The Divine Path (The Divine Series) (2 page)

             
“Then why kill Jorell?” Darcienna asked innocently.  Kade stopped and stared at her for several long moments as he pondered this.

             
“That is a good question,” Kade said as his eyes lost focus while he chewed on this latest mystery.  “I don’t know,” he said as he locked eyes with her.

             
It was obvious that this kind of talk worried Judeen as she slowly worked her hands as if to wash them.  Kade recalled this from his childhood.  His mother would wring her hands ever so slowly and increase how fast she washed based on how agitated she was.  Right now, she moved slowly, but he was sure that it was going to pick up as their talk continued.

             
“When do you think you will be leaving?” Judeen asked, her voice a practiced calm.

             
Kade did not answer for a long moment as he thought about the peacefulness he would be leaving.  He turned to look longingly out the window.  Taking a deep breath to say the words he was going to hate hearing come from his own mouth, he continued.

             
“Today,” he said, accepting a fate he knew he could not escape.

Kade did not need to see his mother to know she was wringing her hands tightly and fidgeting with her dress, straightening it
, even though there was not a wrinkle anywhere.  He dreaded turning and looking her in the eye.  He did not want to see the worry and sadness he knew was going to be there.

“Can’t you s
tay for at least another day?” Judeen tried to ask as casually as possible, but any son recognized when a mother was pleading.  Kade’s shoulders sagged.  He was tempted, but he knew the longer he stayed, the harder it would be to leave.  Besides, the dread he felt building in him was almost palpable.  Better to go before he found a way to rationalize to himself that it was ok to stay.

“No. 
That would give Morg another day to succeed in what he is planning.  If the Master Chosen are unable to stop him, I am sure he will come after me.  When he does find me, and he will, you and father will suffer for it,” Kade said as he gently reached out for his mother’s hands and looked into her eyes.  “And you know I can’t have that.  I need to leave so you and father will be out of danger.  You know it’s true,” Kade said as Judeen looked away.  With Zayle as her father, he was certain he did not need to explain any further.

“But you are a mere apprentice.  How can you be needed by a Master Chosen?”

“Apprentice or not, I must do this, Mother.  It is the path the Divine has laid out for me.”

No m
atter what ugly truth Garig was trying to tell him back at the clearing, he knew his parents loved him deeply.  He could feel it as easily as he could feel the warmth of the sun on his skin.  For that reason alone, he had to leave to keep them safe.

“But, would it not be better if you stayed here while you studied?  You are still only an apprentice.
  What makes you think you even have a chance to stand up to Morg?” Judeen asked with as steady a voice as she could muster.  Kade watched as her eyes glazed over and he knew instantly that she was recalling the power that Morg could wield.

“Zayle.”

“My father?” Judeen asked as she focused on her son again.

“Zayle believes I can stop him. 
I am not certain I was only meant to save you.  I can’t shake the feeling that there is more.  I must try.  I must at least try for Zayle.  Part of me thinks he gave his life for me,” Kade said as he turned to face Darcienna.  “You don’t have to come.”  He knew her answer but he had to at least try one last time.

“When do we leave
?” Darcienna asked with one hand planted firmly on her hips while the other held her child.  The look in her eye said she was very ready for this battle.  Kade smiled despite himself.

Feeling affection for her that he could not explain, Kade just nodded while doing his best to hide his eagerness to have her at his side.  He paused momentarily as he considered her mot
ives for wanting to continue with him.  He knew she wanted revenge for Jorell, but he just could not shake the feeling that there was more to it.  Was it possible that he was the reason?  He could only hope.

“We leave after I learn s
ome of this one’s secrets,” Kade said as he held up the small, black book.

“You don’t even know what is in there?  How do you know it will help
?” Darcienna asked as she reached for the book and then hesitated, recalling Kade’s dire warnings.

“No!” Kade exclaimed, jerking the book
away from her.  “You must never touch any of these books without my say,” he said, repeating what he had said previously.  “You do not want to see what happens if you do,” he added in a very firm voice.  He was on the verge of anger.  “With this, you could unleash something so terrible it could easily kill us all.”  Better she be scared of all books instead of opening the wrong one.  “See this book,” he said, pointing to the one with the creature in the circle.  “This one would unleash that demon on the front.  One touch of its poison, and you would die the most horrible, agonizing death possible,” he finished in a dire voice.

Darcienna shuddered at the thought.  She swallowed hard as she took a small
step back, not taking her eyes off the demon.  After a moment, she tore her eyes off the book to look at the Apprentice Chosen.

“Kade,” Judeen said critically.  “Why are they in this house if they are that dangerous?”

“They are only dangerous if they are opened, Mother.  I am the only one who can handle them,” Kade said as he looked back at Darcienna.  She had to understand this if she was going to travel with him.  He was even willing to force her to stay if she argued.  She must have seen the conviction in his eyes and nodded once in acceptance of the law he had just laid down.  She swallowed again, and Kade was satisfied.

“What are in the other books
?” Judeen asked, seeing Darcienna’s discomfort and changing the subject.

“Well, they range from
powerful callings to information about Morg.  This one tells of monsters under his control.  Here, take a look,” Kade said as he handed the book to her.  Judeen appeared as if she were ready to flee.

“Are you sure it’s ok?  I don’t want to set off any traps,” Judeen said, eyes wide.  This was the third time Kade had ever seen his mother lose her composure.

“This one is safe.  Zayle never placed any callings on this book.  I guess it never mattered if anyone ever looked at it.  All the rest of the books have protection callings placed on them.  And this one,” Kade said, holding up the black book, “is only attuned to me.  I don’t think anyone else can open it,” he said, turning the book over in his hands.  He thought back on the message Zayle had left for him.  It occurred to him that he had yet to open it and became nervous to do so.

Judeen took the book about Morg and started to thumb through it. 
Even knowing it was safe, Kade still found he was tense until the book was open.  She stopped on page sixteen and stared at the picture.  Kade saw the look on her face and was about to ask, “What” when she turned the book toward him.  She gave a tilt of her head as her way of asking, “What is this?”  Kade studied the writing for a bit and then translated.

“I think it is something that can change shape.  They have average to high intelligence and can assume any
form,” Kade was saying when he noticed the way his mother was off in thought.  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I may have encountered
one of these,” Judeen said in disgust.

“Why do you say that?” Kade asked
.

“Let’s just say that we noticed a stranger in town
, who was asking lots of questions about you.  Your father followed him, but when he thought he had him cornered in an alley, all he found was a mangy dog.  It was shortly after that that Morg took us prisoner.  He knew who we were immediately.”

“Well, you are safe now, M
other.  We are going to keep it that way,” Kade said.  She sighed.

“Can it turn into a dragon
?” Darcienna asked.

“I don’t think so.  I suspect they are limited by the amount of ability they possess,” Kade said as he studied the picture.  “According to what it says here, some have more ability than others
, so I guess it is possible, but I just don’t know.  It also says that some may have difficulty holding a certain shape over longer periods of time,” he added as he took the book from her and thumbed through it.  He stopped as he studied another image and then turned it for his mother to see.

“I had to kill two of these,” Kade said as he watched her eyes widen.  Darcienna slid around to look at the page.  She put her hand to her mouth and quickly found his eyes.

“How did you survive?” Darcienna asked.

“Well, to be more correct, it was the dragon and me.  We killed it together.  That is how I survived,” he said as his mind called up the image of the grimalkin.

Judeen slowly shook her head as she studied the picture.  Kade considered showing her the invisible giant but thought better of it.  She did not need more to worry about.  He handed his mother the book and turned his attention back to the black book in his hands.

Kade sat down at the table and ve
ry gently pushed the other tomes of knowledge away, preparing to open the small, black one for the first time.  He felt nervous as a warm flush went up and down his body.  Even though the message from Zayle said this was safe and keyed to his touch, until he actually opened it for the first time, he was not going to be able to relax.  He placed his hand on the cover, preparing to open it.  Just as he started to grip the edge, he heard a chirping, whining sound that startled him.  It took a moment for his head to clear, and when it did, he realized the sound was coming from behind him.  Turning, he saw Chance sitting up and instantly recognized that look.

“Between you and the dragon
I am going to be worn out making food.  But, thanks to you, I have these,” Kade said as he indicated the books.  Darcienna instantly stiffened.  Kade winced, seeing her reaction, knowing she was going to take this badly.  He sighed to himself and turned to Darcienna.  “I did not mean…,” he got out before she held up a hand.

“I was supposed to keep your books safe and I forget them.  I set them down when I called on my shield.  I should have remembered them,” Darcienna said, making no excuses for her mistake.  Kade could not help but to respect her for it.

“I won’t have you beating yourself up over it.  You saved my life along with my parents’, and that was much more important.  And besides, we have the books.”

“Thanks to
Chance,” Darcienna said, chagrined.

“I won
’t hear any more of this.  Just promise me that you will help look after them, and we can be done with this,” Kade said firmly.

“I can do that,” Darcienna said, brightening a little.  She loved a man who was willing to take charge.  It made her feel safe and secure.  She smiled at his back.  Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Judeen watching her closely.  She reddened slightly without looking at the wise woman.

Turning back to the silky
, black creature, Kade performed the Food Calling.  He tossed the piece of meat to Chance, who easily caught it in the air.  Chance began eagerly chewing with pleasure.  Kade turned away from the animal, grateful for the distraction, but it was time to do what he knew he must.

“Maybe you two should stand back a little.  I really don’t know what is going to happen,” Kade said.

Judeen complied immediately while maintaining an air of confidence.  Darcienna looked at Kade for several long seconds and then breathed out, resigning herself to the fact that no matter what she said, he was going to open the book.  She wanted to tell him no or find a reason to put this off, but the look in his eyes said it had to be done.  She had to trust him sooner or later and this was as good a time as any.  So far, he had kept them safe.  But, it was not what he said that had her so worried, it was the look in his eye and the way he handled the books that had her ready to demand he stop immediately.

             
Taking a deep breath, Kade placed his palm on the cover of the book.  Again, he was surprised that it felt like smooth leather, even though he would swear it appeared to be rough looking bark.  He held his breath as he slowly untied the strap that was holding the book closed.  There was a power at work here, and the closer Kade got to opening it, the stronger its presence was felt.  He took another deep breath, curled his fingers under the cover and slowly pulled the book open.  There was a resistance, as if something were holding the book closed, but it was not enough to keep Kade from opening it. He felt a great building of power as a vibration started to pulse through the book.  Every muscle in his body was as hard as a rock while he waited for whatever was going to happen, to happen.  And then…he was at the mercy of Divine Power as it flowed.

             
“Kade?” Darcienna asked, her voice thick with concern.  It might have been the fact that he was holding his breath that had her so worried, or maybe that he was clenching his jaw as his eyes started to instinctually close.  But, regardless, she was scared for him and wished she could throw that black book in the nearest volcano.