He reached for another book and pulled it out carefully. This one was made from some kind of metal. Kade placed it on the table and sat down in front of it. He performed the Reveal Calling but saw nothing. He placed his hand gently on the cover and hesitated, turning his head slightly as though listening with his mind. He closed his eyes to help him focus better. It was so faint he barely felt it, but he was certain he could feel the Divine. He pulled his hand back and performed the Reveal Calling again. He looked closely, and just when he was about to open his eyes, he saw it; a shimmer, as though heat were ever so slightly coming off the book.
“I almost did not see that,” Kade said as he swallowed the lump in his throat. “I remember what you said about this one,” he said, feeling confident.
Kade completed the Disarm Calling, but this time, he used a slight variation. Closing his eyes, he looked with his inner site and was pleased to see that the shimmer was gone. He opened his eyes and placed his hand on the cover. He felt for the Divine Power as he held his breath and found nothing. Steeling his nerves, he smoothly opened the book, alert for any signs of danger. As the cover hit the table, a loud roar filled the room, causing him to jump back from the book in full panic. As he pushed away from the table, he tipped over in the chair, slamming into the floor. His heart was pounding so hard he thought it was going to burst through his chest.
Kade scrambled to his feet, preparing to meet this new danger. His eyes scanned the room, and stopped at the window. Slowly, his jaw unlocked as he huffed in exasperation.
“You,” Kade growled as he made eye contact with his dragon. “Blood and ash! You almost stopped my heart!” he said as he took in a deep breath and let it out. The dragon slowly backed away from the window but did not take its eyes off him. “What?” Kade asked as he shook his head, still trying to recover. “You want me to come out?” The dragon gave a grunt which Kade took for a yes. “Okay, Okay. I could use a break,” Kade said, eager to get some fresh air and steady his shaking hands.
He picked up the book and placed it back on the table. He was very careful not to close it for fear of resetting the calling. He backed away slowly, taking another deep breath and was actually grateful for the distraction. Glancing once at the bookshelf, he turned for the door. As he left the room, Kade could feel the familiar tingle on his skin as the protective barrier activated.
While exiting the cabin, Kade almost tripped over the dead animal that was lying on the ground. He looked at the dragon, preparing to ask it why and found it watching him with ears perked up. Kade chuckled lightly, realizing that his friend was proudly displaying its catch and offering it to Kade. The apprentice looked at the animal and felt his stomach rumble. The dragon moved closer and nudged it toward Kade as if to say, “Here, take a bite.”
“Oh no. I don’t eat raw meat,” Kade said as he patted the dragon on the muzzle. He went into the cabin and quickly came out with some wood, a large, sharp knife and a long metal spear about five feet long. He grabbed ahold of the animal and brought the knife down with several hard swings, severing one of the legs off. He grimaced as the fresh, hot blood splashed on his arm. The sight of blood always made his stomach turn, and lately, there was more stomach turning than he cared for. He forced himself to ignore it.
Kade speared the piece of meat and set it by the fire pit. He dropped some wood into the ring of rocks as he prepared to cook. He stood for a few moments, considering how he was going to make the fire. Zayle had always been the one to start the fires so Kade did not feel confident that this was going to go as smoothly as he wanted. If he used the Divine Fire calling, he was certain he was just going to blast the wood right out of the pit.
“I just need to figure out how you were able to light the fire without the big explosion,” Kade said as he felt the Divine swirling in him. “Maybe…I can control how much Divine Power goes into the calling,” he said as he closed his eyes and followed the subtle current of the power. It was peaceful, calling him to follow it and forget the world. Kade opened his eyes to break the trance so he could focus on his train of thought.
Turning toward the open field, he performed the Fire Calling. He held it in his hands, the blue flame dancing off his fingertips. Kade closed his eyes and felt for the Divine as it fed the fire. There…he could feel a way to lessen how much flowed through him if he focused. He choked off the flow of the Divine, feeling it slowly dwindle and then it vanished before he could attempt his idea. He completed the calling again and watched as the flames completely engulfed his hand. He closed his eyes and felt for the flow once more. Slowly, he squeezed it off and opened his eyes, preparing to throw, but before he could send out the blue flame, it melted into the air. Kade took a deep breath to calm his frustrations and performed the calling again. As he did before, he felt for the Divine and slowly choked off the flow. As it dwindled, he opened his eyes and threw. It hit the ground, setting an area twice that of the pit on fire. He walked over and stomped out the flames in exasperation.
“No wonder why you were always so angry with me,” Kade called over his shoulder toward Zayle’s burial plot. “I struggle with everything.”
Once again, Kade performed the Fire Calling and closed his eyes, trying to stay calm as he focused. He choked off the Divine, and when he thought it was just about right, quickly opened his eyes and tossed the fire toward the field. It died out before it got halfway to its target. Kade felt himself wanting to scream in frustration as he balled his fists. He took a deep breath, and after holding to the count of ten, let it out, forcing the stress from his body at the same time.
“I can do this,” Kade said as he closed his eyes and performed the calling again.
He relaxed his mind and forced everything out except the Divine. He felt the way the power moved through him as he fed the flame. He studied it as he applied a little pressure, squeezing it off slowly. At the point where it started to collapse, he opened his eyes and threw. It hit the ground, setting it on fire. He smiled as he looked at the results. Not perfect but easily sufficient.
Kade practiced the technique one more time and then moved to stand in front of the ring of rocks. He planted his feet and closed his eyes, but before he could perform the calling, a hot puff of bad breath hit him in the face. His eyelids flew open and he coughed several times, stumbling back while covering his mouth. He gagged and fought the urge to get sick.
“Light and ash! Don’t do that!” Kade said in muffled words as he pressed his sleeve tightly to his mouth. He put one hand on the dragon’s chest and pushed. At first, it leaned forward to resist, but after a tap from Kade on its shoulder, it moved back. “Now stay here,” Kade said, pointing at the ground.
He uncovered his mouth and returned to the fire pit. He closed his eyes again but then quickly opened them to make sure the dragon had not followed. Satisfied, he closed his eyes and reached for the Divine Power. He started the Fire Calling, and with as little of the power as possible, opened his eyes, readying to toss the fire into the pit. Unfortunately, he was forced to let the fire go. There, with its nose on the wood, was his dragon.
“You need to stay where I put you,” Kade said, leaning into the dragon’s chest again, trying to push him back. The dragon stared at him with a quizzical look but gave no sign that it was going to move. It tilted its head back and forth several times and then sniffed at the meat. Kade thumped the dragon on the chest and it, grudgingly, moved back. “Now, stay here,” Kade said, stabbing his finger at the ground. “Stay,” he said with emphasis. “I am trying to start a fire.”
Clearly, this was making no sense to the dragon as it, again, tilted its head from side to side. Kade could not stifle his laugh as he considered how silly this massive killing machine looked. He shook his head and turned away, trying to focus on his task.
He returned to the fire pit once more and readied himself for the calling. He glanced at the wood and then the dragon, making sure everything was where it needed to be. Satisfied, he started again.
“This i
s going to work,” Kade said to the dragon. It misunderstood and started to come to him. Kade quickly ran to it and put his hands on its chest. It stopped. “Stay,” he said again, pointing to the ground.
Back at the pit once more, Kade prayed there would be no more interruptions. His stomach was starting to protest at the lack of food. The thought of cooked meat made his mouth water slightly. Closing his eyes, he felt for the Divine Power and performed the Fire Calling. He did not need to close his eyes for this, but he found it easier to concentrate and feel how much of the Divine Power he was channeling. When he felt he had it just right, he opened his eyes and let the fire shoot into the pit. Kade felt a backlash of heat when the flame hit the wood. He retreated quickly, shielding his eyes.
“Well, it worked,” Kade said to his dragon. Again, it was tilting its head back and forth. “Just watch and you will see,” Kade said as he picked up the speared piece of meat and laid it across the fire. “I am cooking it,” he said over his shoulder. “Give it a while.”
The dragon lay down with its head on its front legs while it eyed the meat hungrily. Kade smiled to himself at the thought of this fearsome beast being his…pet? Companion? Well, he was not sure, but for now, he would just consider this his dragon and leave it at that.
Ten minutes went by when the dragon’s ears came up and its nose started to twitch wildly. Kade noticed its peeked awareness and laughed. He found it very amusing to see the dragon start to drool and smiled to himself.
Soon, my friend, soon, he thought as his stomach growled loudly.
The dragon looked at him while licking its lips. An uneasy feeling spread over him as the dragon’s teeth shown. He knew there was no threat to himself, but it still unnerved him to a small degree. Kade looked past the dragon’s teeth and into its eyes. There was a question in those eyes and Kade knew it was as simple as, “Can I have some?” He could not help but to laugh.
Kade went over and dragged the rest of the fresh meat to the fire pit. The dragon was watching intently now. After another thirty slow minutes, Kade took the cooked meat off the spit and laid it on a rock, doing his best to keep it out of the dirt. He then turned back to the rest of the meat and started working to put it on the spit. He started the food cooking and turned back to the piece on the rock.
“Smells pretty good eh, my friend?” Kade asked as he picked up the very hot food. He took a huge bite and inhaled with his lips pulled back, trying to cool it. After shaking his head slightly, he swallowed his tasty bite and smiled at the dragon. “Here ya go,” he said as he tossed the food into the air toward his friend. He flinched as the dragon lunged, catching it in a crash of teeth before it even got a chance to get close to the ground. The only thing Kade heard were the dragon’s teeth coming together in a crash. Kade marveled at the deadly prowess.
“Not too bad, eh?” Kade asked as he rotated the animal on the spit.
He smiled to himself, knowing the dragon would spend the next hour watching the meal closely. He decided he would put the time to good use and went back into the cabin, already picturing the ominous, strange, metal book. He used to look forward to going into this room, but now, he felt a sense of dread.
Kade went into the cabin and made the right turn, stopping at the door. After the appropriate motions, the trap was disarmed and he proceeded into the room. He glanced out the window to see the dragon settle down close to the fire. Kade smiled to himself as he watched it stretch out its neck and smell the food.
Turning his attention back to the book, Kade sat down and forced himself to think critically once more. He examined the cover as he placed his hand on it, getting ready to flip it open. Just as he was curling his fingers under the edge of the cover, he paused. Something was not right. He sat there for several long moments, and then it hit him.
“I left you open,” Kade said, peering intently at the book. He drew his hands away and closed his eyes. It took only a second for the shimmer to reveal itself once again. “So, you reset just like the door. Why does that not surprise me?” Kade asked rhetorically, as he glanced at the entrance to the study.
Completing the Disarm Calling once more, Kade checked for the shimmer and was pleased to see it gone. While holding his breath, he smoothly opened the book and was rewarded with nothing but calm. There was nothing at all. No reaction and nothing on the page. He turned to the next page and found another blank sheet. He looked closely for anything, sure he was missing something. He could feel power coursing through the book, so what was this? Closing his eyes, he studied the page, hoping to see a glimmer or a clue that would help solve this mystery. Still, there was nothing.
Turning another page produced the same results. Kade started flipping through the book faster and faster but found nothing written anywhere. There had to be more. He waited patiently, giving his mind a chance to figure out this mystery. He studied the book, but after ten long minutes of staring, willing it to reveal its secrets, he sat back in his chair and let out a sigh.
Maybe today was not the day to learn this book’s secrets, he thought to himself as he closed it and placed it back in its hiding place. He decided to sleep on this one and perused the remaining books. This time, he chose a small, black book. It was about four inches tall and three inches wide. The cover looked like bark, but when Kade grasped it, all he felt was thin leather. He held up the book, turning it over and over, careful not to open it. He returned to the table and sat.
Kade closed his eyes and used his sight and saw the Divine Power pulsing around it. Another faint, blue light. Kade went through the motions to disarm the trap, but when he looked again, he saw that the trap was still active. He shook his head and decided he had had enough of difficult, dangerous books.
Maybe later, he thought to himself as he got up and put the book back into the cubby.
“That should have worked,” Kade grumbled to himself as he looked at the last book still untouched. This one was lying flat on its side. He slowly put his hand on it and slid it out, trying to be as delicate as possible. The cover felt like cloth. Or maybe it was more like silk. Kade tried to decide, but then in the next moment, he was sure it was closer to course burlap. He had a suspicion that he was not going to be able to pin down what it felt like. With both hands holding the book closed, he moved to the table and gently set it down.
“Master, how do you keep from setting these off yourself?” Kade asked out loud. He knew that if Zayle were here, his response would be, “With years of practice.”
Closing his eyes once more, he looked for the familiar shimmer of Divine Power and found nothing. He opened his eyes and leaned closely, looking over every inch of the book. Again, he closed his eyes and performed the ritual. Nothing. Fearing the cleverest trap yet, he carefully placed his hand on the book and felt for the faint vibration that was present when a calling is placed on an object.
“Is this another one that is going to keep its secrets from me?” Kade asked of no one in particular. He narrowed his eyes as he studied the tome hard. His gut told him that nothing was out of the ordinary here, but it just did not make sense. His gut might be saying there was no danger but his head screamed, “Be careful.” He turned the book over and tried to see with his inner sight once more but again, there was nothing.
“No protection at all? None?” Kade asked of the book. “Well,” he said as he placed his hand on the cover, “master always said to trust my gut instinct, and right now, it says nothing is here, so…” and with that, he flipped the book open and jumped back behind the chair, waiting for lightning to strike. Nothing. With the exception of the pounding in his ears, the room was dead silent.
Slowly, he sat down in the chair without taking his eyes off the book. The tension faded from his body as he felt his weight sink into the worn leather. He focused on the first page and froze as he took in what he was reading. CREATURES FROM MY VISIONS. This book was written in a heavy hand. Kade recognized it instantly as his master’s writing. A sense of sadness moved through him along with a sense
of discovery. With anticipation, he turned the next page and saw an image of the grimalkin.
“What?” Kade asked out loud in surprise. “So, that was why you were so concerned. You knew if what I was telling you was the truth, it meant…well, what did it mean?” he asked, his anger growing as he looked upon the image of the cat-like creature. He did not realize it, but he was gripping the table so hard with his left hand that his knuckles were turning white. He was gnashing his teeth, and the muscles in his neck were taught. Second by second, the hatred in his heart grew.
“So, you were sent to kill my master,” Kade said in a growl. He almost did not recognize his own voice.
Kade felt the rage explode in him. He brought his fist down hard on the page as if to smash the creature like a bug. Kade thought back on his master and put considerable effort into suppressing his fury and failed miserably, as one lonely tear worked its way down his cheek. Wiping it away angrily, he refocused on the book.
He forced himself to calmly turn the page. It had one simple word as the title. It read, TARGOTH. Kade looked at the page, surprised to see no picture at all. It explained about the fearsome creature being forty feet tall and walking upright with long arms that could almost drag on the ground. It was said the creature had long claws at the end of its fingers but this could not be verified. The targoth was made of the Divine Power and had a natural ability to blend in with its surroundings.
“Targoth,” Kade said to himself as he looked out the window, remembering the invisible creature that had taken his master’s life. “Yes, we will meet again,” he said. Kade could have sworn that he heard a mocking laugh way off in the distance, but when he listened closely, all he could hear was the slight rustle of the wind.
The Divine Apprentice (The Divine Series) Page 9