The Divine Apprentice (The Divine Series) (41 page)

Kade recognized Darcienna’s shield.  He turned to see the green light coming from a spot thirty feet behind him.  An image of her holding out her hands popped into his head.  It was short lived as the pain from his shoulder drew his attention.

Kade struggled to his feet and quickly ran to where he had left his parents.  He looked back and saw Morg swing at something that was no longer there.  The shiny, black animal was already gone.  Kade decided the next time he saw that beautiful creature he was going to feed it until its stomach burst.

“Mother, Father, follow the green light.  Hurry,” Kade said through clenched teeth as he drew on the Divine Power.  If nothing else, it was good for numbing the pain.

Rayden, be ready,
Kade thought as he stopped next to the green light that appeared to be coming out of thin air.  He lifted the Silence Calling and heard a roar that he was sure was going to make his head throb for hours.  He considered keeping the Transparency Calling but it was going to be virtually impossible to get his parents on the dragon, much less get Rayden to understand what was going on if he kept it intact.  Regretfully, he let the calling go and everyone shimmered into view.  Darcienna had her hands up with the green energy radiating from them.  Her son was looking over her shoulder, wide-eyed.  Kade looked upon Darcienna’s face and thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.  He needed her and she was there.

“Rayden, I know I am asking a lot, but I have two more that need to go with us.  These are my parents.  Please allow them to ride,” Kade said.  He was relieved to see Rayden kneel quickly.  Kade turned to see both Garig and Judeen standing there, speechless, as they looked on in awe.

“Kade!” Darcienna exclaimed as she saw his shoulder.  He waived away her concern, but he had to do it with his left hand.

“Mother, Father, get on!” Kade yelled.  “Now!” he commanded as he propelled them forcefully toward the dragon.  “You will sit in front of the wings and we shall sit behind,” he added.

Kade looked over his shoulder, waiting for the ground to explode around them at any second.  The man was nowhere to be seen.  Kade closed his eyes and used the Reveal Calling.  He was shocked to find nothing. 

Why would he just leave?
Kade thought, and then he recalled the dripping, green ooze he had seen coming from Chance’s fangs when they had first met.

“He is poisoned!” Kade said with hope.  “Let’s get out of here.”

Kade went to help lift his father up and stopped, clenching his teeth hard as the pain racked his shoulder.  Although the Divine Power did a great job of numbing the pain, it did not keep it away.  Pain or no pain, he was not using that shoulder.  Kade sagged to the ground, waiting for the agony to lessen.

“What would you do without me?” Darcienna asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.  “And yes, we are going to have a very long talk about that stunt.  If you think this was bad, wait until I get done with you,” she said as she laid her hands on his shoulder.

That familiar, uncomfortable squeezing that happened as his muscles pulsed and writhed, spread all through his shoulder.  He winced as the damage mended itself right before his eyes.  Kade smiled weakly at her as she glared furiously at him.  He was sure she meant everything she had said and wondered if giving up to Morg might have been a better choice.

After several long moments, Darcienna took her hands away and staggered over to the dragon, panting hard.  Kade flexed his shoulder and found it tender but it was usable.  He quickly moved back to his father and lifted him easily onto the dragon to sit in front of the wings.  He then lifted his mother up to sit in front of Garig.

“Darcienna, are you okay?” Kade asked.  She turned and glared at him so hard he hesitated to get within striking distance.  She was every bit of fire and ice all rolled into one.  Her hands were balled into fists and Kade was sure she was considering delivering a clubbing he would not forget.  “I will take that as a yes,” Kade said, keeping his distance.

“You could have died if I were not here to save you, you empty-headed flea brain,” Darcienna scolded hotly.

“But, I needed you and the dragon to get out of town.  There is no chance they would not have found the dragon,” Kade pleaded as he glanced back where Morg had been.

“Yes, fine then.  Send the dragon away, but I could have stayed,” Darcienna said adamantly.

Kade sighed, desperately wanting to be away from here as fast as possible.  He shook his head and held his hand up to Darcienna before she could continue to speak.  She clenched her jaw in anger as she glared daggers at him.

“Enough of this talk,” he said firmly. 

He vaulted onto Rayden’s back and held his hand out for her.  He was not sure if she was going to bite it or take it.  She reluctantly passed on biting and took his hand.  Kade easily swung her up to sit behind him, relieved and eager to be away.

“Rayden, head to the east,” Kade said as he worked the Transparency Calling.  He followed with the Silence Calling.  The tree next to them exploded, sending shards of bark in all directions
.  Obviously the poison was not going to solve our problems,
Kade thought.  “Run Rayden, Run!”

The dragon launched as the ground erupted where they had just been standing.  Kade was ready for the bolt of speed.  He had quickly reached behind him and grabbed Darcienna’s arms and wrapped them tightly around himself, knowing what was coming.  Just as his father fell back against him with the added weight of his mother, he latched onto the boney wing-joint.  Kade’s muscles bulged hard as he strained to hold the weight of his parents along with Darcienna and the boy’s.  A vein bulged in his neck as he held on tightly.  The dragon’s back sloped dangerously behind the wings, making it more difficult to hold on.  His sweating fingers were starting to slip but he had come too far to fail, especially with escape this close.  He pressed his lips together in sheer determination and closed his fingers around the bone.  They reached their top speed rapidly, allowing him to relax his grip.

The blasts continued, but the more they ran, the less of the explosions he saw.  Kade heard a scream of fury so intense that the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.  He took a deep breath, looked where his parents sat and smiled to himself.  He looked over his shoulder and knew he could not have done this alone.

Kade tuned out Darcienna’s torrent of words as she hotly chastised him.  Knowing that he had saved his parents right out from under Morg’s nose was an intense satisfaction that allowed him to weather Darcienna’s rage, for the time being.  Sooner or later, she had to let up. 

Kade marveled at Rayden’s ability to carry so many people with hardly any effort.  The dragon showed no sign of slowing, even with four people on its back.  Well, five if the boy was to be counted.  The ride behind the wings was a little bumpier for Kade because he was sitting right over the hind legs, but he wasn’t complaining, considering the alternative.  After an hour into their travel, Kade let the Transparency Calling go.  That seemed to help everyone relax.  Almost everyone.  Darcienna was still angry as she glared daggers at him.  She may no longer be yelling, but she was far from done talking.

“Kade, can you hear me?  I will not let this go.  Why didn’t you tell me what you were planning?  If I had known you were going to do something so foolish, I would not have let you go alone.  Can you hear me?” Darcienna asked, barely taking a moment to breathe.

Kade considered not answering, but if he let her continue on like this, his parents were sure to think she was a tyrant.  Of course it might be too late, but this constant verbal attack needed to end.  He sighed and rolled his eyes, preparing to attempt to disarm the situation.

“Yes, I can hear you,” Kade said, trying to assert that he was in charge.

“Well?” Darcienna asked.

“Well what?” Kade asked, feigning ignorance.

“Well, why did you do that?” Darcienna asked, exasperated that she had to explain when she was sure he knew very well what she was asking.

Before he could answer, he heard his name whispered while his parents talked.  He was going to ignore them when he heard his mother say just a few words that got his attention.  “Couples fight” and “work it out” and something like, “her side” but he could not make out much more.  He narrowed his eyes as he studied the back of his parents’ heads.

“Because I didn’t want you to be in danger,” Kade said as he returned his attention to Darcienna.  “I needed you to be away so I wouldn’t have to worry about your safety and my parents.  And yes, I did know you would try to come with me.  That’s why I didn’t tell you,” Kade said roughly, angry at the fact that he felt like he had to defend himself.  He was supposed to be the one in charge.  She was supposed to do as he said.  That was the rule.  He considered making that clear when he noticed for the first time in a while she was not talking.  Kade was going to continue on about how his word was law and that she was not to question his judgment when he heard a sound from her he hoped never to hear again.  She was crying a cry that comes from deep within the heart.  It was one of pain and loss.  He immediately hated himself for causing it.

“I was worried you were going to be killed.  I needed to be there to protect you,” Darcienna said through her quiet sobs.  “And, I could not get this stupid dragon of yours to do anything I said.  When I tried to get off, he would growl at me.  I even hit him with my fists, but he just ignored me.  That’s when I realized it was probably your idea to have the dragon leave like that.  I thought we were going to be separated again, and it scared me,” she said.  She slumped in her seat as though her will had been broken.  Kade felt a lump in his throat.

He wanted to tell her that he was wrong, and that he should have kept her with him just to make her feel better, but he knew it would be a lie.  He knew his decision was right and she had to know, also.  She had to. 

What is she talking about?  Is there more to this than I can see?
he asked himself.  The phrase, “I thought we were going to be separated again, and it scared me” kept going through his head.  He couldn’t remember leaving her anytime in the last few days no matter how hard he tried.

“I am sorry.  I really am.  I thought it was best.  I needed you safe so I would not have to worry about you, and there was no way you and the dragon would remain undiscovered once the streets started to fill.  As it was, Morg was able to find me, somehow,” Kade said as he put his hand on her knee in an attempt to sooth her.  “And, besides, it worked didn’t it?” Kade asked and then stopped.  His hand was still on her knee.  He was about to remove it to avoid any awkwardness when he felt her hand cover his.

“With my help,” Darcienna said so quietly that he almost missed it.

Kade soaked up the feel of her hand on his.  His heart pumped with the thrill.  For a brief moment, he considered moving his hand away but then quickly discarded the thought. 
Besides,
he
said to himself,
she might see it as a form of rejection and that just would not do.
  And then, he hit on the perfect solution that would solve all this.  He leaned back as he looked into her eyes and smiled.

“Thank you for saving my parent’s lives.  If you hadn’t been there, they would have been killed.  We all would have.  Thank you, Darcienna,” Kade said as he watched her closely for any mood change.  She lifted her head and tilted it sideways as she studied him.  A smile spread across her face.

“So…,” she started to say, with a look in her eye that made Kade feel as if he had fallen into a trap.  He could not say why, but the look in her eye was that of a hunter who had trapped its prey.  He shrunk in his seat, waiting.  “Since we clearly need each other,” she said.  Kade felt the snare spring.  “We should discuss our plans together from now on so we can come up with what works best,” she said triumphantly.  Kade firmed his resolve and was about to let her know who was boss when he caught the, ever so slight, quiver at the corners of her mouth.  Before he could speak one word, he saw it as clearly as the moon over his head.  She was pretending.  The real truth was, she was afraid to lose him and wanted to be there for him.  She needed him and needed to be there for him.  He shrank inside at the thought of almost berating her and showing her who was in charge.

“We do make a good team,” Kade said.  He was not sure what he did wrong, but a single tear slid down her cheek.  He chastised himself for being such an empty-headed ox. 
Why do I have to always hurt her?
he asked himself, frustrated that interacting with her was always full of pitfalls.  Before he could apologize for this latest mistake that had her in tears again, she spoke.

“Good.  Now at least I will know when you are going to kill yourself,” Darcienna said half playful but full of relief.  Kade was completely off balance.  If he had made her sad, why was she teasing him and smiling?  Exasperated, he took a deep breath, held it, and let it out slowly.   And then...closed his mouth.  This was way past his ability to understand.

Okay, now, how did I go from being in charge to this being a partnership?
he thought as he examined the conversation
.  Was it her tears that did it to me?  Was it really the right thing?  Next I’ll tell her she can make all the decisions,
Kade thought sarcastically in a huff.  He shook his head and decided it was best to just not think about it.  His head was starting to hurt, trying to solve this mystery.  He needed to change the subject to something easier.