Hand of Fire (The Master of the Tane) (27 page)

  
              Dor’s first thought was to say something snide like, ‘where we were a minute ago,’ but he choked it back as he also took in their surroundings. He had been right about the size of the room—it was massive—but it was nothing like anything he had ever seen or imagined. It appeared rectangular in shape stretching out well past the perimeter of their light. The walls were not just smooth but were polished in a way that reflected the light back illuminating more of the room than would have normally been possible with just one torch. They were covered with what Dor first thought were tapestries, but further investigation revealed ornate carvings embedded skillfully right into the rock itself. There were massive pictures of great battles and wonderful feasts that flowed easily from one to another as if depicting the history of a long lost community. He stared at the strange looking people that filled the scenes. They were like none he had ever seen. They were small and stout with hair covered faces giving them the appearance of being part animal. He shuddered. They almost looked like miniature trolls.

  
              The floor was also polished but was covered in dust and dirt only exposing itself in their footprints. Along the walls they could see arched doorways with torch holding sconces mounted on either side. If there had originally been doors to cover the openings they had rotted away long ago leaving nothing but inkpots of darkness.

  
              Dor looked up briefly to examine the ceiling only to find his light did not reach it. “We must be in an ancient hall of some sort. I have never seen its like.”

  
              Tam reached out and touched the wall in front of her. She was amazed by the beauty and artistry. “Who could have built such a thing? Certainly not trolls.”

  
              The torch sputtered, returning Dor to the reality that faced them. “Come on,” he said to Tam, grabbing her arm. “We need to collect as many torches as we can carry and move on.”

  
              For a moment, she only stared at him, a blank expression covering her face. Dor was about to repeat himself when she suddenly nodded and followed after him as he moved about the hall collecting the unlit torches. Soon they had all they could carry and then returned back to where they had first entered the hall. It was easy to find since it was not a regular doorway but rather a crude break in the side of the wall as if it had been an unfinished afterthought.

  
              “Now what?” Tam asked, eyeing Dor with a sudden newfound respect.

  
              “Well,” he said, happy to be back in control, “first, we need to mark the opening we came through and then we need to decide on a doorway and mark it as we leave.”

  
              “So we won’t get lost,” she added, quickly catching on.

  
              “Right!”

             
Tam disappeared into the cave and quickly returned with a rock. Hitting it against the wall, she made a mark clearly indicating where they had come from. “Right. Now that that is done how do we know which way to go from here?”

  
              “Good question,” Dor replied looking around at all the choices.

  
              Tam was shocked. “You mean you don’t know?” she asked, genuinely surprised.

  
              Dor took it as a jab at his competence. “No, I don’t!” he snapped back. “Since you are so well trained, why don’t you find a way out of here?”

  
              Tam was taken back at first and then her own anger quickly flared in response. “Fine, I will,” she spat. Grabbing the torch from his hand, she marched around the room inspecting each of the doorways.

  
              Dor, not willing to follow her anymore, stayed where he was brooding over the ‘female race’ and how the world would be much better without them.

  
              Tam peaked cautiously into each doorway not quite sure what she should be looking for. But she pretended to inspect them like she knew what she was doing and then moved on to the next. After scrutinizing what seemed like dozens, she was about to swallow her pride and confess her lack of knowledge when she came to a doorway where the air coming out felt a little bit warmer.
This must mean something
, she thought,
and if I’m wrong, well then we can just come right back and try again. At least I’m trying, unlike that bag of troll brains. Why can’t he be more like Thane
? Tam’s heart sank at the thought. Where could he be? Was he all right? Would they find him? She wanted to cry.

  
              Dor suddenly called out igniting her anger like a torch. “Any luck yet?”

  
              “Yes,” she returned more defiant than ever. “I’ve found the way out so get over here.”

  
              “Great,” he mumbled quietly as he started towards her. “Now I’ll never hear the end of it.”

             
Tam watched as he approached, sudden dread filling her heart. She prayed she was right, not only for their survival but, so she wouldn’t have to admit she had no idea what she was doing.

  
              Dor finally reached her side and inspected the doorway. “What makes you think this hole is any better than the other ones?”

  
              Tam smirked and then shot back. “Experience.”

  
              “More like desperation I’d bet,” he mumbled under his breath.

  
              “What was that?”

  
              “I said, I hope you’re right, now let’s go.” Grabbing the torch from her hand, he started down the corridor taking back the lead. Tam was about to object and claim that she should go first but found that she was suddenly too tired to argue. Instead, she grabbed the unused torches and reluctantly fell in behind.

  
              The corridor was not as ornate as the great hall but was carved in a similar fashion with different markings along the walls and ceiling. At first they went slowly, inspecting the walls as they walked, fascinated by the artistry and time that must have gone into creating such a place. No one back home would believe them when they told the story—if they ever made it back home. The thought of getting out alive and the fact that the carvings began to run together soon pushed them on shrouding their curiosity in the gloominess of reality.

  
              Dor picked up the pace a bit striding almost too fast for Tam to keep up without breaking into a run. She wanted to object but then thought better of it. He already thought little enough of her, no sense in adding to his disliking. The corridor ran straight not seeming to deviate in the slightest until, suddenly, they were met by an intersection of hallways.

“Now what?”
Tam asked, secretly hoping Dor would pick the way this time.

  
              “You’re the great cave explorer,” he answered, dashing her hopes. “You tell me.”

  
              Tam sighed, moving ahead to inspect each of the other three hallways. Venturing a short way down the left and right corridors she found it got a little cooler compared to the slight flow of warm air coming from the hall directly in front of them.
Well
, she thought,
might as well continue with the warm one
.
At least we won’t freeze
.

  
              Just then the torch sputtered and the flame began to die.

             
“Quickly,” Dor said extending it toward her, “light another one.”

  
              Tam took one of the torches she was carrying and touched it to the other one quickly starting it on fire. “What happened?”

  
              “I was afraid of this,” Dor replied. “If the rest of these torches are as old and as bad as the first, we’re not going to be blessed with light for very long.”

  
              Tam felt like crying again. It was bad enough that she was stuck in some ancient ruin of a cave faced with starvation while her dearest friend was possibly lost forever. Then, of course, there was Dor and his stream of cruel remarks that made her feel so worthless and insignificant. Was it too much to ask to at least have light enough to see death when it came for her?

  
              “Have you made your choice yet?” Dor suddenly asked, interrupting her thoughts. “We don’t have all night or day or whatever it is outside.”

  
              Tam just nodded and pointed to the hallway straight ahead.

  
              Without another word, Dor grabbed the torch from her hands and started in his long strides down the corridor. “Don’t forget to mark the passages,” he said glancing over his shoulder but not pausing to wait for her.

  
              For a moment, Tam just stood motionless gaping after him as he quickly moved. She felt numb. Why were they even trying? What was the point in all of this? If they did survive, what did they have to return to? They both had their families, of course, but nothing would be the same without Thane. The light suddenly became dim causing her eye’s to adjust over to night vision and she realized she hadn’t moved. Hastily marking their path she ran after Dor and caught up to him just as he finished saying something as if unaware she had not been behind him the whole time.
So
, Tam thought,
he’s not as all knowing about what is going on as he’s trying to portray
.
If he were half as good as Thane he would have realized I wasn’t behind him or, at the least, known I was running to catch up
. She started to smile when another thought suddenly forced its way in. It made her miss a step and almost sent her sprawling face first to the floor.
What if he did know and was trying to leave me behind
? She tried to push the thought away but it wouldn’t leave, just hovering there as if to taunt her.

  
              They continued on for must have been hours. Though it had really only been about half a day, the darkness and the strangeness of the place made time seem to slow. They had passed many different corridors since leaving the great hall. Each time they came to one Tam inspected them and then picked the one that felt the warmest. After the second or third hallway, Dor also noticed the changes in temperature discovering how she was choosing their way. At first he thought to reveal her secret but then decided not to let on to her that he knew.

What’s the use
, he’d thought.
I can’t think of anything better, and if I say something she’ll just go into one of her fits
.
Let her have her moment
.

  
              Soon the air became so warm that they no longer needed to use their blankets. They rolled them up and Tam carried them under her arm with the fast diminishing torches.

  
              They reached another intersection and decided to stop for something to eat. They hadn’t eaten anything since the night before and both of their stomachs were growling in protest. Tam produced what was left of the food and they ate it silently each turning inward, contemplating their situation. The water was strictly rationed, both understanding that once it was gone, so were they.

  
              “How’s your shoulder?” Tam asked, suddenly tired of the lonely silence.

  
              “It hurts, but I don’t let it bother me,” Dor replied. “I just block it out of my mind.”

  
              Tam smiled at his attempt at heroics. Even though he was usually hard to get along with, she had to admit that she was glad he was there with her.

  
              “So tell me,” he added after chewing up his last radish. “Where
did
you learn to shoot so well?”

  
              Tam smiled at him remembering his surprise when he discovered that she was at the bow’s end of the dead troll. But the smile quickly faded as she suddenly became very serious. “If I tell you, you have to promise you won’t tell anyone. As it is, I’ll be breaking a vow by telling you.”

             
“Who am I going to tell?” he smirked. “If you hadn’t noticed, there aren’t too many people around here.” But she didn’t cave to his attempt at humor giving him a threatening look instead. “All right, all right,” he finally agreed. “I promise.”

  
              Tam sat quietly for a moment still debating whether or not to tell him the truth. Even though he had promised, she still was not sure she should trust him. After all, Thane had made her make the same promise. This was different though wasn’t it?
Thane and Dor were best friends and what if Thane was
...? She stopped her train of thought and then looked into Dor’s anxious face. “It was Thane.”

  
              “Thane?” His tone reflected obvious disbelief. “He hates you.”

  
              “No, he doesn’t!” she yelled, fire igniting in her eyes.