Night Calls the Raven (Book 2 of The Master of the Tane) (42 page)

Thane wore a simple pair of brown leather pants with a white cotton shirt tucked in and then covered with a brown jacket. Carefully removing the cloth around his head, he let his hair fall down around his shoulders making certain his ears were well covered. It was nothing fancy, but that is what he was after.
Just something to blend them into the crowd; make them nobodies.

Jne’s dress was dark green cotton that flared out from the hips in a bell shape that ran to the floor. The bodice was tight, black velvet with a puffed shoulder and sleeves that ended at her elbows. The neckline was deep, plunging almost indecently showing a good portion of her bosom. Thane claimed that it would only help with keeping the soldiers off guard but by the look on his face, he didn’t seem to mind all that much either.

She was simply gorgeous. Not only had the seamstress fitted her dress perfectly, but her daughter had spent a good amount of time doing Jne’s hair, curling it just right so that it framed her face beautifully. She was captivating. He supposed it was good she kept her scowl because should she smile, he wasn’t sure he would be able to keep his legs from buckling under him.

The shopkeeper finally made her twirl around for one last look before proclaiming her finished. Thane smiled and opened his mouth to compliment her but Jne cut him off. “Not a word,” she hissed at him. “Not a single word.” The seamstress eyed Thane as if he must have done something terrible to anger her so. After all, dressing such a beautiful woman up like a savage Tjal and then letting her clothes be stolen was almost unforgivable. He should be ashamed!

After leaving the shop he quickly noticed that the automatic bubble of people scurrying away from them was no longer in affect. They were just another couple that had fled to the city for protection. They were now forced, like everybody else, to fight their way through the crowds to try and reach their destination. Thane felt sweat trickle down his back as he eyed Jne and tried his best to keep people away from her. He thought for certain that at any moment she was going to break someone’s neck that dared get too close or who ogled her too lustfully. Luckily the inn was just across the street.

Jne sat stiffly on the bed not daring to move, certain that to do so would cause her dress to fall off or for her to fall out of it. Thane had agreed to bring food up to her so she wouldn’t have to be in public for more time than needed. Already she’d almost gotten her hands around the neck of a patron who’d made a comment as they entered the inn about her being too much woman for one man. Had it not been for the innkeeper, who still knew they were Tjal-Dihn, grabbing the man’s ear and forcing him out, Thane was certain the man would have found himself lying on the street in his own gore instead of just merely standing there with a surprised look.

Placing a platter full of roasted pork, steamed vegetables, and fresh baked bread next to her, Thane sat down on his bed and started eating. He was famished and any meal he didn’t have to cook for himself right then was a delicious one. Jne merely picked up the bread and took a couple of bites, her motions awkward and mechanical. Thane was careful not to look at her.

             
“You will not speak of this to anyone,” she hissed, her voice dripping with venom.

Thane sighed, still keeping his eyes down studying his plate. “I won’t, Jne. You are only doing this to help rescue my friend. Is it not an honorable thing to save the life of another?”

“That depends,” she answered, her voice a bit calmer.

“In this case, then,” Thane persisted. “Is it not honorable to save my friend’s life who’s only crime is having been born Chufa?”

Jne sighed. “Yes, it is honorable.”

“Then your honor is intact. There is no shame in what you do.”

Jne was silent for a moment, absorbing what he’d just said. “Why do you not look at me? Do I offend you?”

He was taken completely by surprise by her question. Jerking his head up he stared at her, his mouth struggling to form an answer that would not make her angry. His breath caught, by all that was holy, she was just so incredibly beautiful. “Of course not,” he finally managed. “I was just concentrating on my dinner.”

Jne looked like she didn’t believe him but nodded anyway. This was becoming too difficult. He enjoyed looking at her but how much looking was too much? He just wanted to get Tam and get out of there. He felt guilty about enjoying a meal while Tam was locked away, held captive. He needed to keep his mind off of it for a few more hours. He needed a clear head when they went in. He recognized the anxiety he was feeling and knew that such anxious need could only lead to problems. He had to be calm and detached or risk making a mistake. It would be good for Jne to get her mind off of what she was wearing too.

“Can I ask you a question?” he finally said after swallowing the last of his vegetables.

Jne shrugged, finally taking a bite of her meat. “I guess so,” she said, her mouth full of food.

He took a deep breath. “Why were you so hateful towards me before and during my testing to become Tjal?”

Jne didn’t answer immediately. Chewing her meat, she watched him closely as if measuring him before she gave a response. Then, finally, she just blurted out, “I was afraid.”

He nearly choked on the piece of bread he’d just put in his mouth. “What? Come on. You’re mocking me.”

Jne’s eyelids dropped down into narrow slits. “Do you call me liar?”

“No, no, no,” he said hurriedly. “It’s just that I wasn’t expecting you to say that. What were you afraid of?”

Jne shrugged. “You. I felt you had a chance of passing the first two tests.”

He was flabbergasted. “You did?”

“Yes.”

“But why would that make you hate me?”

She looked away, her cheeks coloring slightly. Taking a deep breath she let it out before finally answering. “I knew that I would be the one to face you with the test of steal and I didn’t want to have to kill you.”

             
Thane couldn’t believe what he was hearing. All this time he’d thought she’d hated him, and now, only merely tolerated him because she was
Jinghar
. But now she’d revealed that she was only acting because she actually…liked him? No, that’s not what she’d said. She just said that she didn’t want to kill him. Maybe it was mere pity. Although pity wasn’t an attribute he would assign to her.

He opened his mouth to ask her what she meant but was interrupted when the door suddenly burst in and two men with drawn bows filled the entrance.

“Move, and you’re dead.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Thane sat frozen, his mind a whirlwind. This couldn’t be happening to him right now. Not when he was so close. If he gave himself up they would soon find out his true identity and then he would be chained in a cell just like Tam. They could keep him until he died or just right out kill him and none of his friends would ever know. Where were Jack and Dor? He knew he couldn’t get through the door without getting himself or Jne shot. He thought of trying to block the arrows to give Jne a chance but quickly disregarded the idea; he was no good to Tam dead. He looked at Jne, suddenly worried that she might try the same thing. He had to do something fast or they were both lost. Glancing over to the window he thought he might be able to break through if he was quick enough. He may take an arrow but the diversion would give Jne enough time to dispatch the guards, although the fall to the street might very well kill him.

“Don’t even think of it,” one of the men suddenly said, catching Thane’s look. “We’ve got guards on the ground covering the window.”

He glared back at the man. “What is this all about?” Jne caught his eye as if to communicate something but he shook his head slightly. He didn’t want her to do anything rash and get herself killed. The room was just too small to be able to maneuver effectively.

One of the guards kicked two pairs of irons across the floor to him. “Just put these on and don’t make any trouble. No one need get hurt.”

He looked at the shackles and shivered slightly. He couldn’t imagine living chained to a room. He’d rather die. The image of Tam tied to a bed suddenly flashed in his mind. He sighed heavily. He wanted to fight, but quickly realized that he couldn’t do anything or Tam was lost.
He reached for the chains, looking up at Jne, and noticed the smile on her face. Normally, her smile made him feel warm and slightly dizzy, but this time it sent shards of ice cutting through him. It was not the rare smile she sometimes revealed but one promising death. He felt his heart almost stop. She couldn’t.

“Hold!” he called out desperately just as Jne began to rise. Thane shot forward just as the man covering her let fly his arrow. His body hit hers only a breath before the arrow that would have certainly killed her. With his momentum and force he was able to cover her while knocking her back onto the bed, taking the arrow through the back of his right leg.

He tried to tell the man at the door to hold but Jne’s elbow shot into his stomach when they landed, stealing the air from his lungs. He couldn’t even cry out from the pain in his leg as he gasped to regain his breath and his voice. It was too late. He knew that in only another instant he would feel the second arrow rip through his back and possibly through his heart. He’d failed. He felt Jne struggling against him but made no move to roll off. There was no sense in her getting killed as well. It didn’t matter for him now. He’d failed Tam. He waited for the killing shot but the other man still held. What was he waiting for?

“You idiot!” one of the men cursed. “Just hold where you are.”

Jne pulled his head back so she could see his eyes, the fear that he’d been killed obvious on her face. Seeing them open, she breathed a quick sigh of relief. “Are you injured?”

He was unable to answer, still struggling to regain his breath. She tried to push him off so she could get at the men at the door, but he struggled against her shaking his head. “No,” he finally wheezed.

Just then an angry voice called from the door. “What goes on here? Get out of the way.”

“But, sir,” one of the men protested. “They’re not secure.”

“What do you mean, they’re not secure,” the voice yelled angrily. “You’ve shot one in the leg and got him draped over the other. I told you there was to be no injuries!”

“But she attacked,” the man continued stating his case, the fear rising in his voice.

“Get out of my way,” the other man barked.

Something tickled Thane’s memory at the sound of the angry voice. He’d heard it before. A large smile suddenly creased his face as he pushed himself off of Jne and turned slightly to see a large, gray bearded man coming toward him. “Jack!”

Jack’s face broke into a great smile that suddenly turned into a scowl when he saw the arrow sticking out of his leg. Jack turned back to the two men still crowded around the door with bows drawn. “You two get out of my sight,” he hissed, “before I set these two on you and let them take their revenge out of your hides.”

“It’s all right,” Thane said, pulling Jack’s attention back to him. “I’ll live.”

Jne glared at the guards locking her eyes with great intent on the one who’d shot Thane, storing his face in her memory. He would not get off that easily from her. Had it not been for Thane, he would have killed her with his cowardly bow. Regardless of the fact that she would have killed him had she had the chance, he would pay for his carelessness—his carelessness of not actually killing her. Both men slinked away under Jack’s command and Jne’s gaze, certain that their jobs, if not their lives, hung in the balance.

“Jack,” Thane
said, his voice suddenly full of urgency. “We have to get Tam. I know where she is.”