Hand of Fire (The Master of the Tane) (73 page)

He moved above the large stone walls and was greeted by hundreds of men hurrying about as if preparing for battle. He noticed some injured off to the side near the back being attended to by men wearing white armbands. The battle must have already been joined. But if that were true, where were the trolls?

He soared over the front gates and into the darkness seeking the enemy. Moving off to his right, he skimmed closer to the ground searching for any clues as to the whereabouts of the troll army. Soon, bodies began to appear in a mixture of men and trolls left strewn out upon the ground. Steam still rose from some of the dead and he knew that the battle had been waged not long before.
But where are the trolls
.
They wouldn’t leave the Fort until it fell or until they were beaten
.

             
He willed himself higher into the night air away from the abhorrent scene below. Quickly gaining altitude, he searched the world beneath looking for any signs that might lead him to the troll army and Tam. He immediately found what he was looking for farther to the west. Hundreds of bright, tiny lights lit the night like a beacon leaving no question as to where the trolls were camped.

As he drew closer his breath caught at the sheer force of numbers.
Dor wasn’t exaggerating
. Never in his darkest nightmares would he have ever thought up so many trolls. The torches seemed to stretch in an endless river of light heading straight for the mountains to the west. But why were they leaving? An army of trolls that size could have easily overrun the fort.

             
Suddenly something scratched at the edge of his mind. It was something familiar. It was almost like a whispered caught on the wind. Thane cocked his head as if trying to listen but then stopped. It wasn’t a voice; it was more like...like a piece of him? Calling the wind at his back, he pressed forward at a moderate speed while trying to decipher what it was he was feeling. Passing over the teeming army, the sensation continually grew stronger until he felt he could pinpoint its exact location in the mass of confusion below. Then it hit him.
Of course
! He finally understood.
Tam
!

             
Gathering more wind, Thane willed himself forward with a quick burst. The sense was like a rope pulling at him as it drew him closer to the mountains. As he neared the rocky walls of the great barrier, he noticed what appeared to be a tiny crack that cut straight up the mountainside creating a slender breach where the line of torches narrowed and then spilled through.

Just inside the gap
. He knew that was where he would find her. Arching down, he headed straight for the dark line that outlined the pass keeping just above the wind whipped torchlight. His sense of Tam grew stronger as he quickened his pace in a gust that made the torches flicker angrily as he passed over. His heart leaped at the thought of seeing Tam again. He knew she had to still be alive. How else could he have detected her presence?

             
All sense of his surroundings vanished as he reached the mountain pass and focused his mind completely on Tam’s location. She was right there in front of him just yards away. He knew it. He could feel her as if she were a beacon of light drawing him in.

Slowing slightly, he pushed forward to enter and was shocked to discover a sudden wall of resistance that absorbed his velocity in scant moments before forcing him back in a tumbling mass of flailing arms and legs.
What was that
! Righting himself quickly, he called back the faltering wind, wrapping it like a cocoon around him, and hovered motionless a short distance from the mountain pass. Something must have stolen his air current, but what? And how? He scanned the entrance looking for any clue that might answer his questions and allow him passage to Tam.

After long minutes without the slightest evidence of cause, he decided to try again but with a bit more caution. Gathering the wind’s strength, he pushed forward matching the agonizingly slow pace set by the trolls below. Trying to ignore Tam’s distancing presence, Thane continued his vigil of the mountain pass in the slight hope that something might present itself and give him an answer before he reached the gap.

              Preparing himself, he again approached his goal and attempted to enter. Pushing his hands out, he could feel the resistance and stopped, hovering, as the heads of trolls and their waving torches passed beneath. It didn’t make sense. What could stop the wind like that? He jerked as a high held torch passed through him eating up some of his air and stuffing his nose with smoke. Cursing silently, he lifted himself higher and glared at the torch now bobbing into the pass as it fought for life against the gust rushing out from the mountain corridor. He watched as another torch passed beneath taking up the same dance as its predecessor as it too entered the pass against the wind that tried to douse its flame.
Of course
!
What else could stop the wind but a stronger gust being funneled against it
?

             
Glad for his discovery, but feeling a dolt for taking so long to figure it out, Thane gathered the strength of the winds in an all out effort to force back the opposition blocking his way. Like the shot of an arrow, he sent himself screaming towards the mountain pass gathering more speed with his approach and finally smashed into the opposing wind, nullifying its force with his own. Suddenly left without resistance, he was hurled deep into the pass leaving Tam’s presence far behind before he could regain control over the air’s driving force and slow his forward momentum to a complete stop.

He couldn’t hold back the shiver that raced through his core exhilarating and terrifying him all at once. Taking in his surroundings, he noticed that just ahead, not fifty yards distance, the pass curved to the left leaving a solid, smooth wall of mountain that reached up hundreds of feet as if trying to close out the moonlit sky. He wondered what might have happened had he failed to stop in time and run into the side of the mountain pass. Another shiver raced through him and he decided quickly to leave such speculation for another time.

Turning about, he moved slowly toward the column of trolls he had left far behind. His sense of Tam had lessened considerably which shocked him even more with the realization of just how far he’d actually flown into the pass. It was mind boggling to think of the amount of wind power he was able to harness. How was it possible?

             
It was then that he noticed the slightest change touching his outer consciousness giving him the distinct feeling of another presence. The wind suddenly shifted, as if sucked away, and then it pressed back into him. Something passed through him, chilling him completely, as if death itself had ascended from the abyss to devour his soul. With it came a feeling of recognition mingled with venomous loathing, which took Thane’s breath almost completely away.

             
Before he had a chance to ponder what it all meant, the cold hatred returned and began separating the threads of life giving air that kept him afloat. Thane grabbed desperately for more air, calling it to him in great gusts, as he felt himself begin to unravel. He called again and again, pulling more wind and trying to break free but every strand he caught hold of was instantly unraveled and sent howling down the mountain pass.

A cyclone quickly formed as wind currents coiled around and then unraveled from Thane’s incorporeal body sending him and his attacker twisting in a whirlwind of dirt and rocks that were sucked up from the mountain floor. Thane felt as if he were being pulled apart in a myriad of directions as the debris shot through him disrupting his control and toppling him over in the increasing gusts. He tried to gather back what was being torn away hoping to reverse the currents and stop the twister but his sense of direction was too distorted as he was thrown about on the cycling windstorm.

              An icicle of cold emotion abruptly pierced his mind with an explosion of pain as he felt something suddenly invade his thoughts. He felt words forming that were not his own and the distinct impression of a smile was clearly evident.
How can this be
,
Gelfin
?
You are no longer
.

             
Thane tried to form a reply of denial but all his concentration was locked on the wind in a desperate scramble to keep his essence from being torn apart. The probing thoughts of the wraith dug mercilessly deeper, tearing into Thane’s inner mind, ripping through chambers holding his most painful and private memories leaving them exposed and vulnerable. All his thoughts of worthlessness and self hate surfaced in an instant sending his resolve fluttering away on the retreating wind as he began to give in to the welcomed numbness promised in death.

             
A sudden feeling of surprise radiated from the wraith born emotions that had penetrated his mind, shocking his whole system as the cold hate abruptly retreated releasing him from its grasp. The backlash of wind gripped Thane in an explosive mass of power that catapulted him end over end into the night sky high above the valley floor. Frantically deflating tremendous amounts of air, Thane slowly gained control of his ascent and then flew his spirit in full retreat away from the mountains and back towards camp. His mind was an eruption of pain and fear that confused all of his thoughts save for the primal and instinctive need for survival. Like a drowning man reaching for the surface, he stretched to attain his body and become whole again.

             
The wraith just watched with poorly concealed amusement.
That’s right boy
.
Run away for now
.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

             
Thane jerked awake and sprang to his feet instantly regretting the quick movement as his head pounded cadence with the spinning world around him. Falling back to his knees, he tried to steady himself and the earth beneath him in an effort to keep his stomach from turning with it. His whole body ached, from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. Even his hair seemed to hurt. When was he going to learn to let his curse die within him?

What was that thing that attacked me
? He tried to concentrate on the events of the night and bring his thoughts into focus but it was like being waist deep in mud and trying to run.
Tam
!

             
“Are you all right?”

             
Thane jolted at the sound of Jack’s voice paying instantly for the movement as nausea grappled with his stomach. Leaning forward, he rested his head on the ground fighting desperately to gain control.

             
“You look terrible, Thane, what’s wrong?”

             
Thane lifted a weak hand and waved Jack off. “I’m fine, really,” he managed to croak out. “We have to get going. The trolls are past Haykon...heading into the mountains.”

             
Jack grabbed Thane’s shoulders and pulled him back. “Haykon has fallen? How do you know that?”

             
Thane let out an acid tasting burp as he tried to force all of the Jack’s he was seeing back together into one. “Haykon still stands, the trolls passed it by.”

             
“That’s impossible,” Jack returned shaking Thane mercilessly. “Trolls would never pass up a fight like that. You must be mistaken.”

             
The taste of bile filled Thane’s mouth as a last warning to stop moving or suffer the consequences. He swallowed bitterly while beads of sweat broke out onto his forehead. “I’m not mistaken, Jack...I saw it...And if you don’t quit...bouncing me around...you’re going to see...last night’s...dinner.”

             
Jack leaned back quickly releasing Thane’s shoulders and allowing his head to drop onto the grass. “What is wrong with you, Thane? And what do you mean you
saw
it?”

             
Thane rolled onto his side trying to ignore his body’s screams and the constant pounding in his head. Breathing deeply, he finally settled his stomach back into his gut where it grumbled disagreeably. “You know Jack, ArVen. Tam’s Tane.”