of his master and he quickly changed his focus to that of another calling, the calling to look for Divine Power. Thinking back on his exercises, Kade smiled. Zayle would make a game out of his lessons which made learning fun and easy. The Master Chosen would cast the Divine on something in the cabin and Kade was to find that object. Again, thoughts of his beloved master made his heart hurt. With regret, he realized that any calling he thought about was going to remind him of Zayle, which was only going to depress him, so he cleared his head and focused on his surroundings for the second time.

  As his eyes took in the landscape, he realized that it was a little familiar. He was making great time as more of what he saw looked recognizable, but still, he guessed that he had a good solid day of riding ahead of him. In an attempt to stay positive, he reminded himself that this should have been an eight day journey. That was something.

  The dragon’s head came up sharply, causing Kade to flinch. As he was about to ask the dragon what it sensed, he saw what had gotten Rayden’s attention. Off in the distance, Kade could see a large winged creature flying in circles while spitting something from its mouth. It looked odd, even from this distance. At first, Kade thought it could be a dragon but quickly discarded that thought as it had none of the grace of Rayden, and it was shaped all wrong.

  “What is it?” Kade asked, forgetting his family for the moment, alert for danger. He opened his mind up to Rayden as much as possible. He found that when he consciously tried to connect with the dragon, he was able to get a stronger sense of what it was trying to communicate. It was almost as good as if the dragon had spoken. Almost. Rayden was as confused as Kade about the flying creature.

  His parents flashed through his mind, reminding him of his current course, but his intuition told him he should not ignore this. Indecision had him in its grip. He quickly glanced in the direction of his hometown and then back to the creature off in the distance. It had dipped below the tree line momentarily as it swooped down on something only to rise unsteadily back into the air again. Clearly there was something wrong here, but he did not have time to waste looking into this. He clenched his jaw tightly as he brought Rayden to a stop, watching for just a moment more as his mind worked, trying to decide if he should continue on or investigate. His parents flashed through his mind again and the decision was made.

  “Come on Rayden. This is not for us. We have other important things we must attend,” Kade said and urged his mount forward. The dragon launched with a powerful burst of its legs when Kade heard…something. “Stop!” Kade commanded.

  The dragon stopped so fast that Kade slid from his seat and almost came off completely. After moving back into position, he turned to look in the direction of the creature. He was not sure what he heard, but he knew it was something important. He listened hard. He sifted through the sounds that were coming to him, but there was nothing that he thought was important enough to interrupt his race for Arden. And then he heard it. It was a woman’s scream. And not just a scream, but a scream of terror. Kade felt anger in him start to grow as he watched the creature, envisioning it attacking a helpless woman.

  “Rayden, head for that vile beast. Its time has come to an end,” Kade said as his heart started to pump at the thought of battle again. Rayden roared his eagerness to enter the fight. Kade sensed the dragon’s thoughts and grinned. Rayden felt no fear because he believed in Kade and trusted him.

  The dragon had good reason to believe in me, he thought as he felt the Divine swirl within him. He was going to save this unknown woman, and rip the life out of whatever that thing was.

  Rayden sensed Kade’s blood lust and shared in it as he set off at a break neck speed, almost unseating his rider. The dragon lowered its head and tore at the ground with fury as he locked onto the creature. Kade’s heals came up as he rocked backwards. He reached for the dragon’s ridges and barely got a grip. Pulling himself forward and settling into place, his eyes scanned the sky for the beast. Kade directed Rayden to stay under the cover of the trees so as to not be detected as they approached. Rayden protested momentarily, wanting to attack the creature but then complied.

  The closer they got, the more they could see of the flying creature. It was nothing like a dragon at all. It had none of the agility or grace and it was bulky instead of streamlined. This creature appeared to have claws on the ends of its wings that worked as hands when it was on the ground. It was the color of gray ash like the ash from a day old fire. It had deep, shiny, black talons that seemed to glisten in the sun. It was not as big as the dragon, but it was a solid block of muscle. When it screeched, it sounded as though it had something lodged in its throat. Its shrieks were not nearly as loud as the dragons, but then it was not the shrieks that were of concern. Its head almost looked like a horse with pure black eyes but the nose was far too sho
rt. Its ears were small and pressed flat against the sides of its head.

  Kade could see the muscles rippled along its body as it made a turn in flight and prepared to make another pass. It was clumsier than Kade would have expected as it wheeled in the air as if trying to get its balance. It even appeared that the creature could not get itself organized enough to stay in flight, as though at any moment it should just give up and fall to the ground. Just when it seemed hopeless, it would stabilize and be on its way for another pass. Kade was certain it would more than make up for its lack of prowess in the air with its ground abilities.

  The cabin was just coming into view as they moved through the trees. To Kade’s horror, he could hear the sound of a boy crying. So far, he had not been discovered, but he was on the verge of not caring and charging in. He untied the sack of books and slid down off the dragon, moving quickly up to the last remaining trees. Rayden followed Kade’s lead, staying low to the ground and keeping as quiet as possible. Surprisingly, the dragon was making only slight sounds as it slid past trees and brush alike.

  There is a boy in there. We must help at all cost, he thought, letting the books settle to the ground as he started to call up the Divine Power for the Fire Calling. Just as he was on the verge of pushing through the last of the foliage, he caught sight of something as tall as the dragon. It was raising its massive club-like hands and bringing them down with such force that Kade was sure its target would be crushed. He could feel the impact from where he stood. The creature was made for crushing. Its clumsy fists closed to form the shape of boulders. It was humanoid in shape with what looked like a bulls head with horns. Its bare chest heaved with muscles from using its massive arms. It had a loincloth held up with a simple rope. It was a bronze color as if it were in the sun all the time. It had massive feet that could stomp a man into the ground easily. It would slowly lift its hands up as if they were too much weight, even for itself, and then clench them tightly, bringing them down with all its might.