Chapter Seven- Sorian

I sat alone at the table in my living room, eating some warm oats that I had thrown together half-hazard. The sound of the bustling streets outside kept me company as I slurped the too-watery oats.

*BANG BANG*

I spun around and looked right at the front door. The nature of the echo made it sound like the knocks were from another door, but they were so loud that I could hear it from my house as well.

*BANG BANG*

Nope. These were definitely against my door, but who could possibly be knocking on my door this early?

"Sorian, I know that you're home," said a familiar voice. "It's not exactly like you have a life or things to do, so let me in!"

I pushed myself away from the table and sauntered over to the front door, pulling it open and letting Alea into the house. She came rushing into the space and closed the door behind her very aggressively.

"Woah Woah, slow down there nelly, why are you so… extra today?" I ask.

"I think I figured it out," She said, pulling up a seat at the table across from me. "The riddle on this map, puzzle thing"

My attention was immediately grabbed. I jumped back over to my seat and looked at her intently. However, before she spoke, she pulled the bowl of oatmeal over to her and took a large bite without looking at it.

"EW!" She shrieked, spitting it back into the bowl. "This is oatmeal Sorian, not soup. It's supposed to be moist, not brothy"

"I am aware of that Alea, it was an accident, but it was still edible, at least before you happened," I say and I push it away from me.

"You should be grateful, that stuff was literal sludge. I did you a favour" She said, waving a hand in my face.

"Can we please get back on topic?"

"Yes of course," She said, and she reached into her coat pocket.

"Why do you need a coat? It's the end of Cyman, summer just started. It's too warm for a coat" I tell her.

"I am aware of that Sorian, but I was cold so I wore a coat. Suck it up" She said as she laid out a few pieces of paper onto the table.

She laid out the riddle itself, as well as a torn-out page of a book. She also spread out a large map of the continent of Avendalir but pushed it off to the side.

"So, I was up all night, reading and rereading the riddle, trying to make sense of it. 'Where the east is actually the west, the south tip points'" She said, "What does that even mean, how can something be both east and west?"

"I have no idea, that's why I left it up to you to figure out," I say, and she gives me a disapproving look.

"Well, I think I know what it means. Did you ever read up on the history of Eshos as a province?"

"Alea, why would I have ever done that?"

"Don't be rude about it, do you want my help or not?" She says, and I raise my hands in surrender, motioning her to continue.

"So… Eshos was 'discovered' and named by a man named Morgan Eshos, which translates roughly to 'Man of the East'" She said, positively beaming with excitement. "Do you see where I am going with this?"

"Not really, but I'm sure it'll make sense soon enough," I say, rubbing the back of my head.

"You really are just a pretty face" She mumbles but continues on. "Basically, Morgan's last name means East and that is what the province was named after, but Eshos isn't in the east, it's in the west"

She pointed her finger at the province of Eshos on the map.

It now clicked in my head, "So Eshos is actually the western province, but it's named East" I say, "Making it both east and west at the same time. Alea you genius!"

She patted herself on the back and I gave her a standing ovation. She stood up and poured herself a glass of water before retaking her seat at the table.

"I'm not done there, the riddle also says 'where the tip points south'. I believe it's saying the southern tip of Eshos is pointing at wherever it is that the piece is located, so I checked the map and sure enough, a small island is directly in line with the southern tip"

"And doesn't the riddle mention coconuts and large trees?" I say, and I reached Alea's conclusion. "Tropical islands have coconuts and large palm trees! So that's it I guess, we just have to go to this island and the next piece should be there"

"Yes, that is where I think the piece is going to be, the only issue is, we're gonna need a boat to get there"

"And why is that an issue, we can always just hire a boat can't we?" I say, tilting my head in confusion.

"Well do either of us have any money? Renting a boat won't be free, and we're gonna need supplies for this trip, assuming the piece is there and it leads us to the next piece and so on"

"I have some money, plus I think I know where I can get some," I say.

I thought of my father's notebook. There had to be a place where he keeps money or at least valuables to sell. I just had to get the notebook and go from there.

"Where could you get money on short notice?" She asked, giving me a scrupulous look.

"Don't worry about it, what you should worry about are your parents," I say and her face falls. "Figuring out this riddle is certainly going to make it easier to convince them, but I still have a feeling that it won't be easy. I know that if I had kids, I wouldn't let them go"

"I know, neither would I, which is why we have to come up with a very good argument. Something that appeals to their ethos, logos and pathos, something that they can't poke holes into"

"You're better at coming up with these arguments, but I can sell them better," I say. I could tell that Alea silently agreed. "Ok, you go home and start trying to come up with some sort of argument and I'll go and find the money. Best case scenario, we leave as soon as tonight or tomorrow morning"

"Ok, sounds good. When will you be coming to my house?" She asked while piling all of her papers together.

"I don't know, but I'd say maybe an hour or so from now?" I say. "I will have to do a bit of searching, but that's my best estimation"

"Ok, well, I guess I'll see you then!" She said.

She pushed open the door with a gust of wind and promptly shut it behind her. My whole soul was experiencing probably every single emotion that was possible; excitement, fear, anxiety, joy, sadness. The whole set.

I knew I didn't have time to waste, so I made a beeline for my father's room. I knew that he wasn't home, but snooping through his room still felt wrong. I closed the door behind me and started my search with his nightstand, but to no avail. I checked his dresser, his table, in his bed, but there was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. I checked underneath his bed and dragged out a heavy wooden box and I could hear things moving around inside. I unclasped the box and pushed it open and felt my heart do a spin.

Inside, at the top of the stack, was a drawn portrait of my father, a little boy and a tall woman. The drawing had no colour, but I could see that she had white hair and dark skin, and a smile plastered across her face. It wasn't the kind of smile that you did just to appear happy, it truly was a happy face, and my father had the same look. The little boy did not look like he wanted to be there and honestly, I totally understand why; these portraits often took at least an hour, often more depending on how big it was.

This woman was very clearly my mother. I could not remember what she looked like, but there was not a doubt in my mind that she was my mother. I wasn't sure how to feel; she left us so long ago, but she was still my mother and it was nice to see her again. I put the picture down and looked at the rest of the contents of the box and found something that took me aback.

Inside were hundreds of letters, all dated and stamped with dates as recent as yesterday. I picked up the most recent letter and read it silently in my head.

Dear my love,

It has now been fifteen years, two months and eight days since I last saw you. This is my five thousand five hundred and thirty-ninth letter that I have written, and my feelings have yet to change; you dwell in every thought that I have, every breath, and every sip of water that I drink. I know I write the same letter every day, but it is the only thing that allows me to continue on every day.

I have had very little success, every piece of gold that I make ends up going to food, or taxes or something. All the work I have put in for the last ten years has been absolutely fruitless, and I pray that you will still love me for who I am when you come back. I am forced to face reality every time I look Sorian in the eyes as he is the spitting image of you. I can't help but resent the boy because every time I look at him, I am reminded of who is no longer in my life.

I know that deep down, you will never come back, but I can't help but allow myself to hope. It, truthfully, is the only thing that is keeping me alive still, that and the boy. As much as it pains me to look at him, seeing him allows me to never forget what you look like.

Goodbye for tonight my love, I will write to you again tomorrow.

Ameren

I didn't even realize that I was crying until I noticed the dark spots on the brown parchment, remnants of my emotions dotting the page. All this time, my whole life, I had thought that my father never wanted me and that's why he treated me so poorly. That's why he neglected me-it was because looking at my face made him hurt, made him remember. My very presence was a reminder of who he had lost and who was no longer here. As much resentment as I harbour for this man, I cannot help but feel some sympathy for him, he is not evil, he's just in pain. A classic example of someone who is misunderstood.

I put the letter back into the box, gently tucking it under the portrait and I look a long look at her face, memorizing the details before closing the box and tucking it under the bed.

"I wonder what kind of person she was to make him miss her this much," I think to myself as I stand up. "I wonder what other secrets you're hiding?"

Something caught my attention as I stood up, however. I wasn't sure if it was the tears in my eyes distorting my vision, or me just happening to spot a small detail, but the picture frame hanging on the wall was slightly askew. I walked around the bed and confirmed my sight; it was indeed slightly tilted.

I pulled the frame off the hook in the wall and carved into the wooden wall was a small cubby, and sitting nicely was the elusive brown leather notebook. I quickly grabbed the book and hung up the frame, taking a seat on the bed and flipping through the pages.

Inside was simply a detailed description of all the jobs we have done over the years, mentioning were and who we robbed, as well as what we took. As I got near the end, a particular page caught my attention and I went back a bit. I looked down at the pages my father showed me on the night before our first mission, where I had hoped to finally win back his attention. I touched the corner of the page where he had before continuing on flipping through the book until a bolded sentence stopped me. Written under that in messing handwriting was a note, "All loot placed in-floor safe".

I knew I had hit the jackpot and I quickly rushed out of his room and began looking under all the furniture. I lifted up the couch, the coffee table, the doormat, and finally the rug under the table. There was a worn-out floorboard that stuck out against the rest and I pulled it up. I couldn't see very well into the dark space, so I stuck my hand in and began to feel around the space and quickly realized it was totally empty.

I sat back on my heels and took a second to think, "He said the loot is located in the floor safe, but it's clearly empty"

I thought about what Alea would do in this situation and I decided to think about the words again. 'The floor safe'. This wasn't a safe, but it was a hiding spot, maybe he thought they were the same.

"But he's not that stupid, he wrote the word safe for a reason. There is definitely a safe here somewhere, maybe a false bottom?"

I reached into the space and pushed down on the side of the false base and to my surprise, it actually pushed down. I pulled out the false bottom and underneath the fake spot was indeed a metal safe buried in the ground. My father really counted on me not finding this safe because I am the one person who would be able to open it.

I raised my hand in the air and a small amount of water flew to my fingers from inside the jug on the table. I worked my magic on the lock and before long, a slender key stuck out of the safe. I turned it slowly and the metal door popped open to reveal several pouches full to the top of glittering gold pieces.

I couldn't help but congratulate myself as this was truly one of my better moments. I thought about taking it right now, but I didn't want to run the risk of him opening it tonight and seeing stuff is missing so I made the executive decision to leave it behind and take it just before we leave. I made the key as solid as possible and tucked it into my pocket as I would definitely be using it later on.

I placed the false bottom back over the safe and covered everything back up. I quickly put the notebook back into the hidden cubby and made sure my father's room looked the same as before I snooped.

I looked at the time and realized it had already been an hour somehow, so I ran out of the house and into the street. As I walked to her house, I weaved between carriages and pedestrians and my mind kept drifting to that letter.

I had such a hard time wrapping my brain around the contents of that box. My whole life, I had thought that he was some heartless man who hated his kid because he had to raise me alone or something like that. I never really thought about why he hated me so much, but the real reason was never something I had even considered.

I knocked on Alea's door and it flew open almost instantly. She grabbed me by the collar and literally dragged me to her room.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Leowynn!" I say with a smile as I slide across the living room floor and disappear into Alea's room.

I was thrown into a chair and Alea was in my face instantly, and I am not exaggerating when I say that the tears were flying out of her eyes. They were actually projectiles.

"I couldn't think of anything" She whines, "Not a single good argument. My mind went absolutely blank as soon as I got home and saw them sitting on the couch. I am so sorry Sorian"

I grabbed her by the shoulders and brought her face very close to mine. "Alea, calm down, it's okay. Remember, we don't have a time limit, I just want to leave as soon as possible, but it isn't a requirement. We are allowed to take some time to make sure we are prepared, okay?"

She took a deep breath before mumbling 'okay'. Her whole face was red and I could see beads of sweat on her forehead. She really stressed herself out over this. I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.

"So I found the money which means we can focus all of our attention on this. It's nothing to worry about, okay?"

"Yes, yes I am okay now," She said in between breathing exercises. "Ok, so how much money did you find?"

"Plenty. Enough that I'm worried about financial troubles" I say with a smirk.

She opened her mouth to ask something but decided against it; the right decision.

"So, we have money covered and we figured out the riddle, both of those are good things to help convince them right?" She asks and I nod. "What else could be a thing we talk about?"

"Well, you're eighteen which makes you legally an adult, and I turn eighteen in a few months so I'd say that we're both responsible enough to be able to do this"

"That's a good point, but to them, I think we'll always look like little kids. We could talk about how you've gone to different Eshoan cities with your father so you have some experience out of the city"

"That's true, except I've only been to Porlil," I say.

"True, but they don't know that," She points out.

I acknowledge her with a nod and we continue to brainstorm, but we decide that the points we have come up with are the best ones.

Alea gathers up all of her papers and takes multiple deep breaths to calm herself. She was letting her nerves get to her and I had to calm her down. I held her hands in mine and had her look at me in the eyes. I was a few inches taller than her so I had to look down at her.

"Ready?" I ask. She didn't answer, but I could see the apprehension in her eyes. "It's going to be ok, worst-case scenario, we sneak out. Remember, we're only doing this out of courtesy"

"I know, but I would just hate to disappoint them, you know?"

I made a confused face. "Um, not really, no"

"Fair enough. Ok let's go, it's not gonna happen any sooner if we continue to dawdle here" She said and she pulled away.

My now empty hands felt cold without her in them. I took a deep breath and followed her out of her room and into the living room.

"Um. Mom, Dad, Sorian and I have something that we'd like to talk to you about" She said. She pulled up two chairs from the kitchen and set them up across from her parents.

I could feel the tension in the room rising as if it were a physical thing, but I knew I was just imagining it.

"Yes dear, what is it that you would like to talk to us about?" Vani asked, crossing her legs.

"Um, well it's kinda complicated actually" Alea stuttered. "Well-"

"It's ok Alea, we already know," Mergel said to both of our surprises.

"You- you do?" She asked.

"Yes dear, it was rather obvious. You have never been particularly good at hiding things, ever since you were little. Especially when it comes to Sorian, remember when you accidentally outed him as a wielder?"

Alea's eyes widened and even through her dark skin, I was able to see pinkness across her face. She was losing her nerve at an alarming rate, so I placed my hand on her shoulder to calm her. Apparently, this was the wrong thing to do.

"See Alea, you guys don't exactly make it hidden," Mergel says, motioning to the both of us.

I realized that what they thought this conversation was about is not what we were here to talk about.

I began to wave my hands and sputter, "No no no, you misunderstand, that's not what this is about"

"Is it not?" Vani asks with a smirk.

"No, absolutely not. It's not like that" I say, my face going equally as read. The temperature in the room rose about five hundred degrees from my estimates.

"Wait, I'm confused as to what is going on here," Alea asks looking at her parents and then back to me.

"They, um. They think that we're here to talk about us" I say, struggling to get the words out.

"What do you mean, we aren't?"

"No no no, we are here to talk about us, but not in the way that they think" I stammer, "They think that we're gonna tell them that we're together"

I don't know why I whispered that last word. Alea looked at me with a puzzled face before realizing it as well. For someone who is as analytical as her, she really sucks at seeing things that are right in front of her face.

"NO!" she shouted and she stood up quickly. "NO that is not what this is about. Sori and I have something else that we need to talk to you about. Something that does not have to do with us being together"

She retook her seat and I saw Mergel cross his arms. "If that's not what you're here to talk about, then what is?"

Alea looked at me and silently told me to take the reins from here. I nodded and cleared my throat. I started with the story about the preacher in the city and how he was promoting a magical advocacy group. They both knew who I was talking about, but their tone of voice suggested skepticism.

"What are you getting at?" Mergel asked. His voice sounded harsh.

"I got one of the puzzle pieces that then the man spoke about and Alea and I believe we have decoded where the next piece is," I say, my voice breaking a bit. "We are here today to ask your permission to let us, well Alea, go out and try to collect all these pieces, sir"

"Let me get this straight. You guys got a puzzle from a very clearly delusional man and you actually want to go out of the city to what? Collect these pieces and join some hidden organization? Do you even know anything about these people? What if they're a bunch of lunatics in a cult?"

"Yes I suppose that's a possibility, but I really truly believe that if this 'Order' is real, that they can help us," I say.

"What do you mean 'help us'? You say that like you are actually being treated poorly like you can't just deny being a wielder and continue on with life!" He said, his voice rising. Clearly, this was a topic that he has experience with. "Look Sorian, I can see what you're getting at with this, I really do. But you don't know half of what we elves have to deal with every day. I'm lucky if I go to the market and get called just one slur"

"I know that I can't understand what you elves go through on a daily basis, but that is why I am so insistent about this. Alea is my best friend in the whole world and you guys are who I consider my parents and I want nothing but the best for you. That why I really want to take this chance, because it isn't just benefiting me, hopefully, this order can really help liberate all magic wielders from the oppression that they face on a daily basis"

"That's very noble of you Sorian," Vani says, finally speaking up. "But you are roping Alea into something that is very easily accomplished alone. We cannot stop you from doing this, but we can, however, stop Alea, and I'm sorry but this just seems too dangerous"

"Mom. I am eighteen. I am an adult, and I actually want to do this too. Both for myself and for you guys. If I have the opportunity to maybe, just maybe, make life easier for you guys, then I absolutely will take that chance. We are asking you out courtesy, for our own peace of mind, but that is all this is. Even if you say no, we are still going anyways"

I opened my mouth to add something, but Alea continued on. "This very well can be nothing, just a gag group, and if it is, then we will come right back home. But guys, I am an adult now and I don't need your constant protection now. I appreciate what you have done for me up until now, but I have to spread my wings and go out on my own"

"Not to mention, I cannot do this alone," I say, "It was Alea who was able to figure out what the riddle was asking. I can tell you right now, I never would have ever been able to do what she was able to do in one night. I need her on this journey more than anyone"

Both Mergel and Vani were silent, pondering what Alea and I just told them. Alea looked at me and I could see a fire behind her eyes, a real sense of accomplishment was plastered all over her face.

Finally, after a good ten minutes of silence, Vani spoke up. "Very well, but before you go, allow us to take a look at this riddle as well. As faithful as I am in Alea, she is still my baby and I want to make sure she is as prepared as she can be"

"Vani, hold on a second-" Mergel protested, but Vani shut him up with a blast of wind to the face.

Alea put all of her papers on the desk and explained everything to her mom the same way that she explained it to me. Vani put her glasses on and examined everything for herself before sitting back, a smile on her thin lips.

"I am very proud of you Alea. I can't be absolutely certain, but that is definitely the conclusion I think makes the most sense" She said and she took her glasses off. "You have our permission to, but when exactly do you plan on leaving?"

"The plan was either tonight or early tomorrow morning," I say and she nods.

"Tomorrow morning, you will need all the rest that you guys can get and I want to spend one last night with Alea before she goes out on her own. I suspect the Alea that comes back won't be the same one that left, so I want one more night with my baby" Mergel says.

Both Vani and Alea were taken back by this statement, but Alea and I breathed easy. Even though we hit the predicted speed bump, it all came together in the end and I couldn't be happier.

Alea walked me to the door and we planned to meet tomorrow for sunrise. We said goodbye and I walked back to my house and the novelty of what just happened began to weigh on me.

"We are actually doing this," I thought to myself.

The bell tower rang four times as I reached my house and I thought about things to get before we leave. I ran inside and grabbed the pouch of money out of my nightstand and ran back outside.

I made my way from my house into the market district and visited many different shops and stands, getting every possible thing that I thought we might need on this trip, and stuff that I don't think we'll need, but I want.

The belltower rang seven times as I walked from the Market District back to the Residential District. I opened the door to the predictable empty house and brought everything to my room. I packed the new backpack I bought with every set of clothes that I thought I might need; Warm clothes, summer clothes, raincoats, etc. By the time I was done, a small pile of luggage consisting of a backpack and a smaller bag with food and water and medical supplies sat in the corner of my room.

Every time I looked at it, my heart fluttered as the excitement began to set in. I lay down in my bed and stared up at the ceiling and my mind eventually made its way back to those letters.

"Would leaving make my father happy or even sadder?" I thought to myself, "One one hand, he wouldn't have to put up with me for a bit, but on the other, maybe seeing my mother in my face is the only thing keeping him going?"

This train of thought brought up another new dilemma that I hadn't thought of before; what if the order doesn't exist? If I randomly disappear in the middle of the night, there's no chance that I'll ever be allowed back into this house. For my sake, I really hope that this order isn't a lie because my living situation depends on it.

I drifted off into a calm and deep sleep, only waking up from a red beam of light shining in my face. I scrambled to my feet and peered out of my window, letting out a relieved sigh as I saw that I woke up at precisely the right time.

I put my sweater on and grabbed all the stuff from my room and quietly moved it to the front door. Just before I left, I pulled the ice key out of my pocket and I opened the safe as silently as I possibly could so as to now wake up my father.

I reached into the safe to grab a pouch and a thought came to mind. "If I take this money, what will Father do?"

It made me pause and rethink this whole plan. As much as I hate him, robbing my own father still felt wrong and I found myself stressing about what he would do. After a few minutes of going back and forth, I decided to take it anyway. He could always steal more, it's how he got this money in the first place.

I took seven pouches which would be more than enough, and I closed everything back up. I dropped the key into the jug of water and it turned back into liquid instantly. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and reached for the door handle.

"Where do you think you're going?" came a deep voice from behind me.

I knew instantly what was happening, but I couldn't muster up enough energy to care. I slowly turned around and my father stood in his doorway, a silver dagger reflecting the tiny amount of light penetrating the room.

"I'm leaving," I say. "For good"

"Like hell you are, where would you even go?" He said and we took a few steps toward me. "You act like I don't run the entire city's crime syndicate. You so much as get within two steps of the cities walls and I'll have you killed before you can take the third step"

"No, you won't," I say, the courage rising up inside of me. "I know for a fact you won't. Anyone else sure, but not me. As much as you don't like me, I know you can't bring yourself to do it"

"Oh yeah? And why is that" He said, taking another two steps forward.

"Because that means you won't be able to see Mother anymore". He took a sharp breath and even in the low-light, the anger on his face was practically glowing. "I've seen the letters Father, I know what you really think of me. You don't like it, but I am the only way you can pretend to see Mother's face. After all, you said I am her spitting image, didn't you?"

"You little shit. You went through my stuff!" he hissed. "That's very low of you, even you have to see that"

"I don't care what it is, but it doesn't matter now. You still have that picture of her, that's more than enough" I say and I turn around and put my hand on the handle. "Thank you, Father, for everything. As much as you hated me, you still kept me alive and kept a roof over my head. That isn't lost on me, but this is goodbye. Good luck with the rest of your endeavours"

"No, you're not leaving," He said and I heard him make a straining noise.

I spun around just in time to see him jab his knife at my face. I duck out of the way and jump around the table to put some space between us. The two of us circled each other around the table until my back was to the door and I made my move.

In one swift movement, I pulled a tongue of water out of the jug and pushed it into his chest. He swiped at me, but the distance was too great and he was nowhere close. I used the water and pushed him across the room and slammed him into the wall. I froze the water on his chest, but it wasn't enough and he broke free. I used as much strength as I could with one hand to hold him in place while I brought out the remainder of the water from the jug and brought it to his body. I used half of it to freeze him to the wall and with the other half, I froze his arms away from his body so he couldn't bash the ice and break free. He dangled two feet off the floor, but he was totally immobilized and unable to do anything.

I brushed myself off and put the backpack back on. "I didn't take all the money, but you're gonna need more and soon. Take care Father"

"You snivelling little rat. You motherf-" He shrieked as I slammed the door behind me.

I took a deep breath and steadied my trembling hands. It was over, I was finally free from him and it felt absolutely great. I made my way over to Alea's and when I got there, she was already waiting on her porch with her parents. She was wrapped up in a blanket with her mom, but she popped up the second she saw me. She hugged them goodbye and there were tears shed between the three of them, but before long, Alea was at my side and we continued to walk through the city.

We reached the city gates and just as we passed under the large wooden arch, I stopped in my tracks. I turned around and took one last look at the city. Velglow has always been good to me and I hope one day, Alea and I can return free of any oppression.

I raised a closed fist into the air. "Sorian?"

Alea looked at me with a confused look on her face as I opened my fist and released my magical grip on the ice holding my father up. We were not friends, not family, not father and son, just strangers with memories. I took one last look and drank in the beautiful city one last time before turning around and walking into the forest.