“Kade,” Darcienna cried as she held him tightly. There was fear and terror in her voice. He winced at the pain that should have been in his ribs. But, there was none. The more he awoke, the further the pain faded. “Can you hear me?” she asked as she moved back only far enough to look him in the eyes.
“Yes,” Kade said as he took a deep breath and reached up, putting his arms around her. He needed to feel her, to know she was there, to know this was the real world. Her eyes started to quickly fade to their natural color.
The dragon shoved between them with his nose and huffed at Kade worriedly. Rayden was not going to be put off a second longer. The connection between him and the dragon slammed into place and everything was back to normal. Deep concern flooded through the link. Kade let go of Darcienna and patted Rayden on the muzzle to reassure him. Darcienna wiped the sweat from his brow with her sleeve as she checked him over for injuries.
“What happened?” Darcienna asked through the tears as her sobs started to slow.
“I am not really sure,” Kade said as he sat up and looked around. “I was lying here next to the fire, or I thought I was,” he said as he scratched his head, “when Morg appeared out of…,” Kade was saying when Darcienna cut him off.
“You saw him?” she asked in a rush.
“Yes. He appeared out of nowhere and started to question me as to where we were. He hit me several times, and it hurt. It hurt badly. It felt so real. The pain was so intense,” Kade said as he ran his hand over his head to feel for lumps. There weren’t any. “I thought that Morg had taken you.”
“I thought you said that amulet would keep him from finding us.”
“It did. He still has no idea where we are. As a matter of fact, I think he was barely able to be in my dreams because of the amulet. I believe he was fighting its power,” Kade said as his hand went to his chest, expecting to find nothing. There was a huge blister forming where the amulet hung. He furrowed his brow as he ran his finger gently over the spot. “He still does not know where we are.”
“He tried to get you to take off the amulet, didn’t he?” Darcienna asked as she bent to inspect the burn. She placed her hands over the spot and the blister melted away.
“Not at first. I don’t think he was even aware of it until I told him I had it. He was only trying to get me to tell him where we are,” Kade said and then paused. “You…were trying to stop me from taking it off, weren’t you?” he asked as he recalled the counter pressure he felt in the dream.
“Yes. You almost had it off until I stopped you. Even then, it was close.”
“How did you know something was wrong?” Kade asked as he stood.
“It wasn’t me. Your dragon figured it out. From out of nowhere, he roared so loudly it almost stopped my heart. It was enough to wake the dead. When I saw that you did not even flinch, I knew something was wrong. I tried to wake you, but it was no use,” Darcienna said as her eyes threatened to spill over again. “That’s when I noticed that the amulet was scalding hot.”
“Yes, I noticed that, too. That’s why I tried to take it off. Morg knows why he has not been able to track us now,” Kade said with regret.
“How did the dragon know that you were in trouble?” Darcienna asked, her composure returning.
“I suspect it was when I tried to call to it with my mind.”
“Well, I am glad it worked,” Darcienna said as she looked at the dragon. Rayden was still watching Kade intently. The apprentice hugged the dragon tightly around the neck.
“We have to leave now,” Kade said. “Morg does not know exactly where we are, but he does have an idea,” Kade said as he felt a slight vibration in the amulet. His hand shot to it and held it tightly, as if suppressing the vibrations might keep them hidden.
“I think that would be best,” Darcienna said as she looked around the site, preparing to leave.
Kade felt the feather-light touch in his mind and recognized it for the Detection Calling. Just for a moment, he felt as if he wanted to give up and fall to his knees. And then, he looked into Darcienna’s blazing eyes. The Divine raced in, ready for Kade to meet whatever it was that was stalking them in the night.
“Darcienna,” Kade whispered fiercely. She turned toward him, her eyes showing like bright flashes of lightning.
“I can sense it,” Darcienna said, trying her best to keep her voice low. “Does it ever stop?” she asked in exasperation.
“I can feel it on all sides,” Kade hissed as he quickly scanned the dark, struggling against his exhaustion. Before he knew what was happening, he felt a pair of hands lock onto his head. Out of reflex, he tried to jerk away and prepared to deliver a crushing blow. Just as he was turning to attack, his mind cleared of the fatigue. “Thanks,” Kade said with a glance, grateful for her help once more.
Rayden, be alert. I am sensing danger on all sides, Kade thought to the dragon.
Natures best hunter spun around, sniffed the air rapidly several times and then tensed, ready for battle. Kade quickly worked the Silence Calling while trying to keep an eye on all directions at once. He got ready for the Transparency Calling when he saw something drift through the shadows as silent as the wind. It was gone before he could see any details, but it was not small. He raised his hands, ready to fly through the calling when, out of reflex, he fell to the ground and rolled as something fell toward him from the sky.
Jumping to his feet and tensing, ready to execute the Divine Fire Calling, Kade scanned the area quickly only to find nothing. His heart was racing wildly. Sometimes the unknown was much worse than the known, and right now, there was a lot of unknown setting off the Detection Calling.
Rayden lunged at Kade with whip-like speed and snatched something out of the air just above his head. The Apprentice Chosen felt the wisp of something on his hair as the dragon’s teeth crashed down on the attacker. When the dragon stepped back, it had what appeared to be a spider that was approximately six feet long hanging out of its mouth. Kade shivered hard and stepped back. He hated spiders with a passion.
The creature was twisting, trying to get at least one bite on the dragon before its life was crushed out of it, as Rayden bit down hard. There was a sickly green ooze coming from its mouth as it let out such a high pitched scream that Kade felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Rayden took a deep breath with the spider still struggling and exhaled a blast of fire that cooked the wriggling creature. The smell of burnt hair filled the area. Rayden twisted his head and tossed the spider aside with a flick.
“Darcienna!” Kade yelled, trying to prompt her into action. It was clear that it was too much too quickly. She was still reeling from so much danger as she stood rooted to the spot. “Darcienna!” Kade said in a voice of command, “Your shield! Now!” Kade exclaimed as he sent the Divine Fire at a shadow that was skittering through the treetops.
Two spiders screeched in pain as they lit up and fell to their deaths. Kade did not have a chance to revel in any sort of victory as the scene before him unfolded. He felt his chest constrict as the Divine Fire lit up the tops of the trees, revealing hundreds of the black creatures.
“Darcienna!” Kade yelled as he roughly grabbed her by the arms and spun her around to face him. “Your shield!” he said harshly, breaking through to her.
Darcienna slowly raised her hands as if she were waking from a trance. The green energy shot forth to surround them. Two spiders bounced off the shield as it formed. Kade jumped back as one hit the ground directly in front of him. The dragon lunged. Its teeth came together in a crash, but the spider was no longer in the same place. It bounded into the air and landed gracefully on the dragon’s back. In a fraction of a second, Kade realized that this fierce dragon may find an end at those poisonous fangs.
Rayden swung back and forth trying for the spider, but it was out of his reach and it was not going to be dislodged. The spider reared slightly as its fangs extended. Kade flew into action and performed the Lightning Calling faster than he had ever though
t possible. His hands were a blur and his movements were as fluid as water. The spider lunged but missed as the dragon bucked. The spider gripped the dragon tighter and reared, again. It was not going to be denied in its second attempt. It was just barely enough time. The lightning shot forth to catch the spider just a mere hairs-breath away from the dragon’s hide. How the Divine could interpret such a blur of movement was beyond Kade’s understanding, but it had.
The bolt caught the spider and ripped through it, blasting it off the dragon’s back to tumble through the air as it and the lightning bolt slammed violently into the side of the shield. Darcienna screamed in agony as the shield shimmered. She fell to her knees and Kade saw she was clenching her teeth so tightly that she shook. Her arms trembled dangerously but the shield stabilized. Unfortunately, Darcienna did not appear to be recovering as well. She was able to get to her feet, but her eyes were slammed shut in concentration. To make a shield large enough to encompass the dragon had to be pushing her to her very limits. To withstand a blast of Divine Power, virtually impossible.
Rayden roared his challenge, but even he realized they were in trouble. Kade could feel what most closely resembled concern coming through the link. He was not sure if the dragon even knew how to fear, but if it could, this was the closest he had seen it get to it. And then, the spiders started to drop onto the lifesaving barrier. With each one that landed, Kade could see Darcienna struggle just a little more.
His mind worked feverishly. He considered the Transparency Calling but Darcienna’s shield definitely gave away their position. And, with the number of spiders covering the barrier, if she let it go, the arachnids would fall on them in droves.
“Dacienna, are you able to hold?” Kade asked, but he was afraid that he already knew the answer. It was not looking good. She could not even spare the effort to answer his question.
The spiders started to vibrate while emitting an ear splitting, high-pitched buzz. Kade covered his ears as his mind felt like it was reeling out of control. If he was doing this badly, he knew that Darcienna was doing worse.
“No,” Darcienna said through clenched teeth. “That…Lightning Calling…was too much…for my…shield,” Darcienna said through gasps.
“I had no choice. I had to do something to save Rayden,” Kade yelled over the deafening buzz that was increasing by the moment.
Rayden let out a roar as he shook his head back and forth, trying to escape the mental assault. Kade pressed his hands tightly to his head and realized that Darcienna did not even have that small reprieve. He had to do something. It would be mere moments before the spiders would have them in their grasp, and he dreaded the suffering that would follow. He planted his feet firmly, ready to set them all on fire, even if it meant that they themselves were to die. If he had to go down, he was going to go down fighting.
“Darcienna!” Kade yelled. “Can you open a window in the shield?”
“No. It’s…all or…nothing,” she grunted through clenched teeth. There was a slight trickle of blood coming from her nose, running over her lips. “Kade…,” was all she could get out in an effort to warn him that the shield was going to give way.
He felt like everything was spinning wildly out of control. Where was the clever solution to this? How could this end in anything other than tragedy? He did the only thing he could think of. He did his best to confuse them by making them appear to disappear by using the Transparency Calling. This was only a short reprieve as the shield still showed their position. But, were the spiders smart enough to figure this out?
You will die today servants of Morg, a voice boomed in Kade’s head. He looked up, and at the edge of the shield, stood a spider of the most pure white he had ever seen. It appeared to be covered in snow white fur that flowed with the wind. It was magnificent. The only other thing that showed besides the majestic, white, feather-light hair was its fiery, green eyes. For a fraction of a second, he thought it was one of the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen. The irony that he detested spiders was not lost on him.
I can still sense your presence, the voice said in his head so loudly that it hurt. You shall not escape us. As soon as this one who is gifted in the use of Nature fails, we will devour you and you will suffer.
Kade looked up at the spiders as they blocked out the stars. He was out of options. Darcienna gasped and the shield shimmered. Time was up. He had to do something now.
Would they listen to reason? Kade asked himself, fighting the panic that gripped his heart.
“We are no servants of Morg,” Kade said, deactivating the Silence Calling as he moved to stand just feet from the white spider. He let the Transparency Calling go and locked eyes with the majestic creature. Was there just a tiny bit of hesitation? The voice that echoed in his head showed no signs of doubt.
Do not try to deceive me, the voice exploded, sending Kade reeling. The voice was already mind-numbing, but this sent him down to one knee under the crushing weight of it. Kade clenched his jaws, and with all his will, forced himself to stand, looking the spider in the eye once more.
“I am not one of Morg’s servants!” Kade screamed in rage. The blackness started to cover his heart and the Divine begged to fill him. He was on the verge of embracing the sweet taste of power when he heard Darcienna groan. No. He must keep his wits about him. Anger has only caused him problems. He had to think. “I can prove it,” Kade said, trying to buy time.
You can tell your lies in the world of the dead, for soon you will be there, the voice said, but it was not as strong, and now there was doubt. Kade was sure of it. He forged on, praying in the next few moments he could deliver them from certain death with his words alone. The Divine was not going to save him here. As powerful as it was, Kade understood Zayle’s sage advice that to count solely on the Divine was to assure failure.
“We are enemies of Morg ourselves. We were on our way to see another Chosen,” Kade said. He waited as the moments ticked by, but still, there was no reply.
Was there no getting them to see? What had they done that made these spiders believe him to be allied with that absolutely corrupt being? Kade asked himself as he tried to force his logical mind to work quickly.
The shield waivered and then reformed. One of the spiders fell to the ground and charged. Kade knew that if they were to survive, it was going to be by facing the white spider. The majestic creature buzzed once at the black spider just when it was about to spring on Darcienna. It turned to look at the white spider and then shrank back in agitation.
“Why do you think I would ally myself with such an evil man?” Kade asked as he stepped to the very edge of the shield to look deep into the green eyes. He vowed he was not going to flinch, even if the shield gave way.
This was his only chance, and he knew he had to do this carefully. The more he thought on this, the more he was certain how this must be handled. Something of what the white spider was thinking slipped through when it had communicated with him. No fear, for he had nothing to fear. If they saw fear, then it was as much an admittance of guilt in their eyes as if he had confessed. If he was not guilty, then he should have nothing to fear. However, there was something else. What could it be?
“You have not answered my question. If you plan on taking our lives, then admit to yourself that you do so without knowing the truth. You say you are going to kill us because we are servants of Morg. Are you ready to turn your back on those that might be allies instead?”
The black spider chittered furiously and moved toward Darcienna, venom dripping from its fangs. The white spider let out an ear-splitting, high-pitched sound that made Kade’s head hurt furiously as it lunged right to the edge of the shield. But it was not for Kade that it threatened. The black spider recoiled as if it had been struck. The glowing, green eyes refocused on Kade as they moved back slightly.
Darcienna was panting as her nose continued to bleed from the exertion. The blood was coming in drips as it hit the ground. Kade spared her a glance and then locked his gaze wi
th the white spider once again. The shield faded and then returned but a few more spiders had fallen in. Kade turned quickly toward the dragon.
“Do not harm them. Not even one,” Kade sent to the dragon as he yelled. The white spider was clearly in charge but no society, spiders or humans, would follow a leader that allowed its kind to be killed. No, the dragon had to stand down.
Rayden froze as the link between him and Kade exploded with confusion. The dragon’s desire to rend these spiders into pieces tore at him furiously. Kade forced the dragon to understand trust as best he could. Rayden had to trust him if they had any hopes of surviving. Their lives depended on this killing machine fighting its natural instinct.
“Again, you have not answered my question,” Kade said firmly, fighting the panic as the image of Darcienna blazed in his mind. No fear.
Besides sensing the presence of Morg? the spider communicated in disgust. The dragon, it added a bit more cautiously and curiously at the same time. The spiders were still poised to attack, eager to feed, craved to sink their fangs into flesh and bring death. The only reason the three of them were not dead already was because of the one white spider that was face to face with Kade, and he knew it.
He realized that he had missed the obvious. Morg and his minions were probably the only humans that commanded creatures as powerful and dangerous as dragons. Now, he had the final piece of the puzzle. It was so clear and he had thought nothing of it.
“Darcienna, drop the shield,” Kade said.
It was obvious the barrier was going to fail, but being the one to bring it down had to count for something. No fear. There was no reason to fear so there was no reason to have the shield. No fear.
Darcienna collapsed to the ground. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she breathed in ragged gasps. The blood that ran from her nose came in a trickle now. The shield evaporated. He was not sure if she dropped the shield because he told her to, or if she dropped it because she could not hold it for even one more second, but he was willing to bet on the latter.
The Divine Path (The Divine Series) Page 8