The Divine Path (The Divine Series) (35 page)

Kade felt his mind reeling as he tried to absorb all that Morg was telling him.  As crazy as Kade was sure this man was
, he was just as certain that Morg believed everything he was saying.  Kade was hanging on every word, eager to learn what part he played in this.  He took another drink from his glass and closed his eyes to give himself time to think.  Morg assumed he was savoring the drink as he, himself, had just done and smiled.  But, what he did not know was that Kade was hiding the eager look in his eye as he soaked up every word.  Kade was also grateful for the drink as it soothed his nerves.

“Many think that the Ancients invented the whole dam
n thing, but the fact is they only discovered it.  Since they were the only ones who spoke it, they were known as the creators.  But that part does not really matter,” Morg said.  He waived his glass through the air as if to dismiss the thought.  “What does matter is that the Ancients knew some very powerful callings that have been lost in time,” he said as he leaned forward to put emphasis on what he was saying.

“B
ut, why all the talk about the Ancients?  They have been dead for a long time,” Kade said as he did his best to be casual while studying the staff.

“It has been rumored that they were able to create a link with the land of the d
ead,” Morg explained as he rose from his seat excitedly.  “I found something in a book in a Chosen’s library that talked about how they were trying to live forever.  It indicated that the only way to do this was to come back through an arch,” Morg said as he recalled the book he had read. 

If Morg had been paying closer attention, he may have seen Kade almost choke on his drink.  Gripping the glass tight
ly in his hand, Kade forced himself to stay calm.  Morg paced to the window as he formulated his thoughts.  He was passionate and enthusiastic about this topic.  Kade wondered momentarily if Morg had always been this evil, or if there was something that had triggered this behavior.  For just a second, Kade could actually see Morg as a respected teacher, and then, he dismissed the thought.  This was Morg.  This was the most hated man on the planet.  This was a man that Kade was going to make suffer.

“So, you think it is possible to communicate with the Ancients
?” Kade asked, trying to sound casual.  To his own ears, he sounded worried and nervous, so much so that he might as well have been screaming, “I know something,” but Morg did not seem to notice.

“You do see!” Morg exclaimed
excitedly as if Kade’s question was a statement.  “There is so much I could do with that knowledge,” he said, smiling eagerly as if he were a child with a favorite toy.  “But, they decided not teach what they know because they were worried that someone might use it for evil.”  He curled his lip in contempt.  “Just think of all the evil I could rid from this world,” he added as his eyes widened at the thought.

This time
, Kade did choke on his drink.  He gagged, trying to clear his airway of the alcohol.  Morg flinched and looked at him with narrowed eyes.  Kade wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked up at Morg.

“To
o big a drink,” Kade said quickly as he cleared his throat again.

“Of course,” M
org said as he went back to pacing around the room while he lectured.  “Anyway, there is supposed to be a passageway that allows the living to communicate with the dead.  There is even speculation that the dead can cross over into the world of the living, if they can find a host.  I believe they may even be waiting to cross back into our land, but they need something.”

Kade, again, had to put every effort into hiding his shock.  His mind raced as he recalled the presence that
had tried to take over his body.  Was that one of the ancients?  Did he almost bring one of them back?  Kade looked up to see Morg studying him and felt bats flutter dangerously in his stomach.

“You wouldn’t
happen to know where this doorway is would you?” Morg asked as he watched Kade closely.

“If I did,
don’t you think I would have talked with the Ancients already?  And if I had, don’t you think I would have used something against you?” Kade asked as he threw back the rest of his drink, trying to act casual.

“You do have a point,” Morg said
as he nodded his head.  “The doorway is only part of the problem,” he continued, satisfied with the answer.  “The Ancients set it up so only they can pass from the land of the living to the land of the dead.”  He filled Kade’s glass again.  Kade felt as if everything was surrealistic.  Morg was treating him as if they were good friends, but it was all an illusion.  Sooner or later, Morg was going to turn back into the evil man Kade knew him to be. 

“Then why do you need me
?” Kade asked as he casually looked at Morg over his glass.

“I misspoke.  Forgive me,” Morg said as he tilted his head slightly while looking Kade in the eye.  “What I meant to say,” Morg said as he leaned forward to emphasize the point, “was
… only the ancients and their…descendants are able to pass through the doorway,” he said as he watched Kade for a reaction.  Kade looked back, unsure where Morg was going with this.  “You still don’t get it?” Morg asked and then laughed.

“I understand that you are trying to talk to the Ancients,” Kade said simply
, his mind a little fuzzy from the drink.  “And that you think I can help you with that.  I am still at a loss as to why.”

Kade stopped for a moment as he
thought back on something Morg had said, something about ridding the world of evil.  There had to be a reason why he had made that statement.  Who did Morg think was evil, if not himself?  Kade took a chance.

“Are you doing
this for yourself or are you being given…direction?” Kade asked, trying to choose his words carefully. 

In the short time he had known this man, Kade had rapidly come to the conclusion that Morg was easily enraged at the slightest insult and to imply he was taking orders from a higher power was sure to set him off.  Morg was not one to accep
t being told what to do.  Kade could see this as plainly as the staff that crashed into the table that had previously held his drink.

“They are not…,” Morg started to say, red faced, and then paused.

Morg took a deep breath, let it out, and in the blink of an eye, was calm again as if he had never been angry.  Yes, Morg was a very deadly man.  The only thing that indicated that he had been angry at all was the slight color in his cheeks that was fading quickly.

“I think our chat has come to an end.  It’s time to take you to the one you came to see,” Morg said as he swung the staff
like a bat and smashed the glass from Kade’s hand.  The drink went flying.  Kade felt his hand go numb and wondered if any of his fingers were broke.  Any compassion he had started to feel evaporated instantly.

“Doren is still alive
?” Kade asked, not reacting to Morg’s outburst.  He also ignored his throbbing hand.  Morg was watching him for a reaction, and when Kade showed none, he scoffed and continued.

“I thought I might need him as bait in the event
that you discovered the Alluvium.”

“Alluvium?”
Kade asked.

 
“You met them in the field,” Morg said, watching to see that Kade understood.  “Looks like I gave you too much credit, didn’t I?  You were practically a fish waiting to jump into the barrel,” he said with a smile.

“You weren’t that difficult to beat back at Arden,” Kade said, using Morg’s own casual tone.  Kade knew he should stop there but something in him just would not let it go.  “And
, your choice to use those shape shifters?  An apprentice move if ever I saw one,” Kade said casually as though he were the master and Morg were the student.  He heard the sound of the staff being swung through the air for just an instant before feeling the crack on the back of his head.  The world spun.  Kade knew his comment was foolish but a part of him thoroughly felt it was well worth the clubbing he had just received.  The floor seemed so much closer than he recalled.  As his head cleared more and more, he realized he was on his hands and knees.

“I do hope you learn to control your tongue,” Morg said, mocking the casual tone. 

Morg sighed audibly as he reached down and gently helped Kade to his feet.  He straightened Kade’s shirt and even took the time to dust off his back.  He smiled at the apprentice, pleased with himself and then guided his captive to the bookshelf.  Morg waived his staff in front of it, and the bookshelf faded
. 
Kade looked on in awe at the ghostly outline of the bookcase.  Morg saw the look of awe on Kade’s face and smiled.

“This way,” Morg said as he motioned for Kade to follow. 

Kade thought back on his master’s study and the hidden bookcase there.  He found it ironic that this Chosen, also, had something hidden behind his tomes of knowledge.  He knew where not to hide his most sacred secrets when he became the master.

Following with jerky movements, Kade’s body made its way down the stairs after Morg.  His muscles started to ache.  Kade was sure that at
any moment he would plunge headlong down the fifty steps, but surprisingly, it never happened.  The passage was ten feet wide with walls lined with large bricks.  The steps were solid stone.  Once at the bottom, Morg turned to face what appeared to be a blank wall.

“Doren
was very clever with this one,” Morg said.  “I almost did not find it.  If he had put just a little more thought into this, I would have never found him.  But, who makes stairs that come all this way to end at a wall?” Morg asked as he pointed at the end of the long passageway.  “So, all I needed to do was look for it,” Morg said as he shook his head at the stupidity of the planning.  Kade mentally shrugged and had to agree.

Kade noticed that there were some black scorch marks on the wall.  There was also blood and hair where some unfortunate soul was caught at the wrong place and the wrong time.  Kade took a breath and let it out, reminding himself that right now he needed to deal with his own issues.  Morg saw the look on Kade’s face and grinned.

“The Chosen had a few apprentices,” Morg said in his casual tone.  “That used to be one of them,” he said and then chuckled.

Kade stood silent
ly as Morg waited for a response.  When he realized that Kade was not going to respond, he turned and walked straight through the wall.  Kade stared, stunned.  He knew he really should not be surprised, as it was basically the same thing he had seen with the bookcase.  Kade’s body started forward jerkily and walked right through the wall. He fought the instinct to hold his breath as his face approached the wall but he could not help but to squeeze his eyes shut.  After taking two steps he opened his eyes to find himself in a lavish study.

Kade walked through, then let out his breath and sucked in another.  There were several high-
backed chairs that flared out to the side near the head.  They were facing away from the entrance with a low table in front of them.  If someone were sitting in them, they would not be seen until someone was to walk around to the front. There was also a bookcase along the far wall.  It was identical to the one upstairs, except, Kade was certain that this one held real books.

Morg casually walked around the corner of one of the high back chairs.  He stopped and seemed to be studying something.  Kade could feel his gut
twist in a knot, certain of what to expect.  Kade’s body walked around the side of the chair and stopped.  He looked down and saw a man that looked as old as Morg.  He was not moving.

“If you are wondering whether he is alive or not, the answer is no,” Morg said thoughtfully
, as he studied the Chosen.  Kade felt as if he were going to get sick.  Exasperation spread through him and despair threatened to choke him.

“But, you said…”  Kade started to say when Morg smoothly cut him off.

“I only said I was going to take you to him,” Morg said as he considered.  “I never said he was alive.  I do wish I could take credit for killing him,” he added as he sighed loudly.  “But, I found him like this.  He was too much of a coward to face me.  I only wish he would have given me the chance to rip the life from his body.”  His temper flared and his face turned red as he snarled and shook.  In the next instant, he was calm as if nothing had happened.  “What I really needed was information that he had.  It really does not matter since he was my last threat.  I will just find that information elsewhere.  I killed all the Chosen, including your master, Zayle,” Morg said as he looked back at Kade.  “I really did expect more from him.  I thought he was going to be my toughest challenge,” he said, studying Kade, waiting for a reaction.

Kade knew Morg was baiting him
, but he could not hide his contempt.  He felt hatred swirling in him like a whirlpool, and it was starting to spin faster and faster.  He closed his eyes to control the rage that mixed with despair and failed miserably.  He wanted to scream, but that would be giving Morg what he wanted.  He opened his eyes and saw pleasure on the evil Chosen’s face as he soaked up every last bit of Kade’s misery.  Kade took several deep breaths and forced his mind to let the anger fade.  The calmer he became, the more the smile on Morg’s face shrank.  After just a minute, Morg shook his head in disappointment.

Kade felt his muscles move past discomfort as they started to throb.  He was hoping it was because of the long walk down the stairs
, but he recalled Morg’s comment.  The calling that was used on him was not good for the body and was most certainly the source of his pain.  He did his best to ignore it, but it grew by the second.  Morg was watching him, and a smile crept across his face.