The Divine Path (The Divine Series) (38 page)

             
Kade looked past it and saw Doren open his eyes just a crack.  The earth creature looked at Kade’s hands and tensed.  Seeing they were no longer bound, it reached for him.  Kade scrambled back and the creature pursued.  The second creature came from behind the chair and quickly cornered Kade.  Doren stood smoothly without making a sound and completed several gestures with his hands.  Both creatures fell to dust.

             
“What did you do to them?” Kade asked as he looked down at the pile of dust.  He gave it a symbolic kick, sending dust floating into the air.

             
“I made them revert back to their natural form.  They are part of the ground.  They will recover but not until long after we are gone. They will suffer greatly when Morg returns,” Doren said matter-of-factly.  “I had lived in peace with them for decades, but I made certain that I could always defend against them thanks to Zayle’s warnings.”

             
“Zayle’s warnings?” Kade asked in confusion. 

“Another thing you do not know, eh
?” Doren asked, looking at Kade as if he were a simpleton.

“It would appear that I was not told much of anything,” Kade said in frustration.

“Zayle had an ability to see possible futures.  He warned me that I should have a defense against this race if the day came when they turned on me.  I could not believe it myself, but he was adamant.  I had to divulge two of my callings to another Chosen to get this one, but enough of this talk.  We need to plan,” Doren said as if dismissing him.  Kade immediately recalled that Zayle would dismiss him the same way.  He almost bit back with a retort but resisted the urge to comment.  It was almost impossible to accept being talked down to.  He had been through too much recently to continue to be treated like an apprentice.  Unfortunately, he was an apprentice and he knew it.

             
Kade quickly scanned the room for Darcienna and found her slumped against the wall.  There was a huge bump on the side of her head.  He raced over to her and felt for breath.  Relief washed over him as he watched her chest rise and fall.  He healed her, and in no time, she was awake and staring at him.

             
“What happened?” Darcienna asked as she sat up, rubbing her head.

             
“We found you knocked out,” Kade said as he checked her over for more injuries.

             
“I am fine,” Darcienna said as she gently pushed him away and got to her feet.

             
“This is Doren,” Kade said.

             
“Master Chosen Doren,” the Chosen corrected.  Kade cringed at his misstep.  He recalled how he had referred to Doren informally while in the master’s mind and cringed again.

             
“Master Chosen Doren,” Kade repeated.

             
“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Darcienna said sweetly. Doren raised one eyebrow as he glanced at Kade.  He nodded his head slightly in approval.  Darcienna saw the look and added just a bit more charm with a tilt of her head and a flash of her eyes.

             
“We need to leave now,” Doren said as he turned to head for the exit.  “A dragon, eh?” he asked over his shoulder with a grin.  He was impressed.  He even gave a chuckle.  “Zayle missed that one.”

             
“What if Morg had not found this chamber?” Kade asked as they walked through the wall.  Doren took a deep breath and sighed as if he was readying himself to speak slowly and clearly.  Kade could swear it was a look of disappointment that he was seeing in Doren’s eyes.  Kade rankled at the slight, but again, kept his mouth closed.  For just a fleeting moment, he wondered if he would prefer the beating he took from Morg over the condescending, judgmental attitude he was getting from Doren.

             
“The stairs lead down to this empty space,” Doren said simply as if that was enough. 

Doren turned to look at Kade and continued.  It was as if he was preparing to give a lecture.  Kade recognized the posture instantly and mentally affirmed to himself that he was going to refrain from asking questions as much as possible.  For now, he would do his best to hide his ire as he listened.

“Why would I build stairs that lead down to nowhere?” Doren asked the question rhetorically.  “I wouldn’t.  But, Morg would not know that.  He would know that I had to be here somewhere and look for me,” he said in conclusion as he looked at Kade.  “I could not make it too obvious or he might realize it was a trap.”

Kade felt like a fool as he thought back on his initial impression of the Master Chosen, believing him to be the fool but now knowing different.  He chastised himself for given a Master Chosen so little credit.  Doren saw the look on his face and assumed it was all for the blood on the wall.

“That was unfortunate,” Doren said in a sincere tone.  He sounded like he meant it deeply.  “Sometimes we must sacrifice a good for a greater good,” he said, but there was sadness there that ran deep. 

Kade saw the pain in his eyes
, and his heart went out to the old man.  If Doren and his apprentices were half as close as he was with his master, then he fully understood the loss.  And now for the trap to have failed must have made the pain that much more profound.  Kade decided that playing the part of the apprentice might not be so bad if it helped the Master Chosen.  It filled a void, if only temporary, and the old man did have much he could teach.

“What about when Morg gets back?  Won’t he be able to track you
?” Kade asked, wondering if Doren was going to pull out an amulet of his own.

“That won’t be a problem,” Doren said as some of his
composure returned. “Follow me.” He re-entered the den.  “Watch this,” he said with a devious smile.

The Master Chosen went back to the chair
, and as he faced it, performed a calling.  Kade looked on in shock as he recognized the moves.  He was not able to perform the calling yet, but he had seen it enough times to know what it was.  An exact replica of Doren appeared in the chair.  Doren looked at Kade with a grin.

“I got that one from Zayle,” Doren said, pleased with his work as he studied the image. 
“That was very good thinking,” he added.  Kade beamed at the praise.  Yes, he felt like he was back to being an apprentice who soaked up his master’s approval.  He was not sure if he liked the idea or not, but he could not deny the pride he felt at the compliment.  “It would appear that Zayle has taught you to use your mind as well as using the Divine,” Doren said as he nodded his head in thoughtful approval.  “But enough of this chat,” Doren said, becoming intense.  “We must leave.” He purposefully strode for the exit.

For a moment, it reminded him of the way Morg would switch from a good mood
in one instant, to a bad mood the next, and then he dismissed the thought completely.  There was no comparison between the two men.  He shook his head and fell in behind the Master Chosen as they exited the room and quickly ascended the stairs.  Kade watched as the old man climbed the stairs as if he were half his age.  He wondered if there was more going on than he could see. Was there an Illusion Calling hiding what he really looked like?  With a Chosen, the possibilities were endless.  Kade dismissed the thought and focused on the stairs.  The closer they got to the main level of the mansion, the more Doren was careful not to make a sound.

“You must walk lightly and quietly,” Doren whispered as he watched Kade to make sure he understood the instruction.  Satisfied, he continued.  “Is this dragon of yours close by
?” he asked as he slowly crept through the ghost-like bookcase.

Kade reached out with his mind and felt the familiar pr
esence of the dragon.  Relief washed over him.  He was not even aware that he was this worried for his friend until this very moment.

“And he will carry us as he has done for others
?” Doren asked critically.

“He will,” Kade
responded confidently.

“Then h
ave him ready.  The Alluvium may have left for now, but if it came to incurring the wrath of Morg, or keeping us captive, it won’t be a difficult choice.  Morg is brutal beyond words and knows no mercy,” Doren said.  Kade was sure there was just a touch of compassion in his voice for the earth creatures. 

Just pawns caught in a game,
he thought to himself.

Kade reached out with his mind and made contact.  He felt the dragon come alive.  There was intense relief along with happiness so strong that Kade could no
t help but to smile.

“He is ready,” Kade said with a smile.  His heart started to pound.  He was eager to be back on the safety
of his dragon with the feel of Darcienna behind him.

“Doren…,” Kade started to say when the Master Chosen cut him off sharply.

“Master Chosen Doren, Master Doren or Master Chosen,” Doren said tersely.  Kade flinched at the scolding.  He took a breath and started again.

“Master Chosen Doren,” Kade said, using the
full formal title.  “The dragon is ready when I call.  We must be quick.  As soon as he comes, they will sense him and try to stop us.”

“Very well.
  Let’s continue,” Doren said.

The group crept
toward the front door and stopped.  Doren moved slowly as he peered outside to survey the area.  He started to take a step through the door when he froze, one foot hanging in the air.  Ever so slowly, he moved back into the house.  He wobbled slightly while moving from foot to foot, trying to keep his balance as he edged back step by step.  Kade was certain the old man was holding his breath.  It was almost comical to watch this old man, who had clearly enjoyed too much good eating.  He could have lost half his weight and still been too heavy.  His salt and peppered hair was cropped close to his head just so he would not have to put effort into taking care of it.  His clothes were too large, making him appear even heavier than he was.  He definitely had a slobbish appearance about himself.  Lazy was another word that came to mind.

Doren took a long
, slow, quiet breath and let it out just as slowly.  He silently turned as he sought Kade’s eyes.  He pointed at the wall just next to the door as he nodded.  Kade’s eyes came open as he recalled the way the giant had stood in that very spot earlier.  Kade nodded back in understanding.  Doren motioned for Kade to follow as they moved further back into the house.  When Doren felt they were far enough away from the porch, he turned to Kade.

“Is there a way out the back?”
Kade whispered.  His lungs hurt from trying to control his breathing.

“No.  We have to leave out the front.  I had this mansion constructed on a cliff so that the house could not b
e approached from the rear.  Anyone or anything had to approach from the front.  I had to know when he was coming,” Doren said as he breathed a sigh.  “But, alas, it appears it was for naught.”

“No,” Kade said with confidence.  “We have knowledge
, and there are two of us now.  We still have a good chance to defeat him,” he added with confidence born from the determination to exact revenge.  “No. This is far from over,” he said as he probed at the hate that surrounded his heart.  Doren studied Kade thoughtfully for a moment, and nodded once, a slight smile creeping across his face.

“Doren…Master Doren
,” Kade said quickly, correcting himself.  “Are you able to make an illusion of me running from the house?”  Doren looked at him and took on the air of patience born of years of teaching.

“Yes, I have mastered that calling,” Doren said with forced patience. 

Kade got the feeling that Doren was irritated and may even have felt slighted that Kade was actually asking the question.  He mentally chastised himself.  He should have known better.  For a moment, he was surprised he was still alive after so many blunders.  Of course the Master Chosen could perform the calling. 

“Doren,” Darcienna said sweetly, wi
th just a slight glance at Kade.  “Why not just do what you did to the one downstairs?” she asked.

“There are too many.  I could get a few
, but it would not take them long at all to overwhelm me,” Doren said, again, with that forced patience. 

Darcienna’s smile faded
ever so slightly.  Kade grinned as she got to share in his misery.  Darcienna turned and saw the look on his face and shot him a glare that could have frozen water instantly.  When she turned back to Doren, the sweet smile was back on her face as if she had never been bothered.

“Ka
de is formidable with his Lightning Calling and I do have skills, also,” Darcienna said confidently.

“There are thousands of them,” Doren said, a slight condescending tone in his voice.

Kade saw the look in her eyes and cringed.  Doren might be a master, but she was going to make him pay if he continued.  She cared nothing for his skill, status, or anything else that the Master Chosen thought defined who he was.  Kade quickly slid next to her and gave her a reassuring smile that said, “I understand your pain.”  With an audible huff, she gave up.  Doren chose to pretend not to notice.

“If you were to make an illusion of me running from the house, they may chase after it, giving us a chance to get away.  If we time this perfectly, I can get the dragon to us
, and we can make a run for it,” Kade said.