by AA Lee
“When I woke up four hundred years ago—I mean, when my spirit woke up—the priestesses and magicians frequented the falls to undo the curse. Several years of trying to bring down the waterfall was useless. A high priestess from Daa was powerful enough to look at the past to understand the curse. Just like Tala, she was able to show the priestesses and magicians what happened the day Tala unleashed the curse.”
“Let’s assume you’re right, but the gifted people from your time were powerful beyond our imagination. What makes you think that Kenda can free Tala?”
“She took down the waterfall. I’m sure the girl can free Tala.”
“You have a point, but where is the high priestess imprisoned?”
“In the torch Tala used to change iron into gold.”
A few heads turned at the mention of gold. Kisig didn’t pay them any mind.
“And where is this torch?” Goni asked.
“I don’t know. It was returned to its hiding place before Tala held it, but we have to find it to free Tala and undo the curse.”
“I see your point, but as Kenda said, we have no assurance that High Priestess Tala would want to undo the curse once she’s free.”
“She only did it because we betrayed her. She was dying when she unleashed the curse. Tala wasn’t bad.”
Goni massaged his temples just as Kenda had a moment earlier. Kisig expected more questions, but Goni continued walking in silence.
“Goni!”
Kisig turned to the right and saw the path to Mani village lit by torches. He’d almost forgotten what the village looked like even though he’d hovered over the three villages in spirit form for the past four hundred years.
Datu Hiro’s face was illuminated by the light, and behind him were the same villagers who were with him in The Great Fall earlier. “Come on in and warm your bellies,” he said. “Nayon is still half a night away.”
“Thank you, Datu Hiro, but we must go on our way,” Goni replied. “You should get some sleep after a hard day.”
“We can have plenty of that tomorrow. Join us tonight for a celebration, for we won against those greedy townspeople.” Datu Hiro walked closer, eyeing the hammock Kenda was resting on.
“We have won against them but not against magic.”
Datu Hiro’s wrinkles deepened as his brows drew closer. He gripped the torch more tightly. “Is the high priestess alive?”
“She just overexerted herself. She’ll be fine in a few hours.”
“Our magicians can help.”
“They have done enough for today. We should hurry, because we have to figure out how to defeat this curse.”
“Pardon me, Goni, for I am ignorant regarding things of magic. If you think it is best to go on your way, I will delay you no further. You can call us for help anytime.”
Goni bowed. Kisig followed suit, and they continued their journey. As they approached Nayon village at sunrise, Kenda woke up and insisted on walking, but the men would not listen and continued carrying her.
A group of warriors greeted them right outside the village. They looked just as fierce as when they had been on the battlefield, but their weapons were almost the same as they’d been four hundred years before. Back then, Kisig imagined the weapons would improve a great deal due to the gold they had. Clearly, the wealth had gone to just a few people’s hands.
“High Priestess.” The one who appeared to be the leader of the warriors bowed to Kenda. “Goni.” He flashed a wide grin at Kenda’s uncle. “Since we arrived first, Datu Hula asked some villagers to prepare food. Come and eat before you continue your journey. You still have a long distance to cover before you arrive at Daa.”
“That’s very generous of you, Warrior Arnau, but we’re all tired from what just happened.”
All heads turned toward the hammock. They’d been unaware Kenda had woken up.
“I hope that Datu Hula did not make a fuss.”
“Nothing extraordinary, High Priestess. Just something to restore your energies. Follow us, please.”
“Uncle Goni, I think it wouldn’t hurt to rest for a bit.”
Kisig looked at the houses made of wood and thatched palm roofs, sighing. He’d expected shining houses made of gold, iron, or at least stones sturdy enough to battle the wind during the storms. He felt as if the last four hundred years were but one lifetime. The shrine still stood, but grasses surrounded it. The stone floor had stood the test of time, and he could almost picture Priestess Mutya commanding her team of priestesses.
“Datu Hula’s house might be shabby compared to your Datu’s house, but at least Datu Hula did not pocket money.” He looked at Kenda with guilty eyes, as if regretting his words about Daa village.
“We all know how horrible Romu was,” Kenda said with venom as she stepped down from the hammock to the ground. “No need to be sorry for saying what’s in your mind. And yes, his house was good. Almost like the people’s houses in town, but he wasn’t human. He was a selfish beast.”
Kisig was taken aback. She’d sounded like a whining girl from the time he was freed. Now, she sounded mature, like Tala.
“High Priestess, welcome to my humble home.” Hula was smiling from ear to ear and opened his arms as if he hadn’t been with the high priestess just the day before. “It must have been a tough night.”
“Heavens, no! I passed out. I didn’t know that I could pass out from using too much magic.” Kenda giggled like a young girl. “So the villagers insisted on carrying me. If I had been able to walk, we would have arrived sooner.”
“Ah, you must be beyond exhausted. I didn’t do much in there, so I wasn’t so tired, and we arrived here before midnight, and I even had time to take a nap.”
“Come on, Datu. You know that if it wasn’t for you, the three villages could have never fought as one.”
Hula simply shook his head like that was nothing important. “Come on in. We have prepared something to warm your bellies.”
Hula’s house was enormous compared to others in the village, but the materials were unimpressive. Kisig had preferred stone floors and walls when he was the village Datu. Kenda first climbed the stairs, which were about two meters tall. Goni followed next, then the priestesses. When it was Kisig’s turn to climb at last, his stomach rumbled at the sight of a table a few inches from the floor, teeming with food: roast pork, shrimp, stews, chicken, and coconut wine.
“Wow, Datu! It looks like there’s a wedding feast here!” exclaimed Kenda.
“Just pretend that this is an extension of your wedding.” Hula let out an awkward laugh. “We didn’t get to enjoy it.”
“You were married?” Kisig leaned toward Kenda, unbelieving.
“Almost, but I escaped.” Kenda also laughed awkwardly. “Datu Hula’s son was the groom.”
“But how?” Kisig remembered Kenda running away and commanding the water to catch her when she plummeted down The Great Fall. He thought it strange that the two were still getting along, but he stopped himself from saying that aloud.
“Dig in!” announced Hula, as though he was commanding them to fight.
Kisig filled his plate with the roast pork first. The smell made him want to pile more on, but he didn’t want to look greedy. When he’d eaten barely half of his plate, a cry made him turn his head. The villagers eating outside the house made space for a middle-aged woman to pass.
“Datu! Help me. Susanna, my daughter, disappeared. I haven’t been able to find her since this morning,” the woman said between her sobs. “The thing is… she was betrothed.”
Chapter 3
Kenda
“We’re going to find her. The Great Fall is gone, so she’ll be okay,” Hula assured the woman without standing.
“No!” Kenda stood. “The Great Fall is back up.”
“That’s impossible. I saw you take it down.”
“It’s a long story, but we should have some warriors guard The Great Fall for now. I will tell you the details later, Datu, but this is very important. Th
e villagers must stay until we undo the curse.” Kenda briskly walked to the door and took the stairs by twos. “My staff!” she said as though she was cursing. “Dear spirits, I’m not used to holding the staff all the time.”
Kisig grabbed the High Priestess’s staff and threw it to her. Kenda didn’t want to waste her time by thanking him. Hula and the warriors were already on their feet and followed her.
When they reached the river, she squatted and touched the water. In an instant, the water opened to her. She didn’t need to ask as she did when she first learned about her power. She and the water were one. “She’s near The Great Fall. I will go first and stop her. I can handle her, but we need some people to guard the waterfall and make sure that no other girls will be in danger. Uncle Goni, can you help me?” Goni nodded.
“Can you please relay a message to the villagers that we need to send in warriors as well? Just explain what happened. I have to go.” Kenda raised her arm, bidding the water to carry her quickly. With the staff in her hand, she didn’t have to try hard. The water and she shared their minds. She passed the mountains and plains in a blur until she could finally hear the thundering boom of the water hitting the rocks below.
“Susanna!” she called out to the girl, who stood frozen. Kenda had stopped just before the waterfall, making sure the girl could not escape.
The girl moved, having recovered from the shock of seeing her riding the water. “You said that we could go to town. You said that we should have more options, so why are you trying to stop me now?”
“You can after we undo the curse. Trust me, I would really love you to seek new life in town, but not now.”
“I don’t care about the curse. If I return now, my life will be over. The wedding is tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Kenda moved toward the girl to hear her better amidst the raging water. “I haven’t heard about that.”
“We’re nobody. The wedding will be simple. I think they did not spread the word because we may run out of food.”
“Listen, I am the high priestess now. I will stop the wedding.”
“Will you pay them back?”
“I… I…” Kenda could not reply. She wasn’t sure if the river had more gold to hand her. She also didn’t know if Goni had more hidden in his cave. “We’ll find a way.”
“If you’re not sure, let me go. I would die before marrying that old man.” Susanna was now a few feet away from Kenda, her round black eyes brimming with tears.
Kenda held a hand out. She wanted to comfort the girl, to let her know she’d felt the same pain before, but the girl sidestepped and ran to the waterfall. To Kenda’s disbelief, the girl jumped before she could stop her. Kenda called forth the water, commanding it to stop the girl’s fall. She curled her fingers, feeling as if she was holding Susanna in her hand. The white cascade of bubbles almost hid Susanna and the water holding her. The girl struggled against the water, but Kenda held on tight as she raised her arm to bring the girl up.
“Did you really want to die?” Kenda shouted, battling the thunder of water.
“Bring me down!”
In answer, Kenda commanded the water to carry both of them upstream. Susanna was still struggling to break free and shouting obscenities at her, but she was no match for the water holding her. They passed the warriors following the snakelike flow of the river.
“Don’t leave The Great Fall unattended,” Kenda told them. “I will meet with the officials of the three villages and schedule your watch.”
The soldiers bowed to Kenda and continued as she moved Susanna and herself upstream. The water left a trace in the dry soil as she reached Nayon village. Upon seeing them, Susanna’s mother beat her own chest. “Why? Let’s just die together.” Instead of thrashing and shouting as she had earlier, Susanna fell silent, defiant and full of confidence in front of her mother. Kenda did not trust herself to subdue the girl with force alone, so she continued using the water to carry her. The girl was desperate to run away, and Kenda didn’t want another chase.
As they passed, some villagers peeked through their windows and some through their doors. Kenda was sure some peeked through the gaps between their walls, excited to gossip about the runaway bride and the display of magic. As magic had become rarer as time passed, people became very interested by any display of unnatural abilities. When she asked for directions to the groom’s hut, a woman stared at her for an eternity, and Kenda had to repeat her question several times before getting an answer.
Suddenly, a man in his sixties bowed in front of them. His chest-length beard was unusually black. Most men’s beards were white at that age. “Thank you for bringing the bride back,” he said.
“You are…?”
“I’m the groom’s father.”
“Oh. I thought you were her father. Anyhow, the wedding is canceled.”
The man shook his head slowly, brows drawn closer as if he could not believe what he’d just heard. “High Priestess, this is a matter of…” The man massaged his temple, looking as though he was having a hard time choosing the right words to spare him Kenda’s wrath. “This is between two families. I understand that you’re looking for a solution for men and women to find their partners in town, but my son”—he looked around until he saw a man in his forties—“doesn’t want to go to town. And I’m sure you know, from staying there for a while, that most townspeople do not like us.”
That was true. Kenda had stayed in town for a few months and seen how the townspeople mocked the villagers for their language and appearance. Mani, Nayon, and Daa had been separated from the town by The Great Fall, so their way of life was decades behind. The Great Fall made it impossible for roads to be built, and days of walking made it difficult for people to frequent the town. Only the merchants went to town regularly. The normal villagers went only a handful of times throughout their lives, and some not at all.
“That’s not a reason to force Susanna.”
“What do you propose we do, then?”
Kenda turned to Susanna’s mother. “Have you spent the dowry already?”
“No,” the woman answered in a small voice, “but we can survive if we keep it. Susanna’s father passed away a year ago. It’s really difficult for us, worrying what to eat next, and I’m so sorry, but…” She sniffed. “I could not think of any other way but to marry her off. She has eight younger brothers.”
“Ma, I told you already. I told you that I can work now. I can work in the field and get paid just like you.”
“And then you’ll be dark as a charcoal. What fool would give you money then?”
Susanna rolled her eyes, and Kenda smiled at how the girl acted just like her when she was in front of her grandmother, who had passed away. Kenda’s heart sank at the thought.
“If you hadn’t been thinking about the dowry this whole time but let her work instead, she could’ve earned all that you were expecting to receive.” Kenda relaxed her hand, and the water holding Susanna sloshed down.
“I mean no disrespect, High Priestess, but that’s ridiculous.”
“No, it isn’t. When I was in town, I earned money just like any man. I made Christmas lanterns and other designs. Nobody looked at me like I was crazy. Susanna here can also do that. She could work together in the field with other men or women.”
“Exactly what I was telling my mother since I was ten! See?” Susanna turned to her mother. “I bet that most younger women think the same way. Some are just afraid to speak up.”
“What if men try to rape you while you’re working? Is that still a good idea?”
“I can fight. I’m strong. I’m not a child anymore. I’m carrying this with me all the time.” Susanna reached into her pocket and retrieved a knife about four inches long with a wooden sheath.
Her mother let out a long sigh, and the groom’s father looked angrier as the conversation went against his favor.
“About that,” Kenda said, “I will propose that the officials of the three villages impose a harsher punis
hment for rape or even the attempt. Marrying the girl isn’t and wouldn’t be an acceptable solution.”
Susanna hugged her, making Kenda’s body go stiff. “I’m sorry for cursing you earlier. I was so angry. I didn’t mean it. Swear.”
“Um, okay.” Kenda gently pushed the girl back.
Susanna looked awkward for a second, as if she had done something shameful. “Can I go to Daa with you? I’m sure they will pull some tricks if I stay here.” The groom’s father stepped forward, as if to stop the girl from leaving.
“Actually—” Kenda smiled sheepishly—“I don’t have a house. I have to ask if my uncle is okay with it.”
“No problem!”
Kenda turned, surprised that Goni was right there behind her with other villagers and Kisig. Kisig was wearing a black shirt and jeans, looking more like he belonged.
“Uncle, did you send a message to the Daa warriors?”
“Yes. They have to plan the rotation of duties until we manage to undo the curse.”
“Thank the good spirits! But I don’t know what to do first. Susanna’s wedding needs to be taken care of…”
“First, you have to free Tala. The rest will follow,” Kisig declared as though he was the highest official.
Chapter 4
Kisig
The pants covering him from the waist down were uncomfortable. They were thick, and he felt the air could not get in to freshen up his skin.
“So, you’re saying that Tala was so irresponsible that she just hid in a torch after unleashing such a horrible curse?” Kenda raised her brow and walked without looking at the rough path.
Kisig ended up explaining to Kenda who Tala was on their way to Daa. He figured he would just stick to Kenda even though he was the former Nayon village datu, because nobody knew him there. He could not believe people did not keep records of their previous datus. “Had she not done so, she would have become a slave to Hagibis, a ruthless bastard.”