The Divine Path (The Divine Series) (15 page)

             
What a faithful friend,
Kade thought as he smiled.

             
The king bade them goodnight and assured them that they would talk when they arose in the morning.  Kade made what he felt were the appropriate responses about looking forward to the talk and how gracious they were for the hospitality.  He followed the queen out of the room, eager to fall into a bed and let his mind go. 

             
They walked up a flight of stairs and down a hall, stopping in front of the only room with a door.  When he opened it, he was very pleased to see what could almost pass for a mattress on the floor. 

             
It was definitely better than the hard ground,
he thought.

             
“Valdry would come on occasion,” the queen said by way of explanation.  “These are your quarters.  I will look forward to seeing you in the morning,” she said as she turned to go.  Before she could leave, Kade put a hand on her to hold her in place.

             
“Valdry,” Kade said, hesitant to continue.  “He was attacked two days ago?”

             
“Yes,” Rakna responded.

             
“Then, it was him,” Kade said to himself, recalling the plea for help.  The queen, not understanding, waited for Kade to explain.  “He called for help when Morg attacked him.  I was not sure who it was as the message was cut off, but I suspected it might have been him,” he added, feeling Darcienna stiffen.  “Thank you.  Good night.”

             
“Good night, Kade,” Rakna said and then disappeared down the hall.  He watched her go, feeling the guilt due to his night of drinking with Darcienna and the swim in the lake.

             
“Kade…,” Darcienna said as she laid a hand gently on his arm.

             
“You were right,” he said, holding up a hand to forestall her apology.  “We can’t race to everyone’s rescue, and we did need rest. And, we did not know it was he who called.  It does us no good to dwell on this.  I just wish I could have done something,” he said as he let out a sigh.  He was too mentally fatigued to be angry.

             
Kade walked into the small room and glanced around, taking in every little detail.  It was very modest with virtually nothing besides the bed, window and door.  However, it was not the room size that mattered but the comfort of the bed that had his interest.  His eyes wanted to close even before he lay down, but he was not to have his sleep just yet.

             
“Why have you stopped?” Darcienna asked, almost walking into him.

             
“There is only one bed,” Kade said, as he stepped aside to let her see the room.  Darcienna smiled as she pushed past him and fell onto the mattress.

             
“Don’t worry.  I don’t bite,” Darcienna said as she snuggled into the bed.  Kade stood still as he watched her.  “What?” she asked.

             
“What makes you think there is something wrong?” Kade asked casually.  But, there was a slight bit of red creeping into his cheeks.

             
“Because you are still standing there instead of lying down to sleep,” Darcienna said as she propped herself up on one elbow.

             
“It’s that obvious is it?” Kade asked.

             
“To me, it is,” Darcienna said casually.

             
“It’s just that there is something very familiar about this.  It’s like I have been here before,” Kade said, his eyes losing focus as his mind worked. 

             
“We should go to sleep,” Darcienna said, as she hid her face in a yawn.  “I have a bad feeling that tomorrow is going to be a very busy day for us.”

             
Kade watched Darcienna for a few moments, still trying to grasp that elusive thought.  Was it a memory?  What was it?  It was right there, but again, it just would not come to him.  With a sigh, he looked down to see her blue eyes begin to glaze over slowly as he watched.  She stifled another yawn.  The edges of her mouth quirked up into a smile. 

             
What was she thinking?
he pondered.  He was not going to get the chance to ask as her eyelids started to close.

             
“You may be correct about tomorrow,” Kade said as he dismissed his elusive thoughts.  He dropped his sack of books by the bed and laid down next to her.  Her eyes opened just a crack as she grabbed ahold of his arm.  Her smile faded as she slowly drifted off.  Minutes passed and her breathing became deep and regular.

             
Kade watched her for a long time, noticing the pure innocence as she slept.  He thought about how brave she was and how much she suffered by staying at his side.  She followed his lead because she trusted him, and she paid for it dearly.  Not only did she not run from him, but she continued to fight to stay with him.  It reminded him of his dragon.  He knew he was lucky to have such loyalty at his side.

             
Propping himself up, Kade watched her breathing peacefully.  He noticed the way her eyes fluttered slightly as she drifted deeper and deeper into her dreams.  Watching her sleep made him love her even more.  Without thinking, he let his heart guide him and he leaned over, kissing her ever so lightly on the lips.  It was a kiss that says, “I love you” in the most gentle but meaningful way.  He smiled as he lay down and put his arm across her.  Kade closed his eyes and missed the smile that crept across her face.  Her eyes came open ever so slightly, and then she fell asleep for the night.

*CH4*

              Kade awoke with a jolt to the sound of loud buzzing coming from outside the tree.  He heard the dragon roar and recognized it for what it was immediately.  It was Rayden’s battle cry.

             
“Darcienna, wake up!  Something is wrong!” Kade exclaimed excitedly as he shook her.

             
“Mmmmm.  Kade, let me sleep just a little longer, please,” Darcienna said with barely formed words.

             
“Darcienna!” Kade said roughly as he shook her.

             
“What?” Darcienna asked with a fair share of irritation in her tone.  She would have glared at Kade, but she was not able to keep her eyes open.  She rubbed them, trying to work the sleep out.

             
“Don’t you hear all that buzzing?” Kade asked, his pulse starting to race.

             
“Yes.  So there is buzzing.  Let me go back to sleep,” Darcienna said as she started to lie back down in the makeshift bed.  Kade grabbed her by the shoulders and held her sitting upright.

             
“When was the last time you heard buzzing like that?” Kade asked more forcefully.

             
“When the spiders were attacking us,” Darcienna said, still clearing the cobwebs out of her head.

             
“But why did they attack us?”

             
“Because they thought we were their enemy,” Darcienna said, still not following where he was going with this.  She looked back at her pillow longingly.

             
“Don’t you get it?” Kade asked, exasperated.

             
“Get what?  There…”  Darcienna started to say when her eyes came wide open.  “We are under attack,” she said, now awake.

             
“Yes,” Kade said as he turned and looked out the window. 

The opening in the wall was barely a slit
.  It was too narrow for him to use both eyes.  Several spiders raced past the window buzzing wildly, and then the sound decreased as they moved off.

             
“Kade,” Darcienna said, her face starting to turn white.  “We need to get out of here,” she finished, and as if to make her point, her eyes exploded into the bright blue that Kade was all too familiar with.  Not quite blazing, but bright enough to say that the danger could be fatal for them.  Kade swallowed hard.

             
“We can’t just leave the spiders.  They are our allies.  Wait here until I get back,” Kade said as he quickly rose from the bed and headed for the door.

             
“You are not leaving without me,” Darcienna said as she grabbed Kade by the arm and spun him around.  He could see the fierce determination in her eyes and decided not to even try to fight this battle.

             
“Okay, but you must be careful.”

             
Rayden let out a deafening roar that shook the tree.  It was clear that the call was aimed at them as a warm gust of sulfurous air wafted into the room through the window crack.  Kade ran to the opening and was met by the huge, golden disc of an eye.

             
“We are on our way,” Kade said to the eye.  He spun and headed toward the door with Darcienna close on his heels. 

“He is trying to warn us of something,” Darcienna said as her eyes darted from the entrance of the room to the back of the tree as if to find escape.

“I know.  Let’s get going,” Kade said, dragging Darcienna through the tree to the exit.

Kade burst forth through the opening
as Rayden rounded the corner.  The dragon spun as something tried to attack it from behind.  Kade raced through the moves of the Lightning Calling as a black mass came at them from around the other side of the tree.  The calling exploded from his outstretched hand, causing the creature to disintegrate.  It didn’t even have a chance to cry out before spraying the area with the black ooze that must have done for blood and guts.  Darcienna’s green shield sprang to life, encompassing the three of them.  Kade heard a dull thud as one of the attackers bounced off the shield to his left.  It hit the ground, stunned from the impact.

“Blood and a
shes!” Kade swore.  “What in the great Divine are these things?” he yelled.

“I don’t know
, but I really think we should get away from here,” Darcienna yelled back.  “It may be us that are putting the spiders in danger, Kade.”

“No.  First
, we must find out what is happening and why.  I will not abandon them!” Kade exclaimed, leaving no room for argument.

Bending d
own to get a closer look at the creature, Kade studied it as it started to recover.  It raised its head and looked directly into his eyes.  It was not more than a foot away when it locked eyes with him.  Black drool was coming from its mouth as an evil smile crossed its face.  Kade shivered as he looked into those eyes.  Not only did this thing want to kill him, but he was sure it wanted devour his very soul and more if it was possible.  The creature looked past Kade and focused on Darcienna while it licked its lips hungrily.

Kad
e might have felt some form of fear as it looked at him, but as soon as it looked at Darcienna, all fear evaporated, and he drew the Divine into himself so fast his head spun.  The thought of this foul creature sinking those fangs into his Darcienna was more than he could take.  He snarled in reply.

The creatures had skin that looked like it was made of shiny
, sticky tar.  It was as black as a moonless night.  Even its eyes were black.  The only things that had any color were its white nails and its pink mouth when it opened it to show its white fangs.  It was humanoid in its stance, but it moved in a hunched manner.  Even hunched, it moved with grace.

“Drop the shield,” Kade growled.  Darc
ienna looked at him as if he were crazy, and maybe he was, but she knew not to argue.

Kade flew into motion.  He was almost a blur as he danced a dance of death for this creature.  Darcienna was just barely quick enough in removing the barrier
before he acted.  As soon as the shield was gone, the creature lunged at Darcienna with such speed that Kade was caught off guard.  He recovered instantly and let the Divine Fire engulf the filthy thing.  It stumbled back about twenty feet, but it did not stop moving right away.  It screeched and screamed as it looked at him with pure hatred.  As Kade watched, he realized that it was not screaming because of pain or even because it was dying.  It was screaming from the pure hatred it felt, and more importantly, it was screaming because it was being denied its kill.  More precious than life was its desire to rend and destroy.  If it was not firmly impaled by the dragon’s fangs as it hung half out of Rayden’s mouth, fire or not, it would have continued its attack until it could no longer move.

“Those things don’t
care whether they are on fire or not.  It’s as if they don’t feel the pain,” Kade said in shock and awe, not taking his eyes off the creature.

“Kade,” Darcienna said, her eyes blazing fiercely.  “The feeling of danger is
so strong,” she continued as she fought to keep from hyperventilating. Terror was showing on her face as she turned pale.  She swallowed hard as she locked frightened eyes on him.  “It’s as if there is an army of these things.”

“I guessed as much,” Kade said as he quickly scanned the area for more of the evil creatures.  “We need to find the king and queen,” Kade said
, as he approached Rayden, who was acting as their guard.  “Let’s go,” Kade said, cupping his hands for her.  “Rayden, we need to find the white spider.”

Kade surveyed the area and was disheartened at how many of the black creatures were overrunning it.  Spiders everywhere were fighting for their lives
, and it was not looking good.  Kade had a sickening feeling in his gut that this attack was because of him.  It was too strong a coincidence that this attack came one day after his arrival.  Guilt hit him hard.  This entire colony could be wiped out, and it was all going to be his fault. 

Glancing of
f to his right, Kade caught sight of the white spider as Rayden let out a deafening roar that shook the ground.  He gasped as he watched four of the deadly black things surrounding the majestic white spider in their attempt to bring her down.  When one would move in, she would dodge nimbly as she tried to catch it with her deadly bite, but it was just as agile and would dive back out of the way.

Rayden exploded with power as he forced his way through several small skirmishes.  E
ven though it took everything Kade had to hang on, it still felt like the dragon was moving in slow motion as he watched the queen.  At any moment, he expected her to be dragged down and devoured.  To say she may be killed was just not enough.  These things wanted to completely consume anything living, mind, body and soul.  The hunger in their eyes could not be missed.  But, the queen was holding her own, dancing in and out with grace.  Kade was amazed at Rakna’s ability to transform from a regal creature to an agile fighter that commanded respect, even from the black creatures.

             
Rayden charged in just as one of the Morphites found an opening.  Rakna was focused on the three in front of her and could not see the one behind her as it leapt with a crazed look in its eyes, eager to tear the life from the regal, white spider.  Kade’s head rocked back hard when Rayden stopped, crouched and then launched to grab the thing in midair with his claws. As the dragon landed, it proceeded to slam the creature into the ground hard enough to cause the black mass to mix with the dirt.  All that was left was a black, sticky, tar-like spot that never looked like it was ever alive.

             
“Thank you…Kade,” Rakna said as she sidestepped another black creature. “I…don’t think I could…have held out…another second,” the queen said breathlessly.

             
Kade turned to see that Darcienna had fallen off the dragon when Rayden had attacked.  She was lying on her side, clearly dazed as she struggled to stand.  He jumped down and charged just as one of the creatures turned and leapt on her.  It drew its head back, ready to bite down as Kade slid to a stop behind it.  All in one motion, he reached around to grab its upper jaw with his right hand and the lower jaw with his left just as the creature was ready to tear her throat out.  It was so close that the back of his hand brushed her neck.  Rage fueled his muscles as he pulled with all his might.  The creature screamed, but its fate was sealed.  There was a sickening snap as the jaw separated from its head.  Kade grabbed it by the neck, and with one mighty hurl, spun around to get momentum and then threw it as he let out a yell.  It flipped through the air like a ragdoll to land in a heap.

             
Working the Healing Calling quickly, Kade placed his hands on Darcienna’s head and let the Divine flow.  She inhaled sharply, and then her eyes cleared.  She looked up at Kade and then wrapped her arms around him.  He tried to dislodge her but she would not be denied.

             
“Stay still you oaf,” Darcienna commanded.  “Unless you want those on your back.”

             
Kade turned to see her shield holding three of them at bay.  Without even a word to Darcienna, he slid out from under her arms and flew gracefully through the moves for the Lightning Calling, letting it fly.  He did not even need to say a word to Darcienna.  She knew to let the shield go for him to do his work.  The lightning bolt tore through the closest as Kade raced to grab the next one.  He spun hard while holding it by the arm to throw it into the third.  They collided with a thud and hit the ground in a twitching mass.  Before they could get their bearings, Kade leapt as high as he could into the air and then came down on one of their heads with the heel of his boot, smashing it like a grape.  The next, he kicked so hard its head separated from its body and landed in the weeds.

             
Rayden was in his glory as he tore and rent.  Kade was sure the dragon was going to regret when the creatures were no more.  It lived for this.  Rayden was a fighting machine and it showed.  The black creatures did not seem to understand as they continued to come, but they would learn the hard way, and it would be the last lesson they would ever have.

             
“Where is the king?” Kade asked as he tried to catch his breath.  He was grateful that Zayle kept him in shape or this would have surely been exhausting, to say the least.

             
“I am not sure.  We were separated almost immediately.  You need to find him, Kade.  This is no coincidence that this happened the day after the king was expected to be dead,” Rakna said as she sank her fangs into the eye sockets of one of the creatures.  Kade cringed at what that must taste like as she drew her fangs back out of the creatures head. 

             
“You saw the look in their eyes?” Rakna asked as she dispatched yet another one.

             
“Yes,” Kade said, noticing the queen was limping when she used one of her right legs.  “Let me heal your injury.”