CHAPTER IX
At last, one day, the long-awaited moment arrived.
The sky was overcast, and there was something so strange about the morning that it was impossible to say exactly what made it different.
The change could be felt throughout Bettnuk. An extraordinary stillness had settled over the village. The Snorks seemed to have vanished, and only the noisy gusts of wind sweeping through the streets disturbed the apparent silence.
Gunuruk had gone out, but as usual, he soon returned.
Hanna was reluctant to begin the day. With little enthusiasm, she was slowly preparing to make her way up to Ynack’s house.
That morning, however, her usual routine was about to change.
Gunuruk arrived looking terribly worried. Hanna remembered seeing that expression only once before, when they had first met.
It immediately unsettled her.
“What’s wrong? Where are you going?” she asked.
He paid no attention, hurrying around the cabin, grabbing things and stuffing them into a large bundle.
Hanna stood motionless, growing more frightened by the second.
Finally, she caught him by the arm.
Gunuruk looked at her.
“We must leave. Hurry! No time to lose. Danger we are in. They’re coming here!” he exclaimed, his eyes wide with fear.
“Who are they? You’re scaring me!”
But the Snork pulled free of her grasp and resumed his frantic preparations.
“Reckless Aknus has been. He must have gone mad! No time left, only enough to escape!”
He hurried through the doorway, still shouting.
“Run! Hurry! Don’t you understand? They’re coming!”
Hanna understood nothing.
Nevertheless, with her heart pounding so violently that it felt ready to burst from her chest, she followed Gunuruk as quickly as she could.
Outside, the village was deserted.
Far away, dozens of ships could be seen on the horizon, their swift-moving silhouettes growing larger with every passing moment.
Without wasting another second, the two began climbing the hillside.
The path was short but difficult.
Despite the enormous weight he carried on his back, Gunuruk climbed quickly, while Hanna struggled to keep up.
Little by little, exhaustion began to take its toll. Her breathing grew heavier, and at times she felt she could not manage another step.
“Come on! One more effort. Almost there!” Gunuruk urged, encouraging her to move faster.
Suddenly, a sound came from the distance.
It was high-pitched and terrifying, echoing throughout Bettnuk.
A shiver ran down Hanna’s spine.
She glanced back, and in that instant, she recognized it.
How could she ever forget?
The ships were still some distance away, but their outlines were now clearly visible.
“It’s them!” she cried.
Her fear turned instantly to panic.
Ignoring her exhaustion, she quickened her pace.
At last, she seemed to understand her friend’s urgency. All her questions vanished as she concentrated on following the agile Snork, who had already reached the summit.
“Where is the cart? Aknus said here it would be!” Gunuruk exclaimed.
He spun around in confusion, searching desperately for what he could not find.
Hanna arrived about a minute later.
Hearing him, she began looking too.
It did not take her long to spot the cart, hidden behind a large tree trunk. From her greater height, she had a much better view than the little Snork.
After one last hurried glance behind them, they climbed aboard.
The cart was already packed with supplies.
Gunuruk wasted no time. Striking the little Lewik far more forcefully than usual, he urged the animal forward, and they raced into the thick forest.
Behind them, the relentless beating of drums announced the approaching ships.
The first few minutes passed in silence, as though neither of them had anything to say.
Only the creaking wheels as they rolled over the uneven track and the Lewik’s constant snorting disturbed the quiet.
The poor creature struggled to maintain the punishing pace demanded of it.
The tension remained almost unbearable.
Hanna and Gunuruk sat rigidly, turning again and again to look behind them.
“Where are we going, Gunuruk?” she finally asked.
At that moment, almost anywhere seemed preferable to the place they had just abandoned.
“To Bakalia we must go. Danger throughout Antraka there is, but only the beginning this is. Quickly we must travel.”
“And Aknus? What about everyone else? What’s going to happen to them?”
Her voice trembled. She could scarcely believe what was happening.
“Calm Aknus seemed. Only about our departure concerned he was. I don’t understand either. Those who respect no life cannot be trusted. Very, very dangerous they are.”
Gunuruk remembered the brief conversation he had held with his grandfather only minutes earlier.
Indeed, Aknus had appeared suspiciously calm in the face of the approaching danger.
The reality, however, was very different.
The ships now searching for places to dock in Bettnuk’s crowded inlet were not supposed to have arrived yet.
Everything had happened far too quickly.
The head of the Council was anxiously awaiting an explanation for the unexpected early visit.
Fear had taken hold of him as well, for this development could jeopardize the already difficult journey awaiting his grandson and Hanna.
That was all that mattered now, just as he had told Gunuruk.
But evil had undeniably arrived in Antraka.
Anger, hatred, and greed were only a few of the qualities possessed by the beings now gradually disembarking from their vessels.
Their presence was undoubtedly dangerous, especially for those unfortunate enough to have entered into an agreement with them.
All of this, however, was falling farther and farther behind the two travelers as they continued their uncertain journey at a rapid pace.
Hanna and Gunuruk were heading toward Bakalia.
It would be the first stop on their journey.
Although their departure had been frantic, their route had not been chosen at random.
Many moons had passed in preparation for what would undoubtedly be a journey with no apparent return, one that would carry them across the farthest reaches of the Known Land.
Hanna felt as lost as she had on her first day.
She had eagerly awaited her departure from Bettnuk, but the way it had happened filled her with terror.
She had escaped.
But what would happen to everyone who lived there?
What would become of Ynack?
What future awaited the people who had saved her from certain death?
And above all, why was Aknus behaving this way?
Could he possibly be one of them?
No. That couldn’t be. There had to be an explanation. But what?
The questions repeated themselves endlessly in her mind.
Yet that morning, she seemed afraid of finding any answers.
Perhaps her ignorance had protected her all this time, shielding her from truths so dreadful that nobody would ever wish to know them.
Truths that would horrify anyone.
And yet, in the lands she now traveled, such things seemed to be part of everyday life.
Hanna could not stop thinking about the inhabitants of Bettnuk.
They were hardworking, kind creatures in whom it would have been almost impossible to find even a trace of evil.
They did not deserve this.
But what did she really know about them?
What did she know about this world, now revealing itself in all its cruelty and apparent injustice?
“Maybe they’re just passing through,” she said.
She spoke without thinking, as though the words were nothing more than a wish, a desperate hope that none of this was really happening.
“That no longer matters,” Gunuruk replied. “We must only continue our journey. Even running away is not the answer. I do not understand either, but sometimes unpredictable destiny can be. Our lives very important are. So important that many others would not hesitate to give their own.”
It was certainly not the answer Hanna had wanted.
Far from it.
The thought that her life might somehow be worth more than another’s filled her with anguish.
The responsibility was overwhelming.
So many things had happened to her since birth that she had often been made to feel her own life was worth nothing.
How could she accept the possibility that all the Snorks she had come to know might suffer such a terrible fate?
Hanna burst into tears as she never had before.
Perhaps no other feeling had ever overwhelmed her quite so completely.
“Why don’t you fight?” she screamed. “Why don’t you defend what’s yours? I don’t want to leave! I want to go back! If it weren’t for you, I’d have been dead a long time ago. I can’t abandon you. I know my place is in Bettnuk!”
She leaped from the cart.
“I can’t leave them! I can’t!”
Filled with rage, she started back along the road they had just traveled.
She was still crying, but this time she was not afraid.
Strange as it seemed, fear no longer had any place in her agitated heart.
She wanted justice.
Justice for every Snork she had left behind.
But above all, justice for herself.
Because this was not who she was.
Hanna had never been a coward.
At times, like any other person—or any other being—she had simply been overwhelmed by circumstances.
Now, however, something was burning inside her.
She had never experienced anything like it.
Perhaps it was an uncontrollable hatred for enemies whose names she did not even know.
Perhaps it was simply the unbearable helplessness she felt.
Whatever the cause, any evil creature unfortunate enough to cross her path at that moment would have found itself facing her fury.
She began to feel an unfamiliar strength, something that seemed to prevent her from fleeing and compelled her, step by step, to return to Bettnuk.
“Wait!” Gunuruk cried desperately, struggling to stop the cart. “A warrior people we are not! The battles we fight have always been far from the battlefield. Those who remain behind you cannot help now. Not like this!”
He finally managed to catch up with her.
Hanna showed no sign of stopping.
“I can’t! I don’t want to run away!” she shouted.
“Stop! Please!”
Gunuruk hurried in front of her, raising both his little hands to prevent her from taking another step.
“You can help us. Guilty you must not feel, but not this way. Your life too valuable is. Save your strength, for difficult our journey will be. We are not running away, though so it may seem now. Far away our goal awaits, and danger will not leave us.”
“But what will happen to them? It’s unfair. They don’t deserve this.”
“These lands unjust are. We never wanted you to worry. Cruel this world is, perhaps too cruel for someone who does not know it. For a long time it has been so, but hope there is too. Much blood has been spilled, yet hope has not been destroyed. Strong it is now, and strong within you it must be, so that all the kingdoms may become one. One kingdom, just and at peace.
“Always we have asked you to trust us. Now, more than ever, you must. A wise Snork Aknus is. Many battles his old body has endured, and always on the right side he has stood.
“I know my questions will be answered. We must only move forward, toward the place where answers await. Answers for you as well.
“Sometimes only at a certain time and in a certain place can answers be revealed, for only then will their true meaning become clear.
“Calm yourself! No more time can we lose. An advantage we must not give them. Your help important is. Without you, nothing can I do. Together our journey awaits us. Trust us, Hanna. Just trust us!”
The little Snork finished almost shouting.
His gaze carried such unmistakable sincerity that every word of his moving speech seemed to reach Hanna’s heart.
She began to calm down.
Still sobbing, she threw her arms around Gunuruk in a powerful embrace.
The little creature was startled. Such displays of affection were hardly familiar to him.
Nevertheless, he too felt a sense of peace.
“I would not hesitate to give my life to protect yours,” he added as Hanna straightened up.
“I owe you all so much more, Gunuruk. Maybe going home will have to wait. I have a debt to repay to this land, and I’ll never refuse to help you.”
She gently stroked the little head of her companion.
Then they turned around.
Holding hands, they walked back toward the cart, which stood beside the road.
The Lewik, completely unaware of its passengers’ troubles, was happily nibbling at a few blades of fresh grass growing nearby.
They resumed their journey in silence.
But this silence was very different from the one that had accompanied their departure.
Perhaps their hearts were still beating hard, with the same uncomfortable, throbbing intensity.
Yet the interruption had given them both a much-needed sense of inner peace.
Nothing around them had changed.
The same worries continued circling through their minds.
But they felt closer to each other than ever before.
Perhaps that was all Hanna had needed.
Something to believe in.
Without realizing it, she began to understand the meaning of her little friend’s words.
Many of the things she had experienced in the increasingly distant village of Bettnuk now seemed to make sense.
And the distrust she had felt during her final days there gave way to an uncomfortable feeling of guilt.
They only wanted to protect me, she repeated silently.
She still wondered whether her help could truly be so valuable, or whether this was simply another of the countless coincidences that had followed her since her arrival.
One thing, however, was clear.
Looking at Gunuruk, who was concentrating on guiding the little Lewik along the center of the road, Hanna felt it deep within herself.
Nothing would make sense anymore without her dear friend.
Without even realizing it, she had found what she had always been searching for: the love of a family.
Never before had she experienced anything quite like what she felt now.
For a long time, that feeling had remained hidden in her heart, overshadowed by her desperate longing to return to her real home.
Now it rose within her, impossible to suppress.
Her home would have to wait.
She needed to put that journey out of her mind.
As she had told her companion, what mattered now was remaining beside him.
There would be no more doubts.
Trusting the Snork would have to be her answer to the questions she could not yet resolve.
Settling into a more comfortable position in the little cart, Hanna let out a relieved sigh.
Gunuruk had also grown calmer.
Without taking his attention from the increasingly narrow road, he considered the many difficulties that lay ahead.
His grandfather had given him very little information, and the circumstances had left him bewildered.
For now, he knew only that they had to reach Bakalia as quickly as possible.
There, they would receive further instructions.
But that would be merely the beginning of their long journey.
Many things could go wrong, and time was against them.
Everything suggested that Drujas’s minions were taking up positions for the war that would sooner or later engulf the entire Known Land.
Nevertheless, Gunuruk had just seen a side of Hanna he had never witnessed before.
It had given him strength.
She seemed to have risen above her own fears, and her energy appeared to flow around her.
That was an excellent sign.
She still knew very little about the circumstances surrounding her presence in this world.
There were important things she did not understand.
Vital things.
But Gunuruk had to remain strong.
Her anonymity was her greatest defense, and his impulsive friend was not yet prepared to face the astonishing truth.
The Snork remembered something his grandfather had told him some time earlier:
“Little one, truth is like water. Necessary it is, but dangerous it can be as well. It may quench your thirst, yet it may also swallow you and take your life. Careful you must be. For the thirsty can be reckless, and may find themselves drowning if answers come at the wrong moment. Wait until the right questions are asked before answering, for those are the ones that will quench the thirst. Hanna must first learn to feel. Time must pass. But worry you must not. Only wait…”
Aknus had been right.
His words held profound meaning.
Gunuruk had understood their message for some time.
To protect Hanna, he had to be careful about how much he revealed.
Little by little, she needed to discover this complicated world, with all its kindness and injustice.
But that, too, would be a long journey.
Perhaps the first steps would be the most difficult.
That morning, however, she had taken one.
They were moving in the right direction.
Sometimes, to move forward, we must first free ourselves of what holds us back.
And Hanna was beginning to do precisely that.
Her overwhelming desire to return home had prevented her from seeing the truth behind the actions of Aknus, Ynack, and Gunuruk.
They had always tried to guide her.
Yet her reaction had been perfectly natural.
They knew it.
They also understood that the truth they concealed might have tragic consequences for the troubled young girl.
She would undoubtedly need time to accept it.
But it was only a matter of time.
Accepting the land beneath her feet as part of her own life was merely the beginning of the real journey.
A journey that was now carrying her through the dense forests of Antraka in a small cart beside her friend.
But above all, an inner journey that only Hanna herself could undertake.
Only she could discover what she had been searching for all this time.
After a brief stop, during which neither of them ate more than a few mouthfuls, they continued on their way.
The road had narrowed into a faint trail, with barely any sign that anyone had ever passed along it.
Branches heavy with vigorous new growth encroached upon the route, making certain stretches almost impassable.
The forest was unsettling.
Sounds surrounded them constantly.
Trees creaked unpleasantly in the strong wind, and branches occasionally came crashing down.
Both travelers, but Hanna in particular, felt a growing sense of uncertainty and remained constantly on guard.
The sky stayed as overcast as it had been at dawn.
Before long, the heavy clouds began unleashing their fury.
Lightning flashed, thunder rolled, and a fine rain started falling.
“How long until we get there?” Hanna asked, annoyed by the drops soaking her as she tried to protect her head.
“Before moonrise we shall arrive. Narsak we must visit. He will show us our way.”
Gunuruk noticed his friend looking nervously around her.
“This forest peaceful is. Its noises must not frighten you. Only Lewiks live here, and as gentle as the one before you they are.”
Despite his reassuring words, Gunuruk seemed uneasy himself.
The rain began falling harder.
Resigned to the miserable weather, they continued along the trail while repeated flashes of lightning lit up the sky, followed by deafening thunder.
For several hours, the uncomfortable rain dominated their journey.
At last, the forest began to thin.
Little by little, they caught sight of Bakalia’s vast cultivated fields.
It was almost as though the beautiful landscape had broken the gloomy spell that had accompanied them all day.
The clouds began to yield to the strength of the sun, whose presence had already been visible behind them for some time.
Slowly but inexorably, the sky opened.
A welcome light spread across the countryside.
Then, quite suddenly, an extraordinary rainbow appeared, stretching away toward the horizon.
The immense fields seemed endless.
Tall grain crops swayed in a hypnotic rhythm, merging with one another like the gentle rise and fall of ocean waves.
Hanna gazed at the spectacle in amazement.
For a moment, she almost felt as though she were surrounded by the sea.
But the scent of grass and rain-soaked earth left no room for doubt.
Paths crisscrossed the area in every direction.
Soon they began encountering Snorks working diligently among the fields, harvesting the ripe crops.
The sight brought comfort to both travelers.
Perhaps this peaceful scene was only an illusion, a temporary image of the familiar world they knew, one that would inevitably be overtaken by the same danger before long.
Nevertheless, the ordinary activity of the inhabitants, now visible by the dozens, filled them with renewed hope.
The next stretch of their journey was far more pleasant.
They still had a considerable distance to travel before reaching Bakalia, but time passed quickly.
As twilight approached, the two young travelers began to make out the first buildings of the settlement.
They were enormous barns extending along the outskirts of the village.
Bakalia itself could now be seen in the distance, magnificently illuminated by the last rays of daylight.
The city stood on the western slopes of Ultur, the mountain range that crossed the whole of Antraka and marked the entrance to the kingdom’s southern region.
Bakalia was enormous, even larger than Bettnuk.
And Hanna soon realized that the Snorks who lived there were every bit as hardworking as those she had come to know.
This beautiful city had once been the capital of Antraka.
Its fields produced what was undoubtedly the principal source of nourishment for these peculiar creatures.
With the arrival of the winds, the crops were harvested and stored before being transported to every corner of the kingdom.
The operation was so complex that it took place only once a year.
That explained why the roads leading to the city saw so little traffic and sometimes disappeared entirely between one year and the next.
At last, they reached their destination.
Nobody seemed to be expecting them.
The peaceful normality that had accompanied the final part of their journey remained undisturbed.
They traveled through the busy streets until they reached the Uru’s residence.
It was a spectacular building.
Although it bore little resemblance to Bettnuk’s enormous palace, it stood out among the many homes surrounding it.
Gunuruk climbed down first.
Taking the little Lewik by its harness, he led it toward several wooden posts serving as a fence and tied it securely.
Then he went to the back of the cart, took out some grain, and placed it within reach of the exhausted animal.
The poor Lewik was so tired that it could barely manage to chew the crunchy food.
Hanna climbed down as well, and the two approached the entrance.
There were no guards in Bakalia.
No incident had ever been recorded there, and tranquility accompanied the routine lives of its inhabitants day after day.
“Narsak!” Gunuruk shouted, knocking on the half-open door.
“What do you want? Who are you?” came a voice from the far end of the great hall, where numerous lamps illuminated the spacious interior.
“Gunuruk I am! This morning we left in great haste. Bad news I have to bring!”
His voice was troubled and sad.
The sight of another of his own kind had brought his darkest thoughts rushing back.
Narsak was a surly, suspicious-looking creature.
A large scar crossed his head and ran through the empty socket of his left eye.
He paced back and forth with uncertain steps, constantly turning his head in an effort to compensate for his impaired vision.
His hurried, restless movements did little to create a sense of calm.
“What are you doing here? This is not the date your grandfather told me!”
He hurried to close the door.
As he did so, he fixed his gaze on Hanna, who stood motionless, apparently detached from the conversation, though somewhat frightened.
“And what is she doing here?” he demanded irritably, making no attempt to conceal his displeasure.
“Aknus wishes her to accompany me. The Great Book of Vendemur shows it, for her help will serve me on my journey. Everything happened so quickly today. They are already in Bettnuk! That they would come one day, I did not know. I do not understand! Only fear for those who remain behind I can feel.”
Narsak paced nervously around the hall, muttering to himself as Gunuruk spoke.
“A long time ago, a difficult decision faced our kingdom. Not by chance was that decision made. All the Urus took part alongside the Council, and unanimously we decided upon what you have now seen with your own eyes.
“Knowingly, an unequal pact we made. Little would our lives be worth had we given another answer. Our riches will remain safe, for only our work they want.
“Many ships they need, and they know that only the Snorks can build them. Nothing good are they planning. I do not like it. I do not like it!”
He finished with an agitated exclamation, unable to remain still.
“But we cannot help them!” Gunuruk protested angrily. “Always loyal to Kettke the Snorks have been!”
Yet deep down, part of him was relieved.
Perhaps his people were not facing the terrible end he had imagined.
“A wise Snork Aknus is. No solution there was. Our decision received support from outside Antraka as well. From Verveka it came,” Narsak answered gravely.
“They breathe only death! When we are no longer useful, they will not hesitate to kill us. With my own eyes I have seen what they can do. Why not seek help?” the little Snork demanded.
“Keep your questions to yourself! Because…”
Narsak hesitated, visibly distressed.
“Answers I do not have. Nothing do I know. As I said before, an easy decision it was not. I too have seen what they can do, and their cold metal my body has felt. But no other choice remained.
“This will buy us time. Bogotra will soon fall. Certain of that I am…”
He fell silent for a moment, lost in thought.
“Many moons must pass before their orders can be completed. Then they will leave for Doria.
“Many say that hope you carry with you. Too much hope.
“Little one, you cannot fail.
“The human you should not take. A strange pair you make, and everywhere they already are.
“Tomorrow, at first light, you must leave. Difficult the road ahead will be.”
The old Snork finished speaking with an expression of deep sorrow.
“All right. Your words I have heard, but Hanna is not a burden! One day you will understand!”
Gunuruk stared defiantly at the Uru.
Narsak seemed genuinely surprised by the young Snork’s insolence.
“Nothing do I know! The Uru of Bakalia knows nothing!” he exclaimed angrily.
“Secrets! Nothing but secrets everyone carries. Aknus, Ynack, even little Gunuruk…”
He muttered the names bitterly.
“Do you think I am Drujas? Once I gave my life for Kettke! My family!”
He struggled to contain his anger.
“And the only thing I know now is that Belonia you must reach.”
“Do not be angry,” Gunuruk said nervously, realizing his mistake. “I know what you have done. Everyone knows. And I assure you that soon answers you will have.”
Narsak gave them a reassuring smile.
“Do not worry, son of Gunuk. Do not worry. Only nerves these are. Doubts we all have. Nothing good is coming, for never before have they done this.
“Nobody can imagine what they are planning.
“I do not know why, but hope you carry with you. Fight to achieve your goal. That will be enough for me.”
He spoke kindly now, moving toward the entrance while Hanna struggled to make sense of the conversation she had just heard.
The three left the house and walked to a nearby cabin.
There, they enjoyed a delicious dinner.
Exhaustion soon overtook them, and Narsak did not take long to leave the travelers to rest.
Although they fell asleep quickly, their sleep was brief.
Before long, they woke again, troubled by the events of the day and by whatever the future might hold.
The night passed slowly, as though both travelers were trying to make the most of what might be their final moments of peace.
Between brief spells of sleep and restless thoughts, the first signs of dawn began filtering through the translucent windowpanes.
Gunuruk was already awake.
Hearing a strange noise, he got up.
Careful not to disturb Hanna, who appeared to be sleeping deeply, he approached the door and quietly opened it.
He could hardly believe what he saw.
“What are you doing?” he demanded angrily.
A Snork was rummaging through their cart.
“Only to warn you of your departure I wanted,” the breathless intruder replied.
It was none other than the Uru of Bakalia.
“Narsak! Why do you search through things that do not belong to you?”
Gunuruk approached in disbelief and hurriedly covered the contents of the cart with a large blanket.
“Curious I was. My apologies I offer. Only one thing I want to know…”
Narsak’s behavior was almost ridiculous, hardly fitting for a creature of his rank.
“What is it that you are carrying, something that seems so valuable in the Great Book of Vendemur?”
“This is not the right moment. Your curiosity must wait. But the Great Book is right. More valuable even than you can imagine it is.”
Gunuruk turned away and went back inside the cabin to wake Hanna.
She had already been awake for several minutes.
Nevertheless, she pretended to remain asleep, wanting her friend to believe that his conversation with Narsak had gone entirely unnoticed.