Hand of Fire (The Master of the Tane) (13 page)

             
Soon, Dor caught up and they ran on together. They kept their eyes focused on the path, knowing that to even glance in the other’s direction would be too much to hold back the laughter that was certain to make them an easy catch.

             
Finally catching sight of the village, and the relative safety it afford them against any retaliation, Thane reached out a hand to slow Dor’s flight while making brief eye contact with him. That was all it took to throw them into sudden fits of hysterical laughter. Both boys were soon bent over in pain as tears of delight streamed down their faces. Each time they thought they were bringing themselves back under control, a look from one or the other would start the whole thing over again. They couldn’t stop.

             
At last, with a tremendous force of will, Thane was able to control himself long enough to get out a few words. “We had better get out of here before they come back and find us. I don’t want to be connected to what we just did in any way.”

             
“Oh, come on Thane, stop worrying so much,” Dor retorted. “They’re probably in the river by now scrubbing their skin off trying to get rid of the berry stain.”

             
Thane smiled at the thought of it. “Even so, I don’t want to take any chances.”  Just then, Thane stood straight up and cocked his head to the side. “Did you hear that?”

             
“Come on Thane, quit fooling around. You win. We’ll go.”

            “No, wait,” Thane insisted while grabbing Dor’s arm.

            Dor stood still, watching his friend. Thane had been this way before. Neither could quite understand it but when Thane had these little episodes his little intuitions were usually right. Though out of the ordinary in the extreme Dor never questioned him about it.

Both boys stood silently as Thane’s keen, green eyes pierced the woods searching for what had alerted him.

“It’s probably Poc-Scar and his goons coming back,” Dor said trying to relieve the tension that now crackled through the air.

             
“It’s not that,” Thane said. “It’s different. Can’t you hear or…feel anything?”

            “The only thing I can hear is my heart pounding in my chest and the feeling of growing hunger.”

            Just then a deer shot out of a thicket on their left, almost knocking them both down, before it came to a sudden stop and turned to face them not more than three feet away.

           
“Kinpa’s bones!” Dor breathed, trying to recover from the shock. The deer glanced at him briefly but did not move. “I nearly wet my legs because of that beast.”

             
Thane grabbed Dor’s arm again and squeezed it gently to quiet his friend. Dor looked at him and then turned toward the deer, which remained perfectly still while staring directly at Thane.

             
“What’s going on?” Dor whispered a bit unsure.

            “Shhh,” Thane hissed not taking his eyes from the deer. Thane and the deer stood silently staring at each other for a long, tense moment. Then the deer suddenly bolted away, jumping gracefully through the woods, following its original course. Dor jumped to the side almost as quickly, rolling to the ground and then bouncing back up in a defensive move.

“By the five Tane and all that is holy!  What was that all about?”  Dor looked to where Thane had been just a moment before but his friend was no longer there. Looking back towards the village he just caught site of him as he disappeared behind the first hut and then heard him calling out a raid warning.

             
With the first sound of Thane’s admonishing voice, the town was set into an organized frenzy of women collecting children and men collecting their weapons. Dor caught up to Thane just as he was leaving his hut carrying his bow and a quiver full of arrows. Fifteen of the best fighting men of the village were gathering around Thane asking where the raid was coming from, what was raiding, and how many. Thane’s head swam with the attention and he suddenly felt unsure of himself. How did he know for sure that a raid was coming? What was it that had just happened to him to make him believe one was actually occurring? If he was wrong, he could be punished severely and lose the little respect he had fought so hard to gain. But, if he was right and there was a raid, he could save many lives and possibly gain a little more favor from the village.

             
He suddenly realized that someone was shaking his arm and yelling at him. “What is it boy? Have you lost your senses? From where comes the raid?”

            He looked quizzically into DaxSagn’s face. “What?”

            “The raid boy, where is it?”

            Shaking his head to clear his thoughts he finally cried out, “Follow me!”

            Dax stayed close to him while the rest of the Chufa men spread out through the woods staying behind their leader and the young boy. Many were beginning to grumble to themselves and those around them that if there had actually been a raid then they would have come across their enemies by now. Others called for the boy to be flogged.

             
The group eventually reached the wood’s outer borders near the edge of the high, dark mountains. The trees were still relatively thick in this area northwest of the village, not too far above the place Dor and Thane had almost lost their lives a few of cycles earlier. It was a comparatively clear area free from ground cover or brush but the mountain slope, which ascended almost immediately, was littered with boulders and loose rock from the avalanches that often occurred during the spring thaw.

             
Some of the Chufa men, convinced the boy had lied, broke their cover and approached Dax and Thane. “Come on Dax,” one said with an irritated voice. “The boy lied. Let’s tie him up and take him back to the village for a good beating. That should teach him that no one appreciates his little tricks.”

             
Dax looked at Thane questioningly. But Thane kept his eyes focused straight ahead. Suddenly, Thane leaped at the Chufa man who accused him, crashing into his chest just as a large rock cracked into the man’s skull killing him before he hit the ground.

             
The whole area broke into a frenzy as a barrage of rocks came flying over the boulders that littered the mountain base. The Chufa that had broken cover dove behind nearby trees just barely escaping while Thane crawled back to Dax, his face somewhat pale. More rocks whizzed past them smashing into the large trees and creating a shower of dust and small pieces of bark that exploded about the hidden party. Then, just as a passing hailstorm, the bombardment suddenly stopped and was replaced by an eerie silence.

             
Dax used hand signals to tell his men to remain quiet and hidden until he gave the sign to move. “Must be at least six of the foul smelling things judging from all the rocks,” Dax whispered to Thane while looking intently for any sign of their attackers. “A group that large is unusual considering how much rock trolls hate each other.”  He signaled again to his men instructing them to be ready to defend against the charge that was certain to follow.

             
Thane nocked an arrow and watched the rocks. The air felt thick with the pungent scent of evil making him feel sick from the weight of it. He wanted to look after the body of the Chufa who’d died, cursing himself for being too slow, but knew there was nothing he could do for him now. The other’s safety was of first importance.

             
The silence continued and Dax looked uncharacteristically edgy. “They should have attacked by now,” he whispered.

              Thane felt the skin on his back crawl with the certainty that something was still quite near but he was not quite sure where. The feeling began to grow and intensify until he felt like his skin would peel off and slither away. Something was not right. It was the forest that felt out of balance. He didn’t know why but he could feel it as if the trees were screaming at him in warning. He suddenly jerked around and peered into the woods with his arrow raised.

             
“Eyes front boy,” Dax hissed.

            “Something’s not right.”

            “I know it’s not. They should have charged by now.”

            “It’s not that Dax. There’s something behind us…in the woods.”

            Dax tore his eyes from the rocks long enough to give Thane a quizzical look. “What are you talking about?”

            “I...I can feel it back there,” Thane stammered unsure of how he knew it himself.

            “Don’t get weird on me boy, not before a battle.”

            “But I know...”

            Just then, a cry broke out in the direction he was looking followed closely by the distinctive howl of a rock troll. Thane jumped up and was running toward the sound at a full speed before it faded away. Seven trolls crashed through the woods knocking surprised Chufa to the ground falling upon them in a heated, blood frenzy.

             
Thane did not have to run far before meeting a troll that lunged at him swinging his club to take off his head. At the last instant, Thane dove to the ground rolling in between the troll’s legs and coming up behind it with his bow raised. The power of the troll’s swing brought it twisting around off balance, its club smashing into a tree and cracking the trunk with a loud crunch. Thane didn’t wait loosing an arrow into the troll’s left side just below the armpit.

             
The troll let out a loud roar as it tried to catch its balance and turn around for another swing. Thane never stopped moving. After he released his first arrow he darted to the side while pulling a second and setting up for another shot right as the troll pulled its club across its body on a downward stroke trying to crush him from above. He let his arrow fly tearing deeply into the large shoulder muscle just above where the first shot landed this time severing a nerve and leaving the left arm useless.

             
The troll’s hysteria only increased lending it strength and speed not normal for its size or species. With surprising agility it lunged at Thane throwing its great mass at the boy hoping to pulverize his bones under its great mass. Thane jumped but was caught off guard and was tripped by the troll’s outstretched hand. Rolling as it fell, it grabbed a nearby rock and heaved it as Thane started to rise scoring a glancing hit off his right side and shooting pain all the way up to his shoulder. Thane backed away trying to put some distance between them and give himself time to recover but the troll was already up and charging at him with incredible speed. With no time to think, Thane simply reacted, dropping to the ground and plunging forward hitting the troll’s leg just as it reached for him. The troll pitched forward smashing its good shoulder into the trunk of a tree causing both to crack with a sickening crunch. Thane was on his feet in an instant charging the troll with an arrow drawn and released it into its back as it tried to stand up. The troll cried out and stumbled forward while trying to use the tree for support. Thane didn’t stop but ran right up its back and buried another arrow deep into the troll’s neck. Trying to stand it cried out in anger and frustration but only made a gurgling sound as blood filled its windpipe. Thane jumped back with another arrow ready and watched as the troll struggled to rise while drowning in its own fluids. At last, its body twitched violently, the last gurgle a spray of blood, before it toppled over and remained still. It was over.

             
Thane sat for a moment trying to catch his breath while listening to the sounds of battle now audible all around him. His side hurt when he breathed in and he supposed he had a few cracked ribs but he knew he was far from done. Quickly checking the troll he found a knife strung around its neck with its other trophies of fingers and claws. Using the blade he cut the sheath from the troll’s necklace and then used it to retrieve his arrows. The stench from the dead body was almost overpowering and Thane found himself becoming nauseated as he retrieved the last arrow.

             
With his quiver refilled, he gladly left the troll behind and went in search of other battles. Darting silently through the trees, it was not long before he came upon another troll just as it brought its club down onto the shoulder of another Chufa knocking him senseless to the ground. Raising its club above its head it roared out in glory ready for the killing blow. Thane’s arrow went into its mouth piercing the soft palate and continuing on to its brain. A second arrow pierced its neck an instant later just as the troll’s legs crumpled sending it crashing to the ground.

             
Thane turned to see from whence the other arrow had come and was greeted by Dor’s mischievous smile.

             
“Here,” Thane said tossing the knife to his friend. “Get the arrows and I’ll check on him,” he finished pointing to the fallen Chufa.

            Moments later Dor was by his side placing his arrows in his quiver and looking down at the injured Chufa.

            “How is he?”

            “It doesn’t look good. If he lives he won’t be able to use that arm any more.”

            “How about you?” Dor asked motioning to the large bruise that was swelling up on his friend’s side. “Are you all right?”