The Divine Apprentice (The Divine Series) (14 page)

“Blood and ash!  We should do something about that breath of yours,” Kade said, breathing through his sleeve again.  He chuckled and then calmed himself to relieve the pang in his side.

“I wasn’t laughing at you.  It’s just that…” Kade said and then let it trail off, not wanting to start laughing again, almost failing.  He turned to walk away and tripped over the knife that was stuck in the ground.  He went down with arms flailing.  As he lay there, he heard the dragon huff several times.  When he looked up, he could have sworn that the dragon found it amusing.  Its mouth was slightly open in what almost looked like a smile, but that just could not be.

“OK, I guess we are even,” Kade said as he scrambled to his feet.

The dragon sniffed the air and licked its lips.  It lifted its nose higher as if trying to orient on the scent it had caught.  It got to its feet and searched the area.  Kade watched with growing curiosity.

“What are you looking for?”

The dragon, after several more short sniffs, stopped as it appeared to be analyzing the air.  After a few more short sniffs, it turned and headed in the direction of the well.  Seeing what the dragon had its eye on, Kade smiled and plodded after, wanting a drink himself.

The dragon sniffed the edge of the well several times and then stuck its nose over the side.  Finding no water immediately, it moved to the other side and tried from there.  Frustrated at finding nothing, it huffed and clawed at the edge.

“Okay, okay, I got this,” Kade said as he put his shoulder into the dragon’s chest and pushed it back.  He turned and cranked the handle to bring the bucket up, then dumped it into the trough.  The dragon drank this before the bucket hit the water on the way back down.  Kade cranked up four more buckets before he decided it was enough.

“Okay, we are not going to get into this habit,” Kade said as he patted the dragon on the shoulder.  “You will, most definitely, be finding your own water,” he said as he took a long drink from the bucket.

“Dragon, I have more work to do,” Kade said as he looked at the window to the den.  He was apprehensive when he thought he should be excited.  He shook his head slightly and turned to go but stopped as he glanced back at the dragon.

“I have to come up with a name for you.  I can’t keep calling you dragon.  What would you like for a name?  A beautiful silver dragon like you should have a beautiful name.  Let’s see.  What can we name you?  Dragon…dragon…hmmmm how about Draden?  No, that does not have a good ring to it.  Let’s see.  Dragon…hmmmm what sounds like a dragon name?  How about…Rayden?  Hey, now that has a good sound.  You like that?” Kade asked as he looked into the huge, golden eyes.  “Well, since you are not complaining, we will go with that.  Okay, Rayden it is,” Kade said as he patted the dragon on the shoulder.

Kade pointed to his chest and said his name.  Then he pointed to the dragon and repeated “Rayden” several times.  The dragon seemed confused so Kade repeated his actions.  After ten minutes or so, he got the strange feeling that the dragon was starting to understand.  It was as if there was some sort of connection being formed.

“Well, sooner or later you will get it.  You are a smart one, so it will come,” Kade said and turned for the cabin.

He walked in and made the sharp, right turn toward the den.  After disarming the trap, he stopped in front of the precious hidden books.  The bookshelf still hung open.  He contemplated closing it after each use but decided it was not an issue at this time.

“Now, what should I learn?” Kade asked himself out loud.  But, the Lightning Calling was already on his mind.  “It would not hurt just to take a look at it,” Kade said as he slid the book out.  He set it on the table and sat.  Making sure to disarm the trap first, he gingerly opened the book.  After a few moment of consideration, he decided to put Zayle’s insistence that he focus on the smaller callings ahead of his desire to learn the powerful callings.  He decided he would come back to the Lightning Calling later.

“Now, what do we have here?” Kade asked as he read to himself. “Silence, eh?  And, what is this?” he asked as he unfolded a small note that had been wedged in the crease of the book.  There were just three words written on it in Zayle’s hand.  It read simply, Kade’s next lesson.  “Okay, I guess I know what I am going to work on now.”

Kade glanced over the page and sighed, not really interested in working through another boring lesson.  A stab of guilt made him grimace as he sat down and looked the calling over.  Not understanding why Zayle chose this for his next lesson, he leaned forward, putting his fists under his chin and began to read.

When he finished, Kade stood and leaned over the book, trying to memorize the motions.  He practiced the moves while referring to the book over and over again.  Finding the calling more difficult than he expected, he considered dismissing it and moving on to something more exciting.  After a moment, he leaned back over the book and continued. 

Kade studied for hours, always working to add the next move of the calling to what he had already learned.  Occasionally, the dragon would put its massive head up to the window, looking in, giving Kade an excuse to take a break from his lesson.  But, no matter how many excuses he could come up with, he always knew he had to return to his study.

Kade worked on this calling well into the night before deciding to put it away until the next day.  If one wrong move would not end up with him possibly losing his hearing permanently, then he would not hesitate to try, but he did not have that luxury.  Without Zayle there to save him, the first time he performed the calling had to be perfect. 

Kade awoke to another dead animal at his doorstep.  He was happy to prepare their meal and then return to his studies.  After most of the day was spent practicing, he felt it was time to try.  His heart started to pound just a little harder as the excitement of performing a calling for the first time hit home.  He stood with his eyes closed as he practiced the moves in his head over and over.  After visualizing the calling for several minutes, he felt he was ready.

Okay, here goes,
Kade thought.  He felt his stomach twist into a knot.  He performed the steps perfectly and called on the Divine Power.  And, with that, he felt the power fill him and then the whooshing feel as it left his body.  He looked around, feeling odd.  The sense of being alone washed over him.

“Okay, that should have…” Kade started to say but stopped, his eyes going wide.  “Hello,” he said, tapping his ears, not hearing his voice.  At first, he tried to remain calm.  Then, realization that the Master Chosen was no longer there to save him made him swallow hard.   He felt panic.  It was now up to him to correct his blunder.  He shook his head and even opened his jaw wide, as if to pop his eardrums, but of course, nothing helped.

“NO,” Kade felt himself say.  He could sense the vibrations in his head as he spoke.  He quickly returned to the book and read through all the steps.  At the very end, he read where he was supposed to have intoned a word.  He was so focused on getting the moves right, he forgot the easiest part of the calling.  He hit himself in the head, frustrated with such a stupid mistake.  Kade struggled to stay calm and think. 

There has to be something that will fix this
, he thought as he scanned over the page.  He quickly flipped through the book but found it almost impossible to stay calm enough to focus.  Kade stopped flipping pages when he read the top of one page with one single word.  It was simply titled: DEAFNESS.  Reading over the calling, he found it to be identical to the Silence Calling, but one had an incantation where the other had none.  The discomfort of being completely deaf was making it difficult not to panic.  He turned it sideways and read all the scribbles in the margins.  As he started to stand, his eyes caught the number 57 scrawled at the very bottom, in the crease, where it was almost unreadable.

Kade sat down and forced himself to take deep breaths. 
It had to mean something
, he thought to himself.  He looked at the book only a moment more when it occurred to him to check and see what was on page 57.  When he flipped open to that page, he found a one word title on the top of the page that simply read, HEAR.

A flood of relief poured through his body and he quickly read over the calling.  There were just a few simple moves and the word, HEAR in the language of the Ancients.  Knowing that it was difficult to get the moves of a calling correct on the first attempt, Kade studied for hours until he was sure he had it perfect. 

He closed his eyes and went through the motions in his head.  Feeling confident that he had the calling memorized, he opened his eyes and called on the Divine Power while performing the moves.  As soon as he finished the last step, he intoned the word “hear” in the familiar language of the Ancients and felt the energy flow smoothly out of him.  He held his breath, waiting for the results.  Nothing happened.  He could feel sweat forming on his brow. 

I know something happened
, he thought. 
I felt the power leave me
.

             
Kade looked around the cabin for anything that may have changed but found nothing.  He checked himself and was relieved to see he was all there.  Shaking his head, he returned to the book.  Reading over the calling again, he prepared to try once more. 

It is almost impossible to get this wrong
, he thought.  He moved away from the book and then returned to lean over it, checking one last time.  Moving to the middle of the room, he went through the motions, drawing in the energy as he intoned the word.  He let the Divine Power flow once again.

             
“Okay, I know something must have happened.  I felt it.  I felt the calling work.  It had to have worked.  What did I do wrong?” Kade felt himself say in frustration.

             
Starting to wonder if this was even the calling he needed, Kade sat down at the table and forced himself to study the page.  This time he noticed a small note at the bottom.  The note simply read:  Allow a small amount of time for the calling to take effect.

             
“So, maybe I did do it right,” Kade heard himself say.  He slumped in the chair, feeling immense relief.  “It worked,” he said just to hear his own voice.

             
The dragon came to the open window and looked in to see what Kade was doing.  Rayden huffed a few times, trying to get Kade’s attention.  The Apprentice Chosen flinched at the first huff and smiled, happy he could hear it.

             
“What is it, Rayden?”

             
The dragon just stared at him.  Quickly losing interest, Rayden laid down next to the window.  It made Kade smile the way his dragon was always there, waiting for him to emerge from cabin.  He sat down and looked at the window, seeing that most of the light was being blocked, but there was enough light to read by.  There always was.

“Well, it looks like I got two callings right on the first try.  Zayle would have been surprised to see that,” Kade said with sarcasm.

              Returning to the calling for silence once more, Kade readied himself to perform it.  Seeing as the moves were identical to the Deafness Calling, he expected this to be flawless, but he was taking no chances.  He was tempted to scrap the whole idea of this calling once more, but his eyes landed on the note he had previously read. 

If the master wanted me to learn this, there had to be a good reason for it
, he thought. 

While trying to focus on the calling, the sound of an insect interrupted his concentration.  He tried to ignore it, but it was impossible since it seemed to be right there in the room.  Kade put his hands on the table, preparing to stand when the sound stopped.  He relaxed and returned to visualizing the steps needed for the calling.  Just as he was starting to focus, the insect started up again.

              “Blood and ash!” Kade said, swearing as he sat back hard in his chair.  He stood up and stalked around the table, expecting to find the annoying insect right there.  He scratched his head in confusion and then heard the sound again.  “The kitchen?” he asked out loud and went in search of the bug.  Several long seconds of standing still produced no insect.  Just as he was turning to go back to the den, the noise started again.  He narrowed his eyes, sure the sound was coming from outside, but how could that be?  He walked out the back door, tracking the annoying bug.

The more Kade walked, the louder it got.  Stopping to look back at the cabin, he marveled at the distance.  Shaking his head, he turned and continued toward the sound.  It was not long before he was standing over the insect, which was silent now that he was actually over it.  Kade bent and grasped the bug in his fingers.  He studied it closely.

“My you are an unusually loud bug.  You are going to have to make that kind of noise somewhere else,” Kade said as he prepared to walk it further from the cabin.

Kade had a code that he lived by.  If it was not a threat or did not need to be killed for him to survive, it was wrong to take its life.  Even something as small as this bug was not beneath his code.  He paused as heavy breathing got his attention.  His first thought was of the evil creature that should have been outside the barrier.  He froze and listened closely.

“Is that my dragon I hear?”

Dropping the bug, Kade headed back toward the sound of breathing.  The closer he got to the cabin, the louder it got.  As he rounded the corner, the sound increased considerably.  Rayden lifted his head quickly and stared at Kade.

“Was that you making all that noise?” Kade asked, again shocked that his own voice was so loud.  The dragon looked at him, as usual, not understanding a thing that was being said.  As Kade turned to go back into the cabin, Rayden lazily laid his head back down and was sleeping in seconds.

Making sure to remember to deactivate the trap at the door, Kade hurried into the den.  He quickly walked over to the table and sat down, looking forward to finishing this lesson so he could move on to more powerful callings.  He noticed the closed book and only hesitated a moment.  He was starting to get used to how things worked.  He deactivated the protection ward from around the book and opened it with more confidence now.  Kade studied the calling just a little more and then moved to the center of the room.  He rubbed his shoulders with his hands, trying to get the tension to release.  As certain as he was that he could perform this calling perfectly, the memory of being deaf was still too fresh in his mind.

Kade squared his shoulders and planted his feet.  He closed his eyes to allow his mind to slow as he visualized the moves for the calling.  He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  He opened his eyes and moved smoothly through every step, remembering to add the word at the end.  The Divine moved though him and then out to do his bidding.  This calling might be similar to the other in the performing of it, but the way it felt once cast was immensely different.  Kade could feel that he had control over the active calling.  The power flowed through him continuously, keeping it in place.  He smiled to himself and closed his eyes, feeling every part of the calling.  He willed it to end, and just like that, it was gone. 

Kade performed it again and it formed around him as it did before, but this time, as an afterthought, he included the dragon.  He could easily feel that the dragon was now under the Silence Calling also.  They were both cloaked, keeping them from being heard. 

Yes, this was a useful one
, Kade thought.  He nodded his head in appreciation of the new knowledge he now held.  This would definitely come in handy.

“Now, let’s see what else there is,” Kade said as he returned to the book. 

Zayle had a firm rule that no more than one calling was to be learned in a month.  Callings that were learned in a short time were easily confused with each other.  Unfortunately, Kade did not feel he had the luxury of this caution.

Turning the pages, Kade was looking for something that stood out.  Something amazing.  FAR SEEING was an interesting one that got his attention. 
How exciting it would be to see things from far away,
he thought and smiled.  He read through the steps and quickly decided that all those moves were way too much for him to master in one day, or even a week.  He envisioned himself standing by the window with his eyes floating out of his head. 
With my luck, that is exactly what would happen,
he thought.  He chuckled lightly and moved on.

The next page was labeled TRANSPORT.  He read the description for the calling and was almost tempted to learn it.  Seeing far sounded like fun but being able to pop from place to place was even more tempting.  There was a note at the bottom that he had to squint to read, but it was legible.  It read:
Caution.  This is extremely dangerous and should be used only in the event of an emergency!  There have been cases noted of finding Chosen half teleported into trees, rocks…etc
.  The note ended there.  Kade looked at the wear on the page and took it as evidence that this calling had been practiced.

He shivered and decided that this was way too dangerous for him but not before tracing the symbol at the top of the page with his finger.  He followed its pattern with his eyes and found that he could almost read the name of this calling by focusing on the symbol.  He looked at the number of moves needed and then over the warning one more time and quickly decided it was not for him.  He shivered again and turned the page. 

The next calling was title SUSTINENCE.  He pushed the chair back from the table, surprised at the amount of noise it made.  He did not recall it being so loud before but quickly put that off to just not paying attention.

This looks like something I can do
, he thought as he read over the steps involved.  It was actually pretty simple.  There were only a few basic moves and then the word, FOOD in the ancient language.  This had to be easy.  He knew he could do this. 
What could go wrong?
he asked himself.   Just as he was focusing on the first step, Rayden gave a huff from the window that startled Kade.

“OK, what is going on?  That was way too loud.  I can hear a bug over a hundred feet away and you almost sound like you are roaring even though you are just breathing.”

Looking down at the book, he reflected on the last few hours. 
What was the first thing I heard that was too loud?
he wondered. 
The insect.  So, what happened just before that?
  Then he hit on what had to be the answer
.  So, that is where the Divine Power went.  I did the Hear Calling twice and this is the consequence.
 
Ahhhhh
, Kade thought to himself, pleased he had worked it out.  “Well, being able to hear that much better may be to our advantage, Rayden,” Kade said, grinning.

He flipped back through the book to page 57 and read the calling again to make sure he did not miss anything.  He read to the bottom, studying each note but there was nothing that stood out.  He saw some scribbling in the margin and turned the book to read it. It read:  This calling is temporary and will wear off in hours.