1.3 A TAIL'S END
The first thing Tikum felt when he woke up was pain, the kind that clawed all through out his body as every fiber of muscle screamed in agony and every bone wailed for a short respite. He couldn't even open his eyes right away. With all the effort it would take, he'd rather prefer the darkness. But then, came the suffocating sensation of a man drowning. It spread its iron hold on him and it wouldn't let go. It made him gasped for air and he greedily fought for every breath he could take in the darkness in between unconsciousness and waking. He tried to remember how he got here, but everything was a blur. What had happened? he thought. He couldn't answer and his head ached like hell. Then panic wrapped around his heart as the awful sensation filled his empty lungs. Air. Tikum needed air. He groggily opened his eyes wide, only to see Amburukay's pearl white face in front of him, illuminated by the pale dawn's light.
She gave Tikum a scarlet smile as her blackened finger gained a better stranglehold on his neck, dangling him over the edge of the crag. "You can't fool me with a simple distraction, dog."
"Still worth trying," Tikum said as he tried to free himself in between his struggle for air.
"I'm not a mere wench. I'm not like our master Kihod. You can't just trick me with your silly traps. Those things never worked on me. And lest you forget, I'm still the Lady of the Darkest Night and you should know that by now."
"Cute nickname... Don't worry... I didn't forget," Tikum said, wincing. "Even if you drop my head again." He tried to open his swollen left eye, but decided not to bother after lightning pain crossed it.
"Oh, I won't let you," Amburukay said, relishing the moment. "Cause I'll brand it on your thick skull, instead."
For a cold second Tikum was silent, letting her hate wash through him like a wave. Then, he cleared his throat. "You know you could still release us, Amburukay."
Tikum halted his struggle against the witch's hold. He simply wasn't strong enough. He contented himself with holding her arm with both his hands to support his weight and ease the pressure on his neck. "You can do it for Ukok. Set us free! It's not too late."
"Audacious as ever." She looked at the child on her other arm and for a breath she paused. "You were always too clever for you own sake, Tikum."
"Why not?" He cleared his throat, he had to buy himself some time. He needed to keep her talking. It was that, or death which was a less kinder option. "At least, tell me why you're taking Ukok from me, Ambu?"
"Yes." Amburukay's expression changed as she heard her name. It brought back memories she did not want. "Why... why did we have to come to this god-awful mess, Tikum?" she said, her words soft and broken. Perhaps, it was regret. Or maybe something else. She strained her arm. "Why... why did you ruin all my plans? One more step and you could've easily ruled half the archipelago with me. It was for us. All I did."
"For Ukok too!? You get funnier by the breath."
"We had the same enemy!" Amburukay sighed deeply. "What you did to master Kihod was understandable. I would've done it myself. For gods' sake... he was mad. He deserved every pain. But what you did to me... You took the most important person in my life– the only thing that mattered. I told you I would never hurt her!"
"Lies... twisted words... You placed her in grave danger, Ambu. And you did it for one stupid thing. You'll never hurt her again."
"Hurt her? Never! Not in this lifetime or the next. Ukok is my everything!" Her eyes narrowed, a subtle change that cued Tikum that Ambu may have already realized that he was just buying time. "Enough of this. For so long I have been hounded by one question. Since you look like you're not going anywhere. Answer me, now! Why did you do it? Of all people... I trusted you. Tell me! Now, Tikum!" she said, hate sewn in between her words.
Tikum felt the woman's anger, and with it something deeper than fear gripped his heart. It was unsettling and a tinge of doubt grew in his heart. This was surely the most importune moment to make a mistake. He had to choose his words wisely. He had to tell his truth. He calmed himself and spoke, eyes trained on the sleeping Ukok. "Some things just don't begin with a simple, easy step. Most things start from awful missteps that destroy every damn thing that's worth caring." He looked Amburukay in the eye. "Like what you were going to do with Sri Kihod. No one wants that. Not for the one they love. And yeah, probably because your a goddamn manghihiwit."
"There's that," Amburukay said, raising her brow and tightening her grip. "But who are you to judge me? You're nothing but a thief, a scoundrel, a mercenary, a timawa who deserted his datu in time of his greatest need!"
"That's a funny way of telling it."
"And a traitor! Always a traitor. You can't protect Ukok. If you take her away you'll only place her in more danger. Without me. Without my power–"
"Hey..." Tikum gritted his teeth. "Hey, ease up!" he said, feeling the strength of the manghihiwit's fingers dig through the skin of his neck. "This... is not how you convince people."
"No? Well, I've always preferred the expediency of threats." Amburukay smiled. "So, what do you think will happen if I give your head to your former master? You know Sri Kihod didn't die that day. You know he's still out their somewhere biding his time. When he comes back, he might want a piece of his disloyal serf."
Tikum grimaced, holding Amburukay's lean forearm with both hands. He was turning purple as the witch slowly squeezed her powerful hand around Tikum's neck.
"Let's not drag the past to the present," he said, spittle coming out his mouth. He made a choking sound that amused Amburukay.
"Apt words to say, hypocrite," the manghihiwit said as she raised him higher. But hate him or not, he had a point and she was inclined to agree. Her features softened and relaxed.
"See, I knew we could agree on some things," Tikum blurted the words the moment she loosened her grip.
The witch smiled, shaking her head slowly. This was it for her. She'd been thinking of this before Tikum woke up. She might have overdone things as she tried to defend herself from him. She might have been excessive with her magic. Anger and other unbound emotions may have steered her the wrong path. But she knew deep inside that she still wanted to give him the opportunity to see things her way. One more chance, but this time for Ukok.
She sighed. "I'll give you one more choice my Tikum. One final choice... I don't want you to say I wasn't graceful enough to extend my hand before I dash you down the waters below. So, what will it be?"
Tikum looked down and saw nothing under his feet but empty air and the whipping white waves that lashed the rocky base of the cliff. "Don't extend it too far either," he said. Any other man placed on the same situation would've begged for mercy out of fright for what awaited below. But instead of fear, an idea took hold in his stubborn head.
Amburukay's hands relaxed to let him speak clearer. "What will it be, Tikum?" she asked again.
"Yes, what will it be?" he echoed.
Amburukay brought him down at the edge of the precipice, carefully placing herself between the Black Dog and the bright-faced Ukok. "Just say that you yield." She smiled. "Tell me that all of this was not worth it! And that things will be back as though nothing happened." She offered Tikum's axe and dagger back to him. All neatly and tightly bundled to each other that he'd have to take his time to unwound it if he was ever going to use the foul things against her. Time he didn't have. Time she could use against him.
Tikum Kadlum accepted it with a laugh that sounded like a bark from a feral dog. "Always too generous," he said as he tied his weapons to his side.
They looked each other in the eye, anticipating each other's deceitful move and measuring each other's capacity to do wanton violence. But nothing came or manifested. Only a long span of cold silence snaked between them as the tempestuous winds behind Tikum sang its eerie, lamenting song.
The manghihiwit broke the silence first. "I don't want you to regret this." Her words came out like a warning.
The Black Dog sighed. "Don't worry, Amburukay. I don't do regrets. But will you?"
Amburukay drew her head away still confounded by Tikum's words. And before she realised it the Black Dog struck her in the neck with his open hand, staggering her back. Tikum, seeing his chance, snatched the child from the manghihiwit. The sudden movement almost cause him his life as he slid on the moss-laden crag, but fortunately he steadied himself before going over the edge. Amburukay backed away still choking.
"No voice. No spells," Tikum said before smiling. "Even fight."
She did not reply. Not because of the pain in her throat, but by the shock of his betrayal. Expecting him to agree with her willingly was always a problem. And Tikum was still Tikum through and through. A man she could not change. A man who would rather run from his own problems.
Tikum shook his head. "You're naive Amburukay and a fool too."
Amburukay narrowed her eyes at the Black Dog. At that exact moment, it hit him like ice when he realized that she looked more like her powerful sorcerous mentor, Sri Kihod. Like their master, hate had consumed her heart. But unlike Sri Kihod, there was a cunning glint in her stare. For deep inside, Ambu knew that there was a chance that this could happen. After all, Tikum couldn't stop being Tikum in an instant. So, she prepared a hex before Tikum woke and before she offered him the deal. The only challenge was aiming and hitting her foe with it. She hissed in anger but Tikum was stubborn as hell.
"I'm taking my daughter home with me. We're going home," Tikum finished. But to his surprise, Amburukay raised a finger, glowing green with magic. Like a cornered vermin, his eyes shone with shock. But there was no place to run. The Black Dog swallowed the clump on his throat. There was no place to hide too.
Amburukay gave him a knowing nod after failing to speak. It was her way of telling him that she wasn't an easy prey. She shook her head, growling in anger as he smiled. Her finger trembled as she pointed it at Tikum. She couldn't unleash the spell. Unsure of what to do, she halted. Emotion was getting the better of her. She paused to breathe out a heavy sigh and to give herself time think. But the moment of inaction would cost her much more pain. Seeing her hesitate, Tikum side-stepped Amburukay, striking her neck again. The manghihiwit retaliated, aiming for the Black dog's head. But Tikum still had his wits with him as he dived down. The wicked spell, a column of black light, struck empty space, silencing the howling winds behind the Black Dog.
"You missed!" Tikum Kadlum said as he clenched his fist to retaliate. "You'll always miss when it comes to me!" He took a step back and pulled his arm for the strike, putting all his strength on the swing. No one was using his daughter like she was just a mere magical ingredient. No one was going away unscathed after threatening him. Not even Amburukay. Fist shaking, he struck like a panther, aiming it on her face. But she was just a step ahead and dodged away. All his weight unbalanced him as his own momentum pushed him through. Quick-witted, Tikum shifted his weight on his other foot to avoid off-balancing himself. And in doing so, Tikum's footing slipped in the moss-laden surface. He struggled to plant his feet but it was too late as he and Ukok fell off the cliff, plummeting like a pair of puppets cut loose by their puppeteer.
Amburukay tried to grab hold of the child, extending her lean arm. She had to save Ukok. But she was too slow and already too late. Her fingers came back empty after raking nothing but air. "Ukok!" she said, voice raw and broken. She turned her head towards her daughter's father and saw a glimpse of his flustered face. Glacially, Tikum's lips moved but no sound came out from it as the white foamy tide engulfed him and his child.
Amburakay roared with fury as she fell on her knees, aggravating her injury even more. "Black Dog, you fool. You bastard!" she screamed again, broken voice echoing all over the place. But it was no use. It couldn't bring Ukok back. She pushed herself away from where the crag sheered off, a tear of genuine sadness, bitterness and hate falling from her eyes. "I'll make you pay for this! Even if I have to tear the gates of heaven," Amburukay said, voice almost down to a whisper. "You'll see, Tikum."
She took a black thread from her cloak, opening and closing her jaw. Then, she inspected the string between her fingers before whispering a spell. A breath later, it became rigid as an invisible force pulled it to a particular direction. She sighed, face full of hope. "She's still alive." She tightened her grip and smiled, a most hateful smile. "He's still alive." Fatigued and defeated Amburukay's sight became blurry. Then, she shook her head as pain almost doubled her over. They were coming like waves now, more stronger than the first. Her hands trembled. She was losing her connection with Gadlum. Magic was abandoning her. It would take a few days of rest to draw a new channel to her source of power. Days she didn't have.
"I'll follow you to the edge of the world if I have to," Amburukay said as she massaged her throat with her trembling hand, voice almost down to a whisper. "And make you regret everything, Tikum Kadlum!" The name exploded from her lips, leaving a bitter aftertaste. "And I will have my Ukok back," she finished as the darkness of unconsciousness swallowed her whole.
***
It was mid-afternoon when a man drenched from head to foot waded the shallows of Buglas to reach the safety of its shores. The brown-skinned man turned back at the waves behind him for a split second, looking straight at the small silhouette of an island a few leagues from where he stood. He pulled the child on his arms closer as the goose-flesh behind his neck all stood up.
"What was that?" he asked himself. But only the white crashing waves of Buglas answered him. So, Tikum proceeded to the shore, gritting his teeth as he took another painful step.
Upon reaching solid ground, he coughed heartily to divest the fluid in his lung. He finally let go of the nervous laughter that he'd been bottling since he swam the gap between the Island of Sorcerers and Buglas. He actually survived. The risk of betraying his own master, Sri Kihod and leaving his sorcerous wife, Amburukay, was all worth it. He couldn't believe it himself. It was supposed to be a mean feat. But out of luck or the gods' guidance here he was, reunited with his daughter and as far away from Amburukay as he can physically manage. Tikum smiled at the thought of escaping the manghihiwit intact. The kind he usually reserved for moments like this. But when he looked down at Ukok his little perfect sunny world turned from bright and warm to frantic panic and gloom. Eyes closed and barely breathing. She was still insensible.
"No... No, no, no," he said with a worried look on his face. "Come on, open those eyes little Ukok..." He placed a nervous finger inches above Ukok's nose to see if she was still breathing. He sighed when his daughter murmured something indecipherable instead. "Ukok, it's pa. You can wake up now," he whispered as he gently shook his child. "We beat her, Ukok. You can open your eyes now." But Ukok didn't obliged his request. "Ukok!" he added, voice strangled with anxiety.
"She won't wake up," someone said a distance a way from Tikum.
The Black Dog raised his head to see who it was, his other hand slowly unbundling and unsheathing his hilt-less dagger behind him.
The old man on top of a hill, a few yards from him spoke again, "Don't worry I mean you no harm." He carefully descended from where he stood and hobbled towards Tikum and Ukok, using his short staff to balance himself in the uneven sand.
"Relax, relax... I'm a friend." He tried to rein his unruly necklace in as the carven idols around it bounced up and down. A brightly colored malong was draped on his shoulders. And upon closer inspection the Black Dog realized that the old fool had no patik design on his wrinkled skin. Probably the village coward, Tikum guessed.
"Slow down, old man," Tikum said, raising his dagger to halt the stranger's advance.
"I have nothing ill against you, young gentleman."
"That's what I'd say if I want to do the exact opposite."
"Yes, you would say that if you're as clever as they say you are, Tikum," the old man said, arranging his braided hair in place.
"So, you know me?" the Black Dog said, hiding his surprise. He gave the man a mirthless smile to intimidate him.
"Of course, Tikum Kadlum."
"So, you're a manugid then," Tikum said. "Tell you what... I hate fortune-tellers."
The stranger shook his head. "I'm no seer. But the four winds whisper curious things to me." He raised the carven idol of the god Libulan for the man to see. "And the moon sometimes share her secrets too."
"His secrets?" Tikum sighed. "I'm sure they do crazy fool. But I still don't know you." Tikum placed himself between Ukok and the stranger, tightening his grip on the dagger.
"Oh, you want names? Formalities... I see... I see..."
The Black Dog smiled. "Yeah, names... They're usually important when strangers meet for the first time," he said to the old man, measuring the distance between them. He convinced himself that he could end the man's life from a dagger's throw away if things went south. But could he really do it with a swollen eye and beat up body? He was also so tired and every muscle were screaming for a rest. What if he missed? What if the fool retaliate? There was only one thing to do to find out. But before he could act the old man offered his staff to him.
"I'm Asog Kalibutdan." He bowed his head.
"Asog? So you're a shaman?" Tikum said, barely hiding the surprise in his tone.
"Yes, and a damn good one too. The best in and around the town of Raguet actually." The old man raised his head and smiled with yellow-stained teeth as bright as an uripon's garment.
Now, it made sense for Tikum. The necklace chuck-full of carven idols, the bright malong, the absence of tattoos... all of it pointed to the obvious. The old man was indeed an asog. A shaman. A healer. A man who could help him cure Ukok from her magical-induced malady. A man he could use.
"Then, let's cut to the chase, Asog Kalibutdan," he said as hope hooked itself on his heart. Yes, he knew this was a risk but for Ukok? It was worth it. "I need help. Can you give it to me?" He smiled. "Answer quickly, old man."
"Of course, I can aid you... That's why I'm here."
"How-" Tikum stopped himself and raised a brow. "The four winds whispered this to you too?"
The asog nodded and smiled. "Yes, for they favor one of their own."
"Do you know what happened to her?"
The asog leveled his palm on Ukok's head. "A manghihiwit cast a spell on her. An enchantment I can undo." He paused to look Tikum in the eye. "But with a price."
The Black Dog sighed. A price. Everything always had a price. But Tikum could work with that mindset. He'd be more surprised if people didn't ask for anything in return. He looked the asog from head to foot. There was something off with the stranger. Something odd he can't point out. Tikum clenched his jaw. Maybe it was just fatigue dulling his good sense. He looked down on her daughter's small bright face and something tugged his insides. Desperate times called for desperate measures and Ukok's life hang on the balance. So, Tikum nodded to himself and made his decision...
"Then, we have a deal," he said. "Help my daughter and you can consider your price delivered."
"You're as swift as they say you are." Asog Kalibutdan smiled, bowing his head as though Tikum was one of the many gods of the island who garnered his reverence. "You will not regret this, Tikum."
"I don't do regrets," Tikum said, handing off his daughter to Asog Kalibutdan, a stranger he just meet in the shores of Buglas.
Well, one thing you could say about Tikum Kadlum, is that he really doesn't do regret. Well, not yet...
And so began, the tales of Tikum the Black Dog Kadlum, his daughter, the young Ukok and the manghihiwit, Amburukay. Not with a simple, easy step but with an awful misstep...