The Divine Path (The Divine Series) (3 page)

             
Kade never heard her, his concentration on the small tome of knowledge peaked.  He laid the cover on the table, but before he could pull his hand away, the calling activated fully.  He tensed hard and held his breath as a blue spark shot forth from the book to crackle across his hands.  The energy was almost too bright to look at as it leapt from finger to finger until it had covered his entire hand.  His fingers twitched involuntarily as the muscles spasmed rapidly.  Darcienna’s hand shot to her mouth as she stifled a scream.  The time it took for the calling to verify his identity seemed to take forever, and Kade’s chest ached from the breath he was holding as he waited for the calling to finish.  The light disappeared, leaving Kade with hands that were numb and a racing heart like he had run for days.  He let out a shaky breath and appeared as though he were going to collapse from exhaustion.

             
“Kade?” Judeen asked with worry.

             
“Kade, are you okay?” Darcienna asked as she grabbed his arm with both hands, ready to unleash her healing power.  She eyed that small, black book like it was a viperous snake that she wanted gone.

             
“Yea, I think so,” Kade said as he flexed his fingers.  “That was powerful.  Zayle was not taking any chances with that one.  I dread to think what would have happened to the person who tried to open that with that calling active,” Kade said with a glance at his mother and Darcienna.

             
He took another nerve-settling breath and let it out as he turned the first page.  As soon as his hand touched the paper, he felt another calling activate.  This one was gentle, but as he was not expecting it, it frayed his nerves.  He tried to keep steady but his hand shook slightly.  He clenched his fist tightly to hide it from the women, but something told him he was too late.   A tingling sensation ran across his scalp.  Kade’s eyes glazed over as the information about the Chosen, Valdry, was implanted in his mind.  “I know where one of the Master Chosen is,” Kade said in a trance-like state.

             
“Kade,” both women called together.

             
“There was a calling placed on the page.  As soon as I touched it, it activated and sent the information directly into my head.  I should be able to lead us to Valdry,” Kade said, feeling as though he had just awoken.  He was returning to normal quickly but it was still hard to think.  He stood, trying to get his mind to clear.

             
Judeen seemed to fidget ever so slightly as though she wanted to say something but was unsure if she should.  Kade smiled a disarming smile as he ducked down to make eye contact with her.  Her eyes were toward the ground as she attempted to keep Kade from seeing the look on her face.  He gently lifted her head by her chin.

             
“What?” Kade asked as gently as possible.

             
“I saw you.  I saw how you reacted.  Kade, that stuff is deadly.  What did my father get you into?” Judeen asked as her eyes started to moisten.

             
“Mother, it is the way of things now.  It’s just…Mother, it is best if I did not explain.  You must trust me,” Kade said, doing his best to reassure her.

             
“I never realized how dangerous the Divine Power was until I watched you just now.  You could die,” Judeen said and then paused.  “You could die at any time, couldn’t you?”

             
Kade sighed.  There was no way of getting around this.  His mother would know if he tried to downplay it.  She had seen.  It would take a blind person not to see how tense he had been.  He cursed himself for being such a fool for letting her watch.

             
“Yes,” Kade said in resignation.  “That is the price I must pay for using the Divine.  At any time, if I do anything wrong, it could end horribly, but I am careful, Mother, I am.”

             
Judeen looked away as a slight tremor pulled at the corner of her lips.  Her hand went to her mouth as she tried desperately to keep from weeping.  She failed but only barely.  Kade cursed himself ten times over for being so thoughtless and allowing her to watch.

             
“Mother,” Kade said, but she held up a hand to forestall him.

             
“Kade, I think it best if we were on our way,” Darcienna said.  He opened his mouth, ready to agree with her when his eyes lost their focus as a voice screamed frantically in his head.

             
Help!  I am under attack!  Morg is…,
and then the voice faded.  Kade gasped as he squeezed his eyes shut hard.  His hand shot out to catch the edge of the table to help steady himself.  The pressure in his mind was immense for just a moment and then it was gone.  He breathed a deep sigh of relief and focused on not letting his knees collapse.

“Kade, what is it
?” Darcienna asked.  Her eyes were wide with horror.

“I think Morg is attacking another of the Chosen,” Kade said as he closed his eyes and focused
hard with his mind.  “I think I heard one of them calling out for help.  He was cut off,” Kade said, his head turned, as if this might help him hone in on the message.

“What if that was the Chosen you were going to see
?” Darcienna asked.

Kade did not answer.  He was afraid to answer, fearing the worst.  He needed Va
ldry to be okay.  Right now, that Master Chosen was his best and only plan. 

He exhaled in exasperation and turned to look at Darcienna.  She looked back and her heart went out to him.  He appeared
worn down and stress was taking a toll on him.  She wanted to wrap him in her shield and keep him safe forever.  She wanted to protect him from the world and let him find peace, but with a heavy heart, she knew this was not possible, yet.  It hurt to know that he was not going to be able to find a release from this torment anytime soon, if ever.  She could see that this was the way of things for him, and he was not even aware he was suffering.  He was used to his nerves being on edge.  He was used to tensing, expecting danger at any moment, especially while using the Divine Power.  What hurt the most was seeing him struggle not to lose who he was.  She felt sadness momentarily grip her, and she fought to hide it.

“Darcienna,” Kade
said, agitation in his voice.  “Woman, where are you?  Darcienna,” Kade said again as he snapped his fingers in front of her eyes.

“I…I was just thinking that we should really get under way,” Darcienn
a said, knowing that to say she felt pity for him would be a disastrous thing to say.  In the short time she had known him, pity was the one thing he was not going to accept.  “Pity is for the weak,” Kade would say.

“That is what I have been trying to do,” Kade said, shaking his head as he exhaled in exasperation again. 
He took another deep breath and let it out to help recover from the mental assault.

Kade gathered up the books and stacked them in a pile, preparing to cinch the strap tight
ly.  Darcienna put her hand on his arm but did not take her eyes off the small, black book.  Kade saw what she was looking at and tilted his head as if to ask, “What?”

“Kade, I don’t like that one.  You have what you need from it.  Can we leave it here?” Darcienna pleaded, glancing from Kade to Judeen.  “I would prefer if we did not keep it if we don’t need to.”  Kade looked up at his mother who was staring at the book.  She appeared to be on the verge of protesting greatly when she saw the look in Darcienna’s eyes. 

After taking a deep breath, Judeen said, “Keep it in your room.”

Kade quickly ra
ced to his room and pulled a board loose from behind his bed, laying the book in the wall.  After slamming the board back in place, he ran out of the room and stopped at the table.  He carefully cinched the books tightly and then gently lowered them into the sack.  He took Marcole from Darcienna and handed him to his mother.  He grabbed Darcienna by the hand and turned to go.  She pulled him to a stop before taking even one step.  When Kade gave her a questioning look, she tilted her head toward Judeen.  Darcienna took Marcole back, waiting for Kade to say goodbye.  Feeling like a fool, Kade pulled his mother into a deep hug and held her for several long moments until she relaxed and melted into that hug.

“Be careful, Son,” Judeen whispered into his chest.

“I will, Mother.  I will.” 
Rayden, be ready to go!  We leave now!
 

They
handed the boy back to Judeen and raced out the door to the waiting dragon.  Kade cupped his hands for Darcienna to mount.  She wanted to hug him and relieve the torment she saw in those eyes, but she knew he would not accept it.  They had no choice.  They needed to go.

“Tell father I had to leave,
” Kade said as he cast a quick glance at his mother.  She disappeared into the house to hide her grief.  “Get on,” he said impatiently as he held his cupped hand together, waiting for her to mount.

“Kade,” Garig said
as he stepped around the corner of the house. His gaze was on the ground as if he were avoiding looking his son in the eye.  His words were heavy with emotion.

Kade
paused, seeing a look in his father’s eyes.  He slowly dropped his hands and after several long seconds, took a step toward Garig, waiting.  He feared what his father was going to say, even though he had no idea what it might be.  But, one thing he knew more than anything was that his father was on the verge of continuing the conversation they had started the previous day in the clearing.  He wanted to tell his father not to say it, whatever it was.  Something in him screamed, “Leave before he speaks.”  He knew, without a doubt, that he should mount the dragon as fast as possible and ride like the wind away from words that were on the verge of changing his life.  Even though every thread of every fiber of his being screamed at him not to listen, he was rooted to the spot.  His head was pounding as his heart beat like a drum.  Boom, Boom, Boom Kade felt in his chest.

Garig was struggling, and for a moment, Kade felt sorry for him.  He saw his father
’s agony and felt compassion for him.  He was about to tell his father not to say another word to relieve him of his suffering when Garig let out the breath he was holding, and his shoulders slumped in resignation.  Kade wanted to scream “NO” but could not get himself to speak.  He knew that his life was about to change forever, and he just could not keep from listening.

“He said…,” Garig started to say and everythin
g went into slow motion.  His father walked slowly along the porch as he spoke, his eyes glazed as he agonized over a distant memory.

Kad
e could hear the birds in the distance as everything became surreal.  He could feel the cool air on his face as his father was turning toward the open door.  Garig stopped as he agonized over the knowledge he was about to impart.  Kade knew to the very bottom of his soul that this moment was going to be one that defined who he was and it scared him.

“He stood there holding you for so long,” Garig said with a gri
m look on his face, not able to look at his son with what he was about to say.  “I stayed still, not making a sound,” he continued as he moved to stand in the doorway, his back to his son.  “For the rest of my life, I will never forget those five words I heard him whisper.  The lesser of two evils,” Garig said and then walked into the cabin without even a glance back.

Kade felt like he had been hit in the gut.  His stomach twisted in a knot
, and he thought he was going to be sick.  His mind whirled out of control, and he wished he had never heard what his father was trying to say.  He hated himself for listening.  He knew he should have left, but now, it was too late.  He was always going to remember that this is what his grandfather thought of him.  His heart ached desperately.  He felt like he wanted to get on the dragon and ride for days.  He wanted to flee this land and never look back.  He clenched his fists in anger, feeling a swirl of emotions wracking his mind, heart and soul.

Why is fate so cruel to me?  Does this mean I am as bad as Morg?
  Kade asked himself. 
Why?  Why would Zayle say that about me?  How could he think that?  What does he see that he did not tell me?
Kade agonized as he continued to stare at the ground.

“Kade,” Darcienna said softly as she ligh
tly touched him on the arm.  He flinched hard as he looked at her.  He opened his mouth but could not find any words.  He stood there gaping like a fish out of water as his mind searched for something to say, some way to keep her from running from him. 

How can she stay with me
now?  How?
he thought.

“I am sure there is more to this,” she said as she slid around to look him in the eye.  So much compassion and trust was almost too much for him to comprehend. 

Kade shook his head, trying to convince himself he would think on it later, but he knew better.  It would be on his mind always.  Darcienna waited for him patiently, unsure what to do to help with his agony.  She slowly moved her hand on his arm as if to sooth him, and it seemed to help just a little.

“Let’s go,” he said as he tried to be strong.

Would mother and father ever really be comfortable with me?
he asked himself
.  Well, mother might be, but father was another thing.  Did he consider me a bad person?  He had to know me better than that.  But, why would he not look me in the eye?  Was he afraid to see that what he was saying was the truth?
  As much as Kade tried to focus on mounting the dragon, his mind kept seeing the goodbye he received from his father.  After what his father had said, he was not quite sure if he was welcome long term.  Short term was something he knew was okay.  He tried to clear his mind and focus on the current task of Valdry.