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

by Reece Dinn

  The Konar whimpered and something trickled onto the floor. Awon could see this guy as a hanging carcass, could map all the right places to make incisions on his body, and he felt no guilt about doing it.

  Awon glanced down. 'Yer pissin' yerself, yer know?'

  'Please, it wasn't personal. I wanted to make the girl talk. But the others wouldn't have it.'

  Awon placed his cleaver on the Konar's chest. 'This is.' He ran the edge of the cleaver across his chest, cutting as deep as he dared to.

  The Konar screamed.

  Awon punched him hard in the mouth with his other hand, then slammed the cleaver's grip into his nose, smiling as he heard it crack.

  The Konar was breathing hard. More piss trickled down his leg. Awon pointed at the Konar's cock. 'Want me ter cut that off so yer stop doin' that?'

  'Please. I swear to the gods, I was just doing my job.'

  'The gods don't care bout yer, or any of us.' He grabbed hold of the Konar's cock, and placed the cleaver on the base of it. 'But if yer tell me now where the PLA are hidin' yer can keep this.'

  'I don't know, I swear.'

  Awon dug his fingers into it. 'Liar.'

  The Konar whimpered. 'Okay, okay. I don't know where they're hidin', but I know one or two members. They'll know.'

  'Give me names.'

  'Don't know their names, but I know where they hang out.'

  'Liar,' snarled Awon. He drew the cleaver across the base of the Konar's cock, cutting into it, but not severing it.

  The Konar screamed again, louder this time.

  Awon released him.

  The Konar rocked from side to side, shuddering. Blood dribbled down his body and legs, dripping off him and mixing with his piss on the floor.

  'Names,' snapped Awon.

  'I said I don't know them. But they drink in the Highwayman Ale House in your district. I swear to the gods.' He looked down at his bleeding member. 'You cut it. You little shit, you cut it.'

  'The Highwayman? I know it.'

  'Wh-what you go-going to do?' asked the Konar, in between panicked breaths. 'Yo-you want to bring down th-thee PLA now? All by yourself?'

  'Eventually. When I'm runnin' this gang.'

  'Running the Cutters? Are you fucking crazy? You going to kill Cutter?'

  'No. Cutter's been good ter me.'

  'Then what?'

  'None of yer fuckin' business.' He buried his cleaver into the Konar's shoulder. The guy screamed so loud Awon thought it would echo all the way up to the surface. The guy farted, then shit himself.

  Awon covered his nose and mouth with his free hand. 'Gods. Yer shittin' yerself now too? Surprised yer even had anythin' in yer ter shit out.'

  Someone chuckled.

  Awon spun around, startled, cleaver raised. 'Who's there?'

  From out of the darkness emerged Ekviv, his arms folded across his bare chest. His curved blade hung at his side, over his brown trousers.

  'You been there the whole time?' asked Awon, lowering the cleaver.

  'Yes,' said Ekviv, eyeing the Konar.

  The Konar looked even more scared now, the muscular, dark skinned man had that effect on people. 'How long have you been there for?' he cried.

  'A while.'

  'Why?' asked Awon.

  'I enjoy the smell of his fear. He reeks of it.' Ekviv sniffed the air. 'I can only smell piss and shit now. I don't enjoy that.'

  'Ekviv, what I said about ruling the city I..'

  'Not to worry. Most of them up there have similar ambitions and dreams. They're just too scared to say it. You've got courage at least. My Apochal would love you.'

  'Oh.'

  'I'll leave you to your fun. I need some fresh air. And a drink.' He punched Awon on the arm, causing Awon to grunt, then he disappeared down the tunnel.

  Awon grabbed the Konar by the throat.

  'Please. I told you all I know,' cried the Konar. 'Please, just kill me. I can't take any more of this. You people are animals.'

  'No. We're Cutters.' He yanked the cleaver out of his shoulder and brought it up to the Konar's ear and slashed it. Pieces of it were severed from it as he cut at it, falling in small squirts of blood. The Konar screamed until his lungs were empty. Most of the Konar's ear had been cut away, what remained was a bloody flap of skin.

  'I'm gonna look for 'em at the Highwayman. What they look like?' said Awon.

  The Konar was crying. 'One's fat with a long beard. Wears a green robe all the time like a Koku. The other's balding with big cheeks.'

  'I'll look. If I don't find 'em we'll be continuin' our talk, yer hear?'

  'Yes,' he sobbed.

  'Alright then. Have a good night.' He sneered at him, wiped his cleaver clean on the tunnel wall, then left.

  When he returned upstairs Farma was waiting for him in the kitchen.

  'What yer want?' he asked, moving to go past her.

  She placed a hand on his chest. 'Was wonderin' who was down there. Gettin' yer own back on that Konar?'

  'Sumthin like that.'

  'Good fer you. He tried ter take me in the prisons. Would have too if it weren't fer the others, the cunt.'

  'He ain't gonna be takin' anyone now.'

  'Oh my.'

  He removed her hand from his chest and went to move past her again, but she grabbed his arm. 'Fancy a drink?' she asked, smiling at him, her broken teeth showing.

  He went to say no, but she ran a finger down his chest, making him hesitate. 'I..err..'

  'A shy one. Well I never,' she said with a wink.

  'Fuck you, I ain't shy. Come on, let's 'ave a drink then.'

  Farma licked her lips and produced a bottle of rum from behind her.

  'Come on. We'll go somewhere a bit quieter. More intimate.' She winked at him and led him back down into the tunnels.

  Chapter Thirty Eight

  The rain beat hard against the window and dripped down through the ceiling, splashing Awon. He yawned and stretched, then immediately groaned as his head pounded and the room span. Empty bottles and discarded clothes lay strewn around the room. He'd no idea how much he'd drank, but judging from the scene before him it'd been a lot.

  Farma stirred beside him, pulling the blanket over herself, covering up exposed flesh. She began to snore. He remembered ripping her clothes off. After that he'd no memory, but even he could imagine what had happened. Under the blanket he was naked, his body covered in stinging bite marks.

  'Fuckin' woman and those teeth,' he mumbled, rubbing his pounding head. 'I need water.' He tried to get up, but moving only made the room spin more. Bile rose up from his stomach so he lay back down, taking in big, deep breaths.

  They were in the house Norox had been in the day before when he was making leather armour. The place was quiet, everyone else had stayed in the warehouse, or at least had ventured out to the other abandoned houses in the area.

  'Least I didn't 'ave ter pay fer it,' he muttered with a snigger.

  Farma rolled over. 'Do yer 'ave ter breathe so loud. Tryin' ter sleep,' she slurred, not opening her eyes.

  'Got a bad hangover. Think it is anyway.'

  'Go outside an' drink the rain then. There's enough of it.'

  The sky outside was dark and grey. The drops of rain hitting the window were huge, creating big splashes, then running down the glass to the bottom.

  'Ain't goin' out in that,' he said.

  'Quit complainin' then. Go back ter sleep.' She draped an arm over his torso.

  'Get the fuck off me.' He shoved her arm away.

  'Don't want some more in the mornin' then? Suit yerself.' She rolled away, taking the rest of the blanket with her.

  Awon shivered and curled up into a ball in an attempt to get back to sleep, but his growing thirst wouldn't let him. With a snarl he rose, steadying himself as the room span again, and groped around for his clothes. His dirty, slightly bloodied green shirt hung from a nail in the wall. His grey trousers lay by the door, boots scattered across either side of the room. He groaned as
he gathered them all up and dressed.

  Farma continued to snore.

  When he was dressed he ruffled his hair, then staggered into the next room and back down the tunnel to the warehouse. The tunnel was even colder and he slipped on the wet rock, bashing his head on the wall several times, which only made his headache worse. He repeatedly stumbled into the tunnel walls as he navigated his way back to the warehouse, stopping only to scoop up water from the puddles he found along the way. The water was cold, crisp, and perfect, the best he'd ever had. Unfortunately it did little to ease the pounding in his head. Back in the warehouse he made his way straight to the kitchen.

  People lay sleeping all over the floor. One naked fat guy and some whore were slumped against the wall together, the guy's hand wedged in between the girl's legs. Another couple lay naked on the kitchen table, limbs entangled with one another's.

  Awon went straight to the sink, turned on the tap, and stuck his head under it, slurping down as much water as he could handle. Most of it ran all over his face, but it felt far too good to care. When he thought he was about to drown from drinking too much he stopped and pulled his head out, gasping for breath. He grabbed a dish cloth to dry his face, but it was so dirty and wet he threw it away. His face dripping, he made his way to the main part of the warehouse.

  The whole gang lay about the place as one big sleeping mass of bodies and booze. On every table at least one couple were lying on it, entwined in one another's arms, the rest of them asleep on the floor. Empty bottles were scattered everywhere, those that weren't smashed at least. The parts of the floor not covered by a sleeping body were covered in broken glass, or stained with spilt wine or beer. The smell that hung in the air made Awon gag and his stomach churn even more than it already was.

  'Wake the fuck up,' he tried to yell, but his throat was too hoarse, all that came out was a croak.

  No one stirred. He rubbed his head, the room spinning even more.

  Batterox and the Brebuu were sat at a table in the far corner of the place, both sleeping with their heads on the table, a bottle of something between them.

  Awon made his way over to them, stepping over slumbering body after slumbering body, doing his best not to trip over anyone. One pretty girl lay naked on the floor, her nicely curved rear pushed up into the air, which made him linger for a moment to admire. He almost stepped on some big guy's head however and he had to lurch away to avoid doing so, which nearly made him crash into a table with a couple sleeping on it, the guy on top of the girl.

  'Fer the love of the gods,' he spat, righting himself. He waited for the room to slow its spinning before he continued on.

  Oaten hung upside down off the edge of a table across the room from him, the girl sprawled over his legs the only thing holding him in place. He was tempted to pull the girl off him, but that involved trekking over more bodies to get to him.

  Batterox was snoring so loud that he made the whole room shake, the Brebuu's snoring not much quieter. Their combined noise was so loud it was a wonder to Awon how anyone else could sleep, although a quick glance at the sheer amount of booze that'd been consumed answered the question. He wondered how many alehouses and inns had been robbed to acquire so much. Probably every one in the district, no doubt. Perhaps those the next district over too.

  He poked Batterox in the head. 'Oi,' he whispered. 'Wake up.' He poked him again. The yegeyor continued to snore. The vibrations made Awon's stomach bubble and churn. 'I want my rifle,' he said. 'Where'd yer put it?'

  Nothing.

  He shook him. 'Wake the fuck up,' he hissed into his ear. 'Fuckin' jenni.'

  The yegeyor's hand clamped tight around Awon's wrist, big fingers digging into it. 'You aren't having a rifle. Quit asking,' snarled Batterox. One of his pale yellow eyes flicked open and glared up at Awon.

  'It's mine. I won it,' said Awon, doing his best not to whimper.

  'Won it? You think this is a game?'

  Awon shrugged, trying to hide the pain and discomfort Batterox's grip on his wrist caused him. 'It's mine.'

  'It's mine now. Stop being a psychotic little shit and I might give you one. Might.'

  'A what shit?'

  Batterox released him. 'Never mind. Fuck off.'

  'WAKE UP BOYS,' Red roared from across the room, a rifle held in either hand.

  He aimed them up at the ceiling and pulled the triggers. The wailing unleashed was so loud that Awon thought his head would explode it hurt so much. He sat down on the edge of the table, rubbing the sides of his head.

  'Gods, why?' bleated Batterox, pulling his face out of his arms.

  The Brebuu woke with a start and let out a tremendous bellow that rivalled the wail of the rifles for ear splitting loudness. It punched the table with one of its big orange hands. 'This better be good,' it said.

  The rest of the room began to rouse from their drunken slumber, most of them dazed and confused. Some brandished weapons, waving them around at unseen enemies, then dropped them when they saw there were none.

  'You fuckin' jennis'd be useless if we were under attack, wouldn't yer?' said Red, striding into the room. He kicked a whore rising to her feet back to the ground, her head bouncing off the floor. He laughed, planting a foot onto her back to keep her down.

  Cutter and Yamaten entered the warehouse behind him, followed by those that had been sleeping out the back. All except Farma. The others found space near the front, either on the floor or along the wall.

  Cutter moved up beside Red. 'You all have a good night?' shouted Cutter. 'Get your money's worth out of the girls?'

  Red shook his leg and the whore underneath him squealed, glancing helplessly around the room.

  'We spent the night talking to our new Drowner friend,' said Cutter. 'Had ourselves a very interesting conversation. Unfortunately he's no longer with us. But before he left he told us something very useful.

  'There's big cargo coming through Nograi gate at mid-day. Drowner cargo. We're gonna claim it. You bastards better not be too hungover to do a day's hard graft. We need to be ready. This could be a tough fight if we ain't careful. We leave in a couple of hours. If Yamaten doesn't tell you otherwise, assume you're going. Sort yourselves out.' With that Cutter disappeared out the back.

  Red released the whore trapped under him and she scurried away with a squeal.

  'If yer need sumthin' ter wake yer,' shouted Red, 'then fuck one of these lovely girls 'fore they 'ave ter go back. We got 'em until twelve. May's well make use of 'em, eh?' He laughed, beating the butts of his rifles on the ground.

  Some of the men cheered and grabbed hold of the nearest girl to fondle.

  'Not a good day to be raiding,' said the Brebuu. 'These men will be no use in this state.' It rubbed its head, clearly it was struggling too.

  Batterox snorted and made a whining sound. He stood up and then dropped onto all fours, some of his bones clicking as he began stretching different parts of his body.

  'Gonna need my rifle,' said Awon.

  Batterox bleated, and rose back up onto two legs. His long face screwed up, then he snorted. 'Fine. But shoot any one you shouldn't and I'll rip your legs off, you hear?'

  Awon smirked.

  To his disappointment Batterox had given him the homemade rifle he'd taken from one of the guy's he'd killed in the Drowner's warehouse, and not the one he'd insisted was his. Still it was better than nothing. He'd not been able to test it to see if it still worked, Batterox had only given him five bullets, he didn't want to waste them.

  It was still raining hard. Water streamed down the sides of the road, and poured into the drains. Some of the drains were overflowing however, the water gushing back up, forming pools on the road.

  Awon shivered, his clothes soaked through and clinging to his wiry frame. His hangover had quickly been replaced by a deep chill as he and his companions lay in wait on the rooftop for the cargo to come down the road. He was regretting asking for a rifle now. Cutter had ordered all riflemen to be on the rooftops to shoot the
guards, while those on the ground finished the job and ransacked the wagons. Those below got to hide under shelter.

  His rifle shook in his hands.

  Batterox, the Brebuu, some guy named Hoten, and another named Jokamata, waited with him. On the rooftop opposite was another team of riflemen, Awon assumed they were being led by Red or Yamaten. Cutter was on the ground, preferring his knives to a rifle, and Awon understood why now. It was more satisfying fighting hand to hand, rather than shooting from a distance. And you got to wait under shelter when you used a knife.

  The road was quiet for a working day. With the rain so heavy only those who really needed to dared venture outside. Which meant less chance of other people getting caught in the crossfire.

  'Think I see 'em,' said Jokamata. His long, light brown hair soaked and sticking to his squared face.

  'About time,' said the Brebuu, shaking its head, flicking water everywhere.

  Batterox snorted and made a faint rumbling sound.

  The sky was still heavy with dark cloud so torches covered by glass domes burnt all along the road, casting dancing shadows across it. In the distance he thought he could see several large, slow moving shadows heading down the road in their direction.

  Awon's head began to pound again. He wasn't as over his hangover as he'd thought, and a heavy tiredness had crept in, draining him of his usual fighting spirit. He just wanted this over with so he could go back to sleep. Preferably alone. At least he didn't have to worry about Norox or Ten, Red had told the two of them to remain behind and tidy the warehouse, along with some of the other guys too hungover to be of use.

  The shadows gradually made their way down the quiet road towards them. As they approached the shadows revealed themselves to be trobaam drawn wagons. Through the din of the rain the creaking of their wheels could be heard, the grunts of the trobaam pulling them muffled, but distinct enough to be heard too.

  Guards walked alongside the wagons. Judging from their outlines none of them carried rifles. Easy pickings. Whoever this cargo belonged to clearly didn't value it enough to hire fully armed guards to protect it. Awon began to wonder if it was even worth stealing. Still it was five wagons. There had to be something good inside.