Sapien Loop Short Stories: The Chief in the North (Part Three)

3 days ago

A few weeks later, a messenger arrived at the palace in the Capital City. The messenger approached Rundo, who was sitting in his lounge relaxing.

‘I have an urgent message from the North,’ said the messenger. ‘It appears Chief Sanguine is holding the nobles hostage.’

‘Utter complete lies,’ replied Rundo as he sipped on his fruit juice. ‘The North is prospering like never before. Mining output is up. The nobles are getting rich.’

‘They are also terrified and desperately want to leave,’ added the messenger.

The journey from the North is terrifying,’ replied Rundo. ‘Sudden storms and dangerous rock falls. I’m surprised more haven’t died. Actually, that doesn’t surprise me. Chief Sanguine only allows travel when he knows it is entirely safe.’

‘Does that mean you aren’t going to help them?’ asked the messenger.

‘No,’ replied Rundo as he snatched the messages from the messenger. ‘Instead, I’ll help you and pretend we never had this conversation.’

The messenger looked perplexed and then scurried out of the lounge.

Eventually, Sanguine allowed nobles to leave. The Carvaress family started a transportation company. This enabled the wealthy to safely leave and enter the North District. Tax from the booming mining industry and rental payments enabled Sanguine to fund his guards. The residents offered sporadic resistance. However, each time they failed badly. The guards publicly and brutally killed these rebels. The residents were too afraid to organise a coordinated effort against Sanguine. As time passed, and the number of guards swelled in numbers, it appeared any form of rebellion would be doomed to fail.

Erin recovered from her physical injuries, but not her emotional ones. She still loved Sanguine, but she was heartbroken. She desperately hoped there was still decency left in him. However hard she tried, she could not see it. She was deeply saddened by how he treated their son, Tiberius. Sanguine forced him to attend all public punishments and executions. He was also very harsh on him. If he were displeased with Tiberius, he would force him to sleep outside in the cold. She strongly disliked how he constantly reminded Tiberius that he was only half-noble. It was as if he deeply resented her for this. His treatment of Tiberius worsened when he decided to train him to fight.

‘Get up!’ shouted Sanguine to Tiberius. ‘Wipe the blood from your mouth and continue.’

Tiberius picked up his wooden sword and slowly got to his feet.

‘Strike me, strike me hard!’ shouted Sanguine. ‘Show me what you have.’

Tiberius swung the sword, but Sanguine caught it in his hand. He ripped it off him and then smashed him in the face, knocking him straight to the ground.

‘Please, no more,’ begged Erin. ‘You’re going to kill him.’

‘He needs to be strong, damn it!’ shouted Sanguine. ‘It is better to be dead than weak.’

Erin put her arms around Tiberius’ shaking body. ‘Please, he is only six years old,’ pleaded Erin as she stared at Sanguine. ‘He is our only son. The only son we can ever have now.’

‘I know,’ sighed Sanguine. ‘That is why he must be strong.’

Erin picked Tiberius up and carried him into the house.

The lax safety standards in the mines were taking their toll. Cave-ins and other incidents were becoming more common. Many miners died, and many more were badly injured. It was common for all adults in a family to be killed in one go. This led to a rapid rise in the number of orphan children. These children were sent to the North orphanage. Out of guilt, the Alset family funded the orphanage. Sanguine syphoned some of their funding to pay his guards. This caused the orphanage to struggle. Children were forced to share beds, and their food was limited and of the lowest quality.

Sanguine considered the orphanage ideal for recruiting new guards. The older children were grateful to leave. Life as a guard was far better than as a starving orphan.

Sanguine took his now thirteen-year-old son Tiberius to the orphanage.

Melandria, the new deputy head of the orphanage, rushed out to meet them. She was holding an infant.

‘We have not had our medicine restocked in weeks,’ said Melandria forcefully. ‘This little one is very ill.’

‘That is terrible,’ sighed Sanguine. ‘I will not allow this poor child to suffer a minute longer. Hand her over to me.’

Melandria reluctantly handed the infant to Sanguine. Sanguine gently bounced her up and down. He began to sing to her. It was the same song he heard Tarrina sing in the garden. After he had finished singing, he looked at Melandria and said, ‘I’ll have medicine from my own personal stock delivered here today.’

‘Thank you, chief,’ said Melandria as Sanguine handed the infant back to her.

Melandria led Sanguine and Tiberius into the orphanage. They inspected the building and visited several of the children, and then they left.

‘I don’t understand,’ said Tiberius to his father after they had left. ‘Why do you want to save that child’s life?’

‘It is important to maintain good relations with Melandria,’ replied Sanguine. ‘She and her staff are raising my future guards. It is also important for them to know that the greedy Alset Company is the cause of their suffering.’

‘What about the public executions?’ asked Tiberius.

‘We only execute traitors, son,’ replied Sanguine as he rubbed Tiberius’ head. ‘The Alset Company punishes everyone else.

Tiberius frowned. He thought his father should have killed the ill child. To him, she was just a drain on their resources.

‘It is important you pay attention,’ said Sanguine, as he could clearly see his son’s disapproval. ‘I expect you’ll be visiting here quite a bit in the future.’

True to his word, medicines were delivered to the orphanage later that day. The ill infant soon recovered.

The frequent mining accidents were harming the Alset family’s reputation. Locum decided to send his eldest son, Hadrian Alset, to take charge of operations.

Hadrian immediately went to visit Chief Sanguine.

Sanguine was seated behind his desk when Hadrian entered the office. Sanguine rose to his feet to shake Hadrian’s hand.

‘It is a great pleasure to finally have a member of the Alset family back in the North,’ said Sanguine as he sat back down while gesturing to Hadrian to sit.

‘I’m here to manage operations personally,’ said Hadrian as he sat down opposite Sanguine.

‘Of course, that is the way it should be,’ replied Sanguine, nodding. ‘Your father is a great leader and a wonderful Linap. He played an instrumental role in raising me. I miss him very much.’

‘It pains me to tell you, he will never be healthy enough to travel here again,’ replied Hadrian. ‘However, if it wasn’t for his genius, he would have died long ago. He has helped develop some great medicines that have greatly helped him.’

‘I’m so glad his mind has remained strong,’ replied Sanguine as he smiled a little.

‘He is also on the verge of another great invention,’ said Hadrian. ‘This invention will enable you to speak to him directly. However, it’ll take a little longer for the infrastructure to reach here.’

‘I should have visited him a long time ago,’ said Sanguine with a sadness in his tone.

‘It’s not too late,’ replied Hadrian.

‘I’m sure you have lots to do,’ said Sanguine as he got off his chair. ‘I won’t keep you any longer.’

‘Yes, of course,’ replied Hadrian as they shook hands.

Meanwhile, Tiberius was walking through the forest. To his astonishment, he saw a boy who looked identical to him. He decided to secretly follow the boy. After an hour, the boy arrived at a cabin deep in the forest. Tiberius rushed home to tell his parents. When he arrived home. His mother was in the kitchen preparing dinner, and his father was sitting at the dining table.

‘There is a boy; he looks just like me!’ blurted out Tiberius.

‘It must be your imagination,’ replied Erin.

‘Where did you see this boy?’ asked Sanguine firmly.

‘He went to a cabin deep in the forest,’ replied Tiberius.

‘Take me to this cabin, I must see this boy for himself,’ demanded Sanguine.

‘Yes, of course,’ said Tiberius with a slight smile. ‘He might be a threat to me.’

‘Indeed,’ replied Sanguine as he put on his coat.

Around an hour later, they arrived at the cabin. Sanguine forcibly opened the door. Inside the cabin were two males. They both turned around. One of them was identical to Tiberius, and Sanguine immediately recognised the other. He was the one that Sanguine had believed had killed his son, Titus.

‘My son, you have my son,’ said Sanguine.

‘He’s an imposter,’ said Tiberius as he pulled on Sanguine’s arm. ‘I am your son.’

‘Silence, boy,’ said Sanguine aggressively to Tiberius.

‘I knew this day would come,’ said the older male. ‘Please, take a seat. I’ll explain everything.’

‘I should skin you alive,’ said Sanguine as he stared at him.

‘Please don’t, he’s my father,’ said the twin. ‘I love him dearly.’

Sanguine sighed heavily and sat down.

‘My name is Will,’ said Will. ‘He is your son, Titus.’

Sanguine frowned as he studied Will’s face.

‘The captain came to me,’ said Will. ‘He told me to attack your family and take one of your babies.’

‘Why would you do such a thing?’ asked Sanguine.

‘My wife died during childbirth, and then a few months later my child died,’ said Will as he looked into his hands. ‘It was like having my son back. I know it was wrong, but I was desperate.’

‘Pain makes us do terrible things,’ sighed Sanguine. ‘I see you have taken good care of him. You have loved him as your son, and you have honoured his birth name. I appreciate that.’

Tiberius looked at his father in disbelief.

‘I… will spare your life, but I must insist on taking my son back,’ said Sanguine.

‘I understand,’ said Will. ‘Thank you for showing me such mercy.’ Will turned to Titus and said, ‘Pack your things.’

Titus reluctantly nodded and began to put a few items in a bag.

‘Were the burnt remains your son’s?’ asked Sanguine as he leaned forward in his seat.

‘Yes, it so pained me to do so,’ replied Will. ‘I needed the body to be unrecognisable so you would believe it was your son.’

Sanguine looked over at Titus. He frowned for a moment. Then he got up and put his arms around him.

‘It is a miracle,’ said Sanguine. ‘My eldest son is coming home.’

On hearing Sanguine’s words, Tiberius began to fill with anger and hatred.

Sanguine turned to face Will. ‘We must go,’ said Sanguine as he placed a hand on Will’s shoulder. ‘His mother will be so thrilled.’

The three of them left the cabin together. Sanguine walked with Titus, and Tiberius followed behind.

Erin was peering through the window. When she saw them coming, she rushed to greet them. She threw her arms around Titus in joy.

‘You are home,’ she said to him as she kissed his head. ‘You are home, my baby.’

Tiberius fumed as he watched her reaction.

‘Tonight you’ll sleep in Tiberius’ room,’ said Sanguine as he rubbed Titus’ back.

‘So, I’ll just sleep in the shed,’ said Tiberius in a sarcastic tone.

‘I was going to say the spare room, but it seems you know your place,’ chuckled Sanguine.

Titus turned and smiled at Tiberius as Erin guided him into the house.

The next morning, Tiberius entered the dining room. Titus was sitting in his place.

Tiberius was about to say something, but Sanguine spoke first. ‘Son, your new place at the table is here,’ he said as he pointed at a chair.

Tiberius angrily plonked himself down in his new place.

Erin entered the dining room carrying a tray with three plates of pancakes on them.

‘Oh no,’ she said as she looked at Tiberius. ‘I’m so sorry. I’m so used to preparing just three meals.’

‘Don’t apologise to him,’ said Sanguine. ‘The boy can have a lump of bread.’

‘I could share my pancakes with him,’ suggested Titus.

‘You need a good hearty breakfast,’ said Sanguine as he smiled at Titus. ‘After all, you will be chief one day.’

Tiberius abruptly got up and stormed out of the dining room.

‘That was not necessary,’ said Erin angrily as she stared at Sanguine.

‘There is no point hiding the truth,’ remarked Sanguine as he smiled at Titus.

‘I’ll go and talk to him,’ said Erin.

‘No, I’ll do it,’ sighed Sanguine as he got up.

Tiberius was pacing frantically up and down in the garden.

‘Your elder twin brother returns home, and you act like this,’ said Sanguine as he approached Tiberius.

‘Why do you hate me so much?’ screamed Tiberius. ‘All I ever wanted was to be like you.’

‘You need to be strong,’ said Sanguine firmly. ‘I need you to be strong.’

‘Why, so I can serve him?’ screamed Tiberius.

‘If that’s all you’re good for, so be it,’ replied Sanguine angrily as he turned around to re-enter the house.

Tiberius screamed in rage.

Later that day, Tiberius went to the cabin to visit Will. He knocked on the door. Will opened it.

‘Tiberius, what a pleasure it is to see you,’ said Will. ‘What can I do for you?’

‘I want to know more about my brother and you,’ said Tiberius.

‘Come on in,’ said Will as he stepped back. ‘I’d be happy to tell you more.’

Tiberius walked into the cabin, and Will gestured to him to sit down.

‘How did you manage to hide him for so long?’ asked Tiberius.

‘We lived off the land away from the town; it isn’t so hard if you know what you’re doing,’ said Will as he poured two glasses of water. ‘Your brother is a skilled hunter, fisher, and gatherer.’

For some reason, he wandered much nearer to the town,’ said Tiberius.

‘I suppose he was curious,’ said Will as he placed a glass of water in front of Tiberius. ‘He is just a boy like yourself.’

‘Maybe he wanted me to see him,’ suggested Tiberius. ‘Maybe he wanted me to follow him.’

‘Such an imagination,’ chuckled Will. ‘You are just like your brother. Drink up. The walk must have made you thirsty.’

‘He is a good hunter, you say,’ remarked Tiberius as he picked up the glass. ‘Surely, he would have known I was following him.’

Tiberius slowly sipped the water.

‘It appears you took the bait,’ chuckled Will.

Tiberius spat the water out and then smashed the glass into Will’s face.

Will shrieked loudly. Tiberius rushed over to the kitchen counter to grab a knife. Will grabbed him from behind and slammed him down.

‘You are too late,’ shouted Will as he pinned Tiberius down. ‘Tonight your father dies, and Titus will be the chief.’

‘My father already knows,’ chuckled Tiberius. ‘Titus is already dead.’

‘You little liar,’ said Will as he pushed his face against Tiberius’.

Tiberius bit Will’s face hard. Will screamed, and Tiberius rolled away from him.

‘I’m going to enjoy killing you, you little shit,’ shouted Will as he watched Tiberius rush out the door.

Will rushed out after him. He scanned the forest ahead of him with his eyes, but he could not see Tiberius. Suddenly, Tiberius rushed out from behind a pile of chopped wood with an axe. He swung the axe and hit Will in the knee. Will screamed as he fell to the ground.

‘I want you to beg for mercy,’ said Tiberius as he looked down at Will, who was squirming in pain.

‘Go to hell!’ shouted Will.

Tiberius swung the axe again, cutting deeply into his leg. ‘Then I’ll keep chopping!’ shouted Tiberius as Will squealed once again. ‘Now beg!’

‘Okay, please no more,’ cried Will.

‘I said, “Beg!”’ shouted Tiberius as he chopped at Will again with the axe.

Will screamed out again.

A few hours later, Tiberius arrived back at his family home. He was covered in blood, and he was carrying a bag. Erin and Titus were in the garden; they saw him arrive.

‘Tiberius, what happened?’ asked Erin as she rushed over to him.

‘Just went for a little hunt,’ smiled Tiberius as he looked at Titus.

‘You’re clearly doing it wrong,’ replied Titus as he strutted towards Tiberius. ‘I’m cooking a nice…’

‘Meal, you’re cooking a meal for us,’ said Tiberius. ‘That’s why I rushed home.’

‘Yes, I am,’ replied Titus. ‘How did you know?’

‘He told me,’ chuckled Tiberius as he turned the bag upside down, dropping Will’s head on the ground.

Both Titus and Erin shrieked in horror. Tiberius pulled out a knife, which he had taken from the cabin, and began frantically stabbing Titus.

Erin tried to pull Tiberius off Titus, but he pushed her down hard and then continued to stab Titus.

A few seconds later, Tiberius stopped. He stood up and looked down on Titus’ lifeless, mutilated body. Sanguine had heard the commotion and had walked outside. Tiberius stared at Sanguine as he slowly walked towards him. Sanguine had a small container of poison in one hand. He dropped the container on the ground next to his wife.

‘This is the day that Tiberius was truly born,’ said Sanguine as he reached out and touched Tiberius’ shoulders. ‘You are my vengeance.’

Several years later, Rundo the Fifth was found dead on the palace grounds. His cause of death remains a mystery, but the word ‘vengeance’ was carved on the tree next to his body.

Images were created with the help of Peakd Image Generator

Sapien Loop Short Stories

Sapien Loop short stories explore the adventures of some of the characters from the Sapien Loop series. These stories are intended to reveal more about individual characters and the events that have helped shape them.

Currently, two books from the series have been published on Amazon; see links below:

All individual chapters can be found on my @captainhive account.