The Divine Apprentice (The Divine Series) (10 page)

There had to be meaning to all this,
Kade thought
.  It was as though Zayle knew, but at the same time, he was surprised,
he thought as he came to a stop in front of the cabin.  His mind was whirling with questions as he stood for many long minutes, not moving.

             
He did know
, Kade thought suddenly. 
He taught me that ritual, knowing this might happen.
  “What did you not tell me?  What do I need to know?” Kade asked out loud as he looked at the freshly dug grave.  He realized that he was actually waiting for an answer, as though at any moment Zayle would speak to him.  But, the only sound that came was the wind and the rustle of the trees off in the distance.  He used to think this was the most serene, peaceful place in the world.  Now, it only held pain for him.

             
“What was so bad that you, the most powerful Chosen of the Divine, were afraid?” Kade asked as he began to pace.  His analytical mind was starting to fire as his eyes narrowed.

             
Kade thought back on a time when he had walked in on his master while Zayle had been in the den, studying.  He was pouring over his books about the dead when he said out loud, “You will not win!  I will find out who you are,” Zayle said vehemently.

“Who?” Kade had asked his master, startling him.

“Nothing you need to know right now,” was Zayle’s response as he violently slammed the book closed.

Suddenly, he felt a touch on the back of his neck, causing him to jump and yelp.  He spun, expecting to find Zayle, but instead, found his dragon watching him quizzically.  Kade felt like a fool and smiled with genuine affection at the dragon, grateful for the mental distraction.  He ignored his pounding heart and reached up to scratch right under its jaw.  It loved this, as was evident by the quiet rumble of pleasure that came from deep within the dragon.  Kade chuckled to himself.

“Don’t worry.  It will be okay.  I have a feeling that my master knew this was going to happen and was preparing for it,” Kade said, feeling his heart rate return to a normal rhythm.

Kade paused as he recalled Zayle telling him that exact same thing.  Every time he would inquire what his master was studying, Zayle’s response was, “You will understand in time, the Divine willing.”  Just when his mind started to work again, the dragon huffed, drawing him back to the present.  Kade shrugged his shoulders and decided to let it go for the time being.

“I need to go back into the cabin.  I have a lot of work to do,” Kade said as he turned for the door.

Kade walked into the empty home and felt as though he were walking into it for the first time.  He noticed the worn wooden floor and wondered why his master never lived in anything nicer.  He knew with the power Zayle commanded, he could have had almost anything he wanted.  It was as if he wanted to keep it simple so as not to be noticed.

Kade turned to his right and walked the three steps it took to the entrance of Zayle’s study, where all the books of knowledge were kept.  He made the passes through the air, drawing the Divine up through his body and then out his hands to deactivate the hidden trap.  Kade stopped again as another thought came to him.  It had been only three weeks since Zayle had taught him how to disarm the calling and gain access to the study.  Another thing to ponder.

The room was ten feet wide by fifteen feet long.  There was a table in the middle with an old high back chair made of wood.  The back and seat had black leather padding.  The leather was well worn and cracked from years of use.  The table was centuries old and had a lot of meaning to Zayle.  For the life of him, Kade could not place the type of wood.  This is where Zayle did almost all of his studying.  There was a bookshelf to the left as soon as he walked into the room.  Kade could feel a surge of excitement with the thought of all that knowledge at his fingertips for the taking, and then a pang of guilt stabbed at him.

“I did not want power this way, master,” he said out loud.  “I would give all this away to have you back,” Kade said as he took a step back to emphasize the point.  He sighed, taking a step closer to the bookshelf and then another to stand right in front of it.

The bookshelf appeared as old as Zayle.  There were many books on the two lower shelves and just a scattering of books on the upper two levels.  Kade slowly perused the labels as he ran a finger across each one.  HOW TO USE THE JUNG TREE TO RELIEVE TENSION. 

Bah,
he thought and moved on, hoping for something that had more substance to it.  He pulled book after book off the shelves, trying to find one that would give him some kind of information that he could use; either a useful manipulation of the Divine Power, or knowledge of what was happening and why.  Unfortunately, every book was just like the first, so he discarded them all.

There was a slight rattle of the wind at the far wall, drawing his attention.  He turned and walked the three steps to stand in front of the window.  It was two feet wide and two feet tall with a cross made of wood, meeting in the middle to hold glass, if they were to use glass.  Kade marveled at the simple calling that kept everything out, to include rain or bugs, but allowed the breeze in.  Zayle had a way to alter the calling to keep the wind out, if needed, but on nice days, Kade could always feel the breeze wafting out of the study and through the cabin.

The wall to his right had a large board with all kinds of scribbles covering it.  None of it meant anything to Kade.  He tried his best to decipher it, but Zayle had never taught him the key.  Tight lipped from frustration, he turned again and surveyed the room.  Just as he was considering leaving, his eyes caught what looked like a small scrape mark in the wooden floor at the very edge of the rug that lay in front of the bookshelf.  He walked over and stood there, looking at the floor.  He slowly bent down and pulled the carpet back.

“Now what do we have here?” he mumbled to himself, expecting to find a trap door.  “Nothing?” he questioned in surprise as he slid the carpet out and away from the bookshelf.

Taking a step back, he noticed the way the scrapes arced toward the bookshelf and stopped right at the edge.  His eyes widened slightly, and the corners of his mouth barely twitched, as though he was on the verge of a smile.  He moved closer and examined the sides of the bookcase.

“These look like they were made by the bookshelf,” Kade said as he bent down and ran his fingers in the grooves.  He stood and proceeded to examine every spot on the bookcase for a secret lever or handle.  No matter what he pulled or pushed, there was no other indication at all that there was a lever of any sort.  He even tried to pry the bookshelf away from the wall, but it was firmly stuck and gave no indication that it would open.  He might as well have been trying to move a boulder.

If the master had trusted me enough to show me his secrets, this would not be that difficult,
Kade thought as he moved to the other side of the bookcase.  Just as he started to turn away, he caught a glimpse of metal.  He peered closer and was rewarded with a discovery of what looked like a hinge.

“I knew it!” Kade exclaimed excitedly.

His excitement quickly turned to frustration as the bookcase stubbornly held onto its secrets.  No matter how hard he pushed or pulled, it would not budge.  It felt like wood and looked like wood, but clearly there was more at work here than could be seen by the eye.  Kade shook his head slightly as he looked on in frustration.

“Master, did you not want me to find this?” Kade asked out loud, as an image of Zayle standing in front of the bookcase formed in his mind.  He felt a twinge of sadness as he closed his eyes, picturing his teacher moving about the study and sitting in the chair behind him.  He opened his eyes and glanced over his shoulder at the chair.  It was empty.  He swallowed and refocused on the bookshelf. 

The Divine Power
, he thought to himself, realizing what must be at work here.  He closed his eyes and recited the words in his mind that meant reveal.  The calling was so simple it was almost impossible to make a mistake.  As a matter of fact, it was one of the simplest callings to perform.  But, without knowing of it and knowing the words to speak in your mind, it would still be out of reach for any chosen, even a master.

Kade looked through his closed eyes and saw a faint, pulsing, green glow surround the bookshelf.  He smiled to himself, knowing he was finally getting somewhere.  “What about going through the middle?” he asked out loud as he started pulling all the books off the shelf and piling them on the table.  Something in him knew it was not going to be this simple, but he had to try.  He pounded on the back panel, hoping to hear a hollow sound.  Kade frowned, hearing nothing but a solid knock. 

Okay, one last thing to try
, he thought as he walked out of the room.

Kade turned and went outside, searching the ground for what he needed for his next attempt.  Finally, his eyes landed on a fairly large rock.  He picked it up and carried it back into the cabin.  He turned to the right and almost walked into the study.  He caught himself at the last moment, dropping the rock and even coming up on his toes before rocking back on his heels.  He was just a hairs-breath away from forgetting about the protection calling.  It automatically reset when the room was empty.  He knew it would have paralyzed him, and with no Zayle to find him, he would have surely died on the floor.  An ugly shiver ran down his back as a dozen bats flapped around in his stomach.  He chastised himself for being careless.

Kade thought back on the time he found out about the trap the hard way.  His master had not found him until two hours later, paralyzed on the floor.  It was the most uncomfortable two hours he had ever spent. 

“That was just too close,” he said out loud.  He swallowed hard and tried to loosen the knot in his shoulders. 

Kade calmed his nerves as he prepared to deactivate the calling.  He said the words in his head to allow access to the den while moving his arms in the required way.  This time, he closed his eyes and used his Divine Sight to make sure it was disarmed.  He was pleased to see the faint yellow outline around the doorframe, indicating that the calling was no longer active.

Kade picked up the rock and went to the bookcase.  He hesitated for a moment, feeling guilty as though he were violating his master’s den.  It was one thing to move books around but quite another thing to destroy his master’s possessions.  Kade reminded himself that this all belonged to him now, certain that Zayle would want him to have whatever was hidden behind the bookshelf.

He held the rock against his right shoulder with his right hand supporting most of the weight.  His left hand was on the bolder to help steady it.  He took a step with his right leg, while at the same time, putting all his weight and strength into throwing.  Kade waited for the splinters of wood.  He flinched and almost missed seeing it bounce off without even leaving so much as a scratch.  He tried to dodge the rock as it bounced to the floor and then straight into his shin, sending him into a cursing rage as he limped around the table, afraid he had broken his leg.  He looked down and saw a rip in his pants where blood was just starting to seep through.

“By the mighty Divine!” Kade cursed, grateful his leg was not broke but angry, nonetheless, for being unsuccessful yet again.

Kade stopped in front of the table and brought his fist down hard as his master had done a week prior.  Frustrated, he considered blasting the bookshelf with the Divine Fire.  He quickly rejected the idea, certain if it worked, he would burn down the bookshelf and whatever was behind it instead, not to mention the cabin, also. 

Or possibly
, he thought with sarcasm,
the calling would bounce right back at me.

“Why could you not have taught me about this?” Kade asked in frustration as he gestured toward the bookshelf while staring at the imaginary Zayle sitting in the leather bound chair. 

He gritted his teeth against the pain and limped around the table to sit.  Studying the bookcase, he waited for the answer to jump out at him.  He racked his brain and tried his best to recall anything Zayle may have said that would help him with this riddle, but there was nothing.  He calmed himself as he analyzed the bookcase carefully.  Studying each shelf, he looked for anything that was different.

“Why can’t it be something simple?” Kade asked out loud as he leaned back in the chair and covered his face with his hands.  He paused as he thought back on something Zayle had said. “What was it you used to say about the simple way?” Kade questioned as he rose from the chair.  “Something about, not always looking for the hard way, but instead, look for the easy way, especially when the situation seems hopeless.” 

But that does not make sense
, he thought as he stood in front of the bookcase.

Really?
Kade thought, sure he had it.  His eyes went to the entrance to the room and then to the bookshelf.  “You always did say that getting in here was simple.  So, was that your way of getting in behind the bookcase, also?”

Kade took a deep breath, closed his eyes and went through the motions of the Disarm Calling.   He smiled to himself as he sent the Divine into the bookcase.  He let out his breath and used the Reveal Calling.

“What?  Why?” Kade asked, baffled that he was wrong.  “But, I was so sure that was it,” he said slowly, looking up and down at the bookcase through closed eyes, searching for something that would indicate that he had deactivated a calling.