The Divine Apprentice (The Divine Series)

by Allen J Johnston

  He felt incredibly helpless. Never in all his life did he feel so much at a loss as to what he should do. He watched as Darcienna turned her attention back to the broken body. She slowly knelt down and placed her hands on the old woman. Kade was not sure if she was crying or praying until he saw the slight shake of her shoulders. Then, he saw the tears start to fall from her face and land in the dirt, making little puffs of dust. She slumped forward, letting her hair fall over Jorell’s face. Darcienna picked up her mentor’s hand and stroked it affectionately, as though it were a small pet.

  Kade felt his heart break for this precious young woman. He did not know if he should put his arm around her or just leave her alone. He looked around as if to find the answer elsewhere but found only his dragon looking askance at him. He turned his attention back to Darcienna. He ached to hold her and tell her it was ok, but fear of doing the wrong thing at such a painful moment froze him to the spot. It occurred to him that whatever had killed his master might be behind this slaying, also. His blood started to boil by the moment.

  “I will find you and destroy you!” Kade vowed with every fiber of his being. “By the time I am through with you, you will regret ever knowing life!” Kade hissed with such fury that he shook. His nails bit into the palms of his hands. He was so focused on his curse, he almost missed that he was drawing on the Divine. With one last burst of hate, he let the ancient power evaporate.

  Kade took a deep breath to steady himself, and as he let it out, he looked down to see Darcienna looking up at him. Afraid she had seen his outburst and thinking him a crazed man, he recovered as best he could. He decided to follow his heart and do what he knew to be right. He sat next to her and gathered her in his arms. She resisted and even tried to push him away but she needed this and he wanted her to know she was not alone. She gave up and let her walls come crashing down. She fell into his arms and laid her head against his chest as she cried. He held her tightly and whispered into her ear, “I will avenge her death! I swear it!”

  Darcienna slumped and the sobs came freely. Kade stroked her hair, not knowing what else to do. He held her for so long he could feel his muscles cramping in his legs. He shifted as little as possible to ease the discomfort, but he never took his arms from around her. Slowly but surely, she calmed. He glanced down and looked right into her eyes.

  “Thank you,” Darcienna said.

  “I didn’t do anything.”

  “You shared my pain and grief,” she said as she reached up and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Her lips lingered briefly. “Will you help me bury her?” Darcienna asked, not wanting to look at the body.

  “Of course,” Kade said as he went to put his hand on her cheek, but before he could, she pulled away. He thought he could feel her close off a little, but he was not sure. “You do not need to help. I will do this,” Kade said, trying to save her from any more grief.

  “No. I have to help. I want to see her off to the land of the dead. It is the last time I will be able to say…” and then she stopped, her lips trembling, unable to say the word goodbye. She tried to keep the tears from coming but failed miserably. She slumped into his arms once again. After several more minutes, she was able to bring herself under control but her red-rimmed eyes told of the pain she was still feeling. She tilted her head back and looked into his eyes, staring for several long moments. Kade could see her mind working. He waited.

  “Who would do this?”

  He stiffened instantly as his mouth went tight, causing her to flinch. Doing his best to relax, he looked past her as he gathered his thoughts. He forced his hatred to a slow ebb and looked at her.

  “I don’t know who caused all this destruction,” Kade said as he looked around the clearing. “Something is hunting those with power.”

  “When you spoke that vow, I sensed a lot of anger and hate. Is it because of this?” she asked as she nodded her head in the direction of Jorell, “or is there more?”

  Kade opened his mouth to give any of the many answers that came to mind but paused. He thought of his master and his own hardships. He thought of the family that he had met in the woods. He thought of his parents. He looked deep in her eyes and saw the pain there.

  “I have my reason,” was all Kade said, not feeling this was the right time for a full explanation. She nodded weakly.

  “We can bury her over here,” Darcienna said as she indicated a spot next to a large, silvery tree. “She used to love this tree. I think she would like that.”

  Kade did not speak, nor did he look at Darcienna. He moved over to Jorell, lifting her into his arms and turned to take her to the spot she indicated. Kade sent a mental request to the dragon to dig a hole next to the tree. The dragon eagerly bounded over and turned, looking at Kade as if asking, “Here?” Kade nodded and Rayden began digging by using his front claws to throw the dirt through his hind legs. It was not more than a few minutes when there was a crudely dug hole in the ground.

  “Thank you my friend,” Kade said.

  He knelt by the edge of the grave and started to lean over, but he was not going to be able to lay Jorell in the hole without dropping her or falling in himself. He gently laid her on the ground and then jumped in. He turned, picked her up and then laid her gently in the bottom.

  Kade climbed back out of the hole and paused, looking Darcienna in the eyes. She was doing her best to be strong but Kade could see the slight quiver to her chin. He did not need to see her to sense the sadness starting to pour out of those rivers of blue.

  “I am going to have Rayden bury her now. If you have anything you want to say, or if there is anything you want her to have, now is the time.”

  Darcienna did not speak nor did she move. She just kept staring at her cherished teacher. Kade asked Rayden to fill the hole. Confusion flooded the link as Rayden looked between Kade and the body. Kade asked again, and this time the, dragon did as Kade bid. He cringed as the dragon let the dirt fly. Most of it went in the hole but much of it flew past. It was far from the solemn event Kade was hoping for, but it was what they had to work with. There was an indent in the ground where the hole was when the dragon finished.

  “Are there any last rights you want to perform?” Kade asked.

  “No,” she said in a whisper so low he barely heard.

  Kade looked down while scratching the back of his head. He just did not feel right leaving without saying something…anything. He wanted to make a suggestion but feared he might offend her. In the end, he just could not leave it like it was without at least trying.

  “Darcienna,” Kade said softly.

  “What?” she responded just as quietly.

  “Would you like me to perform the Divine last rights for Jorell?”

  Darcienna seemed to be deep in her own thoughts. Kade was starting to think she had not heard his question. He was about to ask again when she shifted. He waited.

  “She does not use the Divine,” Darcienna responded.

  “I know, but if I am right, then it won’t matter,” Kade said, still not looking at her.

  Darcienna stood for a long time without answering. Kade let the silence continue without speaking a word. He decided he was not going to ask again, and he was not going to distract her as she spent her last remaining moments saying goodbye. She took a deep breath and then sighed.

  “I guess it will not hurt. Go ahead.”

  Kade nodded slightly and stepped up to the grave. He placed his right hand over his left hand, palms down and held them over the ground. Since he did not need the movement of his fingers, this was easy. He called up the Divine Power and directed it out his hands and into the ground. He spoke the word in the ancient language that translated simply as, “What is yours is yours.” And just like that, it was done.

  He could not say why, but he was sure he had done the right thing. It was not just a feeling but more like knowing, even though he could not explain it. Kade dismissed the odd thoughts and prepared to go back to the cabin.

  “We will not be
able to stay here,” Kade said gently. “We are both still in great danger.” He felt her looking at him and started to fidget. He slowly turned and looked at her, surprised to see her smiling. All his discomfort melted away.

  “Thank you, Kade. I wouldn’t be alive if it were not for you. You have been a big help with everything,” Darcienna said as she glanced at the grave. As Darcienna stood watching, Kade saw a hardness enter her eyes. Where there should have been sadness, there was now a wall. He moved to stand in front of her to study her, wanting to offer her comfort but she stepped away. It was almost as if she were denying needing the compassion as if nothing had happened. Kade felt his heart sadden for her. If she did not feel it now, she was going to feel it later, but one way or the other, this was going to hurt sometime. But, each person needed to deal with loss in their own due time. With one last look into those hard eyes, he stepped back as an image of his parents flashed through his mind.

  Kade’s anxiety started to grow. He felt a stab of guilt for being so casual when he should be racing to his parent’s aid. Every minute might make the difference. He fought to remain calm. He was trying to figure out a way to encourage Darcienna to hurry, but didn’t for fear of offending her since she had just buried her teacher.

  “Kade, what is it?” Darcienna asked, seeing the discomfort on his face.

  “I fear for my parent’s lives. I was on my way to Arden when I stopped at your cabin. There are evil men taking over the town where my mother and father live.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I met a family that left Arden and they told me everything,” Kade said, feeling the strong urge to jump on the dragon’s back and compel it to run like the wind.

  “It will take us a few days to get there from here,” Darcienna said as she turned to go into the cabin.

  “It will take less than a day by dragon. We will ride Rayden,” Kade said as he looked at his friend. Darcienna turned to stare at the magnificent silver creature with dried blood on its muzzle.

  “You ride the dragon?” Darcienna asked in astonishment.

  “Yes,” he said, feeling pride swell in him, a sly smile lifting the corner of his mouth. “He is a much faster way of getting around,” Kade said as he patted the dragon’s lean, strong neck. Rayden swung his head down to look Kade in the eye.

  Darcienna approached Rayden slowly and stopped ten feet from him. The dragon flopped down and laid its head on its front legs. As she approached, Rayden followed her with his eyes. It occurred to Kade that Darcienna had not been up close to the dragon until this moment. She got to within one stride of the magnificent creature when it lifted its head to watch her. She turned slowly, not wanting to take her eyes off it and then glanced at Kade for reassurance. He nodded once. Darcienna took a deep breath and then glided up to the dragon. She slowly raised her hand and lightly touched Rayden on the neck. The dragon huffed slightly and then settled back down on its legs.

  “He is…beautiful,” Darcienna said in deep appreciation as she walked around the dragon, marveling at its magnificence. Kade smiled, immensely enjoying showing off this wondrous creature. If she saw the blood on its muzzle and body, she chose not to show it.

  I don’t know what I would do without you, Kade thought with affection as he had so many times already. The dragon responded with a grunt and Kade laughed. Obviously, impressing others was of very little importance to the dragon.

  Kade smiled and walked over to give Rayden an affectionate pat on the neck. Darcienna stopped next to Kade. She put her hand next to Kade’s and felt the muscles ripple beneath the skin as Rayden raised his head and swung it around. Darcienna pulled her hand back and retreated a step while looking at Kade for reassurance once more.

  “I think we are irritating him,” Kade said with a chuckle. The dragon proved Kade right when he quickly jumped up, took four steps away and then fell heavily back to the ground with a thud. With a lazy look at his friend, Rayden dropped his head down onto his legs and started to close his eyes.

  “It just occurred to me that the dragon did all the digging. How did it know what to do?” Darcienna asked.

  Kade noticed the way her eyebrows went up when she was puzzled about something and smiled. He found himself looking into her eyes again and marveled at her beauty. His eyes lingered on her mouth as she talked, and he found himself wetting his lips. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, feeling like a letch for thinking like that at a time like this. He also realized he was staring again.

  “That’s okay. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want. I guess I am being nosey, huh?” Darcienna asked, misunderstanding his silence.

  “No, that’s okay. I don’t mind answering,” Kade said as he noticed the alluring way she tilted her head. “The dragon seems to be able to understand my thoughts. That is about the best way to put it.”

  Darcienna studied Kade, trying to decide if he was pulling a fast one on her. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him, waiting for him to confess his jest. Kade saw the doubt in her eyes and quickly continued.

  “Honestly. He can seem to hear my thoughts when I want. He did dig the hole,” he said as he indicated the grave. Darcienna glanced at the ground by the silver tree and the suspicion melted from her eyes.

  “You really can talk to dragons with your mind?” Darcienna asked rhetorically. “That’s incredible. I have never heard of anyone able to do that. As a matter of fact, I have never even seen a dragon before. I was wondering if they were extinct.”

  “Well, I don’t know about talking to all dragons,” Kade said while looking at Rayden. “I suspect it is just this one,” he said, pointing to his companion. “And I thought dragons were extinct also until this one tried to kill me,” he added with a grin. Darcienna looked at him with raised eyebrows once again. “Well, I stumbled upon him by accident. He was injured when I found him. If he wasn’t already hurt, I am sure he would have made a meal out of me. I had the chance to attack him but I decided against it, and I think Rayden realized that I showed mercy when I could have done differently. After that, I healed him of some very serious wounds. We even fought a grimalkin together and he has been with me ever since,” Kade said with a smile.

  “Wow! That is truly incredible! You two must have been together for quite some time to work so well with each other. The fact that you both killed those creatures is amazing.”

  “Actually, I’ve only had him for less than a month.”

  “Only a month?” Darcienna asked with disbelief in her voice.

  “Yes,” Kade said. He realized that it really was a very short time, even though he felt like he had known the dragon all his life. He looked at Rayden and couldn’t imagine being without him. “Forgive me for pushing, Darcienna, but we really should hurry,” Kade said, irritated at being distracted so easily. “Darcienna, we do have to go,” he said, emphasizing each word, trying to impress upon her the importance of what he was saying.

  “First, you are going to get cleaned up. The dragon can use some cleaning, also,” Darcienna said, leaving no room for argument as she noticed the dried blood still on Rayden. Kade started to open his mouth to argue when she planted her hands firmly on her hips and glared at him. Exasperated, Kade gave up on the argument. He knew if it had been anyone else, he would have left without even giving them a chance to convince him, but with her….

  Something about her caused his will to bend to her wishes. He was not sure if she was using this Nature’s Gift on him, but he would do her bidding, regardless. Any contest of wills was going to leave him in second place, and he knew it with more certainty than he knew his own name.

  “Besides, you need to give that,” she said, pointing to his hand, “at least a little time to heal. If you run into more of these creatures, you are going to need it working,” Darcienna finished confidently. Kade looked at his injury and realized she was right. Holding onto the dragon during their run would be difficult at best. This made it easier to stomach the delay

  Kade ran his hands t
hrough his hair and pulled it away with bits of dirt and leaves. He looked down at his clothes, seeing how mangy they were. If he was hoping to impress her with his appearance, he knew he could just forget it now as he realized how disheveled he was.

  “Where will I be taking a bath? I don’t recall seeing a tub,” Kade said, blushing slightly. Darcienna smiled to herself at his discomfort.

  “We don’t have any use for tubs here,” she said with a sly look in her eyes.

  Kade paused, feeling bats flapping around in his belly at the tone in her voice. He was trying to analyze her to see if she was having some sort of fun at his expense, but for the life of him, could not see what it might be. The mischievous look in her eye was impossible to miss, though.

  “We…I have a hot spring in the back of the cabin,” Darcienna said. The wall she had put up around her heart faltered for just a moment and then was back in place as firm as ever.

  Kade closed his mouth. He was not going to let her see his embarrassment. The more he thought about it, the more he was starting to look forward to a hot bath to wash away the filth. Previously, a bath would have meant a trip down to the freezing, cold stream. It was so frigid he would go as long as possible to avoid a cleaning until Zayle forced him into the river.

  Come on Rayden. Time for us to get cleaned up, Kade thought to his friend. Rayden stirred slightly but did not wake. Kade looked over his shoulder and noticed that Rayden was still sleeping soundly. He stopped and focused on the dragon. Again, he sent the command to the dragon but this time more forcefully. Rayden’s head popped up, scanning the area for what had demanded his attention. Kade, once more, communicated that they were going to enjoy a bath in a hot spring. Before he could finish the thought, the dragon was on its feet. Kade got the strong impression that Rayden was more than eager to enjoy the hot water.

  Darcienna led the way into the cabin. She indicated he was to wait in the kitchen by the door that led out back while she went into her bedroom. When she emerged, she was carrying several large towels, some kind of yellow substance that Kade took for soap and a large scrub brush. Kade looked at the brush and started to redden. Darcienna took one glance at Kade and gave a sweet, lighthearted laugh.