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

by Thomas Rath

  Dor felt his legs suddenly give under the weight of his body. Lying on his back he looked at the hilt protruding from his chest, warm blood mixing with the deluge of rain coming from above like tears. Strangely enough, he didn’t feel any pain. He couldn’t help the smile that split his lips. He would have laughed, but he didn’t have the strength.

  “I guess I have danced my last,” he said in a hoarse whisper. “You have finally caught me.” He tried to lift his arm, but could no longer feel it. Jack’s face suddenly appeared above him.

  “Dor!”

  The sound was like an echo down a distant corridor. Dor tried to call back, but his voice would not respond. He felt like he was falling deeper and deeper into a pool of water. He suddenly felt cold. His eyes blurred. No longer could he hear Jack’s voice as a soft sheet of black stole over him shutting out the world.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Thane listened to the pouring rain outside as he stared at the ceiling and contemplated his talk with Lord Bedler the night before. Never in his life had he felt more comfortable with himself and with those around him. Something about Lord Bedler spoke to him of understanding and personal worth. A chance to be who he was. A chance to be who he wanted to be. It was almost frightening. Never in his life had he really been allowed to be who and what he wanted. He had become so accustomed to living by what other people thought and by society’s rules that he never even contemplated who he really was inside and what direction he might want to take in his life. Even his curse felt a lighter load to carry.

  “Not a curse, but a gift,” he heard himself whisper. That’s what Lord Bedler had said when he promised to help him learn how to use it properly. For the first time since their discovery, Thane no longer felt afraid of the powers within him. Bedler was right. He was given something special that, although not fully understood at the moment, could prove to be a magnificent blessing in his life and the lives of others. And, no matter what his father thought of it or him, he had saved his life by throwing fire onto the wolg. Chufa with the QenChe Tane started fires everyday with their hands. Just because he found another way, a way that possibly saved the village and protected his father...they should have thanked him. If it had not been for his communication with the deer, who knows what might have happened or how many others would have died in the troll raid. It was his ability to “ride the wind” that helped them find Tam.

  “Tam!” Thane sat up with a jolt. With all that had been happening to him, he had let her disappear into the back of his mind. “Oh, Tam. How could I have let you slip from my thoughts?” Thane felt the weight of his life falling back upon him. “I have to go back and help them find you.” His heart sank. He wanted to stay with Lord Bedler and be himself, but he couldn’t leave Tam like that to the trolls. “Wait a minute. Of course! How could I have been such an idiot?” He jumped to his feet and raced to the window. Pulling back the dark drapes he looked out across the valley. The giant, dark sea of trolls was easily seen in the distance like the shadow of a cloud blotting out the sun. They were not two days walk from the tower. “The trolls are coming here! They will release her when we explain the misunderstanding and she can stay here with me!”

  A knock brought Thane’s head quickly around, a huge grin on his face. “Come in!” he shouted almost skipping to the door.

  Whar’s bulky, green form filled the doorway as he opened the door and peeked in. Thane easily suppressed his natural instinct to cringe and actually took the goblin’s hand in his, pulling him into the room. “Whar! How good it is to see you.”

  Whar grinned slightly, a tiny stream of drool escaping his lips.

  “Whar, you must take me to see Lord Bedler.”

  “Eat,” the goblin said in his gravel tone.

  “What’s that?”

  “Eat.”

  Thane shook his head. “No, no Whar. I couldn’t possibly eat right now. I’m too excited. First, you must show me Lord Bedler’s room so I can speak with him. Then we can all eat together. How’s that?”

  Whar stared at him long seconds and for the briefest moment Thane felt like a piece of meat being examined for the pot. “Come.”

  “Thank you!” Thane fairly screamed throwing his arms around the massive cook and then quickly released him trying not to gag from the stench.

  He followed the goblin out the bedroom door and to the left. Upon reaching the end of the hall they started up a circular stairway that seemed not to end in its climb into the castle’s heights. The stone walls were bare of any ornamentation save for the occasional candle holding sconce lighting the way. Thane couldn’t help but feel somewhat claustrophobic surrounded, as they were, by so much stone.

  Finally, they reached the pinnacle and a tiny landing. A small door faced them flanked on either side by angled walls supporting a last pair of sconces. Whar pointed to the door and then without a word, turned back and descended the stairs.

  “Thank you, Whar.” Thane yelled after him. “We’ll be down soon.” When no answer came, he turned back to the door. He reached out his hand to knock, but stopped in mid motion. A strange feeling came over him that gave him a slight shiver. He felt somewhat like an intruder, like he was invading an area where he ought not to be. Shaking the feeling away, he reached out again and rapped his knuckles lightly on the wood. “Lord Bedler?” When no answer came, he knocked again, this time a bit more forcefully. “Lord Bedler, it’s Thane. I need to talk to you about something that’s very important.” Still no answer.

  Thane stood for a moment unsure of what to do. He guessed he could wait until he saw him later to discuss Tam, but he was so excited about the thought of having her close again that he could barely contain himself. Without thinking, he reached for the door handle and released the latch. Pushing on the door, he was greeted by hard resistance. The door wouldn’t budge. He pushed again, this time putting his shoulder into it but came up with the same results. Pressing the latch again he could feel it release but when he pushed, nothing happened. Keeping the latch down, he commenced to yank it back and forth and almost toppled down the stairs when the door swung out towards him. He couldn’t help but laugh at himself as he picked up on the simple advantage of having the door swing out instead of in. In the case of an attack, a door that swung out would be much harder to breech simply because of how it operated.

  Poking his head into the room, he called out for Lord Bedler but was still greeted by silence. He was somewhat shocked to discover the room was just smaller than his own. The walls were curved in a circular fashion, the obvious interior to one of the rising towers that jutted skyward all around the castle. A bed, half the size of the one that crowded his room, was against the far wall just to the side of one of four small windows, which gave a spectacular view of the valley in all directions. A small chest snuggled to the foot of the bed and a table hugged the left side just under the east window. Besides the four burning candle sconces on the walls and the large rug that nearly covered the entire floor, the rest of the room was completely empty of anything, including Lord Bedler.

  Thane suddenly found himself inside, the door closing behind him. “I wonder why Lord Bedler would choose to sleep in here when he could have any room he wanted?” He crossed to the far window and immediately felt he’d found his answer. His breath slip away as he gazed out over the rain-swept valley, his vision barely reaching past the Mogolths to where he thought he could just make out the green of the plains beyond. Rushing to the window on the right, he was greeted by a sight that made his heart yearn. The valley ended at an ocean to the right and what he figured must be the edge of the Mogolths on the left. It was magnificent, simply beautiful. “No wonder,” he breathed softly. With the look of death and torture that took the vegetation that once thrived in the valley, such a view must be a breath of fresh air for the outcast Lord of the keep.

  Muffled voices suddenly wafted in from beyond the door startling Thane from his longing and flushing him with embarrassment. He looked around quickly. What was he doing?
He couldn’t be found snooping around the Lord’s private quarters. He felt hot with shame. But what could he do? “I have to hide.” Without another thought, he dove under the bed just as the door was pulled open.

  “It’s almost too perfect!” Lord Bedler laughed to an unknown companion.

  Thane was suddenly gripped with an unnatural fear. It threatened to choke off his air as he felt his muscles tense in pure terror. It was all he could do not to bolt from the room. It was like when he was taken by the...DRAGON! It couldn’t be. Why would Lord Bedler be talking to a dragon? Thane reined in his panicked thoughts. A creature that size couldn’t fit in this tiny room anyway, let alone climb narrow stairs. He felt his breathing return slowly. It was all he could do not to gasp loudly for air.

  “Are you certain he can be trusted?” a strange voice hissed ominously.

  Bedler’s laughter filled the room. “Without care,” he said. “I have him so twisted around and wondering that I could kill his own people right in front of his eyes and make him think they did it themselves. I tell you Craklor it was too easy. There was no challenge to it.”

  “Just the same,” Craklor hissed, “I would not let him know too much just yet. He may not be turned completely.”

  “Bah! What do you think I am, a complete dolt? I have the boy in the palm of my hand, just where I want him. In another week or two you will see what I have molded him into, and then you will not be so doubtful about his usefulness.”

  “I still say you should have let me eat him. One less problem to worry about.”

  “Hah!” Bedler chuckled. “You will have plenty to fill your belly yet dear Craklor. This one probably would have upset your stomach anyway.”

  Craklor let out a sickening animal-like sound that might have been laughter.

  “Speaking of filled belly’s, they will be expecting me at breakfast.”

  A puddle of tears wet the carpet beneath Thane’s face as he listened to the pair of footsteps move back towards the door. A lie! It had all been a lie! How could this be happening? How could he have been fooled so easily? He felt the familiar pain of a broken heart squeezing in his chest.

  Suddenly, the voices returned. “I almost forgot,” Bedler’s voice resounded from the landing. “The reason we came up here in the first place. What would our young guest think if he saw this hanging around my neck?” Bedler’s slippers paused at the head of the bed in plain view and then turned and retreated back to the door. “I certainly would have a hard time explaining that away.” The door shut followed by lonesome silence.

  Thane tried to wipe the tears from his eyes feeling numb. His dreams of a new life shattered. He chided himself as a fool for hoping—no, believing—that he could live out the peaceful life as painted by Lord Bedler’s deceptive words. A soft thump brushed against his keen ears at the sound of something hitting the carpeted floor. Could someone still be in the room with him? He tensed, keeping himself completely still. His heart pounded loudly in his ears convincing him that it would give away his location. What would they do with him if he were caught?

  Minutes passed without the slightest whisper. What were they waiting for? If they knew he was there why hadn’t they just taken him? Thane risked a turn of his head to scan the carpet at his right. No boots were in sight. But there was something different. An object rested on the floor that had not been there before. Waiting a few more minutes to make sure he was, in fact, alone, he wiggled his way out from under the bed and plucked up the object. It was a leather necklace with a small, round pendant, made from a strange type of leather. It must have been what Bedler had returned to the room for. But why would a necklace cause him such alarm?

  Thane turned the piece over and stifled a scream while casting it to the ground. He fell back on the bed and quickly pulled his leg up to check. He let out a breath of relief. All was intact. He was whole. But, how then did Bedler get that?

  Slowly, he reached a quivering hand back down to the floor and gently lifted the necklace up for closer inspection. Cold sweat beaded on his face as his bulging eyes locked onto the round piece of leather dangling before him. But it wasn’t animal leather; it was skin. Skin from a Chufa’s ankle. It was a TanIs. Someone had fiendishly cut it from its owner instantly tearing out their soul and banishing it forever, never to find rest. Such a death was more excruciating than any other. The horror of such a sight was enough to make any Chufa tremble at such a heinous death. But what tore at Thane’s every fiber was not so much the fact that he held the TanIs of a lost Chufa, but that the TanIs was exactly the same as his own.

  Rage like no other he had ever felt suddenly boiled within him seething to the surface, begging for escape. Begging to lash out and kill. Begging to destroy. Begging for freedom. “I have to get out of here. I have to save Tam and warn the others.” He wasn’t exactly sure why the trolls were coming but he was willing to bet it had nothing to do with living peacefully. To think he had actually been led to believe they were other than what they truly were—evil and bloodthirsty

  Throwing the TanIs around his neck, he raced for the door. The thought of such a thing touching his flesh would normally have made his skin crawl, but the rage that fired through his veins negated any second thoughts. He would not allow Bedler to parade around glorifying in the death of one of his own. One just like him. He paused for a moment wondering what the other had been like. How had he treated his gift? Was he an outcast too? How had he come to such a terrifying fate?

  Pushing silently through the door, he trotted easily down the stairs without the slightest hint of sound. When he reached the bottom, he pulled up quickly. Straight down the hall Bedler stood at his bedroom door knocking. The echoes of his voice reverberated off the walls as he called out his name trying to rouse him for breakfast. The sight of the old man made Thane’s skin feel as if on fire. His first instinct was to race down the hall and tear the wicked man’s throat out with his bare hands. Instead, he turned back and ran up the stairs. He had to get out now. Soon, they would find him missing and a search would be organized.

  Bursting back into Bedler’s room, he made a quick search. “Where am I going to go?” Rushing to the far window, he immediately eliminated making his way east through the troll camp. Turning to the northern facing window, he eliminated that route as well. It only led to more mountains and the sea beyond. “I have to get to Haykon. That’s my only hope of finding Jack and Dor. Turning back to the south window he stared at the ends of the Mogolths as they stretched out to meet the sea. “That’s it. That’s the only way. I can make it around and come up to Haykon from the south.” A slight smile broke his hardened expression and then quickly vanished. “Tam.” It wasn’t enough to find Jack. He had to free her. This may be their only chance to get her back.

  Running back to the east window, he stared out at the dark horde. Somewhere in all of that Tam was held captive and he was not going to let her suffer one moment more than he could help. “To the east then. Now, how to get out.” Pressing his face against the paned glass, Thane looked to the left and right, hoping to find something that would let him lower himself down to the next level. Nothing. It was a sheer wall. “Think, Thane, think.” The thought of returning to Bedler and Resdin and then trying to escape later crossed his mind, but he didn’t want to risk it. He knew he would not be able to play at ignorance well enough to be convincing. No, he had to get out now.

  Turning back to the door, he stared at it pushed out into the hall. Walking slowly towards it, he grasped the handle and pulled it silently closed. An outward door for defense. Eventually, it would be broken in though and then what? Trapped? Turning back around he looked down at the carpet. I don’t think so. Falling to his knees, Thane grabbed the edge of the huge carpet and began to roll it towards the bed revealing the wood planks underneath. He kept rolling until he hit the chest at the end of the bed. Standing up, he scanned the floor but found nothing unusual or out of place. After rolling the carpet back, he started at the north wall and did the same thin
g. Still nothing. The south wall revealed the same.

  He was getting desperate. Time was running out. Soon they would know he was missing. Crawling under the bed, he knocked softly against the carpet listening for any echoes that might reveal a hollow spot. Nothing. He checked under the table. Again, nothing. Rubbing his hands along the walls, he checked for a loose rock or lever but found none. He knew a search must have been started already. There was no way he could go back down now and act his way out.

  He stared at the chest at the foot of the bed. “Of course!” he breathed. “It’s always the last place you look.” Opening the chest, he searched through its contents seeking the bottom going through only three black robes to get there. But, the bottom was solid.

  The sound of footsteps ascending the stairs turned his blood to ice. By the sound of them, he could tell they were in a hurry. He’d been found out! Whar. He had one last hope. Closing the chest, he turned to its side and gave it a strong push. Nothing happened. It wouldn’t budge. “What is this?” Judging by its size and contents, it should have moved to the side without much effort. He tried again to no avail. The footsteps were getting closer, almost to the landing. “This has to be it.” Jumping to the other side, he gave a heave in the opposite direction, but still nothing moved.

  The latch on the door clicked, releasing it. Thane froze, knowing he was a dead man. A loud thud hit the door followed by curses. Thane had to smile. You have to pull it back to get in. His eyes snapped back to the chest. That’s it. Sitting down in front of it, he pulled it towards him as the latch on the door clicked again. The chest slide easily forward revealing an opening in the floor that descended on stone stairs down into darkness.

  Thane threw himself into the hole without thought of what dangers it might hide and tumbled down five or ten stairs before coming to a stop. To his great relief, the chest automatically slid back into position cutting off the sounds made by a mass of bodies crashing into the room.