Night Calls the Raven (Book 2 of The Master of the Tane) (29 page)

She turned on him, her deep blue eyes ignited with fire. “You will not shame me, Renja of the Chufa,” she spat. “I will honor my debt and will leave only after it is fully paid. No matter where you go or what you do, I will be at your side until honor no longer requires it.”

Thane sighed. “What is it that your honor requires? I mean, can’t we just come to an agreement. How about if I come back when I am done with what I have to do?”

Jne didn’t answer. She just turned her back and continued to fill a backpack with clothes.

He was desperate. She had no reason to go running into a valley full of trolls and goblins to find a girl she’d never even met. It was not right that she be dragged into it all just because of his dead blind luck at besting her at steel. Maybe he could leave her behind without her knowing.

As if reading his mind, her cool voice broke through the rustle of clothes she stuffed in her sack. “And don’t even think of trying to leave me without my knowing or slipping away at night. I will track you down if you do and you will pay for the dishonor you cause.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but shut it again. She was tenacious. He had argued with her before and had yet to gain the upper hand. He knew it was useless to try now. “You don’t even know where I am going or what I am to do.”

She turned to him, her pack full. “It does not matter. When my debt is paid, then I will return, not before.”

“But it’s going to be dangerous. Maybe suicidal.”

She smiled, but not a smile of happiness or joy. It was the smile of an animal just before it made its kill. “Good,” she hissed. “Then my debt will be paid quickly and my honor returned.”

Thane shook his head. He was not to be rid of this woman no matter what he said or tried. “Do you at least want to know where it is I go?”

Jne shrugged. “You may tell me if it makes you more content. I assume we will return to the other side of the mountains where the trolls and goblins gather.”

His jaw dropped. “How did you know that?”

“It is where I found you.”

“But…” he stopped. “Why were you on the other side of the mountains?”

Jne’s expression quickly changed to one of repressed sorrow and her face turned ashen. “I too searched for someone.”

“Who?”

She hesitated for a brief moment and then took a deep breath. “My sister,” she answered, regaining control, her voice and demeanor becoming hard and determined once again. “If that is where you truly go, then I welcome the opportunity. Maybe I will then find my sister who was taken.”

“Taken?”

“Yes. A pack of goblins took her at night when she slept. That she was caught at all is a mystery, though she left seven dead in her tent. I was searching for her when I found you.”

“But why didn’t you leave me and go after her instead?”

Jne’s voice had become flat. “I lost her trail the previous day in the rain. You were alive. I could not be certain of the same with my sister.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Jne shrugged. “I am not. You will be a good Tjal, Renja of the Chufa.”

Thane laughed bitterly at the irony of the name. As she called him, he was an outsider to his people. “My name is Thane.”

Jne raised an eyebrow and regarded him. “Was that your Chufa name?”

He nodded. “Yes, it is.”

She shrugged. “You are Tjal now. Your name is, Renja. As I said, you will be a good Tjal but I can see now that fate has made me
Jinghar
to you so that I may teach you well what it means to be one of us. You have much to learn before you gain your honor.”

Thane didn’t argue. It was like yelling at a mountain to try and sway Jne from anything that she had already decided. He still didn’t like the idea of her coming but at the same time welcomed the company no matter how odd it was.

Slipping the black pants beneath his blanket, he quickly pulled them on and then did the same with the shirt. The pants were loose just like any Tjal man’s and the shirt tight around his chest. He found that the swords she’d given him the previous week fit more comfortably against his back without his shirt bunching up beneath them as they had with his other clothes. She tossed him a long piece of black cloth to wrap his head but instead he ripped off a smaller square piece and folded it in half before wrapping it around his forehead and tying it in the back.

“Until I gain my honor,” he said, hoping that she would accept his explanation. He really hated having all of that cloth on top of his head—especially in the heat.

To his relief, she smiled, her face lighting up in exquisite beauty. “You are learning quickly, Renja.”

Just then Kardosh burst into her tent. “Come quickly,” was all he said before turning about and exiting again.

Jne ran to the tent flap followed by Thane, who was tucking a dagger in Tjal fashion into his pants behind his back. Outside, the sun was beginning to descend to the west and cast its long shadows around the camp. Thane’s horse stood by the tent as if guarding it against any enemies and neighed his greeting as he exited. He rubbed a quick hand over his nose to say hello before darting after Jne who was dodging between tents and heading deeper into the Tjal village chasing after Kardosh.

He caught up to them just as they reached the fire circle where the whole Tja seemed to have gathered. He was shocked to see many smiles turned in his direction or an outstretched hand reaching for him in greeting. Only a day before he was shunned and ignored by any but Jne and Kardosh who only spoke to him when absolutely necessary. He suddenly felt warm inside, a sense of growing love and respect for these people who now accepted him as their own.
Never in his life had he been part of any group. Never had he felt that others cared for him except for Dor and his mother. He clasped an old Tjal woman’s calloused hand and smiled back at her. Maybe he had found a home here after all.

He turned and followed after Jne as she forced her way through the crowd toward the major commotion that was focused in the center. Everyone seemed to be talking at once and he quickly realized that he couldn’t understand anything they were saying. Before they had always used common around him but now that he was considered one of them, they no longer seemed to feel the need to talk so he could understand.

Jne suddenly stopped. She had reached the center and was now face to face with a woman that shared her deep, clear blue eyes but whose hair was closer to black. Both women regarded each other for a brief moment before Jne spoke. Her voice was low and barely audible above the noise of the crowd. “
Danah, j’uban’athe ikdar t’oban’nua
.
Losh j’udar t’ele jafna j’oban’jinghar
.”

The other woman’s face darkened and she glanced briefly at Thane before looking back at Jne and answering. Her voice was cold and sharp.
“T’uban’sike
,” was all she said and then quickly turned her back and moved away.

Thane felt a cold chill, a premonition of sorts, emanate from the woman. He didn’t like her. It was not like him to pass judgment so easily on someone, especially a person he didn’t know, but he felt a darkness about her that spoke of death and destruction. He was glad she had turned and was moving away from them. He felt that the more distance that stretched between them the better.

Jne came toward him, her face down, as she pushed back through the remaining crowd that was following after the other woman. “That was my sister,” she said, her voice hard, but spoken just above a whisper.

Thane was surprised, but quickly saw the resemblance.
“The one taken by goblins?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

Jne just shrugged looking back over her shoulder at the woman as she continued to put distance between them. “I do not know, but I am glad she is returned and well. Although…” She stopped, letting her voice and her thought fade away.

“What?” he prodded.

Jne’s deep blue eyes stared into his, her expression almost childlike. “I don’t know. She is not the same.”

“What did you say to each other?”

She let her eyes drop to the ground. “I told her that I was glad she was well and that I could not embrace her because I am
Jinghar
.”

He sighed, knowing there was nothing he could do, but still feeling responsible. Her being
Jinghar
was ending up being more punishment for him then it was for her. “And what did she say?”

Jne took a deep breath, her body suddenly tense. Looking back into his eyes, they were hard and determined. “She said that I was weak.” Her voice was flint but strained, fighting to hold back the emotion that he knew was raging inside her. Though tough as steel and as sharp as a blade on the exterior, he knew that inside Jne was feeling the sorrows and regret of a tortured soul, not unlike how he had once felt living as an outcast amongst his own. “We must go,” she said suddenly and brushed past him on her way back to the tent.

He paused for only a moment, looking once more at the fading figure that was Jne’s sister, still feeling the trepidation deep in his chest. Besides her physical resemblance to Jne, she almost seemed familiar to him but in a different manner he could not quite place. One thing was for certain, he would be glad to leave her behind and even happier to be on his way to rescue Tam.

By nightfall Jne had their supplies packed and both horses ready for their journey. She had pressed him to leave that night and not wait until morning giving a weak excuse that it would not be so hot and they could cover more ground, but he knew that she welcomed the opportunity to hide her shame as a
Jinghar
from her newly returned sister. He tried to find out more about her when they returned to the tent but Jne was not willing to talk, claiming that she didn’t have the time now to talk niceties while there was work and preparations to be done. He hadn’t pressed knowing her sister's cutting words must still be fresh. What should have been a joyous reunion had been dulled by her situation, thanks to him, and he knew that to try and talk about it now would only make things worse. They had a long road ahead and she had plenty of time to answer his questions.

No one came to their tent to see them off. When asked if they should tell anyone that they were leaving, Jne simply said that it was not their way to infringe on the desires of another. He didn’t see what that had to do with announcing their departure but didn’t ask further. It was probably for the best anyway. He didn’t need anyone trying to keep them from going.

It had been an hour since they left the Tjal tent city behind in darkness. Clouds had blown in from the mountains to the north and he could smell the rain coming not two hours ahead of them. They started out due north heading straight for the mountains and then, at Jne’s insistence, turned slightly east. She told him that there was a pass through the mountains a few days ride to the east that would return him to the valley where he’d been found only weeks before. He welcomed the time. Though anxious to find and rescue Tam, he needed to think about what had happened with the dragon. He had to sort out his newfound power and gain better understanding and control over it. He could not afford to be left in a coma and forget who he was for days every time he called on fire to protect himself. It was both frightening and exciting at the same time. One thing was certain, though, no longer would he hide who he was or cast shame or doubt on himself because of his gifts. They were a part him now, and he was determined to investigate them fully until he completely understood them and knew how best to use them.

Scratching his horse’s neck, he leaned forward and rested his head on top of its mane. “And you, my friend, I need to give you a name. I can’t very well just call you horse all of the time.” As if in answer, the horse lifted its head, pushing Thane back. He laughed. “All right then, what shall it be?” He thought to ask Jne what her horse’s name was but, sensing her dark mood, he felt it best to leave her to herself for a time.
“How about, Chtey, my loyal friend?” The horse bounced his head up and down as if pleased with the name and neighed his consent. Thane laughed. “Then Chtey it is.”