Free Hand of Fire (The Master of the Tane) by Thomas Rath Page B

together when she delivered not one, but two boys. She had been ecstatic with joy and excitement. The whole community had come to see the twins that were such a novelty in the village. It was almost unheard of for a Waseeni to give birth to twins. Rani felt truly blessed by the ancestors and soon two girls were added to their family. When she discovered that one more child would soon grow their family to seven, she could not believe her great fortune. At least, that was, until a few weeks ago when her first born, Tahben, and her husband, had been taken by one of the vile creatures that inhabited the swamps snatching them right from her canoe as she climbed up the long ladder to their hut nestled in one of the enormous Teague trees.
                  Rani ran her hand over the rough claw marks still evident on the side of her canoe. Tears welled up in her already red, swollen eyes, her heart aching from the pain of her loss. The guilt washed over her binding her like the spider’s viscid web trying to suffocate her soul in its merciless embrace. If only she had...what? If she had allowed Tahben to climb the rope first then she and her husband would bother be dead and it would be Tahben in her place seeking a gift to appease their souls and also take care of their family. Though the sweet thought of being taken with her husband was a tempting one she always pushed it aside knowing that her living children needed her now more than ever.
                  An owl cried out in the distant sky drawing her back from the darkness into which she had allowed herself to drift. She listened intently for evidence of predators approaching but nothing broke through the gentle melody of the passing river and she found herself relaxing into the comfort and protection of her canoe. Quickly, the hypnotic sounds of the water reached up to her again, beckoning her, pulling at her mind, begging her to follow. With a soft sigh, she slowly let herself drift along, embracing the exhaustion that wrapped around her like a blanket and finally giving herself over to the water’s gentle caress. She slept.
                  The sound of shouts and the striking of metal on metal suddenly echoed in the distance drawing closer with her every breath as Rani was jerked from slumber. She was in a fog trying without success to separate the lines and shadows into solid forms as they raced back and forth above her taunting her efforts. Another yell echoed through the mist seeming to materialize right on top of her in a din of ragged and desperate battle. She felt herself moving with the clanking of weapons to steel, the foreign oaths touching her fevered lips. Was she dreaming? Her eyes felt open but moved about unseeing in the clouded dark around her.
                  Suddenly, a splash of water showered her from the side as an unmoving form disappeared through the haze on her left. She sat up, cold water drops running in jagged lines down her face like the tears she had shed in the distant night. She felt the sturdiness of the canoe beneath her, smelled the nutty scent of the lichen clinging to the rock piling behind her. Her body shook at the chill of the early morning damp. Another shout echoed through the mists that had fallen upon the quiet river and Rani realized her dreams had become the reality around her.
                  Quickly untying the dew covered line, she pushed herself toward land trying to stay within the protective shadows of the bridge above. The curses and grunts rapidly grew louder as the fighting moved onto her side of the river. Pulling her canoe to shore, Rani grabbed her loaded blowgun and four extra darts and then slipped like a wraith through the gray mist, ascending the grassy embankment to the roadway above. The protective cover of the low hanging fog reached just to the underside of the bridge affording her ample cover and a quick escape should she be