The Divine Unleashed (Book 3) (12 page)

He willed himself back to his body, ready to confront the danger that threatened his clutch.  When he sat up, Darcienna jumped.  He was eager to tell her of Jorell, but now was not the right time; not when they had to rush off to face danger.  He leapt to his feet.

Doren was beside himself, eager to hear everything Kade had to say.  He desperately wanted to stop Kade in his tracks and make him spill everything he had learned.  It was almost agony for him to wait even one more second for the apprentice’s report.  Doren knew the young man was gone too long for something not to have happened.  And with the lack of any presence trying to take over his body, the Master Chosen was certain that Kade had found what he was seeking.

“Hurry, Kade, hurry!” Rakna urged as she raced up the tunnel.

Doren’s face screwed into a scowl of frustration as he looked after the small group that was quickly racing up the tunnel.  With a last glance at the arch, he ran after the group.  It might be a small delay, but in the end, he would have his apprentice telling every little detail of this small adventure.  And with that, he forced the agony of the wait out of his mind and picked up the pace.

*CH4*

“Rakna,” Kade said, feeling his pulse quicken.  “What is the danger?”

“I am not sure.  What the king is saying is not making sense,” the queen hissed as she worked her way up the tunnel.  “He talks of many different creatures and then speaks of only one.  It is confusing, Chosen,” Rakna said.

“Kade,” Doren said.  “Be ready for anything.  If Morg has found us….”  He left the rest unspoken.  They were all aware that this would be a crushing blow if the evil Chosen were to find them before they had a chance to prepare.  Kade felt his heart skip a beat at the thought.  He felt as if his chest were being constricted and cringed.  It was something he desperately hoped never to feel again.  He steeled his will and continued on.  This type of fear was going to do him no good, and besides, it was Morg who was going to suffer, not him.

“Then we should pray to the Divine that this is not the case,” Kade said as he rushed up the tunnel, eager to meet the challenge.

“Kade, I am not sensing danger,” Darcienna said as if trying to listen to a far off voice.

“Not here,” Kade said.

“I understand,” Darcienna said, annoyed that he was treating her like a child that needed something explained.  “But, if we were heading into danger, which we would be, I would get something.  But…I can’t really say.  It…does have potential,” she said as she cocked her head to the side.

Kade studied her as they hurried toward the exit.  He watched her closely, waiting for her to decide what she was sensing.  He had come to know deep in his heart that when she said there was danger, there was danger.  So, why would the king warn of danger if Darcienna did not sense any? 

This was not making sense,
Kade thought.  Her eyes did indicate something.  For just a moment, they appeared to lighten a shade.  He was surprised to see that she was no longer listening for that far off voice, but was instead, staring at him.  He was studying her so closely that he missed the change.

“Let me know if you can make anything of it,” Kade said as he looked away.

“I am not sure if it is going to change.  I think it is going to depend on you.  I cannot explain why but…I think you are the key,” Darcienna said as she spared a glance for the queen.  Rakna was listening closely.

“I would not be surprised if it were dependent on Kade.  He will, of course, deal with this danger,” Rakna said in complete confidence.  It was not what Darcienna meant, but the end result was still the same.  Kade glanced at Doren and wondered if the Master Chosen took offence at the unintended slight.  Rakna may have great respect for Doren, as he is a Master Chosen, but it was Kade that she expected to deal with this.  After all, she did witness him dispatch their lifelong foes.  Surprising to Kade, Doren was looking right at him.  Kade brushed off the awkwardness and refocused his attention on the queen.

It was obvious that Rakna had no doubt that Kade could conquer anything that threatened them. 
If only she had seen how Morg had made a puppet out of me,
he thought. 
How would she look at me then?
he asked himself.  He hoped the day never came.  The shame of letting down so many, who looked upon him as their hero, would be crushing, not to mention that an entire civilization might fall because of him.  He felt a weight that was almost too much to bear. 
How did I get into a position where so many depended on me?
he pondered again as he exited the tunnel into the cave.  He shook his head, trying to dispel the thought.

“Kade,” Darcienna said, seeing a frown cross his face.  “What is it?”

“Nothing,” he said as he reached out with his mind.  “Nothing I can change now,” he added as he took a deep breath and let it out.

Rayden, we need to go.  There is danger back at the tree.  Come to the cave
, Kade sent.  There was a tremendous roar off in the distance.  Kade wondered, for just a moment, if Rayden had a personal challenge for himself to make his latest roar louder than the previous one.  The echo that came off the mountains was impressive.

“You have requested your dragon’s return?” Doren asked as they exited the cave.  The sun was just cresting the horizon and light was starting to spread across the land.

“I have, and he says he is on his way,” Kade responded.

“Kade,” the queen hissed cautiously.  “The king indicates that things are under control, but your presence is still requested.”

“Thank you, Rakna,” Kade said, relieved.

The next roar came from directly over them.  Kade flinched hard as did the rest of the group.  He was not yet used to Rayden flying and was watching the horizon for the dragon instead of the air.  The two guard spiders scrambled in opposite directions until they got themselves under control.  The instinctual fear that assaulted them was too much for them to overcome.  Even Rakna appeared to have been shaken, but she held her ground.

Kade looked up and saw the dragon diving straight for them only to bank away hard at the very last second.  The group felt the woosh of air.  Rayden swerved and swooped in low to glide just above the ground as he flew away from the group.  His legs were tucked back, making him streamlined, but if he chose, he could have touched the ground, he was so close.  He flipped his tail back and forth to slow his flight.  When he had lost enough speed, he banked hard and turned directly for them.  He was headed toward the group when he pulled up sharply while swinging his feet forward and pumping his wings, sending a dust storm high into the air.  Kade could have sworn the dragon beat its wings a few more times than was needed before finally folding them in.  Doren glared at Kade as he waved the dust out of his face.

“Yes,” Kade said, as he felt the link come alive.  “We are impressed.”  He brushed the dust off his new clothes.  The dragon enjoyed this display of prowess. “Now, if you are done showing off, we must return to the Great Hall.”

“Yes,” Doren scoffed.  “Quite an entrance,” he said as he straightened his cloak.  “What happened to him not liking flying at night?” Doren asked, clearly very displeased.

“Well, don’t be too hard on him,” Darcienna said as she patted the dragon on the muzzle.  “The sun is up.  Besides, he just recently started flying again and wants to show off a little,” she said and then addressed the dragon.  “But, we are in a hurry so maybe a little less playing around,” she scolded.  Rayden tilted his head back and forth as he studied her.

“We must go,” Kade said as he indicated for Rayden to kneel.  “Keep the wings in.  There are too many for us to chance flying.”

Rayden gave a huff and knelt down.  Kade swung Darcienna up deftly and then grabbed Doren.  Just before boosting the Master Chosen up, Doren gripped his hand and stopped him.

“Gentle, Apprentice, gentle.  I am not as young as I used to be.  Now would not be the time to nurse a broken rib back to health if I were to be crushed under that grip of yours or fly clean over the dragon’s back,” Doren said as he put his hands on the side of the dragon.

“I will remember that,” Kade said as he eased his grasp a little. 

Kade was as gentle as he could be while boosting Doren’s massive bulk onto the dragon’s back.  The Master Chosen reached forward and grabbed the wing joints, holding on tightly.  Kade turned, and with the skill of an acrobat, bounded off the dragon’s knee to land just in front of Darcienna.  He laughed as Rayden shivered.  It was a sure sign that the spiders had climbed on and were situating themselves.

“Yes, they are spiders, but you will need to learn to accept it,” Kade said.  And yet, he did find it amusing. 
Serves the dragon right,
Kade thought as he brushed off more dust from his clothes.

“Still does not like the idea of spiders?” Darcienna asked.

“No, and I don’t think he ever will,” Kade responded.

We are ready
, Kade heard in his head.  He patted Darcienna’s hands that were firmly in place around his waist where they belonged.  He was not sure what he enjoyed more; the riding of a dragon or having her wrap her arms around him.  Kade was certain she did it to hold on, but no matter the reason, he enjoyed it.

“Okay, Rayden.  Anytime you are ready.  Go easy so we don’t lose anyone,” Kade said as he gripped the ridges tightly.  He might have asked the dragon to take it easy, but he was learning quickly that it was no guarantee that Rayden was going to heed his request.

Kade was pleasantly surprised at the careful ease with which the dragon picked up speed.  They continued on in a relatively smooth pace and were back at the Great Hall in no time at all.  Kade was lowering himself down when he heard an ear-splitting screech that made his hair stand on end.  His heart jumped, and he threw a quick glance at Darcienna.  Her eyes were only glowing faintly.  With a screech like that, he expected them to be blazing, but no matter, even a faint glow was worthy of caution.

“Let’s go,” Kade prompted, eager to get inside.  Darcienna slid down and landed in his arms.

“Careful, Apprentice.  You do not know what the danger is and we cannot afford for you to be lost to us.” Doren said.  Kade felt his ire grow at being treated like a simpleton.  He was still an apprentice, but the way Doren used his title was grating on him.  Kade thought that the Master Chosen could have easily replaced the word apprentice with the word child and it would still sound the same.  But, something told Kade that Doren wanted him to survive for his own reasons.  That hunger was back in the man’s eyes.  Kade decided he did not like seeing that look but quickly put it aside to deal with the current dilemma.

“I will be as careful as I need,” Kade said.  Darcienna shot him a look and Kade quickly changed his tune, adding, “Master Doren,” in a more civil tone.  Kade glanced over at her to see if this met with her approval.  She nodded with a slight grin.  He rolled his eyes and headed for the entrance.

“Since when do you care how I interact with him?” Kade grumbled.

“It reflects badly on you.  There are other eyes,” Darcienna added with a very slight nod of her head in the queen’s direction.  Kade instantly saw her wisdom, and with a slight smile, nodded his thanks to her.

The queen went in with the two guards trailing close behind.  Kade was next with Darcienna in lockstep.  Doren brought up the rear.  It was obvious that the Master Chosen was in no hurry to discover what this was all about.  Or, maybe he did not believe there was much danger to face.  Either way, Kade was going to find out soon enough.

“What is all the excitement about?” Kade asked as he pushed his way through the crowd.  As soon as the spiders saw Rakna and Kade, they fell all over themselves to get out of the way.

“We found an imposter among us,” Crayken said imperiously.  He pointed to a crevice in the wall behind the great table.

Kade spared a glance for Darcienna.  He was about to look away when he froze.  Her eyes were softly pulsing.  The glow would come and go ever so slowly, as if it could not decide. 

Either there was danger or there was not,
Kade thought in frustration.  This was no help.  Another mystery he needed to figure out on his own. 
Why does everything need to be so complicated?
he thought in frustration.

“How is a spider an imposter?  Are there spiders that are not allowed in the clutch?” Kade asked as he stood several feet away from the crevice. 

The opening was just large enough for a man to enter.  It closed in on itself after approximately ten feet.  Kade was about to look away when he caught sight of a pair of eerie, red eyes peering out at him.  They were locked onto him; him and no one else.  It felt strange and unnerving, but at the same time, there was something familiar about those eyes.  He could not place it, but something in the back of his mind was nagging at him.  He reached up and grabbed the amulet, but he already knew what to expect.  It was neither warm nor cold.

“Kade,” Darcienna said cautiously as she squeezed his arm.  He gripped her hand in reassurance and then gently lifted it off, moving her back.

“A spider cannot be an imposter, if it is really a spider,” Crayken said as he glared at the creature.  “No spider is an enemy of another spider.  It does not happen.  We are not like humans,” the king said and then continued on hurriedly. ”Forgive my bluntness, Chosen, but your kind does seem to war with itself quite often.”

“I wish I could disagree with you,” Kade said with a sigh.  “But, you do speak the truth.”

Kade glanced around at the spiders, and for the first time, seemed to see them for the cohesive group they were.  They really did work together.  If only humans worked the same way.  He was ashamed of his species.  It was his kind that caused any problem that threatened this world and its inhabitants.  He threw a glance at Doren.  Even though the Master Chosen gave no outward indication of what he was thinking, Kade was sure Doren was running the same thoughts through his head.

There was a gasp from the spiders.  Kade turned back to the crevice and flinched as the creature stood just inside the opening.  It never took its eyes off him, even for an instant.  Kade instinctually danced through the moves for the Blue Flame of the Divine as his clothes billowed and flowed.  He held out the blue fire, ready for use.  He could feel waves of fear coming off the creature as it took a quick step back.