MAHARLIKA and the Cursed Descendants of the Orient

Hope After Dark

Gasol and Sinag stop pounding and stabbing the piled boulders and take a couple of steps back while staring at the huge rocks which are starting to collapse and sink underneath the sandy ground. They grip the hilts of their weapons as they watch with puzzlement on their expressions.

“Did we do this?” Sinag asks.

A strong gust of wind carrying a great mass of sand spews in all directions causing the two Haribons to protect their eyes by covering them with their arms while bending their waists a little. As the rage of the sandstorm gets stronger, they puncture their blades on the loose granular ground as an anchor to reduce the possibility of being sweep off. They force to slide their feet forward everytime the wind pushes them away.

It takes a while until the sandstorm simmers down. Sinag flops his knees and catches his breath while putting some of his weight on his sword.

“Are you okay?” Gasol asks.

“Yeah. I’ve never encounter anything like that.”

The piled boulders diminish in size and out of nowhere, two bats come out of them. They fly to the black background.

“Where did those two come from?” Sinag asks.

“Let’s go and verify,” Gasol replies.

They walk around the boulders until they find an entrance with a glass-like facade shielding it.

“How? It was not here before,” Sinag says.

Gasol runs her fingers on the entrance’s shield then pushes them but its tough texture hinders her to pass through. When she attempts to pull her hand from it, it stretches and sticks to her fingertips. She then wiggles her hand from side to side to separate the elastic substance from her skin. Sinag, on the other hand, thrusts his kampilan on the same sticky rubbery surface and fails to penetrate through. He then swings his sword sideways but the mirror-like layer on the entrance refuses to get slashed. The substance extends and attaches itself to the blade of the kampilan when Sinag pulls it away.

“What in the world is this thing?” Sinag asks while the corners of his inner eyebrows meet. “We must get inside no matter what! Liyab is still trap somewhere in there.”

Gasol rests her hands on the young man’s shoulder. “We’re not going back until we find him.”

Sinag gives her a nod with a faint smile.

Unexpectedly, the entrance’s covering bulges, forming an unrecognizable shape. The Haribons move back by turning their heads over their heels then landing with both of their feet. They do it a couple of times more until there’s a wide distance between them and the entrance. Gripping the hilts of their weapons and taking their stances, they await for what will happen next.

The elastic coating expands even more and on its lower left, something is protruding. After a second or two, a person’s leg wearing a black trousers tucked in a leather boot sticks out. On the upper left part comes out an arm carrying a person with a long white hair. Gasol and Sinag lower down their weapons when the image of the people getting out of the glass-like entrance become more and more distinguishable.

Water gathers in Sinag’s eyes as he runs back towards the piled boulders with open arms. “Liyaaaab!!”

Before he could encircle his arms around his brother, Liyab flumps his lower legs on the sand but still securing Tala in his arms. He roughly gulps for air as he gently lays her on the ground.

Sinag crouches down to meet his brother’s half-closed eyes. “What happened to you? And why is she with you?”

“It’s a long story.”

Gasol walks closer to them and lifts Tala. “Tell us whenever you can.”

Liyab nods. He clings his arm around Sinag’s shoulders for support as he forces his teetering feet to move forward.

Nearing the bamboo raft that is docked at the edge of the visible part of the ground, a sudden harsh roaring vibration set the entire place quaking. Gasol manages to hop on the raft first and lays Tala’s body at its center while waiting for his fellow Haribons. Sinag carries Liyab on his back and shoulders while sprinting towards the raft.

The sandy ground cracks and submerges into an indiscernible black area. Sinag is able to lift his foot just in time before the small island completely recedes from their view. And just like earlier, the bamboo raft sets in motion on its own, green smoke emerges from its edges and everything that surrounds them is nothing but absolute darkness.

“Liyab, we need to bring her home,” Sinag suggests while looking at Tala.

“No, we can’t,” I reply. “She was kidn*pped by the castle guards and brought here. I’m sure they are related to the Barang.”

“Did you find out who the Barang is?” Gasol asks.

I nod. “An old couple. They call themselves Pedro and Pilar.”

“What happened to them?” Sinag asks.

Closing my eyes as I try to piece my thoughts together. “They escaped.”

"We’ll find them," Sinag says.

I look at him back with full of determination in my eyes. “We should.”

The raft is sluggishly propelling and it takes time until the surface below the raft turns to murky waters and the riverbank we’ve been to before greet our eyes.

Gasol with Tala in her arms hops off the raft first and when it’s my time to get off it, the raft gradually fades away causing me to immerse a leg in the waters. Sinag reaches my arm and pulls me to the stony bank.

“Thank you.”

“No worries.”

I wrap my arm around Sinag’s shoulders the entire time we’re traversing hills and swamps until we’re back to the forest. The gnarled trees’ branches and roots are still scattered on the forest floor, the same exact image I remember when we left them before.

“Looks like the blood sucking creatures didn’t dare to come here and follow us,” Sinag says with an obvious swag in his tone.

Once we set foot on the village, the eerie atmosphere encloses my body. But my weariness is too much that my brain subconsciously ignores any possibility of fighting.

As we predict, the islanders’ daunting eyes meet ours. Their bodies and skin look perfectly fine – no scratches, no wounds, nothing. We keep on walking, acting as if these guys are ordinary people. Actually, this is a good opportunity for them to attack since Sinag and Gasol are the only ones who are capable of fighting while they also need to protect Tala and I. But these creatures won’t do anything unnecessary. Though the sky is dim, it’s not yet evening and they would still be in disadvantage, so we’ll be okay.

Just like before, whenever we get close to any of them, he or she will unhurriedly gets inside the house and shuts the door and window close. We stop at the last residence, the place of the woman who offered us the nastiest food I’ve ever seen. Now, she’s living in a more like an unconventional tent than a house. Heaps of what seem like water-proof cloths are stringed on the tree braches to serve as roof and mismatch curtains are hanged around its edges to function as walls.

“Excuse me,” Gasol says.

Nobody responds.

“I know you don’t want us here. If you don’t help us, we’re going to stay here with you for as long as possible,” Gasol teases, looking around to see if there’s anyone who’ll get out from her house nor open her door or window.

The woman pushes one of the curtains with her knuckle and peeps half of her face out. “What do you want?”

“A boat. Give us one so we can leave,” Gasol says.

The moment she gets out of her tent, she immediately takes a sharp breath, licks her lips and switches her gaze between Tala and I.

“I’ll make sure to put fire in your mouth if you try to eat my flesh or suck my blood. I’ll burn you alive this time,” I say.

Her expressionless face turns away from me as she walks towards one of her neighbors. We stay in front of her tent and they are a couple of feet away from us so we couldn’t hear what they are talking about. I close my eyes for the meantime and when I open them, four men are carrying a boat made out of materials I don’t recognize walk towards us. With no buts or what ifs, they accompany us to the port.

“Don’t ever come back here,” the woman says.

“We’re not interested with you, all we want are the Barang’s whereabouts but you’re very protective of them. So what can we do but to retaliate from your aggressiveness,” Sinag responds, lifting his shoulders with his elbows.

Their mouths remain silence but their eyes speak of resentment.

A little feeling of comfort mantles me when I lean my back on the stern while the weird islanders decrease in size as the boat steers away from Gaba Island. The thudding noise of the oars against the grunts of the waves bring more relaxation to my aching muscles then suddenly, a moan makes me jerk. I stretch my neck to search where the sound comes from, it’s Tala. She slowly folds her eyelids open then closes them again when the fierce rays of sun directly hits them.

“Where am I?” she asks.

“In the boat, escaping,” Sinag replies.

“And you are?” she asks again, her voice is too weak and soft.

“You’ll be fine. We’re Liyab’s companion,” he says.

“And him?”

“Right there.” he points at me even if Tala can’t see his gesture. “Drooling.”

I give Sinag a glare then he starts chortling.

“Can I ask you a favor and drop me to Hinagiban? It’s a small town in the northwest of Saab,” Tala says.

Without any second thought I respond with a “sure!” prompting Sinag and Gasol to shift their perplexed faces on me.

“What?” I ask.

Both of them shake their heads and do as I say, they paddle to the western part of Saab.

It is almost nighttime when we arrive at the Hinagiban. The town is no different from the ones I’ve seen before. Occupying the road are children hitting a can with their slippers and when someone successfully flips the can down, the one that’s guarding it starts to tag the others. Their juvenile guffaw is more effective in lightening the area than the array of post lamps on the edges of the sidewalks.

“Tala! Is that you?” a voice from behind asks.

We turn around to see who is it then Tala runs towards an old lady and gives her a huge embrace. “Lola Basiang!”

“Why didn’t you visit us more often?” the old lady asks.

Tala loosens her arms around the old lady’s body. “Actually, I need you to do something for me, please.”

More wrinkles show on the woman’s face when she crinkles her eyes behind her thick glasses. “When did I say no to you? Why don’t you come inside my house and I’ll prepare some snacks for you and….” She veers her gaze on us.

“Oh! They are my…uhm,…comrades," Tala mumbles.

“The three of you look so battered,” the old lady says. She fixes her glasses and examines me with her eyes from my head to my feet. “Especially you.”

She waves her hand for us to follow her and without anymore questions, we do. Her house is nice, it’s spacious and neat. Its walls are plastered with vertical strips of floral designs and a minty scent is adhering in my nose. She directs us to a long and soft padded chair then serves us with brood coffee in porcelain cups.

I take a sip of the coffee. Its hotness makes my blood flows faster, its aroma mitigates my throbbing skin and its bitter taste shoots up the little energy I have left. The old lady then lays a heap of clothes on top of the small table.

“You can call me Lola Basiang,” she says, smiling. “Why don’t you take a shower first then treat your wounds. By the time you’re done, the dinner will be ready.”

“Wait!” She is stopped by Tala when she’s about to turn around.

“Yes dear?”

“Where is he? I need to meet him, the person who could help me against the Barang,” she pauses and clears her throat. “The Merchant of Death.”