The Divine Unleashed (Book 3) Read Free

the possibility of danger.  The dragon drew in its wings, scraping them along the ground instead of curling them in and wearily lumbered to its feet.  It sniffed the air several times.  Kade could feel confusion through the link.  It definitely smelled something, but it was a familiar scent that was not associated with danger.
    Kade walked around the dragon, watching the cave closely.  Nothing moved.  He turned and scanned the trees carefully.  Something about them was not quite right.  Kade squinted and tried to focus, but the sun was making it hard to see.
    “Kade,” Darcienna said slowly.  “It’s too quiet, and something is definitely wrong.”
    It was as if Darcienna’s words caused the area to explode in a frenzy of activity.  Spiders dropped from the trees and charged out from everywhere.  There were hundreds.  They poured out of the cave in droves.  Kade spun through the moves for the Fire Calling and had it held high, ready to let fly when it occurred to him that it was spiders he was seeing.  They rushed him and he welcomed them as the fire evaporated.
    “Kade,” Darcienna said, but he did not look at her as the spiders came at them.  Had he spared her so much as a glance, he would have seen that her eyes were glowing and getting brighter by the moment.
    “I see,” Kade said as he stepped up to greet his allies.
    “Kade?” Doren asked in a firm, critical voice.
    “They are our friends,” Kade said as the spiders closed in on them.
    “Kade!” Darcienna yelled as the first of the spiders reached them, her hands raised in indecision.  Her eyes flared brightly.
    Kade’s belief that he was being greeted by allies quickly turned into shock and disbelief as he was violently driven to the ground.  He struggled to catch his breath, the wind being knocked out of him.  The dragon leapt to its feet and roared in confusion.  It backed up a step as it readied itself to launch into the attackers that were holding Kade pinned to the ground.  Doren had a sparking energy dancing between his fingers and was on the verge of attacking.
    “No!  Do not hurt the spiders.  There has to be a reason for this.  Doren, don’t!” Kade yelled while making eye contact with the Master Chosen.  Doren clenched his jaw and let the spark flash out of existence.  The spiders quickly overwhelmed the Master Chosen and drove him to the ground.
    “Apprentice, you had better be right,” Doren hissed, seething.  Kade rankled at the way Doren used the title but that was the least of his concerns at the moment.
    Rayden was swinging his head back and forth, roaring over the buzz.  As weary as he was, the dragon was not too weary to come to Kade’s aid.  Rayden was readying himself for full-fledged battle.  He inhaled deeply, ready to burn them to dust.  Allies or not, anything that attacked his Chosen was not going to live long.
    “Rayden, stand down!” Kade yelled.  “Rayden, do not hurt them!”
    The dragon puffed up and let loose with a roar that shook the ground as it threw its head forward, bellowing its rage.  Kade’s ears rang but the spiders still held.  They were no longer attempting to attack the dragon, but they were not backing off, either.  Rayden charged the spiders that had Kade pinned.
    “NO!” Kade yelled.  The dragon threw his head wildly, fighting the urge to rend the attackers.  Kade could feel the link explode with the dragon’s desire to tear these creatures to pieces.
    Darcienna turned to rush to Kade’s aid, her hands extended, ready to call up her shield, but with the spiders holding Kade, it would only trap him in with his attacker.  Unfortunately, as she ran, she did not see the spider charging off her right side.  Kade was certain it was not planning on just restraining her, but instead, was coming in for the kill.  Its fangs were extended as it scurried forward, focused on its victim.  Kade struggled as he flexed his muscles, trying to gain leverage.  Regretfully,