by AA Lee
“He wants to fight. I will give him what he wanted and push him into oblivion. My grandmother said that only those who weren’t afraid of disappearing into oblivion mess with the living. Obviously, he didn’t care that he could disappear. I’m going to make it quick for him.”
“Anything we can do to help?”
“Feed your girl so she’ll be strong. Romu is busy with other villagers, so I have to meet them and heal them.” Kenda took the steps down from the hut, looking like her strength hadn’t diminished at all. The crowd dispersed, but Kisig could feel terror lingering in the air.
“How did you heal the girl without offering something to his soul?” Priestess Pasi asked in a low voice once they were out of earshot of the girl’s parents.
“He was there, choking the girl. I had to get him out.”
“So you mean to say that driving them away by fighting them heals the patient? Without offering food like we used to do?”
“I guess so. I had to fight with him to get him out of there. The girl got better, so I think that was it.”
“You mean to say that you don’t know what you’re doing?” Kisig could not believe what was happening.
“Yes!” Kenda replied in an annoyed tone. “What else? Do you know how to help?”
“I’m not gifted. Why ask me?”
“Then why do you have to rub it in our faces? We don’t have as many gifted as you had. Nobody taught us. My grandmother didn’t know that I was gifted, so she never trained me.”
“But how did you learn to communicate with a soul?” Kisig shoved his own irritation away. After all, he could not help Kenda.
“That’s basic for being a priestess. My grandma brought me along a lot of times when she was healing someone because nobody was going to look after me. Let’s stop talking about things that won’t help. We’re here.”
“High Priestess! Thank you for coming, but my boy just got better. It looks as though he had never been sick in the first place.” A man standing by the door was all smiles.
“Good!” Kenda beamed. “Well then, we’d better get going and check on the others.”
“We have some boiled sweet potatoes if you’re hungry.”
“No, we’re fine.”
The priestesses looked at each other with uncertain gazes as they walked away. “Could it be that all the sick villagers got better when you defeated Romu?” Priestess Haidi asked. She was probably the youngest priestess, aside from Tala. Her long, straight black hair hung loose down her back. Her facial features were soft, and if Kisig hadn’t seen her four daughters, he would have probably thought her unmarried.
“Yes!” Priestess Pasi exclaimed. “I remember now. When I was a new priestess, about two decades ago, there was a vengeful soul. Your grandma was not the high priestess back then. She was also young and was still learning, like me. I think the high priestess at that time also battled with an evil soul. I don’t know exactly what happened, but all the sick villagers became better after the soul was defeated.”
“Do you know how it was defeated?” Kenda slowed down, and the priestesses surrounded her like chicks gathering around a hen.
“I don’t have any idea. I was so young back then that I was still learning how to enter the spirit world.”
“In that case, I want you to get your priestesses’ hats and get ready. I have to speak to my grandmother. Maybe she knows more about it because she was older than you. In the meantime, we have to be alert. I defeated Romu, but I don’t know if he’s completely gone.”
Kenda walked ahead of the group. “Yes, it’s really bad.”
Kisig frowned in confusion as to whom Kenda was talking to. She was staring at nothing, and Kisig thought she might be talking to the cat, but it was nowhere in sight. Kisig’s skin crawled. He looked at the rest of the priestesses, who were as confused as him.
“How long before he would be back?” She paused as if listening to someone talk. “That’s not very helpful, but we can’t do anything about it. So, Grandma, how should I defeat him?” The girl was silent for a moment, nodding occasionally. “What if he remained as an evil spirit? What then?” Kenda paused and listened to a voice the rest of them couldn’t hear. “I don’t know. I just wish that we had more priestesses to help me.”
“How in the world did you do that?” Kisig asked. “I talked to my mother’s soul once with the help of the priestesses, and I was knocked out cold after that.”
“I guess the staff helps a lot.”
“No, I don’t think so,” Priestess Pasi said. “Your grandma could not talk to a soul while walking. It took a lot of effort for all of us to go to the spirit world, and when we did, we could feel the underworld pulling us in.”
“I did not go there. I just called her. But for now, that’s not important. Grandma said that Romu indeed was not completely gone. She said that the evil soul also needed some rest to regenerate its energy. The problem is he gets stronger the more he harms. Eventually, he would disappear forever for interfering with human lives, but we don’t know how long that would take. Grandma said that time didn’t matter in the underworld, so it could be a day or a year.”
“Dear spirits,” Priestess Pasi prayed. “What are we going to do now?”
“He could be back any minute, so please gather at Datu Goni’s house after getting your hats.”
The priestesses nodded. Kisig was exhausted, and all he could hear was the pounding in his head. When Kenda headed toward Datu Goni’s house, he was relieved, looking forward to lying down and sleeping. The house was spacious enough to accommodate him even though Datu Goni had nine children.
“Datu Goni,” Kenda called.
Boboy, Datu Goni’s son, came out of the kitchen, his tiny arms covered in chicken feathers. Kisig reminded himself again to address Datu Goni correctly. He had known the man simply as Kenda’s uncle, but now he was the head of the village.
“He’s cleaning the chicken,” the boy said as he slowly picked the feathers from his arms. “For dinner.” He swallowed, as if the thought of the meal made him salivate.
Datu Goni appeared with bloodstained hands. His black shirt, making him look lankier than he was, was also adorned with tiny feathers.
“I need to send a message to Mani and Nayon,” Kenda said. “I need the magicians’ help to fight Romu.”
“I will clean the chicken,” Boboy sang as he went back into the kitchen.
“Careful with the knife!” Datu Goni shouted.
The boy just hummed without looking back.
“If Tala was only free, she could’ve helped you.” Kisig slumped on the floor. “She was the most powerful priestess we had, and she even changed iron into gold using the torch where she’s trapped now.”
“Gold! Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“I did, but you were asleep in the hammock. And I… didn’t think it was important.”
“Gah, why are you so stupid? Of course it’s important. It’s gold!”
Kisig moved back a little. Nobody had called him stupid before. It felt as if someone had stabbed him. He didn’t know if that was just the girl’s way of speaking or if she was rude only to him.
“So anyway, any memory at all that might help us free her?”
“I have limited knowledge, but based on what I’ve heard of one of the priestesses’ trips to The Great Fall, Tala used the knowledge from the torch’s memory. Priestess Mutya, the high priestess before Tala, had an underground chamber of her secrets. If she had written about the event—”
“An underground?”
“Yes. It was where we normally met for secret plans. I saw that she had inscriptions on stones there. There’s no guarantee here. And even if she did write a record of what happened, the stones might have eroded. Time has—”
“If you had only told me this earlier, we wouldn’t have left Nayon so fast.” Kenda interrupted. “Let’s go back and look. Once the magicians arrive and I’m sure they can handle Romu on their own for some time, we will go back.
Tala might be able to help us, as you said.”
“Aren’t you doing this for the gold?”
“That’s already given!”
“I still have some hidden, Kenda. Don’t let your greed take over your mind.” Datu Goni sat next to Kisig, visibly fatigued.
“Datu.” Kenda smiled sheepishly.
“I will send a message to Nayon and Mani right away. Don’t let the promise of gold tempt you.”
“Yes, Datu. But if this powerful priestess from the past is really that powerful, it would be great if she can help us. I know some tricks to turn away evil ghosts and spirits, but I’m no match for them alone. And perhaps this Priestess Mutya has clues on how to free the cursed high priestess.”
“Why don’t you try calling Priestess Mutya?” Kisig suggested.” It would be faster than us going to Nayon.”
Kenda closed her eyes. Kisig expected to see Priestess Mutya, but nothing happened.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I tried calling her, but I can’t feel her. Maybe because I don’t know her. I’m afraid I have to go back to Nayon to get some clues about how to free her. She was a high priestess, so there might be some writing about her even if they didn’t have paper before. By the way, where is Susanna?” Kenda looked at him and her uncle.
“I don’t know,” Kisig answered. “I was with you the whole time.”
“The girl went back to Nayon. She traveled with some merchants who were going to town,” Datu Goni answered.
“Ha! So much for escaping her marriage.”
“I think the girl was terrified of the evil souls more than her marriage. I gave her gold to pay for the groom’s expenses, because she was adamant that she won’t marry.”
“How did you get a hold of such precious things?” Kisig asked.
“It was passed down to me by my ancestors.”
“I think it won’t be long until you run out of gold. We have to spend it carefully,” Kenda said and yawned. She leaned on the wall and closed her eyes.
Kisig yawned as if in answer to Kenda. He lay down, head on his arm, and closed his eyes.
Chapter 7
Kenda
A soft purr above Kenda’s head interrupted her sleep. She pulled Lucy down next to her as she slowly drifted back to sleep. Then she thought she heard murmurs. When the cat moved and scratched her hand slightly, Kenda opened her eyes. Datu Goni’s house was lit by several gas lamps. Sitting on the floor a few feet away were magicians talking quietly.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I must have fallen asleep. It has been very hectic these past few days.”
“It’s okay, High Priestess. Priestess Pasi filled us in already,” said Idja, Nayon’s head magician.
“How did you get here so fast?” She must have slept at least four hours, but her body yearned for more.
Lucy walked away gracefully and sat on Boboy’s lap. Recently, the cat had been playing with Datu Goni’s children instead of Kenda and gradually stopped talking to her telepathically.
“Datu Goni talked to me through his little trick using water.” Idja drummed his fingers against his knee as if in deep thought about Datu Goni’s magic. Datu Goni had first communicated with Kenda through water when she was in town, which proved handy when Kenda was somewhere else but needed updates about the village and her grandparents. Still, Mani warriors couldn’t have reached Daa in a few hours.
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking. But Aurelio here turned out to be powerful enough to command water, just like you did. Of course, he’s not as powerful as you, but he managed to bring us all here.”
Aurelio was sleeping open-mouthed in a corner. He was rather young, probably around Kenda’s age but taller. Charcoal stained his face, probably from touching his face after clearing burnt wood in the field. Some people still practiced slash-and burn agriculture, and this time of the year, farmers cleaned the mountains of unburnt logs before planting rice.
“I never thought there was someone like me.” Kenda faced Idja. “Thank you for coming on such short notice. I wish there were more of us to fight the evil soul.”
“We’re more than willing to help,” Idja answered. The rest of the gifted nodded their heads.
“Thank you. The reason I need your help desperately is because I will be gone shortly to free the cursed high priestess to fulfill the prophecy. We’re hoping to solve two problems with one solution. By freeing her, we’ll undo the curse, and our people will finally be free to go wherever they want, and hopefully, the powerful priestess can help us battle with the evil souls.”
The house was silent. All eyes were on her. Kenda was grateful she’d been with Nora in most of her duties as the high priestess, especially addressing the villages. She learned how to catch people’s attention by listening to her grandmother. Kenda had learned when to stress words and when to let them fade.
“Our village had no idea of the history of the torch where the high priestess is trapped, so we need to go back to Nayon to find clues through the writings of the priestesses in the old time. Have you perhaps read about the torch or perhaps about the staff used by your high priestesses?”
“No.” Idja shook his head. “All I know is that the Daa staff was originally from Nayon but was brought here when we lost the war.”
Kenda turned to Kisig, who shrugged as if to say, “I told you so.”
“That can’t be right. Grandma said the staff was passed over to high priestesses for generations.” She couldn’t believe something of such high prestige was only plundered. She wanted to refute Idja’s claim but held her tongue because she needed more information. She couldn’t afford a clash of opinion impeding their progress in maintaining good relationships with the neighboring villages.
“Our oral tradition says otherwise. But we can’t claim the staff because there are no written records. And even if there are, it’ll be difficult to decipher because their writing was different back then. I have seen some spells etched on stone and iron from the old time, and I had no idea what they were saying. The writing was more cursive, like waves of the sea.”
“I can read.”
All heads turned to Kisig.
“I’m from that time. I don’t know how to read your letters now, but I can read the writings from that time.”
“Fascinating.” Idja straightened. “I have here an iron knife that was passed down by our line of magicians. Can you read it?”
Kisig stood and accepted the knife from Idja. “The bearer of this is a brave man,” he read slowly.
Idja flashed a wide grin. “Yes! It says nothing special, but you, my boy, are someone special.”
“Not special. I just came from a different time.” Kisig bowed as he handed the knife back.
“Help us!”
All heads turned toward the door.
Emelda’s face was as pale as the moon in the night sky. “Help us! Help my girl.”
The four priestesses held hands, faces covered with cloth extending from their hats. Occasionally, groans came from one, and sometimes, they groaned together as if in agony. Kenda wanted to help, but she restrained herself several times, reminding herself that she needed them to do this on their own so that she could leave them and go to Nayon.
Nenita twisted in pain, her midriff rising. Emelda held the girl’s hand, hushing her moans, as if her touch could chase the girl’s pain away. When Nenita finally fell silent, nothing could be heard but the crackling of the torch’s fire.
A gust of cold wind blew through the open door, and the hut was plunged into darkness as the torch and lamps went out. Emelda cried in terror but forced herself to silence by covering her mouth with her hands. A bright light from outside the hut blinded Kenda. She squinted to see Datu Goni climbing the stairs, a magical fire steady on his palm to relight the torch and lamps.
“Don’t you have a torch here that wouldn’t go out quickly? The weather is not on our side.” Datu Goni’s voice was unwavering, as if he had no fear of the evil souls.
“No,” Em
elda croaked.
The four priestesses groaned loudly, their hands locked in firm grips. The girl’s wail of agony echoed their moans, and Kenda could not bear it anymore. She sat down cross-legged, ready to close her eyes, but Datu Goni held her shoulder firmly.
“Just a little bit more,” he said.
“Help them now, please,” Emelda begged.
Kenda removed Datu Goni’s hand. She could not watch any longer. When she was about to close her eyes, the priestesses let go of each other’s hands. Sighing, Priestess Pasi removed her hat, and the other three priestesses followed suit. The girl sat up and hugged her mother.
“My girl did not do anything wrong. Why? Why her? I didn’t kill Romu. I didn’t even see his body.” The girl’s father punched the wall in frustration. Kenda had no answers for them. She couldn’t blame them if they started thinking it would have been better if Romu had not died.
“He was strong, incredibly strong. If he is supposed to get stronger the next time he comes, I don’t know if we can defeat him again.” Priestess Pasi wiped her sweaty forehead with the back of her hand.
Priestess Haidi sniffed as though she had been crying. “I have never been afraid like this. I understand if a soul is angry, resentful, or simply jealous of the living, but I’ve never seen someone so evil he would inflict harm on just anybody and enjoy it. He looked like the devil himself.”
“We need to fight him,” Kenda said with resolve. “Fight him until he disappears. For now, let’s move the girl to Datu Goni’s house. There’s enough space there, and some of us can get some rest.”
Chapter 8
Kisig
Romu’s evil spirit attacked again before dawn but was banished by the priestesses with the help of the magicians. Kisig did not know what exactly was going on when they were fighting the evil spirit. Smoke rose from charcoals and enveloped the priestesses. The magicians murmured occasionally, and Datu Goni had spread some white powder around his house and other villagers’ houses. When Kisig asked what it was, Datu Goni said it was supposed to weaken the evil’s power.
