Hand of Fire: Book 1 of the Master of the Tane

by Thomas Rath

  “It’s not a troll,” Dor whispered back.

  Jack’s confused look turned to surprise and then complete horror.

  “Jack, are goblins green, squatty, fat and bald, with pointed ears?”

  Jack didn’t speak. He couldn’t. His mouth opened but nothing came out.

  “I guess that solves that riddle,” Dor provided. “Now what?”

  Jack stared straight ahead as if trying to pierce the blackness and confirm what Dor could see so clearly and easily. Finally, he lifted his hand, and without a word, pointed back the way they had come. Dor nodded and turned about throwing one last glance toward the sentry and shivering slightly. Somewhere beyond that goblin was Tam.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Dor rubbed Erl behind the ear to the wolg’s obvious delight as his leg reacted joyously by patting the ground in a loud, fast thump. They had returned back to the pass in silence, each wrapped in his own dark thoughts, and quickly found their mounts grazing on what small amounts of vegetation they could find near the mountains, not far from the gap that marked the pass. Jack paced back and forth muttering to himself while pausing every few seconds to throw a quick look back the way they had come before shaking his head. Dor was becoming dizzy just watching and finally broke the silence. “So, what do we do now?”

  Jack stopped and stared at him as if seeing him for the first time and then shook his head. “Do you think Thane is in there with Tam?”

  Dor was taken back somewhat by the question. He had to admit that he had forgotten about Thane for the time being, placing his complete concentration on getting Tam back. Looking down he shook his head. “I don’t know. Do dragons get along with goblins or trolls?”

  Jack threw his hands into the air. “Who’s to say? Trolls don’t get along with each other, yet here they are in a mass. Goblins hate trolls, but they seemed to have joined forces with them and even sent sentries out to guard their backs. A Dragon, which is just an old fable to scare children, took my Chufa friend who, by the way, is also an old fable. So, you tell me. Being a child’s story yourself, you ought to know more about these things than me. I don’t know anything anymore.” Jack started his pacing again yanking small pieces of hair from his chin.

  Dor looked at Erl who just whimpered slightly and then rolled onto his back offering the Chufa boy his stomach. “So, what you are saying is there is a distinct possibility that dragons do get along with goblins and trolls and that we’ll probably find Thane right along with Tam.”

  Jack stopped suddenly and whirled about shooting Dor a look that would whither rock. Through gritted teeth the old man hissed. “What I am saying, my little imaginary friend, is in terrain like this with no cover whatsoever, and with thousands of goblins, trolls and who knows what else breathing down our necks, our chances of finding, let alone retrieving your friends is just about as likely as me finding my son. It hasn’t happened yet and it probably never will!”

  Fire suddenly lit in Dor’s eyes and he quickly found himself within inches of Jack’s face. “I for one am not going to give up. I know they’re out there and I’m not leaving here without them. Now, if you want to tuck your HuMan tail between your legs and run scared out of here, then hurry up and do it. I can’t think straight with your constant pacing and negative talk!”

  “Who said anything about leaving?” Jack hissed back. “And as for my pacing, I’m sorry if it bothers your simple little mind, but it helps me think!”

  “Fine then!”

  “Fine!”

  “Now that that is settled,” Dor fairly screamed, “what do we do next?”

  Jack’s expression eased slightly. “First thing we do is lower our voices. That is, unless you want to find Tam by getting captured yourself.”

  Dor dropped his glare, and his voice. “Sorry.”

  “Me too,” Jack returned smiling weakly. “Now, let’s put our heads together and come up with something useful.”

  Dor gave Jack a confused look and then shrugged his shoulders. “Well, if you think it will help you.” Dor moved forward placing his head alongside of Jack’s.

  Jack jumped back almost instantly. “What in all the hells of Dren are you doing? It was just an expression!”

  Dor looked at the large man sheepishly. “I thought it sounded a little crazy, but I wasn’t quite sure. HuMans are a strange race after all.”

  Jack waved him off. “Never mind, let’s just come up with something so we can get out of here.”

  Dor nodded and then started up with his own pacing march. “What we need is a way to get in there without being seen, find Tam and Thane and then get them out without any detection.”

  “Right,” Jack paused. “But how? Unless one of us suddenly sprouts wings or takes on a green hue to his skin, it’s not very likely we’ll get within fifty yards of their camp.”

  Dor stopped his pacing. “You don’t think we could slip past the guards? There’s a trick we use when we fight rock trolls back in my village. If you just...”

  Jack cut him off. “You don’t understand boy. Goblins are a bit smarter than trolls. Granted, it’s not by much, but it’s enough to get you killed and eaten if you’re not careful.”

  Dor rubbed his pointed ear. “So what we need then is some type of disguise.”

  “And a way in,” Jack quickly added.

  “Can goblins see in the dark?”

  Jack scratched his beard where he had plucked out some of his hair. “I don’t know. I don’t think so, but what...”

  “I can get in.”

  Jack smiled, unconvinced. “All right, let’s just say, for arguments sake, you can get past the guards. Then what? They would spot you as an outsider in an instant and then you would be the morning’s breakfast!”

  Dor started his pacing again, grabbing the long hair that swung bellow his shoulders and giving it a slight pull. “I could do that,” he muttered to himself. “But I still would be the wrong color.”

  “What’s that you said?” Jack asked stepping a bit closer, landing his foot in a pile of horse manure. “Oh, by Seless’ sacred doors,” he bellowed.

  Dor looked up. “What? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” Jack said, irritation edging his voice. “Just found a pile of fly bait with my foot, that’s all.”

  Dor looked down at Jack’s boot as the old man grabbed a stick and commenced wiping the dung from his sole. “Wait a minute!” Dor said excitedly. Reaching out, he took a handful of the smelly substance and mashed it between his fingers. “That’s it!”

  Jack just stared, unsure how to react to Dor’s sudden interest in horse crap.

  Dor thrust his dung-covered hand into Jack’s face. “Don’t you see it?”

  “Hey, get that stuff out of my face!” Jack cried jerking backwards and falling onto his rear. “The only thing I’m seeing from here is a crazy Chufa boy with a hand full of crap.” Rising to his feet he gave Dor a concerned look. “What’s gotten into you?”

  Dor stared at his fingers. “The answer.”

  * * *

  The sun was an hour before setting when Jack approached Dor’s back with his dagger drawn. After Dor’s crazy reaction the night before, they had camped inside the pass to avoid detection from the troll and goblin encampment below. Jack had passed the day away sharpening his dagger and keeping a sharp eye out for ambush while Dor searched the pass gathering all the troll dung he could find. He now sat with a large pile of it at his feet. Jack still felt the young boy was crazy but could only come up with one other suggestion. This was his only chance.

  Walking silently towards him, he ran his thumb along the dagger’s blade. He had done his job well. It was sharper now than he remembered it ever being. Raising the dagger slowly over his head, he hoped Dor would understand.

  “Do it,” Dor said quietly. “Do it quick before I change my mind.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked, holding the dagger in place. “We could think of another way, I’m sure of it. Maybe I could...”

&nb
sp; Dor shook his head. “It’s the only way. It’s a small price to pay for the lives of my friends. Do it.”

  He grabbed Dor’s hair and pulled back the young boy’s head. One slice was all it would take. He placed the dagger and hesitated for only a moment. A quick move of his hand and it was over. There was no going back now. He would complete the task.

  Jack handed Dor the handful of hair he had just cut from the young boy’s head. Dor quickly went to work with his own dagger cutting the long strands into small pieces he let drop on a blanket next to him. “Hurry, Jack. Take it all off. I have to be completely bald.”

  “I know, I know,” Jack fumed. “Quit your moving around or you’ll liable to have more than just hair come off of this thick head of yours.”

  Both fell silent for long moments as Jack shaved the hair from Dor’s scalp leaving him as bald as a stone. Standing back to admire his handiwork Jack let out a heavy sigh. “Well, I hope this works. You’re as bald as a baby and I only got you in a couple of spots. Not to worry though, they’ll heal in no time which is a lot more than I can say for your hair.”

  Dor moved to rub his hand across his head and then stopped. “It’ll work, Jack. It has too. There’s no other way.”

  “You just remember what I told you about goblins. It’s going to take a lot more than mere looks to keep them from catching on to the fact you aren’t really one of them.”

  “I know, I know. Don’t back down to anyone.”

  “And?”

  “And, if I get in a fight, don’t hesitate to kill. None of the others will think twice about it. I’ve got it.”

  “Plus, if it’s a high ranking goblin all the better. The others will respect you then.”

  Dor placed a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “I know it’s tough to have come all this way only to stay behind. Thank you for all of your help, Jack. Without you, none of...”

  Jack cut him off with a raised hand. “You just be sure and get them back for us.”

  Dor smiled. “I will. What could possibly go wrong?”

  Jack just shook his head. Plenty.

  They waited until sunset to make the final preparations. Dor pulled one of Jack’s shirts over his head and then stuffed it with a cloak and cinched it with a sash giving him a more rotund look. He refused Jack’s offer of a sword claiming he had not had enough practice with one to make it dangerous to anyone but himself. A dagger was all he felt he would need, tucking his own under his sash. A bow would have also been nice but Jack informed him that such a weapon required too much skill for a goblin to use.

  “Right. Now for the finishing touch.” Jack grimaced as he watch Dor dig his fingers into the large pile of troll dung he had spent the day gathering and then smear it along his arms, legs, and face. Its green color would more than suffice in dying his skin to match that of a goblin’s. The horrendous smell would also help in cloaking his scent. From what Jack could remember, troll dung was not only the right color, but also came awfully close to a goblin’s natural odor. Dor finished rubbing the last parts of his head and face and then presented himself to Jack for inspection.

  “Well, I have to admit it; you look an awful lot like a goblin. It just might work after all.”

  Dor grimaced. “That is if I can last long enough before this smell knocks me senseless.”

  “You just keep your lunch down and your wits about you and you’ll do just fine.”

  “All right, now for the hair.”

  Jack grabbed a handful of Dor’s cut up locks and tossed them against the boy’s legs and arms to complete the disguise. It stuck readily to the dung giving him the appearance of being covered with hair.

  Dor turned to Erl. “What do you think?”

  Erl let out a small whine and then moved up wind.

  Laughing, Dor turned back to Jack. “Well, I guess this is it.” Extending his hand he said, “Wish me luck.”

  Jack looked at the green, dung-covered hand and recoiled just a bit. “You just come back alive. Then I’ll shake your hand.”

  Dor looked down at his extended green, odoriferous fingers and smiled.

  “That is, after you’ve washed yourself clean.”

  Without another word, he turned away and swiftly made his way out of the pass. Taking a quick look at the valley below, now bathed in the dying light of the ending day, he worked his way down off the slope. Cook fires began to flare up on the horizon reminding him of the magnitude of what he was about to attempt. It’s the only way, he kept reminding himself. I can do this.

  In mere moments, he was on the flat and slowly making his way towards the mass of trolls and goblins. And Tam. He was careful not to go too fast, he had to wait for complete darkness to fall before he reached his goal so he could sneak undetected through the goblin’s outer perimeter. Flies were buzzing unmercifully about him making it hard for him to keep from flailing his arms in an attempt to be free of their constant onslaught. Jack told him that flies where a natural companion to goblins. He only had to keep himself from trying to swat them away.

  Fixing his mind set, he tried to make himself think as a goblin and thus act the part. Like Jack had reminded him over and over, no amount of disguise was going to do him any good if he did not act the part. Luckily, he found his nose was finally deadening to the smell allowing him to concentrate even harder on forgetting what was all over his body. A gentle breeze passed over his bald head reminding him all too clearly that his hair was gone.

  In the last rays of sunlight, Dor squatted behind a twisted old tree and prepared himself. Get in and then get out with Tam and Thane. That’s all there is to it. Get in and get out. “This is crazy,” he muttered. “Maybe Jack was right.” Looking about, his heart began to sink. “Am I to have come all this way only to die bald and covered in troll crap?” Tam’s face forced its way into his mind and his breath caught. He did not see her as he had last seen her, wallowing in the dirt when he escaped the troll camp. He saw her as he had never seen her before. A smile lit up her face and she whispered his name as if calling to him. His heart raced. “You’re...you’re beautiful.”

  Shaking himself from his self-induced trance, he suddenly realized that night had completely fallen, cloaking him in its dark embrace. “I know you’re waiting for me, death. Let’s see if I can’t cheat you again.” Rising to his feet, he silently closed the gap between himself and the nearest fire. As the night before, he caught sight of a goblin just off to his right who was trying desperately to keep his attention on his duty. Loud calls of laughter erupted filling the night air and Dor watched as the goblin guard turned his head and looked longingly towards the fires beyond.

  “This is going to be easier than I thought.”

  Suddenly, a large, white blur rushed past and almost knocked him to the ground. Erl? A large wolg rushed the perimeter right for the unsuspecting guard. What are you doing? The goblin jerked around and brought up his weapon just as the wolg was bathed in the light from the fires. The goblin pulled his swing, obviously startled by the wolg’s sudden appearance but unwilling to try and cause it any harm. What is this?

  The goblin called out to Erl, as if in chastisement, turning his back to Dor as he continued to yell at the retreating wolg. Dor didn’t wait. Taking his cue from the goblin’s back, he sprinted silently towards the firelight. This was it. There would be no going back from here. He passed to the other side and then stopped, almost in midstride. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The fires seemed to carry on forever. The sheer number of goblins and trolls was more than he could have ever imagined. They were like an ocean of bodies, spread out from one end of the valley to the other. He also noticed quite a number of wolgs lying about the fires surrounded mostly by goblins. How am I ever going to find Tam in all of this? It’s hopeless.

  He looked around in horror and doubt wondering what it was he was going to do next when something struck him on the side of the head. Recovering quickly, he fully expected the whole camp to rise up in discovery of who he was and skin him alive but nob
ody moved. Off to his left a large goblin had come to his feet and seemed to be yelling at him waving him towards the fire. What did Jack tell me? Stay inconspicuous; don’t get yourself noticed. I guess I blew that rule.

  Dor was about to turn away and go elsewhere when Jack’s voice popped into his head. Don’t back down to anyone. Whatever you do, don’t back down. Dor bent down and picked up what looked like a human thighbone. Pushing back an instant desire to gag, he glared as best he could and made his way over to the goblin. All right Jack, I hope you were right.

  The goblin grinned as Dor approached, egged on by at least ten others who surrounded the fire. Another guttural noise escaped the goblins mouth to the obvious delight of his friends who erupted in what Dor could only guess was laughter. He gripped the bone in his hand suddenly happy for the advice Jack had given him. Well, if I’m going to die, I’d rather die fighting. Closing the last few feet between them, he cocked back with the bone and landed a solid blow against the goblin’s face, smashing its nose into a mass of cartilage and blood, and sending it crashing to the dirt. Dropping the bone, he pulled his dagger and turned to the group of friends who had since fallen silent. To his great relief, none made a move to avenge their friend. Turning back to the goblin, now writhing in pain, he sheathed his dagger and spat in his face before turning towards the heart of the camp and plunging his way in as if with real purpose.

  His legs barely held him as the realization of what he had just done overtook him. Thank you, Jack. For once you were right. Just then, a wolg stepped in front of his path, pulling him up short. He waited. Jack had said nothing about wolgs. Was he going to have to fight his way through the whole camp before he found Tam? Realization suddenly dawned on him and he risked a quick word. “Erl?” A slight wag of the tail clued him in that his assumption was correct causing his tensed muscles to release their grip so quickly he almost dropped. He opened his mouth to say something more but was cut off by a loud snarl. Looking with surprise at the wolg he wondered if he hadn’t been mistaken when it turned and headed deeper into camp. Dor stood watching, unsure of what to do when the wolg turned its head and growled at him again. He wants me to follow. It must be Erl.