The Divine Unleashed (Book 3) (35 page)

Keep it up,
Kade thought to himself as he started to plot his revenge. 
Just keep it up.
  And with that, they launched into the air.  The green was close on their tail but soon moved up to fly just off Rayden’s right wing.  Kade looked over to see the green eyeing him and Darcienna.  Again, there was amusement coming through the link from Rayden.  This time, Kade smiled along.

Several hours later they landed outside an elaborate home that rivaled Doren’s.  Kade thought back on the shack he used to live in and wondered, for just a moment, why?  As soon as he asked himself the question, he had the answer.  Zayle wanted to keep him safe, and the best way to do that was to make sure that they were not noticed.  Elaborate mansions had a way of drawing attention sooner or later.

Ven leapt into the air, and before she landed, had transformed into the beast.  She hit the ground hard with a heavy thud.  Kade smiled, grateful for another set of eyes.  He stood surveying the house and the countryside.  It was quiet with only the sound of the wind.  He could not figure out if it was calming or eerie.  With a shrug, he turned for the house.

Kade walked to the mansion and closed his eyes.  The Reveal Calling showed nothing.  He walked in the door that was just barely hanging on its hinges.  The place was a disaster.  Kade got the feeling that it was not a battle that caused this damage but the ravings of a mad man destroying just to destroy.  Curiously, there was no blood or bodies anywhere, and there were no callings active set as traps…that Kade could see.  This made him nervous.  It made him very nervous.

Kade worked his way through the house to the den.  He closed his eyes and used the Reveal Calling.  There was just a slight haze hanging in the air.  Kade studied it closely.  It appeared to be like a very thin mist.  He opened his eyes and could not shake the feeling of being watched.  He prepared to enter the room when a flash of black caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.  He turned his head, expecting to see Chance.  There was nothing.  He turned back to walk into the room when he flinched as an insect almost two inches long buzzed right by his ear and flew through the doorway.  Kade watched as its wings stopped their frantic motion and slowed to barely moving.  Then, just several feet into the room, they stopped completely.  He turned to look down the hall again, as he thought of his silky, black friend.  He shook it off and turned back to the bug that was suspended in flight.  By all laws of nature, it should have fallen to the floor, and yet, it stayed up as if it were floating.  Darcienna walked up and put her hand on his shoulder as she readied to brush past, but Kade’s arm shot out to bar the way.

“What?” Darcienna asked, confused.

“Look,” Kade said as he pointed to the insect.  Darcienna leaned forward just slightly as she focused on the bug.

“What is it doing?” she asked as she tilted her head.  “It’s…stuck.”

“Yes,” Kade said as he studied the chamber.  As he was examining the room, he froze, making eye contact with an old man sitting in a plush, high-backed, winged chair.   The man appeared to be very much alive.  There was some sort of disturbance in the air half way between the door and the man.

“Kade,” Darcienna said, as she looked from the man back to the Adept.

“I know,” Kade said as he studied the disturbance in the air and then the man again.

Kade turned and searched the hallway for anything lying loose.  His eyes fell on a broken vase that had been shattered against a wall.  He bent and picked up a large piece.  He turned and tossed it into the room.  It quickly stopped in midflight as if something had caught it and were holding it motionless.

“Is he still alive?” Darcienna asked in awe.

“Not if that gets to him,” Kade said as he pointed to the disturbance.  He knew what it was instantly, and everything made sense.  Time in this room was frozen.  Morg had tried to get to Valdry but the Master Chosen was able to escape by either stopping time or slowing it so much that it was not perceptible.

“He was trying to trap Morg with this,” Kade said as he recalled how Doren had laid a trap of his own.  Now he understood why there were no callings set as traps throughout the house.  Valdry wanted Morg to find him.  Another plan that had been carefully crafted that ended in failure.

“What can we do?”

“For now…nothing,” Kade said as he marveled at the deviousness of the trap.  The man had a definite look of calm, calculating intelligence.  It was eerie looking into his eyes.  But, when Kade moved from left to right, the eyes did not move with him. “He is safe…for now,” Kade said as he turned to look at Darcienna.  “But, no one must know.  I trust no one but Zayle.  When we visit the arch again, I will figure out what can be done.  Maybe with the staff I can save him,” Kade said as his hands clenched around the non-existent, ancient piece of wood.  He felt a warm flush run up his back and bats fluttered in his stomach for just a moment.

“So we do nothing?” Darcienna asked incredulously.  “Maybe Doren can help,” Darcienna said as she stared helplessly at the man.

“NO!” Kade barked so strongly that Darcienna flinched.  “Doren…thirsts for knowledge first above all else,” Kade said firmly as he recalled how Doren had tried to get his hands on the staff.  Kade’s eyes shifted to the bookshelf and then back to Darcienna.  “No.  If all else fails, then we bring him into it, but for now, Valdry is safe,” Kade said as he turned her toward him.  “This location is secure enough that it won’t be found by accident, and anything that gets in that room will not be able to get to him,” he said and then turned his attention back to the Master Chosen.  “It is impossible for anything to get to him unless he allows it.”

Satisfied that they had learned what they needed, the two quickly left the house, eager to be on their way.  Ven was close behind in her female shape.  She had shifted into her birth form sometime during their walk through the house. 
Seeing as it was safe, why not?
Kade asked himself.

The Adept helped Darcienna onto the dragon and then leapt up himself.  Ven changed into her monkey form and swung up to hang on him.  Kade gave one glance over his shoulder at the grand home and then signaled Rayden to take to the air.   The silver and green dragons took their time as they flew back to the tree.  Kade was eager to see his parents again, but he was also grateful for not having to race off to save the world.

“How did it go?” Doren asked as Kade was jumping down from the dragon.

“As well as expected.  As a matter of fact, it was better than I expected,” Kade said.

“Find anything?” Doren asked as he scanned Kade for any hidden books.

“Nothing.  It would take an eternity to find anything in there,” Kade said as he headed for the Great Hall.  Morg gave a smirk.  Kade glared daggers at him and the smirk melted away.  Kade mouthed, “Not a word,” just as Doren was turning around.  He paused as he looked from Morg to Kade and then cocked an eyebrow.

“The Adept cannot stand to have me around.  If I were him, I would feel the same way.  As a matter of fact,” Morg said as he cast a glance at Kade, “I would have killed me already,” he said, his eyes dropping back to the ground.  With a last sneer, Kade ushered Darcienna toward the tree.  When they were far enough from the two Chosen Masters, Darcienna whispered to Kade.

“What do you make of that?”

“He would have told Doren already if he was going to,” Kade said roughly.  He was not about to give Morg any leeway whatsoever.

When Kade entered the Great Hall, he was shocked to see that it was filled from wall to wall with spiders.   There were even some hanging on the ceiling.  It was obvious that they were here to see him off.  He was their king and they were his clutch now, but they had to be his clutch at a distance.  He just could not stay here, but still, it was not going to be easy to leave them behind.

Kade gave a heartfelt speech to the spiders and they cheered him on.  Darcienna moved back while the queen took her place at his side.  Ven was always just behind, keeping watch over him.  It was more difficult to say goodbye than Kade expected, but alas, he found himself outside and ready to go.  He knew that if he did not leave soon, he would arrive at his parents’ well after dark.

“Doren, are you sure it is safe to leave him here alone?” Kade asked skeptically.

“He is no danger beyond what a normal man can do,” Doren said patiently.  “You will be in constant contact with the queen, so we will know if he misbehaves.  And besides,” he said in his superior way of talking.  “If he does not behave, he will never learn another calling again,” the Master Chosen said as he leveled his gaze at Morg.  The evil Master Chosen wilted right before Kade’s eyes.

“It is on you if something goes wrong,” Kade said roughly.  Doren turned cold and gave him a glare that froze him to the spot.  “My apologies,” Kade said meekly.  Yes, there was still a line he had to be aware of.  “He is dangerous, and I am not about ready to trust him as far as I can throw him, Master Chosen Doren,” Kade said, using the full title to mollify him.  It helped considerably.  “You have no idea what that man did to me or my family,” he added, gaining much of his conviction back.

“Kade, if you prefer me to stay,” Doren said.

“No,” Kade said, holding up his hand in surrender.  “I am certain my parents would love to meet you, and my mother can cook like no other, “he said resignedly.

“Then let us get underway,” Doren said with a smile.  Kade paused, not recalling ever seeing a smile on the man’s face.

“I hope I don’t regret this,” Kade whispered into Darcienna’s ear.  She shrugged her shoulders, but it was obvious she shared his concerns.

“Keep a close eye on him,” Kade said to Rakna. 
And use whatever force you must,
Kade sent through the link.  He marveled at how crisp and clear the communication was when contacting the queen with his mind.

“As you wish,” Rakna hissed eagerly.

Six spiders dropped from the tree instantly to surround Morg.  They bared their venom coated fangs, each one appearing eager to sink them deep into the man’s flesh.  Kade felt immensely better immediately.  He gave Morg a smile.  The man shrugged easily as if it was nothing to concern him.  Kade truly got the feeling that these six spiders, each of which could bring down a grown man without hardly any effort, really did not bother him.  Regardless, it was peace of mind for himself.

“Let’s go,” Kade said as he turned toward the silver dragon.

“Give me a moment,” Rakna said as she quickly climbed onto Rayden’s back.  The dragon shivered and eyed Rakna as she worked webbing at the base of the dragon’s wings. 
He will feel none of this,
she said with her mind as she continued to spin her web until she had a type of sling for Doren to lean back into.  The Master Chosen smiled gratefully as he recognized what the queen was building.  She continued to weave as she worked her way forward.  Rakna stopped and buzzed at several spiders in the tree.  They dropped down and joined her.  It was all Rayden could do to hold still while the spiders worked on him. 

Kade watched in wonder and awe as a basic saddle with comfortable padding took shape.  He grinned as he watched Rayden grow stiff as the spiders worked their way around him.  His smile broadened as he plotted a little revenge for his friend.

“I am sure Rayden would not mind a few more spiders helping,” Kade said innocently.  Rayden flinched as several more spiders dropped down to start crawling all over the dragon, spinning their web.  Kade laughed out loud as the dragon swung its head around to glare at him.  Kade raised his brows and feigned innocence.

“Not very nice,” Darcienna whispered.

“He deserves it,” Kade said as he patted the dragon affectionately on the neck.  “Thank you, my friend,” he said as he eyed the rigging.  He was eager to test out the new setup.  Rayden settled down and allowed the spiders to finish, but he never fully relaxed.

“That harness should keep you safe,” Rakna hissed.  “We cannot take a chance with our king’s life,” she finished.

“You will take care of the clutch while I am away,” Kade said as he affectionately put his hand on her shoulder.  “Use your judgment and do what you feel is best.  You have my full support,” he said with a smile.  The link between them hummed with genuine affection. 

Having this connection with Rakna was not a bad thing at all,
Kade thought.  He smiled and turned toward the dragon.

“Time to go?” Darcienna asked as she inspected the rigging.

“Time to go,” he affirmed as he readied to mount.

Kade gently helped Doren climb up into his seat.  The backrest flowed in the wind but held firmly when Doren leaned into it.  Kade knew it would hold no matter the amount of weight put against it.  Next, he helped Darcienna up and then climbed on himself.  The padding was a relief compared to the firm ridges of the dragon’s spine.  He reached down and picked up a pair of straps that ran to the dragon’s chest to connect with the harness.  Having these to hold onto was going to make things much more secure feeling.  He leaned left and right, putting his booted feet into makeshift stirrups.  He smiled as he looked over the setup.  He leaned back just as Ven leapt up to land in his lap.  He put his hand on her back and held her firmly, ready for the dragon’s launch.

“I think it’s time we test this out,” Kade said as he gave Rayden the mental command to go.  He gave a huge wave to the spiders just as the dragon turned and launched into the air.  It pumped its wings hard and gained altitude quickly.