Hand of Fire: Book 1 of the Master of the Tane

by Thomas Rath

  He looked at her for a brief moment, strangely happy that she felt sorry for him. “Yeah, well, anyway. It wasn’t long before I was almost passed out again. The rest is kind of fuzzy but they brought me something to drink. I was so thirsty that at that moment I would have swallowed anything they put in my mouth. So I drank it down and instantly regretted it. It was awful.”

  Tam smiled knowingly. “And it made your head spin and your limbs feel like dead weight?”

  Dor smiled back. “So, I see that it’s something they give all their guests. They tried to give it to me again but I refused after that.” His face got suddenly serious scaring Tam with the intensity of his look. “Don’t drink it Tam. It’s poison. Had I been more aware the first time, I would have refused it then. When they brought it to me the second time, my Tane warned me that it was no good.”

  Tam bit her lip.

  Dor smiled at her trying to relieve some of the tension he suddenly saw in her face. “Plus, I figured that since I was still alive then there was a reason and if they wanted to keep me alive, then they would have to give me something else. That’s how I got my first set of marks.” He pointed to his back.

  Tam looked at him in awe. She had never thought of it that way. She had thought about why she was still alive, but she had automatically figured it was just to fill their bellies at a later date. Then again, she didn’t think she could have taken the abuse Dor had. That she had suffered greatly, there was no doubt, but she knew that she had been on the edge many times. She shuddered to think what might have happened had she refused them. She quickly shrugged the thought away. The fact was, she didn’t want water anymore. She found herself craving the drink more and more. It almost made her angry when she thought about. How could he say that it was poison? She was still alive and was, in fact, feeling better than she had before. That must be coming from the drink. Sure, it had made her feel bad at first, but that was just because she wasn’t used to it. Now, it made her feel wonderful. Dor just didn’t realize what he was missing. And she was not about to tell him. After all, if he knew how great it made her feel then she might have to share it with him.

  Dor continued on with his story but Tam only half listened since it was similar to her own, until he came to a part she thought she remembered. “I saw you for the first time in one of the large caves,” he said rubbing his chin. “You looked terrible, tied and dragged behind the troll in front of you. I was so happy to see you I jumped up and yelled your name. I thought you paused but I couldn’t be sure because I was immediately pulled down and whipped by the guards. That’s when I got my second set of stripes.”

  Tam looked at him tenderly, suddenly feeling a strange closeness to him that she’d never felt before. Someone had called her after all. It seemed so long ago that she had nearly forgotten about it.

  Dor continued. “I didn’t see you after that until today when we left the mountain. I was exhausted from the continual walking. It was all I could do just to put one foot in front of the other.” He looked down, as if ashamed of what he was saying. “The darkness and enclosure of the caves was really starting to threaten my sanity. When we came out of it today, I felt as if I had come alive again with the sky above me and the grass under my feet. I didn’t have much time to enjoy it though because almost the instant I left the cave there was a loud scream and the camp was thrown into a huge uproar.” He beamed at her. “I knew that there was only one person who could make so many people so crazy.”

  Tam’s temper flared at his comment but then she realized that he was only trying to lighten a horrible situation. She gave him a mock angry look and punched him in the arm.

  Dor chuckled. “I looked up and there you were, running for the trees like a mad woman. I tried to follow after you. In fact, I got a whole step in your direction before I was roped around the neck and got another thrashing. That was the third whipping. And the last,” he sneered, glancing at the large group of snoring trolls with a raging hatred that burned through eyes.

  Tam looked down remembering what had made her do it and also feeling sorry that Dor had gotten hurt again because of her. She jerked her head up when Dor started laughing.

  “You should have seen the look on some of the troll’s faces,” he said excitedly while trying to keep his voice down. “The whole camp burst into a great mass of confusion. Some of the trolls thought we were being attacked and started throwing their clubs around. It was a sight to be sure.”

  Tam smiled weakly. She was glad that Dor had been too busy watching those around him to understand the cries of warning that had been flying from her lips. She didn’t know why, but she didn’t want Dor to know how close she had come to losing herself completely.

  Dor’s face beamed in the firelight, as he looked at Tam in a way that made her feel a bit uncomfortable. “I’m sure glad we’re together again,” he finally said.

  Tam felt her face getting warm and thanked the Mother that it was now dark so Dor wouldn’t be able to see the blush she was sure had gathered on her cheeks. She too was glad for his companionship again and for the relief it was to know he was still alive but at the same time, without knowing why, she felt a strange kind of jealousy towards him.

  “So,” Dor went on keeping his voice light. “How did you fall in with such a pleasant group?”

  Tam hesitated for a brief moment, and then repeated back to Dor all she could remember of her own ordeal. She talked briefly of the fears she had of being eaten and how exhausted she had felt but when it came to the part of the dark one she moved on without mentioning it as if to even think of him would bring him back. She figured Dor must not have seen him since he made no mention of it in his story. So, why worry him? She also passed over the part about the black drink thinking it unnecessary, since he already knew about it, and not wanting him to catch on how much she longed for it now. It was hers, after all, and he had no business taking it from her. When she finally reached the part of screaming towards the woods she just passed it off as an attempt to escape.

  Dor laughed. “Well, the next time we get a chance to escape, it might be better to keep it a little quieter.”

  Tam forced a smile, suddenly feeling a strange resentment towards him for talking as if they would actually try to escape. I can’t run away, she thought. Who will bring me my drink?

  Dor interrupted her thoughts when he started asking her questions about the last few days. Tam felt a little perturbed at him for asking but put him off easily by telling him she didn’t remember or she was too tired to pay attention. The joy she had first felt at seeing her friend alive had now completely disappeared being replaced by jealous thoughts that bombarded her mercilessly convincing her that he was a threat to her drink supply.

  “Do you know where they’re taking us or why?” Dor asked, robbing her of her precious thoughts of her next drink.

  “How should I know?” she snapped.

  Dor jumped at her tone. “Kinpa’s bones. I’m sorry, I was just asking.” Still the same Tam it would seem, he thought.

  Tam pressed down her annoyance with visible effort. “I mean...I haven’t heard a thing. I guess I’m just tired.”

  Dor looked at her as if not believing a word she was saying. “I suppose you must be. Maybe we should try to get some sleep. We can talk more in the morning.”

  “Good idea,” she said quickly. “Who knows what we’ll have to face tomorrow.”

  “Ah, right,” Dor said turning gently onto his side. “Good night.”

  Tam didn’t sleep. She just lay quietly thinking while listening to Dor’s steady breathing. She was glad he was alive, she guessed, as long as he stayed away from her drinks. She was a little confused, at first, by her sudden feelings of distrust and disliking towards him. She felt that such strong resentment was somewhat out of place, but she quickly brushed it off with thoughts of the morning meal and her drink. It was hers and he wasn’t going to get any of it.

  Both were awakened by a kick to the ribs and then a bowl of mush was pl
aced before them. Dor ate slowly, more from necessity than any liking of taste. Tam, on the other hand, gulped hers down ferociously anticipating what would come after.

  “Haven’t they been feeding you?” he asked, suddenly concerned for her welfare.

  Tam gave him a fierce look as the need for her drink began to work on her senses. Wiping some gruel from her chin she noticed his bowl was still almost full and realized she had eaten hers in one quick swallow. She forced a smile trying to maintain control of herself for just a while longer until her much needed drink came. “I, I...,” she stuttered searching for the right thing to say to relieve any suspicions. “I eat it fast so...so I can’t taste it,” she finished in a hurry.

  Dor watched her, unsure about her strange behavior.

  Tam could feel his eyes boring into her and it made her want to lash out at him. Her hands shook as she wrestled to control herself for just a few moments longer. Where was her drink anyway, it should have been there by now. Finally, she snapped her head up and glared at him. “What are you looking at? I told you I don’t like the taste, what more do you want?”

  “Nothing,” Dor said quickly. “I just wondered if you weren’t still hungry and wanted the rest of mine.”

  “I can last quite nicely on my own, thank you,” she returned with an edge to her voice. “When are you going to finally accept me for what I am—a grown Chufa woman. I can take care of myself you know.”

  Dor noticed her eyes as they darted about like a spooked doe and how she wrung her hands as if trying to rid them of their skin. What’s going on with her? It must be the strain of being held captive and not knowing what will happen to us next. He tried to ignore the tinge of anger he felt at how viciously she was reacting towards him.

  One of the guards approached carrying two mugs. Tam quickly sat up as if ready to jump out of her skin. The cups were passed out and Tam quickly grabbed hers and started gulping the liquid down. After a couple of swallows she suddenly stopped and spit the liquid out in a spray. “This is water!” she screamed, a red glow igniting in her eyes.

  Dor stared at her in shocked disbelief. “What’s the matter with that?”

  Tam looked at him hard, her eyes pulling down into slits sending almost visible darts into his soul. “You have it don’t you?” she hissed. “Give it to me Dor. Give it to me right now.”

  Dor couldn’t believe what he was seeing. What had they done to her to make her this way?

  “Give it to me Dor,” she yelled again moving towards him as if she would attack.

  Dor followed her eyes to the cup he was holding in his hand and for the first time, noticed it was full of the dark liquid they had tried to force him to drink when he was first captured. He was horrified. Holding up the mug, he watched as Tam’s eyes seemed to catch hold of it and try to pull it in as if by shear will. “Is this what you want?” he asked in disbelief. “Is this what you’ve been drinking this whole time?”

  Tam moved closer, her eyes not moving from the mug in his hand. A line of drool slid from her mouth and dripped off her chin. “Give it to me now,” she whispered as if in a trance.

  Dor held it back trying to regain her attention. “Tam, you can’t. It’s poisoning you. Don’t you understand? They’re trying to get control over you by getting you addicted to this.”

  Tam’s eyes shifted to him for a brief moment and she softened as if a sliver of understanding had penetrated her rage. A tear moistened her cheek and she slowly sat back in a daze. She looked down at her hands folded neatly in her lap and started to cry. “Please,” she whimpered, “give me the mug, Dor. I need it. I can’t survive this without it.”

  He watched her with pity wanting to give her the mug but knowing it would do more harm then help. “Tam,” he said gently, “I can’t. You’ve got to stop drinking this. Can’t you see what it’s doing to you?”

  She looked at him softly, wiping the tears and dirt from her face. “Oh Dor,” she whispered. Then, without warning, she sprang at him grabbing for his neck. Crashing into him, she sent them both to the ground with a thud. The mug sloshed dangerously throwing some of the liquid onto Dor’s arm as Tam’s hands tightened mercilessly around his throat cutting off most of his air. She grabbed desperately at the mug pulling it from his hand as dots began to fill his vision from the pain in his arm and the lack of oxygen reaching his brain. He was about to pass out when Tam was suddenly pulled off by a couple of trolls. She squirmed like a mad banshee kicking and screaming while throwing a spray of spittle through the air.

  “You spilled some!” she screamed. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you all.”

  One of the trolls slapped Tam hard across the face drawing blood from her lip and shocking her out of her rage. Tossing her roughly to the ground he then proceeded to kick her relentlessly. “You no fight more. You no fight more.”

  Tam curled into a tiny ball, more to protect the mug than herself, and sobbed softly as she did her best to drain its contents. “He spilled some,” she whimpered quietly while rocking herself. “He spilled some.”

  Dor still lay on the ground gasping for breath amazed at the strength she had suddenly possessed. I’ve got to get her away from that stuff, he thought desperately. I’ve got to somehow get us out of here.

  The troll stopped his barrage and Tam drained the last tiny bit from her mug shoving her tongue down into the cup as far as she could to get the very last droplet. All at once, she calmed down and seemed to return to her normal self. Dor was dumbfounded. He wanted to talk to her more, somehow convince her that what she was doing was destroying her, but he was whisked away before he could say another word. They were moving out.

  It wasn’t long before he was put into line behind his guard. Then like a great, slithering snake, the long procession moved forward heading to the west. Dor had learned early on not to try and talk with the troll in front of him. Earlier attempts had only gotten him whipped or hit so he gave up rather quickly. He figured it was more because the troll was too stupid to have a conversation than anything else.

  The terrain, for the most part, had been a mixture of rolling foothills and scattered clumps of trees. Occasionally, they passed small piles of snow hiding in the shade away from the destructive sun rays. Sometimes, if he were close enough, Dor would scoop up a piece as they passed by and let it dribble down his throat. It didn’t completely quench his thirst but it was better than nothing. At first, he wondered at the seeming lack of water taken in by the trolls but soon discovered they got most of their fluids from drinking the blood of their victims.

  The few large wolves that roamed the camp at night seemed to do most of the hunting. They disappeared during the daylight hours but always returned in the evening with something hanging from their jowls. Most of the time it was small game or fish. On occasion, they might also drag in a bear or an elk. The trolls didn’t seem to especially love this type of diet, preferring Chufa flesh to animals, but they made do. More than once Dor noticed the hungry look of a passing troll eyeing him up and down and then drooling all over itself.

  He tried not to think too much about where they were going and why. He figured he was right about them wanting to keep him and Tam alive but was afraid to even contemplate what they were wanted for. Most of his time was spent trying to keep up and taking in all he could about the world around him. Never had he or anyone else he knew ever been on this side of the mountains and he wondered at the grandeur and beauty that greeted him. How far could it all go?

  As the sun began to reach its midday peak, the land began to change slightly going from the rolling hills and the forests of the foothills to long stretches of waist high grass prairie. Dor stared in awe as they descended a small hill and watched as the wind blew like waves across the tall brown grasses below. It stretched out for miles all around. Never in his life had he seen or imagined a meadow so enormous. It was almost frightening. It was so open. His eyes followed the expanse making him dizzy from its sheer magnitude. Finally, way off in the distance, it ended,
cut off by the base of more mountains that looked like tiny lumps on the horizon. The large horde of trolls trampled through the high grasses cutting a wide and deep swath that left a trial that even a blind man could not miss.

  He looked for Tam but was unable to pick her out in the large crowds massed in front of him. He decided she must be back behind and wondered how she was holding out. What was going through her mind? He knew the addicting liquid they had been feeding her was already deeply rooted into her system and that to regain control of herself without it was going to be a battle. But, he also knew that he had to get her away from it before it completely destroyed her mind. We’ve got to escape somehow. That’s the only way she will be freed from her addiction. He wracked his mind for any idea that might lend itself to their escape but the terrain they had just entered and the numbers they were up against made any hope he might of had grimly fade into despair.

  The afternoon was quickly waning and drifting into the early evening hours when the column stopped in a grove of trees that seemed to abruptly rise out of the prairie floor. The great body of trolls slowly prepared to make camp when a sudden excitement passed through their numbers causing great agitation. Dor watched them in horrid fascination as everything was discarded without thought and weapons were taken up. Almost instantly, the whole camp broke into a deranged fury and Dor wondered if the spell that seemed to hold them together as a cohesive unit had not been broken. Individual fights suddenly broke out throughout the camp and a sense of complete anarchy seemed to take over. And then it came to him. They’re going into battle. But against who?

  No sooner had he come to that realization, he was quickly tied to a tree and left guarded by an extremely unhappy troll who was forced to stay behind. Minutes later, a very tired looking Tam was also brought to the tree and tied up next to him.

  “How are you holding out?” he asked, trying to sound cheerful.

  Tam turned away, too embarrassed to meet his gaze after what had happened that morning. Weeks earlier he would have loved having her in such a situation where he had the upper hand but at the moment the only thing he felt was pity and concern.