Hand of Fire (The Master of the Tane) (71 page)

Tam walked doggedly along unable to draw her mind away from the thought of a dry night. Just the idea made her feel weak causing her to stumble more than once. Krog’s women sneered joyfully at the suffering she was forced to pass through, while Krog just ignored her completely.

              The sun lay low in the western sky, casting long shadows across the land, before they finally reached the great river that had rumbled in the distance for quite some time. Tam quickly found a rope tied tightly around her throat that was then secured to her master’s waist. Before her slowed senses could figure out what was going on, Krog walked into the icy river pulling her along behind. She resisted, knowing she was not equal to the powerful spring torrent, but was quickly dragged in as Krog marched on toward the opposite shore.

Her head was instantly sucked under the freezing water as she was swept up by the surge and carried down stream. The rope went taught, squeezing in around her throat, just as it began to take in water. She grabbed the rope and tried to kick her way to the surface but the water gushed over her forming an icy cocoon around her head. Her fingers felt numb as she tried desperately to pull herself towards Krog. Darkness dotted her vision and her head spun in a cloud of fuzz that was quickly rushing her towards unconsciousness. Her feet dangled helplessly
behind her, following the pull of the river, and robbed her of any chance to reach a foot on the distant bottom. It was hopeless.

             
Her eyes suddenly fluttered open and then shut quickly against a blinding light that brought on thoughts of heaven before the tremendous ache in her body told her otherwise. Taking stock of her surroundings she found she was slung over the shoulder of one of Krog’s wives who, upon noticing she had awakened, dropped her mercilessly to the ground where she was almost trampled by those that followed. Gaining her feet quickly, Tam fell into line behind the others half walking half crawling as she tried to force life back into her heavy limbs.

All around her the land was lit up in artificial light that she quickly discovered came from a huge edifice not far off to their left. A massive work of stone had been erected there and upon its highest towers were great bodies of fire that sent their light reaching far out into the night all around. Small flinches of movement could be detected along the tops of the walls revealing a large number of men like those that attacked them earlier. Tam noticed that most were holding their bows at the ready as if waiting for the right moment to fire. Somehow she knew they were too far away to reach them with arrows and she wondered if the trolls would not stop and store up more meat for the march ahead.

              When no change in direction was ordered, Tam quickly bored of watching the activities along the distant wall and turned her mind to the more important matter of surviving the night without her draught. She could feel the nagging, empty feeling that steadily increased with the passing of each moment and she shuddered to think what the following hours would bring her.

The minutes passed like days, slowing the world down around her. Each step felt like a week of severe torture as she trudged on trying without success to find a spot in her mind that would block out the ocean of grief that saturated her body and soul.

Suddenly, strange little creatures started popping up from the ground to taunt her lashing out razor sharp claws to cut at her legs. She tried to move from their path but they were too quick as they continued to spread out around her. Small flying insects appeared, buzzing her head in a loud roar of beating wings, digging their stingers into her eyes and ears and lips. The skin on her hands turned scaly and then began to shrink crushing the bones in her fingers and shooting bolts of pain through her arms. Her head ignited with fever obscuring her vision of the creatures that continued their ruthless attack. She wanted to scream, the pain was too much, but when she opened her mouth, the tiny insects rushed in and stung her throat cutting off any sound.

Suddenly, something caught hold of her face and squeezed it together as if to pop her head like an overripe melon. Her mouth was forced open and the insects rushed in with such force that she almost choked on them. They passed her throat, stinging her all the way down to her stomach where they quickly turned into liquid fire. She struggled for release as best she could but found she could no longer move as more insects were forced down her throat. The fire quickly spread to her limbs before working its way towards her head where she new it would devour her mind.

It climbed up her neck slowly, burning through her skin as it did so, on its quest for her brain. Then, with a sudden rush, it shot through her skull turning her head into a ball of fire that blast from her eyes in an explosion of intense heat before quickly flashing out and leaving her body numb and surprisingly free of pain.

             
She lay quietly, enjoying the feeling that washed over her before timidly opening her eyes. The creatures that had taunted her were gone. The insects had disappeared. Her body was back to what had become normal for her and all was how it should be. Letting out a sigh of contentment, she closed her eyes again, letting herself drift back into the recesses of her mind where she curled up in the warmth of the darkness and allowed herself to slip into the void.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

             
Thane watched the edge of the woods in silence as Jack finished saddling the horses. Knowing Thane’s distress over Dor’s disappearance, Jack insisted on preparing the horses himself making some comment about Thane messing it up anyway hoping to throw a little cheer back into the Chufa boy. But Thane didn’t make much of an objection still overcome by the hurt and disappointment that tore at his very core. For the first time since he woke up in Jack’s cave, the realization of what had happened to him and where his life was going suddenly broke through the dam he had created to hold back his feelings and now it threatened to drown him in the deluge. The only thing that had saved him in a society that shunned and feared him was the brotherhood he had had with Dor and the love of a caring mother. Now they were both gone. His mother because of his father’s hatred and now Dor because...why? Because he couldn’t accept that Jack was not the nightmare they had been taught he should be? It didn’t make any sense. Why couldn’t people accept one another for the type of person they were instead of passing judgment solely on where they came from?

             
The clouds of dark depression began to overshadow him as he scanned the trees again as if looking harder would make his friend suddenly appear. It was his fault Dor was out here in the first place. It was his fault Tam was suffering who knew what torture at the hands of the trolls. It was
all
his fault. The black fingers of self-loathing tightened their grip around his aching heart threatening to paralyze him with doubt. Only the thought of reaching Tam and helping her to escape kept him from completely giving up. He could still right some of that wrong.

             
Tears wet his cheeks in a steady stream as if trying to wash the pain and sorrow away. He was alone in a world that despised and hated him for no other reason than him having been born into it.

             
Jack’s voice skimmed across the emptiness sending a small ray of hope and reminding him that there were still two he could count on for the love he so desperately craved. Thane laughed at the irony and then a tiny speck of understanding suddenly forced its way through the dark emptiness that surrounded his soul. Dor had never felt the loneliness he had felt most of his life. Dor had a family that loved him and friends to spare. He didn’t feel that longing Thane was constantly forced to face. Of course it was easy for Thane to trust Jack and Erl. He wanted to. He needed to. It didn’t matter what they were, just that they accepted him. It wouldn’t be so easy for Dor, he suddenly realized, especially after what he had gone through with Wess and his men. But what about him? The fact that Dor couldn’t believe him was what hurt the most.

             
Thane’s mind raced in the circle he had placed it in drawing himself in deeper and deeper as it spiraled farther and farther down. He was startled when Jack’s hand rested gently on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Thane. We have to go.” Thane stared blindly into Jack’s eyes as if looking at a stranger. Then with a last fleeting gaze towards the woods, he moved to his horse and threw himself into the saddle. Jack watched him for a moment feeling a sadness of his own before turning to his own horse and saddling up.

             
Now that they were clear of the forest, Jack took them almost due west. Grassy hills spread out all around dotted with an occasional cluster of oak and maple trees. The wind had picked up a little but the new sun on their backs warmed them as if attempting to penetrate the dark moods that surrounded the two silent travelers. As usual, Erl had bounded off ahead, seeming almost playful, if such a word could be placed on the flurry of fur, teeth and razor sharp claws that were his genetic make up. A few clouds dotted the sky as if trying to hold on to the rain of the previous days. Flowers swept past the horses’ hooves in brilliant color each vying for the eyes and admiration of the two passersby but neither seemed to notice, drawn deep within their own thoughts. Jack had tried early on to make conversation, hoping to cheer his friend, but it was to no avail. 

             
The morning quickly passed into midday bringing with it unusual heat and humidity for the time of year and for how far north they were. Jack stopped them under a small copse of large oak trees and without a word both went to work preparing a meager meal of hard bread and cheese that was washed down with the warm water they carried. Half way through their meal, Erl returned without ceremony and plopped down next to Jack letting out a small whine before lowering his head and falling asleep. Thane looked at the wolg and couldn’t help but envy him his simple life.

             
Their meal over, they rounded up their horses that had been left to graze, and quickly prepared to move on. Thane was about to climb up into his saddle when Jack’s large hand suddenly closed around his wrist and pulled him back down. Thane just stared at him unsure of what was going on.

“Thane,” Jack paused, looking down at his boots. “I’m sorry.”

              Thane’s mind strained at the words forcing away the dull cloud that had settled there. Quickly searching back through the day he tried to remember and understand what Jack had done to cause him to apologize, but nothing readily presented itself. Just as he was about to question him, Jack continued. “I should not have chased Dor off like that. I thought he would see the truth and understand that I am not a threat to either of you, but I guess I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

             
Thane just stared unable to contain the tears that welled up in his eyes. “Oh, Jack, no.”

             
Jack looked at him, sadness touching his face. “Well, if you can’t forgive me I guess I understand.”

             
Thane shook his head quickly a slight smile breaking through his gloomy face. “No, Jack, it’s not that,” he managed chuckling through the tears.

             
Jack stared at him blankly, not seeing what was suddenly so humorous when he’d just poured out his heart to apologize. Thane reached up and grabbed Jack’s shoulder suddenly bending over in a fit of laughter. “Well, I’m glad to see you’re so amused about the whole thing,” Jack said with a touch of irritation. “I expose my heart completely to you, trying to ask your forgiveness and you fall over laughing.”

             
Thane looked up again, the tears still falling from his face but whether from sorrow or amusement, Jack could not tell. “I’m not amused, Jack,” he managed through another fit of laughter, “I’m very sad.”

             
The look on Jack’s face sent Thane over the edge again doubling him over in waves of amusement.

“Is this how Chufa
express sorrow?” Jack asked with obvious concern in his voice.