by AA Lee
He sprinted toward the shrine. That was the fastest way. He just hoped the fire woman would hear him instead of burning him first. Spears sprouted from both sides of the narrow path a few steps away from the Nayon village gate. He planted his heels against the ground to stop. More warriors slowly appeared from the bushes on the other side of the gate, spears aimed at him.
Kisig held his hand up in surrender. He had no time to spare, but he didn’t want to die without reaching Kenda and Tala. “I’m Kisig from Daa. I have urgent business, so please let me pass.”
As he looked at the faces of the warriors, the oldest one cocked his head, perhaps impressed that Kisig hadn’t even flinched. They were all strangers to him. They also looked like they had just started their training because of how clumsily they gripped their spears. Perhaps if Kisig had still been the datu, he would have been impressed, but now, their scrutiny only made him frustrated.
“Business? At night? And with a bolo sword?” the oldest warrior moved closer, his face a few inches away. “There must be more of them. Check the surroundings!”
“Look”—Kisig moved his palm up to make a point—“please tell Datu Hula or Warrior Arnau. Tell them that Kisig is here to help the high priestess.”
“So you can kill them when they’re near? Is that right?”
Kisig sighed in frustration. About twenty warriors were around him, and while he could possibly have defeated the new warriors, he didn’t want to hurt anybody.
“The high priestess would die. Bring me to him, then, if you think it’s dangerous out here.”
At the mention of the high priestess, the warrior lowered his spear just a little, but his suspicious eyes never left Kisig. The warrior yanked Kisig’s wrists and tied them together at his back. They moved toward Datu Hula’s house, accompanied by four younger warriors.
“Let’s move faster, please.”
Kisig’s plea was met with a push. He inhaled in an effort to keep his cool.
The village datu was outside his house when they arrived, perhaps disturbed by the torches approaching his residence. “Free him!” The spears were quickly moved away as he approached Kisig. “My apologies. They’re new.”
“At least they’re doing their job well. The only thing is that I’m running out of time.” Kisig felt a knife cut the rope around his hands. “I would love to explain what’s going on, but I need to get to the shrine before the high priestess loses her life.”
“Kisig is Nayon’s guest. Escort him to the shrine and treat him with respect,” Datu Hula barked at his warriors.
Kisig returned a quick bow before running. The warriors ran after him, and Kisig was thankful for the light from their torches, which prevented him from tripping.
The shrine looked serene and exactly how it had looked during his last visit. The fire woman was nowhere in sight, but the biggest candle was still lit inside. He held the candleholder and pricked his forefinger on the same protrusion he used before, now covered with dried blood. His blood dripped down his finger. He held it up above the candle, but nothing happened when his blood touched the flame.
Tala had said something. What was it?
He cleared his throat as he remembered the words. “I wish to travel.” He drew a sharp breath and waited, but nothing happened. Could it be because I don’t have magic? “Fine! If you don’t wake up now, I will change my words and tell the magicians that I lied about your magic.”
The flame stirred slowly, as if it hated waking up. “Yeah, yeah. You wish to travel. I know, but… did you even tell a soul about me? No one has woken me up since. If you lied, I’m going to burn you here and now.”
“I did.”
“So how come no one came?” The fire woman exploded, yellow flames almost reaching the roof of the shrine.
Kisig ran backward, his eyes wide and his breath catching in his throat.
“Liar! You’re not even worthy to be burned!”
“He did not lie!”
Kisig turned to see Datu Goni standing at the door. Behind him were the magicians of Nayon and Mani, who’d all agreed with Kisig to go after Tala and Kenda in secret. Kisig let out a breath of relief. He’d lost sight of Datu Goni when their raft flipped in whitewater rapids. He thought that they would be delayed further or, worse, injured.
The fire gradually returned to its original size. “We’ll see once I taste your blood. If you’re all lying, I will burn you all.”
Kisig unsheathed the bolo sword tied to his waist and handed it to Datu Goni. Instead of cutting his palm, Datu Goni just pricked the tip of his forefinger.
The fire woman slid next to him in a blink and devoured his blood. “Weaker than the two girls, but magic is there. You”—the fire woman lifted Datu Goni’s chin—“can travel.” She turned to the rest of the magicians, her eyes hoping for stronger magic. The magicians pricked their fingers and held them up. The fire woman moved from one person to another with such speed that Kisig thought she disappeared at times.
She nodded after tasting Idja’s blood. “Strong… but not remarkable. Well, all of you can travel except him.” She pointed at Kisig.
“I was the one who brought them here. I have traveled before.”
“True… and this is your payment. What more can you offer?”
“I’m the village datu. If you don’t make me able to travel, I’ll close this place and make sure no one speaks of you again.” Kisig wanted to say more but remembered the fire woman knew about his past after having tasted his blood. He waited for her to call his bluff.
The fire woman chuckled. “You? What are you going to say next? That you have a high priestess who can’t see a soul?”
Datu Goni moved forward, his steps steady. “We have two high priestesses, and both of them traveled with him last time. If you don’t let him travel now, Tala—the girl who woke you up—will die, and so will Kenda. You will be left to slumber for centuries.”
“You already know that,” Kisig added, “because you tasted Tala’s blood. You already knew they were promised to the torch. Today is the day the torch will collect their powers, and you’ll be snuffed out.”
“You know, I really hate losing an argument.” The fire woman spread her arms and covered all of them. Where do you want to travel?”
“To the torch’s hiding place.”
“That is a dangerous place for people with power… and me. You know what? I’m going to tell you a little secret just because I don’t like you.”
Kisig felt the warm embrace of the fire woman, then she began to tell a story. A story he knew the fire woman needed him to hear for both of them to survive. Eager to hear more, Kisig fought hard to stay awake but surrendered as the story turned into a lullaby.
Chapter 26
Kenda
“Demands? What do you mean? We’re here to fulfill our promise.” Instead of communicating telepathically, Kenda voiced her answer to the torch’s question for Tala’s benefit.
Kenda had been taken aback at hearing its words. Objects weren’t supposed to talk. She understood natural forces by being one with them, not speaking with them, including the water, which was her main power.
The flame swayed as if cocking a nonexistent head.
Kenda turned to Tala. “Do you have demands? It’s asking for demands.” Tala only shook her head.
“We don’t want anything else.”
Power? Wealth? The torch was insistent in her mind, almost as if in a hurry. Kenda frowned. Something was wrong with the torch, but Kenda didn’t understand why. She thought that the torch would just swallow them once it was free.
“You can’t acquire our power if we don’t demand anything, can you?” She knew the answer even before the torch communicated with her.
That made sense. It was created to fulfill greed. And they had been greedy before. Tala, hoping to live, had promised her life, and the torch accepted it. When Tala held the torch, she wielded its power, which in essence was fulfilling Tala’s greed, but now they had nothing to ga
in because they would die. Perhaps, even though they were trying to fulfill their promise, the torch deemed them not greedy enough to take their powers in.
The price for keeping your life is chaos.
Kenda nodded in understanding. The torch would release the evil creatures as a punishment for their greediness in keeping their lives. Now, everything became clearer. The torch had kept Kenda alive because it needed her power while she was imprisoned in it, while Tala would have fulfilled its greed by consuming more power, but Kenda tricked it by casting a spell before getting consumed by it. Now, if they both died, the torch would indeed become powerful, but it wouldn’t be able to take in more power because no magician or priestess was powerful enough to wield it. Hope sprouted in Kenda’s chest.
“We have demands.” Tala found her hand and squeezed tightly. “We ask you to keep all those evil creatures sealed forever. We want peace. We are tired of protecting the village. If you do that, we don’t have to live in fear and fight them.”
Her words held truth. Before attaining the high priestess status, she had thought only of earning money and her freedom. Now, she had to keep the villages safe. She was the one to be blamed when harmful magic came their way. She was tired, yes, but she’d never said it before. She knew that Tala felt the same, although her desire to live must be stronger.
Your demand meets the power you hold. It shall be done.
Bewildered, Kenda shook her head. She thought the torch would really keep them alive. She hadn’t expected that Tala’s simple words would change its decision. The flame shot up, almost reaching the ceiling of the underground, and curved toward them. Kenda wanted to look brave, but she couldn’t stop her eyes from closing when the flames dove down.
“Nooo!”
Kenda’s eyes opened wide after she heard a thud. They were still alive. The flame that was about to hit them had gone out like a bucket of water had been poured over it. The torch quickly turned to ash. To their left, Kisig was slumped against the stone wall, his arm bent at an impossible angle. The front of his shirt was reduced to black, and his exposed skin was waxy and white. The flame had not consumed him completely but appeared to have stopped at the last instant. The magicians started pouring into the circle, the shock on their faces evident, but they formed a circle quickly.
Kenda dropped to her knees in horror. Tala held Goni and Idja’s hands, and they started the ancient healing song Kenda hoped she had learned so she could help. She stared at Kisig helplessly, praying he hadn’t crossed to the afterlife yet.
She looked up as something hovering over Kisig caught her attention. She could feel it but could not see it. She blinked as Kisig’s wounds quickly disappeared and new skin grew. In a few blinks, Kisig was whole again, as if nothing had happened except his clothes burning.
“It’s impossible. He healed so fast.” Goni knelt and inspected Kisig’s arm. “Maybe because Tala helped this time.”
“But why did Kisig get burned? He didn’t ask for anything, so the torch shouldn’t have hurt him,” Kenda asked.
“He sacrificed himself to eliminate the curse the creator of the torch created. The fire woman explained how the torch had been created through dark magic and that it took advantage of its master’s greed. She said the only way to put an end to it was to sacrifice one’s life out of love or compassion. Once the torch was destroyed, all the power and creatures trapped inside were also gone. The fire woman needed you to stay alive so she could also live. But… but I never thought Kisig would do it.”
Sacrifice one’s life? But he’s still alive. He is well.” Kenda held the back of her hand against his nose. She could not feel his breath. “No!” She touched his wrist but felt no pulse.
“I’m afraid we’re too late.” Datu Goni looked down in surrender.
“I will not let him die.” Refusing to give up, Kenda blew air into his mouth again and again.
Chapter 27
Kisig
He was rolling in endless smooth grass under the mellow afternoon sun. Kisig put his hand against the ground to stop as he spotted a lovely white sampaguita flower. The smell was pure and sweet as he held it close to his nose. He plucked several flowers and tucked them behind his ear, but they were too small and kept falling, so he just put them in his hair.
“Come here before I eat all the guavas!”
Kisig stood and ran toward his mother. He knew she’d only said that to make him hurry, but he loved it anyway when his mother teased him, because guava was his favorite fruit.
His mother was standing at the door, holding a bowl of guavas waiting for him. She was smiling from ear to ear. She moved the plate down to his reach, and Kisig grabbed the guavas with both hands.
“Now, now. Don’t be greedy, boy. I hid some more just for you.” She winked.
Kisig grinned. Something white in the garden caught his eyes, running around the sampaguita flowers.
“A puppy!” he squealed. “Promise me you’ll save me guavas!”
His mother nodded and bent down to kiss his forehead.
“I’ll be back.” He bounced happily as he took a big bite. The puppy ran toward him. He’d always wanted one—not for food but as a playmate. He remembered when his father had killed his puppy and he cried for several days. But his father wasn’t here. The puppy would be safe.
He giggled when the puppy licked his face. He put the last guava in his mouth and brushed his fingers through its smooth fur. The puppy lay down on the grass and offered its belly. Kisig complied and watched, a smile painted on his lips as it slowly closed its eyes.
“Kisig.”
He thought he knew the faint voice but could not see who was speaking.
“Kisig.” A woman’s voice came again, this time a little louder.
Kisig looked around but saw no one. When he looked down, the dog was no longer there.
“Who are you?” Kisig turned and faced an older girl.
Her skin was pale, and her hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall. Did my father want me to marry this girl? But she’s a lot older than me.
“Go away.” He stood, ready to run back to the house, but when he looked in its direction, the house was gone.
“K-Kisig…?” The girl stepped closer and kneeled in front of him, her eyes searching.
When the girl touched his cheek, his heart thumped faster. He frowned. The girl was indeed familiar. As realization hit him, his body changed from a little boy’s to a man’s.
“Kenda… Why are you in my dream?”
“This isn’t a dream. We have to hurry before you lose your life. Come on.” She held his hand and forced him to stand up, her grip tight.
“Just a little bit more. I want to see my mother just a little longer.”
“You’ll have all the time in the world when you die.”
Anger flared inside him. Perhaps she thought his feelings were irrelevant.
“Why don’t you go back on your own?” He yanked his arm out of her grip.
Kenda looked at him with guilt in her eyes. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“You’re always right. You know what? I don’t care.”
“I said I’m sorry.” Kenda held her hands up in surrender. “No need to be rude.”
“Fine.” But deep inside, he was still angry.
He turned his back, sat on the soft grass, and gave the puppy a belly rub. It seemed to have reappeared from nowhere. Kenda sat down next to him, and like him, she seemed to feel at peace at the sight of the puppy. She joined him in rubbing the puppy’s belly. If this was indeed a dream, he wanted it to last forever.
“Did you hear that?” Kenda looked around, frowning.
Kisig shook his head gently. All he could hear was the soft breathing of the dog in front of him.
“There. Listen!” She squinted in concentration. “Datu Goni?” Her eyes opened, filled with horror, and she shook him violently. “We have to get out of here now! If we don’t, both of us will die.”
Kisi
g shook his head in protest. “But we can just stay here. Just you and me and Mother and this puppy. They don’t need us.”
“This place disappears when you die. Think hard and fast. What happened before you came here? And how did you come here?”
Kisig could not recall. He just remembered the house and the garden.
“You were injured because you saved me and Tala from the torch.” Kenda’s fingers dug into his shoulders. “You destroyed it. The fire woman told you how. The village needs you, and they need me as the high priestess. And… Tala is waiting for you.”
Memories flooded back to him. Kenda was right. He didn’t protest as Kenda grabbed his hand and pulled him up to his feet. The afternoon sun turned into night, and the garden turned into a dark forest. He followed Kenda through the endless tall trees. He could feel creatures hiding, lurking in the darkness.
“We’re going round and round,” he said in realization.
Kenda stopped and closed her eyes. “There!” She pointed.
But the place she was pointing looked similar to where they were standing. Yet he followed her when she ran toward it. Then he felt the surroundings shift. Standing before them was a stone wall so high that it looked like it reached the sky.
“Hurry and push!” Kenda commanded. She put both hands against the wall and dug in her heels to add to her force.
Kisig stepped forward to help her, but a blinding pain hit his stomach. He felt as if a fire was roasting him alive. Gritting his teeth, he managed to put one foot forward. His head spun, and he thought he was going to pass out. Kenda fell to the ground, her open palm covered in red blisters.
“Help me,” she whispered.
Kisig summoned all his strength to stay upright. He put his hands against the wall, only to pull them back. It felt as though he’d just touched fire. “This isn’t real, this isn’t real,” he said again and again. The pain in his stomach dulled, and the wall cooled off. “Kenda, this isn’t real! Push!”