“Zayle!” Kade yelled as he ran up to his mentor and quickly dropped to his knees. “NO! This can’t happen,” he said as he brought the Divine Healing to life. “No!” Kade said with determination. The power flowed into his master over and over but seemed to sink right back out.
“Master, get up. We need to get back to the cabin,” Kade said, not accepting what his eyes were showing him.
Kade felt exhaustion threaten to overwhelm him as he tried to concentrate on performing the calling without stopping. It was hard to focus on his beloved master’s face as the unbidden tears blurred his vision. Desperation turned to despair as he cradled his teacher’s head in his lap and wept with uncontrollable sobs that racked his body. He knew he could not heal a body that had no spark of life left. With no spirit in the body, there was nothing for the healing to attach to. He threw his head back and howled in pain, his heart threatening to burst.
Several long moments later, he slumped slightly and held his master as if to not let him go. “No,” he said weakly, as he looked down at his teacher and gently stroked a piece of hair out of his face.
He tried to pull Zayle to a sitting position and saw the deep slash marks on his back that had brutally ripped the life out of him. He slowly lowered Zayle to the ground and slumped over the body, feeling himself start to fade from the intense mental fatigue. It was then that he heard a sound that caused him to stop and listen.
With a start, he remembered his new found friend. He sat bolt upright, and his head whipped around as his eyes locked onto the dragon. His body was numb, but he forced his legs to move. He stumbled over to his wounded companion and started the Healing Calling just as the dragon shuddered, taking an uneven breath. He panicked as he realized the dragon was on the brink of death.
“No. I will not let you die, too!” Kade said with conviction as he worked the Healing Calling over and over, ignoring the exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm him. Sweat ran down his back, and he could feel his muscles start to shake and twitch from the exertion. “Live! By the great Divine, LIVE!” Kade yelled. “I know you are still alive! I can sense it in you!” he said, despair starting to work its way into his heart. He felt that he was in a war with death itself, and the fear that he was losing lanced through his body.
Spots started to dance in his vision as he focused on completing the calling over and over. The dragon was still not breathing. Kade started working the calling as fast as he could, putting his hands on the wound and letting the Divine Power sink in. Fatigue was starting to cause his hands to falter slightly, but he concentrated even harder and forced his protesting muscles to work.
New tears started to form, his motions slowing and then came to a stop, as he slumped to his knees in defeat. The world spun and Kade put a hand on the ground to catch himself from falling. His labored breaths came in rasps as he cried out, “No! Not you, too! You cannot die when you trusted your life to me and saved mine! You cannot die, too!” Kade said as grief assaulted him anew.
He hung his head as the tears flowed unhindered, not noticing when the dragon took in a slow, very shallow breath. Nor did he notice when the dragon let it out again. Kade felt something drift through his thoughts but the thoughts were not his. He stopped and tried to focus on the dragon. He blinked the tears from his eyes and wiped them with the back of his hands, holding his breath as he waited. He forced his shaking hands to perform the healing calling one last time and then watched…praying with all his might.
He looked at the dragon, and his breath caught in his throat. Could it be? he thought, afraid to hope. The wounds did not appear to be as bad as he remembered. He shook his head and focused hard. The injuries definitely looked as if they have closed up slightly, he thought again, as he moved closer.
Now, filled with determination, he completed the calling several more times, ignoring his protesting muscles. His lungs were burning furiously and spots were dancing in front of his eyes. With every move, he willed the dragon to heal. He was sure he could sense life now. He was rewarded with his next calling, as the wounds smoothly closed. He looked at the gash running down the dragon’s back and knew if the claws had been just a hairs-breath either way, it would have ripped a wing right off.
The dragon took another breath and let it out. Then it took a deeper breath that was closer to normal. It relaxed its body as its breathing came more freely. It opened its eyes, and with a look as though it were trying to drag itself from sleep, focused on Kade. The dragon slowly labored to get to its feet but failed, falling back to the ground. From where it lay, it nudged Kade with its muzzle. The apprentice gave a weak smile through his exhaustion and patted the dragon on the side of its face.
Kade got an uneasy feeling and looked around the clearing. Something still did not feel right. Something was making him uncomfortable. Then, his eyes fell on the spot where the creature had torn at the ground with its claws. With a rush, he realized why he was feeling uncomfortable. They were being watched.
Kade’s eyes slowly traveled up to where the creature’s face should be. If he looked closely, he could just barely make out the monster. He felt cold anger grow in his heart, and his lips curled into a snarl. He looked the creature in the eye and felt a raging hate filling him. He made a vow to himself that he would kill this evil thing, or give his life trying. Kade felt true hate for the first time in his life. Blackness covered his heart. Vengeance!
“You may have won for now, but this is not over!” Kade yelled. He heard what sounded like a low chuckle. His anger flared as he conjured the Blue Fire of the Divine and threw it in the direction of the giant. This effort was almost too much as it threatened to topple him, his legs wobbling horribly. To Kade’s disappointment, the creature swatted it aside like it was nothing and taunted him with another laugh. Kade’s hatred pulsed in him with every beat of his heart. Never before had he ever wanted to take a life as he did right then.
His fists clenched so tightly his hands ached. All he could do was watch as he saw the brush move, and he knew the creature was leaving. But, he knew it was not gone for good. He yelled one last time and then gathered his precious master in his arms and carried him to the cabin.
It had been two days since Kade buried his teacher by his favorite garden. He performed the last rights, which if what he was told was true, allowed a Chosen to transition over to the other side smoothly with their abilities. It was said that there were many hazards encountered when a Chosen died, and if one did not have the Divine Power, their chances of suffering were great. Zayle had just recently taught this to him. Kade pondered the timing of this many times as the days slipped by.
After a week, the crushing pain that gripped his heart eased just a little. Once more at his teacher’s graveside, he tried to puzzle out what was happening. The image of his mentor’s scared eyes flashed through his mind.
Unable to answer his own question, he left the grave and headed for the cabin while his mind continued to whirl as if it were out of control. The events of the last several days made it virtually impossible to think clearly…until this moment. As he was walking, an odd thought occurred to him. He stopped and considered what Zayle had said just days before. He was on the verge of recalling something important about death and crossing over, but he just could not bring it to the surface. He shook his head and continued to walk and then abruptly stopped as it came to him.
“Master,” he said as he turned and looked back at the grave. “When you talked about finding a way to cross over from the other side, were you expecting…?” Kade let the sentence trail off. He looked at the ground and his eyes narrowed as his thoughts went around and around with his small revelation. This was just too much to contemplate this soon after Zayle’s death. He shook his head and turned for the cabin once more.
Kade’s mind kept pulling up images of Zayle sitting at his desk with thick tomes laid out before him. Every time he saw his master reading during the past year, Zayle would be deep in a book on the afterlife. The more he thought about it
, the more questions he had.
There had to be meaning to all this, Kade thought. It was as though Zayle knew, but at the same time, he was surprised, he thought as he came to a stop in front of the cabin. His mind was whirling with questions as he stood for many long minutes, not moving.
He did know, Kade thought suddenly. He taught me that ritual, knowing this might happen. “What did you not tell me? What do I need to know?” Kade asked out loud as he looked at the freshly dug grave. He realized that he was actually waiting for an answer, as though at any moment Zayle would speak to him. But, the only sound that came was the wind and the rustle of the trees off in the distance. He used to think this was the most serene, peaceful place in the world. Now, it only held pain for him.
“What was so bad that you, the most powerful Chosen of the Divine, were afraid?” Kade asked as he began to pace. His analytical mind was starting to fire as his eyes narrowed.
Kade thought back on a time when he had walked in on his master while Zayle had been in the den, studying. He was pouring over his books about the dead when he said out loud, “You will not win! I will find out who you are,” Zayle said vehemently.
“Who?” Kade had asked his master, startling him.
“Nothing you need to know right now,” was Zayle’s response as he violently slammed the book closed.
Suddenly, he felt a touch on the back of his neck, causing him to jump and yelp. He spun, expecting to find Zayle, but instead, found his dragon watching him quizzically. Kade felt like a fool and smiled with genuine affection at the dragon, grateful for the mental distraction. He ignored his pounding heart and reached up to scratch right under its jaw. It loved this, as was evident by the quiet rumble of pleasure that came from deep within the dragon. Kade chuckled to himself.
“Don’t worry. It will be okay. I have a feeling that my master knew this was going to happen and was preparing for it,” Kade said, feeling his heart rate return to a normal rhythm.
Kade paused as he recalled Zayle telling him that exact same thing. Every time he would inquire what his master was studying, Zayle’s response was, “You will understand in time, the Divine willing.” Just when his mind started to work again, the dragon huffed, drawing him back to the present. Kade shrugged his shoulders and decided to let it go for the time being.
“I need to go back into the cabin. I have a lot of work to do,” Kade said as he turned for the door.
Kade walked into the empty home and felt as though he were walking into it for the first time. He noticed the worn wooden floor and wondered why his master never lived in anything nicer. He knew with the power Zayle commanded, he could have had almost anything he wanted. It was as if he wanted to keep it simple so as not to be noticed.
Kade turned to his right and walked the three steps it took to the entrance of Zayle’s study, where all the books of knowledge were kept. He made the passes through the air, drawing the Divine up through his body and then out his hands to deactivate the hidden trap. Kade stopped again as another thought came to him. It had been only three weeks since Zayle had taught him how to disarm the calling and gain access to the study. Another thing to ponder.
The room was ten feet wide by fifteen feet long. There was a table in the middle with an old high back chair made of wood. The back and seat had black leather padding. The leather was well worn and cracked from years of use. The table was centuries old and had a lot of meaning to Zayle. For the life of him, Kade could not place the type of wood. This is where Zayle did almost all of his studying. There was a bookshelf to the left as soon as he walked into the room. Kade could feel a surge of excitement with the thought of all that knowledge at his fingertips for the taking, and then a pang of guilt stabbed at him.
“I did not want power this way, master,” he said out loud. “I would give all this away to have you back,” Kade said as he took a step back to emphasize the point. He sighed, taking a step closer to the bookshelf and then another to stand right in front of it.
The bookshelf appeared as old as Zayle. There were many books on the two lower shelves and just a scattering of books on the upper two levels. Kade slowly perused the labels as he ran a finger across each one. HOW TO USE THE JUNG TREE TO RELIEVE TENSION.
Bah, he thought and moved on, hoping for something that had more substance to it. He pulled book after book off the shelves, trying to find one that would give him some kind of information that he could use; either a useful manipulation of the Divine Power, or knowledge of what was happening and why. Unfortunately, every book was just like the first, so he discarded them all.
There was a slight rattle of the wind at the far wall, drawing his attention. He turned and walked the three steps to stand in front of the window. It was two feet wide and two feet tall with a cross made of wood, meeting in the middle to hold glass, if they were to use glass. Kade marveled at the simple calling that kept everything out, to include rain or bugs, but allowed the breeze in. Zayle had a way to alter the calling to keep the wind out, if needed, but on nice days, Kade could always feel the breeze wafting out of the study and through the cabin.
The wall to his right had a large board with all kinds of scribbles covering it. None of it meant anything to Kade. He tried his best to decipher it, but Zayle had never taught him the key. Tight lipped from frustration, he turned again and surveyed the room. Just as he was considering leaving, his eyes caught what looked like a small scrape mark in the wooden floor at the very edge of the rug that lay in front of the bookshelf. He walked over and stood there, looking at the floor. He slowly bent down and pulled the carpet back.
“Now what do we have here?” he mumbled to himself, expecting to find a trap door. “Nothing?” he questioned in surprise as he slid the carpet out and away from the bookshelf.
Taking a step back, he noticed the way the scrapes arced toward the bookshelf and stopped right at the edge. His eyes widened slightly, and the corners of his mouth barely twitched, as though he was on the verge of a smile. He moved closer and examined the sides of the bookcase.
“These look like they were made by the bookshelf,” Kade said as he bent down and ran his fingers in the grooves. He stood and proceeded to examine every spot on the bookcase for a secret lever or handle. No matter what he pulled or pushed, there was no other indication at all that there was a lever of any sort. He even tried to pry the bookshelf away from the wall, but it was firmly stuck and gave no indication that it would open. He might as well have been trying to move a boulder.
If the master had trusted me enough to show me his secrets, this would not be that difficult, Kade thought as he moved to the other side of the bookcase. Just as he started to turn away, he caught a glimpse of metal. He peered closer and was rewarded with a discovery of what looked like a hinge.
“I knew it!” Kade exclaimed excitedly.
His excitement quickly turned to frustration as the bookcase stubbornly held onto its secrets. No matter how hard he pushed or pulled, it would not budge. It felt like wood and looked like wood, but clearly there was more at work here than could be seen by the eye. Kade shook his head slightly as he looked on in frustration.
“Master, did you not want me to find this?” Kade asked out loud, as an image of Zayle standing in front of the bookcase formed in his mind. He felt a twinge of sadness as he closed his eyes, picturing his teacher moving about the study and sitting in the chair behind him. He opened his eyes and glanced over his shoulder at the chair. It was empty. He swallowed and refocused on the bookshelf.
The Divine Power, he thought to himself, realizing what must be at work here. He closed his eyes and recited the words in his mind that meant reveal. The calling was so simple it was almost impossible to make a mistake. As a matter of fact, it was one of the simplest callings to perform. But, without knowing of it and knowing the words to speak in your mind, it would still be out of reach for any chosen, even a master.
Kade looked through his closed eyes and saw a faint, pulsing, green glow surround the bookshelf.
He smiled to himself, knowing he was finally getting somewhere. “What about going through the middle?” he asked out loud as he started pulling all the books off the shelf and piling them on the table. Something in him knew it was not going to be this simple, but he had to try. He pounded on the back panel, hoping to hear a hollow sound. Kade frowned, hearing nothing but a solid knock.
Okay, one last thing to try, he thought as he walked out of the room.
Kade turned and went outside, searching the ground for what he needed for his next attempt. Finally, his eyes landed on a fairly large rock. He picked it up and carried it back into the cabin. He turned to the right and almost walked into the study. He caught himself at the last moment, dropping the rock and even coming up on his toes before rocking back on his heels. He was just a hairs-breath away from forgetting about the protection calling. It automatically reset when the room was empty. He knew it would have paralyzed him, and with no Zayle to find him, he would have surely died on the floor. An ugly shiver ran down his back as a dozen bats flapped around in his stomach. He chastised himself for being careless.
Kade thought back on the time he found out about the trap the hard way. His master had not found him until two hours later, paralyzed on the floor. It was the most uncomfortable two hours he had ever spent.
“That was just too close,” he said out loud. He swallowed hard and tried to loosen the knot in his shoulders.
Kade calmed his nerves as he prepared to deactivate the calling. He said the words in his head to allow access to the den while moving his arms in the required way. This time, he closed his eyes and used his Divine Sight to make sure it was disarmed. He was pleased to see the faint yellow outline around the doorframe, indicating that the calling was no longer active.
The Divine Apprentice (The Divine Series) Page 7