Hand of Fire (The Master of the Tane) (47 page)

             
Suddenly, the rope jerked taut again. The tree bent slightly and Thane felt himself being jerked forward. He dug in with his heels pulling back with all his strength to keep himself from slipping off the tree and toppling over the edge. Erl barked and grabbed the rope with his teeth adding his power and mass to the tug-of-war that held their friend in the balance. Thane called out to Jack to see if he was all right, but heard no answer over the roar of the storm.

             
Slowly, they began to pull the rope back, straining with all they had to quickly reach the end and hopefully find their friend still alive. Thane cursed himself for being so foolish, knowing that he must have pulled Jack down the mountainside. The strain was getting to him and his arms screamed for relief. The sound of cracking wood suddenly resounded in his ears and he knew it would be only moments before the tree gave way. If that happened, he knew it would be the end. There was no way they could hold all of Jack’s weight on this sheet of ice. They would either have to let their friend drop or follow after him over the edge and to their deaths. Mustering all the strength he had, he gave one last effort and pulled. Every ounce of energy he had left was used in a final, dying exertion to haul Jack back over the edge to safety.

             
Suddenly, as if in answer to prayer, a large, dark mass scrambled onto the lip of the trail causing the rope to go slack and toppling Thane and Erl back to the ground. Thane raised his head slowly and watched as Jack tried to fend off Erl’s attacking tongue. “I’m already wet enough,” he growled, “without you adding your slobber to it.”

             
Thane laid his head back and smiled, suddenly feeling a tremendous urge to laugh. Just then, a loud crack split the air and his heart almost stopped. Sitting up quickly, he caught the surprised look on Jack’s face as the tree slumped down continuing to splinter. Jack wrestled with the knot around his waist as the tree cracked again threatening to take them both back over the edge. Erl grabbed at the cord and Thane tried to rise but tripped on the pile of rope that had gathered at his feet sending him face first back to the ground. He fought with the web in a frenzy knowing that each moment brought his friend closer to death. He freed himself and stood just as the tree cracked again and then disappeared over the ledge. In that frozen moment of time when life and death stare combatively at one another in a fierce battle of wills, Thane’s feet left the ground as he flung himself into the air pulling his dagger as he did so. Jack’s body jerked, as the rope went taut putting him in motion towards the dark cliff.

             
Thane’s body extended, stretching to its limits as his arm reached for the rope that was still tied around Jack’s waist. Jack’s heels dug deep into the snow, plowing it before him in two narrow tracks now just inches from the edge. Thane’s body landed falling just short of his friend but close enough to place his razor sharp knife to the hard, stretched rope. Erl’s teeth dug into Jack’s cloak and held tight as he leaned against the pull that dragged them both forward. With a quick cut, Thane’s knife broke through the taut cord just as Jack’s feet reached the edge. Thane grabbed his friend desperately, pulling him back as Jack kicked his feet in a frantic motion to find solid ground.

             
All three fell back in a piled heap of exhaustion just above the rock lip. Thane’s eyes filled with tears of relief that mixed with the rainwater streaming off his face. “I am sorry Jack,” he cried unable to halt the tears. “I could not see. I did not know where you were. I thought you farther down mountain. I did not know.”

             
“Wo, wo,” Jack said trying to catch his breath while still fighting off the chill that comes from coming so close to death. “What are you babbling about?”

             
Thane kept his head down unable to look at his friend. “I pulled you off mountain.”

             
Jack gave him a look of frustration. “It’s
the
mountain and no you didn’t.”

             
“What you mean?” Thane asked trying, with a bit more success, to stop crying.

             
“Just what I said. You didn’t pull me off the mountain, it was my own stupidity.”

             
“What?”

             
“I slipped, Thane. I fell. You had nothing to do with it.”

             
“But the rope.”

             
“What about it?” Jack asked getting slowly to his feet.

             
“It went tight,” Thane answered following him up.

             
“That’s right,” Jack laughed. “It got caught on a small branch that was sticking out of the snow before my excess weight snapped it.”

             
“A branch?” Thane felt a slight twinge of relief. “Then it really was not me.”

             
“That’s what I’ve been telling you, boy,” Jack yelled. “Don’t you listen?”

             
Thane looked at his feet and then smiled and nodded. “It wasn’t me.”

             
“Well, don’t be too pleased with yourself now,” Jack chided. “You do know what this means now, don’t you?”

             
Thane’s head popped up and he met Jack’s eyes. “What?”

             
Jack smiled slightly. “This means I owe you now. We’re not even anymore. You saved my life again. I’m in your debt, and Jack always pays his debts.”

             
Thane blushed shaking his head. “You owe me nothing Jack, really.”

             
“Oh no,” he countered holding up his hand. “You’re not getting out of it that easily. You’re stuck with me now boy until the slate is clean again.”

             
“But...”

             
“No arguing,” Jack insisted picking up his pack and putting it on. “Now, let’s get out of here before we get water logged in all of this and then freeze to death to boot before I have a chance to repay you.”

             
Thane wanted to argue, but just shook his head instead.  

             
Thane sat shivering, trying to find sleep but unable to reach it. They had walked at least three or four hours in the cold, night rain before finally finding a small bit of shelter near the base of the mountain. The storm had not let up at all and all three were soaked to the bone. Now they sat huddled under a small outcropping of rock that jutted out from the mountainside sheltering them from the pelting rain. Luckily, the wind was blowing from behind and was, therefore, unable to reach them as it passed by in a roar of protest.

Thane stared at the small pile of wet wood he had gathered and sighed heavily. He had almost started it right up, not thinking that normal fire would not be able to touch such soaking wet timber. Jack had laughed when he came to the shelter with it. “You’ll never be able to get that started,” he had said. “You might as well try and light a pile of mud.”

              They all sat silently now trying to find a bit of warmth while staring out at the cold, mountain storm. Jack produced a handful of jerked meat and offered a piece to Thane.

Thane looked at it for a brief moment and then took a piece. “Why not,” he mumbled in his own tongue, “anything to keep my mind off of this cold.”

              “Hey,” Jack grumbled, “none of that now. You can’t learn to speak right if you keep talking in your own tongue.”

             
“Sorry,” he sighed through chattering teeth. “You know, you should learn more of my language. Could be helpful.”

             
“Huh,” Jack grunted trying to fold his dripping cloak tighter around him. “I don’t think I’ll be running into too many of your kind where we’re going.”

             
“Still,” Thane retorted, “you could use more practice yourself. Then, maybe you know more what it like to learn other words.”

             
“Maybe,” Jack sighed leaning his head against the rock behind him. Erl yelped in his sleep, not seeming to notice the cold, drawing envious looks from Jack and Thane. Both had gone silent again except for the noise of their banging teeth as their bodies shivered fiercely trying to create more warmth.

             
“You know,” Thane said through the drumming of the falling rain, “you really not owe me anything for tonight. I know you do the same for me.”

             
“That’s right, I would. But that doesn’t change the fact that it was me hanging off that mountain and that you were the one that saved me. Nobody has ever been able to hang a debt over my head before and I’m not about to start now.”

             
“But...”

             
“But nothing, Thane,” Jack replied gruffly, the frustration obvious in his voice. “That’s it. No more discussion. You’re stuck with me. I will repay you some day and you can’t stop me so just stop worrying about it and pray that we make it through tonight alive so I
will
have the chance to save you some day.”

             
Thane looked down at his hands unable to focus on them because of the shaking in his body. The thought of a nice warm fire pounded at his thoughts and he knew they did not have to suffer as they were. He glanced at the wood knowing all too well that it would light right up if he called forth the fire.
But what would Jack think
?
Maybe he would run away or leave me behind
. Another chill shot through his body shaking him violently.
I have to do something
.
I can’t stand this any longer
. He battled within himself. The temperature had dropped considerably and with them sitting idle as they were in soaking wet clothes, they were sure to catch their deaths if they didn’t do something soon. He knew he had the power to remedy the situation but the fear of rejection was just too great.

The war raged on for long, cold moments when Jack words suddenly reentered his thoughts.
You’re stuck with me, Thane, until I can repay you
. Did he really mean that? Would he really stay if he knew of his power? He looked at Jack shivering violently his face gone deathly pale.
It’s either a fire or possible death
.
I have no choice
.
I have to trust in what he said
.
I have to believe him
. Staring at his shaggy looking friend, Thane suddenly realized that he did trust him. There was something about him, the way he carried himself, that made him seem more than his appearance let on.

             
“Jack?” Thane said timidly. He paused for a moment trying to find strength in his need for warmth.

             
“Well, what is it boy? Spit it out,” Jack said barely able to speak from his chattering jaw.

             
“Well, I...I know a way to start...the fire.”

             
Jack laughed. “I told you boy, there’s no way to start that wood on fire. Look at it. It’s got more water in it than we have in our cloaks.”

             
Thane rubbed a hand across his nose. “I know Jack, but there is a way.”

             
Jack looked at him a bit more seriously and then his eyes went wide. “You mean by magic? Do you know magic, Thane?”

             
Thane’s eyebrows creased in confusion. “What is ‘magic’?”

             
“Magic,” Jack said. “You know, the power to do things others can’t. You know, spells, incantations, potions.”

             
Thane looked more confused than before but then Jack suddenly stopped and turned a frightened eye at him. “You can’t throw fire can you?”

             
His heart almost stopped beating. How could he know that? “No!” he burst out, almost too quickly. Jack stared at him with those piercing eyes that, at times, made Thane feel he was scanning his soul. “Why do you say that?”