The Divine Path (The Divine Series) (16 page)

             
“We don’t have time,” the queen started to say when Kade finished the calling and placed his hand on her leg.  “We need to find the king,” she said as she flexed the healed appendage.  “One thing you must know,” she added as she stopped him to emphasize her point.   “Kade, no matter what you do, it is imperative that you do not let them get their hands on you.  They have a grip that is beyond breaking.  Do not let them get ahold of you,” she said again for emphasis.  Kade nodded his understanding.

             
“Rayden, can you find the king?” Kade asked the dragon out loud along with his mind. It had black slime dripping from its mouth as it spat out one of the creatures.  Kade thought of how the white spider had done something similar and cringed again at how those creatures must taste.  The dragon knelt down quickly for them to mount.  “I take that as a yes,” he said as he spun around and grabbed Darcienna.

             
“Get on,” Kade said as he looked at the queen.  Rakna hesitated and then leapt up gracefully.  “Darcienna, can you use your shield while we ride?”

             
“It’s complicated.  Not in this situation is all I can say,” Darcienna responded.  “The shield is stronger as I stay still.  The more I move, the more effort it takes to keep it active.  I have my guesses as to why, but for now, no.”

             
“Okay, but be ready to use it,” Kade yelled over the fighting.  He turned back to the queen, who was firmly attached thanks to nature’s natural gift given to spider allowing them to cling tenaciously to almost any surface.  “Here we go,” Kade said as he gave the dragon the mental command to go.

             
Rayden took off with a burst of speed, causing two of Rakna’s legs to come loose, almost sending the white spider into a crowd of black creatures that now occupied the space where the dragon had just been.  Rayden raced down a path into the forest, rounding a mound of boulders larger than himself and ground to a stop as a wall of black creatures came at them.  Kade felt the dragon expand like a balloon and smiled, knowing what was coming.  He did not know if it was wrong or right to enjoy this, but he was very much looking forward to watching the carnage.  Rayden opened his mouth and lit up the sky, setting at least twenty of the creatures on fire as he swept his head back and forth.  How the dragon was able to let out a deafening roar along with the blast of dragon fire was beyond Kade’s understanding, but it was glorious nonetheless.  The dragon deflated and the creatures fell screaming.  It did not take long for the way to be clear.

             
A movement off to his right caught Kade’s attention.  Turning, he saw the king and six of his guards surrounded by a black hoard.  Kade could see that the king was trying to work his way to several large trees so they could climb out of danger, but if left to their own, they were not going to make it.  As he watched, two of the guards went down in a boiling mass of black ooze.  It was as if these things were endless.  But, there had to be an end to them.  There just had to be.

             
“My turn,” Kade said as he let the hate and anger surge through his body.  The Divine rushed in and made his head swim.  It was intoxicating.  Kade was drunk with power, and he gave himself over to it.  At this moment, his greatest desire was to kill.  He leapt off the dragon and landed in a crouch, as though he were a lion hunting prey.  The look of pure malevolence alone should have scared these creatures into running for their lives, but intelligence was obviously not their strong suit.  He stood and flowed from move to move in a blur.  Lightning flashed from his hand in a deafening roar to race along the ground, destroying anything in its path.  Rayden was not to be denied his fun as he filled the area with his deadly dragon’s breath.

             
Kade heard Darcienna say something from behind him, but it did not matter because there were still black creatures to destroy.  Combining his rage along with Rayden’s killing frenzy coming through the link, he was the destroyer.  Somewhere in him, he dreaded the end of the black creatures as he would no longer be the bringer of death.

“When he is like this, it is imperative we
stay out of his way, and let him do what he must,” Darcienna said to the white spider as they watched in horror.

             
Kade finished another Lightning Calling and sent more of the mass of creatures to their graves.  The air was thick with a black, pungent smoke as the Morphites went up in flames or exploded under the power of the Divine.  Just as he finished the last calling, he spun to catch a creature by the neck and used its own momentum to slam it into the ground.  Kade came out of this spin to send Divine Fire to wreak more havoc.  The Divine flashed through him as bright as the sun.  Kade opened himself up completely as he became death incarnate.  He was unstoppable and the creatures knew it.  Kade no longer brought callings to his bidding as he craved the feeling of ripping the life right out of these creatures with his bare hands.  He used his strength to rend them limb from limb as if they were weeds being plucked from a garden.  The blackness that surrounded his heart was filled with hate and rage.  Whether the Divine fueled his strength or not was unknown, but they died in his grasp over and over.  Every life he crushed out of existence brought pure pleasure.

             
The king and his remaining guards made it to the trees and quickly ascended.  The queen joined the king as Kade continued his frenzied rage.  She watched in horror as one of the creatures came at Kade from behind, and just when she was sure it was going to strike a deadly blow, Kade spun around to grab the creature with both hands, took a step and vaulted high into the air.  With the creature held over his head in both hands, he started back down, and then with all his might he slammed it into the ground with a sickening thud that made the ground shake from the impact.  It exploded and covered him in ooze.  He spat, gagging on the black slime.  Something about that sparked a dim memory.

             
“Thanks for the warning, Rayden” Kade said through ragged breaths. 

             
Kade searched for his next victim and noticed that the area was filled with dead and dying creatures.  There was smoke so thick in the air that he coughed a few times and his eyes stung.  The power was starting to ebb as he came down from his anger.  He looked up, seeing the king and queen safely watching from their perch, but only two of the six guards were with them.

             
The dragon roared and lunged, its jaws crashing together just behind Kade.  He did not even need to look back to know what had happened.  Kade smiled, knowing that his faithful companion was always watching over him. He glanced to his right and saw Darcienna with her back to the boulders and her shield barely surrounding her.  It was the safest place for her at the moment.

             
Thank you
, Crayken said with his mind. 
I fear I would have perished if it were not for your timely intervention.  My clutch owes you debt of gratitude.

             
“I only helped,” Kade said, feeling himself crashing as his energy left with the Divine.

             
Again, we owe you our lives
, the queen said, her voice echoing in his mind.  Kade inclined his head in what he believed to be a show of respect, as he accepted the praise.  He turned and surveyed the area, looking for any other spiders that may need help.

             
“Where is your clutch?” Kade asked.  He looked around the area and realized for the first time that there were very few dead spiders.

             
“You’re looking for them in the wrong place,” Rakna hissed as she raised her front legs to indicate the trees.  “They are all up here where we have the advantage.”

             
Darcienna dropped her shield and moved to stand next to Kade.  Before he had a chance to respond to the queen, Darcienna’s shield sprang back to life, startling him.  He turned quickly to see her eyes were blazing.  He spun around and looked for anything that was a threat but there was nothing.  He looked back at her and noticed she was tilting her head as if trying to hear something but not quite getting it.

             
“Where is the danger?” Kade asked.

             
“Something…is happening.  I am not sure what it is, but I got a very strong feeling that we were just about to be attacked,” Darcienna said as her eyes dimmed considerably.  “Come close,” she said as she let the shield go and placed a hand on his head.  She closed her eyes for a moment and then nodded in satisfaction.  Kade stood tall again, ready to do battle.

             
“Kade, we need to get to the Great Hall,” Rakna hissed.

             
“I’ve got a plan that may help,” Kade said.  “Let the dragon and me worry about making a path for you,” he added, feeling the urge to massacre more of these vile creatures begin to grow once more.  For just a moment, he wondered if he was enjoying the killing, or the killing of these evil monstrosities. 

Kade opened himself up and the Divine
Power eagerly embraced him.  He found it hard to think again, but he focused on his plan.  “When we get into the hall, Darcienna will use her shield to keep the creatures out, and I’ll heal any of the wounded,” Kade said, eagerly watching as scores of the creatures rushed toward them.

             
“How will we take care of these wrenched things once we are in the tree?” Crayken asked as he surveyed the enemy.

             
“I think the dragon would love to play with our guests,” Kade said as he patted it on the shoulder.  Rayden roared, eager to return to the battle.  The dragon took in a deep, long breath and then, with an immense amount of force, roared again so loudly that Kade was sure it could be heard across the continent.  It shook with the effort as its lips flared, showing those deadly fangs.  The black mass hesitated momentarily at the dragon’s promise of slaughter.  Maybe there was a shred of intelligence in those black heads.

             
“I think I like your plan,” the king responded boldly.  He turned and started the odd buzzing sound as he addressed the spiders in the trees.  Kade was not positive, but it seemed as if the queen amplified his words.  Was there a synergy working here?

             
Kade turned on the black mass as they unwisely started forward again and worked his Divine Flame Calling, visualizing the flame as large as he could.  He sent it into the creatures as though he were throwing a javelin.  It exploded with such a backlash that Kade was certain he had singed off some of his own hair.  It was glorious.  They died in droves as he and the dragon basked in the violence.  He performed the Lightning Calling and sent it ripping along the ground to destroy anything in its path.  Kade held his hand out, willing the bolt to continue.

             
Before he could flow into his next move, something grabbed him by the neck from behind with a grip like iron and started to squeeze, cutting off his air.  Kade fell back hard, trying to crush the foul creature, expecting it to be dislodged easily, but it only tightened its hold to the point where Kade thought it might break his neck.  The warning from the queen flashed through his mind and he felt panic.  He started to see spots as he furiously grappled with the creature’s hand.  It was slick and impossible to get a hold on it.

             
“I’ll have that pretty little thing of yours as soon as I am done with you,” it whispered in his ear.

             
If Kade was not feeling hate before, he was feeling the full effects of it now.  But, there was also fear for her life causing him to feel panic. 
What if I fail and the creature is able to kill me?  What would happen to her?
he thought frantically.   Kade looked over and saw that Darcienna was holding her shield over her head with the queen, king and maybe as many as fifty spiders around her.  The creatures were piling on the barrier.  The last glimpse Kade saw of Darcienna was her holding firm, but the strain was there. 

She was supposed to stay on the dragon where it was safe
, Kade thought for just a brief instant, and then his mind was reeling out of control.

             
Kade tried to call to Rayden with his mind, but it was hard to think, and Rayden was in a killing frenzy as he leapt and slashed.  Kade knew it was up to him to save his life and Darcienna’s, not to mention the spiders.  The clutch could not come to his aid because of the shield, and Darcienna could not afford to let the barrier go or they would surely all be slaughtered.  His plan was failing.

             
Furious, Kade rolled to his side, but the creature would not loosen its grip.  It hissed and laughed in his ear, taunting him.  Kade got to his feet and threw himself back again but to no avail.  He was starting to see more spots as he struggled desperately to get air into his burning lungs.  Its grip was tightening as it worked to snap his neck.

             
Kade scratched at the hands violently, but the creature acted as if it felt no pain.  His fingernails were clogged with the tar-like substance, and yet, it did not even flinch.  It let out a laugh, anticipating its kill at any moment.  It started to twist his neck.  Kade tried to work his fingers underneath the iron clamp that was constricting around his neck, but it had too tight a grip.  His neck was wrenched even further, and he felt his spine start to creak under the force.  The creature twisted just a bit further, and as things started to fade, Kade saw its elbow out of the corner of his eye.  He reached out and hooked his hand under that joint, pulling hard.  He pulled for all he was worth.  The creature was forced to slide more to Kade’s side as he pulled.  He was able to get both hands in the crook of the creature’s elbow now. With all his strength, he pushed and extended his arms.  This was just enough for him to get a breath before the clamp tightened again.  The sweet taste of air filled his lungs once but once was all he needed.  The blackness faded.