Hand of Fire (The Master of the Tane)

by Rath, Thomas

  Jack smiled, trying the word out on his lips before dishing out a bowl of corn meal and handing it to Thane. They ate silently, Thane filling his bowl twice while Jack ate right from the pot. The morning meal was something Thane was more accustomed to which, for some reason, put his mind a bit more at ease. After the meal Jack cleaned up while Thane walked around the cave to stretch his muscles. He was still a little unsure about his strength but felt some exercise would do him good. Plus, he was tired of lying around. Erl got up and stood by him pushing his nose into his hand begging to be scratched. Thane laughed and obliged the huge animal that at the moment seemed harmless. He was not fooled by its playfulness though. He knew all too well that at any instant Erl could become a deadly adversary.

  Soon, Jack had everything cleaned up and Thane felt his legs growing weak from the morning exercise so he and Jack sat down and again tried to learn something about each other. Thane had given in to the idea of never returning to the Chufa village and so had decided to do whatever was required of him to learn the HuMan language. He figured that the sooner he could communicate well with Jack the better off he would be.

  He watched as Jack’s face suddenly appeared troubled. The large HuMan was looking at him very intently as if waging some sort of battle within. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision and raised a beefy hand to point at Thane’s ear. “What are you?”

  Thane reached up, unsure of what Jack wanted, and then shook his head. Jack sat for a moment, the frustration obvious on his face. Suddenly, he pointed to his own ear making gestures to show that it was round. Then he pointed back to Thane’s ear and made his fingers come to a point. Pointing to himself again he said, “Human.” Pointing back at Thane he asked, “What are you?”

  Thane smiled at the word HuMan knowing now what it was that Jack was asking. “Eelo Sho Chufa,” he said placing his hand on his chest. “Chufa.”

  Jack’s mouth dropped open, the look of disbelief obvious on his face. “You’re a Chufa? Chufa?” he said pointing to Thane.

  Thane smiled. “Chufa.”

  “Well, I’ll be a dragon’s mother,” he bellowed pulling on his beard. “I’ve found myself a real, live fairytale.”

  Thane couldn’t help but smile at the excitement that seemed to jump out of Jack’s eyes until he suddenly became silent, a look of concern replacing his mirth.

  “Now then,” Jack’s voice rumbled, “do you suppose all those stories I heard at my mother’s knee are true? Could this boy really be as horrid as all that?”

  Thane felt a shiver from the look Jack gave him but he wasn’t sure what to do. Had he sealed his fate by revealing his race to one it was told hated his kind? By the tone of Jack’s voice and the look on his face it appeared that he might have. Tension suddenly pulled at the air that surrounded him, its affects suffocating with its strangling force. He had to think quickly. He knew that if he reached for his dagger it would surely be the end of him. But, if he did nothing would that change the fact that he was going to die? Thane had just decided to at least make a good fight of it when Jack started laughing.

  “I’ve been all alone up here way too long,” he chuckled, slapping his knee.

  Thane relaxed and laughed with him, not knowing quite why but glad the tense moment was over. It felt strange to be laughing with a HuMan as if they were the best of friends. Maybe the stories about these odd creatures were not really true after all. Jack had saved his life and, so far, had shown nothing but kindness.

  Jack kept laughing but stole a few wary glances at Thane. What an odd creature these Chufa were. He’s so animal like, Jack thought. Yet, he couldn’t fit in any of the stories he had heard of these fairy creatures when just a lad. From what he had heard, they were horrible monsters that drank human blood and ran with demons. Thane seemed nothing like the stories. But, even so, Jack decided he better keep a watchful eye on him for awhile longer to make sure his instincts about Thane were true. Trolls and other men he knew how to read and handle but Chufa were something totally new.

  They sat staring at one another as if unsure of what to do next when Thane finally broke the silence. Pointing to the exit he poured out a lengthy set of musical words that were beautiful to hear but made no sense. “Wees Bixos Toenok Na Wahkano Kusheenir Niyo Ney Roeson Geeno Cho PoShono Jho Cho Karnit.” Thane knew Jack couldn’t understand what he was saying so he pointed to Jack and himself and then to the exit moving his index and middle fingers back and forth in a walking motion. Then he hit his hands on his chest and took a deep breath as if smelling the wind while repeating what he had just said.

  Jack nodded, understanding his sign language. “You want to go outside?” he asked while copying the signs from Thane.

  Thane smiled and nodded his head yes.

  “Are you well enough?”

  Thane tried repeating what Jack said but shook his head not understanding.

  “Are you well enough?” Jack repeated a bit louder and slower while pointing to Thane and then flexing his muscles.

  Thane flexed his own muscles and then nodded again.

  Jack sighed and then motioned for Thane to follow. “This language problem is going to have to change real soon.”

  Thane fell in behind Jack and then looked back to see if Erl was coming too but he just lay were he was sleeping soundly.

  The passage leaving the small cave swung abruptly to the left following the general curvature of the cave in a continual bend and then sloped downward before turning back to the right in a straight line and out. The sun was shining brightly through the small opening before them making it necessary for Thane to cover his eyes with an uplifted hand. He had not been outside and felt the sun for who knew how long and his eyes had become sensitive to such bright light.

  Jack poked his head out of the cave cautiously looking to either side before disappearing to the left. “Come on Thane,” he yelled motioning with his hand in front of the exit.

  Thane waited for a moment, letting his eyes adjust a bit more, before finally approaching the narrow opening. Poking his head out, he was almost blinded by the sun’s reflection off the snow that was piled up. He stepped onto a tiny ledge that cut into the mountain on either side but plummeted hundreds of feet straight down in front of him. A small gust of wind shot against the mountainside hitting his face and throwing his hair back. He breathed in deeply enjoying the cool feeling mixed with the warmth of the bright, yellow sun as it beat against his bare skin. It brought strength to his bones to be out in the beauty of nature and his head seemed to clear from the fog that had settled there. It felt good to be alive.

  Thane ended his revelry long enough to give his surroundings a closer look. He was greeted with the pure majesty of snow-covered mountains shooting up on all sides. Behind him the mountain reached skyward almost a hundred feet straight up revealing the ledge on either side as the only way in or out. Looking to both sides, he noticed, not very far down the path, on either side, that poles were set into the side of the mountain and held on their tops large skulls that resembled those from rock trolls. He wondered at such a strange sight. Pointing to one he questioned Jack. “Ku Kono Ka Shon?”

  Jack looked at the pole holding the skull and then smiled. “It keeps those ugly buggers away from here. They’re extremely superstitious.”

  Thane looked puzzled obviously clueless as to what Jack had said but decided to forget about it for the moment not wanting to cloud his mind with more of the grumbled sounds. Instead, he filled his senses with all that was around him taking it in like food to nourish his spirit. He missed the forest and the trees but never in his life had he imagined anything as pure as the scene that presented itself now.

  Sensing movement to his left, he watched as Jack walked down the path towards one of the poles and began inspecting it. He couldn’t help but wonder again who this man was who lived with a giant wolf all alone in mountains filled trolls? By the heads on the poles, it was obvious that he could take care of himself but what of the giant wolf? When they a
ttacked his village they ran in a pack. Where was its pack and how come it seemed so docile and friendly?

  His thoughts suddenly returned to the night before and his eyebrows furrowed down onto the bridge of his nose. Had he actually entered into its thoughts? He thought back to a time four cycles earlier when a deer had crossed his path and seemed to beg for his help from a coming raid. What did it all mean? Did that make him the devil everyone thought he was? So many questions sprinted through his mind that he began to feel dizzy. He wanted all the answers but knew that it was useless to try and piece it all together now. He still needed some rest to fully regain his strength. He shouted to Jack. Getting his attention, he pointed to the cave. “Eelo Sho Bixir Nia Cho Banik Geeno.”

  Jack just waved and watched as Thane disappeared through the small hole in the side of the mountain. “Probably too cold for him.”

  That afternoon Thane slept, still regaining strength from his ordeal, while Jack and Erl left to go hunting. There wasn’t much to be found in the mountains during the winter but with the help of Erl’s nose they would often find a snowshoe rabbit or, if they were lucky, come across a mountain goat or a deer. They had stored plenty of food during the summer and fall but Jack was feeling a bit feverish after being inside the past couple of days taking care of Thane. He was craving some fresh meat to replace their jerky and mush diet.

  Thane was awake and had a nice fire going when Jack and Erl returned with their meager supper. Thane looked up expectantly only to be disappointed at what Jack held in his outstretched hand. A small snowshoe rabbit hung lifeless almost lost in Jack’s huge glove. Thane felt a sadness envelope him at the loss of the rabbit’s life but took it from Jack to properly prepare it for SaiEeDu—the Chufa death ceremony.

  Jack watched appreciatively as Thane skinned the rabbit and then hung it up over the fire to allow its blood to drain out.

  “Well, it’s not the way I do it,” he said smiling, “but as long as you’re so excited about cookin’ I won’t complain.”

  Thane smiled back glad to see that Jack approved of the death rites he was performing even though he wasn’t a real Kinpa. Both watched with anticipation as the blood spilled freely from the rabbit’s severed jugulars and spattered in the fire. Jack’s mouth was beginning to water and his stomach growled as the smell of cooking meat filled the tiny cave with an enticing aroma. Thane felt Jack’s stomach noises were a bit rude but brushed them off as uncontrollable knowing that after the SaiEeDu it would be time to eat.

  Finally, the last drops of blood dripped slowly from the rabbit’s neck so Thane prepared himself for the final burning. He hesitated for a brief moment unsure as to whether he should pull fire from the dead body or not. Having all five Tane he could, of course, touch the rabbit and ignite it but he wasn’t sure how Jack would react to such a display? He knew from the stories that HuMans had no Tane powers, which was very confusing in and of itself. After all, how could anyone live without a TanIs or a Tane? Could it be they had no soul? Thane’s mind whirled down a hundred different corridors trying to come up with a logical answer when a grunt from Jack brought him back to the task at hand.

  “Well, are you going to cut it up and pass it around or are you going to just sit there and admire your work while we all starve?”

  Thane looked at Jack and then back at the rabbit and realized Jack must be telling him it was time for the final burning. Erl inched a bit closer as if in agreement letting out a whimper while sniffing the air. What was he going to do? He had to think of something quickly or risk offending his friends and ruining the whole ceremony.

  Sweat beads had begun to form on his brow when finally the answer came to him like a flash. He didn’t have to pull fire from the rabbit after all. Looking back at Jack, he smiled broadly at his cleverness and then in one fluid motion dropped the rabbit into the fire quickly adding its fur.

  Outside, the still of the evening was abruptly interrupted by the reverberating sounds of Jack’s voice as it traveled up and down the mountainside like the final cry of a dying animal.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Tam slowly drew back her eyelids and tried to focus on what lay before her but her vision was blurred as if a long sleep had washed a cloudy film over her eyes. A bright, wavy light commanded most of what she saw drawing her to it like a moth to a flame. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear the haze and focus on her surroundings. After several moments, the light finally materialized into a huge bonfire that filled the area with its glow. Without moving anything else, she let her eyes wonder trying to remember where she was and how she had gotten there. She could see that she was in a large cave but more troubling was with whom she shared it. All around her trolls sat or moved about talking and laughing as if engaged in some great celebration.

  At first she thought she was dreaming. Never in her life would she have imagined so many trolls existed. The idea sent shivers through her. But, the putrid smell of their bodies, which threatened to smother her with their stench, made the nightmare all too real causing her stomach to churn and her head to spin dizzily. The smell of burnt flesh suddenly gripped her drawing her eyes to the large spits being turned over the fire. Whole bodies of what had to be the remains of a troll raid had been skewered and placed to roast by the huge fire. She knew then that she was going to throw up.

  She closed her eyes, turning away and immediately regretted the movement. Her head pounded with pain as if her brain were trying to break free of her skull. The memory of being hit with a club suddenly squeezed through the ache and she moved a trembling hand to check the area. Touching it, she winced, finding a large, tender bump. It had to be the trolls. Her eyes wandered to the spits again and a tear fell down her cheek at the thought that she may be next. Her hands and feet weren’t tied and she thought of running but quickly realized she had nowhere to go. She was in a cave overflowing with trolls with no exit in sight.

  Her vision was becoming clearer each moment and she scanned the cave again hoping that her first assessment of troll numbers had been wrong. She had never seen so many trolls together in one place. From what she had been told by her father and others in the village, trolls usually broke off into smaller clans that were controlled by the most powerful troll in the group. Trolls hated everything and everyone, including each other. A group this large was inviting an all out civil war. The idea terrified her but the pounding in her head was robbing her of the ability to concentrate. Two trolls stood in front of her each holding a large club and she wondered if it had not been one of theirs that had jarred her brain so. One of the trolls suddenly turned. She tried to feign unconsciousness but was too late. It had seen that she was awake and hurried off into the mass of bodies.

  Tam’s body began to shake as the fear gripped her. Was he going to get the head cook to throw her onto a spit for cooking? The other troll just glared at her with a look she equated to hunger. Soon, the first troll returned with another who was even more hideous looking than either of her guards. His trophy necklace was bulging with the fingers and claws of his victims and his face was full of scars making it even more revolting than usual. Tam straightened herself trying to hide her terror as best she could, not wanting them to know how horrified she really was. The ugly troll, whom she immediately picked as the leader, reached out a hand that held a charred piece of flesh and dropped it on the ground in front of her.

  “Eat.”

  Tam looked at the meat and then back to the spits over the fire and shook her head slowly. Without a word, one of the guards hit her across the face ringing her ears and sending her flailing to the ground. She lay still for a long moment trying to clear her vision while fighting desperately to hold back the tears. The pounding in her head was almost unbearable. Tiny bursts of light exploded all around her eyes making it difficult to focus on anything directly. A trickle of blood made its way down the side of her mouth and gathered in a tiny pool on the ground beneath her. She put a hand to her lip to stop the bleeding and forced herself up trying unsuccessfully to
mask her fear and pain.

  Again the leader pointed to the meat and repeated gruffly, “Eat.”

  Tam looked at the two guards, not sure which one had hit her, and then back to the hunk of flesh on the ground and timidly picked it up. She paused for a moment trying to calm her stomach, which was revolting at the mere scent of it. Again the leader said, “Eat” and one of the guards leaned forward poised for another blow. Tam quickly brought it to her mouth and took a small bite. She immediately was bent over and heaved from the foul taste. She was expecting another crashing blow from the guard’s fist but instead the sound of grinding laughter filled her head. In no time her stomach had emptied itself but continued to heave as if trying to squeeze out the smallest remains.

  She was exhausted. The pain she felt throughout her body no longer differentiated itself to areas but was now just one large, encompassing ache. She lay on the cool rock floor for a moment trying to recover from the effort but her reprieve was short lived. Suddenly, her head was jerked back and she met the troll leader’s face, only inches away from her own, as he held her hair tightly and pulled her mercilessly to her feet. His eyes were squinted into slits and his lips curled up revealing rotting teeth and fetid breath.

  “Why you in mountains?” he shouted.

  Tam felt she was about to crumble into a mass of tears. Her body began to shake uncontrollably and she felt herself losing all control. She knew if she didn’t answer she would find herself bruised and probably bleeding on the ground again but fear gushed through her now unchecked and she could not find her voice. The troll placed his fist in her face and repeated his question, the threat obvious. She swallowed hard and then with extreme effort was finally able to squeak out a tiny whisper. “I got lost.”

  The leader’s hand shot out and connected with her nose forcing out a gush of blood. “You lie! Why you here?”