The Divine Apprentice (The Divine Series) Read online

  I have all the discipline I need no matter what Zayle says. I don’t know how he thinks that learning the simpler callings is going to help me master the more difficult ones. If I just focus on the better callings, I will be able to master them all just fine. It is just an excuse to keep me from learning what I want. It’s all just an excuse. Maybe…maybe he can’t because he has lost his touch. Maybe…oh, I don’t know, Kade thought to himself as he continued walking.

  Taking a deep breath, he started going over his most recent lesson as he wandered. Thinking back, he recalled his failure to perform the Awareness Drift Calling. He had relaxed his body, as the calling demanded, and recited the ancient word as required. It was only one word. Float. Simple enough, he thought to himself. He had felt…something.

  Was my body feeling lighter, or am I just thinking it was because I want it to work? he asked himself, but it was useless. He had had enough of the ridicule and ranting from his master, and he needed to leave before he said or did something that would really get himself in trouble.

  This was the first time in all his years of training Kade had lost his temper with his master, much less stormed out right in the middle of a lesson. The knot in his stomach grew as he contemplated how fast he was going to be told to pack and get out when he returned. It had been nine years of agonizing failure after failure as Kade struggled to develop his abilities. Finally, in the tenth year, he was starting to show real ability, and now he had blown his chances to become the greatest Master Chosen ever.

  Have I just thrown everything away that I have worked for?

  He continued to walk, not paying attention to where he was going as his thoughts raced. He knew he was lucky to even be taken as an apprentice at the age of ten, but appreciation only went so far. Most apprentices were taken at ages as young as five or even younger. Ten was unheard of and he knew it.

  For that matter, he thought, why was I taken as an apprentice at all?

  Not being able to answer his own questions, his thoughts continued on as if unable to slow. I want to be famous like Zayle, Kade thought. This had been Kade’s desire since the first day of his training. It was slow going and it was difficult to be patient. Patience was the one area that he knew he struggled with, and that was being generous.

  He thought back to ten years ago when Zayle had given demonstrations of his abilities. Kade was in awe of the raw power. He was eager to go with Zayle, excited to wield the Divine.

  Kade marched deep into the woods, losing all track of time. It had been nearly an hour when he started to notice that his surroundings were not as familiar as they should have been. This was the furthest from the cabin he had ever walked, with the exception of his one trip to Corbin. He kicked a rock absentmindedly and stumbled. It was right then he heard a deep, reverberating growl followed by a hiss that sounded like a massive snake.

  Kade felt his pulse race wildly as he realized he had wandered from the protected area. Zayle had warned him countless times that extremely dangerous animals had been seen outside the barrier, but it never really struck home since he had not observed them himself. Now, every warning came racing back as he forced his eyes to focus on the massive beast that stood just several long strides in front of him. Fear lanced through his body, causing him to become paralyzed. He knew he should run, but at the moment he could not get his muscles to respond.

  The dragon launched itself at him and Kade knew this was the end. More out of chance than skill, and a slight bit of reflex, he fell to the side, dodging the dragon’s deadly claws. At first, Kade believed he was lucky to have avoided the quick death that was certain to come, but then, he felt a warm trickle of blood running down his forehead.

  The dragon landed clumsily and emitted what almost sounded like a yelp. By this time, the adrenalin had kicked in, and Kade was on his feet as the dragon struggled to stand. He worked the only calling Zayle was willing to teach him that was combat-worthy. The words and motions came to his mind quickly as he called for the Blue Fire of the Divine. The flow of the power reminded him of standing in the middle of a river while the current swirled around him. The power was euphoric. The flames flared to life, dancing several feet above his hands as its mesmerizing, brilliant, blue energy eagerly awaited its target. Zayle had made it clear it was only for self-defense. If defending himself from a creature that could eat him in one or two bites did not qualify, then nothing did. Kade’s heart was pounding as the thrill of finally using the Divine made his head buzz.

  The dragon turned and re-oriented on him, but this time, Kade was ready. For anyone watching, they would have seen his arm coated with blue fire, even though Kade felt nothing but a surging power coursing through his muscles. In an instant, Kade sensed that he was missing something important. Something nagged at him, but he pushed it out of his mind, eager to let fly his deadly calling. He pulled back his arm, as though to throw but hesitated. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a large puddle of red liquid. Ignoring it, he refocused on the dragon. He clenched his jaw in determination as he stepped forward to hurl the blue fire of death. Everything was a blur and then suddenly…he perceived things as though they were in slow motion. It was surrealistic as his mind captured every little detail of his surroundings. He could feel a breeze on his arm and the warm trickle of blood as it dripped over his eyelash, causing him to blink. He noticed the way the dragon fearfully eyed the flames dancing on his hand. The area smelled of fresh rain and a drop of water dripped off a leaf. And then…he was extending his arm, launching the blazing inferno of heat directly at the dragon’s head. Or at least…that was what he was planning, but at the very last second, for reasons he could not understand, he turned his hand slightly. It was enough so that the flame shot past the dragon, exploding loudly against a boulder. He flinched as he felt the blast of heat blow back at him.

  Without taking his eye off the dragon, Kade slowly turned to study the red liquid and recognized it for what it was. The crimson fluid was the dragon’s blood. It was not trying to attack him, but was instead, only trying to defend itself. Kade knew he should have been an easy kill for the dragon, but its feeble attack was far from what it should have been. He was seeing more clues by the second. The dragon was hunched in an odd position. Even if he did not know what a dragon should look like, he knew this was wrong. It was also dragging its left wing on the ground. But, Kade knew what really made him throw the Fire Calling wide at the last second, and it was not seeing the three horrible slashes along its neck, either. It was seeing a look of fear and despair in the dragon’s eyes, as though it had been beaten. Pity and compassion welled up in Kade, and his anger dwindled.

  The dragon’s head came up with renewed determination as it realized the blow had missed. Kade turned pale as his colossal mistake struck home. Throwing away his only means of defense was foolish. It was nothing more than an animal that could not appreciate the compassion Kade had shown it. It may be hurt and it may be stumbling, but it was still more than a match for him. Panic, again, seized him as the dragon had taken in a breath and was about to incinerate him. Now, the dragon had the upper hand. He considered the Fire Calling, but even before he began, he knew he would be dead before he could release it.

  Kade was not sure why, but something told him that the dragon was considering not attacking. There was a feather light touch in his mind, and then it was gone. He quickly dropped his hands to his side and very slowly moved back a step. Moments took eons to pass, and yet, no fire. He slowly, and as non-threatening as possible, locked eyes with the dragon. It was still ready to blast him with its fire. Was that intelligence he was seeing? Maybe not at a human level, but it was there.

  Kade continued to work his way backward as the dragon watched him closely. His heart was pounding so hard he was sure it was going to burst at any moment. To his amazement, the dragon let out its breath, along with flecks of blood, and with that, the fire went out. It wanted no more fight. Kade backed a little more as the dragon eyed him wearily. It appeared to be slowly backing
away itself…or trying to back away. He turned to go, but just then, the dragon slumped to the ground heavily. Its breathing turned into a wheeze. It struggled to stand again but gave up. Kade got a sick feeling in his stomach as he watched.

  “Kade,” he said to himself, “get out of here. Just put one foot in front of the other and start walking. No, not walk, run!”

  Inside, Kade knew what he was going to do, even if he did not want to acknowledge it. It was stupid and foolish, but that was who he was. He knew he could not just leave something that was helpless. And besides, it was the first dragon he had ever seen.

  He took a deep breath and let it out, taking a step toward the dragon. Its head came up slowly, and Kade could see it was struggling to breathe. He cautiously approached the dragon and put his hands up in what he hoped would appear to be a sign of non-aggression. The dragon flinched and desperately struggled to its feet. Kade knew it was using every last little bit of health and energy to make this one last stand. Cursing himself for a fool, he quickly lowered his hands. The dragon tried to pull in a breath of air but failed, and instead, coughed up flecks of blood. Kade moved even closer. Just out of the dragon’s reach, he lifted his right hand and made the simple move that would bring the Healing Calling to life. His hand glowed with a soft, amber light.

  It was now or never, he thought to himself. He slowly moved into range of the dragon’s deadly teeth and reached out for the three deep slashes on its neck. The dragon’s lips quivered and a deep menacing rumble made it clear that the dragon meant business. But, its legs wobbled dangerously and Kade could see the dragon’s eyes losing focus quickly. At any moment it was going to fall to the ground.

  The Divine Power leapt into the wound. The dragon jumped, and to Kade’s surprise, it was able to draw in enough air to ignite its dragon’s breath. Kade put his hand up slowly and completed the calling for a second time. Again, it shot into the dragon, but this time, it sank deep into the wing. The dragon flinched and let out a puff of air that singed Kade’s hand. He swallowed hard. That was too close.

  The dragon’s eyes appeared to clear just a little. It flexed its neck slightly and even tested its wing. Although mended to a great degree, Kade knew the calling had its limits. He slowly backed away with his hands out to the side. When he was about two strides away, he, again, considered leaving. Something was nagging at him, but he could not quite put his finger on what it was. He was missing something else, but what?

  The dragon seemed to let some of its tension go as it watched him curiously. Kade could see that it was also trying to consider what to do. It looked at him, back at its wounds and then back to him.

  Was it actually going to realize that I posed it no threat? Kade asked himself incredulously. Is there a chance that it is really intelligent enough to know I mean it no harm? It must be. It just has to be!

  Kade felt his heart start to pound as the depth of what was happening hit him. He was here with a real, live dragon, and it was not going to eat him. It was actually interacting with him…in a sort of way. It slowly moved forward as best as it could on its injured leg. It looked at its leg and then back to Kade. It gave a sort of huff and looked at its leg again. Flecks of blood formed on its lips

  “How could you have survived with all those injuries?” Kade whispered out loud. The dragon’s ears swiveled at the sound of his voice. “You are listening to me?” he asked in awe. The dragon’s ears twitched, then it edged closer and again looked at its leg and then back to him. Kade‘s eyes widened in understanding. “Okay, let me see if I can do something with that,” he said as he approached the wounded leg. The dragon was fighting its internal instinct to kill as its lips parted. Kade was waiting for the guttural sounds of a verbal threat, but it never came. The twitching of its lips, however, continued.

  Ignoring the dragon’s teeth that were flashing in and out of view, Kade moved closer. Not really knowing why, he was certain it was not going to attack. There was a feather light caress on his mind again for just a moment, and then it was gone. Finding it hard to ignore the whites of its teeth that kept flashing into view, he edged even closer. Although Kade was certain the dragon knew he was no threat, he could not ignore the fact that it might just decide to eat him when he was done. He hoped with all his heart the giant, magnificent beast was no danger to him, but all he could do was hope there was, indeed, intelligence in there.

  He slid up to the dragon, in awe of its size and marveled at what a killing machine it was. The smell of blood and sweat assaulted him the closer he got. His fear start to well up as he approached, but he forced himself to continue. His stomach felt as though it were full of bats fluttering wildly. He tried to stay wide of the dragon’s head, but every time he went to pass, the dragon would shift, causing him to approach from the direction of those deadly teeth. Kade steeled himself the best he could, and holding his breath, slowly edged by those massive jaws. He could feel its hot breath on his arm every time it breathed. Its big, golden eyes watched him closely as he reached toward the badly damaged leg. The Divine calling leapt from his hand and melted into the dragon’s hide. Again, the dragon flinched and its lips shot up, revealing dangerously sharp, dagger-like teeth that were made for rending.

  Kade held his breath and felt his head start to swim. His life depended on his instincts, and he knew it. At least, he hoped his instincts were right, but it was more like a guess. But, that was not right either. Something was telling him the dragon would not attack.

  It breathed into his face and inhaled several times to get his scent. Kade’s hair fluffed every time the dragon exhaled. He almost gagged as he struggled to breathe. He backed away slightly and stopped as he noticed the sleek back, the supple neck and the graceful way the dragon moved. It was an absolutely beautiful work of nature, and he was right here next to it. It was exhilarating, and he was scared to death. He then looked down at its ten-inch long claws and realized he was crazy not to have run for his life.

  The dragon’s large, golden eyes continued to study him as he studied it. Its breathing was still a little ragged, and there were flecks of blood on its lips. Kade tiled his head to the side and narrowed his eyes as if to listen to a far off sound. His eyes lost focus as he realized what he was listening for was inside his head. Kade threw all caution to the wind and confidently walked back to the dragon. He placed his hand on its neck. The dragon’s neck muscles turned rock hard at that touch but it still held. The rough skin felt strong and soft at the same time. He called on the healing, and placed his hand on the dragon’s chest, letting the Divine Power flow into this wondrous creation.

  The dragon seemed to ease under his touch. It took several deep breaths as it drank in clean air. It flexed its muscles and shifted its wings as though it was preparing for flight. Then, without warning, its wings shot out and it leaped into the air. It pumped hard one time before bellowing in pain and then came crashing, very ungracefully, back to the ground. The wing had snapped. Kade dove to the side to avoid being crushed under the massive weight. He rolled several times and came to a stop, panting. When he looked up, the dragon was just regaining its feet.

  “No, you cannot fly yet,” Kade called out to the dragon, throwing his hands up in an attempt to signal it to stop.

  Calming himself from what he thought was his end by a falling dragon, he tried to see how much it had re-injured itself. It opened its wings again and winced in pain as it flexed them. It gave out a pathetic yearning sound as it looked up to the sky. Kade’s heart went out to it. Suddenly, that nagging feeling that he was missing something returned, causing him to stop. He cast a casual glance around and then, once again, pushed it from his mind.

  The dragon folded one wing back while the other dragged on the ground. As it struggled to use its damaged wing, it made sure to keep Kade where it could see him. It might realize that Kade was no threat, but its years of instinct and survival would not allow it to completely turn its back on something unfamiliar to it, especially when it knew he had power.

>   Kade slowly edged up to the dragon. Placing his hands on its wing, he sent the healing power to do its work once more. The dragon eased a little. Kade was pleased with the results, even if it was still going to take a while to completely mend.

  Maybe a few months, or maybe weeks, if the dragon was lucky, he thought as he considered the injury. The more he thought about it, the more he began to realize how lucky he was he had stumbled upon an injured dragon instead of a healthy one. He always considered dragons to be monsters and for good reason; they eat people and animals…or so the stories say.

  The nagging feeling returned, but this time it was so strong that he was unable to ignore it. Kade looked around as his chest started to tighten. “What?” he asked himself, unsure why he was feeling tension. He narrowed his eyes and scanned the area; for what, he was not sure.

  Kade found himself looking into the dragon’s eyes as if the reason for his unease could be found there. Its giant, golden discs the size of a dinner plate definitely held a level of intelligence as it regarded him. Its eyes appeared to shine as though they were made of pure gold.

  Giving a short, quick laugh, he realized that the dragon was doing the exact same thing he was doing and chided himself for being paranoid. His discomfort had to be coming from standing so close to such a massive killing machine. It was examining him, looking at his dark brown hair, his medium build, his dark brown eyes and his light skin. He was athletic and stood just short of six feet tall. He was not full of muscles, but he was very fit. He had good posture, for the most part. His hair was cut short, making it easy to keep clean. His eyes had a seductive quality that women found almost irresistible. He was even told once that he had bedroom eyes.

  Kade knew he was a good challenge for any man with his two hundred pounds. He was stronger than he looked, but even at ten times his strength, he would not have been a challenge for the dragon, even with it being injured. He knew this was one fight he would have lost and there would be no seeing a town healer or anyone ever again, for that matter. He swallowed and wondered what it was thinking of him.