Hand of Fire (The Master of the Tane) (43 page)

             
“So, what does that have to do with Erl?” Thane asked a bit puzzled.

             
Jack huffed. “I’m getting there, hold your water. Now, where was I? Oh yes, after the troll fell,” he continued, grinning at Thane, “I heard a tiny whimper come from the other side of the boulder I was hiding behind. I peered over the top and what should I find but a pup about the size of a new born deer. It wasn’t me the troll had seen after all. It was the wolg’s young. I checked the area for more but he was the only one. So, I scooped him up and here we are. Best thing that could have happened to me, I’ll tell you. Why that mangy, old wolg has saved my life more times than I care to count.” Jack reached a hand down to Erl and scratched him behind the ears. Erl’s thumping tail sent up a small cloud of dust.

             
Both sat in silence again, watching the fire as it crackled in the cold night air. Thane put another piece of wood on while Jack reached over and turned the jerked meat racks. “So, what about you?” Jack said forcing a smile. “Now that you’ve recovered from your wounds, are you planning to return home soon? I imagine you’ve been sorely missed.”

             
Thane’s face dropped into lines of grief that he tried, unsuccessfully, to mask. “I do not think so,” he whispered.

             
“Why’s that?” Jack asked appearing a bit anxious.

             
Thane looked at his newfound friend suddenly feeling a growing desperation.
Is he tired of having me around
?
Maybe he knows
.
Oh, please great Mother don’t let it be
. “Well, I was hoping I could stay with you, Jack, if that is all right? I do not think they would mind back at village.”

             
“Of course you can stay with us,” Jack sighed as if in relief. Turning to Erl he asked, “What do you say?” Erl jumped up and knocked Thane over covering him with his slobbery tongue. “I guess that makes it unanimous,” Jack laughed.

             
“You sure it all right?” Thane asked, trying, without success, to push Erl away from him.

             
“I said it didn’t I?” Jack returned trying not to show the joy that played so loudly in his voice. “It will be nice to have someone around to talk to for once. Erl’s a great companion, but let’s face it he’s not much of a talker. And speaking of which, we’re going to have to work on your language quite a bit more if you are going to fit in with other humans without calling attention to yourself.”

             
Thane abruptly stopped playing with Erl and then pushed the large wolg off his lap. “Did you say
other
humans?”

             
Jack pretended to stoke the fire as if not hearing him.

             
“Jack,” Thane said a little louder, “what you mean other humans?”

             
Jack mumbled an answer. “Oh, didn’t I mention our trip to Hell’s End Station in a couple of days? I’m sure I did.”

             
Thane’s face showed obvious apprehension. “What is Hell’s End Station?”

             
Jack kept poking at the fire. “Nothing really, just a small outpost at the base of the mountains. They’re a small group assigned to thwarting any attempted troll raids. It’s just a couple hundred men.”

             
Thane’s eyes widened at the number. “You know I cannot go off mountain. Humans kill Chufa.”

             
“Now wait just a minute there my pointy eared friend,” Jack said pointing his finger at Thane. “First of all, it’s not ‘off mountain’ it’s ‘off
the
mountain’ and secondly, how could we kill any Chufa when there aren’t any around?”

             
“That is what I mean,” Thane retorted. “You already kill them all.”

             
“It’s
killed
Thane, not ‘kill,’” Jack said getting up and stomping around in frustration. “Use the past tense. How many times do I have to remind you?”

             
“So you admit you already
killed
them all,” Thane said also rising to his feet. Erl quickly grew tired of watching them argue and trotted off unnoticed into the night.

             
“I did no such thing,” Jack argued halting his pacing to glare at Thane. “I didn’t kill you, did I?”

             
“Well, no,” Thane said lowering his voice some while diverting his eyes back to the fire. “But that not mean others will not.”

             
Jack looked at the Chufa boy, suddenly understanding how he must feel. He was far from his home and people, forced to learn a new language and now was being asked to mingle with people who, as legend had it, destroyed his race.
Well, most of it anyway
, Jack thought. “Listen,” he said in a softer tone, “nothing is going to happen to you. We’re friends, right? Oontildee.”

             
Thane cracked a smile at Jack’s attempt to speak Chufa. “
Oonteedi
.”

             
“Yeah, well, whatever. Anyway, it’s not like we’ll be going to the capital city or anything. It’s just Hell’s End Station. They know me well down there. And, with a little more work on your speaking and some kind of hat to cover those ears of yours, we’ll be set. It’s a quick trip. Just a couple of days to resupply and we’re out of there. What do you say?”

             
Thane could see the sincerity in Jack’s eyes but he still felt apprehensive about leaving the relative safety of the Shadow Mountains. Trolls, he had fought before and did not fear, but what of the HuMans? He suddenly brightened. “Why not I stay here with Erl? You go to station and we wait for you here.”

             
Jack shook his head vigorously. “No way. That won’t do. Erl always goes with me. And you can’t stay up here alone. It’s too dangerous.”

             
Thane’s face turned hard as the fire reignited in his eyes. “I well trained Chufa,” he spat hitting his fist against his chest. “I not need protection from you who can only break bow, not shoot it.”

             
Jack’s face turn red at the insult and Thane suddenly realized that he may have overstepped their friendship. He waited for Jack to come at him with his fists, if not something more lethal but instead, his face suddenly softened and then he burst out laughing.

“You’re right,” Jack mused, “I must have been quite the sight today. I’m sorry. I really have been up here way too long.” Jack approached him and grasped his arm gently. “Listen,” he said seriously, “I know you can defend yourself just fine without me or Erl, but would you please come with me? I know everything will be all right. No one is going to know you’re a Chufa. Even if they did find out, they would probably be too scared to do anything about it anyway. So, what do you say, huh? Will you do me this one favor?”

              Thane looked deep into Jack’s eyes feeling the sincerity so easily seen in them. He couldn’t understand why it was such a big thing to Jack but he figured that after so much time together that he could probably trust him.
No, I know I can trust him
.
After all, he did save my life
.
If I plan to stay with him and Erl I’m going to have to get used to being around other HuMans
. 

“All right, Jack,” he finally said with a sigh. “You are my friend and I trust you.”

              Jack’s face broke into a big smile. “You won’t regret this, Thane. It will be good for us to get a small taste of civilization after all this time up here alone. You’ll see. It will be here and gone before you know it and you’ll be begging me to take you down again.”

             
“But what about my talking? I no speak very good this common tongue. And I have bad...how you call it...accent.”

             
Jack’s smile broadened. “Don’t worry about that son. I’ve got it all taken care of.” Jack suddenly hurried over to their supplies and started digging around in his bags. Things were removed and then replaced and then cast to one side as he continued his hunt with increasing fervor.

             
“What you do Jack?”

             
Jack held up his hand and mumbled something before delving into another bag. “Here it is,” he said joyfully lifting a long piece of narrow, red cloth from the small sack.

             
“What is it?” Thane asked, a puzzled look on his face.

Jack approached looking as if he had just found a chest of gold. “I’ll show you.”

Before Thane knew what was happening, he was sitting and Jack was pulling up his hair and wrapping the cloth around his head making sure to cover the tops of his ears.

             
“What you do Jack?”

             
“Just hold still for a minute, I’m almost done.” When he was finished, Thane’s whole head was covered with the material, including the point in his ears, with a tail of cloth left over that hung over his left shoulder and down to just below his breastbone. Jack stood back to admire his handy work with a grin. “It’s perfect I tell you, perfect.”

             
“What Jack? Why this thing on my head?”

             
“You, my friend, are now Tjal-Dihn.”

             
“What is that?” Thane asked touching the cloth wrap gently.

             
“They’re nomads who live on the Plains of Enn. They wear these funny looking things on their heads called
Dihne
and their accents are as thick as tar. No one will suspect you are anything but Tjal-Dihn.” Then, as an afterthought, he asked, “By the way, have you ever ridden a horse?”

             
“What is a hor...?”

             
“A horse. It’s kind of like a large deer that you ride on.” Thane’s face remained blank. “No matter.”

             
“Is that important?” Thane asked, the nervousness about their trip returning.

             
Jack looked at him for a moment and then turned towards the fire. “Well, it might be. The Tjal-Dihn breed the best horses to be found anywhere. They’re also the best riders anywhere.” Jack watched the flames as if in a trance. Just then, Erl came trotting into camp licking blood soaked jowls and curled up contentedly by the fire. He had obviously found another meal. Jack stared at him for a moment before a smile suddenly crept onto his face.

             
Thane watched him warily having learned enough about Jack to know that he was up to something; something that would probably make Thane’s life more interesting than he cared it to be. It reminded him of the look Dor used to get when he had one of his bright ideas; ideas that usually ended with them both in trouble. 

             
“We’ll use Erl!”

             
To Thane’s chagrin and Erl’s uncooperative attitude, the entire next day was spent trying to teach him how to ride using Erl as his horse. At first, the huge wolf would not even let Thane onto his back. When he finally did consent, he almost immediately threw him off. Jack wouldn’t give up, though. No matter how hard Thane pleaded to stay behind Jack would not relent. He insisted that Thane get back on. So, up he would go and off he would come, almost in the same motion. After a while, Erl seemed to be enjoying this game. Up and off, up and off.

Thane glared at him. “You could at least try to help me stay on.” Erl just wagged his tail and dumped him again as soon as he got on.

              By the end of the day, Thane was a mass of bruised and exhausted muscles. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for the rest of the week. “Oh no you don’t,” Jack’s voice bellowed just as Thane was about to get in between his blankets. “We need more fire wood, and it’s your turn to get it.”

             
“Please Jack. You get wood tonight and I get your wood two times.”

             
“Sorry. It’s your turn and that’s the end of it. Anyway, the cool night air will do you some good.”

             
Thane glowered at his so-called friend before throwing back his warm covers and heading out into the darkness. The cool air did waken his senses, but it did nothing to improve his sore muscles. His body ached with cramps and bruises, especially his backside, making it almost impossible to walk. “This is useless,” he mumbled in his native tongue while sitting gingerly against a large rock. The echo of Jack’s bad singing, carried over on the wind, touched his sensitive ears. He curled his face up in disgust. “It’s bad enough I have to kill myself trying to ride Erl and then get the wood, but do I have to endure your bellowing as well?”

             
Thane leaned back and closed his eyes letting the day’s activities slip from his mind. He was so tired. Why did he have to learn to ride anyway? If what Jack said was true, they would be in and out of Hell’s End Station before he even had the chance to ride one of those horse things he kept talking about. With a scowl, he pushed it all away not wanting to think about it anymore.