The Tales of Tikum Kadlum

1 ISLAND OF SORCERERS

Tikum rolled down a trench to evade her succeeding arcane strike, yelping as pulverized rocks showered all over him. Now, the manghihiwit was truly furious. Her malicious intent was palpable. Tikum breathed out heavily. Has she amassed so much power in such a short time? Did she already fully embrace the dark ancient arts? It seemed like his chances of winning was diminishing by the second, and Tikum wasn't far off in his guesses. But all he could do was try to calm himself down. He slowed his breathing. Panic would do him no good against a buruhisan. Panic rarely went well against magic-users. Or any enemy for that matter. That said, things were still getting out of hand whether he planned on panicking or not. He had to answer back by taking the reins. He had to act fast. But he needed to find the right moment to do it.

After making sure that he still had all his limbs intact, he hesitantly peered at the edge of the ditch wary of the furious witch. He clicked his tongue. He could still change the outcome. He could win this if he could cancel out her advantages. Cutting the distance between them was one way to do it. He eyed her curiously as she stood a span away at the edge of the verdant forest. The manghihiwit paused as she busily attended to the thing hidden behind the thick folds of her robe. Tikum sighed. It was the very same thing that only mattered for the Black Dog. The very thing he was willing to risk his life for.

He took a deep breath. "Think Tikum, think," he said to himself as he bide his time in the hole he was in. But as if on cue, the manghihiwit looked straight at him. Her stare was intense and deliberate as though she already knew what he was about to do.

"Come out, where I can see you!" she shrieked, one hand poised to release an onslaught of dark enchantments.

The Black Dog swallowed a clump on his throat as Amburukay walked out of the tree line, stopping a couple of feet from a jutting sentinel rock made of worn-out limestone. Her long loose cloak, trailed like a shadow behind her, crackling with chaos magic.

"Are you a dog or are you a mouse?" she added, one brow arched, patiently waiting for his reply, knowing all to well that the Black Dog wouldn't like the insult.

Tikum grumbled a curse as he tried his best at ignoring the witch. Instead, he looked for a quick exit as the seed of panic grew more in his heart. He was in a disadvantage here being out in the open, and the little cover he had now would work against him if the witch gained a higher vantage point. The square-jawed, former warrior serf wiped the dirt off his face. He wouldn't have chosen this bald-spot of a place to do his deed. The dark forest around them was a better setting for his ambush. For his traps. He sighed in disappointment. It was simply too late to pray to the devatas or to any deity of Vijayas for a do-over. This was his luck and as always it was in a deep shade of bad.

Tikum caught himself before his thoughts spiraled more towards rock bottom. No, he had to settle with the fate he was dealt with. He reminded himself that this was all for a great purpose. This was for Ukok. But the manghihiwit had other plans, and as per his experience, sorcerers and witches rarely strayed far from the insidious kind. His time with his master Sri Kihod would attest to that. They were not the generous and merciful kind when it came to a fight.

Tikum snapped his head and let out a series of curses as the ground shook with the witch's powerful magic. She was clearly not pulling any punches. And it was both good and bad for Tikum.

"Come out, coward!" she said.

"Really? Name-calling? Oh, how the high could stoop so low," he answered before a peculiar sensation washed all over his body, making his goose-flesh stand. Unearthly evocation magic was present. He felt his stomach constrict. This was not good.