by AA Lee
“It wasn’t an easy path, but all of you have come this far,” the high priestess started. “Today, you will use all you have learned over the past four weeks whenever necessary, but you may not bring your weapons. Beware of evil souls, for they will try to beguile you to the afterlife. They are cunning and jealous of the living. The priestesses will follow you to make sure you make it out alive.”
Gasps echoed from the crowd surrounding the shrine. When Tala had entered earlier, the crowd had been so thick that she’d had to declare she was a contender for them to look back at her and make way. The air in the shrine felt thick. Sweat and all kinds of smells mingled, nearly suffocating her like the air in the high priestess’s underground tunnel. She’d been so tired yesterday from making the illusion that she’d slept all night. Her dreams had all been about the village datu. She spent the morning both thankful that her strength had returned and regretful that her thoughts had been about the datu instead of the final trial.
“A long time ago, this candle had a pair that lit this village.”
Tala’s thoughts shattered as the high priestess lifted her hand toward the biggest candle. It still looked the same as the day the high priestess had lit it. The time it’d spent burning hadn’t diminished its height.
“The other is called the Torch of Nayon, a torch even brighter than the sun.”
“There are two ways to reach the torch. One is this well. You will use the other to come back here after you’ve found the torch. The one who brings the torch back will be the winner and will gain the privileges of a senior priestess. The next nine priestesses will be determined based on their distance from the torch when the winner arrives. I will be waiting for the rest of you in the meeting hall.”
“The well is so dark! How are we going to get down there?” Malaya’s face was pale.
“If you can’t fight the darkness, you have the option to not participate in the final trial,” the high priestess answered.
Malaya looked like she’d been slapped. She didn’t ask questions afterward.
Unlike the previous days, all the priestesses were present. They removed the candlesticks surrounding the well and put them aside. One by one, they led the contenders around the well in a circle, making sure that each girl was the same distance from the opening. Tala turned to Diyosa and found that the girl was staring back at her. The girl’s feet were apart, ready to run.
“Go!” the high priestess shouted.
The girls pushed and pulled each other, fighting to get to the well first. Tala, on the other hand, stood back. She wanted to reserve her strength for swimming. Diyosa, as expected, dove first. The girls momentarily stopped at the splash of water. More girls jumped afterward. The well wasn’t big enough to accommodate several people, so the girls started fighting again to swim first.
Nimfa was the last girl to jump before Tala took a deep breath and plunged into the dark well. She was momentarily blinded by the darkness, but she didn’t close her eyes. Instead, she hugged her knees close to her chest. Back when she’d been a slave, Master Langit had asked them to catch fish several times. Tala had learned that she sank faster when she held her knees compared to when her body was straight.
The plunge seemed endless, and the farther down she went, the more girls she brushed against floating back up as they struggled to go down. Tala fought the urge to open her mouth. She clenched her teeth and held her nose with one hand. When the plunge didn’t seem to end, she let go of her knees and looked for the well’s walls with her hands. It was still pitch-black, and she was on the verge of panicking.
When her hands reached the rocky wall, she grabbed it to lead her body faster. In a few moments, she felt the wall curve. The downward path became level, like she was inside an underground tunnel. Water entered her nose, and she fell into a coughing fit. Her lungs burned for air. For a moment, she thought she would pass out and drown.
Almost at the point of giving up, Tala noticed a brighter path ahead. She kicked hard and felt a body fly back from her force. She wanted to check who it was, but her lungs burned for air. The farther she swam, the brighter her surroundings became. She took a long breath as her head finally broke the water’s surface. The space between the water and the soil above her head widened until the ceiling rose so high that it looked three times higher than the meeting hall’s.
Her eyes followed the curved ceiling, and she gasped as she saw sand and stones on the other side, just like a riverbank. She seemed to be standing in an underground lake. It didn’t make sense to Tala. She saw no light, yet it wasn’t dark. Also, she couldn’t see a water source that would make the water shoot up into the well in the shrine. Tala could think of only one answer—the place was made with powerful magic.
She hurried to the other side, aware that other contenders were following her. Less than ten of them seemed to remain in the competition.
Halfway to the other side, she heard someone call her name. When she turned, she only saw the other contenders swimming. The second time someone called her name, the voice was clearer. She stood unmoving. The voice was familiar, yet she couldn’t place where she’d heard it before.
“Tala, Tala… come here.”
The voice sounded sweet, like a mother’s. She wasn’t sure why she knew that, even though her mother had never had the chance to call her name.
“Tala, dear child. Come here. I’m back.”
Tala’s eyes widened. She knew the voice. It was her mother’s.
“I’ve been waiting for you. Come here, child. Hear my lullaby.”
Tala walked back, not minding the water rising up to her neck. “Mother! Thank the spirits, you’re here again.”
“Of course, child. I want to talk to you. Luning is here as well.”
Luning’s frail body materialized next to Tala’s mother. Surprisingly, the water was no longer up to Tala’s neck but merely covering her ankles.
“Luning, I thought it was going to be hard for you to find my mother.”
“The spirit world is small, you silly girl. Your mother came to me.”
“I envy you so much. I wish I could be with her like you.”
“Sure, you can. Come here. Get out of the water,” her mother beckoned.
“All right.” Tala moved toward them, but the more she walked, the farther away they got. “Wait for me.”
“We’re not going away. You’re just slow. Come,” her mother said, her hands outstretched.
Tala thought she had something important to remember, but the memory eluded her. The only thing that mattered was that she be with her mother and Luning. Strong, big, hairy hands grabbed her and pulled her up.
“Wake up, human,” the being insisted in a deep, inhuman growl.
“Let me go. Let me go!” She thrashed and kicked the body behind her, but her strength was no match for the giant.
“Look! Look closely. Is she your mother? They are just jealous souls who want to bring you to the afterlife.”
Tala blinked, and when she looked closely, the giant was right. It wasn’t her mother. The souls before her were unknown to her. Blood boiling, she cursed her foolishness. She couldn’t believe she had been deceived. The high priestess had warned them, but the way she felt when she heard her mother’s voice was new to her. She hadn’t known she was desperate to be with her mother. “Go back to the afterlife, you wicked and jealous spirits.”
Still, the spirits continued calling her name. Tala paid them no heed. Instead, she turned to the one who’d saved her. A hairy face with burning eyes stared back at her.
“Kapre! Thank you so much! How did you know I would be here?”
“That’s not important.”
“Can you put me down?”
“The water is deep here.”
“Wait! Put me down here. I need to help the other girls. I can’t see the priestesses. They might be too late to save the girls.”
“Beware of the souls.”
The kapre opened his hand, and the water splashed up aroun
d Tala as she broke the surface. She swam toward the nearest girl, Diyosa, who was walking to the deeper part of the water with a smile on her face. The water had reached her chin, but it seemed she wasn’t aware of it.
“Diyosa, wake up! They’re not real!” she shouted, but the girl couldn’t hear her.
She swam faster and shook Diyosa’s shoulders. The girl stared past her, as if she weren’t there.
“I’m sorry, but I have no other option.” Tala slapped her as hard as she could and curled her hand from the pain.
Diyosa blinked several times, as if not believing Tala was there. The girl looked around and found other girls walking into the deeper water.
“Quick! Help me. We have to wake the girls.”
“Fool! You could have just snatched the torch, wherever it is. Why bother helping us? The priestesses are here.”
“What if they die before the priestesses arrive? I don’t trust all the priestesses, especially Priestess Mayumi. What if they let others die?”
Diyosa looked annoyed but followed Tala’s advice and slapped Nimfa. When Tala approached Malaya, she didn’t waste time. She just slapped Malaya right away.
“What was that for?” Instead of being thankful, Malaya looked enraged that Tala had interrupted her talk with whoever she’d thought she was talking to.
“They’re deceiving you. Look again. They’re not who you think they are. Hurry and help others.”
“Do it yourself!” Malaya swam to the other side without looking back.
“That horrible girl,” Tala cursed to herself. She woke the girls near her, but others were too far back and so far underwater that she couldn’t see them anymore.
“Hurry! We’re the only ones left. Others have moved on. I think that’s everyone here,” Diyosa started swimming after the other contenders.
Tala looked back one last time and followed Diyosa. When her feet touched the sand, she was back at square one—behind the contenders.
She moved faster until she saw the girls climbing up what seemed to be a dry waterfall. Instead of rushing to climb the slippery rocks covered with moss, Tala followed the girls’ footsteps where the moss had been removed to ensure her safety.
The path after the waterfall was surprisingly easy. They just followed the dried-up creek. As she walked farther, she saw that the path ended in a circle with walls made of smooth rocks. She felt like she was about to enter a round room. She could see some of the girls from where she stood, but the curve hid the rest of the place.
A scream prompted her to run. When she entered the circle, Malaya was on the ground, the stone floor red with her blood.
“What happened?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Amihan, the fastest of them answered. “When I arrived, she was lying there already wounded. I didn’t hear her scream or anything.”
“We have to call the priestesses. They should bring her back,” Diyosa said.
“Amihan, quick, go to the waterfall and call for help. You don’t have to go down. Just shout so the priestesses could hear you.”
Amihan bolted without asking questions.
“Everyone, I need your help. I can’t heal her alone. I’m too weak. We need to do it together.” When the girls didn’t move, rage quickened Tala’s blood. “All of us are already winners. What the hell is stopping you from helping her?”
Nimfa shook her head, as if Tala’s words had woken her. She held Tala and Diyosa’s hands. The rest of the girls followed suit until they formed a circle around Malaya.
Together, they sang the healing song. Their voices rose and fell, amplified by the stone circle. Tala could hear their voices echo, and instead of the usual pain when healing, Tala only felt a slight discomfort. She gripped Nimfa and Diyosa’s hands, thankful that the two of them had agreed to heal Malaya. Now she knew the pain was less when they worked together.
Before they could finish the song, Malaya rolled onto her back. Her face was fresh, like she’d just woken up.
“What happened to you?” Diyosa asked in a weak voice.
“I just tried to grab the torch, but an invisible force flung me back. Then… I woke up. Just now.”
“The torch?” they all asked at once.
“That torch.” Malaya pointed to the stone wall.
Sure enough, the torch was there. It was rather short, about two feet, and the feeble flame almost went unnoticed in the unnaturally bright light underground.
“The high priestess said it shines brighter than the sun. That is rather… far from what she described.”
“The torch? Where?”
Amihan’s breathy voice made Tala turn her head. The girl was hunched over, hands on her knees, and breathing rapidly. The priestesses eyed Malaya, who was now perfectly fine.
“That one!” Malaya pointed.
Amihan sprinted toward it.
“Noooo!” Malaya screamed.
Amihan’s body hit an invisible force. She flew back with an intense speed. Tala heard her bones crack when she hit the stone wall.
The priestesses circled Amihan in no time. Tala cursed them silently for failing to make sure no one got hurt. When the girl woke up, a priestess led her from the room despite her protest to go on with the trial.
Tala stepped closer to the torch, keeping in mind how far away Amihan had been when she’d been thrown back. She felt the girls moving, also wary about the invisible force. Tala stopped. If she got hurt, she wouldn’t be able to help the high priestess. She knew her role was important in the battle, but something deep inside her wanted to win. She wanted to prove to her mother that she was powerful like her ancestors.
She racked her brain on how to defeat the invisible force. If the high priestess knew about it, someone must have held it before. That meant it wasn’t impossible to get past the invisible barrier. But how? What part of our training could help?
She clenched her fists in frustration. Her hand brushed something in her pocket, and realization hit her. She stepped back, giving way to the other girls. They all looked at her, but she shook her head.
“I’m already a priestess.”
Magic isn’t free or limitless. The high priestess’s voice kept replaying in her head.
But I will be fast, she reasoned to herself.
Outside the circle, she looked for a flat surface and lay down. She reached for the mushroom as small as her thumb in her pocket. The priestesses had given each of them just enough for an emergency. This time, when Tala put it in her mouth, she wasn’t afraid.
Her spirit rose in a fluid movement. When her hand touched the torch, light spiraled up, dancing in ecstasy. The contenders followed the torch, but their speed was no match for her flight. When Tala reached the meeting hall, the torch lit each of the villagers’ faces. Holding out her hand, she presented the torch to the high priestess.
“Contender Tala’s spirit is here and is presenting the Torch of Nayon. The torch chose her, and I accept this presentation.” The high priestess didn’t touch the torch. Instead, she maintained a distance and motioned for Tala to put the torch in the hole on the stage where they normally put the village flag.
“Fool! Go back to your body quickly. I asked you to do one thing, and you couldn’t even do it properly. Will you risk the fate of the village because of your greed?”
Chapter 30
Kisig
Kisig looked back at the priestesses for the thousandth time. He and the priestesses were surrounded by the best guards and warriors. In the front line were the head warrior and the best spear fighters followed by the bolo fighters. Last in line, behind Kisig, were the archers and the priestesses.
He thought it had been almost two hours since Priestess Dula and two other priestesses had left to do the final check before the attack, and he was losing hope that the girl would make it.
In a blink, the high priestess appeared behind him. “I could no longer wait for her. We have to proceed with our second plan.” She raised her hand to the sky full of stars. More stars appeare
d, forming the shape of a torch.
A few moments later, flames rose to the west. Kisig was itching to move, afraid that the climbers would get caught, but the warriors stayed in their places, waiting for the head warrior’s command.
The front line moved, to his relief, just as the stars aligned again in the shape of a foot. Another flame rose to the west. His heart raced, not knowing whether he was frightened or excited, but his feet moved. He needed to show his men that he was willing to die with them.
He expected battle cries. He steeled himself for the cries of terror from women and children as arrows flew above him. Their first attack was met by silence. Even when the spear fighters reached the first row of huts, they encountered no resistance.
Are they sleeping? But there was a clear sign that villagers followed the climbers to the prison.
He wasn’t the only one confused. The priestesses were in a muffled argument behind him. When he turned around, they were pointing at the sky. He blinked. Up in the sky, the stars had aligned into an arrow pointing to the south. Chaos befell the warriors.
“Retreat! Retreat!” He heard someone say in front, but it wasn’t the head warrior’s voice. The words echoed among the warriors.
His guards closed in on him, ready to defend him. The formation broke. The archers at the back started running. Bolo and spear fighters ran ahead of him.
“Back in line!” the head warrior roared. “Protect the datu!”
The next thing he knew, he was running. His mind was torn between surviving and knowing what had happened. The warriors didn’t receive any blows, so why are they retreating? When he slowed down, his guard urged him to speed up.
“What if it was a false signal? Their priestesses messing with our sign?” he shouted for the high priestess to hear. The guards stopped when he stopped retreating, but the warriors still fled.
The high priestess held up her hand, and Kisig could see stars that looked lower than the real stars. “No. I could only feel Priestess Dula’s touch.”
“Back to Nayon! Protect the village!” the head warrior roared.