Night Calls the Raven (Book 2 of The Master of the Tane)

by Thomas Rath

  This time he did not hesitate. Jne hit the ground and quickly rolled to one side just barely catching Renja’s swords as one sliced at her stomach, the other aimed at her neck. But it was all he got. Jne’s speed and agility were beyond anything he had ever witnessed and once again she was on her feet and moving to attack. The pad under her eye was swelling slightly obscuring her vision but it was not enough to impede her attacks.

  Renja was now bordering on complete exhaustion. Jne raged at him from seemingly every side scoring small nicks and cuts that were getting worse and worse. He knew the end was near. He could feel death entering the circle now as he fought desperately to stay clear of her blades.

  The pommel of one of Jne’s swords connected with his face and he felt himself falling to the ground. Death had finally found its way through the crowd and was now standing over him, reaching out its hand to take him. Time suddenly slowed. He watched the faces nearest him staring as he fell towards the dirt, their eyes blank, free of emotion or care. He would die. They expected it and would witness it.

  He hit the ground with a grunt but there was no sound, all was quiet. Jne’s body slowly approached towering over him with her swords lifted for the killing strike. He could see the beads of sweat on her forehead, the tiny drop of blood falling from her cheek and coming towards him. He noticed she had positioned herself this time so he could not use his legs to undercut her.

  Strangely, the whirlwind that had been twisting in his head since he woke up in the Tjal camp also began to slow. Faces flashed in his mind taunting him, calling him, daring him to remember. He grabbed one and held onto it. It tried to twist away but this time he was able to keep it in focus. It was a girl. He knew her. She was about his age with the same dark hair and features. I know you. I know your name. Jne. He knew that was not right. Jne was still over him, her swords moving slowly towards him anxious for the kill.

  He suddenly felt a gentle breeze caress his cheek and he thought he heard it whispering to him, ArVen. That was it. She was the wind. No, she was not the wind. She was of the wind. The storm of thoughts slowed even more and he smiled. I know you TamVen. The face suddenly sneered at him and mocked. “Thane of the Five Tane, Thane of the Five Tane, ha ha ha. Thane of the Five Tane.” Renja felt the anger growing inside him at her mocking tone and then he stopped and smiled. Yes, I am Thane of the Five Tane.

  His mind suddenly stopped and the shattered pieces that had been floating about in a twist of gibberish crashed together and reformed instantly into coherent thoughts and memories restoring his life and his identity in one great flash. That’s it! I am Thane of the Five Tane!

  “Thane of the Five Tane!” The words exploded from his mouth and time sped up with a snap. Jne hesitated briefly at his outburst and that was all he needed to roll away pushing death back into the crowd and escaping Jne’s lethal thrusts. Her swords buried deep into the earth giving Thane enough time to regain his feet and bring up his weapons in defense. He knew that she would not stop to hear his discovery of self or renegotiate a dismissal of his previous desire to become Tjal so his only chance to escape death was to beat her. Yet, he had no desire to kill her either. Though he had regained his memory it may have only been in time to know who he was in death.

  Jne turned, her face red with loathing. Her body shook with anger and anticipation. She was beyond reasoning. Thane watched her slowly approach, her fluid motion screaming slaughter. He moved to raise his swords but suddenly stopped. A strange feeling overcame him. It started in his feet and then moved up his legs into his chest and then out into his arms. The fatigue that had been pushing his body to the limits of exhaustion suddenly melted away, leaving him feeling strong and rested.

  Jne moved and he lifted his swords, they were light in his hands, almost like natural extensions of his arms. Jne’s blades slashed in and Thane found that his own responded almost as if on their own. He easily deflected her blows matching her speed and then anticipating her moves and meeting her attacks almost as soon as she swung her swords in any direction.

  Jne’s anger and frustration continued to grow until her attacks became desperate and sloppy. For the first time, Thane felt that he had the opportunity, whenever he wanted it, to turn the fight back to his opponent and take the offensive. He was shocked by the sudden change in events but was not willing, at the moment, to put too much thought to it until the fight was over. Things could return to Jne’s advantage just as quickly as they had become his.

  He tested his newfound strength and ability by deflecting an obvious ploy to his neck that Jne switched in mid-cut and then slashed for his midsection. Easily deflecting the attack he twisted her blade to the side and shot in with his own aiming for her leg, still not willing to deal a mortal blow. Jne’s eyes widened as his sword made contact piercing through her pant leg and then sliding into her flesh. He pulled the thrust not wanting to cause too much damage and then brought his other sword around and slapped the side of her opposite arm with the flat of the blade. The blow was hard enough to stun her arm causing her to lose her grip on the sword and send it crashing to the ground. The crowd gasped and then went stone silent as Thane brought one sword in low and the other high catching Jne’s lone sword in between his and twisting it free from her hand. She stepped away from him and crouched. Though weaponless, Thane knew she was still dangerous, if not even more lethal, like a cornered animal. He regarded her for a moment and then moved in. He would have to be careful now. Though wanting to win and end the fight, he still did not want to kill her; there was no reason for it.

  Jne did not give him the opportunity though. Springing from where she crouched she grabbed his right hand in an attempt to wrest away his sword and then use it against him before he recovered. Thane was just a moment too quick though. The instant her hand gripped his, he brought his arm back pulling her down and then wrapped it around her bringing one blade up against her throat and the other pressed against the back of her neck. Jne froze, not daring to struggle. She was caught in a steel vice. Any movement would mean instant death.

  “Do it,” she said, her voice suddenly very soft and void of the malice that had filled her only seconds before. “I can’t understand how you did it, but you have won. Finish it quickly, Renja, so that my shame may be snuffed out. Kill me and take your place as the first outsider to become Tjal.”

  Thane was amazed at the change in her demeanor. No longer could he sense the sheer hatred that had enveloped her almost from the time he had declared his desire to be Tjal. Was it because he had her in a death grip? He quickly rejected the idea. He didn’t think that the thought of death was something that bothered Jne in the slightest. Something had happened, though.

  “Someone once told me,” he half whispered into her ear, “one who fights with anger forgets his head giving it to his heart. And a heart with a head always ends up dead.” He was surprised to hear her chuckle.

  “Did I not speak true?” Then her voice became firm. “Finish it, Renja.”

  Thane pressed the steel harder against her skin. “I will, but before I do,” he said, his own voice a cold whisper, “my name is Thane. Not Renja.” Pulling the swords away, he released her from his grip and pushed her forward, sending her to her knees. Then, looking around for a brief moment, he dropped his swords. It was a gamble, but he no longer wished to fight. No one moved or made a sound. All looked as if they still waited for the end. Jne remained where she had fallen not attempting to rise or return to fight.

  “No more,” Thane finally yelled.

  A commotion to his right brought his eyes around as Kardosh broke through the crowd, forcing himself into the circle. “You have not completed the test,” his voice boomed. “You must kill her.”

  Thane couldn’t understand the hunger for blood. “I have beaten her. That should stand on its own. The ability to kill is not as great as the ability to let live.”

  Kardosh considered for a moment, absorbing what he had said. “Your words are wise, but the test calls for you or her
to die. The weak cannot risk the lives of the rest.”

  Thane shook his head. “No, but those equal in strength will still force a loser in time. To destroy one does not make the other greater. But it can weaken the whole. Jne and I are equals. Though she lost the contest, I still bleed more than she. Who is to say that I am not the true loser? And forcing her death makes you all the losers.”

  Kardosh’s eyes narrowed. Just because Thane’s words made sense did not mean he had to like them. “This is unprecedented,” he finally said.

  “What,” Thane retorted, “that someone has made it this far in the tests and won or that the winner refuses to kill the loser?”

  Kardosh took a deep breath. Both were true. Of the few outsiders who had ever tried to pass the tests of Tjal, none had ever made it past water. “It does not matter,” he finally said. “The law is firm. She must die.”

  Thane shook his head. “Then I withdraw my petition to be Tjal.”

  The crowd gasped but Kardosh quieted them with a lift of his hand. “You cannot. You have already gained the right and have earned your place with us. You are Tjal.”

  Thane took a step towards Kardosh, the anger seeping into his voice. “If I have already gained my place as a Tjal, then what is the purpose in removing Jne from hers? What purpose would her death serve?”

  Kardosh stood silent for a long moment turning what Thane had said around and around in his head. There really was no precedent for this. No one had ever faced steel before. It was just assumed that those who challenged would never be able to best a Tjal at the sword. But, if an outsider could best one of them, as had happened, what did that mean to the Tjal? Would it endanger the rest if the loser were allowed to live? What harm might come to the race and its culture? There were no answers. He had won; Kardosh had already told him that. As such he had the rights of all Tjal and any would give his life to protect him now. Kardosh could not take that back. None of them could. But, what of Jne?

  Kardosh suddenly smiled. Stepping past Thane, he walked over to Jne and pulled her up by the arm. She did not resist and would not even meet his gaze, keeping her eyes cast down. Pulling her back over to Thane, Kardosh pushed her into his arms and then turned and spoke to the crowd. “She is Jinghar.”

  Thane watched as the Tjal people grunted and nodded their heads in acceptance. “What is Jinghar?” he whispered.

  “I have blood debt,” Jne’s soft voice answered into his chest. “I am yours to command as you will until my debt is paid.”

  “Oh, no,” Thane retorted trying to push her aside and make his way to Kardosh.

  “Please,” Jne begged, holding onto his arms. “Do not shame me more by rejecting me.”

  It was the word please that held him in his spot. He wasn’t sure it sounded right coming from her lips. She was a woman who commanded, not one who obeyed the whims of another. But he held his tongue knowing that this probably was not the right place, or the right time, to discuss it. At least, maybe now she would answer his questions when he asked them.

  “Renja,” Kardosh continued speaking to the crowd, “although his name may claim it, is no longer Renja among us. He is now Rena’ja. He is Tjal.” The crowd suddenly erupted into cheers and the faces, that only moments before had regarded him as little more than a piece of dung, greeted him with smiles and nods of acceptance. Thane nodded back in gratitude and smiled but his joy was short-lived. After finally winning his long fight to be one of them and accepted into their society, he had to leave.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  It had taken three days for Tchee to find Helgar and his small band of dwarfs. The great bird had stopped only briefly to get water and pick up the occasional fish that caught her piercing eyes. Teek kept to himself the whole journey not thinking much about where they were going or what he would do when they got there. The emptiness of where he once lived haunted his waking hours and the horror of finding his people destroyed filled his dreams at night. By the time they reached the dwarfs he was on the edge of complete exhaustion and mental breakdown. Tchee had done her best to comfort him but she was little help. Their communication was primitive at best. Although she seemed to understand everything he said or needed, she was still not able to comfort him with words. Teek needed someone to tell him that all would be well; that there was still hope.

  It was early evening when they dropped out of the sky almost on top of the dwarfs. The sky had turned dark with clouds and was just beginning to release the first drops of rain of what would eventually turn into a downpour. The dwarfs were camped just off the main road and had a fire blazing with a small animal roasting over the flames when Tchee plopped down beside them and blasted out a horrendous scream. It was obvious that she had not forgotten her last meeting with dwarfs and their treatment of her cargo. The dwarfs jumped away quickly, pulling their axes as they did so, and rushed to their prince. Helgar barely had gotten to his feet, let alone pulled his axe, before he was surrounded by the guard who were eyeing the great bird with bridled fury. A blood bath of one sort or another would have certainly ensued had Teek’s tiny body not dropped to the ground beside the bird and stumbled forward.

  “Helgar,” he rasped, the tears falling unchecked down his soiled face. “They’re gone! They’re all gone!” Teek lurched forward pushing his way past the guards without the slightest hesitation or concern for his life. Tchee made a low growl in her throat as if daring the black clad dwarfs to block or harm him. The guard, recognizing the Waseeni boy, made no attempt to halt his progress but maintained their tight formation while keeping keen eyes locked, in return, on the bird.

  Helgar replaced his weapon and grabbed Teek’s shoulders just as Bardolf burst through the circle of guards and stopped at Helgar’s side panting heavily while trying to regain his breath from what must have been a long sprint. Teek collapsed against Helgar’s chest as his tiny body was wracked with sobs that now poured out unchecked. “What be ye saying, lad?” Helgar asked trying to comfort him as best he could.

  “They’re gone! They’re gone!” was all he could say for long moments before he gained enough control to speak coherently.

  Helgar looked at Bardolf who just shrugged unknowing. “Who be gone?” Helgar asked patting Teek’s shoulder awkwardly.

  “My family,” he bawled, “my home, everybody, they’re all gone.”

  “Just settle down now there lad,” Bardolf interjected, “and tell us everything that happened so we can be figurin’ what to do next.”

  Teek sniffed, trying to control the tears that continued to run down his cheeks but with little success. Helgar and Bardolf, though clumsy in the face of a crying boy, waited patiently, giving him all the time he needed to gather himself.

  Finally, rubbing his hands into his eyes, he was able to keep his composure long enough to blurt out everything that had happened to him from the time they had parted.

  “And you didn’t see nothin’ of whatever it were that done this?” Helgar asked, his face hard with concern.

  Teek shrugged. “No. The only thing I saw were the blasts of light from a distance the night before we got there. There was nothing left when we arrived, just a great emptiness where the forest and my home used to be.”

  “Is there anything, any clue, that ye might have that would be tellin’ us what it was that destroyed yer home? Anythin’ at all?” Bardolf pressed.

  Teek shook his head stepping back from Helgar who looked greatly relieved not to have a sobbing boy pressed against his chest anymore. Teek’s face was drawn but his mood suddenly changed. The tears were gone, his shoulders no longer slumped. He stood straight now and looked into Helgar’s face his eyes steeled though empty of life. “I’m sorry I can’t answer either of your questions any better than that. I didn’t stay longer than a few hours before turning around to come seek you out.” His voice was flat, almost like the sound of death. “I would ask a favor if you are willing.”

  Helgar nodded quickly. “Anythin’ we can do to help, lad. Just ask.”

>   “May I work in your mines?”

  Helgar and Bardolf gave each other quizzical looks. “Why would ye be wantin’ to ask fer somethin’ like that?” Bardolf asked, his voice betraying his obvious surprise.

  “I need to appease them all,” was Teek’s quick answer. “Please, it will take too long to walk about searching. In the mines, I can find their appeasing gifts more quickly.” His voice suddenly took on an urgent edge. “I will do whatever it takes. I will keep only every tenth gem I find. Every twentieth gem. Please, you’re the only ones I can turn to.” His voice and demeanor dropped again. “I know no one else.”

  Helgar held up his hand. “Now wait a moment there, lad, before ye git yerself all riled up. We will help you. We will do whatever we can be doin’. Ye forget,” Helgar’s voice seemed to catch for a moment before he continued, “we be owin’ yer mother our own lives and will do whatever it takes to be helpin’ her son. But let’s not start jumpin’ at shadows afore we be knowin’ all that there is about what happened.”

  “Helgar’s right,” Bardolf added. “Ye said ye were only there fer a short time. There may be those that still be alive and hidin’.”

  “Bardolf’s right,” Helgar agreed, his voice a little cheerier. “Ye may still be findin’ yer family yet.”

  Teek shrugged and kicked at a stick on the wet grass as the storm began to grow in strength. “I suppose you could be right,” he said, his voice a tiny bit lighter. “I wasn’t there for very long. But I don’t know if I can go back there again right now to search and find out.” His voice started breaking. “It was so horrible.”