The Divine Path (The Divine Series) (28 page)

“Shut up you sniveling little girl,” he snarled.  “Or I will shut you up permanently.  I don’t know where they found you
, but I don’t like you and I will send you back in a box.  Your pants reek of the coward you are,” he said as he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

  The old man raised his hand
as if to back hand the coward.  He decided against hitting him only because he did not want to hurt his hand on this worthless, sniveling, pathetic excuse of a man.  He shook his head instead and spat in disgust.  He pointed at the cage Darcienna was in as he spoke.

“Keep an eye on her.  If she does anything, kil
l her,” the old man said.  Man-boy turned white as a sheet as he glanced at those blue eyes.  But, as he watched, they started to fade.  Right then, the other man, who now had a broken nose after his fall, stumbled over to stand in front of her cage.

Darcienna focused on Kade to see if there was any movement.  His form still showed no signs of coming to any
time soon.  It would take time, but if she was right, it would not take the week that Vell expected.  Time might just be on her side, but that was yet to be seen.

“Darcienna,” said a voice further down the row of cells.  The familiar voice shocked her out of her own thoughts.

“Judeen?” Darcienna asked, not expecting to see her again.

“Yes.  Are you okay?” Judeen asked.

“I am.  Do you know what they did with my boy?” Darcienna asked, almost pleading.

“I have him.  They believe you will
behave, knowing he is still alive and knowing they could take him from you at any time.”

“Don’t forget it,” the old man said in a threatening voice.

Darcienna glided to the edge of the cage as if he were the one behind bars.  She locked eyes with him.  He blinked first.

“You
ain’t worth it,” he said as he swallowed hard and moved away.

“How are you, Judeen
?” Darcienna asked.

“About as good as I can be
, under the circumstances.  How is Kade?  Is he going to be alright?” she asked, trying to hide her fear.

“I’m not sure.  They gave him some kind of drug that is supposed to keep him unconscious until Morg get
s here,” Darcienna said.

“Who’s there?
” a weak voice called from the end of the hall.

“Garig?”
Judeen asked as she raced to the front of the cell.

“Yes,” he said as he struggled to stand.  “Is that you, Judeen?”

“Yes,” she said with such relief that she almost cried.  “We fell into a trap set by one of Morg’s men.  What happened to you?  Are you alright?” Judeen asked in a rush.

“Yes.  Apparently Morg has agents in every town in all directions for days
,” Garig said as he pressed against the bars to look down the row toward his wife.  “I did not know you were coming to town.”

“We were not
, until we decided to buy Kade some clothes.”

“Kade?
  He is here?  Why?”

“He needed to come back to the house for something he left,” Judeen said, praying he would not ask what.  He was sure to become enraged if he knew that a book empowered by the Divine was left under his roof.

“I see,” Garig said, breathing deeply and stretching.  “How is everyone else?”

“I am okay,” Darcienna said.  “They hit me a few times
, but it is going to take more than that to keep me down,” she said as she raised her voice.  “And wait until you see how I make them suffer,” she said for their captor’s benefit.  There was frantic talk at the end of the hall until the old man could be heard telling Man-boy to shut up.  Darcienna smiled to herself, satisfied that she had hit home with her comment.

“My son sure can pick them,” Garig said.

“Who says he was the one doing the picking?” Darcienna added sweetly.

“Well, it’s good to see you still have your sense of humor,” Garig said.

They continued to talk for several hours, careful with what they said, as they were certain there was always a chance of being overheard.  Darcienna steadfastly watched Kade for any movement.  She started to have her doubts about her plan working.

None of the men wanted to stay in the cell area for fear of those blue eyes.  The
y took turns coming in and checking on them but would quickly retreat to slam the door shut and lock it.  Broke-nose came in first and would not even so much as glance in Darcienna’s direction, then Man-boy for the next hour followed by the old man.  They all seemed most concerned with Kade, but none forgot about Darcienna and her threat.

After some serious deliberations, the men decided to slit Darcienna’s throat. 
However, after they agreed it was a good idea, none of them wanted to complete the task.  Finally, the old man looked on Man-boy and Broke-nose with disgust and headed for the dungeon.  He opened the heavy, wooden door, walked through and stopped in front of her cell.  Darcienna stood defiant, glaring.  She moved closer to him, and he flinched.  He swallowed hard as he looked into those eyes that were so bright now he would swear they were pure lightning.  He swallowed hard again, turned and quickly retreated up the stairs.

“You didn’t do it,”
Broke-nose said accusingly, confronting the old man.  He got a solid hit directly in the nose for that comment and Broke-nose started to bleed again.

“You bastard,”
Broke-nose screamed.  “I should kill you,” he said, drawing his boot knife.

“You go ahead and try,”
the old man said, sitting down on a log by a fire while turning his back to Broke-nose.  The old man was a grizzled veteran and he knew that Broke-nose would not even consider following through on his threat, even with his back turned to him.  “You think it’s so easy? Then you go do it.  I ain’t touchin’ her.  I ain’t doin’ a bloody thing with her.  She can rot for all I care, but I ain’t going near her again,” he said with such finality that both men knew it to be true.  Man-boy even thought that maybe the threat of Morg might not be enough to get him in a cell with her.  Broke-nose walked to the other side of the fire and plopped down on a log while jamming his knife back into his boot.  He grabbed a cloth from his pocket and pressed it to his nose to stop the bleeding.

“You did not have to hit me,” he scolded.

“Well now you know I am serious,” the old man grumped.

“What do we do if that
Chosen wakes up?” Man-boy asked.

“We will decide that if and when it happens,” the old man said, trying to sound unconcerned
, but clearly it had him on pins and needles.  What the other two did not know was that the old man was considering dropping this entire operation and running as fast and far as he could.  He did not get to be as old as he was by not knowing when to fold his cards and retreat, no matter the amount of money involved…even if he thought he had a winning hand.

“We could just slit his throat,”
Broke-nose said while dragging his finger across his neck and making a sound to match.  Broke nose was clearly the least intelligent of the group.

The old man looked at
Broke-nose as though he were looking at a child.  The level of ignorance, and a clear lack of understanding of the consequence of such an act left him speechless.  It was one thing to leave, but it was very much another thing to kill the person that Morg wanted above all else.  Without this Chosen to occupy Morg, they would, most likely, be the next target for his revenge.  No.  Killing this man was not an option.

“If you ever utter that again,
I will end you where you sit!” the old man raged as he shot to his feet.  Spittle was flying from his mouth as he spoke.  The two men sank in their seats.  “I do not know where they found you two bumbling little children, but if you want to live, you will stop thinking.  If I don’t kill you, then Vell will, and if he does not, I dread to think of how much Morg is going to make you suffer.  Now shut up, and don’t even say another word,” the old man said as his hand moved to his knife at his side in a practiced move that said he could have it out and bloody in the blink of an eye.

Both men looked at each other
, but neither dared say a word.  Man-boy considered holding his ground as he was not a coward, or at least, he told himself this.  He decided it was his idea to stay quiet and let it go. 

Knife or no knife,
he better watch his tongue, or he will lose it,
Man-boy thought to himself as he looked into the fire.  He stole glances at the grizzled fighter and flinched when the old man tossed something into the flames.

Back in the cell, Judeen breathed a sigh of relief.  She quickly moved to the entrance, watching the door at the end of the row.  Satisfied they were alone, she hissed to Darcienna.

“What was that?” Judeen asked in concern.

“They decided to kill me but could not follow through.  I make th
em too uncomfortable,” Darcienna whispered.

“How did you know
?” Judeen asked.

“It’s my gift,” Darcienna said as if that was all that was needed.  She was not about to tell them that her gift fired off strong
ly because of their intent to take her life.  Ironically, their attempt to take her life is what saved her.  The glowing blue eyes were too much for them to take.  She was not willing to explain any more in the event that the men could overhear.

Kade h
eard the voice of Darcienna drift into his thoughts.  He tried to focus on her words but found it difficult.  He struggled to figure out where he was but came up blank.  He lay still, listening to the sweet sound of Darcienna and felt himself drifting toward her.  The closer he got, the more things he could sense and feel.  His hands were tied behind his back.  He could smell dirt from the floor, and it made it hard for him to breathe.  He rolled onto his back as he listened to other voices that also seemed familiar.  He pried his eyes open and saw he was in a cell.  He looked through the bars and saw a pair of bright, glowing eyes looking down the row of cells.  It took a moment for him to realize what he was seeing.  Relief flooded through him as he looked upon those beautiful, blazing, rivers of blue and listened to her.

“Darcienna,” Kade said in a dry
, hoarse voice.  Almost no sound came out so he cleared his throat and swallowed to get some moisture worked up so he could talk.  “Darcienna,” Kade said.  She was already looking at him.

“Kade.
  Keep your voice very, very quiet.  They think you are going to be out for a week.  We must let them think that,” Darcienna hissed.  “Are you ok?”

“No,” Kade said through tight lips.  “My head is pounding and my whole body hurts.  What happened?”

“We fell into a trap.  That was not your father we were talking to in the tavern.  It was a shapeshifter.  He calls himself Vell,” Darcienna whispered.

“I figured something like that just before I passed out,” Kade said as he recalled the last few moments just before the drugs took full effect.

“Kade, we need to get you out of here.  Morg will be here by tomorrow.  The shapeshifter is going to get him as we speak,” Darcienna said as she struggled to be as quiet as possible.

“Do you have any ideas?  My hands are tied behind my back,” Kade said as his muscles cramped.

“What about the dragon?” Garig asked.

“Father,” Kade said in surprise, speaking a bit more loudly than he intended.

“Kade,” Darcienna hissed.  “Quiet!”

“Father.
  I am so glad you are okay,” Kade said, barely a whisper, praying he was not still the object of his disgust.

“Yes, S
on.  I am okay.  They did hit me a few times, trying to get information about you, but I’ll survive.”

“We will have to return the favor as soon as we get out of here,” Kade said roughly.   Darcienna hissed again for him to be
quiet.  He turned toward her cell.  “Are you okay?  Did they do anything to you?” Kade asked, afraid of what men might do with a beautiful woman.

“They hit me a few times but nothing beyond that.  I am fine, Kade.”

He gritted his teeth as the anger started to flow through him.  Every second that passed cleaned the cobwebs out of his head.  He forgot about his pain and pulled as hard as he could against the ropes.  They strained and loosened.  In time, they would give way, but for now, they held.  Kade could feel a trickle of blood flow down from his wrist onto the back of his hand.

“Can your dragon help us
?” Garig asked again.

“I will get us out of this,” Kade promised, not hearing his father through his rage.  “And, I will make Morg pay.  If there is one thing I am going to do, it is make that
man pay,” he vowed. 

“Kade, can your dragon help us
?” Garig asked more insistently.

Just then
, the door slammed open.  Broke-nose came in and looked around cautiously.  He slowly moved closer to Kade’s cage, ready to jump and run, as if he was expecting something to leap out at him.  He crept over to the door and found Kade the way he had left him.  With a huge sigh of relief, he turned to look at Garig and Judeen.

“I heard talking,” he said accusingly.