The Divine Path (The Divine Series)

by Allen J Johnston

  Kade watched her walk away and confusion clouded his mind. His gut said he had made a mistake. But, how could protecting my heart be a mistake? he asked himself. Am I wrong? he pondered as his eyes slowed crept along the ground until he was looking at her.

  For a moment, he could have sworn she was looking at him, but when he focused on her, she was standing still, staring at the ground. He wanted to go to her and confess how he felt. Yes, this felt right. Either she was going to forget this other guy and be his or he would have no choice but to send her away at the earliest possible moment before there was no turning back for his heart. One way or another, he would have it figured out before he got too hurt. He decided that this was, indeed, the right decision. He turned, and before he could take one step, Rayden roared. Kade felt his heart leap so far into his throat that he almost choked.

  “Blood and ash and all that is Holy with the Divine, Rayden!” Kade swore loudly as he clutched his chest. “Do you ever stop eating?” he asked angrily, recognizing the hunger that came through the link. He regretted his words instantly. He dropped his head to his chest, feeling the disappointment through the connection. Rayden sank to the ground and dropped his head heavily onto his front legs as his ears wilted. “Do I have to mess up everything?” Kade asked, cursing himself for not thinking before he spoke. It was a habit he just had to break. His dragon had just spent the day carrying them without complaint, and now that it wanted to eat, he rebuked it.

  Darcienna narrowed her eyes as she contemplated what he had just said. Was he referring to me, also? Did he think he made a mistake by pushing me away?

  “Rayden,” Kade said as he dropped to his knees and gently stroked the dragon’s head. “You know I love you,” Kade said, and then his eyes focused past the dragon to lock with Darcienna’s. “You mean more to me than I ever expected,” he said as he refocused on the dragon. “I am not perfect and I am going to make mistakes, but if you can accept that, then I will always be in your life,” Kade said as he looked past the dragon again, but there was no one there. He wrapped his arms around the dragon’s neck and hugged. “Please forgive my rudeness. If you can find it in your heart to accept my apology, I am sure I can feed that deep pit you call a stomach,” Kade said as he stood and stepped back. He almost started laughing as he ran his hands through his hair. It was probably the one and only time he would be okay with the dragon drenching his hair with slobber.

  “Would you like something to eat?” Kade asked as he turned to look for Darcienna.

  “Food would be great,” Darcienna said as she moved out from behind the dragon. “You going to make us some?” she asked, as she thought about the beautiful words she had just heard. She could not help but to smile as she recalled the way he had looked past the dragon and locked eyes with her for just a moment as he spoke. Even though he meant it for the dragon, she could not help pretending he meant it for her, also.

  “Yes,” Kade said, grateful that he and Darcienna were talking, again.

  Kade made a piece of meat and went to hand it to Darcienna, who waved it away for the dragon. She always put others first, and it made him love her even more. She had an amazing heart, and if he was worthy, it would belong to him.

  If only I am worthy, he thought as his father’s words rang in his ears. He shook it off and focused on attempting to satisfy Rayden’s hunger. After feeding nature’s best devourer of food, he turned his attention to Darcienna.

  “I can’t believe that such a simple calling would turn out to be so useful,” Kade said as he handed the next piece of steaming meat to her. She took it graciously and sat on a fallen log, waiting for him to join her. “I wish Zayle would have taught me this one, sooner,” he said as he sat next to her.

  “Maybe he didn’t because he knew that you would become as big as a cabin if he did,” Darcienna said, more her old self. Kade felt such an immense relief wash over him that he did not care that he had dropped his food on the ground. The tension was gone as if it had never been.

  “Here,” Kade said as he tossed the dirty piece of meat to the dragon. Rayden was clearly not picky as he snapped up the food with a slight bit of sand flavoring and swallowed it without chewing.

  Kade made another chunk of meat and return to sit next to Darcienna. He smiled, happy that she was looking at him again with those heart-stopping eyes. He took several large bites and noticed the disapproving look from her at his eating manners. After two more intentionally large mouthfuls, he took two smaller bites. Darcienna gave just the slightest hint of a smile as she seemed to focus on her own meat, but something told Kade that the smile was meant for him. He sighed and proceeded to eat the rest of his food, not in small bites, but not the large chunks he had previously taken, either.

  “How long until we reach this other Chosen?” Darcienna asked.

  “About half a day’s ride,” Kade said past the food in his mouth. Darcienna gave him another disapproving look. He took a deep steadying breath, then swallowed the meat in one big gulp and repeated, “About half a day’s ride.”

  For reasons he was not able to fathom, she still had a reproving look. He just shook his head, clearly lost as to what he had done wrong now and looked around to see if any streams ran past. He wished he had the foresight to bring some water, but once again, he found himself thirsty without anything to drink.

  “What are you looking for?” Darcienna asked.

  “Water,” Kade said.

  “Why don’t you just conjure some?”

  “Because it is a food calling, not a drink calling,” Kade said with a hint of irritation.

  “How would the Divine know the difference? If you wanted to create grapes, could you?” Darcienna asked simply.

  “I suppose,” Kade said, pondering her line of thinking.

  “Then, if you can make grapes, which are used to make wine, then you should be able to make wine, right?”

  “Maybe,” Kade said. He narrowed his eyes as he studied the idea. “It is worth a try,” he added, curiously. He stood and closed his eyes, eager to test out her idea. He performed the calling while picturing a nice bottle of sweet wine. Within seconds, he felt the liquid materialize in his hands and proceed to splash on the ground, getting his legs wet. Kade jumped back and gave Darcienna an accusing look, but she didn’t seem to notice.

  “Well, it seems the bottle is not organic, so that is not going to work. So, I guess it needs to be organic. All we need to do is find some way to catch the wine,” Darcienna said as if stating the most obvious fact.

  “I suppose that would work,” Kade said as he looked around the area.

  “Good,” Darcienna said, happy with how this was going.

  Kade watched as her eyes stopped on something on the other side of the dragon. He turned to see what she had found as she got to her feet. Darcienna walked around Rayden to a torok tree. It was perfect. Its leaves were cone shaped and made for catching rainwater. It was a survival skill of the tree, but tonight, it would be used to catch wine.

  “This should work,” Darcienna said with a smile. “I will hold it under your hands while you perform the calling.”

  Kade, begrudgingly, had to admit that her ability to look at things differently helped them find a solution. Even with hands that were becoming sticky with the drying wine, he was grateful for her creative thinking. He smiled at the thought of tasting the sweet drink and was eager to try again.

  “Okay, let’s make some wine,” Kade said as he started the Food Calling. He felt the wine splash past his hands just as it did the first time. He opened his eyes and saw Darcienna proudly displaying the cup of liquid. He could not help but to smile at her pure innocence. There was nothing but the honest intent to help. She was not trying to show him that she was superior because of her creative way of thinking, nor was she gloating about finding a solution. It was just pure altruism.

  Kade held his breath as she lifted the makeshift cup to her lips, afraid she would cough and sputter at what was supposed to be wine. He rec
alled his failed attempts when he first tried to make meat and dreaded the same outcome. Darcienna took a sip and nodded her head in approval. Kade breathed a sigh of relief. Darcienna lifted the cup to her lips again, and took two deep swallows with her eyes closed, savoring the taste. She handed it back to Kade, who did the same. He handed the cup back to her and she took the last drink. He filled the leaf several times, giving them both more than their fair share.

  Darcienna wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. How she was able to do this and still look proper was beyond him, but he was sure if he had done the same, it would have earned him a disapproving look. But, then again, she could do almost anything, and it would be fine with him.

  “That was a good idea,” Kade said, feeling the effects of the wine.

  “I can’t believe I drank that much,” Darcienna said, barely able to form her words.

  Feeling the ground start to rock, Kade held onto Rayden to keep from falling. He turned his back to the dragon and slid down to the ground. He put his hands on his stomach as he leaned back.

  “You know, you look a little familiar,” Kade said as he studied her for a moment.

  “Of course I do. You know me,” Darcienna said with a giggle.

  “I do?” Kade asked, almost grasping something. It was right there.

  “Yes silly. We have been traveling together for about two or three days now,” Darcienna said with anther giggle.

  “Oh,” Kade said, but he was still studying her as if that answer was not good enough.

  “Kade, don’t you think we should be getting some sleep?” Darcienna asked, trying to change the subject.

  “Yes, we should,” Kade said, enjoying the feeling he was experiencing from the drink.

  Getting to his feet a little clumsily, Kade turned to find that Rayden was already in the world of dreams. He looked around for a soft spot to sleep for the night and saw a clump of moss beneath the torok tree. With a little coxing, he convinced Darcienna to lie down on the soft patch. She patted the very small spot of moss next to her, and seeing no reason why he should not, he did as she bid. They talked for a while, until Darcienna no longer answered his questions. He leaned over to see her eyes closed and watched her breathing deeply. For a moment, he considered moving away, but he did not want to leave her alone, and what better way to make sure she was safe than to be right there with her. He lay on his back as he looked up at the stars, feeling at peace. Soon, he drifted off to sleep. Darcienna snuggled into him, and he draped his arm around her. They would stay like that for most of the night.

  The sun broke through the leaves of the torok tree to arouse Kade from his slumber. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked around the clearing. He found that he was off the moss and Darcienna was sprawled over the entire patch. He stretched his back to work out a few knots and looked over to see the dragon had not moved. He was taking in the calm air as he watched Rayden and did not even notice as Darcienna reached over for him.

  “Good morning,” she said as she laid a hand on his arm.

  Kade flinched hard, spraying dirt into the air as his hand came up out of reflex. When he saw it was her, he studied her to see if she was trying to repay him for his little prank back in the kitchen of his parent’s cabin. He shook his head at his foolishness and took a steadying breath. Was that a smirk on her face?

  He worked his way to his feet and checked for the sack of books. Satisfied everything was as it should be, he returned to look at Darcienna. She looked beautiful, even in the early hours.

  “Good morning yourself,” Kade said as he offered her his hand. “It sure felt good to sleep,” he said as he tried to recall the night.

  “We should get going as soon as possible. Half of the day is already gone,” Darcienna said.

  “Well, let’s have something to eat first, and then we can get moving.”

  Kade made a full three course meal of cheese, bread and meat. He sat down next to Darcienna, eagerly looked forward to the food. After checking to make sure the dragon was still asleep so he could eat in peace, he enjoyed his morning meal. They ate without saying much as they enjoyed the calm of the land.

  Kade finished his food while Darcienna still had half of hers left. He climbed to his feet and proceeded to make a pile of meat for the dragon. He had placed eight steaming pieces of juicy meat right in front of Rayden’s nose, wondering when the dragon was going to wake. As Kade laid the ninth one down, the dragon’s nose started to work feverishly. It was not long before its eyes popped open, and it tore into the pile of meat with huge bites. Kade laughed and looked at Darcienna to see how she would regard the dragon’s eating habits.

  “Rayden is a dragon,” Darcienna said simply, as if that was all that needed to be said. Kade shook his head, not knowing where to go with that.

  It took no time for the dragon to finish. As a matter of fact, Darcienna was still eating when the dragon inhaled the tenth piece. Kade made a mental note to see how big a piece of meat he could create. Cooking like this was really starting to turn into work.

  “Time to go, my friend,” Kade said as he patted Rayden on the neck.

  The dragon, reluctantly, bent down for the riders to mount. Kade got the feeling that the dragon would have preferred to lie back down and spend the day doing nothing. He knew exactly how his friend felt.

  Kade helped Darcienna to her feet as she shoved the last of the bread into her mouth. He boosted her onto the dragon and then easily vaulted onto Rayden’s back. Kade flexed his hands, feeling the stickiness of the wine and wiped them on his pants. It did not do much to help so he decided to stop at the first stream or lake they could find. For that matter, a full cleaning was in order.

  He tied the books into place and signaled the dragon to go. Instead of the lazy lope as Kade expected, the dragon merely walked. He considered coaxing it into a run but decided that it was probably best if they started the day out slowly. He found that this slower pace helped his mind relax.

  After the sun had traveled across most of the sky, Kade realized they were just barely halfway to Valdry’s place. He considered once more asking the dragon to pick up the pace, but the warm sun made him feel just as lazy as the dragon. He let it go, dreading rushing into more danger. His nerves needed a break, and he did not need to hold on so tightly to the dragon.

  Many hours later, night threatened to creep across the land when they came upon a lake. Kade could picture the water washing over him, removing the many days of travel. The sun was starting to set, and it cast a long reflection across the lake, causing Kade to have to shield his eyes. It was beautiful, and he stared for a while, soaking up the view.

  “This looks like a good place to stop for the night. We will see the Chosen, Valdry, in the morning,” Kade said.

  “I thought this was going to be half a day’s ride,” Darcienna commented.

  “If we would have pushed Rayden, then it would have been, but it felt good to take it slowly for once. Besides, I needed rest before we meet this Valdry. I need to be prepared for anything. He is a Chosen, and from talking to Zayle, I have to be cautious,” Kade said as he slid down from the dragon.

  “Why cautious?” Darcienna asked, confused. She swung her leg over and slid down to land in Kade’s arms. He regretted, momentarily, not losing his balance and then stepped back as he turned toward the water. Before taking one step, he turned back to the dragon and untied the books. He gently laid them on the ground and headed for the water.

  “Because…,” Kade started to say, struggling with how best to explain it for her to fully understand. “Because we have secrets…even from each other. Zayle says that each Chosen works a lifetime compiling knowledge but does not share it. It is a status thing, and of course, power. For example, Zayle is the only one that knows the Lightning Calling. He is not even sure if any of the other Chosen know the Divine Fire Calling. He has more knowledge compiled than any other Chosen. Many have tried to steal these very books,” Kade said as he patted the sack. “It’s these
secrets that keep us from interacting with one another, unless we have a common interest where we must work together.”

  “But, that is crazy,” Darcienna said, stunned at his words.

  “Why?” Kade asked, surprised at her reaction.

  “Because you should work together like we do.”

  “You work together?” Kade asked in surprise. After a moment, it made sense. “Wait. Just think about it. You cannot gain power until it is given to you,” he said as he watched her to make sure she was following his logic. “If you were able to travel great distance at the blink of an eye, would you want that?” he asked as he turned to face her.

  “I believe anyone would,” Darcienna said as she tried to see where he was going with this.

  “Okay, so let’s say that your kind, who uses Nature’s Gift, can share these abilities. Let’s also say that you find just one person who has this knowledge but won’t share it. What would you do?”

  “I would respect their wish to be left alone,” Darcienna said, still not understanding how this was supporting his argument.

  “But you are willing to share?”

  “Of course,” Darcienna said quickly.

  “And what if you were willing to share but that one who knew the travel ability would not share with you? Would you share with that person?”

  “I…but that is not how it is.”

  “Isn’t it? If just one person decided they did not want to share their ability, that would start a chain reaction of others not wanting to share or one person might become too powerful. And then, pretty soon, you would have people guarding their secrets closely. But you don’t have to worry about that. You get your abilities given to you, and you don’t need to fear another of your kind lusting after that knowledge. Do you understand what I am saying?” Kade asked as he smiled easily at her.

  “I still think it should be okay to share the knowledge, though,” Darcienna said, trying to salvage a bit of her point of view.