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

by Thomas Rath

  Jne reached the flap and turned, spitting out her last instructions before she left. “You better eat all of your food and then sleep. You will need all of the strength you can muster in the morning. We start before the sun rises.” Then she was gone. He was left standing with his hand about his neck wondering what he had gotten himself into.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Renja was up early the next morning and ready when Jne came to his tent, which seemed to irritate the Tjal woman. She carried two swords other than those strapped to her back, which she unceremoniously tossed to him before abruptly turning about and exiting the tent. He rushed after her and fell in behind as she walked quickly but casually out onto the plains away from the tents. To his surprise, even though the sun had yet to make any sign of rising, he could see quite well. So well, in fact, he checked the eastern horizon twice expecting the suns rays to be pressing into the sky, but finding them still hidden well away. He wanted to ask Jne about it but quickly cast the thought aside. He had learned that unless it was absolutely necessary it was better, when around her, to leave questions unasked.

  After walking for close to an hour she suddenly turned on him, her swords jumping from her back and into her hands in a flash of movement. Without hesitation she bore down on him with the full weight of her blades and the strength of her arms aiming to cleave his skull with both swords at once. He scurried to the side barely escaping certain death while bringing his swords up just in time to catch hers as she switched directions and sliced to the side in an attempt to take his head from his shoulders.

  The impact of steel reverberated through his arms almost knocking the weapons from his hands. Jumping back and pressing down the sword on his right he scarcely caught Jne’s slicing for his midsection while her other shot for his throat. Jerking to his side, he dodged away from the jab to his neck but lost his footing and went down hard. His breath caught with the impact but he managed to roll away just as two swords buried themselves into the ground where his stomach had just been. Rolling back further, he popped up into a crouch, both swords in front of him, Jne’s element of surprise lost.

  His side hurt where he had landed but the sudden rush to defend his life kept the pain to a dull throb somewhere in the back of his mind. He had a quick moment to think as Jne stood back and took him in without the slightest bit of emotion on her face. He knew that had it not been for his ability to see in the dark, he would be dead.

  Abruptly, Jne’s swords disappeared back into their resting place against her back and she folded her arms in front of her, a slight sneer playing across her face. He didn’t move, knowing all too well that as quickly as she had put her swords away, they could be back out again pressing to cut him apart. A tiny ray of light began to creep up behind her and he realized that should she attack him again, he would have to fight her with the sun in his eyes. He took a tentative step to his right trying to regain at least a semi-equal fighting position. But Jne shook her head slightly.

  “It is too late for that.” She sighed. “I guess it is not really a concern since you will be dead before the first test is over. You will never make it to steel.”

  He was mad. “What are you talking about? And what was all that other stuff about. You could have killed me!”

  Jne regarded him for a moment picking him apart with a mere glance. “At least you can defend yourself. I guess that is something.”

  Renja’s anger kindled hotter. “Defend myself…!”

  Her hand shot up, silencing him. “If you use anger to fight it will be your certain death. One who fights with anger forgets his head giving it to his heart. And a heart with a head always ends up dead.” She shrugged. “But it does not matter if you don’t make it to steel. You will die before then. Nevertheless, you have called for the challenge and it is my duty to prepare you for it. Put your swords away, you will not need them until the test. You can practice on your own time.”

  Renja looked at her warily. Her stance and manner appeared innocent enough but he knew that at any moment he could be fighting for his life again. Slowly he dropped his swords to his sides and stood up straight, the pain from his fall suddenly forcing itself to the front of his mind. Nothing seemed to be broken but he would have a nice bruise for his troubles. He tried to appear relaxed while keeping his swords ready.

  Jne’s eyes narrowed. “Do you mean to tempt dishonoring me a second time?”

  Renja let out a heavy sigh. What had he gotten himself in to? He relaxed his grip on his weapons letting them slack against his legs.

  “Good. Now, remove all of your clothing.”

  His eyes popped. “What?”

  Jne sighed, her patience wearing down. “Must you question everything you are told? To become Tjal-Dihn you must experience rebirth. You shed your old self and start anew as a member of the Tja. To accomplish this you must meet the sun every morning for seven days in your purest and most natural state. You must be as a new babe. Now, remove your clothes or you will be too late to complete the ceremony and I will have to strike you down right here.”

  He stared at her, searching her face for the slightest glint of frivolity but her expression did not change, remaining a mask of contempt.

  “Quickly,” she barked, “before the first ray touches you.”

  Renja shook his head, dropping his swords to the ground before untucking his shirt. “Why couldn’t they have sent a man instead of you? Could you at least turn around?”

  Jne suddenly became suspicious. “Why do you ask to be dishonored by having me show you my back?”

  Renja didn’t answer immediately. The sun was just about to break the horizon and he still needed to get his pants off. He dropped to the ground struggling with a boot that suddenly didn’t want to leave his foot. “I would rather you not see me naked,” he panted finally yanking the boot free.

  Jne’s eyes narrowed further. “Why? Do you hide something, Renja?”

  He didn’t have time to argue. The sun was moments from its first touches over the horizon and he only had time enough to kick off his other boot and yank down his pants. He looked at Jne tentatively, an obvious flush of color filling his face. But her expression did not change.

  “Remove your necklace,” she said, her tone as casual as if he were still fully clothed, “and prepare to begin your rebirth.”

  Renja quickly yanked the necklace over his head and dropped it into the pile of clothing at his feet just as the first rays of the sun burst over the horizon bathing him in its light. The sun felt good against his chilled skin. He suddenly felt somewhat grateful for the previous exercise with the swords and the warming effect it had had on him, otherwise he would have been much colder.

  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath trying to block out the fact that Jne was only a couple of paces away. It actually may have been a pleasant moment had he been alone. A stiff morning breeze suddenly enveloped him stealing away much of his warmth but surprisingly he didn’t seem to mind. He wanted to open his eyes and look out on the waving sea of grass that had been one of his few joys the last couple of days but he didn’t want to break the image of being alone.

  Suddenly, Jne’s voice broke through like a slap to his bare skin. “What are you waiting for? Do you mean to stand naked all day? Put your clothes back on. You shame yourself.”

  He opened his eyes and glared at her. “You said I had to be naked!”

  Jne just chuckled. “Yes, for the first rays of the morning sun, not for the first and the last.”

  Renja was beside himself. First, she tries to kill him. Then she insists he take off all of his clothes. Now she tells him that he is being shameful and needs to put his clothes back on. It was enough to make him want to use the swords she had given him and take off his own head. He suddenly got the impression that he knew someone just like this but when he tried to remember it just slipped away.

  While reaching for his pants, Jne brushed past him on her way back towards the camp. “Hey, wait a minute,” he called out to her but tr
ipped as he tried pulling them on too quickly. “Where are you going?”

  She turned, a disbelieving look on her face. “We are done. And I have no desire to spend any more time with you than is required.”

  He was incredulous. “What do you mean, done? I thought you were going to prepare me for my tests?”

  Jne’s temper flared. “And what do you think we have been doing? You have begun your preparation for this day. Tomorrow, we will meet here again and continue for each of the seven days until you have been completely cleansed and ready for the testing.”

  He pulled his shirt over his head. “You mean that’s it? What about the three tests? Aren’t you going to help me prepare for those?”

  Jne shook her head. “That is for you to prepare. I have completed what is required for today.”

  He was feeling a bit of desperation beginning to build. As much as he wanted to stay with the Tjal, he did not want to throw away his life either. “This is nothing like what I thought it might be. Maybe I should just leave and forget the whole thing.”

  Jne regarded him with a sudden look of confusion. “Why would you want to do that?”

  Renja shrugged. “I do want to stay here until I figure out who I am but this adoption thing is not at all what I thought. Maybe I should just withdraw now and leave.”

  “You can’t just leave, Renja.”

  The hair on the back of his neck suddenly stood up. “What do you mean?”

  For the first time since he first awoke in this strange land Jne’s features softened. “Once you have started down the path you cannot turn back. To do so would mean death. If you leave, you will be hunted and killed. You cannot turn your back and dishonor us once you have started on the path toward us.”

  He suddenly felt like a trapped animal. “What am I going to do?”

  Jne paused as she was turning back towards camp. “That is your choice. It has been your choice from the start. I tried to get you to leave but you insisted on staying and doing this. If I were you I would practice with those swords. If you get lucky and make it to the test of steel, you are going to need all the skill you can gain.”

  Renja looked at his swords where they lay on the ground. “Jne, answer me one more question.”

  She turned back, her body and face shouting impatience.

  “Has anyone ever passed the tests and been adopted into the Tjal?”

  Jne stared at him for a moment, her face becoming void of emotion. “No,” she said and then turned back around and walked off.

  * * *

  Most of that day and for the following five Renja did just as Jne had suggested. He practiced with his swords until his arms felt like they would fall off. Then he would rest for a while until he gained enough strength to practice some more. He couldn’t tell if he was getting better or not but he did feel more comfortable with his new weapons. He could tell that he knew how to use a sword, but two was another matter. At first he kept banging them into each other and knocking them away. The second day he gained greater control and was able to work them together a little more successfully and by day three he was starting to make them work more as one than two. Once he tried to watch as one of the Tjal men practiced with his swords but was quickly chased off.

  Every morning Jne met him on the plains and he stripped for the first rays of the morning sun. The following days he only kept his clothes off long enough for the sun to touch him and then quickly dressed again. Jne did not attack him with her swords again and said little if anything when they were together. He wanted to talk about the tests and gain as much information as he could from her but she refused to say anything more about them.

  He tried not to think of what life was going to be like living with these people. He found that he regretted his decision to stay with every passing hour. He realized now that he had let his desperation about his lack of knowledge of who he was take over his situation and make his choices for him. He should have just left as Jne had insisted. Yet, how was he to know that the choice to stay could, and very possibly might, lead directly to his death? Although, not knowing his identity, was, in fact, a kind of death of its own. He tried not to think about it too much. Luckily, he really didn’t have the time. Every waking hour was spent with his swords. The tests would come and he would either pass or fail. He started wondering if he really cared how it turned out.

  Preparation for his first test came at the beginning of the fifth day. After the sun touched his naked body Jne flatly stated, “In preparation for your first test, you are no longer allowed any water,” and then she turned and walked away.

  So, it began. No water for two days. Renja wanted to protest but knew to do so would bring him nothing but scorn and wasted breath. He found it interesting that the mere mention of not being able to drink any water made him almost instantly thirsty. It also disrupted his sword practice. He could not afford to lose any fluid by sweating so he spent most of his days in his tent trying unsuccessfully not to be thirsty. Jne still brought him food, but he didn’t want to eat it knowing it would only add to his thirst. Mid-day on the sixth day though, his stomach was too angry to worry about what his throat felt so he ate all of his midday and evening meals. The next day his tests would begin. He needed to keep up his strength.

  He lay awake late into the night trying to ignore the parched sensation in his mouth and in the back of his throat and shut his mind away from the nervousness and excitement he was feeling for the coming morning. He knew he needed to get some sleep so he would be ready for whatever the dawn brought but he was having a hard time shutting his mind down to the questions of what he would be required to face. Jne had said that his three tests would be water, horses and steel. Maybe going without water was the first test. He grasped on to that idea, soothing his mind with the promise that tomorrow would end his thirst and he would pass his first test. It seemed too easy but he wouldn’t let his mind ponder it any further. With the promise of a cool drink of water in the morning he finally drifted into a fitful sleep bringing with it dreams of pools that beckoned to him but were always just out of reach.

  The next morning when he made it to the spot where he had met Jne for the past six days, Kardosh was waiting for him on top of a magnificent black horse. Had his eyes not been so keen in the dark he would have walked right past him and not even known he was there. Kardosh looked down at him and nodded slightly. “Are you ready for your first test?” he asked in his deep rumbling voice.

  Renja just nodded.

  “Good. We wait for the sun and your final cleansing. You will then be ready for the test of water.”

  What did he say? Then be ready? What about have completed? Renja didn’t have time to ask questions. The sun was brightening the horizon and he had to strip quickly. Strangely enough, he almost felt more embarrassed stripping in front of Kardosh than he had in front of Jne.

  Casting his clothes aside, he waited in the chill air for the sun. A finger of light stretched out and touched him caressing him in its glow. Kardosh’s voice suddenly rang out through the morning dawn startling him from his peaceful moment.

  “You are pronounced clean!”

  Renja looked up at him momentarily stunned.

  “Clothe quickly so we can go.”

  He obeyed without argument, pulling his clothes back on with practiced speed and agility. When he was fully dressed, Kardosh offered him his hand and pulled him up onto the back of the horse behind him. Renja felt a little hesitant about being on such a large beast. Although he could appreciate the beauty and power of such a magnificent animal it also made him a little leery. He was fairly certain that he had not been an accomplished horse rider.

  The moment he was on, the great horse shot off galloping deeper into the plains. At first, Renja wrapped his arms tightly around Kardosh’s waist holding on for fear of being thrown off. But Kardosh turned and glared at him. “Do not shame my horse or me with your own shame,” he barked.

  Renja let go hesitantly still expecting to be thrown but ce
rtain of retribution from the large Tjal man should he refuse to loosen his grip. Finding that Kardosh sat on a small blanket, he gripped its edges tightly, not ready to trust his life to such a powerful animal.

  He couldn’t imagine where they were going or what his test would be but as the hours slipped away and the day passed into late afternoon his mind became more focused on the immediate pain he felt in his rear end. The horse had not changed direction in the least bit nor had it slowed its pace throughout the whole day.

  Long ago his fingers had begun to cramp insisting he loosen his grip and allow them to stretch. Reluctantly he had conceded and tentatively released the blanket. Expecting to drop off and be trampled any moment, he kept them close and ready to grab the blanket again should the need arise. That had been earlier this morning. The sun was halfway through its last drop to the western horizon now and Renja sat casually on the horses back the fear of falling almost gone.

  They were far from the tented city, nothing but the long grass of the plains stretching out in all directions. Renja’s tongue felt shriveled, his mouth almost completely void of any moisture. The sun had not helped any either. The sky was clear of clouds and it seemed unseasonably hot today. He sat helplessly and watched as the precious water seeped from his pores and was devoured by the suns rays.

  Suddenly the horse slowed and then abruptly stopped. Renja was even more confused than before. There was nothing there, just miles of grass in all directions. Was the horse taking a rest? He was about to ask Kardosh what they were doing when his deep voice boomed in his ears. “Get off.” Renja hesitated for a brief moment before pushing himself off the back of the horse and falling on his rear, his legs weak from sitting for such a long time.

  Kardosh turned the horse back around and stared down at him. “You have two days to make it back to the camp. If you fail you will be hunted and killed.” Without another word, Kardosh and the horse shot forward in a dead run headed back the way they had come. Renja attempted to yell a protest but his weak voice was lost in the thunderous gallop of the horse and in mere moments he was left to himself.