by AA Lee
“All right. How about you hide this inside the flower of my necklace?” Kenda stood at her full height. “This is my only request of you. I don’t know if I will ever see you again, but I will be forever grateful if you do this.”
“But…” The attendant started to open her mouth to protest, but no words came out.
“What is your name?” Kenda asked.
“I’m Eva.” The attendant blushed a little. “Thank you for asking. Nobody is really interested in me here. Jinja’s family only brought me because I normally help during weddings in Nayon.” She rubbed her hands together, looking awkward as the conversation focused on her.
“How old are you?” Kenda looked straight into Eva’s eyes.
“I will be twenty this harvest season, but I’m not so sure if that is correct. We just guessed it. I may be younger, but my mother did not register my birth like many others my age.”
“You are five years older than me. I’m only fifteen.”
“Really!? You talk like you’re older. I guess it’s because your grandmother is the high priestess.”
There was a bit of truth in what Eva had said. Even though she was young, Kenda’s voice contained an undertone of power that other girls her age didn’t have. Years of listening to her grandmother in formal gatherings had clearly influenced her way of speaking.
“How old were you when you got married?” Kenda asked.
“I think I was twelve. I was a lot younger than you, in any case. I already have three lovely kids. It is hard, but I’m happy whenever I see them smile.” The attendant beamed, hands still busy working on arranging the red flowers Kenda had chosen.
“Do you remember your own wedding?”
“But, of course! I remember it like it was just yesterday. We were poor, but I felt like I owned the world that day. Food was endless, and I looked like a fairy when I saw my face staring back at me in the mirror. I was happy, and the people around me were also happy. I chose my own dress, and we received gifts, too.” Eva couldn’t seem to stop talking about the past, but when she looked at Kenda’s serious face, she smiled apologetically and concentrated on arranging the flowers on her head.
“Did you want to get married?”
“Yes… I mean, no. Um...” The woman looked up as she collected her thoughts. After some time, she said, “What I meant was that I wanted to get married because of the wedding day itself. I had been to several weddings when I was a child and I saw how extravagant they could be. I wanted to be pretty and eat a lot of food. So, I wanted to get married, but I didn’t really want to be married. I didn’t really want to have to live with a man and have kids.”
“That’s my reason for not wanting to get married, too. I don’t want to commit myself to a life I haven’t chosen.” At the look of concern which spread across Eva’s face, Kenda said, “No, I’m not asking you to help me to stop the wedding. What I’m asking of you is a very small favor. I want to be myself at this wedding. You were lucky that there was something for you to be excited about during your wedding day. It is not the same for me. I don’t want to be the prettiest, and I don’t want to eat extravagant food. I am happy with any kind of food. I can hunt and farm. Of course, I have dreams of being rich someday, but mostly, I just want to be independent and able to live without being told what to do. But, it clearly isn’t meant to be, so I want to remember this day as my last day of being me. My last day of having something that is entirely mine. This stone gives me hope.” It wasn’t the whole truth, but she could think of no other way to convince Eva to let her have the stone in her wedding.
“Well, I guess if it is that important to you, I think it must be of very high quality.” Eva took the stone as soon as Kenda opened her hand. “Although… I wouldn’t hope much if I were you. Most girls dream of being rich and not having to take care of kids, but that’s just not happening. The best advice I can give you is to accept that the destiny of the women of our villages are marriage and motherhood.”
Chapter 7
Kenda
“We know that you have all been waiting for this union.” It was 3 p.m., and the crowd fell silent to lend their ears to the master of the ceremony. “The day has come for two powerful families of two villages to become one. We thank you all for being here. First, I would like to thank Datu Romu, for making sure that this wedding is officially recognized by the government in town.”
From behind the stage, Kenda could imagine Datu Romu standing and waving his hand to the crowd. He must have taken his time because it took a while before the master of the ceremony spoke again.
“We would also like to thank the high priestess for her commitment in making sure this wedding goes according to plan.” The master of the ceremony paused briefly. “This goes without saying, but we would like to thank the groom, Jinja, and his family in preparing such a momentous event.” The crowd erupted in claps. “And now, please cheer for our bride, the granddaughter of the high priestess, Kenda!”
The claps and cheers were nothing but muted sounds to Kenda as she exited the stage. The designers had fashioned a white door in the middle for the bride to come out from.
The crowd fell silent as Kenda came into full view. She saw the jaws of several women near the stage dropped. Her attendants had her look in the mirror before the ceremony. For a moment, she had forgotten her plan to escape when she stared back at herself. To the crowds, she must have looked like the perfect bride, waiting for her beloved groom. Courtesy of the red flowers on her head, she looked older than her age, and her entire aura suggested an almost fairy-like appeal with her long, flowy, white dress.
She looked at each side of the stage to where the two families were seated. Jinja’s family looked happy, while her own were expressionless. As Kenda’s eyes flicked across the gathering of guests beyond the stage, she could see that they, too, were happy and, most probably, eager to eat.
In just a few hours, the ceremony would be finished, and after a few days, the food and the wedding venue would be gone, and everyone would go back to their normal lives. Everyone, except her.
She remembered that she needed to be angry to use the stone. She looked at Jinja to give rise to her anger, but, surprisingly, nothing happened.
“Now, the groom may stand next to his bride!” The host’s voice was fired-up, barely maintaining the formality required for the wedding. As Jinja got closer, Kenda could feel herself becoming angrier. She touched the stone on her necklace, but there was no smoke, nor any commotion from the crowd. Kenda’s anger was replaced with frustration.
From what she could remember of Daa tradition, weddings were usually short. The ceremony would be over once the two of them shared rice from a coconut bowl.
Lost in thought, Kenda did not notice when the girls came up the stage and surrounded her and Jinja. They were wearing white dresses and looked like little brides. The girls held hands to form a circle which placed her and the groom in the middle. Only then did Kenda realize that they would be performing.
They tapped their little feet, and the crowd started clapping to the beat. Their ages ranged from anywhere between six to ten, but all Kenda could see was these tiny cherubic girls getting married. How many of them were already promised to other families? she thought. How many of them will lose their innocence and not get a chance to be themselves, just to satisfy the needs of men? How many of them will only succumb to marriage as a means of avoiding death?
Kenda clenched her fists, not hearing the chants of the little girls. Someone had to take a stand, and she was sure it was her. But just when she was about to speak her protest, her chest suddenly felt hot, and the stone vibrated on the thin chain against her neck, begging to be released. Clutching the stone, she shouted, “Come out, smoke! Come out and hide me!”
The stone erupted in a big explosion. The girls froze. The crowd scattered in all directions. Jinja looked in Kenda’s direction but was unable to see her due to the blanket of smoke curling around her.
Lifting the hem of her dr
ess, Kenda jumped off the stage. Oddly, she couldn’t see her dress, even though she was holding it. She looked at her hands, and they, too, were invisible. At that moment, Kenda understood that the smoke and explosion were only a distraction. The real magic of the stone had been to make her invisible.
Kenda ran toward the direction of the pass leading down the mountain. Her long dress stopping her from running fast, she tore the skirt with her teeth. She didn’t know how long the magic would last, but Kenda hoped it would be long enough before her grandmother understood that she had escaped.
Chapter 8
Nora
All Nora could hear was the thumping of her chest. She tried to go near the stage to make sure Kenda was okay, but it was almost impossible to reach due to the number of people running in all directions. She pushed forward, only to be pushed back by a screaming woman. Craning her neck to see the stage among the sea of people, she noticed that Kenda wasn’t there. Jinja looked bewildered, and the small girls were crying uncontrollably around him.
Something’s wrong. There had been a loud explosion and a sea of smoke, but everything looked normal except for the confused and horrified people. She braced herself, pushed toward the host’s podium, and picked up the abandoned bull’s horn. As the high priestess, she had to take control of situations when people were afraid, especially when it came to the unknown. This was one of those situations.
Nora dashed across the stage to Jinja. Gripping his shoulders, she shook the dazed groom. “Where is Kenda?”
“I… don’t know. I’m sure she was just here. She... disappeared after the explosion. I haven’t seen her leaving.” Jinja looked around him, seeming more disoriented.
Nora sniffed the remnants of smoke. Most of it had dissipated, and so had the people. Some of the guests still lingered near enough for them to see the stage but were far enough from danger. Her husband, Cesar, joined her on the stage.
“The smoke smells odd,” Nora said absently to herself. In deep concentration, she examined the floor. She could clearly see that there was not even a scratch on the wood. A sudden realization hit her. “Find the bride!” Nora shouted into the bull’s horn. Everyone turned their heads toward her. She, on the other hand, turned to Jinja. “Gather your village’s strongest men. We need to find my granddaughter. I hope she is not in danger.”
“Do you think she was kidnapped before our wedding was proclaimed?”
“I don’t know for sure, but what I am certain of is that the explosion was just a distraction. The smoke smells of a magician’s powder.”
Chapter 9
Kenda
Kenda followed the same path she had walked the first time she had tried to escape. She wouldn’t risk taking the path full of leeches to the south. Panting, she stopped for a second to catch her breath. When she finally reached the point where she had been caught before, she tried to stop herself from panicking as memories of her capture flooded her mind. She took a long, deep breath, and with a steely determination, her feet hopped from stone to stone, avoiding stepping on the sand that would leave tracks for the men to follow.
She leaned on a rock to gather her strength as she approached a mountain with a sheer rock face. The path was called Budlay, which translated as “difficult” because it was hard to follow the path. This part was one of the most difficult areas when going to town. Small footholds were carved into the sturdy mountain. A good grip and a good balance were necessary to avoid falling.
The opposite bank of the river was also bordered by a rocky mountain. Due to frequent erosion, that path had been abandoned. The river below was calm, but the raging current a few meters further downstream had claimed the lives of many people.
Kenda’s greatest concern was being spotted before she could finish traversing the rocky climb. It was a long way, and the magic of the stone, having only lasted for about an hour, had worn out.
She was sure that people would have figured out that the explosion had been nothing more than a distraction. Her grandmother would have been perfectly sure that Kenda had taken this route. Sometimes, Kenda thought her grandmother had some sort of telepathy, even though Nora admitted that her powers were only limited to talking to those who had passed away.
She quickened her steps. Fortunately, she was used to climbing rocks, her strong legs steadying her steps. When just a few steps were left, she heard dogs barking. She turned and saw more than two dozen people running toward the Budlay path. She caught a glimpse of her grandmother, and her pulse quickened. There was a good distance between them, and it would surely take some time for them to catch up, but with Jinja’s group joining the hunt, Kenda was afraid they would soon close the distance.
It was getting darker and colder. Without the sun to dry the water slipping through the rock, the climb was becoming more slippery. With the barking of the dogs ringing in her ears, Kenda was close to panicking. She took one more look at the people chasing her and saw Goni. Did he betray me? It seemed like he was helping the men from Nayon to catch her.
Her legs wobbly with fear, she took one more step. Her foot missed the outcropping and, screaming, she tumbled from the rock face.
Her world turned upside down as her head hit the water first. Kenda moved her arms and legs frantically, but her body kept on sinking. Afraid to look into the depths of the water, she closed her eyes.
Her feet hit the bottom of the river, and, in a panic, she flailed her arms and kicked hard. Longing for air, she gave a strong kick that propelled her upward. As soon as she broke the surface, she inhaled as much air as her lungs could draw before coughing at the water also entering her mouth.
She opened her eyes. In that brief moment, she saw her grandmother approaching the shallow part of the river ahead of the Budlay path.
“Kenda!” Nora waved her arms. “I will throw you a bamboo. Just stay where you are, and we will help you.”
As she started to plummet again, Kenda saw men holding bamboo stalks reaching the water’s edge. She was exhausted. She had taken in too much water, and she couldn’t seem to move her hands anymore. She felt the strong current’s pull.
She thought she was dreaming, but a hand gripped her wrist and pulled her up. Her face broke the surface, and a man helped her stay afloat by offering her a bamboo stalk. Kenda clung to it like it was her savior. She coughed uncontrollably, and the man in the water beside her gently patted her back. Wrapping his arms around her, the man swam for the shore, pulling Kenda through the water.
“Thank you,” Kenda said as they approached the riverbank.
The man bowed his head. He helped her to stand when they reached the sand. “I am glad that you are safe.”
“I have a favor to ask,” Kenda spluttered. “I know that it is ridiculous, but I just want you to let me go.”
“I’m afraid that is not possible. I might lose my life if I do.”
“Then I’m sorry.” Kenda quickly jabbed two quick punches to his chin, and the unconscious man fell to the sand with a thud.
Kenda regretted using her training against a man who had saved her life, but she didn’t have a choice. She was also thankful that Goni had trained her well enough to knock someone unconscious without killing them. She just wished that he had taught her how to swim.
Nora and the men pursuing her were quickly gaining pace, running toward her from further along the riverbank. Kenda knew she would surely be caught if she chose to run. Despite the fear, she jumped back into the water and kicked her legs until the bamboo moved down toward the raging current.
Chapter 10
Nora
With the raging current, Nora estimated Kenda would have covered twice the distance that she would have achieved through running. She also assumed that she had conserved energy by letting the water carry her. Kenda was nowhere to be seen, and there was no trail by which she could be followed.
“Idja, I don’t want us to be running blindly. We need to be sure where my granddaughter is.” Nora stopped in her tracks and faced Idja. The f
ace of the man before her had no wrinkles yet, but he looked older than his age, thanks to his long, white hair. Idja’s white beard was also about five inches long, at its longest in the middle and shorter on the sides. Nora planted her staff on the ground to support her weight. She was beyond exhausted not only because of running but because she had barely slept in the past couple of days. “I can’t use my ability now, because I need to be physically strong.” Nora knew that like her, Idja would also spend his energy faster when he uses magic, but she was desperate to follow her granddaughter.
“Yes, High Priestess.” Idja opened a small bottle containing a white powder and sprinkled it onto his palm. He muttered incantations and blew the powder from his open hand. The powder stayed afloat in the air and moved down toward the river. “It looks like she has continued in the same direction, High Priestess.”
“Good, but we’ll need to hurry if we are to find her before she reaches the Great Fall. I don’t want her to be in danger again. Anyway, do you have anything that can make us faster? We know where she’s going, but it doesn’t help if she keeps gaining distance.”
Idja touched his pockets without slowing down. “I don’t have anything that can make us faster, but I can slow her down. I can make her sleepy and cause her to lose energy.”
“Then do it!” Nora shouted.
“I can’t do it at this distance, High Priestess. The spell will only work when she is in sight.”
“We have to go faster.”
The river flowed in a snake-like pattern, and they had to cross its meandering waters several times in pursuit of Kenda. Since Nora was shorter, she was slower than the men running in front of her, and some of the men had to help her to cross the river to keep their pace.
