by Thomas Rath
“I think it already knows.”
“Of course it does,” she said with that tone she used as if addressing a child. “You must tell it so you will know if it desires us to ease its passing. Even an enemy is not left to suffer if he begs for a quick end.”
He held her gaze for a moment. She seemed so simple in what she held to that he thought he understood her but then she always surprised and amazed him. Finally, he just nodded and then turned his focus on the roc’s open, blinking eye. In a rush he suddenly felt himself become a part of the bird, the pain in his right wing was almost unbearable. It was hard to fight through it to form the thoughts necessary to communicate. Why do you wait, Earth Child? Why do you make me suffer this pain? Have I not given all to you? Then why do you treat me so poorly?
Thane was suddenly so overcome by the roc’s thoughts and feelings that he was disgusted by who he was and almost lost his connection. I wanted to ask permission first, he finally sent back his reply. I didn’t know if you would want me to.
A sense of confusion and incredulity washed over his senses and he found himself questioning his own answer as foolishness. There was only one thing he needed to know. Would you like me to do it or my companion? The question was simple. Either one of them could easily complete the task, but then why did he suddenly feel a wash of confusion?
Of what do you speak? The female is no Earth Child. Only you can heal me.
Thane let go of the contact with a snap that sent him back a step. “Heal you!?” Jne opened her mouth to speak but already he was diving back into the bird’s psyche. Heal you? I can’t heal you.
You are Earth Child. You can heal me. All you need do is make it happen.
He was suddenly feeling desperate. He was preparing to pull his sword and quickly end the bird’s life while all along it was thinking he was stalling in healing it. But how was he to do it? This was not like the elements that seemed to answer to his call with the slightest bit of concentration. The roc was talking about putting bone, vessel and tissue back into their proper place and order and then mending them there. Where would he start? Which Tane did he need to call forth? And how did the roc know he could heal it when he’d had no inclination to even try?
Thane broke contact and looked at Jne. “It wants me to heal it.”
Her facial expression did not show the slightest surprise but she did question him. “Can you do that?”
Thane shook his head. “I don’t know. The bird thinks I can but I wouldn’t even know where to start.” He rubbed his right shoulder as if the memory of the pain he’d felt while connected with the bird lingered into his own body. “I know the wing is broken.” He shrugged. “I even know where, but I just don’t know how to proceed.”
“You must decide,” Jne pressed.
“Decide what?”
“Either you heal it or we must end its life. There are no other options.”
He nodded. Jne’s statement was obvious but he still didn’t know how to go about it. He made contact again. The pain was so intense now that he saw himself gasp as he peered through the roc’s eyes. I will attempt to heal you. I have an idea but you must trust me and endure additional pain.
I trust you came the reply and once again he was back in his own mind, the echoed pain still quite real in his own shoulder. “I need your knife,” he motioned to Jne.
“So you will kill it?” she asked while passing him her dagger.
“No,” came the quick reply as he took the blade and approached the bird. Reaching out, he slowly and gently moved his hand over the wing. It was easy to locate the break right at the shoulder where a sickly lump pressed outward against the skin and feathers. Looking down at the roc he took a deep breath and then brought the dagger up and pressed it against the lump, quickly slashing open the skin and exposing the bone that now protruded out. The roc screamed an awful cry but amazingly remained still save for a shiver that shook repeatedly through its body. Sweat was mingling with the rain that continued to pelt them as he passed the blade back to Jne giving her a quick glance before turning his full attention to the broken bone.
This was where he was the most uncertain as how to proceed. This would also be the most painful part. He just hoped that the roc would be able to control itself from snapping him in half with its powerful beak. He took a deep breath and then reached out with both hands. He had to realign the bones together. The roc let out a slight whine and then rumbled in its chest as Thane’s hands reached into the fresh wound. The muscles were pulling the bone past the break while the other end was now protruding through the wound. Grasping them with each hand, he turned and called out to Jne. “When I say, pull the wing towards you. We need to get the two parts back together.” Jne just nodded, grabbing the wing with both hands and then digging her feet into the rock as best she could to get footing. He looked down at the roc, its eye pressed tightly shut and then glanced back at Jne who nodded her readiness. The blood from the roc’s wound was mingling with the rain making Thane’s grip on the bones slick but there was no helping it. Concentrating on what he had to do, he called out above the thunderous wind, “One, two, pull!”
Jne jerked back on the wing, fighting the muscles that spasmed and pulled against her. The roc let out an awful cry and moved involuntarily almost knocking Thane to the ground as he worked to position the bones back in their natural place.
“Harder!” he shouted as Jne pulled, making progress but not quickly enough to alleviate Thane’s fear that the bird would soon lose tolerance and lash out at them. Jne grunted and pulled with renewed effort slowly overcoming the pull by the bird’s muscles. “That’s it,” he called out, “almost there,” as the bone inched back and then suddenly popped back into position.
The roc’s body went limp, its muscles relaxing now that the break was returned to its natural position. But now what? Thane was able to hold the bones together, but any movement from the roc would just throw them out of position again. He had to mend the bone, but how?
Holding the broken bones tightly together he concentrated his mind on the break hoping that something would awaken in him to mend it. The bird said all he had to do was make it so, but he had no experience with such a thing to know how to proceed. Which Tane did he need to call forth to heal bone? He could sense the five within him waiting for him to call upon them to do his bidding but which of the Tane had the power to mend it. Shutting out the wind and rain that continued its barrage upon the mountain, he sank deep within himself eliminating all distraction save the pieces of bone that now became a part of his own body, connected to him through his hands. He delved deeper into the pores and marrow seeking a connection that would allow him to fuse them as one again.
Then an idea entered his thoughts. It seemed so simple, but he had nothing else to draw upon. Taking a deep breath, he began to sing the song of growing used when the Chufa planted. He started off soft but then his voice grew louder. Suddenly he could feel his TehChao Tane awakening within him, its power flowing down his arms and out through his hands that gripped the bone. He feared it wouldn’t have the effect he desired but he continued the song anyway. It was the only Tane he knew of that encouraged growth and it had awaken within him at his call. The bone in his hands began to warm and then suddenly he could feel both sides reaching toward each other and then intertwining and solidifying, bringing the pieces back together and mending them into one. It was quick, without extravagance, but complete. He slowly let go, the crack no longer visible as if the bone had never been broken.
Not wasting anytime to admire his work, he quickly brought the knife to his hand and cut it allowing his blood to flow into the roc’s wound and mingle with its blood to eliminate any possible infections. Then pressing the sides of the wound together, he used his QenChe Tane to cauterize and heal it. No longer did the large bird struggle, its breathing slowing to normal. Then, with the slightest hesitation, it stood up and tentatively stretch out it wings. Had Thane and Jne just happened upon the roc they would not have bee
n able to tell that just moments before it had been writhing in pain with a broken wing.
Thane smiled slightly and shook his head in amazement. “I did it,” he said, his surprise registering in his voice.
Jne looked at him, a slight glint of something in her eye that he couldn’t immediately decipher and then she flashed him that magnificent smile that so rarely surfaced. “I knew you could.”
He held her gaze for a long moment until she surprisingly looked away, the slightest touch of red coloring her cheeks. He didn’t think he would ever fully understand this woman that was so rigid and uncompromising yet, at times, seemed, for the briefest moments, a little child just barely weaned from her mother’s lap.
A screech from the roc brought their attention back as they watched it bounce on its feet and then bob its head, the cooing sounds coming from its throat just audible over the wind. Thane smiled at its celebration at being healed, happy that it had the faith in him to make him try to heal it. Turning to Thane it locked on his eyes and drew him in. Thanks be to you for healing me. I am Azaforte. My once mate is Debipena. The giving of names is a sign of respect and honor. You are named Irmante, or friend.
Touched, Thane responded as he thought proper. I am Thane of the Five Tane. You have given all for us. We owe you so much more.
We give willingly without expectation of anything in return. The choice was always ours to make. Our sacrifice, though great, is only a small part of what others have already given and will eventually give in the end. Others will yet make the last great sacrifice to save us all.
Thane broke contact but instead of feeling the joy he had originally felt at healing Azaforte, he suddenly felt dark and cold, like a part of him was dying. He looked at the roc for a moment longer trying to understand why he suddenly felt so alone. A warm hand touched his arm startling him. He turned to see Jne, her face seeming slightly pale in the dim light.
“We must find the others,” she said softly, her hand lingering on his arm before she almost reluctantly pulled it away.
He blinked, and then just nodded. Forcing a smile, he pointed to the roc, “This is Azaforte.”
Chapter Eleven
“Try again,” Dor encouraged.
Tam gave him an exasperated look but said nothing. Instead she closed her eyes and tried to make contact with the raging wind that whisked her hair about stinging her face as it cracked like a whip against her skin with the changing gusts. It had only been short moments after they where encased in a cocoon of roc feathers that Dor had suggested she try to ride the winds like Thane and attempt to find and make contact with their friends. At first she was hesitant, unsure of herself or the possible dangers inherent with riding the winds, but necessity and fear for Thane and Jne’s safety had won out and she now found herself facing the angry elements as she tried to throw her spirit into the air currents. She actually felt grateful for the strong winds as she could almost feel her ArVen Tane stirring within her, begging for release.
Dor watched with anticipation feeling completely useless as Tam’s eyes were pressed shut, the concentration she was exerting marring her face. She thought back to the thrill she’d felt while flying on the roc and how the wind had called to her in such a way that made her want to just completely lose herself in its force and power. She tried to clear her mind of any other thought or sense other than the air currents flowing past. She tried to reach out to them but felt as if a door still remained locked mocking her efforts.
Something was holding her back, she could feel it. It wasn’t the wind. It seemed to call to her like a distant echo barely noticeable above the multiple sensations that bombarded her senses. She was the one creating the wall, she knew it, but she wasn’t sure what she was doing to keep it there, not allowing her to just let go and travel along the air’s currents.
She tried again to clear her mind of the thoughts that seemed to race unbidden down its many corridors, disrupting her ability to touch the wind with her soul and release herself from her body. She could feel her heart pounding hard and fast against her chest, the rhythm of it sounding loudly in her ears. The wind whispered to her, caressing her skin, inviting her to let go and follow. She wanted to listen, she wanted to obey the quiet voice, but still she remained earthbound, her soul locked tightly within her solid frame.
The wind slapped her as if mocking her for choosing to remain stuck to the ground. She suddenly felt ashamed as if she were denying her Tane, as if she were denying the person she was. A tear slowly slid down her cheek and opening her eyes there was Dor, patiently watching and waiting.
“Did you do it?” he asked excitedly.
Tam’s expression dropped as she shook her head. “I can’t let go,” she said, the tears coming more quickly now. “It’s right there but I can’t seem to reach out and touch it.”
To both their surprise, Dor’s arms suddenly wrapped around her and pulled her close. She could feel the slight shiver in his body, but whether from the cold or the nervous excitement that came from being so close she couldn’t tell. She felt warmed by his touch, letting go with a sigh the anger and frustration she’d felt only moments before.
“You’re trying too hard,” he whispered into her ear. “You can’t force it. You just need to allow it to happen.”
She looked up at him, her voice more stinging than she’d wanted it to be. “That is so easy for you to say when it’s not you who has to perform.” She immediately regretted her rebuke as Dor’s arms slipped away leaving them separated again.
“I don’t chide you,” he said, his voice remaining surprisingly soft. “I only meant to encourage. I know what it is like to try and fail. Every night, since Thane challenged me to use my Tane and pull water from a bag, I have spent hours trying to force the water to obey my command. It’s not until watching you now that I understand why I fail. The Tane are not to be forced or commanded. It is us who need to bend to their will. Only then comes the ability to direct that will where we want it to go. For once, Tam, stop trying to control everything and let yourself go.”
His words stung and her natural reaction was to lash out, but she knew by the tone he used and the way he was looking at her that he hadn’t said it as a challenge or a rebuke, but with concern, and even—love. She bit back the anger that had flared and instead reached out and drew him in, hugging him close. No words were exchanged but when she finally let him go she felt calm and serene.
Sitting down, she leaned back against the roc that had remained in the same spot since they landed; it appeared to be sleeping, though how it managed in such a storm was beyond her understanding. Closing her eyes, she let herself sink back against the downy feathers and freed her mind to wander releasing, as she did so, all the stress and pressure she’d felt. She didn’t think about wind or trying to force contact, she just let herself feel it as it ripped past her as if in a rage. The power she felt in it was intoxicating and she wanted to embrace it but she forced herself to do no more than be aware of its existence. She could feel it calling her now and something within her cried out for release; it was her Tane. It struggled to be unconstrained and answer the wind’s bidding.
Tam hesitated for a moment, a sudden fear rising in her that she fought hard to suppress knowing that it would extinguish the spark that had started to grow. And then, she let go. Let go of herself, let go of who she was, gave herself over to the control of her Tane and the fierce energy that was the wind.
All at once she felt herself gliding, flowing along with the greatest sense of freedom and joy that she had ever felt in her life. Up and down she floated, racing along a river of air that carried her farther and farther away. She hesitated in opening her eyes, afraid that the sensations would turn out to be tricks of the mind. She suddenly laughed at the thrill feeling an unspeakable amount of elation and independence. Nothing held her. Nothing bound her to its will. She was nothing and everything all at once.
Slowly, she opened her eyes not quite knowing what to expect. She gasped involuntarily. She
’d done it. She was free from her body and racing over the wondrous peaks and lush valleys that made up the Shadow Mountains. For a place of such extreme danger it was intensely beautiful to behold from high in the air. For the moment she completely lost herself in the power and liberty the winds offered, letting them carry her along at their whim to wherever they deemed to go. Never in her life had she felt so alive. It was an ecstasy that defied description.
She watched the mountains slip away below and suddenly found herself carried over the Dedrik forest past Hell’s End Station. She felt herself picking up speed now as she was dropped low to rush over the plains back toward Calandra. Her heart sank as wisps of smoke snaked through the air over the capital city, obviously overrun by Zadok’s army.
“And who are you?” a sinister voice suddenly spoke.
Tam gasped as an evil face seemed to appear out of nowhere directly in front of her. Though the wind continued to carry her along, the face remained as if locked in with her movements. The air suddenly felt strange; oily was the only thing she could think of to describe it. She felt like she needed to bathe. The face cackled malevolently, sending a shiver through her body. Though she’d not felt the sensation of temperature with the wind, she suddenly felt cold.
“Whhh…at do you waaa..nt?” she finally managed. “Who are you?”
The face laughed. “It does not matter, my sweet,” it said smoothly but without emotion. “You will not live to remember it.”
Tam’s eyes widened in terror as she suddenly felt the air around her begin to dissipate. She knew from Thane that to lose all the wind in such a state was to lose her life. “Wait!” she cried in desperation, her voice pleading. “Don’t. Please, don’t do this.”
The face merely laughed, the evil stench of its form sickening her. “Don’t worry my dear,” it sneered. “This will only hurt, a lot.”