The Exile's Redemption (The Heart of a Tyrant Book 1)

by Reece Dinn

  A woman screamed and the man reeled away from the furaz in a panic.

  'Sorry, Lial. Not think you home,' cried the man.

  A short naked man with an erect cock jumped out of the furaz, his grey Sehnal braid swinging over his head.

  'Nukuk. What you want?' snarled the Lial, stamping his feet. The Lial's body was muscular, but deteriorated with age. In his youth Beroz reckoned he'd have been a strong warrior.

  The man who'd escorted Beroz cowered before the Lial. 'Sorry.'

  'Can a man not fuck in peace? People need bother me all time?' The Lial glanced up at Beroz. 'Who're you?'

  'Beroz, Lial.' He forced himself not to break eye contact with him, the Lial's nakedness and erection for some reason embarrassing him.

  'He Apochal,' said the man.

  'He not Apochal. He Sehnal,' snapped the Lial. 'Stupid lobkak.' The Lial kicked snow at the man. 'Go.'

  The man scrambled to his feet and ran away.

  The Lial eyed Beroz and his expression softened. 'I put furs on. Wait.' The Lial ducked back inside his furaz. There was a short commotion inside, then the Lial reappeared, dressed in white furs.

  'What want, Sehnal?' asked the Lial, his anger gone.

  'Need food, water, a furaz to sleep in for the night, Lial.'

  'That all? Why he bring you to me? Yes. Go. Sleep, eat. Take what need. There many furaz empty in village. Pick one. Good?'

  'Yes, Lial.'

  The Lial eyed Beroz's scarred hand. 'How'd you get that?'

  Beroz shrugged, but moved his hand to behind his back. 'In fight.'

  'Come back tonight. We have drink together.'

  Beroz nodded.

  The Lial darted back inside his furaz. A woman yelped then giggled. Beroz headed away as fast as he could. This village strange. Stranger than any I see.

  The Lial had been right, half the village seemed empty. He poked his head inside several furaz but each one he examined held a foul stench, like mounds of kak that had only recently been cleared out of them. After some searching he found one that didn't smell. It was off the main path in a secluded spot with no furaz directly next to it. He threw his meagre belongings inside then went off in search of the village's sturaz, hoping it was well stocked with food, but quickly realised that that was unlikely.

  This place miserable. How do people live here? No one was around as he wandered through the village, the few people he had seen now gone. Oaraz busy all day. Many people working. Sehnal training. Here no one works. Not see one Sehnal. What happen?

  Beroz found the sturaz after much searching, the sturaz made from white fur pelts instead of black, but he'd now no idea how to get back to his furaz. He parted the front flap slightly. 'Hello?' No response. He said it again, louder this time.

  A short, plump woman stepped out, her rancid breath forcing him to scramble back. Her face was round and wrinkled, her eyes bloodshot. She chewed on something.

  'What?' she huffed. 'Want food, nibec, lipnic?'

  Beroz was taken aback slightly. 'Lipnic? What's that?'

  'It's good. Want some?' She reached inside her grey furs and produced what appeared to be a small ball of flesh. 'Cut these out last night.' She opened her mouth to show the remains of one, chewed up and resting on her tongue.

  'What is it?' asked Beroz, but suddenly didn't want to know the answer.

  'Lipnic.' she said, confused, 'Not have them before?'

  Beroz shook his head.

  'Cut them out of sehseh. When huntman skin them, cut open carcass. Cut them from around the heart. Makes head weird. See strange things. Feels good though. Want one?'

  Beroz shook his head.

  The woman's face hardened. 'What you want then?'

  'Food. Water.'

  The woman motioned for him to go inside. 'Say want food if that what want.'

  Beroz grumbled to himself as he ducked inside. The interior was dark without a fire, the only light came down from the hole above. When his eyes adjusted he saw several large bowls full of nuts and berries, and some big plates with meat piled on them, as well as waterskins, cups, spoons, knives and bowls strewn about the sturaz. More here than they think they have.

  Beroz wasn't sure how much he should take. The woman, or the Lial, hadn't seemed bothered either way. She's drunk off that lipnic, I think. Lial too. He scooped up nuts and berries into an empty bowl while pondering whether to take some of the woman's lipnic after all.

  Die. His scarred hand pulsed with pain again. His stomach tightened. He dropped the bowl, nuts and berries scattering everywhere. A tear ran down his cheek. He growled, wiping it away. What's wrong with me? He picked up the bowl, scooped up the scattered nuts and berries, then began piling as much meat as he could on top of it, no longer caring about angering the villagers. When he'd finished he went outside.

  The woman was lying against the furaz opposite, a faraway look in her eyes. A man was crouched over her, shaking her and slapping her face. It had no effect.

  The man glanced over his shoulder at Beroz. 'She like this when you come?' he asked.

  Beroz shook his head. 'She chewing on lipnic.'

  The man's face soured. 'Stupid lobkak. Tell her not to chew it.'

  Beroz glanced at the woman's vacant eyes.

  'She'll sober up in while,' said the man, standing to face Beroz. 'You the Sehnal?'

  Beroz twisted his head slightly to show him his Sehnal braid.

  The two men stared at each other a moment.

  'Need to get my Mate home,' the man said, breaking eye contact with him. 'She freeze out here.' He crouched down to pick her up.

  'Question,' said Beroz.

  The man glanced up at him. 'Yes?'

  'Why Lial not out training his Sehnal?'

  The man laughed. 'No Sehnal here. Last of them leave for villages in east. Go to train there. Lial here just wants to drink, fuck, chew lipnic. No training. Not see him use his axe in long time.'

  Beroz couldn't believe what he was hearing. For a Lial to neglect his duties was a serious thing. When an Apochal passed the Trial of Lial and became a Lial he was expected to either further his own training at Nam-Laftoz, or become the Lial of a village and train Sehnal.

  'Lial Nakakoz bad. We good, not need him. When ludenez attack he fight them. All we need from him. Ludenez not attack in long time though.' The man scooped his Mate up into his arms. 'If you need anything I live on other side of village. Our furaz one with red fur.' He staggered away, the man's Mate seemingly a great weight to bear.

  It was a while before Beroz managed to find his furaz. When he did he collapsed on the floor, food scattering everywhere. He could no longer be bothered to eat and instead curled up into a ball and fell asleep.

  Beroz dreamt about dying and woke in a fright, body covered in sweat.

  Die. His scarred hand pulsed again. He moaned, struggling to maintain control. He tried to calm himself by gazing at Kiz through the hole in the furaz's roof, the moon's green light soothing. When he'd relaxed he grabbed a strip of meat from the floor, his stomach now grumbling, and bit off a chunk. When he'd finished that he ate some nuts and berries, throwing away the still frozen nuts that he'd picked from the forest in favour of the edible ones. With his hunger sated he picked up Mutumuz and left, heading for the Lial's furaz. He had no desire to share a drink with this Lial, but thought it best not to offend him. Lobkak drunk already no doubt.

  The village was quiet, as it always seemed to be. Parts of the village were illuminated by torches, but most areas were left in darkness. If ludenez attack, no one see them. They not care? The villagers complete disregard for their own safety was alarming. They were lucky that they'd not been attacked already.

  The Lial lay outside his furaz, staring up at the sky. He supped from a large waterskin, but Beroz suspected it wasn't filled with water. The Lial was wearing furs this time, to Beroz's relief. Hanging from a pole outside of his furaz was his Lialstone, the stone shaped a little like a bald man's head.

  'Lial?' said Ber
oz.

  The Lial glanced up at him, momentarily confused until realisation finally struck. 'Yes. Come. Sit. I wait for you. There's no meat. I eat it all. Drink?' He held out the waterskin.

  'No drink.'

  'No water?' said the Lial, confused again.

  'No nibec.'

  'This water.'

  Beroz looked dubious. Reluctantly he took the skin from the Lial, sniffing it before taking a small mouthful. Sure enough it was water.

  'I drink last of nibec. Not share nibec,' said the Lial.

  Beroz forced himself to smile.

  The Lial looked back up at the sky, at Kiz hanging low above him. Finally he said, 'I know what you think.'

  Beroz didn't respond. Do you?

  'You think I disgrace. That I abandon village. Turn it into joke. You right to think so. I know truth though. You will soon. You, me, we the same.'

  'Same? We not,' spat Beroz

  'It touch you, yes?'

  Beroz's anger vanished. Instinctively he hid his scarred hand behind his back.

  'Don't try hide it. Scar on hand tell all.' The Lial lifted his right leg up and pulled back his furs. A long purple scar ran down the back of his leg.

  Beroz gasped, then quickly tried to compose himself. 'It touch you too?'

  'It get me when asleep out in wild one night. When out training by myself,' said the Lial.

  Beroz stared at the long, purple scar running down the Lial's leg.

  'You hear it?'

  Beroz looked up. 'Hear it?'

  'The voice.'

  He swallowed hard. 'Yes, Lial.'

  'What it say?'

  'Die.'

  The Lial nodded. 'Same as me.'

  Beroz rubbed his scarred hand. There was no feeling there at all.

  'When it happen to you?' asked the Lial.

  'Moon past.'

  'It not beat you yet. It will though.'

  'Beat me?'

  'It whispers at first. You ignore it. It whispers more. More. More. Wears you down. Day by day. Many moons pass. Years pass. One day you wake, find you not able to fight no more. You think, “why try?” Enemy wins in the end. It will kill us.'

  'Kill us. No. The Enemy won't win,' said Beroz.

  The Lial leaned in closer. 'It will.'

  'It not.'

  'How not? How we kill it? Who will? We all die in end. Enemy live on. It will win.'

  Beroz shook his head. 'No. No. Not believe.'

  'Over time, it breaks you inside. My advice is give up. Live life. Wait to die. Fighting only makes it hurt.'

  'Is that why you not train? Send Sehnal away?' Beroz found that he was growling through his teeth. He reminded himself of his own Lial a little.

  'Sehnal leave on their own. Go to village east of here to train. Yes, though, that why I not train.'

  'What if ludenez come?'

  The Lial shrugged. 'They kill us.'

  Beroz's voice caught in his throat. 'You allow it?'

  'Yes. People die. It life.'

  'You not let people die. You their Lial. You need to protect them.'

  The Lial yawned. 'You not understand. You will though. You will.'

  Beroz stared at the Lial, unsure what to say. He took another mouthful of the water.

  'Nibec help keep voice out of head,' said the Lial. 'Lipnic help forget it even there.'

  'Not need that. Will beat it on own.'

  The Lial sniggered. 'Enemy touch my Mate too. Touch her for longer moment. Claim more of her. For many days after she cough up purple blood. Then she change. The Enemy break her, claim her mind. I kill her.'

  Die. Beroz shivered.

  The Lial regarded him carefully. 'You hear it then, yes? It will break you. It breaks us all.'

  Beroz clenched a fist. 'I beat it.'

  The Lial smirked.

  The two men sat in silence, passing the waterskin back and forth. After a while the Lial mumbled about needing to get more nibec in the morning, then fell silent again.

  What the Lial had said repeated in Beroz's mind. No. He's wrong. Has to be. It can't break me. Beroz stood and threw the waterskin back to the Lial.

  'You wrong,' he said. 'It's not true. You weak, that's all. I strong.'

  'You have heart, Sehnal,' said the Lial, looking at him with sleepy eyes. 'It not enough.'

  Beroz spat on the snow then walked away.

  'Wait,' said the Lial.

  Beroz turned back.

  The Lial produced a small pouch from his furs and tossed it to him. 'Take last of my lipnic. It'll help. Trust me,' he said.

  Beroz looked inside the pouch. Lipnic? He was tempted to throw it back at him, but something made him pocket it instead.

  The Lial turned away from him and his gaze returned to the starry sky above. Beroz left him without another word.

  He left Elzaz at sunrise, not wanting to stay any longer than he had to. He hadn't slept much in the night anyway, his conversation with the Lial constantly replaying in his mind. Mutumuz felt twice as heavy at his side and the sack of food he'd packed was much heavier than it'd been in the night as well. His scarred hand throbbed. Ideally he'd have stayed and rested for at least another day to recuperate his strength, but he'd find no peace in Elzaz.

  Someone needs to deal with that Lial. A part of him felt like he should stay and protect the village, if a ludenez attacked everyone would be killed. However the idea of living in that place was too awful to imagine, he didn't entertain the notion for very long.

  Beroz followed the edge of the mountains west then south, sticking close to them in case he needed shelter. He made slow progress, and by the time evening came, and Kiz's green light bathed the land, he'd barely skirted the tip of Mir-Tolkz's range. He came upon a small alcove that looked like it'd provide good shelter. He poked his head inside and pairs of yellow eyes shone back at him. Several lilnac huddled together, shaking. He edged himself into the alcove slowly so as not to startle the little creatures. They growled and whimpered, but when they no longer saw him as a threat, they closed their eyes and fell back asleep, purring softly.

  Beroz kept Mutumuz close to his chest and kept the sack by his side. He pulled out the waterskin and several slices of dried meat. The meat was chewy and tasteless but it'd suffice. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine he was eating a nice warm stew.

  Die. It hit him like a blow to the head. His whole body shook violently, his waterskin and meat shaken out of his hands. Air exploded out of his lungs. Die. His head swam, he couldn't focus on anything.

  The lilnac woke with a start, screeching, then running away, jumping and diving over his shaking body. Die. Searing pain shot through him, it felt like he was dying. Die. Each beat of his heart was an agony. Die. His scarred hand burnt with pain.

  Then it receded, but he was left sore and weakened. That worse than before.

  His sack had been torn open, food scattered everywhere. He knew he should gather it up but just the thought of moving was too much for him to handle. Reaching into his furs he pulled out the small pouch the Lial had given him. Inside it was a small fleshy ball. He plucked it out and examined it, rotating the ball in his palm. It was soft and spongy and he could feel a liquid inside when he pressed down. Do it. He shoved it into his mouth and bit down. A sour tasting liquid oozed out, he almost spat it out, but instead clenched his fists, forcing himself to chew. The taste made his eyes water and he spat it out, but the sour taste lingered in his mouth. How they chew this? He shivered, pulling his furs tight around his body, and gazed up at Kiz shining down from above.

  Beroz woke in a panicked state. His head swam, his vision blurred, and his head throbbed, which matched the throbbing of his scarred hand. Kiz's green light seemed to shift in colour and tiny little people danced in the air. Kak. What happen? He rested his head against the wall. This what lipnic does? Why?

  Suddenly Kiz flashed with dazzling light and its green light shifted to the Enemy's purple. Lightning sparked across its surface. Beroz cried out in terror and tried t
o scramble back, but the mountain behind him barred his way. He braced himself for Kiz to try and claim him, but the moon made no move.

  It not real. Not the Enemy. He kept glancing about, searching the landscape for the Enemy, expecting it to come for him. Relax. Relax. Calm down. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to relax, but that only made him feel nauseous. He grabbed the waterskin and took a long draught of water. It tasted amazing, better than any water he'd ever tasted. His mouth tingled.

  'It helps. Trust me'. Lobkak Lial.

  He pulled his knees close to him and rocked himself from side to side. He was tired, weak and weary, but the thought of going to sleep again terrified him. For the rest of the evening he stared out at the snow plain, watching the tiny people dance in the purple moonlight, while trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his scarred hand.

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  A heavy rope landed on Melonaz's head. He glanced up, but no one was there. Brushing the rope off himself took far more effort than it should have, pulling himself to his feet even more so. His head swam, and his legs wobbled.

  Four days he'd been in the pit, with nothing to eat and only a single waterskin to drink. He'd melted all the snow around him to quench his thirst, but the melt-water had barely lasted him two day.

  Melonaz grabbed the rope with both hands and placed one foot against the pit wall. Pushing his leg into it, he tried to lift himself up, but the leg buckled and he fell, landing hard on his back.

  'Keep hold. Will pull you up,' came a voice from above.

  With greater effort Melonaz picked himself back up and grabbed hold of the rope as tightly as he could, wrapping his legs around it for extra grip. The rope retracted and he was slowly pulled up. His hands and legs burned from the tension of gripping it. When he reached the top a firm hand gripped his wrist and hauled him out. Melonaz rolled onto his back and looked up into the face of the Lial. He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable strike to the head, but when none came he opened them again.

  'What you hear, lobkak?' demanded the Lial.

  'Hear?'

  'Out on the plain. What hear?'

  Melonaz swallowed hard. 'Ludenez horde in the mountains. Will attack us.'