The Divine Apprentice (The Divine Series) (11 page)

Kade tried once more to see the Divine around the bookshelf but to no avail.  There was no calling holding it in place.  Kade sat there for several moments with his eyes closed, trying to figure out what he was missing.  He examined every shelf closely as he slid his hands along the wood.  His fingers touched a knot that was slightly raised.  Kade stopped and his eyes popped over.  He studied the lump that was just a bit more worn than the wood around it.  Putting his thumb squarely on the knot, he took a deep breath and then pressed.  To his amazement, the bookcase swung effortlessly open without a sound.  Kade felt his heart pound as he eagerly waited to see what secrets were now being revealed. 

Was it a secret room or maybe even a secret doorway to a tunnel?
  Kade asked himself in excitement.  He stared in amazement as the light fell across the open space.  Finding only a small cubby large enough for just a few books was very anticlimactic.

“Okay.  Well, not quite what I pictured, but at least we are getting somewhere.  These must be important to be this well hidden,” he said as he looked over five books that appeared to be incredibly old and one that appeared fairly new.  Two of them he recognized, but the others, he had never seen before.

Reaching out very slowly, Kade picked up one of the books and brought it back to the table, holding it very carefully as if it might break.  He closed his eyes and performed the Reveal Calling.  As he expected, there was a blue aura surrounding the book.  He opened his eyes and looked on the tome in amazement.

“Such a powerful calling,” Kade said to himself.  He knew that different colors meant more of the Divine was at use, and blue was a very high level.  The more of the Divine Power that one handled, the more dangerous it was. 

Kade recalled that Zayle always had his lessons laid out for him on the table whenever he entered the study.  He was never allowed in the room prior to a session.  He glanced up at the bookcase and now understood why.

Kade thought back on the thief that attempted to steal one of the books several years back and shuddered.  The thief never even had a chance to scream as he turned to stone.  His body was sent back to the man who had hired him.  Zayle had mentioned that Doren, whoever that was, was going to like that delivery.  The message was clearly understood, as the books were never threatened again.

Turning the book over in his hands, feeling the aged leather, Kade’s curiosity built as he craved to learn the secrets at his fingertips.  He ran his hands over the cover and could feel the knowledge calling to him.  He looked at the book longingly, eager to know what was hidden within. 

As long as nothing goes wrong
,
maybe I will try this book
Kade thought.  The image of the stone thief flitted through his mind, but he forcibly ignored it.  He did not want the more cautious side of him making him wait.

After the feeling of awe at the thought of new and powerful callings passed, he performed the Disarm Calling.  Kade put his hand on the cover and felt a giddy sense of adventure as the excitement built.  He opened the book slowly, anticipating the great and awesome knowledge that was about to be his.  He looked at the first page and frowned.  It was a calling for making it rain.

“Bah.  What is this?  I would care if I was a farmer, but this is useless unless I want to get wet,” Kade said with disappointment.  He turned the page, afraid he would not find anything more exciting.  “Now this is more like it,” Kade said in excitement as he read, LIGHTNING CALLING.  As tempted as he was to learn this, he decided to continue searching for anything that would help him understand what had caused Zayle to be so afraid.  He mentally marked it as the first calling he was going to return to, when he had time.  He quickly flipped through the book but soon realized that it was not going to give him the information he needed.

“Later,” he said as he set the book down and patted it as if to say, “Stay right there until I get back to you.”  He returned to the bookshelf and glanced back at the table, feeling the desire to learn the great and powerful callings.  He shook his head and mentally chastised himself.

Pulling another book off the shelf, he shivered slightly when his eyes landed on the cover and the symbol that he instantly recognized.  He swallowed hard and handled the book as though he were holding something so delicate that a whisper would damage it.  He desperately did not want to set off this calling.

“Wow, when you protect your books, you take no chances,” he said, keeping his hands clear of the symbol.

This calling was deadly because the demon on the front actually came to life when the book was opened by the wrong person with the wrong calling.  The creature was only two inches tall, but Kade knew it wasn’t the size of the demon that was mattered but the deadly venom dripping from the demon’s claws that was to be feared.  He knew if the demon scratched him ever so slightly, it would cause agonizing pain beyond anything he had ever experienced and his death would be long and torturous.

Kade had only seen the demon one time and that was when it had first been summoned.  He was allowed to watch the incredible conjuring shortly after he became an apprentice so he would know what could be called if someone had manipulated the Divine Power incorrectly.  Zayle explained what the demon could do so Kade would never be foolish enough to try and mess around with it.  Until now, he never knew what his master had done with it.

While holding the book, he got the feeling that he was being watched.  He looked out the window, remembering the invisible creature, but saw nothing that would indicate there was a presence there
.

It does not feel like it is outside,
he thought, getting a very sick feeling in his stomach.

Kade looked around cautiously, worried that he had tripped one of his master’s traps.  He could sense the Divine Power moving ever so minutely, but it was there.  He proceeded to set the book on the table when his eyes caught a slight movement from the cover.  He stopped, staring at it for several long moments and was relieved to see no change.  He let out the breath he was not aware he was holding and proceeded to set the book down once more.  As he was placing the it on the table, the demon’s head moved ever so slightly, keeping its eyes on him.  Kade’s hand pulled back reflexively, as if it had been stung.

He froze.  He got a knot in his stomach and a sick feeling that caused his skin to prickle.  He stared at the demon, and again, saw no movement.  But, he could not shake the uncomfortable feeling that the hideous, little creature was looking him right in the eye.  He leaned down, getting just inches from the demon and stood perfectly still for several long seconds, looking directly into its eyes, when all of a sudden…it blinked.  Kade jumped and stumbled backward, slamming into the bookshelf.

“No!  You can’t!  You cannot come out unless the book is opened.  I know you can’t!” he said defiantly.  He looked at the book and noticed that the old, warn pages caused the book to spring open slightly.  It was almost as if the pages had become wet and then dried, causing them to not be flat.  “No!” he screamed as he realized what was about to happen.  He recalled the book had been wedged between two others, keeping it closed.  “NO, I did not open you!  NO!” Kade said vehemently, hopelessly.

He knew the calling was starting to activate and felt panic well up in him.  He quickly closed his eyes and used the Reveal Calling.  He flinched.  The angry, red pulsing coming off the book was almost too bright to look at with the Divine Sight.  The calling was going to snap at any moment.  His mind started to reel as he frantically tried to think.  He considered making a run for it but then hesitated, and instead, leapt for the book, slamming it shut.  By this time, the demons head was actually sticking up out of the book.  It was eerie and odd looking.  Afraid of being bit, Kade kept his hands on the edges.  It was actually sneering at him. 

“NO!” he screamed at it in defiance.  The creature seemed to enjoy this as its grin deepened.  Kade could sense the mind of the demon as it started to materialize more and more.  He knew it was only seconds before this creature was free, and he also knew, without any doubt, that it was coming after him with a vengeance.  If he did not do something quickly, he was going to die an agonizing death. 

Don’t panic,
he told himself.

Kade looked back at the book and saw that the demon had one of its wings loose.  It was flapping furiously, trying to free the rest of its body.  For a moment, Kade thought it looked like a bat that was stuck against the book
.
  He grabbed one of the other books and slammed it with all his might into the demon.  This only caused it to work harder.

“How could I be so stupid?” Kade howled as his attention snapped back to the creature.  He considered smashing the demon again, but he knew that it would only annoy it.  Kade froze as an idea flashed into his mind. 

If I can just complete it before that thing gets free,
Kade thought as he rushed to put his plan into action.  Making sure to keep his hands clear of the demon, he picked up the book and hurled it across the room as hard as he could.  It came open as it fluttered away

He knew he had no time left, and if this was to work, it had to work now.  He jumped back away from the book and called on the Divine Power, just as the sound of the demon’s wings hitting the cover stopped.  He sent the Divine Power to do his bidding and threw himself back against the wall.

A high-pitched shriek pierced every last nerve in his body, causing him to clench his muscles hard.   It was like a dagger being driven right into his mind, instantly scrambling his thoughts.  He felt a slight feather-light touch at the end of his nose, and then…nothing.  He pried his eyes open with effort and looked at the book.  Seeing nothing, he gasped in relief and fell against the wall.  He closed his eyes and looked with his sight.  There was a faint, yellow outline, indicating that the trap had been neutralized.

Kade stumbled to the table and fell heavily into the chair, wiping sweat from his forehead.  His muscles ached painfully from the tension.  He took a deep breath, let it out and slumped forward in the chair, dropping his head against the table with a thud.  After taking several long, deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself, he sat up.  He looked at the book, lying on the floor in the corner while he listened to his heart pound.

“Master, I am sure to parish without you,” Kade said as he glanced in the direction of the grave.

Kade took a deep breath to draw strength into his body as he put his hands firmly on the armrest, preparing to lift himself out of the chair.  He hesitated only slightly and then heaved himself up.  His legs felt weak, but he forced himself to walk over to the book with the image of the demon.  He knew it should be safe, but he was still in no rush to touch it.  Bending over, he picked it up very carefully.  Turning it over in his hands, he half expected the demon to leap out at him.  When he looked, all he saw was its image flat on the cover.

“All I had to do from the start was deactivate the calling,” Kade said, feeling very stupid for not thinking of it from the beginning.  He shook his head at his own ignorance and returned to the table.

“It’s a good thing Master taught me that calling, or I would be with him right now.  And, lucky for me it was a simple calling,” Kade said to himself as he wiped sweat from his forehead again.  He stopped for a second, recalling his master’s words.  “You always said it would be the simple callings that will make the difference.  Maybe there is wisdom in your ways after all,” Kade said. 

The Healing Calling is also pretty simple,
Kade thought.

Kade handled the book with care, even though he knew it was no longer a threat.  He placed it on the table and opened it slowly, still afraid of the demon.  He could feel his nerves starting to twitch and tried to relax by shrugging his shoulders and rolling his head around.  It helped very little.

He watched the book with his Divine Sight to make sure the aura surrounding it did not waiver from safe yellow.  It took him several long seconds to even open just the first page.  After watching intently for what felt like hours, he finally accepted that it was safe.

Kade looked at the first page, shocked at what he was seeing.  There were many pictures of demons.  Surprisingly, there was even one that looked identical to the image on the cover of this very book.  Kade flipped to the cover and then back to the page as he studied the creature.  Yes, it was identical to what he was seeing.  The writing on the top of the page read, HOW TO BIND A DEMON TO YOUR SERVICE.

“I am sure I am not ready to try something like this,” Kade said, pulling his hand away from the book, as though it were full of thorns.  “I am certain I would just get myself killed,” he said as he flipped to the next page.

Surprised again, he froze as he stared at the page.  The world as he knew it was shifting right before his eyes.  Things were not as he always believed them to be. 

How this must have been a heavy burden on you,
Kade thought as he read, NEEDED TO SEE INTO THE WORLD OF THE DEAD.  He glanced at a drawing on the page and saw that it was some sort of arch.  He was not sure if this was important, but by the looks of it, it was.  Kade read further down the page and became lightheaded as he immediately recognized the calling on the page.  It was the Drift Calling.  His head started to spin.  He studied every page but nothing seemed to make sense.  He returned to the page with the Drift Calling and studied it, hoping something would come to mind.