Hand of Fire (The Master of the Tane) (18 page)

  
              He stopped for a moment and looked about. A feeling was eating at the edge of his thoughts that something was not right. He scanned the immediate area with his night vision but saw nothing out of place that should cause him any alarm. Again he returned to his private thoughts as he made his way through the village to his family’s hut. He had decided to sneak in this last time so he would not freeze to death in the dark, cold night. The next morning he would follow his father’s command of banishment. Plus, he wanted to see his mother one last time.

  
              As he approached what was once his home, Thane noticed a body on the ground just outside the door. Ignoring the gnawing feeling that pushed at the perimeter of his mind, he rushed forward and bent down to see who it was and if he could help. Just as he turned the body over, a fist shot up landing hard into his nose. Blood immediately shot from his nostrils as others jumped out from behind the nearest huts and began punching and kicking him wherever they could land a blow. Thane tried to curl into a ball to protect himself but two sets of hands grabbed either arm and lifted him up onto his knees exposing his midsection. Blow after blow was delivered until he lost all of his breath and rapidly approached unconsciousness. His head and face were struck again and again tearing small cuts into his skin and swelling his eyes until they were swollen almost completely shut. Mercifully, darkness finally did close about him sinking him into a deep chasm of black where physical pain was not allowed.

  
              At that moment, DelVen came rushing out of his hut, a dagger in his hand. He stopped abruptly when he saw his son lying on the ground in a small pool of his own blood with ten masked men standing around him. The assailants froze in fear and stared at DelVen waiting to see what he would do now that they had been found out. DelVen’s face showed no emotion as he scanned the mob of men who all stood as if not sure whether to run or to jump him as well. He looked once more down at his son and then, as if he had not seen a thing, he turned and calmly reentered his hut as if nothing had occurred.

  
              Five of the attackers hastily picked up Thane and then all ten rushed into the woods in case DelVen changed his mind and returned. They ran as fast as they could through the midnight forest towards the snow covered Shadow Mountains and the last they would see of Thane of the five Tane. It didn’t take long before they reached the foot of the jagged peaks where, without a word, Thane was given over to the other five and swiftly carried into the mountains above. Two of the original carriers led the way with bows ready for anything they might encounter while the other three followed close behind.

  
              The ten men alternated as carriers and guards many times before reaching an area they were sure was far enough into the mountains to ensure that Thane would never return. The snow was becoming unbearable to walk through and the freezing, cold wind ripped at them with every step.

“This is good,” the leader said and without ceremony, they dropped Thane into the snow and turned to leave.

As the others began to descend back down towards the village the leader stayed behind, removed his mask and bent down close to Thane’s face. “Wake up you little imp,” he said while slapping him mercilessly. Thane moved slightly and then forced open a tiny slit between his badly swollen eyes just enough to look into the leader’s face.

“I just wanted you to know who it was that brought you to your last defeat before I go. You were never my equal,” the leader spat as he rose and kicked Thane one more time before running to catch up with his friends.

                 Thane closed his eyes and let out a painful breath as a deeper darkness began to close in on him. Down and down he fell into the blackness of space that held no pain or remorse, only a welcomed feeling of relief from all of life’s disappointments.

*     *     *

              Dor woke up in bed unsure how he got there but glad to have his blanket to keep out the morning chill. His body ached all over from the previous day’s exertions including the dull pain that still throbbed from his right shoulder and ribs. His mother said it would be another moon before he was healed enough to do his normal chores and be active again. He couldn’t decide whether that was good or bad.
Well, no matter
, he thought to himself.
I am certainly not going to spend the whole time in bed
. Pulling his covers back, he was met by the early morning chill that had gathered during the frigid night and sent a shiver through him that almost knocked him over with pain. “Well, maybe I’ll stay in bed after all,” he wheezed through clenched teeth. After resting a moment and letting the cold dull his aches he again tried to get up. With a little effort and a bit of groaning he finally got himself to his feet. Leaning against the hut for support, he waited for his swimming head to calm before he felt he could move again without falling back to the ground.

  
              He looked over to where his parents slept; glad they had not been awakened by all of his groaning, he grabbed his blanket and walked out into the early morning freeze. If he thought the cold was deathly in the hut then outside would have been oblivion. The sun was still fighting to climb its way out of the ocean and light up the forest with as little warmth as it could afford in the bitter days of winter.

  
              He looked around noticing that everyone but the night guards were still tucked away in their warm blankets and wondered briefly why he wasn’t as well. As quick as he could, he made his way towards DelVen’s hut hoping that his friend had been able to stay the night before being forced to leave. Dor felt terrible for Thane and the pain he must be going through, but more so for what he himself had done to make his ordeal even worse.

  
              Within moments he was standing in front of Del’s hut and what appeared to be a small pool of frozen blood. A chill rushed through his body that was not induced from the frigid morning air. He hoped beyond hope that Thane was inside and that the blood he saw was a result from the fight the day before. Slowly drawing back the hut’s flap, Dor quickly peeked inside. All that greeted him were two small lumps cuddled next to each other in the far corner and the unmistakable sounds of DelVen’s snoring. Thane was gone.
Maybe he left early this morning
, he thought, trying to push away the rising fear. But as he was pulling his head back through the doorway he noticed Thane’s bow and quiver propped in their normal place next to the door.
Thane would not have left without these
. Reaching in, he grabbed his friend’s weapons and exited the hut.

  
              He looked back down at the blood on the ground. Could it be Thane’s?
Maybe his father beat him last night when he returned to get his things. That must be it
, he thought hoping he was right while feeling that he wasn’t.

   
              “Looking for your demon friend?” a voice hailed behind him. Dor twisted around quickly causing his injuries to scream in protest. He was almost eye-to-eye with PocMar.

  
              “Now, now little man,” PocMar grinned, his scar curling into a hideous mass, “we don’t want you to aggravate those wounds of yours now do we.”

  
              “It’s not my injuries, PocMar, that are making me cringe. It’s the sight of your face this early in the morning that’s turning my stomach.”

  
              PocMar glared down at Dor, his mocking tone replaced with anger. “Now you listen to me you little imp,” he said with a shove to Dor’s chest that made him gasp in pain. “Your little friend is no longer around to protect you so you had better just watch yourself.”

  
              “What do you mean, PocMar?” Dor asked, his own face becoming red with anger. “How do you know Thane is gone?”

  
              PocMar’s face turned ashen for a brief moment and then he spat. “You heard what his father said yesterday. He’s been banished from his home. Plus, I see that you have his things so I imagined you must be taking them to him.”

  
              Dor stared at PocMar for a moment knowing he was lying but unsure of what he could do in his present condition. “So, what are you doing here so early in the morning, PocMar?”

  
              PocMar’s cheeks quickly reddened. “That is none of your business, you piece of troll dung,” he hissed before turning about and striding away.

  
              Dor watched him go, glad that he did not have to deal with him any longer. Looking down, he scanned the ground for any clues that might provide the answers to what might have happened to his friend. It didn’t take long to discover the footprints left in the small iced layer still frozen on the ground and heading off into the forest. He knew that once the sun peaked over the trees those prints would be gone. He also knew that they would lead him to Thane and that PocMar surely had a hand in it.
He must have come back to cover up the blood and tracks
. Dor paused for a brief moment unsure as to whether or not he should return for his bow but quickly decided against it. “After all, I have my knife and Thane’s bow will work just fine.” He had to laugh at himself. What good was a bow going to do him in his condition? Ducking into the woods, he followed the trail of footprints as fast as his battered body would let him.

PocMar watched him go from behind a nearby hut and laughed while he kicked away the iced footprints and covered the blood with dirt.
Even if he does find Thane it will be too late, and when he comes back...well, I guess we’ll just have to have another surprise party
.

  
              Before long, Dor reached the foot of the Shadow Mountains and the fast fading trail running up the side. Could they really have taken him into the mountains? He’d die up there. Dor went white.
How could they do this?
Forgetting the pain that screamed through his ribs and shoulder, he began to climb. The sun was just at the peak of the trees now and the earth was beginning to warm. Not much longer and the prints would be completely gone. He had to find Thane before that happened.

  
              Minutes seemed to pass into hours and each step became harder. Dor’s lungs fought for oxygen in the rising mountain’s thin air and the throbbing in his shoulder would no longer be ignored. The iced footprints had disappeared long ago but he knew that if he continued in the same direction they had been leading, he should find his friend or at least pick them up again in the fast approaching snow pack. Just a little further and then he could rest.

  
              By the time Dor reached the snow pack, he was exhausted. Sweat was running down his forehead and dripping its sting into his eyes with every step. Throwing his blanket off his shoulders, he laid down face first into the cooling snow letting its icy cold numb the pain from his bruised and broken body. Sitting up, he looked around. By the sun’s position he must have been climbing for at least two hours and still there was no sign of Thane.
They could not have taken him too much further
. He fought to catch his breath and then slowly began to search the side of the mountain for any sign of his lost friend.

  
              The ache in his shoulder and lungs was becoming unbearable when he finally found more foot prints about a hundred yards to the left of where he had begun his original search. Pushing away the pain, he started right after them picking up his pace the best he could. It wasn’t until then that Dor really thought about what he was doing. He was injured, all alone, and now into the Shadow Mountains where trolls, and who knew what else, lived. He thought of pulling his knife but was unable to because Thane’s bow and quiver were still clutched in his hand.

“What a great rescue this is going to be,” he puffed between breaths. “Thane may be half dead and here I am, injured and useless coming to save him.” He tried to pull the blanket tighter around his shoulders as the cold got worse with the increased altitude.

As the long minutes ticked away, he began to despair thinking how low the temperature must get there at night. Thane would have frozen to death within minutes. Still, he would not let himself give up. If Thane was dead, then he would bring his body back for a decent burial and prove that PocMar and his friends had been the assailants.

  
              Abruptly, the tracks ended, but Thane was nowhere to be found. The tracks just stopped on a small shelf-like platform near the top of the peak he had been climbing. Dor looked around frantically trying to find any sign of passing but was left with nothing. Finally, he collapsed, exhausted from his efforts and weighed by the realization that Thane was gone. He began to cry. How could this have happened? Why had he deserted his friend after the fight when he’d needed him the most? If only he hadn’t been afraid.
PocMar
. PocMar was the one responsible for this. Dor screamed into the frozen mountain air. “I’ll kill you, you coward! You’ll pay with blood for this!”