Hand of Fire (The Master of the Tane)

by Rath, Thomas

  Thane could feel beads of sweat running the length of his back and the loud sounds of drumming as his heartbeat raged noisily in his ears. He felt a sudden urge to run but was unsure if he could out distance the arrows that were sure to follow him if he tried. He struggled to remember what Jack had told him only moments before but his mind froze up as panic spread throughout his body. Calm down Thane, he thought. You’re not afraid of trolls, why should HuMans be any different. After all, they’re smaller.

  Just then, a voice shattered the night sky like the blast of a horn as it called down from one of the towers. Thane leaped and almost turned and ran.

  “Who are you and what do you want?”

  Jack grabbed his arm rather tightly in an attempt to calm him before yelling back. “Why Quin, don’t tell me your eyes have gotten so bad you don’t recognize a helpless old man?”

  There was a long pause before the man yelled back. “Jack?”

  “Who do you think? Were you expecting someone else?”

  “By all that’s dead and buried, what are you doing here?”

  “Well, why don’t you let us in so I can tell you before you let everything else out here know there’s a free meal outside the gates.”

  “Just a minute.”

  Thane watched as a person in one of the center towers put down his bow and disappeared behind the wall.

  “Are you all right?” Jack hissed releasing his arm.

  “Fine,” he replied a bit shakily.

  “Just relax, Thane, and everything will be all right. Just remember what I told you and nothing will go wrong.”

  Thane looked at him, desperately trying to think of what it was he had told him when one of the huge, wooden doors groaned out an objection as it was slowly forced open. Thane froze, his face suddenly bathed in torchlight, as ten heavily armed HuMans exited the fort and approached them. He unconsciously reached for the Dihne to make sure it was on properly but was intercepted by Jack’s hand grasping his arm and holding it to his side.

  “Relax,” he growled just as the party of HuMans came to a stop in front of them. “Quin!” Jack burst out releasing his grip and reaching for the other man’s hand. “It has been a long time my friend.”

  “I’ll say it has. I almost didn’t recognize you with that beard of yours. It must be two years since the last time you showed up here.”

  “Has it been that long?” Jack said pulling on his beard. “Well, I guess it must have been. My how the time passes.”

  “I must admit, most thought you dead. Eaten by some dung ugly troll they said. Not old Jack, I says. Not even an army of those stinking beasts could take down Jack, I tells ‘em. I knew you would come begging at our door again some day.” Quin let out a big smile revealing the many gaps where teeth should have been. By the look of his dirty face and the smell that wafted on the passing breeze, Thane judged that he didn’t spend much time in the water. Quin was the shortest in the group of men who now surrounded them, reaching only to the top of Thane’s shoulder. The other men were Jack’s size in height and build and all held a long pike in one hand and a torch in the other. He also noticed what looked to be very long daggers hanging at each of their sides. He wondered at their size and how a dagger so large could be wielded but cut off his thinking when he perceived that some of them were watching him.

  He suddenly felt very self-conscious as many of their eyes fell on him before quickly darting away when he looked in their direction. He wanted to run. No matter what Jack had told him, these men looked like they were sizing him up for the cook fires. His feet itched and he wanted nothing more than to escape.

  “So, who’s your friend here, Jack?” Quin suddenly asked. All eyes fell on Thane again but this time didn’t move when he looked back. This was it. He new they would see right through to who he really was and then he’d be skewered by ten long pikes.

  “This is Thane,” Jack said patting him on the back. “No doubt you can see that he is Tjal-Dihn.”

  There was a slight ripple through the men and Thane could almost feel the uneasiness that suddenly fell upon the crowd. He scanned the whole lot trying to determine if any could see through the farce and noticed that suddenly none of them would look directly at him. All eyes were concentrated on Jack, almost too attentively. Only Quin eyed him directly. It gave Thane the chills. What was going on here?

  Quin’s look suddenly became hard. “Doesn’t sound like a Tjal name to me,” he snipped not taking his eyes off the Chufa boy. Thane suddenly felt very conscious about his ears and it was all he could do not to reach up and pull down on his head covering.

  “Of course it doesn’t,” Jack laughed. “That’s just what I call him. Do you think I have the time or patience to call him by his real name?”

  Quin wouldn’t leave it alone. “Well then, where’s his swords?”

  “Come now, Quin,” Jack said trying to keep his patience at being interrogated by the likes of him, “do you really think me an ignorant man? I may have allowed him into my company and my friendship, but I am not stupid. Now, enough of this talk out here in the cold. Let us go inside so I can have a proper bath and then we can talk over a mug of that watered down piss you call mead, and catch up on old times.”

  With visible effort, Quin forced his eyes back onto Jack and again revealed his grotesque smile. “You’re right Jack. Where are my manners? Everyone back inside.”

  Thane almost let out a sigh of relief that the attention was finally taken away from him. He didn’t like that five of the ten men fell in behind him and Jack escorting them into the fort as if they were prisoners but glancing at the confident and relaxed look and Jack’s face lent him a sliver of strength. He knew that he should just be thankful that his legs had not given out on him and that he was able to walk in at all.

  He felt his heart skip as the door closed behind them and was locked tight erasing any route of escape. His previous amazement over the strange fort was now torn away and replaced with a sense of imprisonment and claustrophobia. Why would they choose to hole themselves up in such a monstrosity instead of running free in the forests and the natural protection they offered?

  What immediately greeted him was a large area void of anything but mud, save for a fairly large fire burning right in the center that was surrounded by more men. Snuggling against the looming walls were buildings constructed of wood and rock that numbered seven in all. He could only guess at what they were for or who might be found within them. His gaze followed the structures around from the left, taking it all in, when he spotted something on the far right side that made him gasp in wonder. Jack glanced at him and then followed his eyes to see what he was staring at. Some of the guards had also noticed and were now sharing strange looks.

  “Uh, how about that bath,” Jack said quickly grabbing Thane’s arm and pulling him along. “And a place to set our gear would be nice too.”

  “Yeah, sure,” Quin said watching Thane intently. He waved his hand and the guards dispersed, moving towards the fire or climbing up to the towers above. “There ain’t nobody royal or nothin’ visiting, like they’d ever come out here, so you can have the rooms in the pub. Benfer already knows you’re here so I’m sure he’s got someone heating water for you.”

  Jack moved in front of Thane forcing Quin to look at him instead. “Thanks, Quin,” he said with a smile. “By the way, where’s Wess?”

  Quin tried to look around him and back at Thane but soon gave up. “Out on patrol. Been two days gone now. It could be another two before he gets back.”

  Jack’s expression suddenly changed to one of deep concern. “This early?” He glanced back at Thane. “Is there trouble?”

  “Who knows?” Quin said shuffling his feet. “You know Wess. He don’t tell us a thing except where to go and when to fight. And you know these parts. Could be anything.”

  Jack scratched his beard. Thane moved to Jack’s side and watched them intently trying to catch every word. “Have there been many raids this winter?” Jack fina
lly asked.

  “Can’t say there have been. Usually, we get maybe one or two early on, just before the snow piles on the mountains. Not this year though. We really haven’t seen anything since summer. Gets to be rather boring around here. Lot’s of fights been breaking out lately,” he added, looking back at Thane.

  “Yes, I imagine so,” Jack said, unconsciously pulling at his beard. “Well, no matter. I’ll just have to wait to talk to Wess when he gets back.”

  “I guess you will at that,” Quin said flashing his grotesque smile. “Come along now and we’ll get you settled.”

  Quin led them to the second building on the left and through the door into a large, smoke filled room full of men. Most were seated around tables laughing and drinking while others were doing the same at the long bar that ran the length of the wall on their left. A large, rock fireplace extended out diagonally from the back, right corner giving off most of the light in the dim room. Candles were lit on the many tables casting strange shadows on the men’s faces. To Thane, the room felt stifling. When they entered, all eyes turned in their direction and eventually landed on Thane. The room went silent and still and once again he could feel the sweat beading up and running down his back. He wondered if the whole lot of them would not recognize him for what he truly was and pull their long daggers and end his short life. It felt like the walls were closing in on him.

  Jack scanned the room briefly and then smirked. “Well, I guess things must be pretty dull around here for someone as homely as me to draw such looks.”

  All eyes moved as one to Jack then a plump looking man standing behind the bar finally broke the silence. “Is that you Jack, hiding behind all that fur?”

  “It sure is my friend and how go things with you, Benfer? Still putting water in that mead of yours?”

  Slowly, the men in the room turned back to their mugs and conversation only occasionally glancing back at the door and the newcomers standing there. Thane felt himself relax, but only slightly.

  “Why Jack, I’m hurt,” Benfer boomed. “How can you say such a thing about my fine brew? Why, it’s the best you’ll find anywhere in these parts.”

  “It’s the only thing you’ll find in these parts is what you mean,” Quin said with a growl. “You have a room ready for our guests here?”

  “Of course,” Benfer smiled wiping his hands on his apron. “I’ve got a hot bath waiting for you and I’ll start with your dinner right now. No charge for the rooms,” he said flashing a quick look at Thane, “but I’m afraid I’ll have to ask a few for the meal and any of my fine spirits you might enjoy.”

  Jack smiled knowingly at the plump old man. “Of course, Benfer. I know it’s been quite a time since I’ve been here but I still remember the routine.”

  Benfer smiled slightly, glancing again at Thane. “Shall I show you to your rooms?”

  “We know the way,” Quin said with obvious distaste for the man. “I’ll take ‘em back.”

  Quin led on and they continued along the bar towards the back were a hallway opened up moving right and left. Jack waved to many of the men they passed voicing short hellos and how have you beens as if he were the favorite son come home. Thane, on the other hand, felt like an unarmed Chufa in a room full of trolls. He could feel the looks against his back and the up and down stares as if he were being measured by the competition. It gave him a sense of dark foreboding.

  When they finally reached the hallway, Quin turned to the right and led them down the hall to the first door. Stopping, he reached over and opened it motioning to Jack to enter. Thane started to follow but Quin’s hand shot up blocking his entrance.

  “And where do you think you are going?”

  Jack looked back in time to see Thane’s surprised and pleading look. “Uh, Ka Shon PoPoShono,” Jack said with effort. “Chee Nuli Nia Cho Quino No Cheer Maeh.”

  Thane and Quin both gave Jack a puzzled looked. “What was that?” Quin asked.

  “Just a little Tjal-Dihn I picked up while traveling with Thane here.”

  “Doesn’t sound like any I’ve heard before.”

  “Well, it’s a dialect from one of the remote tribes,” Jack said rubbing his beard. “Near the Mogolth Mountains. Not many use it.”

  “I guess not,” Quin said, shooting Thane a suspicious look.

  “Ka Shon PoPoShono,” Jack repeated. “Chee Nuli Nia Cho Quino No Cheer Maeh.”

  Thane just stared back, not hiding his surprise.

  Quin frowned. “Don’t he speak any common? Come to think of it, I haven’t heard him say a word since you got here.”

  “Oh,” Jack said trying to force a smile, “he speaks a bit,”

  Quin gave Thane another sideways glance before turning back to Jack. “Yeah, well, I’ll hurry that water in for you for your bath and then when I get off duty we can have that mead you mentioned earlier. I believe it’s your turn to buy.”

  Before Jack could answer, Quin caught hold of Thane’s arm, and with a short “Come on,” led him down to the end of the hall and the next room. Thane gave a quick glance back to Jack’s room still puzzling over what he had been trying to say while Quin opened the door revealing a room half the size of Jack’s.

  “This is the servant’s quarters,” Quin said with a snicker. “Should suit you fine.”

  Thane stepped inside and Quin immediately retreated back down the hall mumbling something too quiet for Thane to hear.

  It was tiny, just big enough for a small bed against the far wall, a small trunk for clothes to the right and a basin for washing on the left. Thane placed his pack on the floor by the trunk and plopped down on the bed still trying to figure out what it was Jack had tried to communicate to him. “‘It’s sunny. Stay in the woods with your mother?’ What is that suppose to mean?” Shrugging his shoulders, he got to his feet and went to the door. “Only one way to find out, I guess.”

  He placed a hand on the doorknob and was about to open the door when a powerful feeling suddenly bombarded his senses. A feeling of great danger overcame him making him pull back his hand from the knob. Looking suspiciously at the door, he slowly put his ear against the wood. He couldn’t pick up on any sounds but had the strongest impression that there was someone on the other side. But how could that be? He saw Quin leave. His heart began to pound as he carefully pulled his dagger and waited. Sweat gathered on his brow as he flexed his muscles preparing for what he thought would surely be an attack. He readied to pull open the door but stopped short when he heard a faint grunt and then footsteps moving away down the hall. He waited for a couple of minutes and then carefully opened the door just enough to peek down the hall. Nothing. Replacing his dagger, he silently strode down to Jack’s door, and without a sound, went in.

  To his utter shock, Thane was greeted by Jack’s shinny backside as he was just getting into his bath. He let out a gasp startling Jack and causing him to slip and crash head first into the water. A great wave formed creating a backwash that splashed back onto Thane covering him from head to toe. Jack tried to turn around and see who had invaded his private bath only to create another wave that, once again, found its way onto Thane’s body. By the time he had finally gotten himself turned around and all had settled down, two more waves had crashed into Thane throwing most of his bath water into the Chufa boy or onto the floor.

  “Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?” he said, exasperated.

  “What is ‘knocking?’” Thane asked innocently, wiping the water from his face.

  “Oh, never mind,” Jack sighed. “Get in here and close the door before someone comes down the hall and sees me like this.”

  Thane did as he was told and then grabbed a towel to dry himself before sitting down in one of the luxurious looking chairs scattered about the room.

  “What are you doing in here anyway,” Jack asked searching for the soap. “You would think a man could have a bath in private when he wants one.”

  Thane shrugged his shoulders. “I am sorry Jack, I was just wondering what
you meant by what you said earlier.”

  “What do you mean, what I meant?” Jack replied finally finding the soap and trying to put it to good use with what was left of his bath.

  “You know, after Quin let you in here.”

  “Just what I said. What’s the big mystery?”

  “Well,” Thane quipped, “what exactly do you mean when you say, ‘It’s sunny. Stay in the woods with your mother?’”

  Jack stopped scrubbing himself. “Is that what I said?”

  Thane started to laugh. “Yes. I told you that you might need to know my tongue a little better some day.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Jack grumbled. “Stop laughing, it’s not that funny.”

  “Yes, it is,” Thane insisted, still chuckling.

  “What I was trying to tell you is that it was all right and that you should go with him.” Jack started in with the soap again. “By the look on your face, I thought you were going to be sick all over us.”

  “What do you expect I should do?” he said, his smile fading away. “How would you feel if you were me?”

  “I know, I know. But you have to trust me. Nothing is going to go wrong. You did just fine.”

  “What about Quin?”

  “What about him?”

  “He did not seem too convinced that I am Tjal-Dihn. He kept looking at me.”

  Jack put down the soap and tried to rinse by splashing himself with what little water was left in the tub. “Everyone was looking at you,” Jack chuckled. “Most have never seen a real live Tjal-Dihn before. Don’t you worry about Quin, he’s harmless enough. It’s Wess I’m worried about, being gone so early in the season. Most heavy assaults don’t occur until mid to late spring.”

  Thane leaned forward in his chair. “So you think the trolls could be moving?” he asked becoming serious.

  “Who said anything about moving?”

  Thane sat back slowly and fidgeted a bit. “Well, I just thought that because your friend is out looking, they must be on the move or something.”

  Jack gave Thane a disbelieving look and then grabbed his towel and began to dry off. “I don’t know Thane, but sooner or later you’re going to have to tell me what you know and how. Trolls and their whereabouts are nothing to fool around with. Lives could be at stake.”