No Escape from Fate

3 The Settlement

With a hideous, drawn-out creak, the old door finally gave way, and I was dragged inside the shabby hut. For all my kicking and cursing, it felt like I’d suddenly unlocked a second wind — I’m sure the whole damn village could hear me by now.

I won’t go down without a fight! I’ll injure the bastard if it’s the last thing I do!

The brute carrying me suddenly stops and, without any warning, throws me down onto a floor covered in rough furs. He looms over me, arms crossed over his chest, muttering something under his breath. I freeze when another male voice joins in.

Turning my head, I spot an old man standing in the far corner of the hut. He’s thin and dry as kindling, yet there’s something oddly dignified about him as he approaches. Between his lips, he’s chewing on a small twig with narrow leaves, rolling it lazily from side to side while studying me with complete indifference.

After a slow inspection from head to toe, the old man rasps something to the giant, and suddenly massive hands grab me from behind, pinning my arms tightly to my sides. I can’t even twitch.

The old man steps closer and presses hard on my cheeks, forcing my mouth open. Before I can react, he slips something inside — a small, berry-like thing — then shuts my mouth and holds it closed until I’m forced to bite down.

Ugh, disgusting! It tastes like someone shoved a handful of wormwood in my mouth. The bitter flavor spreads, crawling down my throat and burning as it goes. The brute finally lets go, and I collapse face-first onto the furs.

I’m about to curse him into oblivion when my stomach suddenly twists in agony. A wave of nausea hits so strong it makes my head spin. My whole body burns, every muscle aches, and before I can stop it, I’m retching violently onto the floor.

The old man started saying something, but his words reached me only faintly as I kept retching, practically turning myself inside out all over his hut.

“That’s the juice of the aktukha fruit—it makes your brain work differently,” he suddenly said. I froze, staring at the old man in shock, realizing that I could understand him now, even as another wave of nausea twisted my insides.

“The sickness is normal,” he continued calmly. “Your brain matter produces signals and impulses that let you think, move, and speak. Now, however, your mind can perceive similar impulses in other brains—like mine, for instance. My visual, memory, and meaning signals are being read. The sounds or words I make correspond to certain remembered images and meanings in my head. Your brain catches them, compares them to its own patterns, and translates them into a language you understand,” the old man explained, lowering himself onto a stool.

“Every inhabitant of our kingdom takes aktukha from childhood, so that they can understand others—or any beings with similar brain processes and capable of speech. It’s the king’s decree, meant to prevent communication problems between different peoples and races. Fortunately, you only need to consume the fruit once—the effect lasts a lifetime.”

“What do you want from me?” I asked weakly, feeling the nausea begin to fade. My thoughts were clearing, though a fine tremor still shook my body.

“From you? Nothing,” the old man replied, his face unreadable, his tone icy. “I am Tákhis, the shaman of this settlement. My task was to make sure you can understand our language—since we already understand yours—and that you can speak before our leader. What happens to you after that is none of my concern. To be honest, I couldn’t care less.”

His blunt honesty hit me like a slap. I still had no idea what awaited me, but at least now I could understand them—and that was something.

The giant grabbed my arm again, yanking me out of the hut and dragging me deeper into the village.

“Hey! Could you not manhandle me like that?” I protested, struggling against his grip. “You’re hurting me!”

“Then stop fighting, and it won’t hurt,” he said flatly, not even glancing my way.

I realized escape was impossible for now—especially since we were walking into a large settlement bustling with people. So I followed obediently, taking everything in.

The first thing that struck me was how strikingly vivid these people looked. Honestly, it felt like I’d stumbled into a commercial for some luxury brand. Most of them were dark-haired, but there were quite a few women with unusually colored hair. Their eyes, though—that was what truly caught my breath. So many shades, but the most common was a deep, glowing red, like rubies under sunlight. And every one of them bore intricate tattoos—on their arms, across their stomachs, and some even on their chests.

The settlement itself was astonishing. It wasn’t exactly medieval as we understand it, though the residents’ clothing shared some similarities—while also featuring daringly modern details that looked straight out of a futuristic fashion show.

Every house, except for the shaman’s, looked solidly built. I could even see dark-gray brickwork in some walls, and the large windows were decorated with intricately crafted stained glass that stood out beautifully against the darker façades. The roofs were covered with sleek black tiles that gleamed faintly under the sun.

There were no fences between the houses, only clusters of bright, exotic flowerbeds filled with plants I didn’t recognize. The road wasn’t asphalt, but paved with smooth, sturdy stone tiles that looked almost polished.

Everything around me was fascinating—a strange blend of eras that somehow worked together. It was as if bits of different centuries had collided and learned to coexist in harmony. I would have found it all exciting… if I weren’t terrified of what was going to happen to me.

“What’s going to happen to me?” I asked, panic rising as I darted my eyes from one villager to another, searching for even the slightest sign of help. But they only stared back, curious and unbothered, clearly not planning to intervene.

The man said nothing, simply kept dragging me forward—until suddenly, a young brunette girl jumped in front of us, clutching some kind of fluffy abomination in her arms. I couldn’t even tell what kind of creature it was—it had four hairless ears and a ridiculously furry body covered in dark red fur. Honestly, it looked like someone’s nightmare pet.

The girl herself was breathtakingly beautiful, just like everyone else here, with bright pink eyes and full lips the color of fuchsia. Judging by the way her brows furrowed, though, she wasn’t too happy at the moment.

“Light of my eyes, who is this girl?” she asked in a thin, sharp voice, glaring daggers at the brute who was dragging me toward what I assumed was their leader.

“Oh, Míko,” the man said cheerfully, “this girl is the solution to all our problems. I’m taking her to your father. Thanks to her, we’ll finally be able to start a family—and you’ll be mine.”

“Really?!” Míko’s expression lit up instantly. She smiled—one of those flawless, radiant smiles that could melt glass—then giggled, bouncing in place with giddy excitement.

She threw her arms around her lover, gave him a quick, happy kiss, and skipped away, hugging that bizarre red creature to her chest.

Meanwhile, I wasn’t exactly sharing in her joy.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” I demanded, staring at the brute in shock. And only now did I notice—he wasn’t bad-looking at all. Tall, broad-shouldered, his dark tan skin contrasting beautifully with those ruby-red eyes and well-defined muscles.

“It means exactly what it means,” he snorted without even looking at me. “You’ll find out soon enough. What’s your name?”

“Oh, thanks for asking!” I snapped back, dripping sarcasm. “Isabella. Or Iza.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Ugh. What a name. Won’t do. Around here we don’t have such names — you’ll be Naziza.”

“What?!” I gasped. Well, excuse me, local critic of names!

“And what’s your name then, genius?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

“Dildan,” the brunette announced proudly, straightening his back as if he’d just said something glorious.

There was a second of silence—and then I completely lost it. A wild fit of hysterical laughter burst out of me. Oh, he definitely had a sense of humor! Except… apparently, he didn’t, because he wasn’t laughing.

“Wait— you’re serious?!” I choked out between laughs. “Oh my god, that’s— that’s perfect for you!” I wheezed through tears, barely able to speak.

“Are you out of your mind?” he asked, clearly not understanding what was so funny. “Since you’re not from here, you should know—I was named after one of our greatest rulers! An unmatched warrior and brilliant strategist!”

“I don’t doubt it for a second,” I managed, trying to compose myself. “With a name like that, how could he not be great?”

Honestly, I was laughing to keep from crying. Because as we approached a massive black two-story mansion with a wide veranda, my nerves twisted tighter with every step. A few girls, maybe eight or ten years old, were playing there—brunettes with sweet pink eyes, all staring at me with innocent curiosity. Dildan greeted them, and they cheerfully waved back.

We stepped inside the elegant house, and a tall, broad-shouldered man came to meet us. After a brief greeting, he sat down in a large armchair, his commanding presence filling the room. Dildan and I stood before him.

“I’m listening, Dildan,” the man said, his deep brown eyes scanning me like an x-ray. “What brings you here, and who is this girl?”

That piercing stare made my skin crawl. There was something in it—aggression, hostility, and a cold sort of judgment that set my nerves on edge.

“Manar, this is Naziza,” the brute began, completely ignoring my real name. “We found her wandering through our lands while patrolling the borders. She’s a foreigner—and still untouched by any man. That might help us solve the situation with Miko.”