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

“After that ride you gave me, I don’t know if my gut will allow anything in it for a week.”

Tchee let out a loud cry that crashed against the canyon walls and then she bobbed her head from side to side. Teek laughed weakly pressing himself harder against her warm body. Tchee regarded him for a moment longer and then shot her head forward and ripped more meat from the fishes exposed side. Teek watched her in fascination as she quickly reduced the fish to a mere head and a pile of bones.

Her head darted forward one last time grabbing the last chunk of flesh from the silky white bones. The pink meat was then dropped at his feet. Teek looked at it for a moment while hearing the low rumble in Tchee’s chest and he suddenly got the feeling that this was not a request. Slowly, he reached his hand forward and picked up the tender meat. It filled both of his hands. He could feel the bird’s gaze boring into his head from above as if she were waiting for her child to make the correct choice. Teek pressed the flesh to his mouth and took a timid nibble. His stomach rumbled but made no move at rejecting the offering. He took another small bite and then another feeling his appetite and his stomach quickly settling. The more he ate the better he seemed to feel. Tchee seemed to lose interest after the first bite and carefully nestled herself down against him like a mother to her chick.

Teek lay back against her soft white feathers and gulped down the last two bites of fish. He was stuffed and actually feeling much better now than when they had first arrived. He comforted himself in the warmth of his new friend and looked about lazily feeling quite content. Suddenly the valley didn’t feel as forbidding as it had upon their arrival. In fact, it felt rather peaceful. He watched as the first rays of the sun crawled down the side of the sheer mountain walls towards the grassy meadow below painting the canyon in vivid colors. Had it not been for the cold that seemed to hold on against the warmth of the golden light, the meadow would almost have been an ideal place for someone to live. Not him, of course, he was a Waseeni. The Waseeni belonged in the Teague Swamplands. But, someone else could make a wonderful home here.

The idea of home brought Teek’s thoughts full circle to his own home and his reasons for being away. He could have sat there, he supposed, all day lazily watching the sun move steadily through the grass and up the opposite side of the canyon, but he had work to do. He had a mission to fulfill. Twee was waiting for him and counting on him.

He reluctantly got to his feet and stretched his thin body. Almost immediately he felt the chill of the air embrace him sending his body into fits of shivers. Tchee look at him with her ice blue eyes. “I’ve got to get going, Tchee,” he chattered through clanging teeth. “I still have a long way to go before I can return home.”

Tchee just stared at him.

Teek sighed and thought to make hand motions to try and relay his need to his animal friend when Tchee suddenly popped to her feet. As if she had understood every word, she stretch out her wing and lowered it so he could climb onto her back. Teek shook his head, amazed as he
scrambled up between her shoulder blades. “You are truly amazing, Tchee,” he said burrowing into her feathers as far as he could. “It’s as if you understand my every wooooooo…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Tchee sprang from the ground and into the air gaining altitude with incredible speed. Teek felt his stomach drop for a brief moment and then it all came up—everything. All the fish he had just devoured sailed into the wind and then rushed back behind him dropping in a semi-digested shower to the ground now far below. Tchee dipped to the side narrowly avoiding the mess but the sudden movement sent Teek hurling again.

It was a miserable ride from then on. The slightest movements were all that was needed to send his stomach into wrenching spasms. After the third wave of retching there was no longer anything to bring up but his stomach still tortured him with its twisting and wringing as if trying to force the very last bit of substance from his body. He soon lost track of all direction, unaware of where they were flying or how long they were in the air. All he could think about now was getting back to the ground where he belonged without another fit of the dry heaves.

When they finally did land all his energy was spent. The best he could manage was to merely flop onto the ground not caring where he landed or what dangers might be lurking about. He was exhausted. What started as a tremendous thrill, racing over the magnificent Dorian mountains, had quickly become a stomach acid and fish bits bath that left him feeling like a rubbed out rag. His throat burned with the acrid taste of vomit and he longed for a small drink to clean out his mouth.

Forcing himself onto an elbow, he looked around briefly to ascertain their new environment. Tchee stood pruning herself as if unconcerned with his situation. They looked to still be somewhere in the mountains but from the air temperature they must have descended in elevation. Small, gnarled trees dotted the rocky landscape that revealed small pockets of grass, one of which he was lucky enough to have dropped on or his landing would have been a bit more painful. A small glimmer of water quickly caught his attention revealing a small lake at the end of a gentle slope just below.

Forcing himself upright, Teek half stumbled half crawled to the water’s edge and, without thought, dipped his head right in. The frigid water was a welcome shock that seemed to clear his mind some and revitalize his senses. He took in a small amount of water to wash out his mouth and then rolled back onto his side and looked back up the rise to where Tchee stood digging ferociously at an itch under her wing. Comforted that the large bird seemed content where she was and not thinking she would have brought them anywhere that might be dangerous, Teek closed his eyes and allowed his exhausted body to overcome him with sleep.

*     *     *

He woke with a start as a large shadow slipped across his face. Darting to the side, he pulled his dagger. The shadow quickly slipped away uncovering the sun in a blinding flash. Jerking his arm up to shade his eyes Teek held his dagger in front of him waving it frantically hoping to connect with something or at least block any attack.

“Wo there now, lad,” a gravely voice rasped at his right. “There be no cause fer such things as that.”

“Who are you?” Teek asked in desperation still trying to clear his eyes and position himself out of the sun’s direct light.

“No one that deserves such a welcome as that I can assure ye,” the voice responded.

A sudden screech echoed through the air comforting Teek in its fierceness and relieving some of his anxiety. EEEEEERRRRRROOOOOOCCCCCCC! Teek backed away from the voice that had now become the dark outline of a faceless body partially blocking the blinding
sun. Tchee screamed again passing low overhead causing the form to drop to the ground blinding Teek once more in the sudden flash of sunlight.

“Are ye daft boy?” the voice called up from the ground. “Git on yer belly befer that creature comes back and rips ye from the ground.”

But Teek kept backing up until he felt he was a safe enough distance away. A large gust of wind suddenly enveloped him, sucking up particles of dirt from the ground and Tchee’s large, white body dropped in front of him placing herself between him and his assailant. With the large shadow she cast, Teek was finally able to get a fair look at the man who had snuck up on him.

He was startled by the squat, square body that rose from the ground, a large axe hefted in one beefy arm and a wavy bladed dagger in the other. He had a long red beard that dropped past a rotund belly nearly touching a silver belt buckle. A helmet covered his large head but Teek could see the bright red hair cascading out the back. Bushy eyebrows pressed down on dull gray eyes that narrowed as they seemed to be measuring Tchee.

Tchee squawked a challenge and then rumbled low in her chest. Teek looked at her in surprise and then suddenly held up his hands and shouted. “Wait!”

Neither opponent seemed to have heard him, both still tense and ready for blood.

“Call off yer Roc,” the squat man demanded, his eyes still locked on Tchee.

“My what?”
Teek asked, genuinely confused.

“The bird you dolt,” the man responded. “What else?”

“You’re a dwarf,” Teek said dumbly his heart pounding with excitement at the prospect. He would know a dwarf anywhere from his mother’s description of the two she met on her own appeasing journey. He had always hoped to see one himself someday but had never really thought the opportunity would ever come stuck in the swamplands as he was.

“Congratulations,” said the dwarf, his axe still held at the ready, his eyes hard focused on Tchee.

Tchee suddenly spread out her wings and cried an awful sound that sent a chill rushing through Teek’s body. He had to stop this. Sheathing his dagger, he rushed forward ducking under Tchee’s enormous wing and coming up short between the two combatants. Holding up his arms he shouted. “I said wait!” Facing the dwarf he said, “Put your weapons away. She won’t back down until you do. She thinks I’m in danger. Put them away!”

“And how do I know she won’t take me head the minute I do?”

“I don’t know, but she’ll take your head if you don’t. You can be sure of that.”

The dwarf hesitated for a moment as if playing it all out in his mind. Teek turned his back on him and faced a terrifying looking Tchee. His heart skipped at the ferocity burning in the giant bird’s eyes. Holding out his hands to either side he called to her in as calm a voice as he could, though his words still trembled.

“Tchee, it’s alright. He won’t hurt us.” Tchee brought her wings in slightly as the sound of metal hitting the ground suddenly rang in Teek’s ears. Then, as if nothing had happened, Tchee folded her wings back behind her and cooed softly at him before bouncing away to the water’s edge for a drink.

CHAPTER TWO

              Teek stared at the three dwarfs sitting across from him. Never in his life would he have imagined a day like he was having. After Tchee had determined that Hilden, the first dwarf he met, was not a threat she trotted off to the lake shore and settled in for a nap. When Jancar and Segford descended on them from a rugged hill to the west, Teek almost boiled over with excitement; Tchee just eyed them quickly and then went back to sleep.

Three real live dwarfs eating lunch with him—Teek, just an insignificant Waseeni boy.
His mother had only met two; he had three. He had spent the past hour with them and his awe still had not worn off. They were everything he had imagined dwarfs to be. Not much was said at first as he helped them start a small fire for cooking their lunch and then watched with fascination as they trapped two small animals they called rock chucks. At first he passed on the offered meat, his stomach still feeling queasy from his earlier flight. But after a bit of prodding he agreed to try some and was glad he did. He enjoyed the tender meat having never tasted anything like it before. It was nothing like the crustaceans and fish he was used to eating at home.

The conversation picked up after all had eaten and were lounging about enjoying the spring sun and full bellies. Hilden and Segford pulled out pipes and were both blowing smoke rings into the gentle mountain breeze that
came gliding off the lake. The rings started out small and then grew quickly in size before they were carried off by the wind and disappeared. Teek watched them in wonder as one after the other Hilden and Segford puffed out the rings in quick succession.