Nanginginig pa rin si Fenris nang umalis sila sa lugar na 'yun. Her mind was flooded with questions but she didn't know where to start.
Reid turn the heat on. "You should remove your cloak. I have a jacket here somewhere. Use it," seryosong sabi nito pero umiling lang ang dalaga.
Her cloak was the only thing that held her together right now. Kapag tinanggal n'ya iyun, baka bumigay siya at tuluyang mag-breakdown kaya hindi niya sinunod ang utos nito.
"What do you want to know?" maya-maya ay tanong ni Reid. Pansin din niyang tuluyan na silang lumabas ng bayan. They were going to one of the provinces.
Fenris swallowed the lump in her throat and hugged herself. "Who are those people?"
Reid's jaw clenched. "They're homeless people," mahina nitong sagot.
Literal na nalaglag ang panga ni Fenris sa narinig. "Homeless? How?"
Nobody was homeless in Narguille. Kahit ang mga Lower Class ay may mga trabaho at bahay provided by the Church or the government, or whatever since both were governed by the same man- the Grand Knight.
"Did you really think that everyone can afford to pay the offering to the Church?"
"May hindi afford ang offering?"
Napailing si Reid. "Even Lower Class families pay offering. Those who can't pay can't be Lower Class. So, they're lower than Lower Class."
"So, they're driven out of their homes and just let them die there?" hindi pa rin siya makapaniwala sa nalaman. She didn't even know this exists. "Alam ba ito ng Grand Knight."
Isang pagak na tawa ang pinakawalan ng lalaki. "Of course, alam n'ya. Kaming dalawa lang ang nakakaalam sa bagay na 'to. Now, you. So, promise me, you won't tell anyone. Not even your bestfriend."
"Both of you are hiding this from everyone? Bakit hindi gumagawa ng ingay ang mga homeless? Why don't they go to Saas and be seen and heard? Why don't they complain?"
"To keep the peace and order of the continent, the Grand Knight has to compromise. Iyung mga nagtangkang lumabas, well, we silence them."
Silence them. Meaning, kill them. Iyun ba?
"You have to understand, this is for our own good."
"How about them? How about their good?" she made sure to emphasize the last word.
Hindi nakasagot si Reid.
"That's what I thought. You and the Grand Knight abandoned them because they don't have money to pay the Church," ang sikip-sikip ng dibdib niya.
Bakit ganito?
"You have to understand. The Grand Knight didn't just start this. This was handed to him by the previous Grand Knights. We merely continue the tradition," habang sinasabi iyun ay kita ang galit sa mukha ni Reid. Panay ang pag-igting ng panga nito kaya kumunot ang noo ni Fenris.
"Wait a minute..." aniya saka tiningnang mabuti ang Knight.
Reid's lips pursed.
"You don't like this either," bulalas ni Fenris.
"Sinong matinong tao ang gusto sa ganitong sitwasyon?" sagot nito. "I want to do something about it but my hands are tied. This is tradition. I am protecting our tradition."
Hindi alam ni Fenris kung ano ang isasagot. The Order had a very dark secret and she couldn't do anything about it? Not even the people who lead them?
"Ano'ng gagawin natin sa tatlong kinuha natin?"
Hindi sumagot si Reid. Tiim-bagang lang itong nakatingin sa daan. The rain almost made it impossible to see the road-it was so heavy that they could barely hear each other.
Nang walang makuhang sagot mula sa Knight ay naisip ni Fenris na tumingin na lang sa labas ng bintana kahit wala naman siyang masyadong makita doon.
Buong akala n'ya, perpekto ang Order na siyang namamahala ng kanilang gobyerno at simbahan.
She didn't want to be disappointed. She tried to find a reason to understand. Maybe give the Order the benefit of the doubt?
Hindi namalayan ng dalaga na nakatulog na pala s'ya. Nang nagising siya, mas lumakas pa yata ang ulan. Mas galit na ang mga kulog at kidlat.
"Where are we?" tanong niya saka naghikab.
Sinulyapan siya ni Reid, his eyes clouded with... grief? "Near the Holy Mountain," sagot nito.
Nanlaki ang mga mata ni Fenris saka muling tumingin sa labas ng bintana. Naaaninag niya ang napakaraming puno sa gilid ng daan. They were in the middle of the Holy Forest. It was acres and acres of thick woods. In the middle of it was a straight concrete path that led to the Holy Mountain at the end.
"Three hours akong nakatulog?" hindi makapaniwalang tanong niya. And yeah, her cloak was almost dry now.
"Yeah. You snored," nakangiti nitong sabi kaya lihim na umirap si Fenris.
"I don't snore."
"Hey, I'm not a liar," palag ni Reid na nakangiti pa rin.
"Hmp!" she looked ahead. "We're really going to the Holy Mountain?"
The Holy Mountain was said to be the home of the three gods kaya ang Order lang ang pwedeng magpunta roon. It was three hours away from Saas.
"Yes. And again, you are not going to tell anyone about this. Not even the Grand Knight. Hindi n'ya pwedeng malaman na isinama kita."
"Ang daming sekreto ha."
"And I don't know why I brought you here," naiiling na sagot nito.
The Holy Mountain was not a real mountain. Maliit na burol lang iyun at nang huminto ang van sa tuktok ay agad na nakita ni Fenris ang isang kweba.
"Is that a cave?" she squinted her eyes to see clearly.
"Yeah," ani Reid saka muling itinaas ang hood. "Nandito ka na rin lang, tulungan mo na lang ako sa..."
"Tatlong kidnap victims?" pagtatapos niya at nakita niya ang biglaang tension sa mga balikat ni Reid.
"Let's go," sa halip ay sagot nito.
Itinaas na rin ni Fenris ang kanyang hood bago bumaba ng sasakyan. Agad nanaman siyang nabasa dahil wala yatang balak na tumigil ang ulan.
Sumunod siya kay Reid na hinihila ang mga homeless pababa ng van. Nagpumiglas ang mga ito pero wala naman talagang magagawa dahil masyadong mahihina ang mga ito.
"Ano'ng gagawin mo sa kanila?" tanong niya pero hindi siya sinagot ng Knight. Ni hindi ito tumingin sa kanya kaya umatras ang dalaga. "I'm not helping you."
Gulat na nilingon siya ng lalaki pero hindi ito pumalag. There was understanding in his eyes. Tahimik nitong hinila ang tatlo.
Fenris' chest tightened when the young lady looked at her with pleading eyes. She stepped forward but Reid gave her a warning look.
"I will not force you to help me. Just stand there, I will not care. But don't stop me from doing my job. The Grand Knight ordered me to do this so, please, don't interfere. If you did, I wouldn't have any choice but to silence you."
Napahinga siya ng malalim bago muling humakbang paatras. Alam niyang wala siyang laban sa lalaki.
Ano ba talaga ang gagawin ng Master Knight sa tatlong homeless? She was so confused. Iaalay ba ang mga ito sa isang sacrificial ceremony? She shivered in horror.
Reid patiently pulled the homeless people towards the cave. Fenris watched in silence. She wished this wasn't happening. She wished she could stop whatever this was. She closed her eyes when the three started to cry and beg.
"Parang awa n'yo na, Knight. Pakawalan n'yo kami," pagsusumamo ng babae na kaedad lang ni Fenris. Parang piniga ang puso ni Fenris habang nakikinig.
She forced herself to watch, to be aware.
"Let's go," matigas na sabi ni Reid at mas nilakasan ang paghila sa tatlo papunta sa kweba.
Ano ba talaga ang gagawin ni Reid sa tatlo?
Hindi mawala-wala ang panginginig ng dalaga habang mahigpit na nakakuyom ang kanyang mga kamao.
Wala siyang silbi!
Hanggang sa tuluyan nang naipasok ng lalaki ang mga homeless sa kweba nang bigla na lamang nawala ang tatlo na para bang may invisible na pwersang humigop sa mga ito papasok. Mabilis na umatras si Reid palabas at halos matumba pa ito dahil sa pagmamadaling makalayo.
Fenris took one step forward but stopped frozen when she heard screams of pain and agony.
And then a shiver ran through her spine when she heard an inhuman growl and a dreadful hiss. Nanlaki ang kanyang mga mata lalo na nang patakbong lumapit si Reid sa kanya.
"Let's go," anito saka siya hinila pabalik sa van pero bago pa man sila makasakay ay tumigil na ang nakakakilabot na ingay mula sa loob ng kweba. Natigil na rin ang sigawan.
Kasabay ng katahimikang iyun ay ang pagtigil ng ulan at paglabas ng araw na para bang hindi man lang sila binagyo a few seconds ago.
"Get in," matigas na utos ni Reid kaya mabilis siyang sumakay.
Hindi nagtagal ay palayo na sila sa lugar na 'yun.
Mahigpit ang kapit ni Reid sa manibela habang tutok na tutok sa daan.
Fenris on the other hand was barely holding on to sanity. Her lips were trembling and didn't even notice that she was already crying.
What just happened?
"Fenris, are you alright?" may concern sa boses ni Reid.
Dahan-dahan ang ginawa niyang paglingon sa lalaki, her hood was halfway down kaya kita nito ang luhaan niyang mga mata.
"What happened back there?" mahina niyang tanong.
"I... I can't tell you."
"Why?" sigaw niya. "Why is this happening? Why is the Order okay with this?"
Why was there so much mess in this so-called holy brotherhood?
Hindi sumagot si Reid.
Fenris scoffed in disbelief.
"I want to tell you so you're not left confused like this," maya-maya ay turan nito. "But if I told you, then I would have to kill you."
Fenris didn't want to talk anymore. She felt exhausted. Her thoughts and emotions were in shambles.
But she had to ask one more question. Though she already knew the answer, she still wanted to hear it from Reid. A confirmation of how awful the Order was, of how the people were lied to.
"Then, just tell me this, are those people dead?"
Seconds, minutes of silence...
Akala niya ay hindi siya nito sasagutin pero pagkaraan ng ilang sandali ay huminga ito ng malalim. "Yes."
And just like that, Fenris forgot all about her plans to go shopping.
***
@immrsbryant