The Divine Path (The Divine Series) (25 page)

Kade quickly walked to his room and pulled the bed away from the wall.  He pulled the board free and leaned down to look in the hole.  He called on the Divine Power and let light shine into the open space.  There sat his precious black book, waiting for him to claim it once more.  Kade carefully reached in, making sure to keep it closed.  He placed the book on the floor next to himself and then put the board back in place.  He slid the bed against the wall and then firmly picked up the book.  When he returned to the kitchen, both women were waiting, both glaring at the small book in his hand as if it were something evil.  Kade dismissed their looks and sat in his chair.

He took a deep breath, knowing what was coming and flipped the book open.  The blue spark leapt from finger to finger and traveled
across the backs of his knuckles.  His hand twitched spasmodically as the charge verified his identity. Both women reflexively had covered their mouths with their hands, holding their breaths as they waited for the spark to vanish.

“Does that hurt
?” Darcienna asked as she tried to unclench her jaw.

“It is uncomfortable but not really that painful,” Kade said as he flexed his hand after the blue spark disappeared.

Kade turned to the first page and found it blank.  He ran his hand over the empty sheet, wondering if it would impart its knowledge about the Chosen Valdry for a second time, but there was nothing.  It was just a piece of paper.  He turned the next page and ran his hand over it.  This time, the tingling sensation ran along his scalp, and his eyes glazed over as the knowledge settled into his mind.   Darcienna looked at him hopefully, seeing that something had happened.

“That was the Chosen, Meril,” Kade said as he shook his head.

“How many more Chosen are there in the book?” Darcienna asked as she shifted the boy in her arms.

“Two,
” Kade said, trying to ignore his anxiety.  He turned another page, and again, he was imbued with the knowledge as he placed his hand on the blank sheet.  “That one was Hydel,” Kade said as he turned to the last page and looked down, worried it would not have the knowledge he desperately needed
. 

If this does not work, I
will need to go to Meril or Hydel or go to Valdry’s place to see what I can find there,
Kade thought, discarding the idea of going back to the king.  Maybe there were answers at Valdry’s home, but he did not look forward to finding out.  He was sure that Valdry’s place was just as riddled with traps as any Chosen’s place would be.  The image of himself lying paralyzed on the floor while his cabin burnt around him flashed through his mind.  He swallowed hard.  Maybe someday he would go to Valdry’s and try to recover anything worth saving, but at this time, it was not something he wanted to risk.  He looked down at the last page and steadied his nerves.

“Kade
?” Darcienna asked as she watched him sit as still as a statue.  Without answering, he reached down and placed his hand on the book.  Kade’s eyes lost focus as he analyzed the information from the page. After a moment, he let out the breath he had been holding.

“Doren,” Kade said as he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good,” Darcienna said, mirroring his reaction.

“That is all the book has to offer,” Kade said as he sat staring at the page, grateful it had what he needed.

“Then you have no more need of it,” Darcienna said as she plucked it out of his hand and marched purposefully toward the fireplace, ready to throw it in.  Kade winced as he if it were a bomb about to go off.

“Darcienna, please do not ever grab one of the books like that,” Kade sai
d roughly, angry at her carelessness.  She froze just before tossing it in.

“It has no more knowledge
, so why keep it?  And you have just deactivated the trap set on it so it’s safe.  It is just another book that can cause us problems.  We are better off without it,” Darcienna said.  After a moment, she added, “Right?”

“We may ha
ve use for this,” Kade said as he carefully took the book out of her hand, afraid that the blue spark was going to appear at any moment and destroy her.  “I may keep it as a journal.  It is still protected for just my hand, so anything I put in here should stay safe,” he said as he breathed a deep sigh of relief.

“I should have thought of that.  It is just that…I would love to be rid of those books.  The way you handle them scares me.  I would just like them gone.  I look forward to when we do not have to keep them with us,” Darcienna said
, not the least bit regretful for her attempt to get rid of it.  Kade was surprised at her emotional response.  He had no idea she felt that way, but it did make sense.

“I am sorry
, but I have no choice.  I am keeping the books.  You just have to deal with it for a while longer until I have a place I can store them to keep them safe.  Besides, right now, I must still learn from them as we go.”

“But you rarely open them,” Darcienna said.

“I open them when the situation requires it.  You will just have to accept that every time I open them to learn a new calling, I am putting my life in grave danger.  Learning callings is extremely dangerous, Darcienna, but it is our kinds’ way.  It just is.”

“I understand.  You have made that clear,” Darcienna said, giving in.  “But they still scare me to the bone,” she said firmly. 

“Soon, Darcienna, soon we will be safe,” Kade said as opened the sack and pulled the pile of books out.  He loosened the straps, placed the black book back in the pile and then cinched the straps tightly again.  “We should get moving,” Kade said as he slowly stood.  “We have a long ride ahead of us.  It will take us well into the night,” Kade said.

“That long
?” Darcienna asked, absentmindedly rubbing her back end.

“That long,” Kade said simply.

              “Kade, you cannot leave without seeing your father,” Judeen said.  Kade was so focused on retrieving the book that he neglected to realize that his father was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is father?” Kade asked, unsure his father would want to see him.

“He is in town getting supplies.  It is not that far.  You need to rest for a short while before going after this other Master Chosen.  Just a short time until you have had something to eat and drink.”  Judeen hesitated a moment before continuing on.  “I know what you father told you but he does love you, Son.  He just does not understand the Divine Power.  As a matter of fact, it scares him to death.  He always dreaded my father being around.”

“I can understand,” Kade said, still feeling the sting of the words that rang in his mind.

“Why don’t you let me take you into town so we can buy you a few things for your travel and then you can leave from there,” Judeen said, making every bit of effort to hide her emotions.  For the second time in days, she felt she was saying goodbye for good.  She fought to keep the sadness and worry from her voice.  She never was one for letting others see feelings like these so openly.  She despised pity, and she was not going to accept it now.  It ran in the family.  “You could also use some clothes,” Judeen said, as she turned and glided up to him.  She grabbed his shirt and stabbed a finger through a hole to make her point.

She turned away just as Kade was looking deep into her eyes.  Her shoulders were squared in defiance but there was something to her tone that made Kade’s heart ache.  He stepped around
her just as she wiped away a tear.  She looked down at her dress and pretended to straighten it as she fought to regain her composure.  After a moment she looked up at him to await his decision.

             
Kade would have never known that just seconds before she had been crying if he had not seen it himself.  He was even starting to doubt whether he had seen it at all until he looked in her eyes.  Her mannerisms did a great job of hiding her feelings, but when he looked into the windows of her sole, it was as plain as if she were crying with tears streaming down her cheeks.  Kade felt his chest ache horribly for her, but he knew that he needed to act as though he saw nothing.  He had to for her.

             
“I don’t know if that is such a good idea,” Kade was saying when he caught a look from Darcienna.  After several long seconds of silence, he finally gave in to her request.  “I would like that,” Kade said as he stepped up and wrapped his arms around his mother, hugging her tightly.  She sighed out a breath and melted into her son’s arms as she laid her head on his chest.  Kade held her for a while and stayed like that for as long as she needed.  When she stepped back, the sadness had genuinely been replaced by something more peaceful.

             
“I could use a new pair of pants and maybe some boots,” Kade said with a smile.  “And, I am sure Darcienna could use some new clothes, also,” Kade said as he looked her up and down.

             
“We go north to get to Dresben.  That is the closest town, now.  We won’t be going to Arden for a very long time, if ever again,” Judeen said.

             
“We should leave on our journey from there,” Darcienna said gently.  Kade wanted to be gone even sooner, but if this helped his mother find at least a small measure of peace, then it was worth the risk.

             
“We leave shortly,” Judeen said.  “And I am certain your father will be pleased to see you,” she said, attempting to dispel any remaining concerns Kade may be feeling.

             
“Well, I will enjoy spending time with him, also,” Kade said, thinking it might be the last chance to really talk with his father.  “How far is it?”

             
“It’s about half a day’s walk.”

             
“The dragon can cut that time down to just an hour or two,” Kade said.

             
“Well, let’s get going.  I don’t want Father to come back and miss us,” Kade said, ushering his mother out of the room to prepare for the journey.

             
“That was good thinking,” Kade said to Darcienna as he watched his mother go from room to room, gathering things to get ready for the ride into town.  Darcienna smiled a knowing smile.

             
Kade wanted to take one last look at the comfortable bed in his room as he waited for his mother to prepare for the ride.  He walked down the hall and made the left turn into his room, smiling as he looked upon the bed.  He walked over and turned, sitting on the plush mattress, unable to put words to the memory that eluded him.  When he came out of his thoughts, he noticed Darcienna staring at him from the doorway. He stopped, certain he recognized the mischievous glint in her eye and cocked his head as if to ask, “What?”  She just smiled and laughed playfully as she avoided eye contact while pretending to straighten her son’s hair.

             
“What?” Kade pressed, seeing her redden just a bit.

             
“It’s nothing.  We should get ready to go,” Darcienna said, obviously changing the subject.

             
“That’s a good idea,” Kade said as he studied her suspiciously. 

             
He dismissed her actions as more mysteries of the female species that he was never going to understand.  He looked at the bed one last time, already missing the comfortable sleep and turned for the kitchen.  He grabbed the sack of books and gently put them over his shoulder as he waited for his mother to return.

             
Mentally communicating the plans to the dragon, Kade worked his way out front.  Rayden came around the corner, eager to go.  Shortly after, Judeen and Darcienna came out. Judeen handed Darcienna a hat to wear that did a good job covering much of her face. Darcienna had her son firmly strapped to her back.  Kade realized that he had not made one sound and recalled how he wailed like an alarm when they were trying to rescue his parents.  Dismissing the thought, he helped his mother and Darcienna mount.  Next, he vaulted up and they were on their way.

             
Kade felt his stomach growl and realized he had not eaten, even though he had fed the dragon.  He tried to ignore the hunger, but the more he tried to pretend it was not there, the more he noticed it.  Exasperated that they had only traveled for thirty minutes at best, he signaled the dragon to stop.  Rayden could sense Kade preparing to cook and started to fidget eagerly.  Kade tried to ignore the frustration of having to perform the calling so many times but failed.  He was hoping to cook for just himself, Darcienna and his mother, but it was not to be.  Feeding the dragon was turning into a considerable chore, but he could not eat without feeding it, even though it just had its fair share.  It was just the price he had to pay.

             
“Why are we stopping?” Darcienna asked.

             
“I need something to eat,” Kade said as he leapt to the ground and planted his feet, preparing to make the dozen or so pieces of meat that the dragon would want.

             
“Son, we can eat in town.”

             
“I can’t say if we will be staying long enough to eat, besides, I am hungry now,” Kade said as his stomach growled loudly.

             
“I do hope you are planning on making some extra,” Darcienna said playfully.