The Barbarian’s Heart (Savagely Sweet Barbarians #1)
Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE
CEDRIC
“Traitor!”
“Disgusting!”
“You should be ashamed!”
I tuned out the shouts of the people I’d once called friends.
People I’d spent my whole life with. The last forty years meant nothing to them once they learned of my affliction.
Even my closest allies looked at me with disgust. It hurt, but I didn’t let it break me.
I hitched my bag a little higher on my shoulder, watching as the cloud of dust came closer.
Rumors had passed around after the barbarians began making their rounds, promising a life of freedom and happiness for people like me, if only I were brave enough to take it.
My sister watched from the crowd, giving me a sad smile when she noticed my attention on her.
She’d been the one to encourage me to go.
She was the only one who knew of my affliction since we were children.
She knew I’d never be happy here, despite the years I’d spent trying to change that.
Nothing I’d ever done changed anything in this town. I’d have better luck somewhere else.
The gates opened, and the group of us that had gathered to meet the barbarians was shoved forward, no longer welcome in town even if the rumor turned out to be false.
That’s when they began to throw rotten food.
I flinched when a moldy lettuce hit the side of my head, catching Leyna’s arm to keep her from falling when a tomato hit her hard enough to make her stumble.
We kept going, the gate slamming behind us signaling the finality of the event.
Whatever happened next, the only option we had was to go forward. There would be no going back.
As the group of barbarians came into view, I studied them closely.
I’d seen them come to our town for years.
Giants covered in tattoos, with massive swords tied to their hips and fierce expressions on their faces.
Despite the treaty, they never looked happy to come to our towns.
Even now, they looked ready for a fight.
But, to my surprise, it wasn’t only the giants who came closer.
Some of them had companions on their mounts, smaller men who wore the barbarian clothing but looked nothing like the ones they rode with.
One even had pink hair. That was… strange.
It made me hopeful that the rumors were true, though.
They even had a wagon behind them this time, when they normally traveled to our towns without.
Tobias, who stood beside me, trembled at the sight of the group, and I put my hand on his shoulder automatically, hoping to reassure him just a little.
He was barely of age. This had to be frightening for him.
“Stay together,” I encouraged our small group. “It’ll be alright.”
I sounded more sure than I felt, and when the group pulled to a halt in front of us, I swallowed hard as the long established fear of the barbarians made me want to turn around and run in the opposite direction.
Only the knowledge that behind was just as dangerous as in front kept my feet where they were.
The pink-haired man leaned forward on his mount, supported by the barbarian behind him who had his hands on the smaller man’s hips. “Are you waiting for us?”
As the clerk of petitions of our town, I was technically the highest ranking member amongst the five of us. I stepped forward, years of practice making it easy to hide the tremor in my voice as I addressed the people we’d lived in fear of our entire lives.
“I believe so. We were told there is a group of barbarians going from town to town, giving passage to those who–” I cut myself off, uncertain how to finish that sentence, but the pink-haired man finished before I could figure it out.
“Those who like to fuck their same gender? Yeah, that’s us. I’m surprised you knew we were coming. We’ve had an uphill battle since we started getting people to believe us.”
“Word travels fast around here,” I explained, gesturing to the group behind me. “This is everyone. Is there… paperwork that needs to be done?”
He snorted, sitting up and leaning back against the barbarian behind him, treating the large intimidating man like a resting place.
It was a little shocking seeing him treat the man so casually.
“No paperwork needed. Meeting us out here saves us a lot of trouble. Hop onto one of the wagons, and we’ll be on our way.
” He switched to another language, speaking to the barbarian behind him.
Another came closer, his expression firm but not unkind.
“Is the woman injured?”
I glanced at Leyna, who still had tomato dripping from her hair. “It’s tomato. They threw food.”
The pink-haired man clicked his tongue in disgust, shooting the town a dirty look. “And they call us monsters. We’ll stop by a stream soon so you can clean up. Uttin, we shouldn’t hang around. The guards look twitchy.”
The barbarian who had been riding alone, Uttin, slid off his horse, as well as a few other barbarians who came to join us, taking our bags and leading us around to the back of the covered wagon, where more people from other towns waited.
“One wagon may not have been enough,” Uttin grumbled as we climbed inside. “I had not thought there would be this many.”
“Is… Is it a problem?” I asked uncertainly. We couldn’t afford to go back, but if the barbarians couldn’t help us all the way to their clan, perhaps they could at least bring us to one of the towns that didn’t persecute people with our affliction.
He shook his head, helping a woman I wasn’t familiar with up into the wagon. “No, no problem. We may need to split the journey, though. It might be better to return to Al Nuzem soon and come back with more wagons.”
I wouldn’t be against that. The sooner I could get settled somewhere, the less I’d feel like I was drifting in the open ocean with no tether. I never did well with change.
We ended up making the journey to Al Nuzem after some discussion between the barbarians.
There were enough of them to protect us during the journey, but they worried about space since the wagon was already full before me and my fellow townsfolk arrived.
They seriously underestimated just how many people would be seeking their aid.
To make enough space, some had to ride with the barbarians who didn’t have companions with them, just so everyone would be comfortable.
They still had plenty of towns to go to on their journey, and with space already being limited, they didn't think they could accept more without things becoming incredibly uncomfortable.
For the first few days, I was on guard. It was hard to let go of the rumors I’d heard all my life about the barbarian clans.
If it weren’t for the men who’d become tributes being around to answer questions, I wasn’t sure I would’ve believed them.
But not only did they have actual proof, but they also showed us by how they acted.
The pink-haired man, who’d introduced himself as Simon, was all over his barbarian.
Zakai, who was bonded to Uttin, was no better.
None of the other barbarians without partners looked bothered or even batted an eye at their amorous affections.
One or two even teased and jeered at them when they wandered off hand in hand for some privacy. To them, it was truly no big deal.
Hope filled my chest as we crossed into Al Nuzem.
They opened up the sides of the wagon to allow more wind to ease the heat a little, and I stared in awe as I took in the sand as far as the eye could see.
And when we came over a dune and the capital of Al Nuzem came into view, I nearly fell out of the wagon.
“Goddess… It’s so vast!”
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the group, and I could practically feel the excitement and nerves notching higher as we got closer to our final destination.
Uttin, who seemed to be the leader of our group, pulled up beside the wagon, his gruff voice stilted as he spoke in the common tongue.
“We will be bringing you first to our clan. Should you wish to move to the capital, there will be a group traveling there once our final journey is through. For now, there is a teacher in our clan who can teach you our tongue, and a visitor from the capital who will teach the language of Al Nuzem and the laws of the land. You will rest there for the time being.”
That sounded smart, ensuring we understood how things worked in our new environment before throwing us into a new city. I appreciated their thoroughness. I much preferred knowing the lay of the land before making any big decisions on what I wanted to do next.
Uttin’s bondmate, an actual prince of Al Nuzem, raced up to his side, grinning at him. He said something in his language, his tone challenging, and an indulgent smile crossed Uttin’s face. He jerked his chin at Simon, who rode at the front with his barbarian.
“Simon will introduce you to your teachers, who will show you where you will stay. Rest easy. This part of the journey is the safest. More of our people are already coming to watch over your arrival.”
Swinging around, I watched in surprise as a familiar dust cloud headed in our direction.
Before I could ask why more were coming, Uttin’s bondmate whooped, and his horse darted forward, racing toward the smaller encampment a short distance from the capital city.
Uttin chuckled and took off after him, leaving us in the dust as they raced each other toward home.
Snickering, Tobias leaned over the edge of the wagon to get a better look at the city. “If those two are an example of what’s waiting for us, I’m excited to get there.”
So was I. I’d long since resigned myself to living my life alone.
When I was still young and hopeful, I thought if I changed the minds of the council, I could find love and be just like everyone else.
I fought for a position in government so I could make strides towards that.
It didn’t take long to realize that unless I had others on the council on my side, nothing I said or did would make any difference.
The only way around that would be to become the mayor, and I was never popular enough or cutthroat enough to earn that job.
Tobias leaned a little too much, and I grabbed a fistful of his tunic automatically, hauling the boy backward to prevent him from falling out. “You won’t make it if you fall and break your neck. Sit back. We’ll get there eventually.”
And once we arrived, I’d finally be able to live my life. For the first time in forty years, I could seek happiness, love, and freedom in ways I’d only ever dreamed of. It almost seemed a little too good to be true.