Chapter 2
Su’I Sorat
The next morning, Thorik walked along on the well-groomed path which led from the family’s small home all the way downstream to the village. Spring’s vibrant colors and smells filled the wooded hills on both sides of the mighty King’s River Valley. It was a beautiful morning and the youth was excited for the day of exploration. To prepare for it, he had collected all of his maps and was heading to the village to find a container to store them in.
He had taken the trip to the village more times than he could count, and had been surprised over the years by finding fallen trees, deer crossing his path, and once even a wild boar. However, today was unique. There, on the only path leading upstream from the village, was a traveler walking his way. Not just any outsider, but this was a Human, which typically stood about a head taller than the Nums of the village. They also didn’t have soul-markings on their skin after they came of age. In addition, their hair tended be of one color or salted with grey. Thorik had never seen a Human before, but the stories and descriptions he had heard matched this man spot on.
“Hello, young Num. How are you on this fine day?”
Slightly nervous, Thorik hesitated. “I am fine.”
“Just fine? It’s a beautiful morning for an adventure.”
“Adventure? Yes, it is. Especially seeing that it’s my birthday.”
“Well, congratulations on surviving another year, fine lad. I am Su’I Sorat. Who might you be?”
“I am Thorik Dain of Farbank.” It was customary for Nums to always include the name of their residence, so Thorik found it odd that Humans did not. “I’ve never met anyone from outside the King’s River Valley before. What is your business here?”
“Thorik Dain of Farbank, you say? It is a great pleasure to meet you.” Reaching out to shake the Num’s hand, he waited for Thorik to strategically wedge various maps under his other arm to free up a hand to shake. “What is it that you have tucked away which limits your movement?”
“What? Oh, these? They are drawings of notes of the area.”
“Maps of the area? I’m actually in need of some help finding something that your maps may come in handy. May I look at them?”
Hesitant to hand over his prized possession, Thorik’s eyes darted back and forth from his papers to the Su’I. “I’m not comfortable setting them on the ground. They will get dirty or ripped.
Su’I nodded. “I understand. They are very important to you.” After a moment of thinking, he reached into a large side-bag and fuddled about for a few moments before pulling out a wooden coffer. “This small box is normally used to store money, but I’ve used it to store important documents before. Why don’t you see if your maps will fit within it?”
“Oh, I couldn’t take it from you. It wouldn’t feel right.”
“Lad, you have a need for it, and I do not. Besides you mentioned it was your birthday. Let this be my gift to you on this special day. It is unique. I doubt you’ll run across another like it.”
The wooden coffer appeared well crafted with a sturdy latch on the front. It would surely keep Thorik’s maps and notes away from harm and allow him to free up his arms. “Thank you, Mr. Sorat. That’s very nice of you.”
Opening the box, Su’I held the lid back while Thorik set the maps down one at a time in their new home. Once they were all in, Su’I closed the lid, latched the clasp, and then handed it to the youth. “There you go. That seems much better. So, now that you have a place for them, what do you say about allowing me to look at a few of these?”
“Of course. But I don’t know the lands like my parents. You should talk to them. They know these valleys better than anyone.”
“Then let us be on our way.”
Following the path back upstream, they rounded a corner and headed toward a rocky hillside. Just prior to the vertical rocks sat a small, yet sturdy, one room cottage with a thin flume of smoke slowly rising from its chimney. Thorik’s father was outside cutting wood for the fire while his mother was busy inside the home preparing for their family venture upstream.
“Father! Come meet Su’I Sorat. He gave me this box for my birthday.”
Looking up from his wood pile, he was surprised to see a Human. “Greetings, friend. What brings you to these parts?” His voice carried loud enough to catch his wife’s attention from inside the cottage.
Su’I followed Thorik and placed a light hand upon the youth’s head before playfully messing up the various brown tones of hair. “Your son tells me that you know this area well.”
“That is true. I have hunted these lands upstream of Farbank all my life. None know them better than my wife and I.”
“That is excellent news, for I am in search of something which has been lost for far too long and I wish to find it. If I give you the descriptions of where it is, could you lead me to it?”
“These mountain ranges are filled with hundreds of little valleys and within each they have countless rock formations and unique traits. The odds of you being able to provide enough information for us to know the exact location would be slim.”
“Could it hurt to try?”
Taking a moment to consider the request, he noticed Thorik observing him. His answer to the man would be teaching Thorik a lesson, so his reply needed to reflect good parenting. “There is no harm in trying. Please come in and meet my lovely wife. We can chat over a cup of hot tea.”
Nodding his appreciation, Su’I followed Thorik and his father into the cottage to meet his mother before discussing the location of the lost item. “The items are across the great river from Farbank.”
Thorik’s mother cleaned off the table before tending to the tea. “What items are those you speak of?”
“There are many great treasures in this world.” Su’I pulled out a chair and sat at the table. “Many of which will never be found again. Some have powers. Others provide grand wealth.”
“We have no need for either of those in Farbank, and I would be surprised if anything of such nature would find its way into the King’s River Valley. The Mountain King was never one for these ideas, nor is his followers.”
“True, but there are other types of treasures that are worth finding.”
“Such as?”
“To have a piece of history. To know you are touching the very items that existed when great deeds were performed and handled by those heroes of the past.”
“Artifacts? We have found ancient ruins in the hills, but there is nothing of value in them.”
“Perhaps you’re right. However, it’s my understanding that this specific artifact, as you said, is still there, waiting to be unearthed.”
“What is this item?”
“It’s actually several items. I’m in search of the original Runestones used by the Mountain King himself.”
Laughing at the idea, Thorik’s father fell into the seat at the table across from Su’I. “I have heard of such legends, but many attempts have been made without any fortune in finding them. What makes you believe they even exist?”
“The great and powerful Oracle, Deleth, informed me that it is here in this region. His powers of insight are greater than any other.”
“Oracle?” Thorik glanced back and forth to the each adult, waiting for an explanation.
His mother finally spoke up. “My brother, Brimmelle, has told me about Oracles. There are only a few left. They are the last remaining species of the civilization that the great Mountain King defeated in order to free us from slavery.”
“That’s correct,” Su’I added. “Deleth has great powers and he says the King’s Runestones were not destroyed as most have been taught.”
“Why would he want them? And why would you search for them?”
Thorik could hear concern in his mother’s voice.
“He does not want them. They are a symbol of his fallen people. I, on the other hand, am an explorer who wishes to find the truth in the Mountain King’s War. For along with the Runestones, there are records of the
se events that will shed light on what really happened. In a way you could say that I am a truth explorer.”
Thorik’s parent’s stayed quiet for a few moments, causing an uneasy tension until his father spoke up. “If the King’s Runestones truly exist, we would not want them to leave this valley. They should belong to the Nums.”
Sighing at the statement, Su’I Sorat glared at the man across from him for a few seconds before speaking. “I understand your reluctance. They are unique and from your heritage, not mine.” Pushing his chair out, he stood up tall and thanked them for their time. “I will be on my way to continue my search for the truth of our history. Good day.”
After leaving the cottage, the silence was fused with energy. Everyone wanted to talk first but none did until seconds later when a flood of words collided over the surface of the table.
Once the verbal mess dissipated, Thorik’s mother spoke again. “The King’s Runestones. If they truly still exist, the nums should keep them instead of the Humans or any of the other species beyond these mountains.”
Thorik looked confused. “What’s so special about these stones?”
His mother’s eyes became glossy with excitement. “They are a symbol of our freedom, filled with the energy and emotions of all those who have held them before us. Touching them, we could feel the life force of the Mountain King himself. And without them, our culture would not have come to exist.”
Clearing his throat, his father corrected her in the tone of a scholar pleasantly teaching a class. “What your mother means is that without the Mountain King our freedom and culture would not exist. The Runestones are just that, stones and gems. They have no value. They are simply objects that represent various teachings of the King. So in a way, he has reached out and touched us through these symbols.”
Smiling at her husband’s attempt to remove any illogical spiritual nature from her description, she played along. “Yes, and as you know from your academics in Kingsfoot, symbols are very important. Do you want them to be taken away?”
His voice softened. “Of course not, but Su’I Sorat will not find them without us and we most likely won’t find them without him.” Looking into his son’s eyes, he could see the desire to explore and learn just as he had in his youth. A slight chuckle began to fill his speech. “And they would have made such a unique birthday gift.” He gave a wink to his son. “Perhaps someday.”
Thorik could see the adventure slipping away from their grasp. He knew how much his mother and his grandmother, Gluic, enjoyed to experience and magical feeling of the unknown. He wasn’t far off himself. “What if we made a deal with him?” Thorik asked.
“Deal?” Again, his father’s voice was calm and studious while questioning. “What kind of transaction is forming in that head of yours, my little pioneer?”
“What if we told him we would help him if he allowed us to keep the Runestones and he kept the records of the past?”
A devious smile crossed his mother’s face as she turned to her husband with wide eyes waiting for his answer. “That sounds fair to me.”
Shaking his head back and forth, Thorik’s father began to laugh. “Gluic has corrupted you both. You know that, don’t you?” He eventually broke into a smile. “Fine. Go ask him. But you’re going to have to answer to Fir Brimmelle about this when he finds out we helped an outsider.”
Giving her husband a strong hug, she looked up with a childish grin. “Leave my brother to me. He’ll get mad, but he always forgives me.” Tilting her head, she continued with a laugh. “Then again, he’s still mad that I married you.”
“Thank you, father!” Thorik quickly turned and ran out of the house to find Su’I Sorat.