The Divine Path (The Divine Series)

by Allen J Johnston

  “Raksin,” Kade said as he locked eyes with the elder spider. “Your loyalty to your king is commendable and one of the most important traits a king could ever hope for. I respect your judgment greatly and hope that I can have someone with your strength of character to support me when the time comes. I have proposed what I have because I have fought side by side with your clutch and would have died with your clutch if needed,” he said, feeling his confidence grow as he spoke. “I would be saddened to see it disbanded if the king, who has worked hard to keep it together, was to experience an untimely death. I would give my life for such a noble king, as I know you would,” Kade said as he stepped up to the spider with the queen in tow. Raksin swelled with pride the more Kade spoke.

  Kade was surprised at how the queen was able to translate at the same time he spoke. It was so perfectly timed that it was as if he were the one making the buzzing sound. It occurred to him that she was not translating his words but translating his thoughts as he felt a feather light touch caressing his mind continuously. He smiled at the queen briefly and turned to Archon.

  Kade could see that Archon was staring at the ground. Was the spider ashamed of what he had said? Kade hoped this was not the case or he might not be able to gain the support he needed. For this to work, he needed both to see what he wanted them to see.

  “Archon, I am greatly honored that you are willing to speak for me. I appreciate and respect you for your loyalty you are willing to give. Your words are filled with wisdom. You care for this clutch and it shows. I know that you, too, would give your life for your king and queen, as your love for them both is very clear. But, we all must make hard choices at times, and you have made a decision based on what is best for the clutch. I have also made my request for the good of the clutch, as any good leader who cares about his people would,” Kade said as Archon lifted his gaze to look into Kade’s eyes. The spider was starting to stand taller and even appeared to be puffing out its chest. “It takes a brave spider to speak as you have. Your faith in me is very admirable and it is something I will never forget. It is what I ask of this clutch,” Kade said as he turned and addressed the entire congregation. “It is for this clutch, for your king and for your queen that I offer my life to preserve what stands before me,” Kade said as he raised his voice. “It is for you that I offer to lead, if ever you should need,” Kade said, feeling the emotions in the room building.

  Kade walked back to stand by the king. Archon was beaming with pride. Raksin was starting to fidget. Archon turned and buzzed something at Raksin. Raksin in-turn buzzed something back, but it seemed to lack conviction. Was there hope? Kade forced himself to remain calm.

  “They argue about which of them is more correct. They are using your words to judge each other,” Rakna said while Kade still had his back to the spiders. He turned and held his head up high.

  “Both of you have honorable intentions. You are both trying to do what is best for the clutch, except, you are doing it differently. I value both of your opinions and always will,” Kade said as he studied each one at a time, gauging their reactions to his words. “Raksin is correct to say you should honor your king, and Archon is correct to want what is best for the clutch.”

  Archon and Raksin both looked at each other thoughtfully and then back to Kade. They both relaxed and listened closely to what he had to say. The elder spiders started to buzz back to Kade, and the queen translated.

  “I believe we would follow you, if it came to that,” Raksin said. “But, tradition says that we are to…,” Raksin started to stay but then hesitated, hating the taste of the word he did not say. It was clear that no one wanted to see the queen put to death. “We are to find a new king if our current king dies. It has been that way for as long as any spider has lived. I, myself, have been in two other clutches before this one. If you had a queen, we would follow her,” he said as he glanced at Darcienna.

  “You could not follow me at all if you followed my queen. You would have no way to communicate with me,” Kade said…and then it happened. All eyes shifted to the white queen. He hid his smile as he continued on. “Rakna has been doing all the communicating for us,” Kade said as he stood with pride.

  He spared a glance back and saw understanding in the king’s eyes. He nodded ever so slightly at Kade, and then stood still, letting the clutch decide. He was a good king and an honorable one. Kade was proud to be thought of in such high esteem by such a great leader. Kade turned back to the clutch to put the final touch on this, and then it would be out of his hand.

  “And I do not think I would accept any other queen for this clutch. You have all followed her for a long time, and you all know that she would die to protect you.”

  Kade looked around the room as he tried to guess how this was going to end. His eyes found Raksin, and he watched as the old spider looked from the queen to the king and then back to him as he considered Kade’s words. Raksin then locked eyes with the king and stepped forward. The king stood tall, showing no emotions as he watched the old spider approach.

  Raksin stopped at the bottom step and buzzed several short words at the king. Crayken nodded his head slightly and then buzzed something back. The queen did not translate. Kade looked at her and his heart beat wildly. Why did this matter so much? He tried to find the moment when he decided that this civilization’s survival meant more to him than his own life and could not pinpoint it. It just was. It took everything he had to wait for the queen to translate. She slowly turned to look at Kade.

  Raksin has just asked if the king is in favor of this proposal, Rakna translated. Kade held his breath as he hung on her every word. It seemed to take forever for her to answer. It was driving Kade crazy, waiting to hear what had transpired. The king has indicated that he is.

  Kade watched as the old spider considered hard what was being proposed. The room was buzzing with talk. It began to increase more and more as individual arguments broke out as to which elder was more correct. Kade looked to Darcienna for her reaction and read only uncertainty in her eyes. Raksin buzzed several times, and the room fell silent. He moved over to stand face to face with Archon and then turned to face the clutch. Everyone in the room waited with baited breath. It was so quiet you would have thought the room was empty.

  “I think that Kade’s words have merit,” the spider buzzed to the rest of the clutch. “If the king wishes us to honor Kade as though he were a king, then I say we honor him as a king. If the king names him as his successor, then I find no reason to stand in the way of this. I am loyal to my king to the end, and if this is my king’s wish, then I support it,” Raksin said, and the room erupted in a deafening buzzing. Raksin held up his front legs again for silence. The room quieted down quickly. “Also,” the spider added, “I do not see where we have the right to decide who our king chooses for his queen. If Kade were to become our king, then it would not be right to kill the one he would choose to be queen,” Raksin finished, and this time the room really exploded. There was no calming them anytime soon.

  Kade had to resist the urge to cover his ears, afraid that he would not look too kingly. He glanced up at Crayken and saw that he and the queen were face to face. The love they felt for each other came off them in waves. Kade’s heart filled with warmth. He always believed crying was for babies and women, but at that moment, he actually felt choked up.

  “They love each other so much,” Darcienna said as she watched the interaction.

  “It would seem that you were able to convince them,” Crayken said as he walked over to stand in front of Kade. “You have fought two battles today and won them both. I am not sure which was more formidable, but victory was yours.”

  “I hope I have not offended you. I wish no harm…,” Kade was saying when Crayken cut him off.

  “On the contrary. You have accomplished something that I could never have done. My queen, along with my clutch are the most important things to me. To know she will not only live, if I am to parish, but continue on as the queen makes me happ
ier than you will ever know. You have done me a great service this day, and I will never be able to repay you, but I will try. You have also managed to keep the clutch together. A king works his entire life to hold his clutch together only to know that when he dies, everything he has worked for will unravel.

  Kade smiled as he reveled in his victory. It was a good victory, and now he could relax. The clutch was to stay together, and he had kept the queen safe. He looked at Darcienna and saw her regarding him with a smile. It was more than a smile. She was beaming as she looked at him with pride.

  “What is it they are chanting?” Kade asked, turning back to the king.

  “It is a ritual that indicates their loyalty and praise for you. It is a great honor. This has never been done for an outsider before,” Rakna said as she looked on in wonder.

  Just as Kade was starting to unwind completely, a deafening roar echoed through the tree. He jumped as the room shook. The chanting stopped, and the spiders froze. The king jumped up, ready for battle.

  “What is it?” Crayken asked, ready to face any challenge. Kade had solved the mystery almost immediately.

  “It would be a mighty battle indeed,” Kade said as he readied himself. “You would need to battle my dragon’s appetite,” he said as he shook his head. The king laughed for the first time that Kade could recall. Rakna buzzed something to the spiders and the room erupted in good cheer and laughter. They settled back down and began to mingle.

  “We should celebrate and have something to eat. Unfortunately, I am not sure we can feed your dragon. It is a shame. After all he has done for us, I would feed him until he was stuffed, but something tells me he is not partial to nuts and fruits,” Crayken said.

  “Don’t worry about him. I’ll take care of feeding that bottomless pit,” Kade said.

  The king turned to the mass of spiders and buzzed several times. The clutch buzzed eagerly and set off doing chores to get ready for the celebration. The festivities were going to be something that would be talked about for decades.

  Kade exited the Great Hall and climbed the stairs, but before exiting the tree, he held Darcienna by the arm to stop her. She turned toward him, and before she could ask why, he pulled her into a tight embrace. She breathed a sigh, enjoying his strong arms around her. As they started to separate, he stopped and kissed her on the forehead.

  “What was that for?” Darcienna asked.

  “For your support,” Kade said as he stepped back, still holding her by the arms.

  “All I did was stand next to you.”

  “Exactly,” Kade said as he smiled again. “You stood by me. Your support meant a lot. Knowing I was not out there alone made the difference.” Darcienna grew a huge smile and hugged him again.

  “Now, let’s make some food,” Kade said as he turned and almost walked into the dragon’s big head.

  He had to put his hands on the dragon’s chest and push. Rayden was blocking the doorway, eagerly awaiting his feeding. He backed up but stayed close, already starting to drool in anticipation of the tasty meat. As soon as the doorway was clear, spiders started filing in and out as they prepared for the feast. Kade stopped to survey the area and saw black bodies that had to count into the hundreds if not closing in on a thousand.

  “That is quite a fighting machine,” Rakna said as she exited the tree to stand next to him. Kade sensed that there was more on her mind as she stood looking out over the carnage. “Why did you do that?” she asked without looking at him.

  “I could not stand to think of what would happen to you,” Kade said. Like Raksin, he too could not bring himself to speak in a way that referred to her death. “I think you are an excellent leader, and it would be a great loss if you were to be…,” Kade said, not finishing the statement. “You showed us that when we first met. All the spiders where willing to follow you without question. Well, one did need a bit of encouragement to follow your direction,” Kade said with a sidelong glance. “I would not want to see a clutch that I was willing to give my life for lose an excellent leader like you,” he said as he turned to look at the white spider. And right then, he realized why the spiders meant so much to him in such a short time. He had put his life on the line to save them, and because of that, their survival meant everything to him. But, there was more to it than that. They were a good-hearted civilization that he was proud to be a part of. The fact that he very well may have brought the danger to them was not lost on him, but regardless, in the end, it worked out in their favor considerably.

  “Thank you, Chosen. You have given me my life. I will never forget that. Now, it is time for celebration. You are our honored guest for the night.”

  “Thank you,” Kade said as he smiled a genuine smile. The queen turned to leave and prepare for the night.

  “Rakna,” Darcienna said, halting the queen in her tracks.

  “Something troubles you?” Rakna asked, seeing a confused look on Darcienna’s face.

  “I am having a hard time understanding something. You have known us no more than a day, and yet, Kade is second in line for the throne. Not only that, but he is to be king if Crayken falls in battle?” Darcienna asked.

  “This confuses you?” Rakna asked. Kade understood where she was going with this and found that he agreed with Darcienna’s thinking. He listened eagerly, curious.

  “It just does not make sense why the clutch would be willing to follow Kade after just one day. As much as I wanted this for you and us, I never expected it to actually be possible. We are human, and you are spiders. But one day…and they accept him as their leader?”

  “I see,” Rakna said as she let out a small laugh of amusement. “You judge us by human standards. As much as this is not possible among humans, it is easily accepted by spiders. To be honest, I am shocked that not only was Kade willing to take on the mantle of leadership, but that he offered.”

  This caught Darcienna off guard and she stood, gaping like a fish. Kade found it amusing as he watched the interaction. He could see where this was going, and it made more sense by the moment. Rakna also found it amusing as she continued to explain.

  “You say it is the fact that it was only one day? Consider this; if Crayken were to die, the clutch would put me to death and then go out in search of another clutch to join. You have a firm understanding of this, yes?”

  “Yes, but…,” Darcienna said and stopped, waiting for the queen to help her understand.

  “If the clutch were to join another king and queen, they would know them not at all. It may be a day, but in that day, Kade proved himself to be a worthy leader that allows this clutch to stay together. Also, the clutch would feel the loss of two leaders; one they lost through the act of fate, and the other they brought about by their own actions. They would put me to death because it must be, not because they wanted it. Kade has offered them a way to spare me. So, yes, they were not only accepting of the idea, they were deeply grateful for it. Kade, being a Chosen and vanquishing a feared enemy, has easily proven that he has the right to lead. The only issue I felt might cause a problem is the fact that he is not a spider. But, his character overcame that obstacle.”

  “I see,” Darcienna said slowly as she absorbed all that Rakna had explained. “I see,” she said more confidently as she focused on the queen. “When you put it like that, it makes sense.”

  “As I previously said, I am honored to offer myself for this clutch,” Kade said, feeling genuine affection for the queen. “I understand why they cherish you so,” he said with a smile.

  “Once again, you honor me with your words, second in line for the throne. Now, I must go and make ready for the celebration,” Rakna said with a slight bow. And with that, she moved off gracefully.

  The dragon started to huff impatiently, eager for a feeding. Kade worked the Food Calling, and by the twelfth piece of meat, he decided that he had made enough. This was getting monotonous. He needed to find a way to feed the dragon more efficiently.

  The food smelled so good that he decided
to make some for him and Darcienna, also. He hoped it would not be taken as offensive that he was not waiting for the feast, but his stomach was growling now. They quickly ate their food and went in to see how preparations were coming along. They gladly offered their assistance, starting to feel like one of the clutch.

  Kade and Darcienna were approaching the king and queen to offer their help when, suddenly, there was a commotion behind them that caused the spiders to buzz excitedly. Kade turned to see several of them advancing on a black shape that had glided into the room. Four spiders tried to corner the animal, but it was able to dodge them with ease. If he did not recognize the animal right away, he would have definitely recognized the familiar sack of books it dragged across the floor.

  “Kade!” Darcienna exclaimed.

  “I know,” Kade said as he moved to intercept the creature. “Don’t hurt him. He is mine,” Kade called out as he knelt down. Chance ran up to him and dropped the books, waiting for his reward. It was hungrily licking its lips as it sat back on its haunches, waiting. Its paws were together as though it were praying, ready to catch any tasty morsel Kade was willing to throw.

  “I don’t know how you always manage to find my books, even when I don’t know they are missing,” Kade said, chastising his silky, black friend. “But, taking them from my room does not count,” he finished with a chuckle.

  “That’s a Mordra,” Rakna said. “They are said to be able to sense the Divine itself. I have never seen one before, but from the descriptions I have been given by Valdry, I would have to say that that is exactly what we have here.”