The half leap toward him was enough to put a lump the size of a grapefruit in his throat and cause his heart to pump several times very hard. Kade quickly approached the dragon, giving it a pat on the shoulder, letting it know everything was ok. He felt a strong, growing admiration for this dragon that could be so fierce, and yet, was so gentle with him.
As he stepped back, Kade noticed a small superficial cut and quickly healed it, as a show of affection. This was his dragon, and he enjoyed taking care of it. He patted it on its side to let it know the healing was done. Its head came up and it looked Kade over, analyzing his face closely. After a few long moments of looking directly into his eyes and seeing no displeasure, the dragon perked up.
Kade returned to his master with the dragon on his heels. He thought Zayle was looking at him in wonder and amazement. He could not have been more wrong. Zayle went back and forth between the dragon and the grimalkin several times. The look of concern crossed his face and just as quickly, it was concealed.
Without much thought, Kade blurted out, “Master, why do you look as though you are…?” Kade said and then hesitated, not finishing the question. He never knew Zayle to be afraid of anything. The powerful Chosen had immense control of the Divine Power and there was not much that could threaten him. Kade was afraid of insulting his teacher but he had to know. “Master?” Kade persisted.
“It is not the grimalkin that I fear but what is meant by the creature being here,” Zayle said as he furrowed his brow, returning his gaze to the hulking mass of flesh. “It is what is meant by the monster being here,” he repeated to himself. He quickly called on the Blue Flame of the Divine. Zayle stared intently at the scene only he could see for several long, tense moments and then snapped his hands closed.
“Master, I don’t understand,” Kade said, ignoring the knot that was pulling tighter and tighter in his gut. He had had enough of his nerves being frayed for a lifetime, but it would appear that it was not going to end anytime soon. “What does it mean?” he asked as forceful as he dared, the image of those deep, black eyes still haunting him.
Zayle quickly held up his hand in a gesture that commanded silence. Kade knew this command well as his master would use it when the Apprentice Chosen was asking too many questions or when he just wanted a moment of silence. He did that curious thing where he tilted his head and seemed to be listening again. Then, his hand came up and the Divine Power shot forth to hit the ground once more. Zayle’s eyes widened as he stood perfectly still for several long seconds.
“We must leave now!” Zayle almost yelled. It was definitely a command that was not to be ignored. “Now, Kade, now!” he said again more forcefully.
“Okay,” Kade said in a rush.
The dragon had started to chase the other animals that it thought had strayed too close to its new companion. It started to make a game out of this until Kade called to it. The dragon was more than eager to answer his new friends call.
“Dragon, come over here. We have to leave right away!” Kade said in a rush. “We have to leave now! The master says there is still danger here,” he said as he gestured around the clearing. The dragon sensed his panic, but did not move. It had no idea what was being said nor did it understand what was happening.
“Kade, now!” Zayle bellowed, fraying the apprentice’s nerves even more.
“We need to go back,” Kade said as he pointed to himself, then Zayle and then back the way they had come. The dragon looked in the direction he was pointing, but clearly nothing was making sense. Zayle pushed Kade toward his dragon, eager to be racing for the protective barrier. The dragon flinched hard as it swung its head around, almost knocking the two men off their feet. Kade moved closer again and placed his hands on the dragon as though to pull himself onto its back. There was that odd, slight brushing in his mind, and then the dragon knelt down. Kade stepped onto the dragon’s leg to help boost himself up and then reached down, grabbing Zayle by the wrist, pulling him onto the dragon’s back.
As soon as Zayle was seated, the dragon’s head came up sharply and it sniffed the air several times in rapid succession. Kade could feel its body go rigid. The dragon’s muscles became as hard as a rock. It bounded to its feet as it made a quick survey of the area and then bolted off the way they had come. Even though they were ready for it, they almost lost their seating.
Kade saw what looked almost like terror on his master’s face. He tried to tell himself that everything was going to be fine, but the fear wrapping itself around his mind was paralyzing. As much as he tried to convince himself that they were in no danger while in the presence of the mighty Zayle, deep down inside he knew better. Zayle was no longer able to conceal his fear and it scared Kade to the core.
“We will be back behind the barrier in no time, Master,” Kade said, trying to reassure himself as much as his beloved teacher. He was met with silence. Before he could say another word, he heard what had Zayle so concerned. At first, he was hoping it was his imagination, but in the pit of his stomach, he knew he was about to find out what his master was afraid of and why the dragon had reacted so intensely.
The sound was starting to get closer but that could not be. The dragon was racing through the forest as swift as the wind. Trees and brush alike passed by in a blur.
What in the world could match the speed of a dragon, much less catch it? Kade thought in despair.
“Master, do you hear it?” Kade yelled over the wind. Again, he was only met with silence. “It sounds like something is following us.”
“Kade, you must get the dragon to move as fast as it can. We are in grave danger outside the Barrier Calling,” Zayle said with so much conviction that Kade felt his throat constrict. He swallowed hard to loosen his chest and took a deep breath, ready to scream his panic.
“Dragon, run! Run for all you’re worth!” Kade yelled. The dragon understood the urging as its huge muscles bunched and exploded with a burst of speed that left Kade speechless. He felt a rush of adrenalin as the wind raced by. This was sheer power and grace. The dragon twisted and turned better than any cat could, as it dodged in and out of trees on its headlong race for its life.
By his guess, Kade surmised that they were halfway to the barrier, but it was about that time that he could feel the vibrations of something heavy hitting the ground behind them. He looked back and saw the tops of the trees moving as something easily shoved them out of the way. He knew something massive was coming after them at speeds even greater than the dragon’s. Kade rubbed his eyes, not believing what he was seeing. The trees were falling and moving, but there was nothing there. He rubbed his eyes again and looked as hard as he could but still…nothing.
It was then that a childhood story came rushing back to him about cats and invisible giant creatures made of the Divine, and he knew, in an instant, that it was no story. These were facts that Zayle had told him, and when Kade would refer to them as stories, Zayle would never say different.
“Master, I think we are being followed by…something,” Kade forced out past the fear that threatened to choke off his voice.
“I know, and I know what it is,” Zayle said with certainty.
The dragon sensed their urgency and added yet even another burst of speed. Kade was almost speechless as the ground blurred by. Each stride covered a great distance, and yet, Kade was pushing for more.
“Use your Divine Fire Calling. We need to slow it down so we can make it to the barrier!” Zayle yelled over the wind.
“But, I can’t even see it. How am I supposed to fight it?” Kade asked in desperation.
“Just start throwing your Divine Fire where you think it is! Try! You must!”
Kade was thankful for the dragon’s smooth ride as he turned as far as he could and started throwing Divine Fire over Zayle’s head. Performing the moves for the calling was a challenge and was dangerous beyond understanding. For Zayle to ask him to do so on the back of a dragon that was racing wildly through the forest could only mean the worst.
Kade was rewarded as his first Fire Calling exploded against something unseen. It was massive and it scared Kade to death. Whatever it was hesitated only momentarily when the blue fire erupted against it, but then it was back at full speed with a roar of hatred and anger. The hairs on the back of Kade’s neck stood up, but he forced himself to continue throwing the Fire Callings as fast as possible. To his dismay, each calling was swatted aside. The being was determined to catch them, and Kade knew with complete certainty that if it did, they were done. Because of the smoke trail coming off the invisible giant, they had something to aim for.
Kade almost lost his balance when Zayle sent his own calling arcing back at the creature. It had been a very long time since he had seen his master display such deft movement. Zayle’s hands flew at blinding speeds to send the bolt of lightning racing at the creature. The explosion alone made Kade’s ears ring furiously, not to mention the flash of light that almost blinded him. The lightning was a direct hit but it was not going to stop the beast. Although it bellowed in pain, it was just too powerful, and both men knew it. This was something made from the Divine but used for evil, and it was going to take much more time than they had to figure out how to defeat it. The creature was gaining on them, and it was becoming all too obvious they weren’t going to make it to the barrier unless they could get some distance between themselves and it. He shook his head in disbelief and yelled to his master.
“It is going to catch us!”
“I know,” Zayle said with desperation filling his voice. “I have an idea. Do you recall that Transparency Calling I taught you?”
“Yes…I do,” Kade said hesitantly. “Yes,” he said a second time, trying to sound more confident. He knew Zayle could hear the doubt in his voice but continued on regardless. “I will do my best,” he added.
“You can’t just try this time, you have to do it!”
“Just tell me when,” Kade said, forcing confidence in his voice. Anger started to fill him. The same kind of anger he felt when he turned on the grimalkin. The kind of anger that makes a man take up a fight that he knows he should run from.
“Now!” Zayle ordered.
Kade did his best to clear his mind. The creature roared as it anticipated catching its prey, causing him to lose his concentration. Kade could hear the dragon’s labored breathing and told himself to focus. Right now was not the time to add more things for him to concern himself with. The calling took a lot of motions and thought at the same time, making it almost impossible while trying to stay astride. If the thought and moves were not perfectly timed, the calling would not work and could produce disastrous results.
“Now Kade!” Zayle yelled and Kade knew there was no more time for preparation. It was now or never. He was vaguely aware of Zayle preparing his own calling as the Divine flowed into both men.
Here goes, Kade thought as he closed his eyes and went through the motions. The danger of performing such a calling in this situation was causing his heart to pound like mad. Upon completion of the last move, he was more than eager to cast the calling, desperately hoping he performed it correctly. He let the Divine flow and it left him to do his bidding. He opened his eyes and instantly clenched every muscle in his body, expecting to hit the ground with a bone-crushing impact as his dragon veered off to the right. Confusion racked his brain as he watched his dragon shoot off into the woods with its two passengers. With his teeth clenched and his breath locked in his chest, realization slowly dawned on him of what must have happened. An Illusion Calling. He gave a shuddering heave of his chest as his muscles unclenched and hope flooded anew.
“Well done, Kade,” Zayle whispered as the malevolent creature thundered past them after the illusion, its footsteps pounding the ground. “Another few seconds and it would have had us. Look ahead. I can see the barrier. We shall survive,” Zayle said, boosting Kade’s hopes.
With a jolt of adrenaline, it occurred to Kade that they might make it to the safety of the barrier, but the dragon would be kept out, meaning certain death for it. With forced quiet, Kade whispered, “We cannot leave the dragon outside the barrier. It will not survive if that thing finds it.”
As if to emphasize this, the creature roared and was quickly coming back. Kade looked up and saw the smoke coming straight toward them. They had moments at best.
“Kade, we must go,” Zayle hissed.
“I will not leave the dragon to die,” Kade insisted.
“Get your dragon ready then, because this is going to be close,” Zayle said as he refocused on the calling.
The dragon slowed and then came to a stop as it pushed against the barrier. It huffed several times and grunted with the effort. Kade patted it gently in an effort to calm it. Patience, Kade thought as strongly as he could. Patience.
Kade could feel his master working with the Divine Power as he started to do whatever it was he was going to do. The creature stopped for several moments and then started in their direction once again. Kade held his breath, waiting, hoping.
“Master, hurry!” Kade said in as much of a hushed voice as he could muster.
“Silence!” Zayle hissed. “If this is done wrong, we won’t need to worry about that thing. This will destroy us instantly.”
Kade forced himself to stay quiet. He tried to keep the dragon calm by patting it on the neck and whispering to it. To his amazement, it stopped pushing against the barrier and stood completely still. But, its muscles were rock-hard, and it was ready to shoot off in any direction.
The creature was getting closer to them by the second. Kade knew it was tracking them, and he knew it was going to find them if they did not get through the barrier soon, but what he could not understand was how. The creature took several long strides in their direction, covering almost half the distance. Just then, Kade heard the creature take several long, deep breaths and realization came crashing down on him.
“It smells us,” Kade whispered before he could help himself, on the verge of shrieking.
The creature jerked in the direction of the sound and snorted as if startled. This close, Kade was able to just make out the creature through whatever calling was hiding it. It was massive and muscles bulged on its huge arms. It had a head like a hog with horns coming off the side where ears should have been. But, what Kade saw that really caused his throat to constrict were the claws coming off of the end of each hand that had to be close to four feet long. One swipe of those deadly weapons and they were done. The creature roared in anticipation as it moved in for the kill, taking several more steps in their direction. It stopped and smelled the air again. It knew.
Kade could feel the dragon quivering, on the verge exploding into action. The creature grunted and took a swipe in the clearing where the dragon had previously tried to get through the barrier. The ground erupted as four deep gouges tore it apart only feet away. The dragon was shaking as it fought its instinct for fight or flight.
I can’t believe I am going to die after surviving all that has happened, Kade thought in despair. He clenched his teeth and decided he was not going to go out without a fight. He wished he had his master’s skill but at least he had something. He could feel the dragon crouch slowly as if sensing Kade’s intent. He was not sure if the dragon was getting ready to fight or run, but right then, he knew he had to focus. He felt for the Divine and started to draw it into himself, binding it to his will.
The creature took several more deep breaths as it tried to find the man it was sent to kill. Kade could swear he heard a grunt of satisfaction, and he was sure it was looking directly into his eyes. At least he would go out fighting, but before he could mold the Divine into his desires, his master’s voice crashed into his nerves with a shout of, ”Now Kade! Get this dragon moving!”
“Run!” Kade yelled as he urged the dragon forward frantically.
The dragon’s muscles exploded as it lunged through the barrier to safety. Kade’s hopes soared. He was ready to thank the Divine when he felt Zayle slam into his back with a force tha
t sent him sprawling through the air. The dragon cried out in pain as it, too, was sent tumbling. The creature roared in anger and hatred. Kade hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of him. After a moment, he dragged himself to his feet and took several steps away from the edge of the barrier. The creature tried over and over to reach the man just barely out of its grasp, roaring in hatred louder and louder each time. When Kade was satisfied the creature was indeed kept out, he turned his attention to his beloved teacher.
“Master Zayle, we made it,” Kade said as he stumbled around, trying to find his cherished teacher. He ignored the blood dripping down his face from the gash on his forehead. He staggered a little as he left the rock with his blood smeared on it. It was hard for him to think as the world spun. “Master, didn’t you hear me? We made it. Master?” Kade asked again, forcing his vision to clear as best as he could. “Master?” he asked, trying to ignore the rocking motion of the ground. “Master!” Kade yelled but was met with only the sound of his dragon’s labored breathing. He knew this should matter, but thoughts were hard for him to form. A faint sound reached his ears.
“Kade.”
“Master, is that you?” Kade asked, confused.
“Kade,” Zayle said as the breath hissed out of his body.
“Master, NO!” Kade screamed as he heard the life slipping from his cherished teacher. “Hold on! Master, HOLD ON!” Kade screamed in panic.
*CH3*
A jolt of adrenalin forced Kade’s mind to clear. “I will remove the Transparency Calling. You will be fine,” he said with urgency as he drew the Divine Power out of the calling. Both the dragon and Zayle faded into view. Kade saw the two long, deep gashes that ran from the tail of the dragon to between its wings, where just moments before, they had been sitting. He panicked as his mind processed what he was seeing. Then, Kade spotted his cherished master, lying in a pool of blood.
The Divine Apprentice (The Divine Series) Page 6