Hungry Heart - Book #4 - Ch. 13 (Patreon)

Chapter One / Chapter Two / Chapter Three / Chapter Four / Chapter Five / Chapter Six / Chapter Seven / Chapter Eight / Chapter Nine / Chapter Ten / Chapter Eleven / Chapter Twelve 

Chapter Thirteen – The Remnants of Glory

Toru barely had time to pull away from the sharp fangs threatening to rip the flesh off his face. With a growl, he pushed his assailant back, making him fly through the air. Like any tiger, his attacker regained his balance in midair and landed on all paws. The force of the push, however, made him carve a hefty trail through the fresh snow. The others wasted no more time, and rushed toward him from all sides.

“Toru, watch out,” Duril shouted and threw himself in the way of one of the white tigers coming at them from the right, while Claw and Varg took care of another two.

Still, there were so many, so Toru shifted into his tiger’s coat, growling menacingly. He dashed first to the left, as his shapeshifter friends had about seven or eight enemies to deal with, while Duril only had one. In the blink of an eye, he had already noticed how the healer had taken something from his pocket and thrown it in his attacker’s face. Surprised by what must have been irritating dust of some sort, Duril’s foe withdrew with an angry whine, while pawing his own face.

Claw stood tall, his bear bigger than all the others, and, for a moment, the tigers hesitated. That lasted only for a moment as the next they were back attacking, snapping their jaws and slashing through the air with their razor-edged claws.

They attacked as a pack. Toru didn’t remember ever seeing anything quite like it. Tigers were usually too strong-willed to easily accept the rule of another. They did join together, as he himself did, by attaching to his friends and fighting side by side with them, but this display was behind comprehension. In a way, they reminded him of Varg’s pack, attacking him before he had even reached Whitekeep.

Varg had already sent one of the white tigers running as fast as his paws allowed him, after a well-aimed bite at his shoulder. But he was already coming back, eager to find a new angle that could secure him the chance of causing a mortal wound.

“I am Aneros’ son,” he shouted, as the fight went on.

All the tigers stopped at the same time. The one that had attacked Toru first spoke. “Aneros? That’s a fool’s name.”

“I haven’t heard that name in a long time.” That was a female voice intervening.

Only then Toru realized that the attacking tigers were both males and females. They all shifted into their human selves, making that even clearer. They all wore heavy furs, and their bodies were covered head to toes, and all had long white hair, just like his father, but the women looked smaller and more agile. That difference in nimbleness could make the difference in a fight, as he knew very well, and overall, he realized that it was a feature they shared.

About a dozen pairs of eyes set on him, questioning him without speaking further.

“My name is Toru. I am Aneros’ son, and I’m searching for Niverborg. I’ve come a long way.” He mentioned nothing of Hekastfet and Scercendusa. To these people, living so far from the center of the world, those names probably didn’t mean a thing.

“Niverborg?” the first male asked. He appeared to be the one in charge. He had large blue eyes and a cold stare that could freeze the blood in a human’s body. Toru was no human; that stare didn’t impress him.

“Yes. Have you heard of it? It should be here,” Toru continued.

His friends kept silent, respecting his position as the one to ask the questions that had brought them all the way there.

“This is Niverborg,” the male tiger said and opened his arms. Something of his attitude was rubbing Toru the wrong way, as if he was making a mockery of that name.

“What’s left of it,” the female added with a sigh. “You must forgive our manners. It’s been a very long time since we received visitors of any kind.”

Probably no one wanted to go there, to that land of ice and snow. Toru didn’t ask useless questions. “Do you know my father? Do you remember him?”

“I am Elpis,” the woman said and stepped forward. She had a kind face for a tiger that had just tried to kill them all only moments earlier. Toru remembered her from the fight; she was the one clever enough to retreat whenever overcome, only to come back and try her luck again. Her eyes were large and blue, like the others’, but they didn’t show the same distrust. While young in appearance, she seemed wiser than the rest. “This is Lakan,” she gestured toward the male that had led the attack, “and he is the ruler of Niverborg.”

Toru nodded and took in each of the tigers carefully. “Is this all of you?”

Lakan examined him carefully, as if he didn’t know whether to rush into things and trust him, like Elpis did, or just attack again. It looked like the first option weighed heavier in the balance. Lakan abandoned his fighting stance and made a small gesture with his chin at the others. They all approached, their doubts replaced by curiosity.

“You’re not a white tiger,” Lakan said, ignoring his question. “You must take a lot after your mother, then.”

Toru knew he had to keep his neutral demeanor, despite how excited he felt about finding his father’s people, as few as they seemed in number. “I wouldn’t know that well. I was taken away from them, and they away from me at an early age.”

Lakan shook his head. Many of his features, Toru could recognize as if he were staring at his father’s face, and not a stranger. “Waging wars in others’ names,” he spat with disgust. “They broke the world in two.”

Toru looked at Duril, asking wordlessly for help. The healer caught on right away. “What do you mean?”

Elpis was the one to reply in Lakan’s stead. “Why do you think we don’t ever see people coming here? We don’t even see shapeshifters, or anyone at all. When Aneros and his wife decided to march on Scercendusa for fame and glory--”

“That isn’t what happened,” Toru said sharply.

Elpis stared at him. A faint smile flitted for a moment across her lips. “What would you know about it? You must have been very young when the events we’re talking about happened. You’re a young one, kit. You’ve yet to see the world.”

“You’re young, too,” Toru retorted, clenching his fists. If they only knew what he had been through. But they didn’t seem keen to learn, so he wouldn’t be the first to lower his guard. For all he knew, they would attack them again at any moment.

“Not as young as you think,” Elpis replied. “But let’s take you to our home. It doesn’t do to keep you all standing out here in the cold. Who are they?” She gestured at Toru’s companions.

Duril stepped up to stand by Toru’s side. “My name is Duril, and I’m a healer.”

“You’re a fighter and half-orc,” Lakan said with a snort. “There’s no need to lie.”

“I will show you my potions,” Duril said patiently, seemingly willing to make peace with this belligerent sort.

“I’m Varg.” The wolfshifter stepped up, as well.

“And not a young pup,” Elpis said and smiled. “And the old bear?”

“I’m called Claw. We hail from Whitekeep and The Quiet Woods. Toru, here, he comes from Nelsikkar, but I suppose that’s something you know.”

“I don’t recognize the name Nelsikkar,” Lakan said. “How could Toru be from there?”

“But that’s the name of the place--” Toru began. Then he stopped and crossed his arms. “Then, if you’re so sure, where did Aneros, my father, go to find himself a wife, my mother?”

Lakan opened his mouth but then he frowned. Embarrassed by his inability to remember, he turned toward Elpis. The woman shook her head, and for the first time since they had set foot there, she appeared unsure of herself. The rest of the tigers began murmuring among themselves, a sign that they didn’t know what was happening, either.

“You cannot remember because that wicked hermit Te’cla stole your memories of it,” Toru said, pleased to be the one to break it to these arrogant tigers that they didn’t know everything.

“Te’cla?” Elpis asked. “What hermit? What are you talking about?” She was clearly irritated about not being able to remember the name Nelsikkar.

“He probably made you forget about him, too,” Toru said with emphasis. “He is sneaky like that.”

“And how do you know about him?” Elpis questioned. “Did you see this hermit with your own two eyes?”

“No,” Toru admitted. “But I know enough of him, like how he knows how to steal words from books and memories from people’s minds. He’s a trickster.”

“I suppose we have to take your word for it,” Elpis concluded. “Now, follow us, and you can explain how you arrived here, this place that has been shut out of the world.”

***

In the desert, the nights could be freezing, but it was different from the cold in Niverborg. The snow made the air humid and everything wet, Duril mused, while he walked by Toru’s side and followed the white tigers. They were a stern lot, he could tell by how they remained mute and didn’t hurry to chat them up, although, according to their leaders, they hadn’t seen strangers in these lands for a long time.

Or maybe that was the reason for their quiet and reserved demeanor. Leaving aside the astonishment at having arrived at Niverborg, the fact that there were so few tigers left of what must have been a large tribe at one point in time saddened Duril. It all had to be related to Hekastfet’s grip on the world. With that gone, maybe this place would thrive again as well.

“How do you feel about the cold, Toru?” he asked in a whisper, a bit too unnerved by the sullen silence surrounding them.

“It doesn’t bother me. But I’d rather be in your old hut, under the blanket with you next to me,” Toru explained. “The hermit must have stolen their memories of Nelsikkar. That must have happened, right?”

“I believe the same. I’m also wondering why there are so few of them left, and why no one travels here… Toru, do you think that maybe that warning Shearah gave us was about something else?”

Toru nodded grimly. “They say the world was broken in two. It could be that only they were broken from the world, and that well we came through was the only way to reach here. Does that mean that we’re now imprisoned in this place, as well?”

“I guess that we will have to wait and see,” Duril suggested. “For now, let’s keep our eyes peeled and our ears open. There is more to learn from these people and what happened to them, and not only that the hermit must have gone through great trouble to visit Niverborg and take away their memories of Nelsikkar.”

As much as he would have preferred to continue that conversation, there were too many ears around them, and until they knew they could treat the white tigers as allies, it was safer to err on the side of caution.

They climbed a long path that zig-zagged to a castle on top of a tall hill. The building looked as good as deserted and in bad shape. Nothing showed that it was inhabited in any shape or form. There was no smoke rising from behind the tall walls, nor torch lights glittering in its windows.

They passed under a low porticullis that appeared to have not been lowered in ages, if one judged by the ice frosting the old grating. Everything had an air of dilapidation and isolation, and Duril felt his heart growing small inside his chest.

“I hope there’s a fire somewhere in this big castle,” Toru commented, and Duril couldn’t agree with him more.

Varg and Claw walked right behind them, which was reassuring in itself. The white tigers didn’t appear to be in the mood to fight after seeing who they were going against, but their glum dispositions seemed to be contagious. Duril felt tired and cold seeping into his bones.

They walked up a large stone staircase to an upper floor and Duril realized that the higher above the ground, the better the chance of keeping a fire going and people dry. Finally, they were inside, and the first room they were pushed into appeared to be a council room of sorts.

Duril took in the high-back chairs made from solid oak, and the long table around which they were arranged. The polished wood was barren, save for an iron seal resting on one side on a metal plate. He was curious about the symbols on the bottom of the seal, but he didn’t want to appear too eager. Elpis seemed to take consideration for formalities, as little as they had to mean in that wilderness.

“Do you recognize this?” Lakan asked and grabbed the seal from the table to shove it into Toru’s face.

The young tiger, much to his praise, didn’t seem rattled by Lakan’s aggressive manner. “How could I? I’ve never been here before. Do you have anything to eat?”

Toru must have mistaken the council room for a dining room, and Duril couldn’t blame him.

“Before we eat together,” Lakan growled, seemingly emboldened by being in that room, which probably equaled a seat of power for him, “I must know that you haven’t come here to steal my birthright.”

“And what is that? Your birthright?” Toru questioned.

It must have been because he found himself between tigers. As usual, Toru wasn’t as cautious at all. Duril moved closer and observed everyone carefully for signs that they were getting ready to corner them. Any bad intentions had to be well-hidden or didn’t exist at all, he concluded as he stared into the faces of those present, one after the other.

“I am the true and sole ruler of Niverborg,” Lakan spat and puffed out his chest.

He was almost as tall as Toru, but while he was trying to appear more imposing by dragging his shoulders back and lifting his chin, the other tiger didn’t have to struggle at all. Through his simple presence, Toru appeared to dominate the entire room, and something vague and indefinite told Duril that his dear friend and lover looked at home in that somber room, which he lit up just by being there.

A troubling thought crossed his mind. While strangers couldn’t travel there, what could have reduced the number of white tigers so much? It was late at night, and maybe there were tiger cubs sleeping somewhere, in the belly of the dark castle, but Duril doubted it. Lakan hadn’t replied to Toru’s question about them being the only ones left. That would explain the sorry state of affairs the Niverborg castle found itself in. There were simply not enough hands on deck, and there were no servants or other people to speak of.

“You are the true and sole ruler of Niverborg,” Toru repeated their host’s words. “Are you satisfied now? Can we eat something? And then, you can tell me about what happened with this place. We’ll help you.”

Lakan scoffed in disbelief. “You’re one patchwork of a group. You might be Aneros’ son, but the company you keep--”

Toru growled, low in his chest. Lakan growled back. Duril watched them. These two would go head-to-head soon, regardless of whether the others intended to join in the conflict or not.

“The company I keep,” Toru said, “doesn’t concern you. They’re the best people in the world, these men you’re looking at right now. And you should feel honored that they are here.”

It wasn’t Toru’s usual manner of speaking, and Duril had to admit he was impressed. It was yet more proof of how much the young tiger had grown over the months they had confronted the very heart of darkness. The playfulness was gone from his eyes, and now he stared Lakan down, until the other tigershifter had to look away.

“Elpis is right,” Lakan said in a clipped voice. “We’ve found ourselves alone here in Niverborg for too long. Accept my apologies.”

Toru just nodded.

Lakan took what he was given. He gestured for a couple of young tigers to move closer and began giving them orders in a low whisper as to what to do. Then, he took his place at the head of the table, still holding the iron seal. Elpis guided them to seats on the right side, close to the master of the castle, while the others moved around until they were all seated.

The young tigers returned quickly with plates filled with salted meats and roasted chestnuts. Duril chose one of the latter and tasted it; it was dry and lacked flavor, but it was still better than nothing. The salted meat was only marginally better. Eating that food made him feel guilty. The young tigers remained standing and their eyes glinted faintly with what Duril could only interpret as hunger. He split the piece of meat on his plate in two pieces and offered them his portion. They gave him a surprised look, and then looked at their ruler. Lakan made an annoyed gesture and they took the offered meat.

Everyone ate in silence, and Duril felt his appetite waning. Even Toru, who usually forgot about everything when there was food in front of him, observed their hosts with keen eyes and barely touched the meat on his plate.

***

Varg took a small sniff of the meat he was holding. It must have been preserved for a long time, and most of its flavor was gone. Nonetheless, the white tigers seemed eager to devour it as if they hadn’t eaten in ages.

Claw turned in his chair, using that as an opportunity to slip a few words into his ear. “These people are hungry.”

Varg nodded. Still, it would be bad manners if they mentioned it to their hosts. While the younger ones were munching on their portions without caring that much for manners themselves, Lakan sat with a morose expression on his face, each bite he took souring his mood further. Elpis was the only one not eating. The situation reminded him of Vilemoor and the hungry wolves.

“You were saying that we are the only ones to have visited you in a very long time,” he began and turned toward Lakan, who seemed relieved to have something other to do than try to eat the food in front of him. “How did that come about?”

Lakan patted his mouth with a silk handkerchief. He appeared to be the only one to have such a thing. “When Aneros left, for many years the world was in order. Then, we received word that he would march on Scercendusa, bent on seeking power and glory.”

“Did you hear about the people being sent to you from his wife’s place and his new seat of power?” Varg omitted saying the name Nelsikkar again. It was evident that they couldn’t recall it. Yet, maybe at least the situations that had been supposed to involve their help would ring some bell.

Lakan shook his head. “We received no word of such a thing. What we know is that whatever Aneros and his wife did, it brought this on us.” He pushed away the plate in front of him with something akin to disgust. “Do you have any idea how this place used to look, stranger?” He addressed the question directly to Varg. The pain in the white tiger’s eyes was not easy to bear watching. “We rule over these vast lands and have been ruling for millennia. And what are we now? Nothing but remnants of glory passed.”

“How did you arrive here?” Elpis asked, after a few moments of silence. “What way did you use? They were all destroyed, as far as we know, and we are severed from the world.”

“We traveled through a passage granted us by a well at the heart of The Quiet Woods,” Varg replied truthfully.

A murmur moved through all those present. Lakan knocked on the table with his iron seal to make them stop. “You will have to show us that passage,” he said in a strained voice.

“It isn’t possible to travel back through it,” Toru intervened.

Lakan pursed his lips. “I can’t say that surprises me. Yet, you will have to show it to us anyway,” he added, emphasizing each word.

“There were fish in the water,” Toru said. “Let’s go fish tomorrow, and we’ll try to see if the passage is still there.”

Lakan scoffed. “There haven’t been fish in the river—Wait, is it true?” He leaned over the table and stared at Toru in disbelief. “Come with me,” he said and got to his feet.

“We’ll all go,” Elpis said.

“No, you stay here,” Lakan ordered. “Only Toru and I will go.”

Varg touched Claw’s elbow lightly. “What do you think?” he whispered from the corner of his mouth.

“We should let the boys get to know each other, I suppose, without us watching over their every move,” Claw offered.

There seemed to be no guile in Lakan’s demeanor as he grabbed Toru’s arm impatiently and dragged him after him.

***

Toru more than welcomed Lakan’s direct attitude as opposed to how formal the white tiger had tried to be from the moment they had set foot in that bleak room. Their salted meats weren’t that tasty, and he could tell everyone was hungry, so it had seemed natural to suggest a bit of fishing.

He hadn’t expected the mighty ruler of Niverborg, Lakan, to want to show himself just as bold as he would be and want to fish at night. Yet, he was grateful for it, because it gave him a chance to eat something other than those dried up meats.

Lakan was running in front, leaving tracks in the snow, and Toru followed close behind. If they were to run side by side, there was a possibility that Lakan would be able to hold his own, and that simple realization filled him with the desire to compete. He put his all into racing to the river, and Lakan soon caught onto his intentions. As expected, he began running faster, and soon, they were side by side, their harsh breathing filling the night air.

Could it be that this ruler of nothing but a handful of white tigers in the middle of nowhere had it in him to beat him at running fast? Toru couldn’t quite believe it and tried even harder.

They were so caught up in their race that, when they reached the river, they both stumbled and fell into the cold water at the same time.

Toru swam with all his paws and looked through the crystal-clear water. He saw Lakan swimming about and searching for the fish.

They had to be deeper, Toru thought, and he pushed himself to go down, until the first silver glint caught his eye. At the table, he had noticed how hungry everyone was. Maybe they would like fish.

Lakan dashed past him and caught a fish in his mouth, which he gobbled down quickly. Even the ruler must have been hungry. They had to find someone who had better cooking skills. Was it Elpis who made the meat so dry and tasteless? Not that Toru would say a thing like that to her face; he had an inkling that she wouldn’t take it well.

As insufferable as Lakan had seemed earlier, he was so playful and young looking now, hunting fish after fish, and eating his fill. Toru followed his example, wondering which one of them would win in an eating contest.

They brushed by each other as they strove to catch the same big fish. Lakan stole it right out from between his snapping jaws, and Toru really took their competition to heart now. He grabbed Lakan from behind and pushed him down, but the white tiger pushed back effortlessly, and soon they were both soaring to the surface.

After they shifted back into their humans, once again on the ground covered by snow, Toru couldn’t stop thinking about how young Lakan looked in the light of the moon. After their initial confrontation and inside that glum room at the castle, he had thought him to be significantly older than he was. Now, they seemed more the same age. His laughter and youthful demeanor also reminded Toru of the children he had used to play with at the orphanage, on the rare occasions he wasn’t being been punished by their caretakers for one thing or the other.

“We need something to put the fish in,” Lakan announced. “I didn’t think you were telling the truth, so I didn’t bring anything.”

Toru scowled. “Why wouldn’t I tell the truth?”

Lakan suddenly seemed to remember something. “The passage!” he exclaimed and turned on his heel.

Toru caught his arm to stop him from diving into the water again. “I looked while you played around. It’s not there anymore. It’s nothing but the river.”

“Are you sure?” Lakan asked, his eyes still unsure and searching Toru’s face for any sign that he might be lying. “When you came through that well, as you said, what did you see? I mean, what did the world look like out there?”

The white tiger was looking at him with hungry, shiny eyes, and Toru understood his longing. He had been within his rights to challenge him and his companions when they had set foot there. After not seeing a soul for so many years. Anyone would think an enemy had arrived, looking to take over.

“It is far and wide. I’ve seen plenty of it,” Toru said and crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s not like your woman said, that I’m too young to have traveled.”

“My woman?” Lakan asked, a bit confused.

“That Elpis,” Toru replied. “She seems to rule with you.”

Lakan laughed. “Elpis is my mother, not my mate.”

Toru couldn’t suppress his surprise. “But she looks so young.”

“She has thirty years on me, I assure you. But people here don’t get old the same way they do in the world out there. People from many other parts used to come because they believed we had a fountain of youth hidden around here.”

Wells and fountains. There must be something magical in the water everywhere, Toru thought while taking in the river, the myriads of glittering stars scattered on its surface. Just like it was about the moon, Varg’s goddess. “And do you have a fountain of youth?” he asked.

Lakan swatted him playfully over the shoulder. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” he said wryly.

The morose white tiger had only had to eat a little something and he was a different man. It just went along with Toru’s belief that being hungry made people do nasty things, not that he did so when his belly was empty, but it surely didn’t put him in a good mood either.

“How about you tell me everything, and not only about your secret fountains. I can help you bring the fish back to your people. There are plenty of them.”

“Let’s do that, and tomorrow I will show you around,” Lakan promised. “Even if your father came from here, you’ve never been?”

“As I said. I wish I had visited at least once. Although, I could live without all this cold.” He shivered for show.

Lakan laughed. “You have a thick coat, I saw it. And I really was trying to hurt you earlier when I attacked you. Nothing goes through that hide, does it?”

Toru took it for what it was. A peace offering, and a compliment. He laughed and grabbed Lakan by the shoulders. “And you better remember that, just in case it ever crosses your mind that you could take me.”

“I didn’t really put my all into attacking you,” Lakan retorted, but Toru could tell that his host was a proud tiger and he didn’t take well to being put down like that.

He understood all that, since he was also a tiger. He wouldn’t hurt Lakan’s pride more than beyond defending himself. “I believe you,” he said solemnly. “Now, let’s bring some fish to the table.”

***

Duril wrapped his arm around Toru and observed the secret smile on his face. The accommodations weren’t all bad, after what they had seen at dinner, but one could tell that the castle was in a state of severe disrepair.

“Did you get to know Lakan better?” he asked after a while.

They were alone in their room, as it looked as if they didn’t have large rooms in that castle and could only accommodate two people at a time. Duril didn’t mind it, since he knew Varg and Claw had their own ways to entertain themselves, if put together. And Toru was possessive of him, which made him feel loved and cherished.

“I did. He’s not a bad man,” Toru replied, somewhat defensively.

“I didn’t think so. They have the right to protect their lands. How do you think they caught whiff of us being here so fast?”

“They might have been out hunting,” Toru offered.

“But I don’t think there’s much hunting to do here,” Duril said. “I mean, anyone could tell the meat they served at dinner had been preserved for a long time.”

Toru nodded. “You’re right. Which means that this huge forest lacks prey, doesn’t it?”

Duril was of the same mind. “Then, most probably, we have to investigate tomorrow and see what is going on.”

“Yes. Lakan was so happy there were fish in the river. That’s strange, just like their being cut off from the world.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Duril said as he drifted off to sleep, his mind full of the Niverborg people’s plight.

TBC

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