The Man With No Hands

by Toby Neighbors

  “Oh good,” Luc said, swiping at the tears that were clinging to his cheeks. “Rolo, you’re a good dog. Aren’t ya boy? You’re my best friend.”

  Friend, Rolo said in a sad little whine, setting his head on Luc’s lap.

  Feray knew that Rolo’s body was healed, but the shock of the wound and the effects of the intense pain would have to pass in time. Perhaps, she thought, she could learn to treat even those emotions with magic. She felt a thrill as she realized just how much she could do with magic, that she had barely scratched the surface, but before she could even think about her power and all the amazing possibilities it offered her, she needed to deal with Orin.

  When she got to her feet she had to wait a few seconds for her head to clear. The betrayal felt even more personal because Orin had waited until she was asleep. It made her feel weak, and she hated that feeling. She wasn’t weak. She wasn’t frail. She was a powerful sorceress and it was time she embraced that power.

  Channeling magic was often like trying to direct a swift flow of water using only her hands. She could do it, but it wasn’t efficient and it took constant effort. Still, she had the ability and so she funneled the strength of the earth into her own body. It flowed up through her feet and legs before spreading through the rest of her. The spell only took a few seconds, but when she finished she felt much stronger, her body relaxed, and less tense.

  Terreek was finishing up with Orin, who was just regaining his senses after running directly into Feray’s wall of magic. The elf had the big warrior rolled onto his stomach and his hands bound behind his back. He was just finishing up the knot that held Orin’s legs together when Feray reached out through the abundant magic and levitated the flap of dragon skin. It was almost as large as a blanket. The flesh flew through the air and she carefully laid it back into place on the dragon’s wounded stomach. Then she directed magic into the dragon, but she also let the resonating strength from the earth flow up into her body, so that while the healing magic was strenuous, she didn’t feel like she was under water. The healing spell felt more like holding a heavy weight. It wasn’t comfortable, and it wasn’t easy, but it didn’t rob her of her own strength and energy, at least not as fast as it normally did.

  The wound slowly healed, the skin reconnecting, the magic filling the dragon with strength. She watched the gaping wound reseal itself, and felt a sense of accomplishment as the magic slowed and eventually stopped flowing into the dragon. She stepped back, proud of what she had done for Crucifus and also how she had learned to maintain her strength during the process. She expected the big, red dragon to open his eyes and look at her, but he didn’t. Crucifus didn’t move, and made no signs of waking up. His wounds were healed, even the wing that had been shredded to ribbons was whole again. Physically the dragon was completely well, but just like Rolo, the huge beast would have to deal with the emotions and mental effects of whatever had happened to him on his own.

  “I can’t move him,” Terreek said, referring to Orin, who was struggling to break free of the ropes that the elf had tied him with.

  Feray summoned her magical power and levitated the big warrior over the dragon and back to the little camp he had set up for her earlier. She helped Luc walk with Rolo back to the camp and once they were all together she set about preparing a meal. There wasn’t much meat left, but she made sure that Luc ate the protein. She had fruit, cheese, and bread from the elf village. They were all at rest, except for Orin, who was in pain from the dog bite on his left hand. Feray wasn’t sure what to do. She knew she could heal him, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to. Orin had betrayed her. Carving the flesh from Crucifus’ stomach was so horrible, she had trouble believing that he had actually done it. If she hadn’t seen him carrying the dragon hide, covered in the unmistakable green stains of dragon’s blood, she might not have. But his crime was unmistakable and to add further guilt to his crimes, he had wounded Rolo in order to escape. If not for Feray’s magical power, he would have left them all and Feray was certain he was returning to the vile sorcerer who had created his hands.

  When Rolo was feeling better, he and Luc went off to play, and Terreek decided to climb the nearest hill to keep watch. It was obvious that the elf was uncomfortable outside the Mossy Woodlands. And Orin’s constant groans of pain only made him nervous. Feray didn’t try to stop the elf. He had led them to Crucifus, which was his task, and had only remained because the dragon was in need of help. She would need to encourage him to return to his people soon, but she could still feel tension in the air and the fear that something sinister was on the horizon made her hesitate. He might be safer on his own in the forest, or he might be safer with her, she couldn’t be sure. So for the time being she insisted that he stay, and to his credit, Terreek showed no signs of regret or frustration.

  Orin was a different matter. Never before had Feray heard him whine or complain, not even when he had been severely beaten in Glory Keep. He had always been stoic and strong, yet he lay on the ground moaning.

  “What has happened to you?” she finally asked, not sure she wanted an answer.

  “Help me, Feray,” he begged. “Cut me loose. I won’t hurt you, I promise.”

  “I do not fear you, Orin. But you have changed. How could you turn against me like that?”

  “I don’t know,” he whined. “I need to leave, Feray. Please, let me go. I have to get away.”

  “Or what?” she snapped angrily. “Are you going to die? Maybe that is what you deserve.”

  “Please,” he said, drawing the word out as long as he could.

  She could see that something was wrong with him. Something more than just the pain of his mangled hand. There was no doubt that Allric had done something to Orin when he gave him new hands. Orin was cursed and she wasn’t sure what she could do about it. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to help him.

  “I will never be able to trust you again,” she said. “You broke my heart, Orin.”

  “I’m sorry,” he cried, hiding his face in the grass. “I’m a wretch. I cannot resist this urge to kill the dragon. For the sake of the gods, woman, cut me free!”

  “You are his slave now, you know that, right?” Feray said. “I told you his help would come at a price and now you have to pay it, no matter how despicable it is.”

  “Help me!” he screamed.

  “Be quiet!” Feray ordered. “You’re frightening Luc.”

  “Why are you torturing me?” Orin whined.

  “You did this to yourself,” she snapped, but she knew she had to do something.

  Orin was secured for the moment. He lay on the grass on his stomach, his hands tied behind his back, his feet tied together at the ankles. Yet she knew he wouldn’t stop trying to escape. Something was driving him mad, something inside him. And it was possible that she might be able to help, even though she really didn’t want to help him. Tears filled her eyes, which only made her angrier. He had betrayed her, and the pain nearly consumed her mind. She knew there were more important things to concern herself with, but she loved Orin.

  That thought struck like lightning and she wondered why she had resisted acknowledging it for so long. She loved him, despite her grief over losing Marc and the nearly constant change that had been going on in her life since then. She hadn’t wanted to see it. There was a sense of guilt and betrayal for her husband, even though he was dead and she was not. Yet now that she could admit how she felt, she also had to admit that the Orin she loved might possibly be gone forever.

  “I will do what I can,” Feray said, already gathering the magical power around her, “but I’m not making any promises.”

  Orin only moaned, and pressed his face into the ground as if he wanted to suffocate himself. She felt a pang of sorrow, but forced it away as she let her mind drift with the magic that she was surrounding Orin with. He needed more than healing, but she wasn’t sure what to do, so she let the magic guide her.

  It only took a few seconds to feel the dark, cold magic that had been plante
d deep inside Orin. It was connected to his new hands, but hidden away and kept dormant. She guessed it was the sight of Crucifus that had awakened the foul curse. Allric had not just given Orin hands, he had enchanted him with an uncontrollable need to harvest dragon flesh and return it to the evil sorcerer. Feray could feel the strange magic, it was like a red hot seed buried deep in Orin’s mind. She was loath to touch it, even with her own magic, but she knew she had to try or Orin would be driven insane.

  She flooded Orin with magic, ignoring his cries of pain and pleas for help. She surrounded the evil seed in his mind with her own magic, and began trying to remove it. At the slightest touch the evil enchantment transferred the strange painful desire to her. She suddenly felt what Orin had felt, and it was terrible. It was beyond temptation or desire, it was a powerful compulsion, dark, evil, and full of shame. When she released it, the feelings vanished and she realized she would have to endure the pain he was feeling if she wanted to free him of the dark curse.

  Once more she flooded the tiny seed in his mind with her own powerful magic. She let the wholesome power of the bright sunlight and fresh air and clean earth surround the dark curse. Slowly she began to pull the seed from his mind. It moved, but she could feel that it wasn’t going to be easily removed. It felt almost like it was tied to something else inside his body.

  She pulled, funneling strength from the earth up into her own body to empower her as she worked. Orin cried like a little child, and she felt his pain. It was like a roaring noise in her mind, every inch of her body felt as if it were on fire, and she wanted to run away. Panic flooded her mind, such fear that she almost screamed aloud, but instead she pulled harder.

  Orin’s hands jerked suddenly, snapping the ropes that held him as if they were nothing more than straw. She feared he might strike out at her, but instead he grabbed his own head. Continuing to pull, she tugged at the seed of evil in his mind. It was moving at last, pulling free. He screamed, and as Feray looked at him, she saw his hands dissolving. She felt a pang of regret as she watched the hands he’d been given disappear before her very eyes, and yet she knew she couldn’t stop. To save him she had to remove the seed of evil that had been planted in his mind and tied to the hands he longed for so desperately. Perhaps he would hate her for removing them, but she was certain that keeping the hands would drive him insane.

  With a violent wrench she pulled the seed from his mind and destroyed it. The power of the sunlight blasted the evil magic away. Orin lay on the ground, weeping, and Feray joined him. She had never felt anything as wretched and terrible as the seed of evil that had been planted in Orin’s mind. And she could only hope that the man she had come to love so dearly would somehow find his way back to her.

  Chapter 29

  Orin had passed out laying on the grass. Feray cut the bonds that held his legs then rolled him over and decided to inspect his arms. His left wrist ended in a stump, just a smooth, flare outward of thick skin, and dense tissue right at the joint. There was no sign of trauma, either from the hand that had dissolved or from the dog bite. His right arm ended in the same triangular appendage that she remembered. It had a joint in the middle and the tiny stub of a thumb. He was once again the man with no hands, the vile magic was removed and she hoped he was the man she had come to rely on. Yet she also felt a barrier between them. He had broken her trust, under the evil influence of the vile sorcerer or not, and she wasn’t sure she could trust him. Time would tell. She only hoped there were no more seeds of evil lying dormant inside him. If so, she might not discover it until tragedy struck and then she might never be able to forgive herself. There was no telling what Allric had done to Orin while he was held captive, and that meant she might never be able to trust him fully.

  Night fell gradually, the stars appearing in the sky overhead, and Luc fell asleep under the blanket shelter with Rolo by his side. Shadow had returned at dusk with the carcass of a young deer. Feray had cut off a section of the hind leg and roasted it for their supper. It had been a welcome change in their diet, although Terreek refused to eat the meat, and Orin was still unconscious the same as Crucifus.

  Feray wasn’t sure what she would do if the dragon didn’t wake soon. She had performed the healing magic, and the huge dragon still slumbered. When the sun rose she would try to wake him, and in the meantime she would get some rest as well.

  Shadow had taken the remainder of the carcass away from the camp to feed on. And Terreek, who needed less sleep than Feray, had volunteered to keep watch until midnight. Her only remaining concern was whether or not to tie Orin up again. If he came to in the night, he might try to harm her, or worse still do something to Luc. Or he might simply slink off into the night, but she decided that since she had removed the magic that had cursed him, and someone would be awake through the night keeping watch, she could forgo the bonds.

  She slept soundly for several hours before Terreek woke her up. It was well past midnight, and she was thankful for the extra rest. Rolo looked up at her as she stood and stretched.

  “Go back to sleep, boy,” she told him. “I’ll be fine.”

  Sleep, Rolo said in a whine, then propped his boxy head on his big paws and went back to sleep.

  Feray stepped away from the camp, marveling at the stars once more. They seemed so close, and so bright, she wanted to reach out and touch them. Shadow joined her as she climbed the nearby hill, which overlooked the camp and Crucifus’ body, and had a view of the land between the mountains and the forest. She was grateful to have the panther with her as she looked out toward the river, wondering what exactly she was worried about. The big cat purred softly, and Feray stroked her head as she looked down at the camp. Orin was a dozen paces from where Luc slept, but the big warrior hadn’t moved. He was still sleeping and not a threat, at least not at the moment. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that danger was approaching. It was frustrating that she couldn’t pinpoint what was making her so nervous. Perhaps, she wondered, the multitude of disasters in her life had left her scarred, but her fear was that something she couldn’t see or predict was about to spring up and she wouldn’t be able to protect the people she loved. She hadn’t been able to protect Via, and the girl had fallen under Allric’s spell. That thought made her feel queasy and did nothing to calm her worries.

  When Shadow perked up beside her, growling in a low, menacing tone, she wondered at first if the big cat was just picking up on Feray’s nervousness. As the night progressed, Feray felt more and more on edge. Standing watch in the darkness was fine, since she didn’t think she could go back to sleep anyway. Her mind was too keyed up, but just standing silently was misery too. She wanted to shout, to get whatever was making her feel so tense and afraid over with. The anticipation was killing her, and she didn’t even know what was coming. But she was certain that something was approaching, even though she couldn’t say why or how she knew.

  When Shadow suddenly roared, Feray was so surprised she screamed. Rolo was on his feet instantly, and Terreek followed, although less quickly. Feray’s heart was racing and she looked frantically into the darkness, trying to see what the panther saw. Rolo began to bark, and Shadow raced off down the hill, the distinctive panther’s scream echoed through the valley and made Feray’s hair stand up on the back of her neck.

  The attack came suddenly and fortunately for Feray the creatures weren’t interested in her, or her family. They came sprinting through the valley, running straight for Crucifus, their auras a dark maroon that was difficult to identify in the gloom. Feray had never seen anything like them. They had the shape of men, but they were horrifyingly different. They ran bent forward, their arms held close to their bodies, thick legs churning beneath them and long, narrow tails stretching out behind them. Shadow attacked one of the strange beings, jumping on the creature as it ran past her. The panther landed with claws extended, powerful jaws clamping down on the beast’s shoulder. They both fell, rolling and roaring.

  Rolo barked angrily at the creatures as they r
an past, but the dog didn’t move from where he stood over Luc, who had covered his head with his arms. Feray, summoning her magical power, raised a barrier in front of the beasts, expecting them to crash headlong into it the way Orin had. But just as suddenly as her spell appeared, the creatures changed course. The only explanation was that they could see the magic, just like she could. Acting fast as they neared the dragon, she snatched them off the ground, the magic of the earth and wind swirling around the creatures as they writhed and squirmed in an effort to break free and get to the dragon.

  She flung them away, their bodies flying through the air and then crashing hard, rolling over the ground before finally slumping to a stop. She took a deep, shaky breath, knowing the danger hadn’t passed. The creatures were getting back to their feet, but moving more slowly than before. She was focused on the creatures and almost didn’t see the streak of menacing orange light racing up at her from the far side of the hill.

  She dove to the ground to avoid the spell, but the slope and her momentum carried her away. Out of control, she rolled and flipped down the hillside in a rush and finally slid to a stop at the bottom, her mind spinning for a moment. She coaxed the elemental magic of the earth up into her battered body to give her strength, then she rose up onto her feet.

  Shadow had gone from the attack to fighting for her life. The panther’s claws didn’t penetrate the creature’s thick skin, and while her long fangs had managed to puncture the flesh at the beast’s shoulder, it had flung her away and then turned its own powerful talons against the panther. Shadow screamed as the beast raked her flank with its claws, tearing two long cuts through her dark fur and ripping into the muscle of her hind leg. She dove forward, clamping her powerful jaws on the beast’s inner thigh. The creature roared in pain, and Feray recognized the sound. It wasn’t as loud or as deep, but it was distinctly dragon-like.