by AA Lee
“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 called forth her gift to open herself to the souls. Even without the high priestess’s 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 glowed as their murmurs started getting louder.
Their voices became higher and higher, and as their voices grew to a shout, smoke formed around the gate.
“It is done. I wish I could do more, but my powers are limited now that I have crossed into the afterlife, and the afterlife is pulling me back. 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.”
“Tell me how to be stronger, Father,” Goni begged.
“There is no time. I am being summoned back to the afterlife. I don’t want you to be pulled with me.”
It was Nora who begged this time. “Please help us, Maximo. I know this is selfish of me because… because I know your very existence is at risk for helping us, but hundreds of lives will be lost today if you don’t.”
“All will eventually go to the afterlife. You cannot stop those who will do so today, including...” Maximo disappeared without completing his sentence. Cold sweat ran from Nora’s brow. She didn’t know who Maximo meant would die today. She dreaded the thought of losing someone and so she called forth other souls to help her.
“Mother, please help us.” Nora’s heart ached as she looked up at the face that had never changed since she left the living world.
“My dear, I know why you have called me, but I cannot help you. I don’t want to meddle in the affairs of the living.”
“But Mother, you have to. Please,” Nora begged, tears rolling down her wrinkled cheeks.
“Do not waste your energy calling forth souls, child. Only those who are willing to turn their backs on God are those who continue to meddle with the living. It is the Bringer of Equality who is destined to break the curse, and no other. That is the best motherly advice I can give you.”
“But Kenda is just a child. She cannot save the village.”
“Power is not based on age, child. She was able to accomplish something that no one has been able to do in this village. She cheated death and refused to be a slave to a man. She is powerful.”
“Just this once, help us.”
“I have to go, child. Your body is suffering, and you are too weak. You should only call one soul at a time.” Her mother disappeared, leaving Nora to sob like a child.
She collapsed onto the dry earth, and when she opened her eyes, she could barely move her body. She had not called two souls in a day before, let alone one right after another.
“High Priestess!” Goni gently lifted her head and made her lean against his body. “I must help the villagers. I can hear a commotion and I’m afraid the men from Nayon have arrived.”
“Go. Leave me here. I will regain my strength in a few hours.”
“What did your mother say?” Goni looked at her and then toward the direction of the houses. “I couldn’t see her. I could only see my father.”
“She refused to help.” Nora wept again in agony. “She told me to focus on Kenda instead.”
“High Priestess, I think your mother is right! I will summon her.”
“No! Don’t. I don’t want her to be harmed.”
“I am sorry, High Priestess, but only the Bringer of Equality can save the village.” Goni gently laid her on the dirt and ran toward his cell where the man-made well was located. He busied himself with the preparations for contacting Kenda.
Nora wanted to stop him with every ounce of her being, but she didn’t have the energy. She couldn’t even lift her head.
Chapter 25
Kenda
Kenda poured the water from the white plastic bowl into the sink and turned on the faucet. The water had been sitting there for a few days and she had decided to change it to avoid mosquitoes from breeding in it. The bowl had been her communication tool with Goni and her grandparents since she wasn’t able to go to the river as she pleased. Since the fire, Lita had a hard time moving around, so Kenda did most of the chores. Her knee had been badly injured in the fire, and she was currently using crutches to walk.
Lita’s store had been built from bamboo and cement. Most of the bamboo had turned to ash during the fire, and Lita had spent what little of the meager savings she had on repairs to reopen the store. Despite her injury, Lita had insisted on returning to work right after she was discharged from the hospital, and she certainly didn’t follow Kenda’s advice to close the store while she recovered. While Kenda was able to communicate with the townspeople, her language skills weren’t adequate enough when it came to bargaining, and people loved to bargain when buying from a small store like Lita’s. As a result, Kenda had no choice but to set up her store each morning and help Lita as best she could as the fruit seller sold her stock from the remnants of her store.
Kenda smiled as she thought of the day after the fire. It was a tragedy for those who had lost their livelihoods, but Kenda had been hailed as a hero for putting out the fire. She had been invited by the town mayor to attend the emergency relief assistance program for those affected by the fire. Even though she wasn’t able to give a speech due to her lack of language proficiency, the mayor had gestured toward her several times, which prompted claps from the attendees. In her heart, she knew that her gift was alien to the public and that the people were torn between awe and fear when it came to her.
“Kenda! Can you hear me?” Shiny water rippled in the bowl.
“Yes, Uncle Goni. What’s wrong?”
“The village is under attack. I need you here, fast, to help the villagers.”
Kenda dropped the bowl. There hadn’t been a war in all the time that she had been alive, but she had heard stories of horror from the older people who had experienced it.
She bolted toward the entrance of the store and ignored Lita, who w
as calling her name. She skidded to a halt and looked back at her. I can’t leave her alone, she thought. Lita couldn’t move enough yet to cook by herself, and her injuries would worsen if she set up the store unaccompanied in the morning. Fear of the village getting wiped out loomed over her, but her pity for Lita was so great that she couldn’t move from where she stood.
Daniel, she thought.
Seeing the serious look on her face, Lucy ran without question. Kenda didn’t know how to find Daniel and she was losing time. There were several kids by the river, but Daniel was nowhere in sight.
“Where is Daniel?” she asked a short-haired girl. The girl shook her head. Kenda did not waste time. She moved to her left and continued running. A white shape caught her eye, and she realized that it was Lucy.
“No, that place is far,” Kenda muttered, not caring if anyone heard her. She looked at the water. “Dear spirits, please let the water obey me without difficulty. A lot of lives are at stake.” She raised her right hand to call upon the water. “I need your help to make me go faster. It is a matter of urgency!”
Without delay, water rose toward her and carried her like she was stepping on something solid, the wind blowing her waist-length hair. “Please go faster,” she asked the river, and the water sped up like it had only waited for her word.
She raised her hand to guide the water. People froze when she arrived at the junk store. Daniel’s eyes widened both in fear and shock upon seeing her. “Water, stop here. Bring me close to the child.” Kenda pointed at Daniel.
“Daniel, I need your help,” Kenda talked to the boy in her broken version of his language. “Can you stay at Lita’s until I return?” Daniel shook his head. She put her hand on her pocket and took out ten kwartas. Daniel gasped. “Go to Lita’s store and stay there. You know that she is injured, and I have somewhere very important to go. Please?”
Daniel nodded. Kenda handed him the money, trusting that Daniel would do as she asked. “I have more money in the store. Tell Lita that I told you that you can use it.” Daniel’s eyes sparkled and he ran immediately in the direction of Lita’s store.
“Now, water, please follow the river upstream,” Kenda commanded. “We have to hurry.”
She passed the mountains in a blur. When she reached the Great Fall, the water rose to convey her to its peak, and when she reached the top, the water continued moving upstream. She moved her hand to the left, indicating to her village after arriving at the foot of the nearby mountain.
Her heart sank when she saw the chaos that had befallen her village. Her heart raced when she saw the same men who chased her when she had first fled the village. Men, women, and children ran from them, but the warriors from Nayon mercilessly hacked away at them.
She clenched her fist and the water rose in response to her anger. “Them.” Kenda pointed at the invaders. “Punish those who are attacking my village.” Water rose in all directions, only targeting the aggressors. Men from Nayon rose high in the air on her geysers of fury, only to be smacked down against the earth.
Other warriors tried to shoot at her with arrows, but Kenda merely deflected them away using the force of the water.
Men fell as cascades of water hit them. Kenda was angry, but she had no intention to kill. She unleashed just enough water to knock them unconscious. Villagers also ran in fear of the water, as if Kenda scared them more than the invaders.
She moved toward her grandmother’s house, but to her dismay, it was damaged beyond repair. She hovered near the roof of the house, but her grandmother was nowhere to be seen.
“To the prison.” Kenda raised her hand for the water to follow her direction. Dry earth became wet as they passed. She remembered that Goni had alerted her about the attack, which meant that only Nora could have warned him. She arrived at the gate in next to no time.
“Kenda!” She heard a weak voice. “Run!”
Her grandmother was on the ground, trying to stand.
She quickly asked the water to take her nearer. “Grandma, what happened to you?”
“Run! This is a trap!”
Her body suddenly jolted as the air was knocked out of her lungs. Her arms and legs stiffened, lifeless, as an unknown force extended them to her side. She opened her mouth to command the water, but no words came. With all the strength she had, she moved her head and looked down. Eleven men surrounded her in a circle, their arms raised toward the sky. They were chanting, and Kenda could see traces of powder on the ground. Each of the magicians used almost the same technique that Goni had used in training her. Light danced from their hands and connected with Kenda.
“Kenda!” Nora cried. She was so weak that all she could do was use her hand to support her upper body.
Kenda opened her mouth again, desperate to speak. In a croaky voice, she said, “Water, move away from me and strike them!” The water put her down gently next to her grandmother, and her body became dry. The water spiraled toward each of the men surrounding her. The gifted men pointed toward the water, severing their link to Kenda. The water stopped midair and fell to the ground as a rotating vortex of air hit it.
“No!” Kenda turned around to see where the voice was coming from. She was glad that she was once again in control of her body. She gasped as she saw Goni, kneeling, his hands tied inside his cell. Jinja was towering over him like he was a child. “Dear God!” her uncle cried. “I’m sorry, Kenda. I was supposed to protect you, but I told them. I told them that you can command water.”
Jinja slapped Goni hard across the face, and her uncle recoiled beneath the force of the blow. Jinja knelt in front of Goni, looked him in the eye, and slapped him again. Goni hung his head, and in one fluid movement, Jinja ripped his shirt and gagged his mouth with it to prevent him from talking.
Kenda couldn’t blame him for giving away the information. She could see that his body was bruised and his face had been bleeding prior to the slap. They must have tortured him with either physical force or magic.
When Jinja turned his back, Goni pointed his face toward the water that was slowly seeping deeper into the ground. Kenda got the message. She commanded the water to rise and solidify. The magicians’ countering magic was stronger this time, breaking the ice into thousands of tiny pieces. She tried several times to no avail. With their gifts combined, the men were simply stronger than she was.
Nora cried out, and Kenda tried to process what was happening. Something hit her on the head. It wasn’t thunder, although that was what it sounded like to her; it was something solid, and her vision blurred as her body fell to the ground. Warm blood oozed down her face.
Kenda watched in horror as the iron rod in Jinja’s hand arced upward to strike her again. While Kenda had been distracted by the gifted, he had moved from Goni’s cell towards her and her grandmother. She called the water, but no water came. She turned her head and saw that the gifted men were combining their powers to push the water away from her. She closed her eyes in anticipation of the pain. The rod sounded as though it had hit bone, but she did not feel pain.
“Jinja! What have you done?” Datu Hula screamed.
Jinja looked flabbergasted. “I didn’t mean to hit the old woman! She got in the way.”
“Grandma!” Kenda cried as she saw Nora’s head oozing with blood. She caught Nora’s body before it hit the ground. Nora had stopped the blow that was supposed to be for her.
“I am sorry, child.” Her grandmother’s voice sounded faint, barely a mutter.
“No, Grandma. Don’t be. We will find you a healer.”
“Please.” She turned her head to Datu Hula. “I beg you to find a healer for my Grandma. I will follow your wishes.”
“No, Father! You will do no such
thing!” Jinja spat the words venomously.
“Have you lost your mind?” Datu Hula said. “What are you doing? I told you to capture Goni, not to hurt the villagers!”
“This is what you should have done, Father.”
Datu Hula ignored his son and turned to the magicians. “Call a healer! Quick! The high priestess is losing too much blood.”
“No! Nobody will call any healer. Once she’s gone, we will only have one gifted person to worry about.”
“Are you trying to undermine my authority?” Datu Hula slapped his son hard across the face.
Jinja laughed maniacally and licked the blood from his mouth. “This is how you should rule, Father. Watch me crush them and make our village rich. You are so weak that needed to be motivated to come here, when perhaps this is what we should have done from the start. Let me give you some useful information. The debt this village owed you is paid… in full.”
“What is this disgrace? How could you do this to your own father?” Datu Hula went to slap Jinja again, but Jinja grabbed his hand in midair.
Jinja smiled belittlingly. “And one more thing. Daa villagers did not chase us. Why would they? They gave us full payment. That fool Dasig wanted to rat me out, so he had to die.”
Datu Hula strained to break free from his son, but Jinja was stronger. He gritted his teeth. “High Priestess, I am sorry. It is my fault for not seeing how the devil had taken over my village. I thought my man was killed because of you. I thought you did not pay us back and attacked my men when they collected the payment.”
Nora did not turn to Datu Hula, or acknowledged him. She was barely hanging on to life. Kenda couldn’t stop her tears from falling as she stroked her grandmother’s face.
“Grandma, don’t leave me. Take me with you,” Kenda sobbed.
“Child, you have a mission.” Nora’s voice was barely audible.
“Stop this bullshit softness!” Jinja spat on the ground. “Idja! Let’s put my father in there with the weak magician.”
