by AA Lee
Kisig held his breath. His mother’s hesitation and the danger she hinted at in the underworld troubled him, but his mother was already dead. She can’t feel pain anymore, can she?
“A star flickers in the village and holds it survival in her hands. You and the high priestess must make a way for the star to shine as bright as the sun. But… betray her, and the village will burn.”
His mother’s face burst into a blinding light, and a tremendous force threw him on his back. He didn’t remember closing his eyes, but opening them seemed to require all his strength. Thatched roof greeted him. The high priestess was at his side with his attendants, and the priestesses he could not see sang a healing song.
“Datu, blink your eyes if you can hear me.” The high priestess’s face looked a little blurry. Her thinning brows drew closer, but he closed his eyes as his vision swam.
Kisig nodded. “Yes, High Priestess.” His voice was just a little louder than a whisper. He could hear the attendants releasing their breaths. When he opened his eyes, his vision slowly returned to normal. “What happened?” He cleared his throat. “Why am I here now? I remember being outside the meeting hall for the ceremony and… and… I saw Mother.”
“You passed out. It was my fault. I should have pulled you out earlier. You don’t have magic. I know it’s difficult, but I didn’t know it would take such a toll on you. I apologize, Datu, but I needed to know if the spirits would help us.”
“No. My mother declined. She said she could not interfere with the living.”
“I can’t believe your mother would say that. She had the support of most of the priestesses in the afterlife. I can’t believe she would just abandon her son.”
“But she said something about a star.”
The high priestess froze. “The star? What on earth? I can’t wait for the star. I don’t know when she’ll be ready.”
“She? The star is a person? Come to think of it, my mother also said ‘she.’”
“Yes, but she is destined for a different path. Let’s focus on our battle strategy. The star won’t be of any help in this matter, and I don’t know when the star will burn brighter, or if she even can.”
Chapter 17
Tala
It had been three days since they began training. Tala still didn’t know how to make her magic flow into the spear. No matter how hard she imagined the spear turning into something, it still wouldn’t change. The second trial was Magic Exhibition, and they were told to display their connection to their weapon. The judges—the older priestesses including the high priestesses—would judge them based on creativity, usefulness to aid the warriors, and originality.
Other girls had already started practicing their moves for the trial. Tala had nothing to her name to pay the dowry back nor a hint of magic that could save her life.
Tala squeezed water from her dress. She had five dresses from the high priestess, so she didn’t have to wash them in the spring every day. Their training ended about an hour before nightfall. Whenever she got frustrated about trying to summon her gift, she used her spare time to brainstorm ways to earn money, cleaned, cooked, or did her laundry. Malaya was useless with household chores, so Tala pretty much did everything. Malaya even sent her clothes to her house to be washed because slaves were not allowed in the shrine.
“Tala.”
Tala stopped squeezing the water out of her last dress. She turned but didn’t see anyone.
“Tala, over here.”
She put the dress on top of the rest on a stone and walked to where the voice was coming from. She almost jumped when she saw a rock move.
“It’s me.”
“Nimfa! You scared me. Why do you look like a rock?”
“Shhh. Be quiet. This was what I trained to do last year. I almost made it to the finals.”
“Really? This is incredible! You might win this year. You’re so good at hiding.”
“Thanks. If only they measured hiding as a talent, I would have passed, but they don’t. Anyway, this isn’t the time to talk about that. If you fail to direct your magic to your weapon in the second trial, you’re out. Last year, we started with that. Almost all the new priestesses learn it first. Once we become good at it, we probably won’t need to use objects anymore, just like the high priestess.”
“You’re right! Come to think of it, the only time I’ve seen her use her staff was during the opening ceremony and when she healed the village datu.”
“Right. Anyway.” Nimfa rested her hands on her waist. “Why did you choose a spear? Didn’t you know that it’s harder to control bigger objects?”
“Of course, I didn’t know. I was absent from the first class because I was hungover.”
“I warned you. That mean girl is really determined to make you fail. She must be really pissed that she’s your roommate. Anyway, can you get your spear? I’ll help you train.”
“Here? But we’re not allowed to practice outside training hours. The high priestess said we could hurt someone with our magic.”
“It’ll be dark here. If no one sees us, the high priestess wouldn’t know. Why do you think other contenders are so good? They’ve been studying magic all their lives. Those who aren’t good now will just try again next year until they’re good enough to be priestesses. That’s why the whole trial lasts only a month. It’s supposed to test who has enough power to be a priestess, but rich girls have the option to hire priestesses secretly. Now, even the high priestess acts like all girls have trained prior to the trials, which is true except for you.”
“That kind of makes sense but doesn’t benefit me whatsoever because I won’t have another chance.” Tala picked up her laundry. “I know where we can practice without anyone seeing us.”
Nimfa’s eyes widened. “Where?”
“Get me a roll of tobacco. We need it.”
“Don’t tell me…”
“Yes. Fireflies light that tree at night. It should be enough for us to see.”
“But that place is scary.”
“Any other suggestions?”
“Well, I practice at home, but I guess my mother won’t be happy if you come with me.” Nimfa sighed. “Fine. Bring your spear.”
It was completely dark when Nimfa arrived at the river. She brought her staff and a box wrapped with a black cloth.
“That’s too much tobacco! Your father will be angry.”
“No, silly. I brought food. I thought we would get hungry. It’s hard to concentrate when you’re a beginner. I also need to practice with you.”
The two girls raised the hems of their dresses and held hands as they crossed the river. Tala was taller and bigger, so she walked on the upper side, breaking the strong current with her body.
“You know, at first, you were so annoying.” Nimfa’s voice competed against the raging current. “I didn’t understand why you were so hesitant to make a move when you were given an opportunity. Even a small girl like me would bite at every opportunity thrown my way. It seemed like you had been coerced to join the competition. It felt like an insult to those of us who had tried hard to be there. Some of us have been preparing ever since our parents found out we were gifted, so I guess I understand how Malaya feels… just a little anyway. She’s unreasonable most of the time…”
“I didn’t want to be a priestess. All I knew about them was that they talked to souls. I didn’t know that they had this awesome power to heal or make things prettier or use things as weapons. So now… I think it wouldn’t be too bad to become one. But…” Tala thought of telling the girl about her marriage if she failed to pass the Priestess Trials but thought that the girl was too young to think about such things. “You’re helping me even though you’re younger. And… you’re competitive. You wouldn’t want me to take your spot. So… why? Is it out of pity, because I’m a slave?”
“No! If you hadn’t helped me during the first trial, my mother would have been really disappointed. Also, I thought your connection with magic was strong from the very f
irst day. I want you to be a priestess when I compete next year, just in case I fail again this year. Knowing someone in the shrine is a big advantage. You don’t know how unfair those priestesses are sometimes when the high priestess isn’t around.”
“Thanks… I guess, but I hope both of us will pass this year.” They fell silent, and Tala guessed that Nimfa was also thinking about life as a priestess.
They jumped up and down to dry their bodies when they reached the far bank before lowering their dresses. When they reached the balete tree, it sparkled like the night sky full of stars. Oddly, the fireflies seemed to stay in the balete tree.
Nimfa untied the cloth wrap and opened the wooden box. Tala picked up the cigar and handed it to the kapre. “Silly me. I should’ve lit it first.”
“Yeah, you’re silly. He’s a kapre. He has magic.”
Sure enough, when Tala looked back up at the kapre, he was grinning, the cigar between his fingers already lit.
“Now, let’s hurry. Sit down on the ground.” Nimfa put the spear between them, and they sat facing each other. “Have you decided what you want to do with the spear?”
“No,” Tala said weakly.
“That’s a big problem. Let me see… what do you want to do? Think of something or someone you like or hate.”
“Yeah. That’s easy. I like you… I like the high priestess. I want to impress her. I hate Malaya, and I want to break her wand into tiny little pieces.”
“Then you don’t need to transform your spear. You just have to enhance its function.” Nimfa tilted her head and raised her brows to make a point.
“Like how?”
“Like making it stronger. You saw me make my staff spin, move, hit something. So…” Nimfa turned her palms up. “Maybe enhance your spear’s aim so, no matter how far your target is, the spear will be able to hit it, or perhaps make it move on its own, like I did.”
“Aren’t those too simple? No one will be impressed. Just today, Malaya’s snake slithered and tried to bite me.”
“We can start simple. When you’re able to do that, then perhaps we can think of something clever.”
“Good idea.” Tala gripped her staff tighter.
Nimfa shook her head and looked at Tala’s spear. “Let’s start with something small. You’ll be completely exhausted if we start with your spear.” She looked around and picked up a twig. “Here. The trick is communicating with your object. Think like it’s a person and not an object. Don’t start by commanding it to turn into something or do something. It’s like getting to know a person before you become friends with her.”
“I don’t have friends.” Tala put her spear on the ground and held the stick Nimfa offered. “I had one… but she was a slave, so we didn’t have a choice but to be friends. And we’d been together since we were young.”
“You have two—the kapre and me. Although with both of us, you didn’t really go through that process. I reached out to you. The kapre did also.” Nimfa sighed, like she was faced with a very difficult situation. “Okay, picture it this way. You weren’t born a slave, and you met a new girl. She seemed nice, and you could picture the two of you getting along together. What would you do?”
“Smile?”
“And if she smiles back?”
“Smile again and wait to see if she says something?”
“No. I mean, that’s also okay, but you should say hi or perhaps walk near her and ask her name. Let’s say the girl talked to you. What would you do next?”
“Ask her to be my friend.”
“No,” Nimfa said in a raised voice. “Observe. See what she likes and doesn’t like. Friendship comes naturally, like you and me. I didn’t ask you to be my friend. If you asked her directly on the first meeting, it would be awkward. She might say yes just to be polite, but she might not want to be your friend.”
“Oh, I understand now. I think…” Tala shook her head. “Why is it so complicated?”
“You’ll get used to it. Now, apply the same thing to this twig. When you concentrate, picture this twig as something important. Think about where it came from. It might be sad because it fell down. Anything that will make you connect to it. After that, ask it to move or something.”
“How do I know if it’s ready?”
“Only you will know.”
“That sounds more complicated, but okay.”
“Close your eyes.”
Tala followed Nimfa’s instructions.
“And empty your mind of all your worries. Just think about getting close to the twig. Breathe in… and breathe out.”
Tala imagined a big tree. She placed the twig near the top, and when a heavy storm beat the tree, the branches snapped, and the twig fell to the ground. She imagined how lonely it must have been to be forgotten. In her mind, she and the twig were one.
Her vision shifted. She was up the balete tree. She and the other twigs swayed with every blow of the wind. Then the girls came and climbed the tree in a hurry. She saw herself climbing with hesitation. She wanted to tell herself to climb faster and higher than Malaya, but she was but a twig who could not speak. After the challenge, the girls climbed down.
Diyosa grinned, her face inches away. Without a second thought, Diyosa snapped her from the branch and threw her down. She wanted to hit Diyosa. She wanted her to know how it felt to be broken and thrown to the ground. Tala, the twig, commanded her body to move. She jumped toward the tree to hit Diyosa.
“You did it!” Nimfa squealed.
When Tala opened her eyes, the twig was jumping toward the balete tree.
Chapter 18
Kisig
“We need to move faster, Datu. I have news from our spies that Daa is preparing for war. At this rate, I’m afraid they will attack us first.”
Kisig drummed his fingers on the wooden table and nodded absently to Head Warrior Bagsik. “You’re right, but we’re not ready.”
“It’s better to attack than to defend. It’ll be hard to penetrate Daa, but it will be harder to attack if we lose supplies and men when they attack us first.”
“So, how soon do you think is best?”
“Now that they’re on the move, I think we have to attack this month.”
“Too soon and too little time.” The high priestess absently moved her hand up and down her staff. Her expression was serious, her playfulness with Kisig gone. “We have enough priestesses to fight using fire, but I expect Daa has the same or more priestesses and magicians who are good at it. We also have illusionists. Recently, we have concocted potions to slow down the enemy. It’s not perfect, but it works as long as they’re within sight. I expect the Daa magicians are preparing some surprises too. We need more time to enhance our magic.”
“What if we postpone the Priestess Trials?” Kisig replied quickly, thinking his suggestion would solve the problem.
“No,” Warrior Bagsik answered in a low voice. “We’re not sure yet if there are spies here. If we stop it, they’ll think something’s wrong. It’s common knowledge that the priestesses aid the warriors.”
“What do you suggest, then?” Kisig scratched his head, annoyed that he hadn’t thought that far.
“I think we can give the contenders an hour or two of unsupervised practice. Maybe… leave one or two priestesses to watch over them just in case something goes wrong.”
“That’s a good idea.” The high priestess’s face lit up. “Or we can rotate the priestesses even during the training time. We really need to practice syncing our magics.”
“Let’s go ahead with—”
“But.” The high priestess cut him off. “I’m worried about leaving just one or two priestesses to check on them. There’s one girl who doesn’t really get along well with others. I don’t want to give her special attention because I don’t want others to think I favor her, but I also don’t want her to fail simply because other girls don’t like her.”
“I think I know who it is.” The slave girl. “There are more than fifty priestesses, right?�
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“Fifty-five, and after this competition, there will be sixty-five.”
“How about leaving five of them? I think that’s more than enough.”
“That would be enough to supervise them.”
“When do you think we can attack, then?”
Head Warrior Bagsik raised his right hand in warning and put his finger to his lips. He slowly rose from the floor without making a sound. Kisig held his breath as the warrior crept to the door and opened it in one swift movement.
The high priestess shot to her feet as plates hit the floor with a clatter. Food scattered everywhere. Kisig rose as Warrior Bagsik’s hand circled the throat of the woman standing in the doorway.
“Let her go!”
“But, Datu, we had specific instructions for no one to enter. She might be a spy.”
Ganda’s eyes widened upon hearing the word. Her pale hands trembled, but her fear was quickly replaced by desperation as she struggled to breathe. She clawed futilely at the head warrior’s hand.
“Let her go.”
The warrior opened his hand slowly, as if reluctant. Ganda sucked in a sharp breath and coughed uncontrollably.
“Come closer, Ganda. Did you hear anything?”
“No.” Ganda rubbed her neck, which was red from the head warrior’s grip. She stayed at the open door instead of entering, as Kisig had instructed. “I just arrived. I convinced the guards to let me in because you haven’t had lunch yet. It’s almost dinner.”
“How?” demanded Kisig.
“I’m sorry?”
“How did you convince them?”
“I threatened them.”
“Do you know that because of what you did, the guards might lose their lives?”
