The Divine Path (The Divine Series) (21 page)

“I could not stand to think
of what would happen to you,” Kade said.  Like Raksin, he too could not bring himself to speak in a way that referred to her death.  “I think you are an excellent leader, and it would be a great loss if you were to be…,” Kade said, not finishing the statement.  “You showed us that when we first met.  All the spiders where willing to follow you without question.  Well, one did need a bit of encouragement to follow your direction,” Kade said with a sidelong glance.  “I would not want to see a clutch that I was willing to give my life for lose an excellent leader like you,” he said as he turned to look at the white spider.  And right then, he realized why the spiders meant so much to him in such a short time.  He had put his life on the line to save them, and because of that, their survival meant everything to him.  But, there was more to it than that.  They were a good-hearted civilization that he was proud to be a part of.  The fact that he very well may have brought the danger to them was not lost on him, but regardless, in the end, it worked out in their favor considerably.

“Thank you, Chosen.
  You have given me my life. I will never forget that.  Now, it is time for celebration.  You are our honored guest for the night.”

“Thank you,” Kade said as he smiled a genuine smile.  The queen turned
to leave and prepare for the night.

“Rakna,” Darcienna said, halting the queen in her tracks.

“Something troubles you?” Rakna asked, seeing a confused look on Darcienna’s face.

“I am having a hard time understanding something.  You have known us no more than a day, and yet, Kade is second in line for the throne.  Not only that, but he is to be king if Crayken falls in battle?” Darcienna asked.

“This confuses you?” Rakna asked.  Kade understood where she was going with this and found that he agreed with Darcienna’s thinking.  He listened eagerly, curious.

“It just does not make sense why the clutch would be willing to follow Kade after just one day.  As much as I wanted this for you and us, I never expected it to actually be possible.  We are human, and you are spiders.  But one day…and they accept him as their leader?”

“I see,” Rakna said as she let out a small laugh of amusement.  “You judge us by human standards.  As much as this is not possible among humans, it is easily accepted by spiders.  To be honest, I am shocked that not only was Kade willing to take on the mantle of leadership, but that he offered.”

This caught Darcienna off guard and she stood, gaping like a fish.  Kade found it amusing as he watched the interaction.  He could see where this was going, and it made more sense by the moment.  Rakna also found it amusing as she continued to explain.

“You say it is the fact that it was only one day?  Consider this; if Crayken were to die, the clutch would put me to death and then go out in search of another clutch to join.  You have a firm understanding of this, yes?”

“Yes, but…,” Darcienna said and stopped, waiting for the queen to help her understand.

“If the clutch were to join another king and queen, they would know them not at all.  It may be a day, but in that day, Kade proved himself to be a worthy leader that allows this clutch to stay together.  Also, the clutch would feel the loss of two leaders; one they lost through the act of fate, and the other they brought about by their own actions.  They would put me to death because it must be, not because they wanted it.  Kade has offered them a way to spare me.  So, yes, they were not only accepting of the idea, they were deeply grateful for it.  Kade, being a Chosen and vanquishing a feared enemy, has easily proven that he has the right to lead.  The only issue I felt might cause a problem is the fact that he is not a spider.  But, his character overcame that obstacle.”

“I see,” Darcienna said slowly as she absorbed all that Rakna had explained.  “I see,” she said more confidently as she focused on the queen.  “When you put it like that, it makes sense.”

“As I previously said, I am honored to offer myself for this clutch,” Kade said, feeling genuine affection for the queen.  “I understand why they cherish you so,” he said with a smile.

“Once again, you honor me with your words, second in line for the throne.  Now, I must go and make ready for the celebration,” Rakna said with a slight bow.  And with that, she moved off gracefully.

The dragon started to huff impatiently, eager for a feeding.  Kade worked the Food Calling, and by the twelfth piece of meat, he decided that he had made enough.  This was getting monotonous.  He needed to find a way to feed the dragon more efficiently. 

The food smelled so good that he decided to make som
e for him and Darcienna, also.  He hoped it would not be taken as offensive that he was not waiting for the feast, but his stomach was growling now.  They quickly ate their food and went in to see how preparations were coming along.  They gladly offered their assistance, starting to feel like one of the clutch.

Kade and Darcienna
were approaching the king and queen to offer their help when, suddenly, there was a commotion behind them that caused the spiders to buzz excitedly.  Kade turned to see several of them advancing on a black shape that had glided into the room.  Four spiders tried to corner the animal, but it was able to dodge them with ease.  If he did not recognize the animal right away, he would have definitely recognized the familiar sack of books it dragged across the floor.

“Kade!”
Darcienna exclaimed.

“I know,” Kade said as he moved to intercept the creature.  “Don’t h
urt him.  He is mine,” Kade called out as he knelt down.  Chance ran up to him and dropped the books, waiting for his reward.  It was hungrily licking its lips as it sat back on its haunches, waiting.  Its paws were together as though it were praying, ready to catch any tasty morsel Kade was willing to throw.

“I don’t know how you always manage to find my books
, even when I don’t know they are missing,” Kade said, chastising his silky, black friend. “But, taking them from my room does not count,” he finished with a chuckle.

“That’s a Mordra,” Rakna said.  “They are said to be able to sense the Divine itself.  I have never seen one before
, but from the descriptions I have been given by Valdry, I would have to say that that is exactly what we have here.”

“It can sense the Divine, eh
?” Darcienna asked while Kade affectionately stroked the silky fur.  “Maybe that’s why it is drawn to the books.  You did say there are some powerful callings placed on them,” she said as she tilted her head thoughtfully.

“How did you get it to bring yo
u the books?” Crayken asked as he moved closer to look at the creature.

“He feeds it,” Darcienna said simply.

“You may be right,” Kade said as Chance looked at him eagerly. 

The cr
eature’s eyes quickly went from Kade’s hands to his face and back again, eagerly waiting for Kade to go through the motions that would conjure fresh meat.  The Chosen stood and quickly conjured the food, causing Chance’s nose to start twitching furiously.  Kade laughed as he tossed it its undeserved reward.  The Mordra caught it in its hand-like paws and began to hungrily devour the food.  It curled up protectively around its meal with a wary eye on anyone that strayed too close.

             
“I have been meaning to ask something of you, if I may?” Kade said.

             
“Anything.  If it is within my power, consider it done,” Crayken promised.

             
“The queen says there is something in the caves where the black creatures live that I am looking for.  Is it possible to have her take me there?”

             
“If it is the queen’s wish, then let it be so.  I will not stand in your way,” Crayken said.

             
“Thank you,” Kade said as he bowed his head slightly, feeling it was the appropriate response.  The king responded with a slight nod of his head.

             
“Rakna?” Kade asked.

             
“I would be honored to assist you.  We will take two guards with us,” Rakna said as she signaled two of the spiders to join them.  “We leave now,” she said, surprising Kade.  He was not expecting such and expeditious departure.  Maybe tomorrow, but this very instant?  With a shrug of his shoulder and a glance at Darcienna, he accepted the plan.  “The caves are close enough that if we hurry, we can be back well before the feast begins,” she said as she headed for the stairs.

             
The small group exited the tree and quickly mounted the dragon.  The queen and her two subjects joined together and covered the dragon like a net just behind the wings.  The dragon looked back at the spiders, and Kade got the distinct impression that Rayden had to fight to keep from shivering.  Rayden craned his neck just a little further to look at Kade, and then with a mental sigh, turned and started out at a slow lope.  Kade could not help but to chuckle.  Rakna gave Kade a set of directions who, in turn gave them to the dragon.  Rayden altered course slightly as he ran over the open plains.  Kade relaxed, enjoying the wind flowing through his hair while he watched the land whisk by.

             
Just as the queen promised, they were at the caves in just over twenty minutes.  Kade felt excitement surge through the connection from Rayden and looked around for what had the dragon’s attention.  It started to dance eagerly as it impatiently waited for the riders to dismount.  Kade started to question Rayden when he saw something black shifting in the shadows.  There were several of the black creatures attempting to sneak up on them. 

Morphites,
Kade thought as he laughed and shook his head at the sheer stupidity of the race. 
Sneak up on a dragon?  Soon they are going to see that they should have been running in terror.

             
The riders dismounted in seconds, but even this was too long for the eager dragon.  The spiders had barely hit the ground when Rayden leapt after the closest of the creatures, and had it before it knew what hit it.  Kade marveled at the height that Rayden was able to get that thing.  The dragon pounced and leapt as he grabbed and flipped, getting as many as three of them in the air at a time.  Pure entertainment came through the bond between him and the dragon.  Rayden leapt and twisted as though he had not a care in the world while he played his little game.  Kade shook his head again and turned back to the queen, who was watching the dragon in awe.

             
“He has an interesting idea of what is fun,” Rakna said as she watched, unable to take her eyes off the dragon for several long moments.  She looked up and shielded her eyes from the sun as she watched them flip end over end.  As difficult as it was for her to turn away from this amazing display, she forced herself to focus on Kade.  “I believe the cave we are looking for is this one,” Rakna said as she indicated a large opening in the mountain. 

             
The queen glanced once more at the dragon and then headed toward the cave with the two guards in tow.  Kade fell in behind with Darcienna close at his side.  The queen stopped at the back of the cave as she studied a pile of rubble.

             
“Valdry said there was a tunnel here that was concealed by rocks, and from what I can see, this fits the description,” Rakna said.

             
Kade stepped close and analyzed the boulders.  At first, it looked like nothing more than rocks that had been piled along the back of a cave, but the closer he examined the area, the more he could see that there was, indeed, an opening.  He felt excitement growing in him as he reached down to grab the first of the boulders.  He strained, but because of the size of the rocks, the best he could do was to roll it out of the way.  They were a little less than half his size but more weight than he was able to lift.  Rolling was good enough.  The queen and her two guards joined in and helped clear the way.  An hour later there was enough of an opening to enter the tunnel.

             
“We will need light,” Rakna said as she looked at him, waiting.

She expects me to have unlimited powers,
Kade thought.  When he had time, he would tell her just how misinformed she was…maybe. 

Kade started to draw on the Divine to p
roduce light when he changed his mind.  He completed the Divine Fire Calling and held the seething flame up to guide them.  It did not light the way as well and the Light Calling, but he was good with the tradeoff.  This allowed him to be ready for attack in the event that they encountered resistance.  He was pleased with himself and confidently led the way as the light from the blue flame flickered off the walls.

“Your skill in the Divine never ceases to amaze me.  How do you hold th
e fire without it burning you?” Rakna asked as they worked their way down the tunnel.

“The Divine does not allow it to burn until I cast it.  It’s like
a formula.  The last ingredient to activate the calling fully is for me to cast it,” Kade said as he moved it closer to show her it held no heat.  Rakna flinched back but then slowly waved a leg over fire.  She nodded, impressed.  “If I was to throw the Divine Fire at a wall directly in front of me, I would feel the backlash of the heat,” Kade said casually as he turned and started to work his way down the tunnel once more.