by AA Lee
Idja did not argue. Without meeting Datu Hula’s eyes, he gently took the datu’s arm and helped Jinja to pull him inside the cell.
“Dear spirits, what has he done to all of you?” Datu Hula cried as he looked at each of his gifted men’s faces. Nobody met his gaze.
“I did not do anything, Father. I just showed them real power.”
“Child, I will not last long. Take my staff. You are worth...” Nora coughed up blood, interrupting her words. “You are more than worthy of carrying it.”
“No, Grandma,” Kenda cried. “Don’t go. Just hang on. You will get better.” She knew it was a lie, but she also desperately wanted to believe in it.
“No, take the staff. It will help you. I want you to lead the village, because you are…” Nora frowned in concentration.
“Because I am the Bringer of Equality. Because I was supposed to end the curse.”
“Yes, the staff will help you, I am sure.”
“I don’t want to, Grandma. I want you to stay. Please don’t die yet. Help me. Train me. You haven’t even taught me how to communicate with souls.”
Nora smiled upon hearing her familiar annoyed voice. “That’s my granddaughter.” She looked at the gate as if she could hear someone coming. “They are here.”
“Who?” Kenda panicked. Her grandmother stopped breathing. “Who are here?” Kenda asked again, desperate to hear her grandmother’s voice.
“They are here. I have to go.” The sound of Nora’s breathing returned. This time, shallower.
“No, don’t go. You have to teach me how to use the staff. I can't do it alone.”
“You can, Kenda. Remember that you are strong. I will still be with you, once I have crossed into the afterlife.” And then she breathed her last, like a sigh of relief.
Kenda wailed in agony. Her grandmother was gone. Her face was twisted with anguish when Jinja came out of the prison cell. Anger replaced her sorrow. She grabbed her grandmother’s staff.
Kenda shouted with rage, her hair standing up. She was dimly aware of the air lifting her a few meters from the ground. She felt that she was at one with nature, and Kenda realized the extent of that power.
A tornado formed beneath her feet. “Devil! I will punish you today!” The voice didn’t sound like hers. It was hoarse and loud, like thunder booming across the mountains. The gifted men conjured magic to hit her, but she flicked it like it was nothing and sent all the men flying away.
Jinja looked up at her in horror and quickly ran back to the cell to hold onto it as the wind blew dust and debris all around. She blew the bar Jinja was holding onto, and he fell to the ground. He clung hard to the protruding rock.
Her eyes narrowed as she could almost taste her revenge. This man needs to pay for what he has done to my village. To my grandmother. She called forth lightning. She wanted to make him feel pain and burn him alive. She didn’t want him to die easily. He didn’t deserve a painless death.
She was, at last, ready to hit him when both Goni and Datu Hula ran in front Jinja, who cowered on the ground before her.
“Kenda, no!” Goni shouted just enough for her to hear in the middle of the chaos. “You must not kill unless it is necessary. Control your anger!”
“Why? Why can’t I kill when he can? He needs to know how it feels to suffer for what he has done!”
“Because you are different,” Goni pleaded. “You are the Bringer of Equality, and you must preserve the good nature of things. If you do not, you will be no different from him. You will corrupt nature and give it the power to destroy things.”
“Kenda!” Datu Hula pleaded. “It is my fault. You must punish me, too. He is my son, and I failed to see what he had become.”
“Both of you, stop!” Kenda shouted, and the tornado became higher and more violent. “Look at my grandmother! Look at her lifeless body on the ground and tell me again not to kill this demon!”
“Remember your duty, Kenda!” Goni shouted louder. “Remember that your destiny is to save women. If you kill him, more killings will follow. The high priestess wouldn’t approve of you killing him. He will be punished, I promise you that, but remember the way in which your grandmother ruled this village. Remember how she ruled with wisdom and her love for peace.”
Tears flowed down her cheeks as Kenda thought about her grandmother. She didn’t want to be sad. She preferred to be angry. She only wanted to banish the sadness, and looking at her grandma’s lifeless body made her wish that she was here to guide her.
“Grandma, I wish you were here.” She grasped the staff tighter and closed her eyes.
“I told you that I would be with you once I crossed into the afterlife.”
“Grandma?” she replied. She was afraid that it would just be a dream when she opened her eyes, so she kept her eyes closed.
“Yes, you stubborn child. What are you doing? Why do you look as though you’re about to wreak destruction?”
It really was her grandmother’s voice. She opened her eyes and looked at her grandmother’s body, but she still laid there, lifeless.
“Over here, kid.” She saw her grandmother floating beside her. “I’m not really gone. Not yet, anyway. Not unless I interfere with human lives a lot.”
“Grandma.” She willed the wind to move her closer to her grandmother and tried to hug her, but her hands just passed through the wind.
“I am no longer a living person, child. My body is over there.” She pointed to the crumpled form on the ground. “But my spirit is here. You can call me anytime; I will be waiting. I’m sure there is nothing to do in the underworld. I would be happy to talk to you. And you seem to be much better at calling souls than I was. I wish that I was half as strong as you when I was alive.”
“I didn’t know that I called you, Grandma.”
“Exactly. You just called me like I was already here. It took a lot of effort for me to call forth a soul. I’m very proud of you.”
Kenda didn’t think that she could smile at the situation, but she did.
“And don’t you think for a second that killing that man will solve anything. What sort of example does that set? That temper of yours needs mending.” Nora put her hands on her waist. Kenda smiled again, happy to see that souls retained their habits from when they were alive.
“Now go and put that snake in the cell and make him suffer for a lifetime. That will be his punishment.”
Kenda didn’t want to argue with her grandmother’s soul. She guessed that she would still be as fiery as when she was alive. She willed the wind to put her down.
“There’s nothing for me to do here. I will go. Just call me anytime. You don’t need that stick anymore. You just go and hone that talent of yours.”
“But Grandma!” Kenda whined. “You have to teach me!”
“What can I teach you?” Nora waved her hand dismissively. “You are a better priestess than I ever was. By the looks of it, you could have been high priestess at the age of five. I just never saw it in you.” Nora smiled. “But now’s your chance. Now that I am gone, Daa needs a new high priestess, and it looks like we have found one in you. But good luck convincing the villagers about that.”
Nora winked and, much to Kenda’s annoyance, suddenly disappeared.
When her grandmother’s soul was gone, Datu Hula and Goni looked at her in amazement. Both of them were holding Jinja by the arm, who looked like he was ready to bolt if it wasn’t for the fact that he was no match for the two men.
“High Priestess.” Goni bowed to her.
“I’m not the high priestess,” Kenda protested. “My grandmother is.”
“Her passing suggests otherwise.”
“Did you hear her say that?”
“No, Kenda.” Goni switched to her name because he was used to it. “But I saw that you can communicate with souls like she could, and that’s the duty of the high priestess. We can’t see souls.”
“I don’t know,” Kenda said sheepishly. The staff she wielded looked awkward in her g
rasp.
“High Priestess.” Datu Hula also bowed to her. “With your permission, I want my son to be imprisoned here. I don’t want him to be imprisoned in our village where he might be treated more favorably by the guards.”
“As you wish. And I want him to be imprisoned by magic in addition to the walls of this prison. Although it may take some time for it to be repaired.”
Datu Hula kneeled in front of her. “I am also ready to receive your punishment. As the datu, I am also at fault.”
“No! “Your punishment is to go back to your village and face your people. You have to show to them that you have done wrong. And please don’t kneel before me. I am no god.”
The datu blinked. “That is my punishment? But…”
“It is a punishment with no equal. You have to face your own people and admit your incompetence.” It was Goni who spoke this time.
Datu Hula stood up. “As you have ordered, High Priestess. Thank you.”
Bodies were sprawled all over the village when they returned from prison. It looked endless. Blood was everywhere and she felt her knees crumble, but she steadied herself. She needed to be strong if she was to be the high priestess.
Survivors of the attack returned as well. Wails flooded Kenda’s ears as people mourned for their loved ones who had not been able to escape.
She turned to Datu Hula and noticed that his face was wet with tears. Kenda knew that he had shortcomings, but she couldn’t blame him for the sins of his son, no matter how much he could have prevented it.
“You!” A villager she knew wept beside her husband’s body. “You caused this. If you had just agreed to the marriage, my husband would still be alive! Why must we suffer because of you?”
Chapter 26
Kenda
“It has been a week since the high priestess finally crossed to the underworld. The reason why I asked you to come here today is…” Priestess Pasi cleared her throat. “I will get straight to the point. We can’t have the position of high priestess vacant for so long. There are a lot of sick people that need tending to, and we need the position to be filled to bring back the stability that the high priestess had managed to keep for so long.”
Priestess Pasi was one of the five priestesses in the village. Her power was much weaker than Nora’s had been, but she was much stronger than the rest. It was logical for her to talk to the villagers about Kenda fulfilling the role of high priestess. Pasi was not used to addressing a crowd. There were only less than twenty people present including Kenda, but Pasi looked nervous and hesitated with every sentence that she delivered. Three other priestesses stood behind her, and all of them had been Nora’s assistants since they all could communicate with the dead.
“I agree,” Datu Romu said. As the datu, he had also been invited. “I don’t think there’s much to discuss, though. I was even surprised that you called for a meeting. You could have just assumed the position without a meeting. After all, you were second to Nora. The villagers know that and honestly wouldn’t care as long as you help them.”
Goni cleared his throat, producing a groaning sound. Normally, he tried hard to be invisible at gatherings, but his face showed clear disagreement with what Datu Romu had said. He decided not to talk, however, even when heads turned his way.
“The thing is…” Pasi continued, speaking slowly and still hesitating. “As priestesses, we have consulted Nora’s soul about this matter yesterday. It is only fitting to know her thoughts as to her replacement.”
“And?” Datu Romu interrupted impatiently.
“And she had someone else in mind.”
“Someone else?”
Everyone was all ears. Kenda knew that they hadn’t expected this. Only she, Goni, Pasi, and the other priestesses were aware that Pasi was not interested in the position. Pasi had originally opposed Kenda’s appointment in the beginning due to her age. No one had previously been a high priestess at so young an age, and although Pasi had been present when Kenda had defeated the warriors from Nayon and had been impressed by her skills, she thought of her as no more than a magician. Kenda had not expected her to follow Goni’s advice to propose Kenda as the high priestess, but fortunately, the priestesses had contacted Nora.
“Who, then? Haidi?” Datu Romu asked, his eyebrows raised. Haidi was a fairly new priestess and was probably in her thirties. Rumor had it that she was stronger than Pasi in some areas, but no one had confirmed it.
“No… it’s—”
“Who?” Datu Romu interrupted. On other occasions, his behavior was considered rude, but others looked at him in support because they, too, looked like they were dying to know who was to become the new high priestess.
“Her granddaughter, Kenda.”
“What? That is insane!” Datu Romu stood up in protest. “Perhaps the previous High Priestess just wanted power for her granddaughter. This is completely out of the norm. Can she communicate with souls? And even if she can, she is just too young. She has no experience.”
“I mean no disrespect, but I agree with the datu this time.” It was the healer, Sim, who spoke bravely. Two assistants sat behind her. “She is just too young. Besides, we have never worked with her before. It would be better for the village if you assumed the role.” He faced Pasi. “Or any of the four priestesses who have worked with Nora before and helped us.”
Other members of the meeting started murmuring, and in a short time, the murmurs became louder and louder until they all started arguing.
Pasi couldn’t seem to defend her proposal. She seemed lost and didn’t know what to say. She was used to just following Nora’s wishes. Nora had had a strong personality, and Pasi had never seen reason to question her decisions. Not once had she had an argument with the stubborn old woman.
“Silence!” Datu Romu shouted, and all of them stopped arguing. “As the datu of this village, I propose that we resolve this by raising our hands.” People nodded in agreement, and Kenda could see right away what the result would be.
“Those who are in favor of Kenda becoming the high priestess, raise your hands.” As expected, the four priestesses and Goni raised their hands. “Those who are in favor of Pasi becoming the high priestess, raise your hands.” Pasi got twelve votes.
“It is settled, then. Pasi is the new high priestess.”
“But shouldn’t we consider the priestesses’ opinions to be of more importance in this matter? Even Pasi did not vote for herself.” Heads turned to Goni. For the first time, his voice had been heard.
“Ah, I understand why you would want your niece to be the high priestess,” Datu Romu said smugly. “But what can we do? The people have spoken. And, yes, Pasi did vote for your niece, so why don’t we have her become one of Pasi’s assistants? There will be five of them again, and she will gain experience that may help her to become high priestess after Pasi dies.”
Pasi’s face turned sour upon hearing death and her name used in the same sentence.
“I didn’t mean you any ill will, High Priestess.” Datu Romu turned to her. “What I meant is that we should follow the order of things.”
Pasi nodded to show her understanding.
Not bad, Kenda thought. At least this way, I can practice and possibly learn how to control my gift.
“That’s not all, though,” Datu Romu continued, as if he had read her thoughts. “I know that the girl is gifted, and so is Goni. Although I haven’t seen it firsthand, I heard that the girl could command water and that he has spells and such to make magic.”
People nodded in agreement. Magic was foreign to them, but Kenda was surprised at their eagerness.
“Datu Hula has several magicians helping him to run their village, and that is why they are more successful than us. I propose that these two should also help me to make our village prosper.”
“You wish!” Kenda said loudly. “I would rather help the people directly. I would never help someone like you, who is selfish and only thinks about what you can gain.”
People gasp
ed in shock, but some smiled secretly as they thought that Kenda had said what they couldn’t.
Datu Romu shot her a menacing gaze. “This is the reason why I am so against you becoming the high priestess. You don’t know proper decorum. You speak rudely to your elders.” Datu Romu stood and walked closer to her, bending a little so that his face was closer to hers. “And you don’t respect the leader of your village.” He stood up straight, and in a loud voice, he said, “One more thing. You are the cause of all this chaos.”
A sudden meow made Kenda look away from Datu Romu. Lucy leapt and scratched Datu Romu on his cheek. The angry scratch marks became red with blood as Datu Romu tried to remove the cat’s claws that were buried in his skin.
“Stupid cat!”
People panicked as they tried to pull the cat away, but the cat had dug its claws deep into the skin.
“Lucy! Let go!” Kenda shouted.
Lucy let go upon Kenda’s command.
“Kill that fucking cat!” Datu Romu ordered as he wiped the blood from his face.
“Run!” Kenda shouted, and the cat bolted out of the house.
Datu Romu’s face was red with both blood and anger. “I will kill that stupid cat when it shows up.”
Kenda prayed that Lucy was smart enough to avoid him.
Chapter 27
Kenda
The following day, Datu Romu took advantage of the situation by ordering Kenda to irrigate his rice field. He had managed to convince the people that using her gift for practical purposes would be better than her being the high priestess. The people in the meeting were mostly rice field owners, and they had agreed to pay Datu Romu donations to help the village in exchange for Kenda irrigating their crops. They were happy as the minimum donation was a lot less compared to hiring people to manually do the irrigation.
Kenda had barely convinced the attendees to have Goni help her with the task. She was afraid that she would be very busy following Datu Romu’s orders and would have no time to develop her skills.
