Imagine a world ruled by fear, where violence is encouraged and the power-hungry are rewarded. On this hellish planet, children learn early that kindness is weak and love is wrong. They grow up to become sadists and psychopaths, seeking out war and wearing their scars as a badge of honor.
This planet is real. Its name is Aneatanga.
Content Warning: abuse, violence
Cover design by Madeline and Elginia Walz
Age 20/Taisaga Lura Telu
Tariao shoved one of his Whaluega into line. His pūti older brother had insisted on filling half his squad with new recruits.
Tāwera had always enjoyed making Tariao’s life difficult. Though he was fifteen now, a natural-born serpent shifter and a Tekulu in the Whanau, there were still many people who thought he was an ngalea.
I need to get rid of him, Tariao thought, glaring another recruit into submission. The only way he would have a chance at becoming king was if Tāwera was out of the way.
He turned his back to his squad of ten and nodded to Relau Uati as he approached to do his inspection. Uati, a swarmer, was in charge of Tariao’s squad, as well as nine others. The Relau was also the person Tariao had been preparing to kill Tāwera. For months, he’d been planting ideas in Uati’s head, fanning his already-oversized ego to dangerous levels.
Uati took great pride in being the rarest form of shifter and in outranking a member of the Whiro family. He also had a habit of using his shifting ability to spy unnoticed on his subordinates. Tariao had turned that to his advantage. Whenever he spotted one of Uati’s red-and-black wasps, he began talking about the power that could be gained from taking down the Ngātau. Whoever defeated Tāwera would become known as the greatest warrior on Aneatanga.
Uati smiled coldly at Tariao. He thought Tariao was planning to challenge his brother despite being three ranks lower. As much as Tariao longed to do that, he knew it would be suicide. Instead, Uati would challenge Tāwera. Unless the swarmer was a bigger wawau than usual, he would survive the challenge. Then, while he was weakened from dueling Tāwera, Tariao would challenge him and ascend to Relau.
He had considered pushing Uati into a position that would lead to him dying in the challenge, but then Tāwera would get to choose who replaced him as Relau. That choice would never be Tariao. The Ngātau was determined to keep his brother as low-ranked as possible.
As Uati was finishing his inspection of Tariao’s squad, Tāwera dived from the sky as a falcon, shifting to his natural form just before reaching the ground. Seven years later, Tariao still couldn’t figure out how his brother had gotten such a rare form. He was almost certain Tāwera was not a natural shifter. If he had been, he would have gone looking for Tariao on his thirteenth birthday to gloat and make more threats. However, if Tāwera had gone through the procedure to become a shifter artificially, no one knew about it. The doctor in charge of performing the process had insisted he didn’t have enough supplies at the time to make falcon shifters.
A shout from Uati interrupted Tariao’s theorizing. “Ngātau Tāwera!”
Tāwera turned around and smiled. The savagery of his expression sent a chill down Tariao’s spine, but Uati didn’t waver. “What is it, Relau?” Tāwera said.
“I challenge you for the rank of Ngātau,” Uati said. The Whanau moved closer to watch.
Tāwera laughed. “You? You are not worth my time.”
“I insist. Or are you a hau’a?”
Shocked whispers spread through the crowd. You didn’t insult Tāwera. He could destroy you without effort. The pointed stone pendant he wore was proof of that. That stupid rock, Tariao thought. Every time he saw it, he wanted to rip it off his brother’s neck and stab his two-year-old self with it. How could I be such a wawau?
“Very well,” Tāwera said. “Standard challenge, no shifting, ends upon defeat. Is that acceptable, Relau?”
Uati drew the sword he kept sheathed on his back. “It is.”
Tāwera smiled coldly again and drew his twin swords, and the duel began.
It soon became clear that Uati was grossly outmatched. He was good with a sword, but nowhere near as good as Tāwera. Uati’s strength was in knives—he had chosen a sword only because Tāwera had three of them. Not that the duel would have been matched with them both using knives. Tāwera had been the best knife fighter in his age group for over a decade. Though Uati was a few years older, he wasn’t as good as Tāwera with knives, either.
Uati’s forehead was bleeding. He blinked away the blood and kept fighting. Tāwera’s swords were a web of metal, forcing Uati to spend all his time on the defensive.
Tāwera scored another hit on Uati’s chin. The surrounding Whanau started whispering again, wondering why the Ngātau hadn’t killed Uati yet. He’d already had several opportunities but hadn’t taken them. Considering Tāwera had killed every person he’d ever challenged, it did seem out of character, but Tariao knew why Uati was still alive.
This wasn’t an execution. It was a public humiliation.
Tāwera sliced one sword across Uati’s face, cutting deeply across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. An instant later, he buried the other sword in Uati’s stomach.
The Relau gasped and doubled over. Tāwera pulled his sword out. “You lose, Tekulu. Surrender your armband.”
Uati straightened up, one hand pressed to his stomach wound, and glared at Tāwera. “Why didn’t you kill me?” he snapped.
“You are no threat to me,” Tāwera scoffed, “and you have nothing I want.” He sheathed his left sword and drew his knife. Uati lifted his chin as Tāwera stalked towards him, but his glare faltered as the prince put the tip of his knife against Uati’s eye socket. “If I put out one of your eyes, will half your wasps be unable to see, or will they all be half blind?” He pressed harder, causing a bead of blood to roll down the swarmer’s cheek.
Uati’s face—what could be seen of it under the blood from his three cuts—paled. He stepped back, out of range, and pulled off the green armband that marked him as a Relau.
Tāwera sheathed his right sword and took the armband. “Tekulu Ruiha!” he called. “Come here.”
Ruiha came forward, one hand on her sword hilt. Tāwera tossed her the armband. “Give yours to him.” He tipped his head towards Uati.
Ruiha took off her yellow armband, threw it at Uati, and slipped on the green one. Uati scowled but put on the yellow armband.
Only then did Tāwera step back and lower his knife. “Enjoy your promotion, Relau Ruiha. Tekulu Uati, get out of my sight.”
As Uati left, pale and stumbling from blood loss, Tāwera turned to Tariao. His face didn’t change from its arrogant expression, but Tariao knew from the look in his eyes that his brother had guessed at his involvement. By demoting Uati and promoting Ruiha, he had derailed Tariao’s plans. Challenging Uati would no longer benefit him, since they were now both Tekulu. Challenging Ruiha would only benefit Tāwera, since either of them losing would further his ambitions. Tariao would need to find another way to rise above his brother.
Tariao kept his expression blank as he stared back at Tāwera, daring him to do something. Tāwera smiled coldly, fingering his stone pendant, and turned away.
Age 23/Taisaga Lura Telu me Tulu
Tāwera was halfway through inspecting Ruiha’s battalion when Uati called him. He didn’t turn around. “This better not be another challenge, Tekulu.”
While Ruiha had risen to Manafe and Tariao had become a Relau, Uati had been stuck at the lowest officer rank since his failed duel. He had challenged every Relau and Manafe in the Whanau, but no one would accept. Despite his powerful shifter form, he was not respected. Even his own squad barely obeyed him.
“No, Ngātau,” Uati said. Tāwera could hear a hint of fury in his voice. “We found a trespasser from Pleione-Hesperis but he escaped.”
Rage surged through him. In seconds, he had Uati on the floor, a knife to the ngalea’s throat. The other Whanau didn’t move to help. “Say that again,” Tāwera growled.
Uati stared up at him. Though his face was blank, fear was plain in his eyes. When the swarmer didn’t speak, Tāwera pressed the knife in harder. A small line of blood ran down Uati’s neck.
“An Erytheis trespasser escaped,” Uati gasped.
Tāwera leaned in until his face was an inch from Uati’s. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t gut you.”
“I know where the ka’igata is going.”
Tāwera didn’t move. “Where?”
“His heading will send him towards Earth. Anywhere else is too far or too obvious. I believe he intends to hide among the Uiscogeni.”
Tāwera stood and sheathed his knife. After a moment’s hesitation, Uati stood also, wiping the blood off his neck.
“What would you like me to do about the trespasser, Ngātau?” Uati asked.
“Nothing,” he said. “I will take Manafe Amataga’s battalion and deal with the ka’igata myself. Now trade armbands with Hōfita Onosa’i.”
Uati’s eyes widened. “You’re demoting me again? You can’t—”
Tāwera slapped him. The others gasped, but if Uati was going to act like a child, Tāwera would treat him like one. “You dare tell me what I can’t do? Whiro himself does not do that.”
Uati scowled and traded armbands with a soldier in his squad.
“You are a fa’karu excuse for an Aneatangan,” Tāwera snapped. “One more stupid act from you, Hōfita Uati, and you will be banished from the Whanau. From now on, you will report to Tekulu Onosa’i and are ineligible for advancement.”
Tāwera shifted and flew away to organize his mission, leaving the humiliated swarmer sputtering below him.
The alien trespasser escaped. Now the army of Aneatanga is after him, determined to punish him for his crime. One thousand Whanau are on their way to Earth, led by Ngātau Tāwera, crown prince of Aneatanga.
They will stop at nothing to claim their revenge.
The story continues in Anathema, book one of the Heart of Darkness trilogy.
Aneatangan Dictionary (Pafi'upu o Aneatanga)
Ālau Teimaluga | Your Highness |
Amataga | beginning |
Aneatanga | destruction, chaos |
Fa’karu | pathetic |
Hau’a | coward |
Hōfita | a regular soldier with no authority. Whaluega are automatically promoted to this rank after one year in the Whanau, so new Hōfita are usually fourteen years old. This rank is eligible for advancement through challenge or promotion, though promotions are rare. Hōfita wear a white armband. |
Ka’igata | trespasser |
Manafe | the third officer rank, in charge of a battalion of Whanau. The battalion is made up of ten Relau-led groups. This rank is eligible for advancement through challenge or promotion, though promotions are rare. Manafe wear a blue armband. |
Ngalea | fool |
Ngātau | the fourth and highest officer rank, in charge of the entire Aneatangan military. This position is held by one person, who reports directly to the king. This rank can make or accept challenges, give promotions and demotions, and is responsible for approving new recruits. The Ngātau wears a red armband. |
Onosa’i | patience |
Pafi’upu o Aneatanga | dictionary of Aneatangan |
Pūti | terrible, awful, hated. Used as an insult. |
Relau | the second officer rank, in charge of one hundred Whanau. The group is made up of ten Tekulu-led squads. This rank is eligible for advancement through challenge or promotion, though promotions are rare. Relau wear a green armband. |
Ruiha | battle |
Taisaga lura telu | age twenty. Literally, “age two tens” |
Taisaga lura telu me tulu | age twenty-three. Literally, “age two tens and three” |
Tale’i o Aneatanga | son of destruction. Can also be translated “son of chaos” |
Tariao | the morning star |
Tekulu | the lowest officer rank, in charge of a squad of ten Hōfita and Whaluega. This rank is eligible for advancement through challenge or promotion, though promotions are rare. Tekulu wear a yellow armband. |
Tāwera | the evening star |
Uati | to watch |
Wawau | idiot. Also used as the word for humans. |
Whaluega | a new recruit to the Whanau, typically age 13. Whaluega must prove they are shifters before being accepted. They are ineligible for advancement, whether through challenge or promotion, for one year. Whaluega do not have a rank armband. |
Whanau | army, military. Also used to refer to individual members of the military. |
Whiro | the king of Aneatanga and general of the Whanau. Though Whiro is his title, translating to ‘king’ in English, it often becomes the king’s name when he takes the throne, replacing the name he’d had before. The current Whiro and his oldest son, Tāwera, are infamous throughout the universe, even more so than the historical Whiro found in some human mythologies. |
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