Night Calls the Raven (Book 2 of The Master of the Tane) (45 page)

Tam smiled warmly and then turned its warmth completely over to Thane. Thane caught her look and smiled back. Neither saw the scowl on Jne’s face that heated quickly and then suddenly turned cold and uncaring.

“Oh,” Thane said, turning back to Jne, “and this is my best friend, Dor.” He pointed to Dor who merely looked up and nodded to Jne, acknowledging her. She did the same.

Jack watched them silently, picking up on every slight nuance as it was played out like a three act play by the participants. It was like watching the gathering of a fierce storm that was certain to wash them away in the wake of its great, destructive power. Coughing nervously he stepped in to see if he couldn’t relieve some of the tension that was so obvious but so obviously missed by Thane and Tam.

“Well, now that we all know each other,” he said, moving around between Tam and Jne to place his tray on her bed while blocking Jne’s icy stare that was now focused on the woman. “Let’s all have something to eat. We could all use something in our bellies, especially you three,” he motioned to the Chufa.

Dor stared at Jack for a moment but was obviously looking at something else in his line of sight. Jack sighed, knowing all too well what was going through Dor’s mind. He hoped it didn’t become a problem, especially not now. Shaking his head slightly, as if to clear his thoughts, Dor suddenly walked to the door. “I would love to sit and eat and chat with you all but I have some business to take care of. I’ll meet up with you later.”

Thane gave him a concerned looked. “What could be more important than becoming reacquainted with friends almost lost?”

Dor didn’t look at him. Shrugging he said, “Nothing. But I promised Bren that I would get him once you woke.”

“Then be about your business and hurry back,” Jack cut in, still trying to hold off the storm. “But put something over those ears before you go out. We don’t need anymore trouble than we already have.”

Dor just nodded, taking the folded cloth that hung from the back of his belt and wrapping it around his head before slipping out the door without another word.

Thane continued to watch after him, his face clouded, until Jack tapped his arm and pointed at the tray. “This ain’t going to enter your belly without a little help from you. Now eat.”

Thane looked at Jack and then took in the faire on the tray. His stomach growled loudly as he reached for a piece of the roasted pork. Jne took her tray to Thane’s bed, and then pulled the cot closer so that all could share, before sitting down on it. Grabbing a piece of the sweet meats, she nibbled at it, her piercing eyes never leaving Thane and Tam who were now eating voraciously.

Quickly devouring their meal, Thane moved to the cot across from Tam, the tray in between him and Jne, and leaned back on his elbows watching Tam as she finished a piece of sausage. He opened his mouth to say something but Jack quickly cut him off. “Now that our bellies are full,” he said, “why don’t you tell us what happened to you.”

Thane glanced at Jack as if just now realizing the large man was in the room and then smiled slightly, nodding his head. His face quickly grew dark as he remembered and then spoke, starting with being captured by the dragon and taken to Bedler’s keep. He didn’t reveal Bedler’s true identity, saving that for when he told of his encounter with Gelfin. He rehearsed all that he’d seen and done while there, feeling rather embarrassed about the part where Zadok had made him think the trolls and goblins were innocent victims; he certainly knew better now.

“Jack,” he suddenly interjected, “we have to get these people out of here. They’re massing; preparing to attack.”

Jack held up a hand. “I know. We’re doing all we can under the current circumstances.”

Thane’s eyebrows furrowed. “How do you know?”

“How do you think we got Tam back?”

He looked at Tam and then back at Jack in surprise. “You mean…”

“Yes,” Jack interrupted. “That’s also how Dor got his nice new hair style.” Jack quickly told the story of getting Tam. When he got to the part about Dor getting stabbed Tam brought her hands to her mouth and gasped, fresh tears filling her eyes.

“You did all of that for me?” she asked.

Jack just nodded and shrugged, a little embarrassed by the attention it brought.

“Do you know about the orcs then, too?” Thane asked, sitting up on the edge of his cot.

Jack’s face turned dark. “What orcs?”

Thane glanced at Jne who seemed completely contented in remaining silent and glaring at anything that caught her eye. “The Underwoods have emptied. We saw them. Their numbers are enormous. They must have stretched out a good quarter mile across the front and at least a mile down the line.”

Jack leaned back, reaching up to pull on his beard. “So he’s gathered the orcs too, then.”

“Unless there’s something about this city I haven’t seen,” Thane said, leaning forward even more, “we need to get these people away, and do it now.”

Jack nodded absently, his face paling slightly. He was not afraid of a fight. He’d been fighting trolls in the Shadow Mountains for years, but this was beyond anything he’d ever seen. He knew the city couldn’t hold, but he also knew what they were up against amongst their own. Myles had been given his orders, and like a true soldier, he’d follow them even though he knew better than anyone else the futility of trying to defend Haykon against such a horde.

“We can’t,” he finally said, leveling his eyes on Thane. “It’s no use arguing about it either,” he quickly added, as he saw Thane open his mouth to rebut. “It’s by order of the king. And Colonel Braxton, the one in charge here, won’t go against an order.”

Thane couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “But all of these people will be slaughtered!”

Jack nodded slightly. “We’ve walled off the pass, hoping to hold them back there.” He sighed. “It’s our best chance, but I’m afraid it won’t hold, especially with a dragon lapping up scraps from Bedler’s table.”

Thane looked down for a moment. This was the moment he’d been dreading. He was no longer ashamed of who he was or what his gifts allowed him to do, but he didn’t want to see fear in Jack’s or Tam’s eyes when he told them. He hoped they’d accept it as easily as Jne but felt they might not. “I killed it,” he finally said.

“What?” both Tam and Jack said in unison.

“How is that possible?” Tam asked.

Thane looked at her, his eyes searching hers for the understanding he hoped he’d find there. His feelings for her had completely overtaken him since finding her again and he feared she’d not reciprocate those feelings should she know everything about him. But she had to know. They could not truly have a relationship otherwise. It had been a shock to him to hear himself confessing his love to her when she’d done the same but he now realized that his feelings had always been strong for her. Down deep, when he and Dor had chided each other over whom Tam liked, he knew that he always secretly wished it were him. Now he knew, and he was going to test that love with what he was about to say.

“I used my Tane.”

Jack sat back slightly at Thane’s revelation while Tam just stared at him. “So the stories are true then,” Jack breathed, half to himself.

Thane shrugged. “I guess they are.”

Tam was still staring at him. “But how is that possible?”

Thane wanted to reach out and touch her, soothe her and make her understand that he was still the same person, but he restrained himself. She had to reach that conclusion on her own. “Do you remember the time the wolgs attacked our village?”

“Wolgs?” she asked, the name foreign to her ears.

“The giant wolfs.”

Her face brightened for a moment in understanding and then darkened again.

This was it. He pressed on. “Do you remember the one I killed that was attacking my father?”

She nodded and then suddenly her eyes got big. “You can throw fire.”

He shrugged. “Yes and no. It’s not like that. It’s more like pulling fire out of them like you would a piece of dead wood.”

“But how is that possible when they’re alive?” she asked, her voice still laced with shock.

Thane felt his heart suddenly crushing in pain. She wasn’t going to accept him. “It has to do with the fact that I have all five Tane. I have expanded powers that come with each one. I haven’t discovered them all yet, they tend to manifest themselves when I’m under stress or have a great need.” He watched her for any kind of reaction that might clue him in as to how she felt but for the moment, all that registered was shock.

“This is great!” Jack suddenly said, pulling Thane’s eyes away from Tam and forcing them back on him.

“What?” he asked, unsure of what he
meant.

Jack leaned forward again. “
You, and the power you have. This is what we need to defeat Bedler’s army. You can just wipe them all out in one stroke.”

Thane looked at Jne and then dropped his eyes and shook his head. “I can’t.”

Jack’s sudden joy quickly melted away with his declaration. “What? Why not?”

“I better finish my story first,” he answered. “Then it will all be made clear.” He continued on about how he’d defeated the dragon but almost died in the process, losing his memory as he’d done so. He covered it all. Waking up in the Tjal camp, deciding to become Tjal, the tests, everything. Jack and Tam sat in silence, clinging to his every word as he unfolded the story. Finally he got to the part about Gelfin and couldn’t hold back the tears as he remembered the experience. Looking briefly at Tam he saw the tears also running down her cheeks after he’d
explained about Gelfin’s life and what he’d been through. Jack seemed a bit uncomfortable at the mention of the HuMan war, and how they’d almost wiped out the entire Chufa race.

When he finished, Jack looked downtrodden. “So you can’t kill them all.”

He shook his head.

Jack shrugged. “I guess it is a lot to ask of one person,” he smiled weakly trying to lighten the mood but failing in his attempt.

Thane smiled back but his was just as pitiful. “How did you find me?” he suddenly asked, breaking through everyone’s dark thoughts.

Jack’s smile was a little more genuine this time. “Well, when I heard that there were two Tjal in town asking for the Chufa prisoner, I figured one had to be you. I had almost the entire army out looking for you, checking inns and pubs to see if any had seen you. It actually didn’t take very long.”

“Thank the mother,” Tam said, smiling brightly at Thane.

Thane’s heart leaped at the obvious concern that was shining in her eyes and directed at him. So it hadn’t made a difference after all. She’d accepted him for
who and what he was without reservation. No longer would he need to worry or question her heart. His breath caught in his chest at the revelation. The smile he returned was just as warm and genuine.

Suddenly, the door opened and two people in dark robes entered, making the room rather crowded. Ignoring everyone else, the one in front went quickly to Thane, kneeling down in front of him and grabbing his leg.
Thane pulled back, not certain who the person was or his intentions. Jne’s cold stare broke from Tam to rest on the robed figure, the threat obvious.

Again, Jack had to intervene. “This is Bren,” he said motioning to the robed figure at Thane’s feet who was trying to examine his leg without much cooperation. “And this is Kat.” The other robed figure nodded at him excitedly, smiling widely.

“How does it feel?” Bren asked, still grabbing for his leg.

“How does what feel?” Thane asked. “And what do you think you’re doing?”

“Thane,” Jack offered, “this is Bren, the healer who fixed your leg.”

Thane stopped his struggling, finally allowing Bren to grab his leg and inspect it. “I’m sorry,” he offered. “Thank you.”

Bren seemed not to hear, digging his fingers in around Thane’s thigh where the night before an arrow had been. “You lost a lot of blood. How are you feeling? Have you eaten something?”

“Bren,” Kat interjected, “
give him a chance to answer.”

Thane grabbed Bren’s arm. “Is it true? Are you really part Chufa?”

Bren’s head suddenly came up and he looked at Thane for the first time since coming into the room. Looking cautiously back at Jack he turned back to Thane and smiled weakly. “Who told you such a fable?” he asked, trying unsuccessfully to cover the tightness in his voice.