by A A Lee
She closed her eyes, calling forth the water. Please, she thought. I need you right now. Help me put out the fire. But the water was deaf to her call.
She opened her eyes, only to see Lita’s store had almost burned to the ground. Her heart ached for Lita, and she fell on her knees, feeling helpless. Something cold touched her hand. When she looked up, she saw a man carrying a bucket of water. She ran after him and, to the man’s bewilderment, snatched the bucket. She put her hand in the bucket, closed her eyes, and in deep concentration, she summoned the water.
Screaming voices filled her ears. People panicked, and she heard footsteps running away from her. When she opened her hand, the water was arcing in the air, cascading down into the fire like a waterfall.
People backed away from her with fear in their eyes. Some mustered enough courage to take her picture. When there was nothing left but smoke in Lita’s store, she ran toward it, screaming Lita’s name.
“Over here!” a man shouted in the town’s language.
Lita was lying down in the dirt, her eyes closed. Her clothes were ruined from where the fire had scorched them, and angry red splotches of skin were visible on her arms and legs.
“Lita, no!” she screamed and dashed toward her. A body collided with hers, stopping her from reaching Lita. The man who had stopped her shook his head and pointed toward a wailing car that had just arrived. She slowly calmed down, hoping that Lita was alive. Lita was carried toward the car on what looked like a bed. Not wanting to tear her eyes away from Lita, she struggled against the arms that stopped her and fought until she was allowed to ride in the vehicle with her.
* * *
“We have a problem.” Idja tried to catch his breath after a long run. Some of his long white hair covered his face.
“What made you run like a deer, Idja? Calm down.” Hula sat on the floor, waiting for Jinja to arrive from collecting the money from Daa.
“The prisoner has used his magic.”
“What?” Hula stood up, his face reddening with anger.
“That’s not all. As I am responsible for the magic that locks his prison cell, I have a connection to it. When I felt that a different magic had been used, I tried to disrupt it, and I saw that the prisoner, the High Priestess, and her husband were there. I am not quite sure yet, but I think they may have been contacting Kenda.”
“Those two-faced fools! Did they think that they could fool us? I forgave them for not paying the correct amount, but this is too much! Perhaps they even let the girl escape to make us look like fools!”
Hula was pacing back and forth as Jinja entered the house.
Jinja opened the purse and counted out fifteen hundred kwartas in front of Hula. In a fit of rage, Hula punched the nearest wall. Blood oozed from his knuckles.
“Jinja, have someone call Arnau. We have an urgent matter to discuss.”
“I saw him as I was coming here. He is just outside. Let me call him.” Jinja went outside and came back with Arnau less than a minute later.
The muscular man had curly hair, bulging muscles, and battle scars on his face. Arnau was the leader of the warriors of Taa and was in his fifties. Although there hadn’t been any wars between the villages for a decade, Arnau had seen his fair share of victories as a younger man. He was feared by both enemies and allies alike. His scars alone scared the villagers.
Arnau bowed to Hula and respectfully waited for him to sit down. After Hula had taken his seat, he also sat down.
“How many men are trained for battle?” Hula crossed his legs and put his hands on his thighs.
“We have about two thousand men who are well-trained,” Arnau replied. “If I include those who have started their training over the last two years, we have about three thousand in total.” Arnau did not question where or when they would attack. He always waited for orders from the village chief and never questioned him unless it was necessary.
“That should be more than enough. Idja!” Hula called.
Idja came closer. He was stood with Jinja near the door. Jinja followed him, also awaiting his orders.
“How many gifted do we have in our village?”
“We have ten adults, but I have recently discovered that we also have five gifted children. May I ask why?”
“We are going to teach the village of Daa a lesson.” Hula’s voice became firm but not loud. “They have made fools of us by letting their prisoner use magic and not telling us that the bride is alive. They have also not paid their debt properly. Order the garrison and gather the gifted.” He turned to Idja. “But leave the kids behind.”
“But I think they can help us,” Idja protested. “Some of them are really strong. They just need to hone their gifts.”
“Leave them,” Hula said firmly. “Just in case we don’t make it back, they will still be here to protect our village for the future generation.”
“I’m sorry to say this, Sir,” Idja said tentatively, “but don’t you think it might be better to give them more time to pay? If I remember rightly, we agreed with Daa that we would charge them interest if they failed to pay, and that’s what has happened. With regards to the magic and the bride...”
Hula looked at Idja but did not speak. His stare became vacant, as though he was beginning to regret having made a decision out of anger.
Jinja broke the silence. “I’m sorry, Father, but I lied to you.”
His words broke Hula from his inattention. “About what?”
“About Dasig’s death.”
“What about it?”
Jinja looked down, avoiding his father’s eyes. “His death was not an accident. Well, I mean… it could have been prevented.”
“What on earth are you talking about, boy? Why would you lie about something as important as that?”
“Because I didn’t want a war between our two villages.”
“Perhaps now’s the time to tell me the truth, then.”
“There was a disagreement over the payment last time. They only gave us fifteen hundred, which caused Dasig to get angry. He wanted to collect more, and the High Priestess got mad. Her men defended her and there was a fight. Her men chased us and, unfortunately, Dasig fell during the chase.”
“We cannot let them get away with this!” Anger was back in Hula’s voice. He turned to the leader of the army. “Arnau, I want you to gather your men. Put those who are newly trained at the back; they will just stay in their positions as backup.” He faced the magician. “Idja, the warriors will form a perimeter around you and the gifted. That way, you will be protected by muscle.”
Although Arnau was the leader of Taa’s warriors, there were times when Hula handled the strategy. Arnau would then make further arrangements based on his plan. This was one of those times.
“You must remember that we only intend to teach them a lesson. We are not there to kill. We are going to make sure that they treat us with respect from now on.”
“What do you mean by that, Father? What are we supposed to do?”
“We will take their supplies. We must take what they owe, plus what we will spend in the attack. It doesn’t matter if we bring home root crops, clothes, or rice, just as long as we take more than what they owe.”
“It looks like such a big effort just to show them what we want.”
“Not only that. We must capture their only gifted person, bring him here, and make him follow our wishes.”
“I agree with that part.” Idja smiled. “Perhaps that might make the High Priestess realize her mistake.”
Chapter 16
Crossed
“Nora!” Cesar’s voice echoed amid the mountains. Nora rolled her eyes in disbelief. The old man could have chosen to look for her, but instead he decided to shout. Sometimes, she got annoyed when Cesar couldn’t see things that were right in front of him. It was no different when he was looking for someone.
“Right here, old man. Use your eyes for once, for God’s sake! I’m only a few feet away from you.” Nora stood up and stoppe
d pulling the weeds that came up to her shoulders. The corns were being outgrown by them, and they were stubborn when pulled. She was afraid that the corn would stop growing if they remained under the shade of the weeds.
“Yeah, I think the gods did not give me good eyesight.” Cesar walked closer to her, stepping on weeds to make a path.
“Who are you to blame the gods? You’re the one who’s not using them properly.” She straightened her back and heard some of her bones crack. “And don’t you just step on those weeds! Pull them out! They will just spring back up tomorrow if you step on them like that.”
“Forget about the weeds. You told me that you were going to eat lunch at home. Can’t you see that the sun has almost gone?” Cesar pointed at the sunset.
“I ate some raw sweet potato here. What’s the fuss? You could’ve come earlier and helped me.”
“Do you want your stomach to get worse? Don’t you go and complain again about your stomach pain when it comes.”
“Yeah, yeah. I will just finish weeding this line of corn. I’ll be less than an hour.”
“Here, eat this boiled sweet potato first.” He smiled. “No matter what’s going on, one thing never changes. You’re really stubborn.”
“Then stop arguing. You already know that I’m stubborn.” Nora pulled a handful of weeds and walked to the edge of the mountain. From the top of the mountain, they could see the whole village laid out before them. On the right side was the prison where Goni was being held and, beyond that, the desert. On the left was the river and the waterfall. Behind their farm, a few kilometers farther away, was the land of leeches where no one dared to go.
Nora sat down and opened the sweet potatoes wrapped in taro leaves. They were still hot, causing the taro leaves to wilt. Her stomach grumbled and she realized just how hungry she actually was. She was thankful that her husband had brought food, but she did not express it. She hurriedly peeled the biggest potato and ate it.
“Don’t tell me that you forgot to bring water?” Nora raised her right eyebrow.
“I forgot. Just go to the well down the mountain after eating.”
“My goodness! You know that eating sweet potato makes me thirsty. Go and fetch me some water.”
“I didn’t bring a cup. Just go there and drink.”
“What have you been doing all day to make you this lazy? Go now. Use a leaf or bamboo or something. Just fetch water.”
“I can’t believe you can pull all those weeds, but you’re too lazy to walk to get yourself a drink.” Cesar started walking down.
Nora smiled in victory. She was happy whenever she won an argument with her husband. She peeled another sweet potato while waiting for Cesar. She sighed and thought to herself that she would not be able to finish pulling the weeds in the last row because of the rest she had taken. She would have to come back the next day.
After paying all their debts, Nora’s worries had lessened. With all the concerns over Kenda, she had taken her farm for granted, but now she was finally able to return to tending her crops.
If Kenda was here, it would be much faster pulling out the weeds, she wished. She put her head on her hand with the thought of her granddaughter and sighed. Kenda had been under their care ever since she was a baby, and the house felt empty without her. She looked at the river flowing down to town. She wished she could go into town and meet her granddaughter, but that would risk other people finding out that Kenda was alive.
Her thoughts were interrupted by distant movement beside the river. She rubbed her eyes to clear her vision, annoyed by the fact that her eyes were getting too old to see well. She thought that her imagination was playing tricks on her again, but when she opened her eyes, her vision showed her the same thing. It was far, but she could see that there were hundreds of people moving toward their village. The way in which they moved told her that they were no visitors. They moved in unison.
Nora’s heart skipped a beat. It couldn’t be Hula. They had paid him in full. Then it dawned on her that perhaps the show of force was in response to the magic that Goni had used. But why would they attack because of it? she pondered.
Whatever the reason, she had no time to spare. She had been young when the last war between the villages had taken place. Chaos ran through her mind, and, for a second, she wanted to stay seated and calm herself, but time was a luxury that she could not afford.
She ran down the mountain as though she was being chased by demons. Gravity helped speed up her descent, and she didn’t hesitate to step on her plants.
Cesar looked at her like she had gone mad. “Slow down, woman! Are you trying to kill yourself?”
“Go and warn the villagers! We are under attack!”
Cesar’s face showed disbelief. “What on earth are you talking about?”
“Go! We don’t have time. They will be here in an hour.”
“What? How do you know that there are attackers?”
“Go now, please. Ask questions later. We need to warn the villagers, and I have to go and help Goni. We need him if we are to fend off these attackers. The village of Taa has several gifted men and, no doubt, they will march among them.”
Cesar stood motionless for a moment, but seeing the terror in Nora’s eyes, he ran like he was ten years younger.
Even though she was dying for a drink, Nora ignored the well and ran toward the right side of the farm, wishing that she could be faster. She also prayed that Cesar would be fast enough to warn the villagers before the attackers arrived. Her lungs strained and her legs ached, begging her to take a rest, but she ignored them.
Upon entering the prison, she shouted to catch Goni’s attention, but all she heard was a croak from her throat. Her mouth was too dry, and she was still a good distance from the entrance to his cell. She put her hands on her knees and tried to steady her breathing. Goni saw her before she was able to speak again, and he stood up.
“Goni!” Her voice was louder this time.
Goni tried the door to his cell and found that it was no longer locked by magic. He knew that in itself didn’t mean he was free; the main gate to the prison would still be secure. Exiting his cell, he crossed the distance between them.
“What is it, High Priestess?” His voice was a mixture of concern and fear.
“You need to get out of here. We are under attack! The attackers will reach the village in a few minutes. There is no time.” Nora swayed and Goni held her shoulders to steady her.
“I think I have figured out how to get out of here, but I just don’t have enough power to do it. If I had my tools here, I would be able to do it easily.”
“I can’t go and get your tools. You have to get out before they reach the village, or all will be lost.”
“The magic here is designed to kill me if I try to break out. Idja and the other magicians from Taa cast a powerful spell, and if I fail, I will probably lose my life. I tried subtly breaking it, and it was strong. I can’t do it alone.”
Nora paced back and forth, her brows furrowed in concentration. “I can’t help you to break the barrier, as I have never dealt with such magic before. I am only a bridge between souls.”
“Yes! That’s it!”
“What do you mean?”
“I need you to call my father. I don’t know if this will work because he is now a soul, but my father was gifted. He hid it because he did not find the Bringer of Equality during his lifetime, but he was far more powerful than me. If he can breach the boundary between life and death, maybe he can help me break the barrier.”
Nora sat on the ground. She held her staff horizontally with both hands and closed her eyes. She began calling forth her gift to open herself to the souls. Even without the high priestess’ hat, she closed her eyes. She hoped that closing her eyes would open them to the spirit world. This was her first time trying without the hat because the procedure was normally done with careful preparation.
She sighed in frustration as she failed to enter the world of the priestesses. She couldn’
t stop thinking about the invaders and that stopped her from focusing on entering the spirit realm. She opened her eyes and massaged her trembling hands to calm herself.
“I need to stop thinking. I need to be calm to let your father enter our world.”
“High Priestess, please listen to me. I will help you to calm down.”
Nora closed her eyes again, trying to stop herself from thinking about the time that was being wasted.
“Inhale slowly through your nose,” Goni said in a gentle voice, and Nora did as he said. “Hold your breath. One, two, three. Now, exhale slowly through your mouth. Again, inhale through your nose. Hold it. One, two, three, and exhale slowly through your mouth.”
Nora felt herself spiraling after a few minutes. She felt the familiar dizziness as she entered the underworld.
“I call forth Maximo.”
Maximo appeared instantly, as if he had been waiting.
“Thank you, High Priestess. I have been waiting for you. I wish we could talk, but we don’t have the time. I have to help my son.”
“Go ahead. He desperately needs your help.”
Goni’s eyes moistened with happiness as he saw the ghostly apparition of his father, but it only lasted for a moment. Goni held his father’s transparent hand. The two men bowed at one another, murmuring sounds that only made sense to the two of them. Their bodies began to glow as their murmurs started getting louder.
Their voices became higher and higher, and as their voices grew to a shout, smoke began to form around the gate.
“It is done.” Maximo stated the obvious. “I wish I could do more, but my powers are limited now that I have crossed into the afterlife. High Priestess, thank you for giving me the chance to see my son, and may you win this war.” Maximo turned his face toward Goni. “You are powerful, son. You don’t need all those bottles. You are the guardian to The Bringer of Equality.”