Page 46 of The Laws of Nature (Heirs of the Empire #3)

Mereli smiles. “You want to know what Harok wants. Truly that is a very interesting question. For the early days of his life I think he wanted nothing except to avenge his father. Once he achieved that, he changed. And now it is hard to know. He has a reputation for being difficult in his moods. I have oft thought that deep down he is more like his own father than he would admit. But, of course, after what happened with his father, he does not want to be so.”

“He thinks his father weak.”

“Indeed. After all, his father walked obediently to his death in the face of his brother’s obvious corruption of the Blood Priests.

He put his honour — his will to uphold the traditions of the forest — above all, even the safety of his son and named heir, who would be left in the charge of Vahul, a man any Solwen could be sure would not treat Harok fairly or kindly. ”

“And what was it like for Harok, growing up with a man like that?” Tobi says suddenly struck by the twisted horror of the story.

Vahul killed Lal, Harok’s father, by manipulating the Blood Priests.

And Harok was forced to watch as his father went willingly to his death, handing Harok’s own fate over to Vahul by declaring him Harok’s regent.

Was Harok’s father stupid? Or simply blinded by honour?

“If you are asking if Vahul mistreated Harok, then the answer is yes.

He could not abuse Harok directly, of course, Harok was still the heir to Urynwud, but Vahul ordered many torments for Harok as a boy under the guise of making him ready to rule.

Harsh training and harsher punishments, when his body could not keep up with the rigour Vahul expected.

He was flogged in the courtyard many times for even the most minor mistakes.

Vahul seemed to delight in coming up with tests for Harok.

He was a strong youth, but Vahul would make him fight four men at once, or fight blindfolded, and if he failed.

.. “ Mereli sighs. “Vahul once had the boy burned with hot irons simply for not making enough progress with his archery. It was meant, I suppose, only to break him but, as is often the way with these things, it made him strong. Made him the Unkillable Irgo.”

“Do you think he really is unkillable?”

Mereli lifts a shoulder. “Who can say? Some say he is. Some because he slayed Diazuul. Others because he is the son of one of the Verilissia and she carved that sigil on his chest. He has certainly taken grievous wounds fighting the Exceli that one might assume would have killed a lesser man. Including the one he took to retrieve you.”

Mereli pauses and Tobi thinks of the marks on Harok's body.

Vahul was a cruel man and because Harok does not want to be like his father, he wants to be like Vahul.

He wants to be like the man who tormented him.

He tries to solve his problems with strength and stubbornness.

He will not speak to the Exceli and try to make peace.

He would not apologise to Tobi for burning his clothes in a rage.

“I would like to see Harok now,” Tobi says. “But before I do, I have some words I need you to teach me. There is something I must say to him in Ambolk.”

In his chamber, Harok is propped on pillows. A healer is applying a bright green poultice to his shoulder and the wound on his chest has been redressed. Tobi approaches the bed and looks at him .

“Suskara,” Harok slurs out, lidded eyes only half open. His eyes look dark and glassy. Clearly he still has the salix and sofi in his blood.

Tobi knows these medicines. Salix is for fever and sofi makes you dream sweet painless dreams.

Tobi leans over the bed. “Irgorye,” he whispers. “Ereyek. It’s me. Suskara.” He thinks that is the first time he’s used Harok’s name for him to describe himself.

“Suskara,” Harok says again dreamily. Then in a different tone, “Diazuul,” he sounds almost fearful.

“Diazuul?” Tobi frowns.

Harok looks past Tobi and looks to Mereli and the healer. “Leave us,” he says groggily.

“Irgo, I think I should stay,” Mereli says.

“You heard him,” Tobi snaps out in Ambolk. “He is still your Irgo. He gave you order.”

Mereli looks unsure for a moment. Then he says, “Very well, my Irgo.”

The healer follows, and as she does she hands Tobi the bowl containing the green-coloured paste and some strips of linen, “Apply this to his wound,” she says, as if she is giving a command.

As the healer and Mereli leave, Tobi walks around the bed. He can see where the healer has been applying the green paste to Harok’s broken skin. He lifts the wooden paddle in the bowl and dabs some of the paste onto a red, torn place gingerly.

Harok hisses in pain.

“Oliki,” Tobi says.

Harok grunts.

“Kushir can say sorry,” Tobi says sweetly in Ambolk.

“Sorry?” Harok growls slowly. “Is kushir sorry for leaving Urynwud?”

“Yes,” says Tobi. “Thank you for rescue me. ”

“You are my kushir.”

“You are my Irgorye,” Tobi says. “But Irgo come alone. Why come alone?”

“No time for warriors.” Harok snorts. “I am Unkillable Irgo.”

Tobi makes a scoffing sound. “Unkillable? You only win fight with Baby. Alone without Baby, Exceli kill Irgo Harok.”

Harok snorts more loudly. “Your beast is a fine warrior. You should train her to fight.”

“Baby fight because I in danger,” Tobi says, dabbing more paste over Harok’s wound. Harok hisses again.

“Baby obey you. You train her. She good warrior.”

“No,” says Tobi. “Fighting danger. Baby get hurt. No.”

“Baby will not fight if her Irgorye kushir says no,” Harok says.

“I say no,” Tobi says. He dabs a little more of the paste onto Harok’s skin, more gently this time.“You tell Mereli speak to me?”

“Mereli? I did not send Mereli to Suskara.” Harok frowns. “What did Mereli say to you?”

“He tell me of your father Irgo Lal. Your uncle Irgo Vahul. Your uncle cruel. Hurt you.”

“Irgo Vahul made me a strong Irgo,” Harok says.

“You kill Irgo Vahul.”

“Irgo Vahul was a traitor,” Harok says. It takes Tobi a moment to understand that last word. Traitor.

Tobi takes a breath. He remembers the words he got Mereli to teach him and he says them, like lines he has carefully learnt for a show, “Irgorye, I am sorry I ran. I will not run again. But you will never punish me like that in front of the Solwen. You will not use me to show the Solwen you are strong. If I do things you do not like we will speak of them in this chamber. I am not your possession. I am your kushir. I have done all I can to please you. You will agree to this or I will run away. You know I will find a way if you treat me like that again.”

Harok stares at Tobi. He doesn’t say much for a while, so long that Tobi wonders if what Mereli taught him even made sense.

But eventually, Harok nods and says, “Yes Suskara. Suskara is man, not possession.” And then he takes a breath and swallows.

He looks into Tobi’s eyes and says, “ Oliki, Suskara. ”