The Divine Apprentice (The Divine Series) (35 page)

             
“Okay, I give,” Kade said, holding his hands up in surrender.  “I cannot make enough to even get close to filling up that stomach of yours,” he said with a grin.  “You are always hungry.” 

Rayden sensed that his feeding was over and stepped up to the water.  He took a long drink to wash down the food and then collapsed, clearly content for the moment.  His eyelids began to close almost immediately.

              Kade stood next to the dragon and considered trying his hand at calling on anything other than meat.  After some consideration, he decided on something simple.  Closing his eyes, he pictured a small piece of cheese.  He found it easy to submerge himself in the memory as his craving for the food grew.  He completed the calling and was pleasantly surprised when he felt it materialize in his hands.  He took a bite and found it was better than he could have hoped for.  He started to suspect that his vision of the food might actually be better than the real thing.

             
“Perfect,” Kade said with a smile.

             
“Are you going to share some of that, or are you going to keep it all to yourself?”  Darcienna teased playfully.

             
“Sorry,” Kade said as he handed her the cheese.

             
“Can you make some bread for the boy?”

             
“I think so,” Kade said, looking at the child that had fallen asleep.  He closed his eyes and completed the calling.  After tasting the bread to make sure it was made right, he handed it to Darcienna.  Within minutes, the child was awake and eating hungrily.

             
The time seemed to pass slowly as Kade and Darcienna both checked the position of the sun constantly, eagerly waiting for it to disappear over the horizon, and at the same time, dreading it.  As much as he wanted daylight to end and the dark to surround them, the lower the sun went, the larger the knot in his stomach grew.  Before he knew it, the darkness spread and night reigned across the land.

             
“It’s time,” Kade said, feeling like bats were fluttering wildly in his stomach.  “Rayden, into the river and roll in the mud.”

             
The dragon eagerly obliged, enjoying the romp in the slippery substance from the river bottom.  It returned after a good deal of splashing mud in all directions.  Kade and Darcienna both held their hands up in an attempt to shield their eyes from the spray.  Kade wondered if he was coated with enough mud already from the dragon’s enthusiastic pursuit of the wet, sloppy material.  He had the sneaking suspicion that it was no accident, but he could not prove it.  Regardless, he was not in the mood for play.  Darcienna and Kade both coated themselves without saying a word.  Darcienna smeared Marcole with the earthy smelling substance.  The boy grinned, enjoying the warm mud.

             
“Darcienna,” Kade said as he turned toward her, all serious.

             
“We are not going to have this talk again,” Darcienna said, turning her back on him and walking out of the water.  “You need me, you sheep brained oaf.  Stop trying to get rid of me.  You gave me a choice and I chose.  It is decided.  Now, what next?” she asked with fire in her eyes.  She was furious.

             
Kade was surprised at how much he admired her resolve.  He smiled to himself, knowing she was right.  He needed her in more ways than he cared to admit.

             
“Now, we go,” Kade said as he headed for the dragon.

             
He jumped up easily and turned to offer her his hand.  He quickly swung her up to sit behind him and recalled how much he enjoyed feeling her closeness.  He immediately cleared his head and soon had the dragon moving stealthily through the woods.  Rayden could move as smooth as a snake if he wanted and right now, he wanted.

             
“Darcienna?”

             
“Yes?”

             
“If you are able to sense danger, are you able to sense when you are closer to the danger or do you sense it all at once?  What I am asking is…does the sense get stronger the closer you get?”

             
“I think the feeling gets stronger the closer I get.  It’s still a new ability for me, but I am sure it works that way.  I did get to put it to use recently,” Darcienna said with a grimace.

             
“Okay.  You are going to help guide us through the traps.  There are several set to capture us.  Rayden should be able to find them, but you can make sure he does not miss anything.  It is going to be dangerous,” Kade said, half looking over his shoulder.

             
“I will box your ears if you are bringing that up again,” Darcienna said, sure he was trying to scare her into staying back.  “Now keep going,” she said.

             
Kade looked up at the larger of the two moons as it started to rise in the north.  The night was cool, almost to the point of being cold.  He was grateful for it.

             
Closing his eyes, Kade drew on the sweet tasting Divine Power.  It felt like a familiar friend comforting him in his time of need.  He smiled as he molded it to his will.  For anyone watching, they would have seen the large dragon and its riders fade from sight as the Transparency Calling took effect.  Darcienna wrapped her arms around Kade in a death grip.

             
“It’s ok.  Sorry, I should have warned you,” Kade said as he loosened her arms so he could breathe.  All he got in response was an exasperated gasp.   He could not help but to let a laugh slip.  She smacked him in the head so hard his ears rang. 
It was worth it,
he thought with a grin, careful not to laugh again.  This small amount of levity helped settle his nerves.

Next, he drew on the Divine Power once more as he prepared the Silence Calling.  For a moment, he hesitated as he ran the moves through his mind.  The second move was not as familiar as it should be.  He considered checking the book but decided against it.  He completed the calling and let the Divine Power flow.  He realized he was clenching his jaw so tightly it hurt.  He let his breath out and relaxed.

              Kade stayed focused on the town as they approached.  He reached out with his mind to tap into the dragon’s senses and found nothing that stood out.  He started to wonder if he was being a fool, all covered in mud, when Darcienna grabbed his arm and clenched so tightly that she dug in her nails.  It did not take Kade long to realize what she was trying to convey, but she added a hissed warning.

             
“I sense something,” Darcienna whispered as quietly as possible.  Kade could easily hear the fear in her voice.

             
“Be ready with your shield,” Kade responded.

             
He sent a mental warning to Rayden.  The dragon tensed as it slid closer to the ground.   After several more steps, the dragon froze and appeared to stop breathing.  Kade strained his eyes, and then, he saw it.  A massive shadow slid through the dark, barely the length of the dragon away.  Rayden did not need a warning from Kade to stay still.

             
“Do not move or make a sound,” Kade whispered to Darcienna, even though he was sure they could not be detected.

             
Rayden, do you sense anything more?
  Kade ask the dragon mentally.  He could feel his friend expanding and knew it was either tasting the air or smelling it.  It did this three times in a row and on the third time, Kade got the distinct impression that the dragon was sensing something further down and to the right. 
When it is safe to move, take us to the left,
Kade sent.

             
Out of habit, Kade turned to look at Darcienna and chastised himself for being a fool.   He missed seeing those blue eyes staring back at him.  He was looking forward to letting the calling go so he could see her again.  With a sigh, he turned forward again.

             
The dragon started to move.  Kade found he was focusing on the way Darcienna’s legs rubbed against his with every step the dragon took.  He forcefully made his mind focus on the town ahead.  He chastised himself for not considering how distracting it would be to have her come with him.  It was too late to do anything about it now.

They were three hundred yards from town when Darcienna squeezed his arm.  He was sure he was going to feel blood anytime now.  He clenched his teeth against the pain.

              “Can you tell where it is?”

             
“I am not sure, but there is definitely something close.”

             
Once again, between the dragon and Darcienna, they were able to spot the danger and avoid it.  They circled to their left and continued on at the slow pace.  Kade made sure to keep clear of any bushes as he directed the dragon though the woods.  He had to fight his urge to find cover and force himself to accept that they needed to be in as open an area as possible so as to not move any brush or trees.               

             
They were within two hundred yards of the town when Darcienna squeezed his arm again.  He could feel the sweat from her hands as she gripped him.  Kade wished he could take her to safety, but that thought was gone as soon as it came.  He knew he needed her and her abilities.

             
“I sense danger,” Darcienna said.  Her voice sounded unsure.  “It feels like it gets stronger and then weaker again.  I think we should wait here for a minute.  I don’t know if we can avoid this one,” Darcienna said, hesitantly.

             
Suddenly, the child started to make small sounds.  Kade got a sick feeling in his stomach as he considered the boy on her back.  The more he thought about it, the more he wished he would have made her stay by the river where it was safe.  Yes, he felt much more secure with her abilities to back him up, but he had no right putting her child in this type of danger.  In the blink of an eye, he knew this could not be avoided.  Darcienna was not going to leave his side.  She believed he was their best chance for survival and that meant staying close to him in the event that he would need her shield or any of her other abilities.  Seeing that this kind of thinking was going to help nothing, he dismissed it completely.

             
Kade had the dragon wait, once again, and asked if it could see anything.  Rayden seemed to sense something but was not able to give any more information.  Kade urged the dragon ahead another twenty yards, and again, had it search the area.

             
“What are you getting?” Kade asked Darcienna.

             
“It’s like before.  It gets stronger, and then it gets weaker.  It makes no sense.”

             
Kade listened intently and then he heard it; the sound of a twig snapping.  Now it made sense.

             
“There is something patrolling,” Kade whispered.   “I am a fool.  They know I am coming from the west.  We need to circle around and come into town from the east.”

             
Kade signaled the dragon to turn north.  They work their way around that end of town, making sure to check frequently for any stray creatures.  After almost an hour, Darcienna relaxed her grip on his arm. 

             
“Kade, I am getting a feeling of danger, but I think it’s coming from town.  There is something there that is very strong,” Darcienna said and emphasized this by squeezing his arm.  “Maybe this is not such a good idea.  How can we hope to defeat them?” Darcienna asked.  Kade could hear the despair creeping into her voice.

             
“Are you saying you want me to take you back?” Kade asked, a little angry that she had pushed so hard to come and now was having second thoughts.

             
“No,” she said after just a slight hesitation.

             
“After I find out what happened to my parents, we can leave.”

             
Darcienna never responded.  If Kade could have seen her face, he would have seen the shame she felt for suggesting that they leave before learning of his parents.  They had already come too far to just turn back.

             
“I am certain my parents are here.  If they weren’t, whatever or whomever wouldn’t have gone to all the trouble of setting so many traps.  I am expected,” Kade said, but Darcienna was sure she could sense his doubt.  She came to the realization that he was trying to convince himself more than anything else.

             
Kade was met by silence.  He turned his attention back to the surrounding area, searching for any more signs of danger.  He knew if the dragon or Darcienna did not sense any threat, he was not going to find anything either, but he had to keep his mind busy with something. 

             
They traveled slowly as they crept through the woods.  It felt like hours when they finally crossed the north end of town.  It was slow going as the dragon slinked stealthily, making sure not to snap even the smallest of twigs.  Surprisingly, the area was clear.  Kade directed the dragon to the east end of town and stopped.  His heart started to pound.  This was to be his entry point.  He was certain this was his last chance to turn back.   Darcienna also knew this was the point of no return and sat silently, waiting for Kade to decide what to do next.  He was about to signal the dragon to move forward when Darcienna squeezed his arm so hard that he almost yelped.