Hand of Fire (The Master of the Tane)

by Rath, Thomas

Jack only nodded and then reached up to pull on his beard.

  Dor sighed. “We will find him,” he said quietly. “And Tam.”

  Jack forced a smile. “I know. I was just thinking.”

  “About what?”

  Jack’s face clouded over and his eyebrows knitted themselves into tiny knots. “Can I...can I ask you a question?”

  Dor suddenly felt a little nervous. Trying to hide it, he shrugged. “Sure.”

  Jack paused as if to gather his scattered thoughts. Avoiding Dor’s eyes, he started. “Today, when the dragon was upon us…”

  “Yes?”

  “You yelled something to Thane.”

  Dor’s face suddenly turned white and his head felt like it was floating in the air.

  Jack looked up almost timidly. “You told him to use his fire. What did you mean by that? I mean, I thought he could only use it on dead things.”

  Jack’s eyes seemed to pierce right into him robbing him of breath. He had said that. I was in such a panic. It must have just slipped out. Dor felt the walls closing in. “Yes, well, that’s true...I...I mean, it’s true that he can’t light anything...I mean...not unless it’s dead.” Dor tried to turn his head and escape Jack’s stare but his eyes seemed locked in place.

  “Can Thane throw fire?”

  There it was. He had broken Thane’s trust again and now he was going to pay. What was he to do? He had said that. He had begged Thane to throw fire and save them. He had turned away from his childhood friend as if he were a freak the first time he used his fire and now he had selfishly begged him to use it again, but this time to save his own skin. Dor felt a sudden wash of shame overtake him. He had done it again and this time his actions may bring tragedy.

  He sighed heavily. There was only one thing he could do. Finally, breaking away from Jack’s heavy stare, he went back to the day Thane had saved his father, and probably the whole village, from the wolg attack. Jack listened in stunned silence that soon melted away into sympathy at what Thane and his friends had suffered.

  “So, Thane is the only one with this power then?” Jack asked when Dor finally finished.

  Dor looked up, somewhat relieved. “Yes, of course. It’s like I told you about all the Tanes.”

  Jack’s face knotted in confusion. “What about Tam and speaking on the wind?”

  “What?” Now it was Dor who looked confused. “What are you talking about?”

  “You mean Tam’s Tane does not allow her to speak to others on the wind?”

  Dor smirked. “Who told you that?”

  Jack’s face lifted in alarm. “Thane did. He told me that was how he knew all the information about Tam.”

  Dor gaped in amazement. “He told me that some of your men told you.”

  Jack’s face dropped. “I don’t have any men,” he almost whispered.

  Silence engulfed the pair for long moments as each tried to piece together what it all might mean. Dor suddenly shook his head angrily. “I don’t care.”

  Jack looked up. “What?”

  “I don’t care,” Dor repeated, coming to his feet. “Thane is my friend. We are practically brothers. It does not matter to me that he knows things or can do things that I can’t or that I don’t understand. We are in this mess now because others, myself included, turned their backs on him because he is different. By the Mother’s blood, he saved our village and his own father with what he can do. I don’t care if he can sprout wings and fly. I know Thane. He would give his life for any of us; including that bunch of lake rats in the Ardath we call our people!”

  Jack watched Dor pace across the room in a fit while spouting off what he was sure must have been obscenities since he couldn’t understand what the boy was saying anymore. Rising to his feet, Jack placed a hand on Dor’s shoulder and turned him around to face him. Their eyes locked in an embrace of understanding and Jack simply whispered, “We’ll get him back, Dor. On my life we will.”

  Dor said nothing as a tear quickly brushed his cheek. And then, without warning, he threw his arms around Jack and hugged him.

  * * *

  Jack was at first startled when he didn’t find Dor in his bed. In fact, it looked as if he had not even slept in it. Then he heard the snores at the foot of the bed. Turning his candle, he found Dor sleeping soundly on the floor. What’s he doing down there? Jack quickly dressed and then slipped out quietly to use the one bathroom all the guests shared. He couldn’t complain, at least it was inside. Most places made you go outside and around back. When he returned, Dor was dressed and ready to go. “Oh, good. I thought I was going to have to throw a bucket of water on you.”

  “Hah!” Dor snorted. “How could anybody sleep with you rumbling around the room like a pack of trolls?”

  Jack just smiled. “What were you doing on the floor?”

  Dor frowned and pointed to his bed. “That thing is like trying to sleep in quicksand. I don’t see how you HuMans can sleep on something so soft.”

  Jack shook his head. “Well, we’ll be back on the hard packed earth in no time. Are you ready?”

  Dor nodded with a determined look.

  The sweet smells of cooking greeted the pair as they descended the stairs and entered the main room of the Gilded Monk. Rumbles and clanks emerged from the kitchen as the innkeeper’s wife and two young daughters patted out pastries and spice cakes for the soon to be awakening guests. Jack had settled up the night before and neither was very hungry after their previous meal, so they quietly made their exit into the cool morning air.

  The sleeping city was bare, a refreshing change for Dor, so Jack quickly took them back down the street from which they had originally come. The raucous market from the day before was as silent as death now awaiting the rise of a new day and the resurrection of the marketers who would clamor about their wares.

  The first person they saw was the sleepy-eyed stable boy whom they aroused from bed to retrieve the horses the colonel had promised them. After checking the order Jack presented, the drowsy youngster disappeared into the stables and soon returned with two saddled, jet-black stallions. “These be the colonel’s own,” the boy yawned as he pressed the reins into Jack’s hand. “Oh, and there be no charge for the other three you brought in yester eve.”

  “Well then,” Jack smiled at the disheveled youth and then tossed him a coin. “I guess that means you get this then.”

  The boy came full awake in an instant as he snatched the silver coin from the air. “Thank you, sirs!” he bowed. “If you ever need anything again, and I mean anything, you just come to me.”

  “What’s your name, boy?” Jack asked as he and Dor mounted up.

  “Domis, sir.”

  “Well, Domis, we may just do that some day.”

  “It would be my pleasure, sir,” Domis replied calling after the two as they turned their horses towards the east gate. To the surprise of both, Colonel Braxton was there to meet them.

  “Getting a late start I see,” the colonel called out to Jack as they pulled up their horses at the tightly shut gate.

  Jack grinned and jerked his thumb towards Dor. “You’ve never had to wake a Tjal-Dihn. It’s a very delicate process.”

  Dor frowned at the sudden attention but made no move.

  Glancing in Dor’s direction, the colonel retorted, “I can see by the look on his face that he wasn’t all that pleased.” Both men shared a quiet laugh.

  Feeling he was the butt of some joke, Dor turned to Jack and cut off their laughter. “Are we leaving or are you two going to sit here all day braying like a couple of mules?”

  Jack’s smiled wilted only slightly as he looked quickly to Dor and then returned his remarks to the colonel. “How about letting us out a little early this morning?”

  The colonel shook his head. “Are you sure I can’t talk you out of this, Jack? You’ll be easy pickin’s in the mountains. These aren’t like the Shadows.”

  Jack’s face almost looked melancholy for an instant before it became hard as the mountai
ns he intended invading. “I told you my friend, it’s blood debt. Nothing could keep us out.”

  The colonel just shook his head and then smiled a smile that only touched his lips. His eyes told a different story. “I knew you were going to say something like that, but I had to try anyway. I’m only sorry I can’t help you anymore than I have. If I could, you know I would ride out of here with you.”

  Jack leaned over and grasped his friend’s hand. “Until night calls the raven then.”

  Colonel Braxton’s smile suddenly washed into his eyes as well. “Until night calls the raven, my friend.” Turning to the guard he barked out orders and in no time the portcullis was raised and the gates swung open.

  Without another word, Jack and Dor shot out of Haykon and quickly turned their mounts up the city’s east wall heading north. A quick left turn at the northeastern corner and they were headed in full gallop towards the Mogolth Mountains beyond. The cold, fresh air felt good against Dor’s face reviving him after being shut in the city all night. A north wind was building bringing with it the faint scent of salt reminding the Chufa boy of his home. It also brought along a thick mass of dark clouds that gathered ominously over the northern peaks. Dor suppressed a shiver thankful for the first time for the strange, HuMan clothes Jack had insisted he wear. Even the cumbersome Dihne he wore to cover his ears felt less of a bother since it protected his head from the cold. Jack had told him once they were safely in the pass he could remove it, but if the weather proved to turn out as he expected, he felt it might be worth it just to leave it on. It wasn’t the rain that he minded. All MarGua Tane loved the water, be it on the ground or falling from the sky. It was the cold that he was not accustomed to.

  Not long after leaving Haykon, they were joined by Erl who caused the horses no small start. Had they been less well bred and trained, there would have been no telling where they might have taken their riders with the wolg’s sudden appearance. But, taking their cues from their riders, they quickly returned to calm acceptance of their new companion when Jack, and even Dor, showed no alarm or nervous concern.

  It was fast approaching midday when the wolg and two riders finally reached the base of the mountains and the entrance to the pass. By now the sky was completely darkened by the saturated clouds and the distant sounds of thunder announced the coming of what promised to be a terrible downpour. They slowed their sweat-lathered horses to a leisurely trot just as they approached the well guarded pass. Erl lopped along beside them seeming to enjoy himself as he nipped playfully at Jack’s foot.

  A small fort just north of the pass was quickly being erected by close to fifty men while fifty more set barriers in the pass itself. It was obvious they intended to maintain their newfound advantage. Scanning the area, Dor was surprised to find only four horses corralled east of the fortification. Catching Erl’s scent, they were now announcing their presence with bucking and neighing. Jack and Dor brought their own mounts to a stop as a formation of guards was dispatched to intercept the new arrivals.

  “Why only four?” Dor asked Jack while watching some men unsuccessfully try to calm the horses.

  Jack watched the approaching guard intently, not taking his eyes from them as he answered. “If there’s trouble, a rider is sent right away to warn Haykon and call for any necessary reinforcements. The other three leave at different intervals after to relay any other pertinent messages.”

  Jack suddenly moved his horse forward and turned its flank as a shield between the soldiers and Dor and Erl. “Hold up there boys,” he called to the approaching group. “Those won’t be necessary.”

  Dor looked in horror finally noticing the crossbows a couple of the men had trained on them. Were those meant for him?

  Erl let out a low, threatening growl, striking Dor with the realization that it was the wolg they were pointed at and not him.

  “He’s not going to hurt you any,” Jack soothed. “He’s with me.”

  Just then, a man rode up on one of the horses, which was much calmer now that it was no longer corralled. “You heard the man,” he shouted bringing his mount to a halt in front of the soldiers. “Put those blasted things away before you hurt yourselves.” Both men complied immediately but not without obvious disappointment.

  “Captain Dainz, I presume?” Jack said turning his gaze to the newcomer.

  “At your service,” he answered bowing his head slightly. “I apologize for my men. Colonel Braxton informed us last night by dispatch that you would be coming. We’re just all a little bit excited still over what happened with the trolls.”

  Jack smiled. “Understandable captain. I get this quite a bit. It’s something you quickly become accustomed to when you keep company with a wolg.”

  The captain smiled back. “A Tjal-Dihn too, I imagine.”

  Jack’s smile faded only slightly. “Yes, I suppose you’re right. Now, if you would be so kind as to show us to the pass, we will be out of your porridge and on our way.”

  The captain fidgeted slightly. “May we offer you refreshment before you go?”

  Jack stared into the man’s eyes for a moment before answering. “You can tell Colonel Braxton that if he wanted to slip something into our food, he should have done it last night when he had the chance himself.”

  The captain’s face flashed shock before he replaced it with a half-hearted attempt at offense. “Sir, you shame us and our offer of hospitality, I was only suggesting...”

  Jack cut him off with a kind smile. “I know what you were suggesting captain and I don’t begrudge you for trying or for following orders, but let’s not pretend those orders were other than what they really were. Now, if you would be so kind as to show us to the pass, we would be most grateful.”

  The captain sighed heavily and shook his head. “He warned me that you would probably not fall for it.”

  Jack laughed. “Only because I have before, Captain Dainz.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Thane jumped to his feet, tangling himself in fabric and landing on something so soft it buckled his legs and made him to fall back again. Fighting with the attacking material, he twisted himself around to his knees and strained against the darkness for any clues that might aid him with knowledge of his situation. A slight chill traveled from his skull, like a distant memory, to his shoulders where it quickly changed into a dull ache as memory of what happened swept over him.

  Twisting his head about, he searched for the humongous creature that jerked him from his horse with its large, needle tipped claws but was greeted instead by only walls and furniture. Trying to calm his racing heart, he took in his surroundings and quickly realized he was in a bedroom, at least he thought it was a bedroom. Five Chufa huts could easily fit inside the room with space left over for a small garden. The softness beneath him, he discovered, was a bed that was big enough for two whole families. The softness of the mattress sucked at his knees as if trying to draw them into its belly. No wonder my back hurts. Each corner was supported by a massive, gold leafed post that reached twice his height and held its share of the canopy that draped the oversized bed.

  To his left was a large, wood dresser with shiny, brass handles and more drawers than he cared to count. Past the foot of the bed, also on the left, were two, red velvet couches facing a fireplace that was as tall as he was and stretched out to either side spanning a distance at least as wide as the oversized bed. A large mass of coals still glowed hot in its belly strangely making the room feel darker. On his immediate right was a large, black curtain followed by an oversized chest and wash basin and a free standing sconce of unlit candles that had two sisters at either side of the bed on the back wall. Directly opposite the bed were two great oak doors strapped with iron hinges that looked sturdy enough to stop even the most persistent intruder.

  Thane slid down the side of the monstrous bed and rested his feet on a deep ocean of blue carpet swirled about with an intricate design laced in gold and silver. Looking at his naked body, he quickly decided his first order of
business was to find something to wear. He brightened the room by lighting the many candles, chasing back the shadows to the deepest recesses and corners before he went rummaging through the dresser in search of his clothes. He was quickly disappointed in his search for his own things, so instead helped himself to what he could find; a simple, white v-neck tunic with draw strings and flared arms and green, crushed velvet trousers that felt a little bit too snug.

  The pain in his shoulders increased sharply as he moved to put on the shirt, drawing him to the grand, cherry wood mirror that hung over the basin. He was not surprised at the marks he found where the razor sharp talons had dug into his flesh, but it seemed curious that the wounds were almost completely healed and beginning to scare over. How long have I been here? He took in his surroundings again. And where, exactly, is here?

  His thoughts quickly scattered as the doors to his left suddenly burst open sending him into an immediate defensive crouch. He had no weapon but he could defend himself.

  “Easy now, my friend. There’s no need to get uptight.” A tall, slender man stood in the doorway holding a large stein which he held up along with his other hand in a show of surrender and defenselessness as he locked onto Thane with steel, gray eyes. His clothes reflected those worn by Thane almost completely though his pants were leather and both pants and shirt were black. In fact, everything he wore was black, even the silk sash wrapped around his waist. His chin sprouted a pointed goatee and his mouth turned up into a mirthless grin. “I’m glad to see you are up and around. Why don’t you relax a bit and we can start with introductions, I’m Resdin.”

  Thane’s muscles released some of their tension but he was not quite ready to give over his full confidence. “Where am I?”

  Resdin moved fluidly over to the fireplace and set the stein on the mantle and then squat down, his back towards Thane, and added more wood to the fire. “You are safe, I assure you. You have nothing to fear from me or anyone else here.” Turning back to Thane, Resdin rose to his feet and gathered the stein up into his thin hands. “Here,” he said approaching the Chufa boy and extending the mug. “Drink some of this. It will help you feel better.”