The Divine Unleashed (Book 3)

by Allen J Johnston

  Kade climbed out of bed and took his time dressing, making sure to keep quiet. He moved to the door and slipped into the hallway. As he slowly closed the door, Ven turned toward him, watching curiously.

  “Is there a problem?” Ven asked.

  “As a matter of fact, right now, everything could not be better,” Kade said, the memory of his activities still fresh on his mind.

  “Would you like me to accompany you?” Ven asked.

  “No. You stay here and guard the door,” Kade said as he turned to go.

  “Are you sure?” Ven asked, a little more insistently. Something in her voice caught his attention and brought him to a stop. He turned back toward her, curious. “She does not really like me much, does she?” Ven asked. And then, Kade understood. Ven did not want to be at the mercy of Darcienna’s wrath without Kade there to protect her. It was not as if Darcienna tried to hide her ire.

  “She just does not share me very well,” Kade said.

  “I mean her no harm,” Ven said innocently. Kade had no doubt that she spoke the truth.

  “She will adjust,” Kade said confidently with a smile. He considering giving her a reassuring hug and mussing her hair to lighten the mood, but with his luck, Darcienna would choose right then to walk out the door. He left it at just a smile and turned to walk down the tunnel for the exit.

  He worked his way up the stairs and out into the night air. He was still overheated from his activity so the cool air actually felt good. No, not just good, but great. The dragon raised its head and looked over at him, happiness drifting through the link. Kade walked up and scratched under the dragon’s jaw. Rayden radiated pleasure. Kade could not help but to smile.

  “How is my friend doing?” Kade asked.

  Rayden let out a deep rumble of pleasure as Kade found that one spot that made the dragon purr. Kade smiled as his friend stretched out his neck and twisted his head to the side. Rayden’s eyes closed as he soaked up the affection. Kade stifled a laugh as he watched the dragon start to bob its head. He scratched until his fingers started to cramp and then patted his dragon to indicate the spoiling was over. He leaned against Rayden and looked up at the sky.

  The stars were out by the thousands. Both moons were on the other side of the planet, leaving the stars to shine brightly. The world seemed peaceful and quiet. Kade put his back to the dragon and slid down. He pulled his knees to his chest and let the peacefulness of nature seep into his soul. The sounds of the night were calming and helped his mind slow. This was a welcomed change. He knew it was going to be short lived, but he enjoyed it, nevertheless.

  “You are a better friend than I could have ever hoped for,” Kade said as he laid his head back against the dragon, turned his head and looked into its eyes. “You have put your life on the line and saved me more times than I can count. I will always cherish you.” Rayden shifted to curl around him.

  “May I join you?” Darcienna asked, causing both dragon and man to jump.

  “Blood and Ash, woman! Don’t sneak up on us like that!” Kade exclaimed as he settled back against the dragon, his hand clenching his chest over his heart.

  “Was that a yes?” Darcienna asked with a grin.

  “Of course,” Kade said, as he slid over a little. “I thought you were asleep,” Kade said as she slid down next to him.

  “I was until you got out of bed,” Darcienna said as she glanced sidelong at him. “It felt lonely without you in there so I got up and was going to join you. I saw you talking to Ven through the crack in the door and thought I would give you some time to chat with her,” she said as she looked out over the open plains. Kade swallowed hard, feeling he had just barely dodged another disaster. He was very happy he passed on that hug. “I did lie back down after you walked out, but it was too quiet so I came to find you.”

  “And, you found me,” Kade said as he placed his arm around her. She turned toward him, leaning into his embrace, pulled her knees up and let them fall over his legs while putting her hand on his chest.

  “You don’t have any regrets, do you?” Darcienna asked.

  Kade was about to ask her what exactly she was talking about when his inner voice screamed at him. She is a woman, it reminded him. If you ask that, she will assume that there is something that you do regret and she will have all kinds of suspicions that will take you a day, if not more, to recover from. Just assume it is about everything. Be smart here. There is only one safe answer.

  “No.” He said casually. He was paying very close attention to her to make sure it was the right answer. So far, it seemed that it was. “Do you?” he asked.

  “Of course not,” Darcienna said with a smile. After a long pause, she looked up at him. “Did you expect something different?” she asked sweetly.

  Kade felt alarm bells going off. He felt he was walking through a field riddled with callings. This was supposed to be relaxing, so why did it feel, as though at any moment, this could end in disaster. Maybe not saying anything was best. No. If he said nothing, she would assume the worst.

  “What else would I expect?” Kade asked, proud that he had come up with a clever response that was going to keep him out of trouble.

  “Why did you take so long to answer?” Darcienna asked innocently as she looked him in the eye. “You…meant what you said…right?”

  “Absolutely,” Kade said with conviction. This was an easy one. Now, if he could only bloody well figure out what he had said that seemed to matter, he could work this out.

  “Good,” Darcienna said as she leaned into him again and took her hand from his chest to hug him around the waist. “I would not want you to say that if you did not mean it.”

  “I meant it or I would not have said it,” Kade said, still feeling like sharks were circling his life raft.

  “Say it again,” Darcienna said with her head still against his chest. If Kade could see the look in her eye, he may have seen the mischievous glint, but unfortunately for him, he could not.

  “I said a lot of things. I meant them if I said them,” Kade said, wanting to end the conversation. Darcienna giggled just a little.

  “You big ox. You don’t even know what you said,” Darcienna chided. Kade exhaled in exasperation.

  “Woman, you have been toying with me this entire time, haven’t you?” Kade asked in frustration but also in relief.

  “Maybe just a little. I do enjoy seeing you squirm,” Darcienna said and let out a laugh that made his heart sing, even though it was at his expense.

  “Would you mind telling me what I said that seemed to be so bloody important?” Kade asked.

  “You said…you love me,” Darcienna said playfully, but there was a slight edge to it as she paid close attention to his response.

  “Oh. I said that, eh?” Kade responded as he pretended to think. Darcienna sat up as she watched him. “When did I say that?” Kade asked, trying hard to keep the smile from his face.

  “You really have to work on your lying skills if that is the best you can do,” Darcienna said as the smile reached her eyes. She beamed with joy as she radiated love. Her laugh echoed across the land. Kade felt happiness flood through him like the sun fills the land on a cloudless day.

  “Am I that obvious?” Kade asked, joining her with laughter of his own. A smile spread across his face so open and honest that it touched her heart. Her tough Chosen warrior was putty in her hands, and she knew it.

  “You tensed up solid as a rock when I asked,” Darcienna said as she smiled and shrugged, giving away her secret. “You are a man. You say things without realizing what you say, but I knew you meant it,” she finished with a gleam in her eye.

  “Well, I will practice so I can be as good as you, then,” Kade said as he trapped her arm around his waist and tickled her sides. She squirmed and laughed and he laughed right along with her. The dragon watched them with curiosity, but sensing nothing of danger in the link, it laid its head on the ground.

  They played for a good few minutes until she put her
hands up in surrender. They fell back against the ground, breathing just a little heavy as they stared up at the sky. Kade could barely make out the few clouds that had drifted in as the stars winked out only to return a moment later. The silence stretched on, and then suddenly, he recalled his meeting in the tunnel at the arch. Jorell.

  “I have something to tell you. I have been waiting for the right time, and I guess this is as good a time as any,” Kade said as he sat up and leaned over her, locking eyes with her. She raised her brow in curiosity and then sat up, sensing it was important.

  “I saw Jorell,” Kade said.

  “I know,” Darcienna said as she looked at him in confusion. “We buried her, Kade. Why would you tell me that?” The smile in her eyes melted away at the painful reminder.

  “I mean, I saw her when I was in the tunnel,” Kade said as he studied her face. Her eyes slowly opened wide as she stared at him.

  “When you went through the arch?” Darcienna asked, almost in a whisper.

  “I did not go through the arch. They came to me,” Kade said as he reached out a hand to cover hers.

  “She was there? She was in the room with us?” Darcienna asked, her eyes starting to moisten.

  “Yes. Well…she was still in the arch, but yes, she was there.”

  “Could she see me?” Darcienna asked as her eyes started to spill over.

  “She could,” Kade said simply, his heart starting to ache.

  “What did she say?” Darcienna asked as she wiped a tear from her cheek.

  “She said, as long as I take care of you that you will take care of me.”

  “How did she…what did you tell her?” Darcienna asked as hundreds of questions raced through her mind.

  “I did not need to tell her anything. She is very wise, Darcienna.”

  “Yes,” she said as she smiled back at him. Kade reached over, and ever so gently, wiped the next tear away.

  “Now, enough of this crying,” he said as he leaned forward and put his forehead against hers.

  “Is it possible for me to talk to her sometime?” Darcienna asked as another tear spilled over. Kade was expecting a little of this, but she was truly broken hearted, and this was hard for him to handle. The more she suffered, the more his hate for Morg grew. He put his arms around her and held her tightly, hoping to calm her suffering heart.

  “We can talk about that later. For now, let’s just…,” Kade started to say but could not find the right words to finish what he wanted to say. He let out a sigh and just held her. She broke down as the floodgates within her opened wide. The wall she had erected around her heart crumbled to dust. She wept long and hard. She missed her teacher dearly and the pain was flowing through her heart like a torrent. Kade felt his eyes water as her pain filled him. He was at a complete loss as to what he should do so he did nothing.

  Darcienna leaned back and looked up into his eyes. Kade quickly went to turn his head to hide his emotions when she put her hand on his cheek and turned his face back. She reached up and wiped the tear away that was forming at the edge of his eye. She leaned up and kissed him deeply for several long seconds. Her kiss tasted slightly salty from the tears that had run along the edge of her mouth, but that did not take away from the love he felt in that embrace. She pulled back just far enough to look him in the eye.

  “I love you,” Darcienna whispered just barely loud enough for him to hear. He was not sure what he had done that deserved such a powerful declaration, but he was glad for it, nonetheless. Maybe it was the hug, he pondered. Maybe it was that he told her about Jorell. Maybe he would never know.

  “I love you, too,” Kade said and bent down to kiss her again. Darcienna leaned into him and he wrapped his arms around her.

  “We have a long day ahead of us. We should get some rest,” Kade said as he gently leaned her back. She nodded in agreement so he stood and offered her his hand. She curled her soft fingers into his and he pulled her to her feet.

  “I think a good night’s rest right about now sounds great,” Darcienna said, exhaustion evident in her voice. She was mentally worn out and her red-rimmed eyes were proof of this.

  Without saying another word, Kade took her gently by the hand and turned for the tree. Before he could reach the entrance, something came through the link from the dragon. Kade turned to study Rayden as he titled his head to the side, listening to the thoughts.

  “You have got to be kidding,” Kade said, just short of exasperation. The dragon was hungry…again!

  “Rayden is dying of starvation,” Kade said with sarcasm to Darcienna as he readied himself to cook. The dragon easily recognized that Kade was preparing to conjure food and jumped up, eager for the late night meal.

  “Well, you better feed him before he wastes away,” Darcienna said as she walked up to the bottomless pit and patted it on the side. The dragon spared her a quick glance but turned its eager gaze back to Kade.

  “Yes, I can see he is on the verge of collapsing,” Kade said playfully as he chuckled. “It just takes so long to feed him, and it never seems to be enough,” he said as he planted his feet and tried to clear his mind. He was grateful that this calling was not too dangerous. Typically, the less moves in a calling, the less danger if something were to go wrong.

  “You were trying to make a larger piece of meat before, weren’t you?” Darcienna asked and then continued on without waiting for a response. “Why don’t you work on that?”

  “I guess I can give it a try, but I have my doubts,” Kade said as he closed his eyes, preparing for the calling.

  Kade opened his eyes and went through the moves while envisioning a piece of meat twice the size as normal. It materialized…but just barely. Kade could feel it threaten to fall apart just before it formed. Yes, that was his limit.

  “That was better,” Darcienna said with encouragement.

  “But, that is the best I can do,” Kade said, not very enthusiastic at all.

  “Why are you not able to make it larger?”

  “It is just…I can’t seem to channel more of the Divine into the calling. It is like our previous efforts. I just can’t get past the block.”

  “Maybe if you try different ways of calling on the Divine. How do you call on it when it has been more than normal?”

  “I…have only been able to draw on more when I am angry,” Kade said. “Doren says my gift is my ability to channel unlimited amounts of the Divine, but what good is it if I can only channel when I am so angry I can’t think? And how can I be angry when I am making food?” Kade asked as he shook his head.

  “There has to be a way. It can’t be just when you are angry. It just can’t be or you would become too dangerous. No man can safely make decisions while angry; not and command such power as you can,” Darcienna said, trying to be confident.

  “I would hope you are right,” Kade said, frustrated.

  “Just keep trying. You have to be able to do this. I just feel I am right about this,” Darcienna said, not willing to accept failure.

  Kade cleared his head and felt for the Divine. He opened himself up, pulling on the ancient power with all his will. He completely shut out the world and focused on the flow within. He opened himself up, again, as he called on the meat, but…it failed to materialize. He tried to create a piece equal to the one he had conjured just moments before, but even that one fizzled and fell apart.

  “It just…does not want to do as I say,” Kade said with his eyes still closed.

  He called on the Divine, again, but like the last time, the meat did not materialize. He huffed in exasperation. He took several steadying breaths and tried again. Again, failure.

  If I could just repeat the calling like I did at first, that would be progress, he thought. His frustration grew and so did his anger. Darcienna watched, hoping to see the food materialize, but time after time, he failed. Even when he was angry, he failed.

  “Do I truly need to be enraged to the point of no rational thinking?” Kade asked of no one in particu
lar. “Blood and Ash!” he swore. “It just will not do as I say,” he growled as he looked for something on which to vent his anger. “No matter how much I try to increase the flow, it just won’t change,” he said though clenched teeth.

  “Maybe we should try again later. There has to be something we are missing. We will figure out what triggers your ability, but a break would do you good,” Darcienna said with confidence. Kade wished he could join her in her optimism, but his gut said otherwise. The more he tried, the more doubt grew in his heart.

  “Maybe later,” Kade said as he looked into her tired eyes, letting the anger ebb away. Regretfully, he began making the normal size of meat. Ten pieces later, he decided it was enough. “I think we should get some rest,” he said as he patted Rayden on the neck and turned for the tree.

  They worked their way back through the Great Hall and down to their chamber. Kade paused, seeing Chance sitting just outside the door to their room. Something about the way the animal looked at him did not feel…well…not wrong but not the same. Darcienna saw Kade’s look and cocked her head at him.

  “Ven?” Kade asked of the creature as he narrowed his eyes.

  The black, silky creature shifted and grew into the beautiful, young girl. Darcienna squeezed Kade’s hand. He was not sure if it was for the tight fitting outfit that Ven was wearing or the fact that Darcienna had just been fooled by the shapeshifter. She gave Kade a warning glance with a tightlipped look of displeasure.

  “Was I convincing?” Ven asked.

  “For the most part,” Kade said cautiously. Ven beamed at the praise. Kade looked at her, puzzled. It was not that strong a compliment but she reacted as if it were.