The Divine Path (The Divine Series) (22 page)

             
It was damp and musty, making it uncomfortable to breathe.  But, there was more than just that.  There was something else in the air that Kade could not quite figure out.  It was a combination of how the air tasted and how it smelled.  He tried to decide if it was good or bad, or if it just was.

             
“I am very grateful that you were gracious enough to talk with us the day our paths crossed.  I can see now that you could have destroyed us if you chose,” Rakna said easily, as if it were the most obvious fact.  “At first, your lack of fear had me confused.  But now, I understand why,” the queen finished.

             
Kade stopped, his mouth hanging open but no words coming out.  She had it so wrong.  The dragon had so many spiders on him that he most certainly would have died a horrible death from the venom, and Darcienna was no longer able to protect herself.  He might have survived between his strength and the Divine, but what good would that be, with his most faithful friend and the one he loved lying dead?

Kade’s mind drifted back to a memory during one of his lessons
with Zayle.  So much of what had been said did not make sense, but once more, it all seemed to fit like a piece to a puzzle.  How could he have been so stupid not to listen to wisdom so profound?

“Sometimes
it is not your abilities that will win you the war but how your enemies perceive your abilities,” Zayle would say. “Sometimes it can be as simple as how you portray yourself.  If you show confidence and display the correct attitude, then that alone may end a war without even one calling being cast.  The most successful Chosen will never have to use a calling even once in battle to emerge the victor.”

Kade recalled thinking that his teacher was seriously confused at the time.  To never use a calling a
nd still win a war was just complete and utter nonsense.  Everyone knew the Chosen were to be feared and respected, but to not use callings?  Absurd!  Now, as Kade thought about it, he saw what his master was trying to teach him.  If only he had not been so thickheaded and actually listened. 
If only
, Kade thought as he fought off the sadness.  He turned to go and stopped, almost walking into Darcienna.  She reached up gently to remove the tear from the corner of his eye with a gentle caress of her hand.  Kade clenched his jaw, angry that his emotions were showing so easily. 

This is not the time to morn or feel pity for myself,
Kade thought roughly, angry that this weakness in him had shown for all to see.  The sadness dried up and his face turned to stone.

“I think your opinion of us is a bit inflated,” Kade said,
showing no sign of the emotions he was feeling just seconds ago.

“I can sense that you think you are telling the truth
, Chosen, but I find it hard to believe, after witnessing all I have in the past few days.  Kade, we are just one clutch.  We would have been a minor inconvenience at best.  Nonetheless, I do appreciate what you are trying to say,” Rakna said as she bowed her head slightly.  Kade returned the gesture.

Th
e apprentice relaxed a little as he smiled and slid by her to light the way.  Darcienna wrapped her hand around his arm as they moved into the darkness.  The air grew cooler but not uncomfortable.  Kade started to get an odd feeling that was somehow familiar, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on why he felt as if he should know it.

“Darcienna, can you sense anything
?” Kade asked as he glanced at her.  He stopped and looked closely at her eyes.  They were starting to glow ever so slightly.  It was a bit eerie in the darkness.

“I’m not sure.  I can sense something
, but it’s not the normal feeling I get when there is danger.  It’s as if my abilities are confused and don’t know what to make of it,” Darcienna said.  She tilted her head as if trying to hear a distant voice.

“Maybe it wasn’t meant to be danger but something else,” Rakna added.

“That may be,” Darcienna said as she focused hard.

“How much further
?” Kade asked.

“Valdry did not include that information when he informed me of this tunnel
,” Rakna said.

Kade did not respond as he stared into the dark.  There was something going on
, but he was not sure if it was danger or not.  The hairs on the back of his neck started to rise up in warning.  Something was not right here.

“Is it just me
, or is it getting darker in here?  I mean…is it darker than it should be?” Kade asked as he tried to focus on the blackness that seemed to hang in the air.  “Maybe if I use more of the Divine to feed the fire, it will help,” he said as he opened himself up and let more of the Divine flow into the flame.  He could still feel the block within himself, but it did not keep him from drawing on a little more for the fire.  It flared, but there was not as much difference in what he could see as he had expected.  He pulled as hard as he could on the Divine and fed it into the fire, and yet, the dark seemed to swallow up every bit of the light.

“Kade, I am getting an uncomforta
ble feeling.  It’s as if I am sensing danger one second, and in the next instant, it is gone,” Darcienna said as she dragged him to a stop.

“I am sensing it too,” Kade said as he stopped to look at his companions.

Rakna showed no sign of fear.  Her confidence in him was overwhelming.  He just hoped it was not misplaced.  He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and continued on with what he was saying.

“I can’t quite figure it out.  I think it has something to do with what is past this darkness,” Kade said as he took a cautious step forward.

“It appears as if your light will not penetrate,” Rakna said as she moved to stand next to him.  The blue light made her look eerie in the darkness.

“Let’s
see what this will do,” Kade said as he launched the Divine Fire down the tunnel. 

Kade was shocked to see that the dark seemed to swallow up the fire immediately
.  It disappeared as if it never was, and with that, they were plunged into absolute darkness.  None could even see the hand before their faces.  Kade drew the Divine up instantly and set his hand ablaze with light so bright that everyone had to shield their eyes.  The pain of too much light so quickly was much more desirable than the intense dark.  Everyone let out a sigh of relief. 

“And you say we spared you,” Rakna said as she looked on in awe.  Kade knew it was useless to argue and realized it may even be seen as patronizing to disagree
, so he made no comment.  She believed and nothing he said was going to change her opinion.  He smiled as he recalled feeling exactly the same way while in the presence of Zayle.

Kade turned toward the darkness
and stood in shock.  The increase in light actually seemed to make the darkness appear more solid.  It was almost as if there was a wall.  He spared a glance at his hand and looked into the dark again.  Clearly he should have lit up the entire tunnel for a hundred feet, and yet, it was pitch black in front but well lit behind.  Kade reached out but froze as Darcienna’s eyes blazed instantly.  He pulled his hand back and her eyes dimmed. 

“I don’t understand.  The…
,” Kade started to say when the odd feeling that had been with him intensified for just a moment. He stopped, listening with his ears and mind.  Was his dragon trying to contact him?  He reached out to Rayden only to get the sense of amusement as the dragon played its game.  He turned to look at Darcienna to see if she was sensing the same thing only to find her and the queen patiently watching him.  For a moment, he sensed it was actually a living presence trying to get into his mind.  He panicked slightly and pushed it away.  Or…was he just imagining things?  The next instant, there was nothing.

Kade noticed both the queen and Darcienna were studying him as they waited for him to pronounce his findings.  It was more than that
, though.  They were waiting for him to explain exactly what it was they were facing, what it was that they should do next, and how.  They expected him to have all the answers.  He was not sure if he liked the confidence they put in him, but there was nothing he could do about it now.  They were depending on him.  He understood how Zayle felt.

“Did either of you just sense
that?” Kade asked.

“I felt nothing but the warning of danger,” Darcienna said, her eyes a faint glow.

“What is it you are feeling?” Rakna asked.

“I’m not sure.  It almost feels as if somethi
ng is trying to reach out to me, trying to get into my head.  It’s like a pressure in my mind, but then it goes away,” Kade said. “You feel nothing at all?” he pressed Darcienna again.

“Like I said, it’s as if
my ability can’t make up its mind.  It’s like we are causing the danger to ourselves,” Darcienna said as she tilted her head again.  “One thing I am certain about,” she continued as she narrowed her eyes, peering intently ahead, “this darkness has something to do with it.  I received a strong warning as you reached out, but as you pulled your hand back, it disappeared.”

Kade slowly reached out and Darcienna’s eyes lit up the closer his hand got to the darkness.  Darcienna gripped his arm tight
ly.  Kade watched her, certain she had taken in a sharp breath and was holding it.  He pulled his arm back, and she relaxed as her eyes dimmed.

“This must be the doorway that Valdry spoke of,” Rakna hissed.

“This?” Kade asked as he studied the space just one long stride away.  “But, there is nothing.”

“A doorway is just an opening into another place.  Maybe passing through this
takes you somewhere,” Rakna offered.

“Maybe…,” Kade was saying when his eyes caught something on
the far wall.  He moved to the side of the tunnel and ran his hand along what had gotten his attention.  He studied the markings that were partially covered by dirt.  He rubbed at the wall, exposing more of the image.  “Maybe these explain what this is,” Kade said as he studied the drawing.  He looked back at the queen and Darcienna, waiting for their input.  Just then, a crushing presence descended on him.  It was so strong that he sank to his knees and gritted his teeth, doing everything he could to fight it off.  Now Kade was more certain than ever that something was trying to get inside his head.  Darcienna and the queen raced to his side.  “I know this does not make sense, but I get the strong feeling of urgency,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

“
Urgency?” Darcienna asked in concern.  “Are we supposed to do something?”

“I’m…not sure,” Kade said, every muscle in his body
was as tense as iron while he waited for the feeling to pass.  “It’s gone now,” Kade said as he gasped and fell forward onto all fours, panting.  “I think it has something to do with that,” Kade said as he pointed weakly to the darkness, breathing heavily.  Darcienna bent down and placed her hands on him.  He breathed a sigh of relief and shakily got to his feet.  He took another deep breath and let it out slowly, steadying himself.  Darcienna gave him a disapproving look, but he waved her concern away.  She ground her teeth at his stubbornness.

“I think we
need to try to figure this out before we do anything,” Darcienna said as she scraped dirt from one of the symbols.  “Kade, can you make anything of this?”

             
He moved closer to the image and leaned over as he studied it.  He realized it was not just a symbol, but a drawing.  It was of a man standing several feet off the ground with his body arched and his head titled back.  The man’s feet were together and his arms were just barely away from the body with the palms up.  Kade cleaned off more of the wall and saw what looked like an arch around the floating figure.  He stood up and turned toward Darcienna as his mind worked.

             
“It looks like a man floating in the air through some kind of arch,” Kade said as his mind grappled with what he was seeing.  The pieces of this puzzle were falling into place.

             
“What does it mean?” Darcienna asked.

             
“The arch in the drawing could stand for the darkness.  If this is really a doorway to another place, then this would make sense,” Rakna said.

             
“That has to be it,” Darcienna said as she cleared more of the wall off.

             
Kade walked over and stood studying the darkness.  After several long moments, he moved back to the drawing.  Darcienna watched him with furrowed brows.  She could sense he was onto something and knew when to stay quiet.  Kade quickly turned and moved back to the darkness.  Her eyes flashed momentarily as he got too close.  He stopped, and her eyes faded.  She opened her mouth to chastise him when he looked up at the ceiling.  His eyes seemed to follow something along the rock as he called on more light.

             
“It’s not figurative.  It’s a literal drawing.  Look here,” Kade said as he pointed to the ceiling.  There, barely in the rock was what looked like an iron structure.  It was embedded into the rock so far that it was easy to miss.  His eyes followed it around to the ground.

             
“Can you make anything out of this?” Darcienna asked as she cleaned more dirt off the wall.  Kade moved over to stand just behind her.  He leaned forward, looking over her shoulder.