The Divine Path (The Divine Series)

by Allen J Johnston

  “Let’s keep moving,” Kade said.

  Rayden stalked forward carefully, as if hunting prey. Kade glanced back several times but never saw more than the empty field. The feeling of being watched crept over him and continued to grow, but after surveying the hillside closely one more time, he put it off to nerves. It was impossible for anyone to see him unless they were using the Divine, and if someone were using the Divine, he would know. He reached up and felt for the medallion. It was not warm or cool. It was just as it should be.

  Kade worked his way over the hill and slowly peered around at the landscape. The area opened up into a vast valley with a mansion on the far side that could house twenty people comfortably. There were some large rocks and boulders he was able to use for cover. Kade was grateful for the cover as he watched the three creatures walk up the front steps and dropped Darcienna’s body on the porch. She was still not moving. All three creatures turned to stare directly at him. Even at this distance, he was certain they were looking right at him. He did not need glowing eyes to know that something was just not right here.

  Kade brought the dragon to a stop and slid down. He moved forward to crawl over a rock and then leaned on a boulder that came up to just past his waist. He watched. If he was able to see the dragon, he may have had a little warning of the danger as the dragon sniffed the ground several times, showing signs of agitation. Kade looked on as the laughter from the house erupted again. He recognized the sound of that voice instantly. He could not shake the distinct feeling that the laughter was aimed at him.

  As he was searching for a way to approach the house, the front door flung open, and a man carrying a staff walked out with the most confident stride. Even if Kade had not recognized the voice, the arrogance that the man exuded would have easily identified who he was. The close-cut salt and pepper beard that was visible from where Kade hid. The man’s presence alone made his six foot height seem more like nine feet tall. He walked as if he had absolutely nothing to fear and was now coming out to collect his prize. The man looked in Kade’s direction and bellowed out a laugh that echoed down the mountain. Kade got the definite sense that he was fooling no one. He considered striking, hoping he still had some advantage he could use. Just as he was formulating his plan, he saw the moonlight glint off something spherical around the man with the staff. He realized in a rush why his Lightning Calling did not finish off Morg back in Arden. The man was protected with a calling. Now, Kade felt fear, and it was as if a hand were wrapped around his heart, squeezing tighter and tighter by the moment.

  The evil Chosen descended the steps as though he had not a care in the world. Kade wished more than anything that he could open the ground and have the man swallowed up, or call on the wind to sweep him away, but he had nothing. Nothing he could do would go through a shield that was made to protect from attack. His mind raced as he searched frantically for a plan. Morg took long strides directly toward him as if he had nothing to fear. He was a man that walked with purpose, a man who had nothing to fear. His arrogance made him an imposing figure that would have intimidated even the bravest of warriors. He exuded danger. The look in his eye was that of a killer through and through. This was not a man that ever found himself on the losing end of a battle.

  Kade watched in horror as Morg marched directly at him with the larger creature in tow, stopping just fifty feet away. He raised his staff and Kade could see the muscles ripple in his forearms as he aimed the ancient artifact at him. Morg turned and half looked over his shoulder as he addressed the creatures. Kade could have sworn they were a solid lump in one instant, but in the next, they were humanoid in shape.

  “Here?” Morg asked.

  Kade looked around as a slight vibration came through the boulder he was leaning on. He quickly looked behind himself, but not a thing moved. Something made the ground shake, but what? Kade closed his eyes again and used the Reveal Calling. There was nothing except the man with the staff glowing with the Divine. His inner voice was screaming at him of danger, causing his mind to frantically search for what he was missing.

  Kade glanced at the ground between himself and Morg, looking for a way to set it on fire, but there was nothing to sustain a flame. His mind started to race as he felt the vibration again. The creature spoke in a gravelly voice. Kade was not able to make out what was said, but Morg rolled his head back and laughed uproariously.

  The dragon huffed several times, eager to attack, but Kade knew that his precious friend would not fare well against the power Morg was capable of wielding. He compelled Rayden to stand down. He thought back on their first encounter in Arden and shivered. Such power was unfathomable. Kade narrowed his eyes and tried to get a good look at the staff. Was that the reason Morg seemed to wield so much power? Kade felt he was onto something when a strong vibration ran through the boulder. He looked around at all the boulders and felt his heart start to pound. Just as he was about to stand up, the boulder he was leaning on shifted. He stumbled slightly as he pushed away. Something grabbed him from behind and lifted him into the air effortlessly.

  Kade gritted his teeth under the pressure and twisted to look over his shoulder. At first, he was sure he was looking at nothing more than a rock until eyes appeared from slits, and a mouth formed from a crack. The creature squeezed, and Kade felt the air rush out of his lungs. He pounded at the arms, but all he got from it were bruised hands. An invisible force slammed into the creature, sending it sprawling. Kade was able to get a breath but then the pressure started again. The unseen dragon attacked mercilessly. Cracks formed in the arm holding Kade, and the creature let out a deep moan.

  The dragon assailed the creature over and over to the point where Kade was sure he was going to take some of the brunt of the dragon’s rage. Other creatures formed as if being made from the ground itself. Kade felt the dragon’s breath in his face as it latched onto the creature’s arm and violently pulled. The arm cracked and then shattered, dropping Kade to the ground. Fresh air raced in to fill his lungs. He lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

  Kade felt his mind start to clear with every breath he took. The sound of laughter filled his ears. Kade looked up slowly and saw Morg laughing as if this were the most amusing thing ever. Something in him snapped. A blackness so complete filled his heart that all semblance of rational thought evaporated. The Divine filled him so completely that nothing else existed except his target. Revenge burned in him like a wildfire. Justice be damned, he wanted revenge. He spun and launched into the thirteen moves, sending the lightning blazing over the ground. One of the earth creatures was caught in its path and exploded in a shower of rocks and dust.

  Morg laughed a taunt at the invisible Chosen. Kade turned on him and sent a bolt ripping toward him with a thunderous crash that blackened the ground as it raced toward its target. The man staggered back, his eyes wide as the sphere shimmered and flashed but then stabilized. Kade hit him again with another thunderous blast and Morg was no longer laughing. He was knocked off his feet and down on all fours. He looked up and saw there was a trench ten feet long where the sphere had been pushed back as it dug in.

  The earth creatures came at him in waves. He spun as the Divine coursed through him like a raging current. Nothing but hate filled him as he launched blast after blast at the creatures until the area was filled with debris. There was a constant shower of stone and dust as he continued to dance. He snarled as he spun on Morg and let the Divine blend with his fury. The air crackled with power as the lightning bolt came to life, and he launched. But…for some reason his conscious mind could not grasp…he sent the bolt wide and it glanced off the shield, shooting off to disappear in the heavens. Kade stood, breathing hard as his mind struggled to understand what he was seeing.

  He felt the blood drain from his face as he stood in shock. His gut twisted in such a tight knot that he thought he might get sick. The power slowly faded from him till he stood empty, his hand still outstretched from releasing his last calling. He looked at the limp form of Darcienn
a while she hung in the air between himself and Morg. The evil Chosen had his staff aimed forward, holding Darcienna in the air. Kade felt vile hatred for the man. He desperately wanted to make Morg suffer horribly for this evil trick. This was the most profound hate a man could feel. This was not a hate that was fueled by the rush of unthinking actions or emotions that sent him out of control. This was the most dangerous kind of hate. This was a hate that was felt during calm, a hate that comes from the heart, the kind of hate that can eat a man’s soul.

  Kade saw the blood trickling from her split lip. He ground his teeth, struggling to control his anger. He needed to think. He looked around and saw that there was a wall of walking rock quickly closing in on him.

  “I knew you could be reasonable,” Morg said in an overly exaggerated manner of civility. His voice was deep and commanding.

  Kade wanted nothing more than to run to Darcienna and take her in his arms. He desperately wanted to save her and whisk her away to somewhere, anywhere that she did not have to be in danger. He yearned to heal her and see those beautiful eyes looking at him again. His heart ached for failing to protect her. It did not matter that she wanted to go off on her own. He knew better and should have made sure she was safe. It was his fault. The guilt was crushing. The despair was so thick he could taste it.

  Kade knew that somehow he had to think his way through this. “There is always a solution to every problem,” Zayle used to say. What is the solution to this one? Kade asked himself. He thought back on Morg when he had first came out of the mansion. Morg was not able to see him but the earth creatures were. How? And then it hit him.

  Rayden, they are closing in. They can sense movement. You need to stay clear of them and move as carefully as possible, as though you are on the hunt. You must make sure not to disturb the ground, Kade thought frantically. You must go now! Don’t argue! I will call to you when I need. Now! Go!

  Rayden turned and ran toward the advancing creatures. They braced, sensing his position as he moved. He leapt high over them to land on the other side. The creatures spun as one and moved toward the dragon.

  If they sense you, then do your best to keep them busy while I figure this out, Kade sent to the dragon. Rayden roared a challenge, but Kade was the only one who heard. He turned back to Morg and continued to work on formulating a plan. There had to be a way out of this.

  “Come now, Kade. It is Kade that I am speaking to, is it not?” Morg asked as he waited for a response. After several seconds, he sighed and continued. “You can’t stay invisible forever. I know you are still there. You see, my earth creatures have told me you are still there, so you might as well come out. Come now. Show yourself so we can talk like normal, civilized men,” Morg said. Kade even thought that Morg actually sounded sincere. He wondered if the man might actually be stark raving mad. He genuinely sounded like he believed what he was saying. “You do want to heal her, don’t you?” Morg asked in all sincerity. He was incredibly convincing.

  “You mean man to rat,” Kade said as he released the Silence Calling. He knew Morg had him, and besides, he couldn’t just leave Darcienna.

  “At least we are making progress,” Morg said as he smiled. “Oh, by the way, in case you did not notice, your woman is in need of healing. I suggest you comply with my requests or she may die of her injuries,” he said as he looked at her with mock concern. It was so convincing that Kade had to remind himself of who it was he faced. This man cared for nothing but achieving his own goal, even if it meant her dying. Morg brought the staff to his side and let the butt end of it thud on the ground. Darcienna fell in a heap and moaned from the jarring impact. “She probably won’t last much longer,” Morg said as he looked down on her, feigning concern.

  “I will trade myself for her.”

  “Oh, of course,” Morg said in his most reassuring voice. He acted shocked that Kade would think he might do anything other than let her go.

  “Move these creatures away and I will come out,” Kade said.

  “That is one option,” Morg said, pretending to consider Kade’s words. “But, I would rather have you remove your Transparency Calling first, then I will have them move out of your way,” Morg said as if that was the most obvious course of action.

  Kade let the calling fade while making sure to keep the dragon cloaked. He looked back to see that many of the earth creatures appeared to be disorganized. They seemed to be wandering around aimlessly. What they were really doing was trying to get a sense of where the dragon was. Kade was grateful that at least something was going right.

  Morg grinned. Kade saw the smile and felt like a mouse that had just been cornered by a cat. He swallowed hard as he tried his best to convince himself he was not scared, but he was failing miserably. He forced himself to breathe as Zayle had taught him. It was supposed to help him stay calm. He met Morg’s gaze and made himself keep it. Morg slowly raised the staff and pointed the head of it at his target as a grin crept across his face. Kade felt a net of power descend on him. To his horror, he no longer had control of his body. He could barely breathe. He did his best to glare, but his mind was struggling to stay in control as panic made his heart pound hard. Everything was falling apart. All he had left was the dragon and the few meager callings that could be done without the use of his hands. But, he was not about to call the dragon only to watch it die. Rayden might make the difference between if he could just figure out a way to use him at the right time.

  “Now,” Morg said, all pretenses of pleasantries gone. “I said come to me,” he said with a hiss, anger in his voice. He was pure malevolence.

  Kade felt his body lurch forward. He clenched his jaw as he fought the compulsion, but at best, he was only able to hesitate momentarily. His body stopped next to Darcienna. Morg was playing with him, teasing him, making him look down on her to make him suffer. Kade knew there was no chance that Morg was going to honor his word.

  “Oh, when I said you could heal your little trollop, I lied. I changed my mind about something else, also. I believe I am going to keep you both for myself. I may even take that pretty little thing for my own…if she lives. She may not,” Morg said as he feigned sadness while he studied her. His mood seemed to change with the wind.

  Morg turned and headed toward the house with his captive stumbling along. Just as Kade started to move, he noticed that Darcienna’s hands had fallen in such a way that both palms were facing upward. It was only a moment, and then his focus returned to the evil Chosen.

  Morg whistled the entire time as he walked the distance to the mansion. He climbed the steps and marched over to the larger earth being, looking up at it. Kade was sure he could sense hatred from it, but that rock-face was hard to read.

  “Where is the dragon?” Morg asked calmly but there was a danger underlying his tone.

  Kade even got the impression that the creature wanted to take a threatening step forward but held its place. Rock-face said something that Kade could not make out. A vein started to pulse in Morg’s neck. He turned and Kade could see lines of anger creasing his face. Kade was afraid and there was no way he could convince himself otherwise. Morg turned and walked up to stand nose to nose with the Apprentice Chosen. Morg looked him directly in the eye and enunciated each word as he spoke.

  “Where…is…your…dragon?” Morg asked in anger, spittle flying in Kade’s face.

  Before Kade could offer his lie, the earth creatures found Rayden and were converging on him quickly. One of them went down as the dragon charged it. Morg’s head whipped around and the staff came up. Morg snarled a word and the ancient piece of wood jumped. One of the earth creatures exploded. Morg fired wildly and several more of them went down. The large one on the porch roared as it charged the evil Chosen. Its footsteps echoed off the wood as it closed the distance. Kade waited for its feet to crash through the boards as it thundered toward Morg. Each step shook the entire mansion. Morg stopped his assault and turned to glare at Rock-face as it leaned down to glare into his eyes. There was obviou
sly a contest of wills going on as they peered hard at each other.

  “Just be glad it was not you,” Morg said as he gripped the staff tighter.

  Rock-face stood his ground for several long seconds. The air was thick with tension. Kade took pleasure in the nervous twitch that had developed in Morg’s left eye. Kade was certain that the two were about to come to blows any second and prayed for it to happen. Before the creature could move any further, Kade could feel the Divine flowing strongly. He could almost see bands forming around the creature as the Chosen concentrated. Morg’s grip on the staff tightened and the bands constricted, sinking into the creature. It snarled and then stood up slowly. It walked out into the field with the two smaller ones in tow. The three picked up the pieces of their fallen comrades and seemed to melt into the ground. After a few seconds, they all melted into the ground and the field was empty.

  “Nifty little calling,” Morg said with a chuckle. “Not quite the same as the one on you. Oh no. That one I used on them works on their will. It binds them to do my bidding,” he said as his lip curled in contempt as another thought occurred to him. “They don’t mind when they die in battle. But to die outside of battle is dishonorable,” Morg said as though he and Kade were having a friendly chat. “Does that make any sense?” Morg asked as if he truly wanted an answer.

  Kade, still paralyzed, was unable to answer. Morg seemed to take offense at Kade’s refusal to answer and swung the heavy staff like a club, hitting him in the back of the head. Kade fell forward, his ears ringing furiously. His body stood up and waited. If it were up to him, he would still be on all fours, unable to think, let alone stand.

  “That’s right. You can’t talk can you? How rude of me. Here,” Morg said as he aimed the staff at Kade. The Apprentice Chosen’s mouth went slack and his head sagged forward. “By the way, don’t be surprised when your muscles start to hurt. This calling is not very good for the body,” Morg said as he wrinkled his nose.