Hand of Fire (The Master of the Tane) (87 page)

             
“Right. Now for the finishing touch.” Jack grimaced as he watch Dor dig his fingers into the large pile of troll dung he had spent the day gathering and then smear it along his arms, legs, and face. Its green color would more than suffice in dying his skin to match that of a goblin’s. The horrendous smell would also help in cloaking his scent. From what Jack could remember, troll dung was not only the right color, but also came awfully close to a goblin’s natural odor. Dor finished rubbing the last parts of his head and face and then presented himself to Jack for inspection.

             
“Well, I have to admit it; you look an awful lot like a goblin. It just might work after all.”

             
Dor grimaced. “That is if I can last long enough before this smell knocks me senseless.”

             
“You just keep your lunch down and your wits about you and you’ll do just fine.”

             
“All right, now for the hair.”

             
Jack grabbed a handful of Dor’s cut up locks and tossed them against the boy’s legs and arms to complete the disguise. It stuck readily to the dung giving him the appearance of being covered with hair.

             
Dor turned to Erl. “What do you think?”

             
Erl let out a small whine and then moved up wind.

             
Laughing, Dor turned back to Jack. “Well, I guess this is it.” Extending his hand he said, “Wish me luck.”

             
Jack looked at the green, dung-covered hand and recoiled just a bit. “You just come back alive. Then I’ll shake your hand.”

             
Dor looked down at his extended green, odoriferous fingers and smiled.

             
“That is, after you’ve washed yourself clean.”

             
Without another word, he turned away and swiftly made his way out of the pass. Taking a quick look at the valley below, now bathed in the dying light of the ending day, he worked his way down off the slope. Cook fires began to flare up on the horizon reminding him of the magnitude of what he was about to attempt.
It’s the only way
, he kept reminding himself.
I can do this
.

             
In mere moments, he was on the flat and slowly making his way towards the mass of trolls and goblins. And Tam. He was careful not to go too fast, he had to wait for complete darkness to fall before he reached his goal so he could sneak undetected through the goblin’s outer perimeter. Flies were buzzing unmercifully about him making it hard for him to keep from flailing his arms in an attempt to be free of their constant onslaught. Jack told him that flies where a natural companion to goblins. He only had to keep himself from trying to swat them away.

Fixing his mind set, he tried to make himself think as a goblin and thus act the part. Like Jack had reminded him over and over, no amount of disguise was going to do him any good if he did not act the part. Luckily, he found his nose was finally deadening to the smell allowing him to concentrate even harder on forgetting what was all over his body. A gentle breeze passed over his bald head reminding him all too clearly that his hair was gone.

              In the last rays of sunlight, Dor squatted behind a twisted old tree and prepared himself.
Get in and then get out with Tam and Thane
.
That’s all there is to it
.
Get in and get out
. “This is crazy,” he muttered. “Maybe Jack was right.” Looking about, his heart began to sink. “Am I to have come all this way only to die bald and covered in troll crap?” Tam’s face forced its way into his mind and his breath caught. He did not see her as he had last seen her, wallowing in the dirt when he escaped the troll camp. He saw her as he had never seen her before. A smile lit up her face and she whispered his name as if calling to him. His heart raced. “You’re...you’re beautiful.”

             
Shaking himself from his self-induced trance, he suddenly realized that night had completely fallen, cloaking him in its dark embrace. “I know you’re waiting for me, death. Let’s see if I can’t cheat you again.” Rising to his feet, he silently closed the gap between himself and the nearest fire. As the night before, he caught sight of a goblin just off to his right who was trying desperately to keep his attention on his duty. Loud calls of laughter erupted filling the night air and Dor watched as the goblin guard turned his head and looked longingly towards the fires beyond.

             
“This is going to be easier than I thought.”

             
Suddenly, a large, white blur rushed past and almost knocked him to the ground.
Erl
? A large wolg rushed the perimeter right for the unsuspecting guard.
What are you doing
? The goblin jerked around and brought up his weapon just as the wolg was bathed in the light from the fires. The goblin pulled his swing, obviously startled by the wolg’s sudden appearance but unwilling to try and cause it any harm.
What is this
?

             
The goblin called out to Erl, as if in chastisement, turning his back to Dor as he continued to yell at the retreating wolg. Dor didn’t wait. Taking his cue from the goblin’s back, he sprinted silently towards the firelight. This was it. There would be no going back from here. He passed to the other side and then stopped, almost in midstride. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The fires seemed to carry on forever. The sheer number of goblins and trolls was more than he could have ever imagined. They were like an ocean of bodies, spread out from one end of the valley to the other. He also noticed quite a number of wolgs lying about the fires surrounded mostly by goblins.
How am I ever going to find Tam in all of this
?
It’s hopeless
.

He looked around in horror and doubt wondering what it was he was going to do next when something struck him on the side of the head. Recovering quickly, he fully expected the whole camp to rise up in discovery of who he was and skin him alive but nobody moved. Off to his left a large goblin had come to his feet and seemed to be yelling at him waving him towards the fire.
What did Jack tell me
?
Stay inconspicuous
;
don’t get yourself noticed
.
I guess I blew that rule
.

Dor was about to turn away and go elsewhere when Jack’s voice popped into his head.
Don’t back down to anyone
.
Whatever you do
,
don’t back down
. Dor bent down and picked up what looked like a human thighbone. Pushing back an instant desire to gag, he glared as best he could and made his way over to the goblin.
All right Jack
,
I hope you were right
.

             
The goblin grinned as Dor approached, egged on by at least ten others who surrounded the fire. Another guttural noise escaped the goblins mouth to the obvious delight of his friends who erupted in what Dor could only guess was laughter. He gripped the bone in his hand suddenly happy for the advice Jack had given him.
Well
,
if I’m going to die
,
I’d rather die fighting
. Closing the last few feet between them, he cocked back with the bone and landed a solid blow against the goblin’s face, smashing its nose into a mass of cartilage and blood, and sending it crashing to the dirt. Dropping the bone, he pulled his dagger and turned to the group of friends who had since fallen silent. To his great relief, none made a move to avenge their friend. Turning back to the goblin, now writhing in pain, he sheathed his dagger and spat in his face before turning towards the heart of the camp and plunging his way in as if with real purpose.

             
His legs barely held him as the realization of what he had just done overtook him.
Thank you
,
Jack
.
For once you were right
. Just then, a wolg stepped in front of his path, pulling him up short. He waited. Jack had said nothing about wolgs. Was he going to have to fight his way through the whole camp before he found Tam? Realization suddenly dawned on him and he risked a quick word. “Erl?” A slight wag of the tail clued him in that his assumption was correct causing his tensed muscles to release their grip so quickly he almost dropped. He opened his mouth to say something more but was cut off by a loud snarl. Looking with surprise at the wolg he wondered if he hadn’t been mistaken when it turned and headed deeper into camp. Dor stood watching, unsure of what to do when the wolg turned its head and growled at him again.
He wants me to follow
.
It must be Erl
.

             
He glanced around briefly to make sure no one had noticed him and then quickly caught up. Erl sniffed the air for a moment and then headed off towards their left.
Of course
!
Erl can sniff her out
!

             
Countless fires surrounded by goblins and trolls passed them by as Erl carried them deeper and deeper into the heart of the massive camp. He tried not to think of the power and tremendous driving force such a large group could employ.
Follow Erl and keep from being noticed
. He felt certain that every eye in the camp was turned on him just waiting for the signal to fall upon him and tear him apart.

Erl paused briefly, his nostrils flared and then turned back to the right past a fire surrounded by trolls cooking; the Mother only knew what. It suddenly dawned on Dor that their formation did not equate to any real sense of organization. They seemed sprawled out in a haphazard manner in every direction as if without purpose. Their numbers alone were enough to frighten the bravest soldier, but, at the moment, they seemed to lack any drive or direction. He could not formulate a reason for them to gather in such a way without a purpose in mind. He shuddered at the thought of what such a force could do if organized and given a goal.

              Erl suddenly stopped and laid down by the fire closest to them. Dor watched the wolg in amazement, unsure of what he was doing and what he should do next. Erl looked at him and motioned with his head as if telling him to sit down. Dor glanced at those around the fire, two trolls and a goblin. The goblin gave him a curious look and then gurgled something that Dor could only guess was speech. Afraid to draw suspicion, Dor quickly plopped down next to Erl. He suddenly felt self-conscious about his disguise. Wondering of he had used enough troll dung, was his belly too fake looking, or was the hair they put on his body falling off. He resisted a strong desire to rub his face.

             
Without a word, the troll to his left passed him a jug. Dor couldn’t help but notice the string of fingers that surrounded the large creature’s neck. There must have been at least twenty. He was obviously one of high rank. Taking the jug he started to pass it on without thought when the troll let out a loud grunt. Dor quickly looked back at the troll who was motioning with his hand. Looking down at the jug, he noticed it was filled with some sort of black liquid. He wanted to sniff at it first, but knew in so doing he would cause suspicion to fall upon him.
Remember
,
you must think and act like a goblin or you are as good as dead
. He groaned inwardly at Jack’s words.
For Tam and Thane
, he thought.
For Tam and Thane
. Raising the jug slowly to his lips, the smell wafted up to his nose and threatened to gag him.

Erl let out a soft whine. Just as he brought it to his lips, the memory seared him like burning pitch.
The dark liquid the tolls tried to make me drink
! His arm froze, the jug just touching his lips. A grunt from his left cued him that his companions were beginning to get impatient. What was he to do? He couldn’t drink it. He remembered what it had done to Tam. Then again, if he didn’t drink it, they might see through him and then he would be dead for certain.

             
Suddenly, something hit him from the side, sending him sprawling while the jug was wrenched from his hand. A scream like that of a dying animal shattered the night as he tried to right himself and defend off anymore attacks.
Don’t back down
, Jack’s voice repeated in his mind. “By the Mother, I won’t,” he muttered as he rose to his feet with a howl, pulling his dagger as he did so. But instead of advancing on his attacker, he froze where he stood. The troll that had passed him the jug was on his feet now holding a wretched looking creature by the hair while the other troll taunted it with the jug.
It can’t be
!

Dor felt tears coming to his eyes at the pitiful sight before him. What appeared to be a young girl in rags, covered with filth and reeking of excrement, kicked and screamed under the troll’s cruel grasp as she reached for the jug, tears pouring from her
face.
Dear mother of us all
!

             
“It’s mine!” the girl screamed speaking perfect Chufa and then continued on in the guttural sounds used by the trolls. Both trolls laughed as they continued to taunt the poor girl, splashing bits of the liquid in her face and watching as she frantically tried to lick up every drop.