Hearts in Darkness

Chapter One: Avistra

User Reference

Jib: hut

Pritanchi: Worthless

She was running, but not in fear for once. This time her people stood around her, cheering, smiling, showering her with adoring remarks. Her breath caught in her throat and she shut her eyes to hide the tears that threatened to spill out, her heart filling with a joy she had never known before. She could hear the crowd around her, screaming her name with love and acceptance, “Avistra, Avistra, Avistra!” Suddenly there was a change to the tone of the screaming, it wasn’t a crowd anymore, it was on voice, rough and full of annoyance… Torient. She jerked up to a sitting position, still hearing his voice, but now it was because he was banging on the door of her hut.

“Avistra get up you lazy Pritanchi! Shirel demands your presence at once! He wants you at his jib”

The mention of Shirel made Avistra jump out of her bed, now wide awake. If she kept him waiting long, it would be her scales at risk. Shirel had a habit of skinning the people who he felt offended him. Avistra threw the door open to Torient ready to bang on it again, narrowly missing his fist coming down. He didn’t try to stop it, nor did she expect him to, nobody would have caused issue if he punched her, accidental or not. She looked up at his face, swearing for a second he looked at her with something other than utter annoyance. She knew better already, nobody on this planet could love a disfigured outcast like her, not only was it impossible but to admit to doing so would make that person included in her outcast circle, and no Zuzorka was willing to commit social suicide especially, especially one with the looks of Torient.

To the people that looked upon him, Torient shone like a dark sun. His scales weren’t just dark, they were like polished black rock under the sun. They looked soft, giving him a betraying first impression. They looked like you could sink your finger into one and bend it to your liking, but to do so would be foolish. Not only were his scales as hard as the polished rock, but the one they covered was incredibly fast. Torient stood higher than any other Zuzorkan male. He was not as muscular and wide as most, but he could take any down quickly and with little effort, almost any. Torient refused to challenge the leader. Many speculated that he could beat him easily (always in hushed whispers, any other way would be like asking one or both of them to give you a firsthand experience of Torient in battle), but Torient always said he was loyal to Shirel so long as Shirel was loyal to his people. Avistra had always admired Torient for his qualities, even when he was being an annoying brute like today. There was a time before she was an outcast that she had run her hand over his scales, in awe of the contrast between look and feel.

Avistra swore under her breath as the midday sun hit her eyes. Shaking her head to clear the cobwebs that sleep had left behind, she watched the town around her as everyone went through the usual tasks of their daily lives. She could see the females watching Torient as he walked. Even if they didn’t find him mate worthy or feel the pull of a life mate, they would still try. To be with someone so powerful meant you had him for life, and that life would be very blessed for you. Torient was second in command to Shirel, and that meant that his jib, his food, and his bed could only be beat by Shirel’s. She followed Torient out into the town and had no surprise to hear the hissing pointed at her. This place would never be home since everyone there more simply tolerated her presence. She wasn’t accepted as neighbor or family, much less considered a Zuzorka. She was a Zuzurn, an outcast. As she walked as close as socially allowed to Torient, she wondered why Shirel was asking for her, had they finally decided to just throw her to the Sun Lands to die? She knew there were only two reasons for a meeting with Shirel, Avistra would be severely punished or rewarded. Either way, her life was about to change.

The walk to the commander’s hut would not be long but without shade, it would be scorching. Avistra couldn’t remember the last time she had been out to warm herself, so it was no surprise the heat affected her so. Most of her people were known for their scales. Dark, they soaked up the sun and were able to take the heat of her world and store it. The scales kept them warm in the nights and protected from the dust and rocks. Dark scales were considered normal, beautiful and everything she couldn’t be. A zuzurn deemed good for nothing but the world of war. Her skin wasn’t dark like her people, it was pale, pearlescent, and shined in colors when the sun shown on it. She would never look like her people, she would never be accepted, and if she died; there would be no heroes service like there was for the people who had a choice in this life. She was considered expendable and generally not needed as part of the lives of her village.

She scolded herself silently for becoming so much of an outcast in her own mind that she didn’t even leave her hut as much as she needed for her own warmth. As she approached the leader’s hut, she looked at Torient. He was studying her face, watching the scales shine in the sun and turn the light in colors not seen on anyone else. Why would Shirel want me at his jib? She wondered. He only called people to his jib when it was important.

“Did I do something wrong? Am I being punished?”.

‘Or is Shirel finally throwing me out because the people refuse to look at me’ she thought. She pondered the necessities she would have to take. ‘Of course, there is always the chance that he just wants to kill me, skin me alive and leave me out in the Sun Lands with not even the little protection I have’ She wondered if she could beg to keep her scales at least. Torient studied her a bit longer, keeping his face straight and quiet, he was good at secrets, good at not being read by others. He drew in a breath and answered in the deep voice that he was known for:

“You’ve been called the Leader’s jib Avistra, why are you questioning the honor of talking to him?”

Avistra dared not speak back. If she told him she wasn’t questioning, he would accuse her of making him look as a fool. If she gave the reason to be that she was wary that she was being called for punishment Torient would call her ungrateful and possibly make her walk back through the village alone and further disgraced. Everyone would have seen her walking with Torient, everyone would know she had been called. Torient did not keep company often and any females seen in his presence were either on their way to the leader or being courted by Torient. Nobody would even consider the latter as a possible thought, and so walking back so soon and alone would show that she had made a mistake and never even got to the presence of Shirel.

As they neared Shirel’s jib Avistra stared in awe. She forgot how large the jib was when up close. Torient opened the door and stepped inside, keeping it open with one hand while she entered. Unlike most of the Zuzorka, Shirel’s jib had a second level to it, the hut of Leader’s always did. Shirel had various artifacts on the lower level where he would greet soldiers, guests and the females he chose to mate with. While most of her kind paired for life, Shirel never did, he mated with females and the males had the honor of raising his offspring along with their own. He had been asked before whether it was due to preference or if he just followed the idea of helping make strong offspring, but he never gave an answer. Avistra already knew she wasn’t there to mate, a leader would never mate with a Zuzurn, it would disgrace him or elevate her, but there was no way to know until the chance was taken, and Shirel was not known for taking unnecessary risks. Torient called up the stairs, his deep voice echoing across the lower section. Avistra couldn’t hear is Shirel responded but her curiosity was answered when Torient nodded his head and walked back over.

“Shirel will be down shortly, feel free to look around. Don’t presume to have the honor of sitting in his presence and don’t look him in the eye”

Avistra nodded her head and glared at Torient as much as she could get away with.

“I remember the rules for a zuzurn, Torient. I don’t need to be reminded as you see fit.”

Immediately she knew she has crossed a line she had forgotten was there. She spent so much time alone she had forgotten not to call anyone by name, and not to share eye contact. Torient walked up to her, she looked away and could still hear his feet against the stone. She knew he had gotten close but didn’t realize how close until she felt his hand under her jaw jerking her face towards his, forcing her to break the rule and look at him.

“Pritanchi” he hissed, and the word sent a shiver of anger down her spine, making her hands clench and she held back the expression of loathing that threatened to take over her face.

Pritanchi, unrefined, savage. That’s what he called her. Most names they called her she bore with grace and accepted that it was simply her place, but Pritanchi… that word alone she could not bear without effort. She had been allowed to attend schools, to learn to hunt and scavenge, to learn the ways of her people when she was young. Sometimes scales take time to darken they had told her; she was simply late blooming. They never did though, her scales stayed the betraying pale that led her to be outcast. Before they realized she could not change their color (even the time she had tried in vain to use mud to cover each individual scale, hoping nobody would notice), they had allowed her a place, an education and Torient knew that. He had spent time with her back then, she had even thought he loved her, that he had felt the same pull towards her that she still felt towards him. They could call her deformed, ugly, outcast, she knew she was all of those, but she was not Pritanchi, and he knew it.

“Do you ever think Avistra, that sometimes you are reminded about the rules, so you don’t end up skinned? Do you ever think you are reminded your place because some want you alive?”

As she looked into his eyes, for a split second she felt that pull again, and could fool herself into thinking he felt it too by the way he looked at her. He quickly let his hand fall and backed away, confusing her until she heard the footfalls on the stairs.

Shirel was coming.

Shirel was unlike any other Zuzorka. He was considered small by the standards of the others. He was short but his presence commanded power and respect. His scales were not one color like those of most of his people. His scales had started out the same as Avistra’s, but unlike hers, his had darkened over time. Some to a gray, others to a black color that almost rivaled Torient’s. Despite his height he was still considered the most attractive in his village, and the second most deadly. Fighting alongside Torient, no enemy stood a chance. First, they had made sure any other village knew a battle would only end with their death, then Shirel started looking at other planets. While he never took a risk, his people didn’t agree with, he was in constant paranoia that other planets would try to wage war. The only reason Shirel didn’t just outcast Avistra to the other villages was because he was afraid, she would somehow give them an advantage on them. Why he didn’t kill her, she did not know and feared the answer.

Avistra looked at the ground, not daring to lift her head in case she accidently caught his eye. His voice did not boom like Torient’s did, it fell on you like a warm blanket. Like Torient, he gave the impression he could be weak or easily beat. To follow that first impression could be the last decision ever made. She had to listen hard for his footfalls, they were light and hard to detect. She followed closely until he stopped in front of her, a few feet off.

“Torient, are you sure about this?”

“Yes, Shirel” Torient answered, “she knows our ways, knows what we look for and will be eager to prove herself. Isn’t that right zuzurn?

Avistra had to remind herself to breathe as she quickly and softly replied “Ye-yes I will. I am! I would enjoy the chance to prove myself as Zuzorka”

Shirel chuckled loudly as he answered. “Prove yourself as Zuzorka? Oh Avistra, that will never happen. You can, however, prove yourself trustworthy, maybe even earn the chance for a normal hut and the chance to marry.”

Avistra’s breath caught in her throat. The chance to marry. She wouldn’t be considered Zuzorka but if she could have a hut in the town and a family… She didn’t dare dream about it, she was still half-convinced that this was all a cruel joke to humor Shirel.

“Of course,” Shirel added, letting the disgust drip through his voice, “That would imply that there is anyone with low enough standards to marry you.”

Avistra dared to look up to see him, trying to avoid his eyes as much as possible. He let the sneer on his face show brightly. He knew what he said stung, but he had held venom for her since they were still freshly hatched, she never knew why he hated her so much and had accepted that she may never know. She desperately wanted to defend herself but didn’t dare. Avistra was tempted to ask why he was giving her this chance but knew any question could also make him take it away without a thought. She stayed silent, not wanting to give him any reason to punish her or take this chance away. She knew there wouldn’t be another.

Shirel began to talk; pausing as though he were choosing his words carefully. “Avistra, as you know I have made it my mission to make sure our village and our people are. . . protected.” Avistra wondered if that was the right way to phrase ‘ego fueled killing spree’ but didn’t reply.

“Avistra you may answer as needed; however, I will admit I appreciate you remembering your very low place.” Avistra drew a shaky breath, trying to keep her composure. “Thank you, Leader. The stories of your work to keep us safe are told in every part of our- of the village”

“Sit, Avistra. I have a job that we think you will be suited for, since you know how we work, but pose no actual necessity in our village.”

She knew he was goading her. He wanted a reason to take this away, to remind everyone she was zuzurn and because of that, perpetually useless. Instead, she gritted her teeth and smiled as charmingly as she could.

“It is an honor to sit in your presence Leader, I will try to waste as little time as possible.”

Avistra calmly walked over to the chairs and sat down, watching her hands and his feet. Shirel walked to his chair and sat down, leaning forward so his arms were on his knees, pointed in her direction. “Avistra, we have found a planet we believe to be hostile in nature.” ‘Hostile in general or because you tried to invade it?’ she thought to herself.

“We need eyes and ears. It is a scouting mission, nothing more. All we need from you is to look around, talk to people, find out the information we ask of you.”

“Do these people look like us?”

“No, Avistra. They have no scales. Instead they are covered only in their bareness, no protection we can see. What they cover the bareness in is flimsy, thin. Some of them wear coverings that don’t cover enough to offer any protection!” Avistra couldn’t hide the shock. She had never seen a race or village that would leave themselves so vulnerable. Her people had scales so tough and durable, it was almost impossible to penetrate them.

“It’s true, I’ve seen this myself” agreed Torient. “The mission will only be dangerous if you’re stupid while gathering information.”

Shirel cleared his throat slightly and spoke again “We need to know their resources, what do they eat and drink. How have they lived so long with so little protection? Anything you can find out will be helpful”

“Do we know what any coverage is like? Do I need blended gear or will the foliage work?”

“You will look like them Avistra.”

Her face must have shown her surprise. She had been put into the wars of her people since she was first called outcast, but never had they changed their bodies.

“We have a new machine,” Shirel continued. “It will change your image to look and sound like one of them. It will only soften your scales, enough to make them look more like your bareness”

“Will it- Does it hurt at all?”

A look of faux shock ran through Shirel’s voice as he answered, “If the possible pain is too much of a concern for you, then I can certainly find someone else Avistra.”

“No!” Avistra shouted out. “No, leader.” She said, trying to speak calmly. “I was simply trying to make sure I was prepared so that I could protect my mind.”

“Then you accept?” Shirel asked, standing as he spoke.

Avistra tried to maintain a calm voice as she replied “I do Leader. I will gladly accept this mission to aid you in yours.”

“Very well then. Tomorrow you shall set out with Torient. Once you arrive at the planet you will be changed into the alien form and sent down. Everything after that is up to what you are, or are not, capable of.” Avistra stood and bowed deeply. “I understand Leader, and I will not fail you or the village.”

“Don’t make a promise you can’t absolutely keep Avistra.” Replied Shirel, his words once again dripping venom as he walked back up the stairs and out of sight.

Torient led Avistra back outside, opening the door to the bright sunlight once more. Avistra let her eyes adjust and was thankful the heat wasn’t as bad this time. Going out last time had been enough to at least help her acclimate to the heat once more. She saw the look of surprise on many of the village faces, some mixed with disappointment. Clearly, they had expected her to be killed or banished. She tried to banish the nagging question of why she had been picked, trying instead to placate it with answers she could only find herself. This mission was either considered beneath the other soldiers or it was dangerous enough that they wanted to send someone they considered expendable first to see how dangerous it truly was. She was a walking, information gathering, distraction and nothing more.

They drew closer to her jib as she pondered the mission. Her jib was tiny in comparison to any of the others. Barely big enough for her and her meager belongings, but it was shelter. She snuck a side look at Torient, trying not to catch his eye. He looked deep in thought, so serious but so gentle. She recognized that look from his youth, whatever was taking over Torient’s mind was important to him. She wanted to know what it was, but she didn’t want to ask and get chastised again. They approached the door of her hut and she moved to walk past him and go into her hut but was caught on the way inside by Torient’s arm grabbing hers.

She looked at his face in surprise and saw him staring down at her looking like he wanted to speak. Finally, he released her arm and shook his head, gaining back his usual stoic composure.

“Get some sleep, we don’t need you blowing the mission tomorrow. You don’t need to pack necessities, anything you need will be provided to you.”

“Thank you, I will be ready”

Avistra walked into her jib, closing the door behind her, not daring to look back and see his face. She walked to a mirror and took a long look. She knew Shirel had some truth to what he said, but not for the reasons he thought. He was the one that had made them all afraid to even look at her, much less to consider her for marriage. Now she looked at the mirror as she had done every night, a ritual for herself. They could find her disgusting all they want, but they couldn’t make herself think that way. She stood tall and looked at her face, the brightness of her green eyes. Different from the deep brown of her people. Their eyes had some green in them, towards the pupil or maybe as the iris lining. Hers were entirely green. Dark like the leaves she had seen off planet but towards the pupil was so very light; and she always loved it. The palms of her hand were soft, despite the hunting and scavenging to keep herself fed. The bottoms of her feet however were thick from walking the sands, same as the rest of her people. They were able to withstand the roughness of any rocks and dirt. Her scales weren’t shining right now with the sun setting but they were still light and pale in color. She loved that they bounced color off when the sun shone on them. They were good armor too, just as tough as Torients’ but they looked more like gem than armor when the sun hit. She had always prided herself on them in the play areas and the hunts. Where others could get hurt, she would always flourish. With Torient by her side they were unstoppable. With Torient by her side… The memories brought a sadness to her heart that stopped the nightly ritual.

She went to her bed knowing what happened after that day would either change her life or end it.