Hearts in Darkness

Chapter 2: Torient

Torient shook his head again as he walked away from Avistra’s hut. He wanted to tell her not to go, that the mission may prove to be too dangerous, but he knew it was futile and stupid. Futile because he knew that since her banishment her only wish was to rejoin her village, and stupid because if he gave any inkling that he considered her more than a Zuzurn it could make his life come tumbling down.

He focused on walking back to Shirel’s hut, he knew that Shirel would want to discuss the mission tomorrow. As he walked, he looked around at the village, his village, his home. He knew the unmated women were watching him, trying to find a way into his heart, his head, or perhaps the most disturbing to Torient, his bed. He knew that because of his position as second in command to Shirel he was highly valued as a mate. He knew that the females would continue to try their luck until he finally picked a life mate. None of them knew he had already chosen his life mate and after this mission was over, he could finally begin his family.

He walked through the back streets looking at the jibs as he passed. Each family had their own sign on the hut to show it was owned. Avistra was allowed no symbol, her family’s honor had been taken from her. The one he passed now was the second wealthiest in the town. They had the sun carved into their home on the top, on the door, and on the sides. They claimed to be wealthy because they knew how to power the sun themselves. Wealthy but insane thought Torient as the building was passed. They had no possessions to claim as wealth, but they had many children, and the more people you had to your household, the stronger your family was considered. Every family hunted for themselves. Any of their elderly had to rely on either their younger family to help or on the kindness of those surrounding them. The more people in your home, the bigger your house. If you had a big house, nobody would fight you for fear of being swarmed by your family.

Shirel had no large family yet outside of his offspring that were adopted to other families, he had the Zuzorkan army at his disposal. He allowed them to hunt for food as they liked, and any leftover was given to those who could not. He had explained this once to Torient when asked why he never kept children.

“You realize they think I am helping them to grow a house? For that fact they are grateful, but they also realize at any point I can call my children back. I have fathered ten children now Torient, if I called them all back not only would I have the largest family, an army and the majority of the food supply, but also the respect of the elders we have fed who have grown fat on our food.”

Torient had no children, only his ome and thafe, his birth givers. Because of his position in the village they were given the third largest house (the second belong to the sun stealers as they called themselves) and he was not made to hunt since his day was spent working with the Leader. He passed by the house of the bird, built to look like a bird’s nest with plants in the middle. They had carvings of two eggs in a nest around their home. It was not tall, but it was wide and with the middle garden, the jib took up much space.

Everyone could build their house the way they saw fit. If it fell in, then it was their fault for not building properly. He finally reached his house, trying to refocus his thoughts as he walked up the path. Torient’s house was not build special, it was a dome and from the outside the house itself looked plain. The land surrounding it he had shaped himself. To walk up the path was like walking among waves. He had painstakingly carved out waves in the rocks around his home as he grew. Every day he sat by the river and watched it flow, wishing his life could flow so easily, with no fighting or having to please the village. He had placed the rocks around the path on each side so as anyone walked up, they would think of the water. Now was time to grab water for his home as he reached the door, he grabbed the buckets his ome had set out, he would grab the water after his meeting with Shirel.

His house was not far from Shirel’s and for that, Torient was thankful today. He felt drained after watching the interaction. Avistra was not allowed to look Shirel in the eyes or watch his face but Torient was. Every look of prideful, conceited and cruel triumph was more effort for Torient to not jump between them. Shirel enjoyed the manipulation and games he played whenever he could. He was not tall or strong, but he could gain trust quickly and easily. He could make people follow him off a cliff believing that he was helping them live longer if they did so. Torient knew that the only thing Shirel cared about was this village, that much he had witnessed and believed. Torient knew that many of the people in the village wanted him to overtake Shirel. He knew they considered him a fit ruler, but Torient did not share their views. He couldn’t stand for what he wanted for himself, how would he stand for the village?

As Torient neared Shirel’s jib he remembered the meeting from earlier. How infuriating Avistra could be! She wasn’t forgetful, and while he loved hearing his name from her lips, he knew if she did that to Shirel it could spell her being horribly punished. I would give anything to be able to speak to her kindlier, just once. Torient thought. He hated how Shirel treated Avistra. He hated watching him toy with her so cruelly, but to step forth would mean a decision would be made. If he came to her rescue, he would either need to finally challenge Shirel and accept Leader, or he would be made an outcast with Avistra which could kill them both. He was outside Shirel’s jib now, staring at the door like it was a portal to a terrifying dimension.

Torient opened the door to see Shirel standing downstairs, looking over the mission plans. Good thought Torient, maybe he will get to the point and not talk on other matters tonight.

“Shirel, you said you wanted to go over the plans for tomorrows mission?”

“Yes, there is a change of plans. We no longer have the resources to send Avistra with food or other supplies. She will have to make do with what she takes and finds down there.”

“You told me I could prepare rations for her! To prepare equipment for armor and food! We don’t know what they eat down there, you could be sending her down to starve!”

“She is a Zuzurn Torient” Shirel replied calmly. “She could starve far all I care; she should still be able to get some intel before she does, and we will know if we can send more soldiers down”

Torient tried with some difficulty to calm down. He knew a fight with Shirel was not what he wanted in this moment. He had made his argument and that was the most he could do, for now. He walked closer to the table to look at the plans and map.

“This is where we will send her. I have set the coordinates for you and have provided a photograph of the location”

It looks beautiful Torient thought, picturing her under the green leaves. They didn’t have such plants on his home, but he had seen them off world during Shirel’s “conquering” missions. He knew that they were looking to take this planet. Shirel had not provided a reason on why they needed to take over and when asked would only say to trust him.

“So, we will be dropping her at this location, with only the instructions to get intel not knowing anything about the planet or its customs?”

“Yes, Torient we will. If she wants to be part of the village, she must prove herself worthy”

This still bugged Torient. Avistra was one of their best soldiers, she had saved most of them at least once in battle. That they still considered her such an outcast could never sit well with him. He knew some of the soldiers felt the same but would never speak against Shirel. They all remembered when she was still part of the village. The Leader then didn’t outcast any unless they presented a danger to the village itself. When Shirel took power they were still young, barely into hunting for themselves and their families. Once he had seen the chance for power, he took it, shortly after declaring Avistra and any who looked like her as unevolved savages. He argued that because their scales and bare flesh did not stand the heat as well as the others in the village, they weren’t meant to survive this world.

“I- I understand Shirel. I have no doubt she will give us useful intel to trade with this planet.”

And no doubt you will tell the village it’s because you conquered it, he thought. In truth Shirel hadn’t conquered any other planet. Trading deals were made many big moons ago by the past Leader. Shirel had visited the lands and stayed longer than needed, taking only himself and Torient. He wanted the people to view him as strong, not as weak like he viewed the past Leader, so when he came back, he made an announcement that surprised all. He told the village he had gone to offer them a surrender first. To keep their planet and lives if they kept sending the provisions they did now. Torient did not say otherwise. He had told Shirel that if he takes care of the village, he would not be overthrown.

“You may go now Torient, we need you focused tomorrow.”

Torient turned and walked back out the door, making sure to pick up the water buckets on the way past. The walk to the river wasn’t far from Shirel’s home, Torient had walked it many times in his life and didn’t have to watch where he walked to get there. He watched the last of the sun’s rays drop behind a mountain but the coolness that once followed closely behind that final curtain fall of light wasn’t there. The planet had been getting warmer lately. There was talk in the village, worry of what would happen if the heat didn’t stop rising. Even people made to survive the heat could only stand so much of it. It would cool down soon, but for now the heat was good. People would be staying in their jibs to prepare their foods and beds. Young Zuzorkas would be getting ready for sleep; hunting and scavenging started early, before the heat took over.

As he neared the river Torient could hear the soft sounds of the water, overtaking the stillness of the night, beckoning anyone to come in and escape the heat in the coolness. Torient wanted to disrobe and lay in the shallow end, feeling the pebbles against his back and the water running into, over and around him, reminding him that nothing was an obstacle if you could find a way over or around it. He wanted to, but he couldn’t. There was still work to be done, and if he wanted any kind of sleep, he would have to do it quickly. He walked in the river as far as the deeper end. Letting the water trap itself into the buckets before lifting them back out again.

The walk was not as fast going home this time. His arms and hands already sore from the days’ work and his body still tense from anger and longing seemed to yell at him for rest, the pains begging him to forget the new mission he had to complete tonight and just sleep. Torient wanted to listen to his body, wanted to allow himself to dream and slip into a peaceful land where there were no boundaries, no titles of Zuzurn, just him and her, embraced with no fear. He knew if he had taken the Leadership for himself the village would be more peaceful and less filled with so much hate towards one who didn’t earn it, but he felt as though there could be no worse Leader than himself. He had only one unbreakable rule: No killing unless it was the absolute only way. Shirel may be a liar, may even seem cruel but I have seen him share that rule Torient thought to himself. He always hoped Shirel could be redeemed, taught more kindness and caring.

As he passed Shirel’s hut on the way back he thought about the designs carved into it. Every family picked one design, but the Leaders jib had many. Stacked upon one another the symbols showed the houses that had been there for so long. The top was the symbol of a spear, matching well with how Shirel’s parent had taught him “There is nothing that can’t be taken by force”. The symbol of the sun was on there a few times, but with so many members it made sense that some would rise to Leader. Their strongest had been the last Leader before Shirel overtook him and took his place. Still so young, Torient had cautioned him to wait, let the Leader pass naturally as was the custom. Instead Shirel had challenged him, calling him out on being friendly with so many off world planets. Had convinced the village that it only made them weak and vulnerable. When the village began to side with him, Shirel dragged the Leader out and tossed him out of the hut. He didn’t kill him, that would become his disgrace if he did. Zuzurn never killed their own or without reason, the village would have paid back in kind. The leader was old and weak by then, so it was easy for Shirel to overthrow him.

Below his symbol were the house of the fish, the nest with two eggs, another sun. Then it was the symbol of Torient’s house, the waves. His ome and thafe had expected him to quickly overthrow Shirel. Most of the village did. Torient and Shirel had been friends since their hatchling days, it was assumed both had the same temperament, the same ideas. Torient had no desire to become Leader, had no thoughts of overthrowing Shirel until he found out about the outcasting. It was the day Torient’s heart had first broke.