CHAPTER XVIII
The sun began to announce the arrival of a new day. Their destination was drawing ever closer. Hanna awoke and looked around. The landscape was much the same as on previous days, yet ahead of her, to the west, so far away that it almost merged with the ocean waters, something was beginning to appear, as though the land were welcoming the sea into its embrace.
“Is that Belonia over there?” she asked, pointing toward it.
“Yes, it is. That’s the entrance, and beyond it lies its sea. I’m sure you’ll like it. It’s a beautiful place. Despite all the bustle and the crowds who live there, it’s truly extraordinary. We’ll be there soon. We’ve traveled quickly, but we’d better wait until nightfall before entering. The darkness will help us avoid trouble.”
Hanna was delighted, thrilled by the thought that they would finally reach their destination, that they had succeeded. She soon went below to find her companion.
Gunuruk was still asleep. It was unusual to see a Snork sleep so much, but he had spent more than half the voyage that way. This morning, however, his dreams came to an abrupt end.
“Wake up, Gunuruk! Wake up!” Hanna shouted, shaking him.
“What happening? What happening?!” he asked anxiously, thinking perhaps they were being pursued again.
“Come on, hurry upstairs,” she said, taking his hand.
By the time they reached the deck, the entrance to the inlet was much clearer, and Gunuruk was pleasantly surprised by the sight. He too puffed out his chest and breathed a sigh of relief at the thought that, after everything they had been through, they had finally arrived. The same gratifying feeling swept over both of them.
Many ships could be seen, although everything was calm, very calm, and after passing through the mouth of the inlet, the vessels soon disappeared as they sailed toward the horizon.
Bauros lowered the sails, and the boat gradually slowed until it was barely moving through the water, drifting gently, fast enough to avoid coming to a complete stop but not enough to make much progress. The wait would be long, and above all, terribly boring.
As time passed, they considered visiting the beach, setting foot on solid ground, taking a walk, or running across the sand. But in the end, they decided not to take the risk. If they had to wait, they would wait. There was so little left to go.
The sun shone fiercely, as usual, and the boat had been completely still for quite some time beside a stretch of low cliffs. Great rocks seemed to fill the surrounding water, as though they had gradually broken away from the cliffs and fallen into the sea.
Hanna watched some little fish swimming alongside the hull, and when Bauros noticed her, he suddenly stood up as though an idea had occurred to him.
“Wait! I know what we’ll do. It’ll be fun!”
He opened a hatch that was almost invisible in the deck. In fact, neither Hanna nor Gunuruk had even noticed it was there. The old fisherman pulled out a bundle of slender poles resembling bamboo, then took out a sack and, after rummaging beneath some nets, another one.
“Look what I’ve got here!” he said, setting everything down beside his companions.
Then he began assembling the poles, which eventually became some fine-looking fishing rods.
“That’s wonderful!” Hanna exclaimed, thinking that she had never been fishing, although she had always enjoyed watching people fish in the lake near her city.
Gunuruk was considerably less enthusiastic, especially when he saw Bauros preparing the bait. The old fisherman mixed scraps of food with something foul-smelling from one of his sacks, kneading it all into a thick paste that he left beside the Snork, nearly turning his stomach.
Bauros stood up, raised the sails again, and they quickly moved a little farther from the rocks, though not too far.
“This looks like a good fishing spot,” he said with a laugh, watching several Zargas prowling nearby as he scattered a handful of the mixture into the water beside the boat.
Then they each took a rod and, being careful not to tangle the thin line ending in a sharp hook, prepared to begin their new adventure with excitement.
At first, Gunuruk did not fare particularly well. His fishing line snapped and became a hopeless tangle of knots. Then, after managing to stick a hook into his own backside and watching helplessly as the fish ate his bait, leaving nothing but the gleaming metal point, the Snork decided his fishing days were over.
“Not like this! Not like it! Fish I not like, sea I not like…” he muttered angrily.
“Give it one more try!” Bauros urged him. “It’s easy. You just need patience.”
“One more time I try. Only one! Even the fish at me laugh,” he answered irritably.
He baited the hook again and cast it into the water without much interest, glancing toward the cabin and thinking how much more comfortable he would be inside.
But a minute later, Gunuruk saw an enormous fish approaching his hook.
He seemed determined not to enjoy himself, yet he could not suppress a shiver when he felt the line moving from side to side beneath the animal’s delicate bites.
Gunuruk stood frozen, silent, gripping the rod without really knowing what to do.
At last, the fish opened its great mouth and swallowed the bait whole.
Its reaction to the sharp metal lodged in its throat was immediate. A tremendous tug bent the rod almost double.
“I caught! Big it is!” he exclaimed joyfully.
Hanna and Bauros hurried over, astonished by his catch, since neither of them had managed to catch anything yet.
It was not easy. The fish fought fiercely, and at times it seemed certain to escape by breaking the line or even the rod, which was bent almost as sharply as the hook itself.
But after several minutes, when exhaustion finally overcame the poor creature, Gunuruk managed to haul it into the boat.
Bauros quickly seized it and skillfully removed the hook from its mouth while the fish thrashed violently.
“It’s a big one, Gunuruk! A fine catch. Be careful it doesn’t get away,” he said, handing it to him.
Gunuruk looked the fish in the eyes and, without a moment’s hesitation, gently returned it to the blue waters of the ocean.
“What are you doing?” Bauros asked, surprised by his behavior.
“A great fighter he is. For his life he fought, and to live he deserves,” Gunuruk answered, watching the fish swim rapidly away.
Bauros said nothing, but Hanna smiled at her companion.
“Well done, Gunuruk. I hope I catch one too,” she said, watching the great fish disappear.
And so she did.
After the first catch came many more. It seemed as though an enormous school of fish had surrounded them, eagerly waiting for the bait to sink beneath the surface so they could swallow it.
In fact, they lost count of how many they caught, for every one of them was released.
Time passed quickly, very quickly, and when hunger finally caught up with them, they began eating while watching the multitude of little fish that refused to leave the area around the boat.
Hanna continued tossing them pieces of food, enjoying the sight of them fighting for each morsel, splashing noisily at the surface while their silvery bellies glittered in the sunlight.
But suddenly something caught her attention.
“What is that?!” she exclaimed, seeing a huge shadow pass directly in front of her, far below the surface.
“What did you see?” the old fisherman asked curiously as he and Gunuruk approached Hanna on the other side of the boat.
“I don’t know. I thought I saw something beneath the fish. It looked enormous, but I’m not sure. It’s gone now.”
Bauros stared into the water for a moment, and the shadow passed before them again.
“A Drímula!” he exclaimed.
Then he abruptly raised the sails.
“What’s a Drímula?” Hanna asked curiously, though Bauros’s reaction had frightened her.
Suddenly, the fish seemed to crowd together, splashing in unison as though they wanted to take flight.
Hanna and Gunuruk continued watching the spectacle, but the shadow was rising rapidly, growing larger and larger.
Then an enormous mouth, as wide as the boat itself, became visible just below the surface, directly beneath the mass of fish.
“Watch out! Hold on!” Bauros shouted as the gigantic, sharp-toothed, whale-like creature burst from the water in a tremendous leap.
Hanna and Gunuruk did not even hear him.
They could only stare as the creature rose into the air, swallowing the great multitude of fish it had caught.
Then it crashed back into the water.
The impact was so close that the boat twisted violently and nearly capsized.
Hanna struck something hard as she fell, but Gunuruk was thrown straight into the sea.
“Help!” he screamed as he began to sink, horrified by the thought that the Drímula was still lurking nearby.
Hanna reacted instantly. Though still dazed from her fall, she jumped into the water after him without a second thought.
Gunuruk was struggling desperately to keep from drowning, and although his friend reached him quickly, he was utterly terrified.
And with good reason.
Far beneath their feet, many more shadows were gathering to continue the feast.
“Hurry, Hanna!” Bauros shouted, extending an oar toward her while staring in terror at what was happening many yards below the surface.
Exhausted by the intensity of the struggle, Hanna grabbed the oar, and Bauros pulled with all his strength.
But a Drímula had already spotted its prey and was racing toward them.
Gunuruk climbed aboard first, helped by his brave friend. Hanna, however, was so exhausted that she seemed unable to follow him.
Suddenly, an enormous mouth opened beneath her.
And just when everything seemed lost, only Bauros’s strength managed to haul her into the boat.
The Drímula snapped its jaws shut with a tremendous, futile bite, leaped high into the air, and crashed back into the water with the same deafening force as the first.
The boat rocked violently once more while the three companions endured the impact, lying exhausted, barely able to comprehend what had happened.
Gunuruk, still sprawled on the deck, struggled to cough up all the water he had swallowed.
Hanna slowly sat up, crouched down, and began coughing too, gasping for breath.
Bauros said nothing. He hurried to steer the boat back toward the safety of the rocks.
But when they had almost reached them, he suddenly fixed his eyes on Hanna.
“What’s that?” he asked with intense interest, pointing toward the chain and pendant that had nearly slipped from the young girl’s neck and were now tangled in her hair.
Hanna said nothing. She had not noticed, and she did not even seem to hear his question.
But Bauros approached and carefully untangled them.
“Who are you, little one?” he asked.
A shiver ran through him. He could not take his eyes off what he held in his hands, for this was the first time he had been able to examine it.
Hanna finally reacted, but she was astonished by the sight of Bauros.
She had never seen him like this.
His face had turned pale, his features trembled, and the skin on his arms was taut, covered in goose bumps, every hair standing on end.
“I…” she began to stammer, somewhat frightened as she watched a bead of sweat slide down the old fisherman’s wrinkled forehead.
Gunuruk sprang to his feet when he saw what was happening.
Still coughing, he took Hanna’s chain back, giving Bauros a little shove.
Then he approached her and returned it.
“Hide it, Hanna! Hide it!” he whispered.
Unable to believe how her two companions were behaving, she placed the chain around her neck again and hid it beneath her shirt.
Bauros said nothing.
He seemed petrified, sweating, unable to move, staring at her in utter astonishment.
“Who are you, little one?” he asked again. “Where did you come from…?”
“She not remember! Already we told you!” Gunuruk answered firmly.
Hanna understood nothing of what was happening.
She was still shaken by the thought that the Drímula had almost swallowed her, although this new situation seemed to have nothing to do with that terrifying encounter.
Silence settled over the boat.
No one spoke, and Bauros seemed incapable of taking his eyes off Hanna.
“What’s wrong with you?” she asked him.
“What wrong? What wrong? Almost died we did! That what wrong!” Gunuruk snapped, trying to answer for him.
Bauros scratched his head, struggling to regain his composure.
“It seems this little boat holds more than a few secrets. Don’t you think?” he said, looking at the Snork.
Gunuruk remained silent for a moment, staring straight at him.
“Perhaps so it is. But for now, each must keep their own secrets,” he answered briefly.
Bauros looked intently at Hanna again.
Then, very serious, slowly and without a word, he lowered the sails and began putting away the fishing rods and the rest of the equipment.
Gunuruk looked at her too, smiling nervously, before hurrying to help the old fisherman.
He did not say another word either.
Hanna could hardly believe what had happened.
She did not understand it, and pulling the pendant from beneath her shirt, she began examining it with growing curiosity.
What had happened?
Why had Bauros behaved that way?
Why had he said those things?
Perhaps he had realized they were hiding something from him.
Hanna was terribly confused, and afterward the atmosphere became extremely tense.
They barely spoke, and when they did, their words sounded unnatural, as though each one had to be forced out.
When the sun finally began to set, they resumed their journey toward the great inlet.
Hanna should have been happy.
They had arrived.
But instead she felt sad.
It pained her to think their voyage might end like this, as though they were merely three strangers who had forgotten all the wonderful moments they had shared.
By the time darkness fell and they finally entered the Sea of Belonia, Bauros seemed to have recovered his good humor.
“Look! Before you lies Belonia, the great city of the southwestern Known World, the kingdom of merchants.”
Hanna and Gunuruk stared in amazement at the incredible landscape.
In truth, they would have liked to enter during the day so they could better see everything stretching before them.
But the multitude of lights scattered along the entire inlet, and across the countless ships that filled it, made the place spectacular.
“It’s incredible,” Hanna said, looking from side to side, watching the intense, chaotic maritime traffic.
“Yes, incredible it is,” Gunuruk added nostalgically.
The sight reminded him very much of his beloved Antraka and its inlet, although there was really no comparison. This place truly seemed like a sea.
As the great moon illuminated the starry night, the boat continued forward.
At first, they followed in the wake of a large ship that passed calmly in front of them.
Its occupants seemed to be ordinary sailors, although it was difficult to see clearly.
But shortly afterward, the vessel increased its speed and disappeared rapidly into the night, leaving them among many other galleons that paid no attention to their presence.
The situation was tense.
On more than one occasion, they nearly collided with another ship.
After several nerve-racking minutes, Bauros decided to steer toward the eastern side.
“Tell me, how far do you need to go?” the old sailor asked as he entered calmer waters.
“At the main harbor we must disembark,” Gunuruk answered.
“But that’s very risky. You should get off somewhere else. A small landing would be much better,” Bauros said worriedly.
“Belonia large is, you said. Sea safer than land seems.”
“Yes, you’re right, but they’ll be at the main harbor, make no mistake. I’m sure they don’t want to miss a single person arriving here.”
“Belonia I not know. Never here I come. But where we must get off, I know.”
“Very well. Don’t worry. We’ll go wherever you say. It’s a large harbor, always full of ships and people. We’ll find a quiet place to stop.”
Gunuruk nodded.
After some time spent circling the inlet and once again dodging more than one ship, they finally reached its central area, where the city’s great harbor stretched before them.
“To tell you the truth, I never imagined it would be so big,” Hanna said, astonished by the multitude of ships, the noise, the crowds, and above all, the countless torches illuminating everything.
It looked remarkably like the harbor of any great city Hanna remembered from her own world.
“Big it is! Many these ships from Antraka sail. I recognize them,” Gunuruk added thoughtfully, surely remembering his homeland with longing.
“Yes, this is the largest harbor in the Known World. Look! Here’s a good place to dock,” Bauros said, slowing the boat.
“I recommend waiting until another ship arrives. Most carry plenty of people. If you leave with them, without drawing attention to yourselves, I don’t think you’ll have any trouble.”
“That’s what we’ll do,” Hanna said, looking at Gunuruk.
“Yes, that we will do,” he answered.
“Well, I suppose this is goodbye,” Hanna said, turning to Bauros as he finally brought the boat alongside a large vessel, near a small flight of steps leading up to the dock.
“Yes, I suppose it is. Everything comes to an end,” he replied in a serious voice, so serious that Hanna did not much like it.
“All we can do is thank you for everything you’ve done, Bauros, and apologize if we upset you at any point. Perhaps my memory isn’t quite as weak as we’ve led you to believe, but I promise you that everything you told me was new to me. Maybe someday my adventure will become part of your stories. I’d be proud of that. You’re a good man. You deserve a world at peace,” she said, almost crying.
Then she gave him a great hug.
“Damn it, little one, you bewilder me. You seem so innocent… Don’t doubt that someday your stories will be told. I still can’t understand you, or this mysterious journey, or why you’re wandering alone through these lands. But from the bottom of my heart, I hope you achieve your goal,” he said, moved as well.
“Thank you. Great your spirit is, the spirit of a good man. Do not doubt that soon peace will come, for everyone. Proud I am to have known you, old chatterbox.”
Gunuruk smiled.
“Soon your burden will be lifted. But now, wait you must,” the Snork added, smiling as he shook Bauros’s hand.
In the end, however, they embraced warmly.
“Goodbye, Hanna. You have a beautiful name. Strange, though soon it will be known, I assure you,” Bauros said as she, wrapped in her cloak, was already climbing the steps.
“And you, Gunuruk! Grandson of Aknus, son of Gunuk, take care of yourself. You fooled me throughout the entire voyage, but there’s no doubt your father’s blood runs through your veins. I can almost see him now beside her, so long ago…” he added thoughtfully.
“Shhhhh,” the Snork whispered with a smile. “Your silence still needed is.”
After that brief farewell, Gunuruk also climbed onto the dock.
And he and Hanna watched as their friend, that endearing old fisherman, disappeared into the darkness, whistling with his usual serenity.