Night Calls the Raven (Book 2 of The Master of the Tane) (30 page)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Thane sat cross-legged on the grassy slope, enjoying the feel of the torrential rains as they beat against his body in great waves soaking him and the ground around him. He had given up his Tjal garb for the more familiar Chufa loincloth that he had made and stored in his pack before leaving the Tjal tent village. The wind gusted in spurts pressing hard against his skin as if inviting him to ride with it as it rushed through the rain in fancy flights to locations unknown. The canvas tent just to his right rippled angrily against the adversarial forces of air that raked along its surface attempting to tear it from the mountainside. Jne had put it up quickly just as the rain began to fall and was now sleeping soundly within, much to his relief. Not far from the tent, the horses were staked and stood motionless as if not bothered one bit by the downpour.

Thane had ached to feel the elements against his skin again and enjoy the powers of the Tane that coursed through his body and soul. Having finally embraced the unique characteristics of all five Tane, he now wished to explore the limits that those Tane provided. He had spent his whole childhood sorrowing over the gifts of his Tane, considering them a curse rather than a blessing. So many whom he loved had seemed to suffer because of the birthright that had fallen to him that his only wish had been to live a normal life with only one Tane like all the other Chufa. Ironically enough, it had taken an enemy to teach him to embrace the gifts he had been given and now that he had, he needed to explore deeper what those gifts were.

Jne had not been so cooperative though. Her perceived duties as
Jinghar
would not allow him to sit in the rain alone and she had insisted she sit by him, although why anyone would choose the weather over a fine tent was beyond her. Finally, he had to give in to her stubborn insistence and had lain down in the tent as if to sleep. She was not so easily fooled though and it was hours before he was able to sneak from their tiny shelter and enjoy the feeling of the wind and the rain as they danced a beautiful symphony across the mountain slope.

His first explorations would be with the wind. He had had glimpses of the gifts and power the ArVen Tane afforded him but wanted to learn more. More importantly, he needed to find Tam. He had made a promise to Dor once that he would never abandon his friends or people to suffering when he could help, and he meant to keep that promise. He had found her once before using the wind and locking in on her ArVen Tane; he would do so again tonight.

Releasing a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes and relaxed his body while calling out to the wind that whistled past. It came quickly and anxiously as if it had been waiting impatiently for his call. He felt himself begin to lift as he gave himself over to its power not fighting the massive energy it held, but instead, embracing it. He opened his eyes and looked down at the shell of his body sitting in repose as if he had merely fallen asleep. Calling more wind around him he willed himself forward and was instantly shot ahead in an exhilarating rush that took him down the slope to the valley below. He felt more alive than he could ever remember and basked in the utter joy that filled him as he became one with the wind and its feel of complete freedom. He felt tears of joy cascading past his cheeks as he pushed on rushing faster down the mountain.

He knew he could easily get lost in the euphoria of the moment but was restrained by the urgency he felt in finding Tam. Pulling himself back, he slowed the wind and called for it to turn him around and fly him up the mountainside and over to the dark valley on the north side. It was there he had lost her to the evil trolls and their new master and it was there that he knew he would find her still. A slight sense of dread edged through the rapture he’d been feeling at the thought of what they might have done to her.

Returning up the slope he soon past his body and the tent as the wind rushed up the mountain gaining speed at his urging as it approached the peaks above. With the clouds from the storm and the late hour of night, it was almost too dark even for his night vision, but he quickly realized that his natural sight was not needed. As he glided over the landscape he could feel what was out before him sensing the lay of the land and the life that filled it. He was aware of the deer bedded down against an outcropping of rocks trying to keep dry; the eagle flying high above banking on the wind currents that drove it west along the ridge and off towards the ocean; the mountain goats grazing on grass seemingly oblivious to the storm around them. He was part of it all and the power he felt from it almost engulfed him in its wake. Resisting the urge to give himself completely over to it, he directed his thoughts to the task at hand, concentrating his efforts on finding Tam.

Topping the ridge, he shot over the mountain peaks that pressed tightly together and then slowed as he reached the other side. His eyes were suddenly filled with thousands of cook fires spreading across the barren landscape in all directions. The image was both beautiful and terrible bringing with it a sense of dread and hopelessness at the mass of evil creatures that had gathered here for one purpose only—destruction. Tam had to be caught somewhere in the middle of all of that and his heart felt heavy at the burden of trying to locate her and then getting her away. He would do whatever it took to free her, even at the cost of his own life but the heavy weight of hopelessness of completing the task was almost more than he could face.

Rushing down the ridge he shot out from the base along the valley floor quickly closing the distance between him and the nearest fire ring. He could sense the charred remains of the dragon to his right as he dropped from the mountain, the memories of the whole experience filling his head in flashes that he forced out with effort. He had to remain focused if he was going to find Tam. Concentrating on her image in his mind he willed himself to sense the ArVen Tane within her and track her whereabouts in the chaotic mass. No feelings came to him as he passed the first campfire diving headlong into the throng of trolls and goblins that littered the valley floor.

*     *     *

“He’s here!” Bedler leaped from his bed and glanced out the window across the myriad of campfires below. “I feel you, Thane. This time you will not escape me.” Fingering the empty space around his neck where a necklace and leather trophy once lay, Bedler’s eyes grew hot with rage. “You have something of mine,” he hissed.

*     *     *

Thane pressed harder through the throng of trolls and goblins certain Tam was among them but still unable to sense her Tane. A feeling of trepidation was quickly pushing itself into his mind stealing away his hope that she was still alive. “She has to be here. Why would they bring her all this way and then…?” He stopped and looked at the dark castle clinging to the lone peak just to his left. “Bedler. What have you done with her?” As if in answer, a large dark form suddenly emerged from the castle taking to the air and quickly banking towards him. Instantly, fear gripped his heart and he almost let go of the wind that sustained him in flight. For some reason he knew that to lose the wind while riding it would mean his own death. He clung to the currents calling for more as the creature quickly closed the gap between them. “Dragon,” he whispered and then called for the wind to shoot him east, away from the castle and away from his body and Jne. Somehow, it knew he was there and he wasn’t quite sure what would happen should it catch him, but he figured that right now was not a good time to find out.

Banking left he shot north again dipping low to the ground just skimming over the camp and its inhabitants. The dragon followed, soliciting a wave of terror as troll and goblin alike crashed
into each other in an attempt to escape the dragon and its horror. Thane chanced a quick look behind him and found the dragon rapidly closing while sending the camp into a mass of chaos and fear.

Thane banked right and angled back before shooting skyward. The dragon followed and though very agile for its size, was not able to maneuver as easily putting it slightly off course. Thane immediately seized the advantage and shot back towards the camp, racing down as if intending to shoot himself right into the valley floor. The dragon quickly regained its bearings and followed, closing the distance with amazing speed. Thane watched the group of trolls below scatter in all directions as he and the dragon arrowed toward the ground. He knew he had to time this perfectly. If he banked too quickly the dragon would follow and be right on him, and possibly catch him, to wait too long…he didn’t want to think about what that might mean.

Suddenly, he could sense the dragon sucking in great amounts of air and a memory flashed in his mind of the last dragon he encountered and its terrifying ability to breathe fire. Without another thought, he banked left and then shot up just as a massive blast of air exploded from the dragon’s throat. Thane looked back just in time to witness the destruction caused by such a blast as the force of air crashed into the ground and into the trolls that were unlucky enough to be in its path. A huge hole opened in the earth and troll body parts sprayed everywhere as they were mercilessly torn apart. Thane paused in horrid wonder at the power the dragon exhibited shaking from the thought of what would have happened to him had he been caught by such a blast.

His thoughts quickly lightened though as he watched the
dragon try, unsuccessfully, to pull itself out of its dive. It got its head and belly up but was unable to again reach skyward before it careened into the camp taking out a large swath of trolls and goblins before finally coming to a stop. Rearing up on its massive hind legs it screamed in anger and then shot its head down to snatch up a nearby goblin, releasing its rage on the hapless victim before spewing what was left back to the valley floor.

Thane did not wait to see if the dragon would once again give chase but instead called all the wind he could and shot away to the eastern range as a decoy, knowing it best to cut back to his body once he was on the other side of the mountains. For anxious moments he expected to feel the dragon screaming up behind him but was relieved when he finally looked back and found himself alone.

Dipping low, he allowed himself a moment of pleasure skimming the valley floor as he tried to shake off the shiver that rushed through him at another near fatal encounter. Reaching the base of the mountain he shot up driving for the peaks and the relative safety beyond. Unheard, was the angry scream that echoed through the halls of Raven’s Eye Peak as Thane finally dropped over the range and shot down the other side.

He slowed his descent pulling up to look over the foreign land that had become his home. To his right he had a grand view of Haykon, the night watch fires and scattered lamps throughout the city twinkled up at him with inviting warmth. Something pulled at his mind as he hovered high above willing him forward toward the city. It was something instantly familiar that started his heart beating faster. Moving closer to the town, as if pulled by an unknown force, he reached out to it, trying to understand it and grasp what it was that was calling to him.

“Tam?” It felt like her, but something wasn’t right. It was her but, at the same time, it wasn't.

A surge of excitement and sorrow filled him and battled for control of his soul as he moved forward stretching for her and then pinpointing her location. He whisked over the city walls, barely noticing the seeming excessive number of guards, as he raced to the center of town, pulling up short at a stone building in the middle of an open square. She was in there; he knew it.
But something wasn’t right. The memory of Dor’s incarceration at Hell’s End suddenly flashed in his mind, filling him with a sense of trepidation and anger.

Do the HuMans have you caged like they did Dor
? He circled the building and finally found a window into the room where he knew she was held. His heart beat quickly, unable to control the excitement and fear that was welling up inside.