“I will not help you,” Kade hissed.
“Now that is not very nice,” Morg said as a devious smile crossed his face.
Morg aimed the staff at him. Kade’s right arm was no longer his to control. The evil Chosen had ensnared Kade’s entire body with the exception of his head. Kade’s body lurched over to the table. He watched in horror as he placed his right hand flat on the surface while his left picked up a heavy, crystal decanter. He held it like a club high in the air. Just before he brought the club smashing down on his hand, Kade got an idea.
“So this is what it must feel like when you are told what to do like a dog,” Kade said as the club started to descend. His arm jerked and the crystal decanter flew out of his grasp and shattered on the wall.
Kade could feel the rage coming off Morg in waves. The evil Chosen slowly circled him with his head tilted down while looking up at Kade through eyes that were almost squeezed shut in rage. His breathing was ragged as he leaned forward slowly. For the first time, Kade looked deep into his eyes. There was not even a hint of humanity in there. A fear so intense gripped him that his throat closed up tightly. A part of him wondered if it might not have been better to have a broken hand.
“If I thought I would not need you, I would rip your heart out and let you watch while it beat in my hands as your eyes glazed over in death,” Morg hissed violently. “Oh how I do love to watch people suffer. For now, this should do,” Morg said as he gripped his staff so tightly that his knuckles turned white. And then, he gripped it even harder.
Kade felt as if his entire body were being crushed in a massive grip. The air rushed out of his lungs. The force on his body was so intense that his vision blurred within seconds. He opened his mouth to scream, but all the air was already gone. Morg squeezed even harder, his arm shaking with the effort. The muscles on his forearm twitched rapidly. Morg clenched his teeth, and his lips parted as he shook. Kade felt his ribs creak. At any moment, they were going to start snapping one by one. Kade could not see, even though he knew his eyes were still open. And then, his body fell to the ground, air rushing in to fill his lungs.
Kade was breathing again, but it was not with a conscious effort. His mind was numb, and it was almost impossible to think. The ground rocked as he struggled to hold his head up. A ringing sound echoed in his ears as the blood flowed through his brain again. The blackness started to fade, and the room came back into focus.
“Do we understand who the dog is now?” Morg hissed. He watched Kade for a response and was dumbfounded when the apprentice just stared at him. Such strength of character was just not possible. Somewhere deep in Morg, respect for this young man grew just a bit. He calmed down as he studied Kade. “You don’t even know what I am going to ask of you. It can’t hurt to listen, can it?” Morg asked. For a moment, Kade was certain that Morg was pleading with him.
Kade opened his mouth to make a sarcastic comment but immediately changed his mind. The crushing weight was still too fresh in his mind, and his ribs hurt furiously. He continued to stare at Morg without saying a word. Just as the evil Chosen was about to continue, something small and black winged its way into the room. Morg spun and raised the staff as if to blast the thing from the air.
“This had better be good,” Morg growled. “I left explicit instructions not to be interrupted.”
“They call you back, Master” the creature said in a rush as its eyes focused on the wavering staff.
Morg’s head rocked back, and he took a deep breath as if he were about to scream in rage. Kade could see the veins in his neck start to bulge and pulse with every heartbeat. Morg turned and stalked away from the creature as he gripped the staff in both hands. He stopped, facing the far wall. Kade could see the muscles in his shoulders tense. He glanced at the creature that was still hovering in the air and cringed.
Too bad it was not smart enough to fly as fast as it could in any direction other than one where Morg was, Kade thought.
“I hate bad news!” Morg screamed as he spun with the staff held at his waist. He was holding it in both hands as if he were holding a battering ram. Morg spoke, the staff jumped, and the creature only had time to open its mouth before it exploded all over the room. Kade felt the slime of the creature splatter him and his stomach lurched. “Maybe, just maybe they will stop sending…,” Morg started to say when he paused. He wiped a wet spot off his forehead as he clenched and unclenched his jaw over and over while he mulled something over. Morg’s eyes regained their focus. He quickly turned, marched right up to Kade and glared at him.
“Remember that. I hate bad news,” Morg said with force. Despite his effort not to, Kade felt himself shiver.
Morg paced the room, clearly at odds as an internal struggle raged. Kade was careful to stay neutral. He had had enough beatings for the day. Morg marched up to Kade, and looked down at him while trying to come to a decision. He turned, roaring his frustration as he swung the staff and shattered the table next to the high-back chair.
“As if they call me like I am their dog,” Morg growled. His head whipped around to glare at Kade, and his lips parted in a snarl.
Kade cringed. He knew his beatings were not finished. Obviously, calling him a dog had struck home. The fact that he had just used Kade’s own words without thinking enraged him. He charged Kade and swung his staff, hitting him in the back. Morg stepped back and then kicked him in the side so hard he actually lifted him off the ground. Kade wondered if that was two or three ribs he heard crack. He landed and spit up blood. Pain lanced through his body as his vision swam.
“Consider your options carefully,” Morg said as he pounced on Kade and roughly pulled the apprentice’s hands behind his back. “Let me rephrase that just in case you did not quite understand. You only have one option, and you had better decide to take it.”
“And that option is to cooperate?” Kade gasped through the pain. He spit blood onto the floor to clear his mouth.
“See, you can learn,” Morg said condescendingly.
Kade winced as his lungs protested painfully. Morg retrieved a rope from a sack on the floor and then returned to tie Kade’s hands behind his back. Kade found a little relief in the fact that the bonds were not too tight. At least he did not have to worry that his hands might fall off from necrosis.
Morg stood and closed his eyes for several long moments while gripping the staff. There was a rumbling as something heavy came down the stairs. One of the Alluvium rounded the corner and came into the room.
“Watch him closely,” Morg snarled. If anything happens to him, you will be dust,” he threatened. The creature appeared to tense. Its fists come up slightly as if ready to fight. After a moment, they lowered. Morg sneered at the creature and then turned back to stand over Kade. “When I come back, you had better start making the right decisions,” Morg said, glaring at the man on the floor. Kade definitely knew the threat was real. He did not think that Morg was going to have much more patience past what he had already had, if it could be called that.
The evil Chosen walked out of the room and was quickly gone. Kade lay on his side, trying to breathe, but it was difficult with the stabbing pain in his ribs. The Slave Calling started to fade almost immediately. He tried to reason his way out of this, but the agony made it almost impossible to think. His vision was blurry but not so much so that he would miss seeing another earth creature carry Darcienna into the room over its shoulder and drop her roughly onto the floor. It turned and both creatures walked through the wall. Kade cringed at the rough treatment.
Feeling too much pain to think clearly, he laid his head back down. A few seconds later he jumped at the touch of a hand on his side. The agony in his ribs melted away. The absence of pain was so profound that he felt like he could cry in relief. His vision slowly returned, and one of the most beautiful faces came into focus.
“Darcienna,” Kade said, emotions choking his voice.
“Shhhhhh,” she said as she put a finger to his lips. She whispered so quietly that
he could barely hear. “I am sure they will be back shortly.”
“You are not bound,” Kade said incredulously.
“No,” Darcienna said with a grin. Before Kade could ask, she answered his unspoken question. “They thought I was still out and they do not appear to be very bright. I am certain that Morg would have had me tied up if he did not race out of here so fast.” Another break, Kade thought, mentally thanking fate for easing up on him. “And besides, they have no idea what I can do. They only see me as a helpless, little girl. How can they know any different?” she whispered with a grin.
“But, your eyes,” Kade said.
“Not when they think I am out. My eyes were closed the entire time.”
Darcienna worked at his bonds, and after just a small struggle, was able to finally remove them. Kade fell on his back. The memory of the damaged ribs was so vivid that he felt as if they were still broken. Darcienna leaned down and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into her embrace. Kade melted at her touch. He looked over her shoulder at the dead Chosen and just stared until his eyes lost focus.
Kade let his mind wander as she continued to let her healing flow into him. The longer Morg was gone, the more his muscles became his again. His thinking cleared little by little and the pain in his body faded away. His focus returned, and he found himself looking at the Chosen once more. Kade narrowed his vision as he watched the man in the chair. He slowly pushed Darcienna away while keeping his eyes on the figure.
“Something about this is not right,” Kade said as he spared a glance at Darcienna. She was watching him closely now.
“What is it?” Darcienna asked in a whisper.
“From what Zayle said about the Chosen, all the Chosen, I find it hard to believe that Doren would just give up,” Kade said as he studied the lifeless body.
Kade got into a crouching position and then inched closer to the man in the chair. There was something out of place, but what was it? The more Kade studied the man, the more he was sure he was missing something.
“He can’t be dead,” Kade whispered to himself. “He just can’t be,” he added, shaking his head in confusion.
Darcienna moved closer as she, too, studied the Chosen. She looked at Kade as if trying to think, and then her head whipped back around to stare at the figure in the chair. Kade watched with excitement, waiting for her to reveal what she had just pieced together.
“Kade, do you see?” Darcienna asked as she stared at Doren.
“What?” Kade asked as he scanned the Chosen’s face.
“He still has life in him,” Darcienna responded, peering closely.
That is when it hit him. He could not be dead because he was not dead. His color was not quite the color of a living man, but it was not the ashen color of a dead man, either. Not that Kade really had much experience in seeing dead men, but this could not be what a dead man looked like. Kade glanced at Darcienna and smiled.
“I knew a Chosen would not just lie down and die,” Kade said as he leaned a little closer to Darcienna.
Kade was certain he was onto something and closed his eyes. He used the Reveal Calling, but to his chagrin, he could see nothing. He tried again with similar results. Not willing to give up, he performed the Healing Calling and put his hands on the Chosen. The Divine sank in, but the man did not move. Kade tried again, and still, there was nothing.
“Can you bring him back?”
“I can try,” Darcienna said as she laid her hands on him. After a few moments, she sat back with a look of exasperation.
“Darcienna?” Kade asked.
“I can’t get to him, Kade. It’s as if there is a wall in there. Maybe you can try something else. Kade, there has to be something. I can sense he is in there somewhere.”
“I have an idea,” Kade said as he quietly moved the table out of the way and laid down at the Chosen’s feet.
“What are you doing?” Darcienna whispered.
“Going to find him,” Kade said as he closed his eyes.
“Kade, I don’t know what you are going to do, but whatever it is, be careful.”
Kade closed his eyes and relaxed his body. He let every muscle melt, and then he called on the Divine to help carry his consciousness out. The Divine drifted in like a current and pulled him with it. He easily slid out of his body. He drifted over to the Chosen and merged with him. Kade sat in the chair as the Chosen had and felt contact.
“Doren, can you hear me?” Kade asked.
Kade watched as the room faded from view. He felt a momentary jolt of panic and considered breaking contact but then decided against it. This needed to work. He felt as if he were in a huge, empty space. There was nothing here, but somewhere off in the distance, he could feel a presence. He forced himself to go deeper, and it was as if he fell through the floor. Everything turned pitch black, and he plummeted. He got the uncomfortable feeling that this could be a one way ride as he continued to sink deeper and deeper. Kade called out but was met with silence as he continued to plunge downward. Falling in complete darkness was unnerving. He landed on what had to be the bottom and stood completely still, listening. There were no sounds of any kind. If not for hearing his own voice, he might have believed he was deaf.
“Doren!” Kade yelled. There was no response. “Dooorrrennnn!” he screamed again, but he was met with silence once more.
The emptiness was too unnerving. Kade decided that he had had enough of this dark pit and tried to climb back out. Nothing happened. Kade willed himself to ascend once more, but again, nothing happened. He started to get the feeling of being in a trap and cursed. A sound so faint echoed through the nothingness that Kade almost missed it. He froze, not even breathing, if that was what he was doing. There it was again. Kade moved toward the sound and it became louder.
“Who calls for the Great Master Chosen, Doren?” a voice demanded.
“My name is Kade,” he said excitedly. After several long seconds of silence, he continued. “I was sent to find you by Master Chosen, Zayle.”
“Zayle?” the voice asked cautiously.
“Yes. He was my teacher. He told me I needed to seek you out.”
“I know who you are,” the voice said with a sneer. “You are Morg. You cannot fool me, nor can you hurt me here,” it said full of confidence.
“WAIT!” Kade screamed. “Why do you think me to be Morg?” Kade asked desperately.
“Why would I not? You can do almost anything with that bloody, cursed staff,” the voice said.
The voice sounded as if it were directly in front of Kade. He was sure that if he reached out his hand, it would come in contact with a body. He strained to make out any shapes and failed. The darkness was getting to him. Kade felt claustrophobia setting in.
“Because, if I were Morg, I would be trying to kill you,” Kade said in a rush.
“Morg could not resist the temptation to torture me for what I did to him,” the voice countered.
“He really believes you are dead,” Kade said, pleading.
“He would not leave me without making sure. I have information he needs,” the voice said, but there was hesitancy in it.
“Well, he didn’t check. He was too focused on me. For some reason, he needs me.”
“Maybe. I know you have tried to escape from my little trap, and you may be saying anything to save yourself. If you are Morg, then there is no way out. You cannot leave my mind. I may have to sacrifice myself, but I will have beaten you again,” the voice said in triumph.
“This is a trap?” Kade asked in panic.
“That depends,” Doren said. Kade got the feeling he was being watched closely, even though he could see nothing.
“On what?”
“You still have not proven to me that you are not Morg.”
“How can I do that?” Kade asked, trying to control his fear. This was a fully trained Master of the Divine. This was a Chosen. He was only an apprentice. If this man believed him to be Morg, his life was over.
“T
hat is for you to figure out. I will not give you the answer.”
“I’m not sure what I can do to convince you, so I am going to tell you what I know and some of what has happened recently,” Kade said as he took a deep breath and prepared to tell the story. He paused for a moment, considering if it was air he had breathed in, or if he just thought it was air. He brushed aside the obscure thought and continued. “Before I start, I must tell you, Morg has been called back by something that seems to have a hold on him. He was furious, but he left.”
Doren did not respond so Kade proceeded to tell the story from the first moment he met the dragon right up to this very instant. Doren only spoke to prompt him to continue. Kade intentionally left out the part about the arch in the tunnel in the event that this was a trick by Morg. He was fairly certain that Morg would not plan something this elaborate, but he had to be careful. Morg was too impulsive and irrational. This was too calculated.
“That was an interesting story. Too bad you will never get the chance to bow down before your master’s feet like the dog you are,” Doren said as he taunted him. “You were never any good at lying and you are still no good. You will die with me here, hound!” Doren raged. Kade panicked.
“NO! My name is Kade! You have to believe me!” he pleaded in desperation.
“I do,”
“I was sent by Zayle. You have to…,” Kade was saying when he stopped. His mind was spinning as he recalled those two words Doren had just spoken. “You do?” he asked, confused. “But I thought you just…,” he started to say and then stopped.
“Morg could never stand to be told he was to answer to another as if he were a dog being called by his master. And, when you told me of that, it gave me an idea. Morg detested answering to anyone. If you were Morg, you would have been infuriated by me telling you to bow down before a master. That is his one true weakness. If you were Morg, you would have exploded with rage. And that, of course, would have ended your life,” Doren said simply.
The Divine Path (The Divine Series) Page 27