Hand of Fire (The Master of the Tane) (66 page)

             
He did a quick visual search, his heart pounding in his throat, looking for anything on the man that looked like a key. There was nothing. He searched again, but still came up empty. Panic gnawed at him and suddenly he wondered if he was going to be able to get his friend out after all. Sliding back out from under the wagon he checked the near side but still was unsuccessful. Passing to the other side his eyes and hands darted about but he was still disappointed. He was starting to get desperate.

Moving to the front of the wagon, he made a quick scan of the seat when his eyes finally rested on a pair of metal keys hooked nicely to the driver’s bench. Thane snatched them up in a hurry and climbed onto the wagon careful not to make a sound. A horse snorted in the distance catching his attention only briefly before he lifted the flap and ducked inside. The air under the tarp was stifling and he wondered how Dor could possibly live through the night in such a condition. The cage sat ominously before him, a mass of metal bars only high enough to allow its occupant a small crouch. He reached for the lock and quickly inserted the key. Without even a glance at the prisoner it held, Thane crawled inside.

              Almost immediately, he was thrown to the floor, banging his head on the bars that sent white dots flashing before his eyes. An arm pressed firmly against his throat cutting off most of his air and stealing away all his attempts to struggle. Thane felt warm breath against the side of his face and a raspy voice spoke in his ear. “Cheneki Jho Eelo Niek Chee Dreesho!”

             
Though barely able to breath and with a growing and painful bump on the back of his skull, Thane was overcome with joy as he instantly recognized his friend’s voice. Then it dawned on him what he’d had said.
Make a move and I’ll kill you
? 

“Dor,” he barely managed, Dor’s arm still pressed firmly against his throat, “it’s me.”

              “Ku?”

             
Thane suddenly realized he was speaking common. Reverting back to his native tongue, he tried again. “Ka Shon Ney, Dor. Thane.”

             
“Thane?” The raspy whisper asked, immediately releasing his grip and letting air back into Thane’s lungs. “Is it really you?”

             
“Yes,” he said sitting up and rubbing his throat. “And I’ve come to get you out of here.”

             
“Thane!” Dor whispered gleefully, throwing his arms around his friend and choking him again. “But how?”

             
“We’ll talk about that later,” Thane whispered trying to keep the task at hand in the forefront of his mind. “Can you walk?”

             
“I will walk out of here!”

             
Thane nodded and then turned back to the open cage door where he exited and then quickly checked their surroundings before motioning back to Dor to follow. Thane’s heart dropped as he watched his friend moving slowly and deliberately, obviously in a lot of pain from being cramped in his cage. Closing the door behind them, Thane made sure the prison was securely locked before poking his head out from under the flap to check that they were still clear. Erl had not made a sound so he felt certain that nothing had changed since he disappeared under the tarp.

Quickly scurrying off the wagon, Thane replaced the keys where he found them and then ran back to help Dor. Checking the guard, he found that the man had not moved in the slightest as his raucous snores continued to reverberate off the wagon’s hull. Reaching up to help Dor down, he noticed how very light his friend had become and he couldn’t help but wondered how he had been able to muster up enough strength to pin him to the ground.

Half supporting, half carrying him, Thane quickly rushed him towards the tree line and certain safety. His heart was pounding in relief at the apparent success of the mission when Dor suddenly dug in his heals and brought them to a quick stop just short of the trees and the freedom they offered.

             
“We’re dead,” Dor whispered.

             
Thane’s face paled.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

             
Thane searched the darkness wondering who would be out in such weather and why Erl had not warned them. The wind came up suddenly sending pin drops of rain flying forcefully down like a flurry of needles. He squinted against its bite while searching frantically for what had made his friend stop just on the edge of freedom. If they stayed much longer in the open they were sure to be caught.             

             
“Just beyond the tree line,” Dor whispered trying to keep his shivering body still.

             
Thane scanned the area again. “There’s nothing out there, Dor,” he said making a move to go. “We have to keep moving.”

             
“No!” Dor rasped, digging his hand painfully into Thane’s arm. “It’s there. I can see it. It’s right next to that tree. It’s just sitting there watching us.”

             
Thane looked at the frightened expression on Dor’s face and found himself wondering about his friend’s sanity. Being caged for so long may have robbed him of his senses. “Listen to me Dor,” he whispered, “there is nothing out there. We have to go or we’ll be caught for sure.”

             
“There,” Dor said, risking a pointing finger, “it just moved.”

             
Thane shot a quick eye to the area Dor singled out but found nothing amiss. Erl sat watching them, patiently waiting and patrolling the wet night with his keen eyes and sharp hearing. Thane quickly scanned the vicinity around him before returning his sights to the wolg.
Of course
. A sudden feeling of relief washed over him as he finally realized that Erl was what had scared Dor so badly. He had become so used to the wolg’s presence that he had forgotten that the last contact Dor had with his kind had almost cost him his life.

“It’s all right, Dor,” he soothed. “
The wolg’s with me. He won’t hurt us.”

             
“The wolg?”

             
“Yes. That’s what they’re called.”

             
Dor took a sudden step away from his friend and stared at him as if uncertain who he was. “What’s going on Thane? Why would you be with one of those things?”

             
A loud cough erupted from the camp followed by the sound of approaching voices. Thane turned quickly, catching a glimpse of movement down the line to his left. Erl let out a low growl of warning causing Dor to take another step back. Thane grabbed his arm and whispered urgently into his ear. “Listen Dor, if we don’t leave right now it’s back to the cage for both of us or maybe even worse. You have to trust me.”

             
Dor stared at him with a blank, far off look before he turned back to the woods and slowly nodded his head. Lightning suddenly flashed, bathing them in its light for a split second before it was quickly swallowed up in the thick darkness of night. A shout came from their left followed by a cry of warning that intruders were spotted in the camp just as a burst of thunder collided with the final words drowning them in its wake. Almost instantly, another flash answered the cry revealing an empty spot where the warning voice was positive something had stood only seconds before.

             
Thane and Dor shot through the woods with increasing speed not hearing the laughter and mocking voices accusing the man of having swallowed too much mead. After the first lightning flash, Dor had needed no more encouragement, giving the wolg a simple, fleeting glance, as he and Thane broke the line of trees and plunged themselves into thicker blackness and deeper cover. Erl watched calmly as they hurriedly ran past, the one with the friendly scent that he had come to trust and the other stinking horridly of fear. Briefly following their movements as they disappeared behind the trunks of the large trees, he yawned and licked his chops before scanning the camp one last time for any signs of pursuit. When nothing presented itself, he reached up with his rear leg and scratched an itch behind his ear before turning about slowly and then trotting off after the Chufa easily tracking their fresh scent.

             
Limbs brushed past Thane’s face as he tried to catch up to Dor who was now running madly through the trees without the least thought of where he was heading. The idea of being thrown back into a cage must have lent him strength as his once stiff legs now stretched with great strides that crashed through the woods without the slightest attempt at being quiet.

Thane kept his passing silent, as he had learned to do without thought, keeping sight of Dor’s back. A flash of fur overtook him on the right as Erl shot ahead leading the way back to Jack. Dor stopped suddenly as the wolg passed and was almost knocked to the ground when Thane was unable to pull up and stop in time.

              “What’s wrong?”

             
“Do you think it’s changed its mind?” Dor said trying to catch his breath as he pointed at Erl who again sat calmly and watched them from a short distance away.

             
“It’s all right, Dor,” Thane reassured. “He won’t hurt us. He’s leading the way back to the camp. Now come on. We have to be far away from that caravan before they discover you’re missing.”

Thane grabbed Dor’s arm, practically pulling him back into a run, while Erl turned and raced ahead. Soon, Dor was running like before pulling slightly ahead of Thane who still kept his footfalls silent. Without warning, Erl veered to the left certain of where he was and where Jack would be found. Dor paused briefly, chancing a quick look at Thane before turning with the wolg and following right behind. Thane knew they must be getting close, judging from the time it took
him to reach the train of soldiers, when Erl suddenly slowed and dropped into a casual walk. Thane pulled up next to Dor, who had stopped, his expression revealing his apprehension on whether it was really safe to follow.

             
“Let’s go,” Thane whispered grabbing his arm.

             
“Wait a minute, Thane,” Dor hesitated. “How do you know it is safe?”

             
“By looking at him.”

             
Dor gave his friend a puzzled look.

             
Thane shrugged and then smiled. “His ears are not flattened, his hackles are down, he’s not at a crouch and he hasn’t growled. Look at him,” Thane pointed. “Like a playful pup.”

             
Dor stared back at Thane as if he had suddenly grown horns. Opening his mouth to say something, he quickly thought better of it and, instead, snapped his jaw shut.

             
“Now,” Thane continued, “I should warn you about one other thing...”

             
Just then a large figure broke from the trees to their right and bellowed a horrific sound that grated against Dor’s sensitive ears. Dor instantly dropped to a crouch and wrapped his hands around the first thing he could find. Standing, he held a large branch and stood defensively preparing for the immanent attack. A low growl suddenly rumbled in Erl’s throat as he jumped in front of the intruder and faced off with Dor.

             
Recognizing the sudden danger of the situation, Thane jumped in front of Dor and raised his hands motioning for him to stop. “Wait!”

             
“What are you doing, Thane?” Dor yelled trying to move his friend out of danger’s path. “It’s a trap. We’ve been given away by your wolg.”

             
Thane turned his head towards Erl and the intruder and a stream of awful sounds suddenly escaped his mouth. Dor wasn’t positive but they sounded similar to those spoken by their attacker.

             
To Dor’s amazement and relief, both turned away and disappeared back behind the trees. Facing Thane, he could barely speak. “What goes on here, Thane? That looked like a HuMan!”

             
Thane put up his hands. “I know Dor, I know. That was what I was about to tell you.”