The Illuminated Maiden

Chapter XXVI

"I haven't the foggiest," answered Siti, as she backed away from the huge number of advancing creatures now circling them, like ants moving in to feast on pieces of meat. Pagnlinawan did the same, and the four of them found themselves against each other's backs.

"Kalangets," mumbled Kabael. "They are ancient creatures that burrow upon barren ground. We are in their territory."

"Well, this is bad," said Siti. "Now would be a great time to use magic, Kabael."

"I haven't any strength," said Kabael. "Also, they own the land."

"Who gives a toss? We just chopped down a few of them, so I doubt they'd reconsider murdering us at this point!"

"I concur, ardha," said Tayag. "We could fight with our blades, but there are simply too many of them."

Siti drove her keris through a kalanget's chest. "Stay away!" she yelled, as she threw its corpse aside, but Siti's move only angered the kalangets, and the eyes of every one of them turned black. They began to rush at the group, shrieking as they lunged. Paglinawan's chest tightened and her muscles constricted her airways. She almost fainted at that moment, and she removed the piece of cloth covering her mouth and nose, which only made her sensations worse as the smell of sulfur seeped in.

"Kabael," said Siti, "any minute now . . ."

"What do you want me to do?" said Kabael.

"We're about to get massacred here, Kabael! Do something!"

Kabael grunted kicked one kalanget away as it rushed to attack him.

"Kabael . . ." said Paglinawan in a weak tone, "just . . . just do something. Please . . ."

Kabael sucked in some air and closed his eyes. He sheathed his weapon and lifted his hands with such grace that a performer would, making circular gestures. While moving about, his body began glowing vermilion, with light flowing through the veins of his limbs.

"What's he doing?" said Paglinawan.

"Kabael, what are you doing? A simple spell will do!" Siti fended off a number of kalangets. Tayag hacked at a couple of them who gripped his leg. Paglinawan could only miss or scratch the creatures while taking swipes. At that point, the kalangets had grown aggressive. They began attacking the group with the sharp ends of their fingers that had features which could splinter anyone. One struck Siti's face, grazing and leaving a trail of red upon it.

"Ardha!" said Tayag, who chopped off around eight kalangets trying to pin him down. "What is taking you so long?"

Kabael's body heated up, and then the heat surrounded the four of them. The sparse grass sizzled, as the heat moved away from the group. The rocks moved as Kabael went on to gather more of his strength. He was chanting something, and his chanting grew louder—until it stopped. Paglinawan closed her eyes.

Then, as Kabael stretched out his arms sideways, there came a loud boom accompanying vermilion light blasting outward of a circle surrounding the four of them. The wave of fire engulfed a fraction of the land, turning grass and vegetation charred in an instant, and sending pieces of rock and soil flying off. The ground shook and miniature geysers formed, spewing acid on the rocky ground, down on the kalangets who were still advancing on the group. Each of them shrieked before the acid dissolved their frail bodies.

The other kalangets were in the way of the blast, which scorched a vast part of the barren field. It was there, after the blast, Paglinawan opened her eyes to the smell of burnt wood mixed with a rancid odor. She looked around her, and there were charred corpses of kalangets piled upon each other, hundreds of them.