Night Calls the Raven (Book 2 of The Master of the Tane)

by Thomas Rath

  Teek was a little confused but nodded his agreement quickly. “Yes, sir, I sure will.”

  The king cleared his throat loudly without the slightest attempt at subtlety. “Now, if ye be finished with yer moonin’ eyes over this boy’s mother, I suggest ye be givin’ him the gifts and let him get some more rest.”

  Teek looked at the king in shock. “Gifts?”

  Helgar flashed his father a look that seemed caught in between surprise and annoyance before nodding his head and rising from his chair. He quickly maneuvered his stocky frame between the two thrones and stopped in front of Teek. Reaching back behind him, Helgar pulled a dagger from his belt and presented it to him. “This, I believe, belongs to you.” It was the dagger his mother had given him.

  Teek was awestruck. His hand moved forward to take the blade but then suddenly jerked back. He looked past Helgar to the king and then swallowed hard and returned his gaze to Helgar. “Maybe it would be better if I just left the dagger with you. It seems to have gotten me nothing but trouble lately.”

  The king roared from his chair. “Nonsense, boy. Me son gave it to yer mother and she gave it to you. There be nothin’ to be fearin’ no more from the dwarfs over it. Not now,” he added with poorly concealed ire, “that we be knowin’ from where it came.”

  “Right,” Helgar agreed, smiling weakly.

  Startled, Teek reached over quickly and snatched the dagger from Helgar’s hand. It seemed like such a plain thing now to have caused him so much difficulty and grief. He slid it easily back through the tie around his loincloth where it had always been since the first time his mother had given it to him. It felt right there at his hip—like it belonged there.

  “And,” Helgar continued, “as a token of friendship and no ill will, we also present ye with this to put an end to yer journey and get ye back home to yer mum.”

  Teek’s mouth gaped in disbelief at the size of the diamond Helgar was now holding out in front of him. “I couldn’t,” he breathed. “It’s too much. I really couldn’t accept such a gift.”

  Helgar chuckled. “That be about the same thing yer mother told me when I gave her the dagger and stones to go with it. But it really be nothin’ more than a trinket. We be findin’ them all the time in our mines.”

  Teek found his hand moving forward and taking the large gem. “It would indeed make a suitable gift for Twee’s appeasing journey.”

  Helgar chuckled. “Yep, ye be much like yer mother.”

  The king suddenly appeared next to Helgar. With his eyes entranced by the diamond, Teek had not seen him get up. He quickly bowed. “Your royalness.”

  The king laughed. Not a bubbling laugh, more like stone crashing into stone, but a laugh still the same. “That be enough o’ yer grovelin’ boy. We did ye a misdeed that I hope be mended over now?” he asked with one eyebrow raised.

  Teek just nodded.

  “Great!” the king bellowed. “Then ye be off now to yer bed and get some rest. Helgar will escort ye out of the city in the mornin’ and put ye back on yer way home. Now, we have important things to discuss, lad. So let yerself out the door and Mudrin will be seein’ ye back to yer room.”

  It was all Teek could do not to fall all over himself with bows and thank yous as he backed up toward the door and hurried out. As promised, Mudrin was there waiting for him, a deep scowl creasing her face.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Teek removed the blindfold and blinked at the rich green grass. It was wonderful to be outside again. He wasn’t sure how long he had been a prisoner to the dwarfs, he felt uneasy about asking, but whether it had been only days or long months he felt a surge of relief to be outside once again. As promised, they had roused him from bed early that morning and ushered him down to the banquet hall for a large breakfast of bacon, eggs, cheese and bread that filled in every empty corner of his belly. There was very little ceremony to their leaving. The king appeared briefly to wish him well and spoke quick words to his son before sending them and twenty of the house guard on their way. Also along with the group was Helgar’s friend, Bardolf. Teek remembered him from his mother’s stories but was not prepared for the bone crushing bear hug Bardolf gave him. “I never met yer mother,” he’d said, “so ye get me thanks fer her savin’ me life.”

  They left the city without any fanfare; in fact, the streets were all but empty. It was still too early for most of the city’s occupants to be about their day’s work. Teek only wished there was more light than the occasional street lamp and more time to explore this magnificent underground dwelling and the secrets that hid around every corner. Instead, he was rushed through the streets and turned one way or another until the last building was passed and left behind. It was there, at the very farthest edge of the town, just at the entrance to a large tunnel, that the blindfold was tied securely over his eyes. He didn’t resist. He understood their desire to keep their city’s location a secret although with the innumerable twists and turns they made to finally reach the outside, he new very well that even had he not been blindfolded, he never would have been able to retrace his steps back to Thornen Dar.

  They were on the rolling foothills now at the base of the Dorian Mountains. The terrain was like a rippling wave of grass stretching out all around and dotted with groves of aspen trees that rustled peacefully in the gentle spring breeze. In the distance Teek could just make out the dark line on the horizon that he figured must be The Underwoods Forest. He turned and looked south towards his home. He had been too long away from his family and their hut in the great Teague tree. He wondered how much had changed since his absence. It would be a long road back, he would have to carve out another canoe before journey’s end, but he welcomed it. He was ready to give up a life of adventure. Twee had been right. The best adventures were the ones to be had at home.

  “I set about fillin’ a pack fer ye,” Helgar suddenly boomed pushing it into Teek’s hands. “It’s filled with good things to eat and a nice warm blanket to sleep under.”

  Teek smiled warmly at this new friend he had gained, albeit under less than favorable circumstances. “Thank you, Helgar.”

  “And I,” Bardolf sounded, quickly approaching the two, “have somethin’ fer ye as well.” Reaching back into his pack, Bardolf pulled out an axe. It was beautiful to look at but sturdy in its make, obviously not meant to be left hanging on a wall. “I know that ye’ll be needin’ to be makin’ yerself a new canoe to get home by. I thought that this might be a wee bit of help to ye.”

  Teek grabbed the axe reverently and stared at it in awe. A real dwarf axe! No one at home would believe it. It was double bladed, each side curving around in the typical crescent shape. The shaft was made of the same fine steel as the blades and didn’t seem to be connected or welded to the head in any way. It was one piece. The grip was wrapped tightly with a leather thong and should he drop the end of the weapon to the ground it would have reached up to his waist. Its weight strained his arms but he knew that with time and practice he could wield it with some deftness and accuracy. “Thank you, Bardolf. It’s perfect!”

  Bardolf laughed. “It not be much to look at, but it cuts true and that’s what be the most important in these parts of the world.”

  “Well boys,” Helgar interjected, “We can’t be sittin’ here all day exchangin’ niceties. We both be about important business that won’t be taken care of itself.”

  Helgar quickly showed Teek where he could easily slide his new axe through a loop on the back of his pack and then helped him put it on. “Where will you be going Master Helgar?” Teek asked while he maneuvered his pack into a comfortable position.

  “We be headin’ fer Calandra to meet with King Dagan. We need to be addressin’ some matters that need addressin’. And, since I be me father the king’s only son, I be the one that must be doin’ the addressin’. But don’t ye be concernin’ yerself with none of what we be about. Ye jist git yerself back home to that mother of yers and keep yerself far from trouble.”

  “Oh, I will
do that Master Helgar. You can be certain of that.”

  “Then,” Helgar said puffing his chest out a bit, “ye best be on yer way while ye still have daylight to be seein’ by.”

  “Ye take good care of yerself,” Bardolf scolded in mock seriousness. “Ye get home safe and give this to yer mother from me.”

  Teek suddenly found himself in another crushing bear hug accompanied by strong back blows that rattled his head.

  “All right now,” Helgar finally said coming to his rescue, “that be plenty of that. Now off with ye.”

  Bardolf let Teek go to the boy’s utter relief and then turned about and followed after an already retreating Helgar. Teek waved. “Goodbye! I won’t ever forget you or your kindness. Thank you!” Helgar and Bardolf did not turn around but each threw up a hand in acknowledgement as they and the guard marched away eastward.

  Teek spent most of the day walking in a south-south-easterly direction not wanting to reach the edge of the Underwoods too quickly, but knowing also that eventually he would have to brave the woods and their evil. He remembered well his mother’s story about the creatures she encountered there. He did not want to run into anything of the like if he could at all help it. He did know that he would eventually have to strike out onto the river that passed through the woods to get home but the river did afford a degree of welcomed safety. This time of year it would be swift and dangerous with the swelling from the spring runoff but even that risk was better than the woods.

  He had thought of trying to bypass the woods completely by climbing over the mountains, but realized that that would take longer and he couldn’t count on always finding a lake or stream to supply him with a day or two of rations. What the dwarfs had given him would last him up to a week, if he was careful, but that was not enough to get him home. No, it had to be the river. Anyway, he needed a canoe to make the final leg of his journey home and the Underwoods was a sure place to find a trunk to hollow out.

  The foothills were a mix of rolling, grassy hills and frequent rock outcroppings breaking from the sea of grass and jutting out in different angles. Occasional pockets of shrubbery made their stand in small groups that clung to each other and anyone else that got too close. The first time such shrubs blocked his path he tried to go through them but was quickly turned back by their vicious needle-like thorns that grabbed relentlessly onto his pack refusing to let go. Teek rubbed at one of the scratches left on his forearm from the fray, the burning it left finally beginning to abate. Now he eyed the shrubs warily when they blocked his way, deciding instead to take the long way around.

  As the morning wore on, the sun finally broke away at the previous night’s chill and Teek found himself singing in spite of the ache knotting his shoulders from his heavy pack and new axe. Finding a small grove of aspens, he decided that it was about time for lunch. Near the center of the grove, a small stream meandered through the trees on its journey to the river below and invited him to sit along side and rest for awhile. Releasing his burden to the ground, he helped himself to a soft plot of earth and leaned back against a neighboring tree to enjoy a little rest.

  Digging through his pack he pulled out a big round of cheese and a couple of carrots. “This should make for a decent little lunch.” Though unlike the crab and crawfish he was accustomed to at home, it filled his stomach properly and actually tasted rather good. A cool drink from the creek washed it down nicely and he settled back against the trunk and enjoyed the moment. The trees seemed to be whispering to each other overhead as the wind brushed through their leaves generating a soothing sound that mingled with the bubbling creek creating a soft melody. He gave himself over to the sound without a fight and was quickly pulled into restful slumber.

  Pushing his tiny canoe through the Teague swamp, he wove his way through the labyrinth of giant Teague trees that leant their name to his homeland. His traps had all been full and he was anxious to return to the hut with the treasure of crabs, crawfish, and even a large turtle. His mother would be thrilled, as would his little brother and sisters. But suddenly, a large cloud covered the sky completely blocking out the sun’s rays and throwing the area into an unnatural darkness. A loud scream echoed across the swamp. “Mother!”

  His eyes snapped open. Something large hovered over him forcing him to his feet in an instant as he grabbed for the large axe but was pulled into a pile as the axe’s weight was greater than his strength to wield it. Releasing it he rolled away and popped up again, this time pulling his dagger free from its sheath. The weapon was not as threatening as the axe, of course, but it didn’t throw him back to the ground either.

  Another scream shattered the air followed swiftly by a gentle cooing sound that sounded strangely like laughter. It was then that Teek finally caught site of his attacker. I large white bird stood near his pack, its head bobbing as it continued to coo. “Tchee!” Teek screamed, pushing the dagger back into its casing. He ran to the large bird and threw his small arms against her chest burying his head into the soft down.

  “Oh, Tchee, it is so good to see you again! How did you ever find me, and so quickly? I had given up hope that I would ever see you again. You’ll never guess what happened to me.” Teek stepped back and looked into her gem-like blue eyes. She considered him for a moment and then shrieked a tremendous noise followed by tiny growls in her throat that made Teek suddenly feel like a tiny morsel of meat. He stepped back quickly looking quizzically at her as she continued to growl and squawk.

  “What?”

  Tchee bobbed her head back and forth and growled and squawked again and then shot her head forward so fast that Teek had barely enough time to throw his hands back to soften his collision with the ground.

  “Hey, what’s that for?”

  Tchee loomed over him now and shot her head down at him her razor-sharp beak coming frightfully close to his tender skin. Again she squawked and growl and bobbed her head.

  He tried to scramble back away but she was always right over him still making a fuss. Then it hit him. “You’re not mad about the dwarf thing are you?”

  She raised her head skyward and released another harsh scream that sent birds into flight that had been roosting farther down amongst the trees outlining the Underwoods.

  Teek felt sweat beginning to run down his cheek as the answer came without doubt. “It’s all right,” he soothed. “They didn’t hurt me too bad. I know I should have listened to you the first time but it was all a misunderstanding.”

  Tchee’s head was suddenly on top of him again, her beak so close to his face that he could smell the fish she’d had for breakfast that morning. Low garbles churned in her chest and then rumbled up to her throat. He could tell she was not pleased with him. He was beginning to feel like he was being lectured just like his mother did when he got hurt after doing something she had warned him not to do.

  “I’m sorry, Tchee. Really. Who would have thought I would be mistaken for someone who would steal weapons from royalty? Really, my head is better now and they even gave me the dagger back. It’s not a big thing, honest.”

  Tchee eyed him closely for a moment longer and then raised her head and stepped back giving him enough room to stand. He rubbed his chest where she had hit him and felt the tenderness from the quick forming bruise.

  “I won’t be upsetting you again. You hit harder than the dwarfs.”

  Tchee just stared at him and then suddenly started bouncing around bobbing back and forth while warbling a cheerful melody.

  He smiled, happy to have his friend back and even happier that she hadn’t taken his head off. “What have you been doing this whole time that I was locked away inside the mountain? I have to say that you weren’t much help at the river when they gave me a big knot on my head.”

  Tchee screamed out in protest raising her head high into the air and then bouncing it up and down in short, quick gyrations. The low growl returned to her throat causing him to raise his hands in submission.

  “I know, I know. It was my fault. I was onl
y kidding. It wasn’t all bad though.” His voice suddenly filled with excitement. “You wouldn’t believe what I saw and did. Of course, the first part wasn’t that great, and I was afraid they were going to kill me more than once, but I did get to meet a real king and stay in a real palace. Then they fed me all of this weird food. Well, not at first. First they just gave me a little bit of mush that didn’t taste like anything, but later I got bacon and cheese and vegetables and eggs and other strange things that were all really good. But what was the best of all was that I got to meet the prince my mother met when she was on her appeasing journey!”

  He threw his hands in the air and then plopped them back onto the top of his head. “My mother! I need to get back home. Who knows how long I’ve been gone and now that I have a gift for Twee I can go home! I can’t wait to get there. Boy was Twee right about home being the greatest adventure. I don’t think I ever want to leave the swamps again, although it was kind of exciting and I did meet some nice people, well not at first but they were later on.”

  Tchee just stared at the Waseeni boy as he babbled on and on about his little adventures dancing about and waving his hands acting out certain parts that excited him most and then parading around about one thing or another. She didn’t interrupt, but had Teek been paying attention he may have caught the slight glint in her eye like a mother patiently watching her child amused by his self discoveries.

  Finally he stopped. “I want to get home soon. Can you take me? I know it’s a lot to ask,” he paused putting a hand on his stomach, “and I did just eat but it will take me days and days to get there by walking and canoeing.”

  Tchee squawked amicably and bobbed her head back and forth before dropping a wing for him to climb up. He smiled and then turned and got his pack. He was still amazed at how Tchee seemed to understand everything he said to her and how easily she was able to get her point across to him. Hoisting the heavy pack back onto his shoulders he grabbed the front of the outstretched wing as best he could and then scurried up and onto her back. “You should see the great axe that Bardolf gave me. Mother will be so surprised when I tell her I met them!”