Hand of Fire (The Master of the Tane)

by Rath, Thomas

  The day was unusually dry and hot for the planting moon and Thane’s mouth became parched rather quickly from continually singing the song of life to the seeds he planted. His work also became tedious because there was no one to talk to. Since he had the gifts of all five Tane, Thane could plant by himself. This also made him much quicker. On average, Thane planted at least twenty-five percent more than any of the planting teams.

  After the crops were planted he would also be required to join the MarGua in carrying the buckets from the river to water them. He didn’t think it fair that he should be required to do the work of three people just because he was cursed to have all five Tane and in some ways, he felt that it was as a punishment because he was different. It wasn’t that he really minded working to help feed and clothe his people, but at that moment he knew Dor was swimming at the lake waiting until he finished and could finally join him.

  He was glad of his MarGua Tane. If he were normal like everyone else and had only one Tane, the one he would most want was the MarGua. He could not imagine not being able to enjoy the thrill of staying under water for long periods of time, as only the MarGua could. Most of the other Tane didn’t even like to get into the water let alone go under. Thane loved the sense of freedom he gained while swimming with schools of fish or the long, thoughtful moments just relaxing on the bottom. He and Dor spent all of their free time in the water’s depths exploring the life that made its home there.

  Finally, after what had seemed to be days, he finished with his bag of seeds and was now free to fill the rest of the afternoon as he pleased. It was actually still quite early with the sun just a couple of hours past its peak in the clear skies above. Thane quickly returned his empty sack to FelTehPa of the TehChao Tane and, after a polite word of departure, sprinted off towards the lake.

  He practiced his skills of silent running as race along the pathway leading to the lake. He practiced the skill whenever he had the chance and had become quite good at keeping his steps silent and sure to the point that he surpassed the skill of many boys his elder. As with everything else he excelled at, his skills caused jealousy and animosity from many of his peers; especially the older ones. He had also become an extremely skilled archer, actually shooting better then many of the men, including his father, which only made things worse between them. It saddened him greatly not to have a close relationship with DelVen like Dor had with his father, but he would not let his skills as a protector weaken for it. He knew that since his birth Del had hated him just because of his TanIs, even though it wasn’t any of his doing. Just the fact that his son was different from everyone else made him an outcast to his father.

  Thane ran swiftly through the trees, without the slightest sound, picking his way carefully and watching the path in front of him with great intent. He dodged through the pines and oaks with the agility of a fox enjoying the challenge to be silent as he honed his skills with each obstacle. Nearing the lake, he suddenly sensed that something was amiss but was not certain what it might be. He slowed and then finally stopped to examine the signs on the path he was chasing. He could tell that others had passed this way not too long before and had left the trail on either side just ahead. He smiled, unable to stem the small amount of pride that surfaced. He knew who it was and what they were up to.

  He quickly jumped off the path without the slightest whisper of noise and darted into the thicker woods. It wasn’t too long before he came around the back side of PocMar and his friends who lay hidden in the bushes with a bag and rope waiting for an unsuspecting victim—most likely him. Thane swallowed a chuckle and then continued around in complete silence until he was far beyond his not so clever rivals. Returning to the path, he broke again into a sprint and closed the distance to the lake. He did not want to waste his free time on PocMar and his sycophants.

  In no time, he broke through the woods and onto the grassy slope that dipped ever so slightly down to the edge of the water. The lake was beautiful in the late afternoons with the sun beginning its decent behind the Shadow Mountains and its rest from the day. The colors of deep red and orange were cast upon the waters becoming more brilliant with each passing moment. To the right, a group of ducks played and searched for food in the marshy areas by the river’s entrance while fish jumped for the bugs that swarmed the lake’s surface in a mad frenzy.

  He stopped long enough to absorb the peaceful sights and sounds that he enjoyed so much and to take in a deep breath of fresh mountain air that seemed to revitalize him as it flowed gently through the trees and against his back. This was his favorite time of the day. Everything seemed so peaceful and fresh. Everything was so alive. All was as it should be.

  After a long pause, he finally started down to the water’s edge and then turned left up the side of the lake making his way to the area where he and Dor always swam. It wasn’t long before his sensitive ears picked up the sounds of humming coming from that same general direction and his natural instincts told him to slow his pace and be cautious. He quickly decided the best path to follow was up close to the trees giving him the higher ground and the ability to attack from behind providing him the upper hand. The element of surprise was always the preferred fighting style.

  Staying just within the tree line, Thane spied out his prey and instantly recognized Tam. She was sitting near the water’s edge singing to herself. Grinning, he bolted from the forest’s edge and sprinted down the incline stopping just short of her position without giving away the slightest hint of his presence. He watched her for a moment, trying not to laugh, as she swayed in rhythm to the song she was humming. He recognized the tune as one that his mother had always sung to him when he was younger. He couldn’t help but smile at the memory.

  Tiring of his game, Thane plopped down next to her pushing her over as he did so. Tam let out a startled yelp jumping to her feet in terror before finally recognizing it was only Thane and then visibly fought to cover up her panic.

  “I knew it was you,” she said shakily trying to control the shivers that still shot through her body. “I could hear you coming from miles away, you clumsy troll.”

  “Is that so?” Thane chuckled. “I thought I was rather quiet myself, but no matter. Have you seen Dor?”

  “He’s in the water,” she stammered still trying to suppress the quiver in her voice as she frantically wrung her hands.

  “How long has he been under?”

  “Just a couple of minutes.”

  Thane leaned back against the grass. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to wait. So, what are you doing here?”

  Tam immediately jumped to her feet and pointed a finger into Thane’s face. “I can be here if I want to Thane of the five Tane and you can’t make me leave! I am eight cycles today! I’m not a baby anymore!”

  “Calm down Tam, it was just a question,” Thane replied, a bit of irritation creeping into his voice. “And don’t call me that.”

  “What? You mean Thane of the five Tane? That is your name isn’t it?” Tam said with a snotty smirk.

  “Yes, but you know I don’t like to be called that.”

  “Then what am I to call you, Thane of the five Tane, if not by name?”

  “Knock it off, Tam,” Thane said rising to his feet. “You know what I mean.”

  Tam tried her best to look innocent. “No I don’t, Thane of the five Tane.”

  “Shut up, Tam!” he said angrily. “Just shut up!”

  “Thane of the five Tane, Thane of the five Tane, Thane of the five Tane...”

  Thane marched down to the water no longer wanting to waste his time with such a snotty little girl. “Why don’t you go home to your mother and leave us alone, Tam!” he yelled back at her. “By all the Tane, you’re nothing but a nuisance!”

  “Don’t you swear at me, Thane of the five Tane!” Tam yelled just as he jumped into the water and disappeared into its murky depths. “Boys,” she hissed while turning to go. “They’re so touchy. He can’t even take a joke.”

  Thane kicked deepe
r heading for the bottom; a good fifty feet down. The water cleared and his eyes focused to the submerged atmosphere as he descended. The underwater world began opening up in all its simplistic glory drawing away the tenseness and anger he was feeling only moments before. The lake was always a special place for him to escape from the pain and sorrows that filled his airborne life. He could sit for hours just watching the easy, gliding motions of the smallest fish as it pushed itself unhurriedly through the grass covered bottom searching for a tiny morsel of food. If he could, he would spend all of his time beneath the surface.

  Soon he forgot about Tam and her taunts as he moved through the water just like one of the many fish that passed him by. Although it was getting darker as the sun was fading farther west, the night vision inherent to all Chufa compensated quite well and Thane quickly found his way to Dor’s and his favorite spot.

  A large rock jutted up from the bottom creating a spacious home for many of the aquatic life that flourished in the lake’s watery depths. The rock reached to just past the surface creating a tiny little island with just enough space for the two boys to lie down and warm themselves in the spring and summer sun. To the east side of the rock near the bottom, where Thane now swam, was the narrow opening to a cave that he and Dor found soon after they started coming here two years before.

  Thane swam into the crevice without hesitation knowing that inside he would find his friend. The cave was a tight fit at first but soon opened up to allow the passing of two people swimming next to each other. With a little more distance the fissure took a sharp upward climb and then ended in a large air pocket about twenty feet in diameter just below the waterline. Thane surfaced and waited for a few seconds while his eyes adjusted back to air sight and found them focusing right on Dor.

  “What took you so long? I waited until I saw Tam coming but didn’t feel the urge to deal with her so I jumped in.”

  “Thanks,” Thane said as he pulled himself onto the ledge next to his friend. “I had the pleasure of her sweet company for awhile before I got fed up with it myself.”

  “I wish she would just leave us alone. I told my father about it and he said that in a couple of cycles we might not mind her tagging around so much.”

  “What’s that suppose to mean?” Thane asked with a sour look on his face.

  “My father thinks she likes one of us and that’s why she won’t leave us alone.”

  “You have got to be kidding!”

  “Nope. He says when we’re older we’ll be chasing her around begging her to choose one of us for her mate.”

  “Your father’s got troll brains if he thinks I’ll ever do more than tolerate that little brat,” Thane retorted remembering the taunts she gave him just minutes before.

  “That’s what I told him,” Dor said with the same look of disgust.

  “What did he say then?”

  Dor got a puzzled look on his face. “He just laughed.”

  The boys sat in silence for a moment before Thane finally whispered, “I feel sorry for you, Dor.”

  “What for?”

  “Well, it’s obvious that you are the one Tam’s in love with.”

  “What?” Dor burst out.

  “It only makes sense,” Thane said, his voice and face now quite serious. “She’s always mean to me and well, she was sitting at the water’s edge waiting for you when I got to the lake.”

  “And what makes you think she was not waiting for you?” Dor retorted defensively.

  “Well, I wasn’t going to say it but...”

  Dor looked exasperated. “But what?”

  “I told her I wouldn’t say anything, but I guess it is for the best that you know.”

  Dor’s eyes widened with a look of terror. “Know what?” he whispered.

  “Your father was right,” Thane said in a sympathetic tone. “She does love one of us—you. She told me before I got into the water. That’s what kept me.”

  Dor looked down not seeing the twinkle in Thane’s green eyes and the grin beginning to grow on his face. “I’m doomed,” he whispered.

  Thane couldn’t hold back any longer as he exploded into laughter. “Congratulations, Dor!”

  Dor jerked his head up, anger oozing from his eyes. “It’s not funny!” he yelled only making Thane laugh louder and harder. Dor’s face got red hot with rage; still not realizing it was only a joke.

  Thane struggled for breath trying to talk and control his laughter at the same time after noticing Dor’s intense look and recognizing that his friend still thought he was serious. “Dor, Dor,” he gasped. “It was just a joke. She didn’t say anything to me.”

  “What?”

  “I was joking!” Thane shouted, peels of laughter overcoming him again.

  “Why you little worm,” Dor said relieved while catching the humor of his reaction. “You’re lucky I don’t...in fact I think I will.” Dor reached over and with a push Thane went splashing into the water. He surfaced quickly gasping for air still unable to control his laughter and grabbed for the ledge. Dor began to laugh as well imagining what he must have looked like and they both cackled together until their sides ached and their eyes were filled with tears.

  When the moment finally passed Thane recounted his near miss with PocMar and his cohorts. “So I guess they will be busy for awhile,” Thane smiled.

  “Let’s get back at them,” Dor said with an evil grin.

  Thane looked less than thrilled. “I don’t know,” he answered warily. “The last time I went along with one of your great plans I was not able to sit down for practically a week.”

  “Are you still upset about that?” Dor asked innocently. “That wasn’t even my fault. Who knew LorVenPa was going to come down to the river that day for a bath. You have to admit that without that feather in his hair, he looks an awful lot like PocMar from behind.”

  “Maybe, but let us not forget that PocMar has black hair and the Kinpa has white hair.”

  Dor shrugged. “Even so, he sure looked funny hanging from that tree buck naked!”

  Thane smiled. It was funny, he guessed, but not funny enough to again risk the consequences that followed when they were found out. He still had the scars from the whipping his father gave him.

  “Come on,” Dor pleaded. “It’s our chance to really get him this time.”

  “I don’t know,” Thane said still apprehensive.

  But Dor knew he already had him. “Come on. We know exactly where he is. We can’t miss this time.”

  Thane sat silent for a moment a raging battle being waged within his head. It would be nice to get back at PocMar for all the things he had done to them. This would be a great chance for them to show him and his friends that they were not as invincible as they thought they were. He looked up at Dor’s wicked grin and pleading eyes and decided he could not let this opportunity pass him by. “Let’s do it.”

  “Great!” Dor exclaimed and then jumped into the water. Thane followed right behind and in moments they were back on shore making plans for their attack.

  They decided a hit and run tactic would be the most effective, and also the safest, way for their assault. With hands full of Shue berries they could assail their prey before they knew what was happening and then be safely on their way before anyone recovered from the onslaught. Shue berries stained the skin a bright red and took as much as a month to wear off.

  Silently, the boys ran through the woods towards their unsuspecting victims with hands full of berries, their bodies shaking in anticipation of the slaughter. As they drew neat to PocMar’s position, Thane stilled Dor with a nod.

  Dor crossed the trail on the right while Thane made his way left. The plan was simple. When Thane had a good shot at PocMar he would hit him with a berry and thus would start the barrage of red stain. In the confusion that followed Thane and Dor would escape unseen into the woods and back to the safety of the village.

  Thane chuckled silently as he slipped unseen behind a tree that gave him a direct shot at PocMar’
s face.

  With a quick whip of his arm, Thane placed his first berry right in the middle of PocMar’s forehead letting out a loud thwack and a shower of red juice. A split second later a boy stood up not far from Thane’s position rubbing his cheek in protest as PocMar sat dazed unsure of what had occurred.

  Another boy stood with a bright red nose and was immediately struck a second time on the chest. Thane stopped watching and once again began to unload his berries of red joy into his tormenting rivals. PocMar was hit again while other boys stood up from their hiding places to see what was happening only to be struck as they did so.

  By now PocMar had recovered a bit of his senses and was searching the woods for his assailants. Thane took advantage of the situation by pelting him twice more before PocMar finally crouched down for cover.

  Thane threw his last berry striking a boy in the lips, painting them a beautiful Shue berry red, before he slipped away towards the designated retreating area trying hard to control the waves of laughter pounding against his lips. But the area was in such a commotion that even a few unstoppable bursts were not enough to give him away.

  Soon, Dor caught up and they ran on together. They kept their eyes focused on the path, knowing that to even glance in the other’s direction would be too much to hold back the laughter that was certain to make them an easy catch.

  Finally catching sight of the village, and the relative safety it afford them against any retaliation, Thane reached out a hand to slow Dor’s flight while making brief eye contact with him. That was all it took to throw them into sudden fits of hysterical laughter. Both boys were soon bent over in pain as tears of delight streamed down their faces. Each time they thought they were bringing themselves back under control, a look from one or the other would start the whole thing over again. They couldn’t stop.