The Illuminated Maiden

Chapter XXX

Vibrations resonated through Kabael's feet while trudging through the foothills. He felt them. Perhaps anyone else could. The soil rested on protruding rocks formed when Makapitan supposedly shattered the continent, after all. Kabael stopped and paused for a moment.

"Something's not right," he said. The rest halted as well. Kabael turned to look around. The foothills rolling like emerald carpets were empty, devoid even of merchants and travelers. None but their party were going through the foothills of Mandalungan, yet Kabael listened in, and the vibrations below his feet grew stronger.

"Kabael," Paglinawan said, "what is it?"

"Something is coming. Listen." They did not need to listen any longer. They turned around to the sound of marching, the resonance of footsteps on grass, and then, there blared the sound of a war horn. Kabael darted his head to the direction of the long, harrowing noise growing louder. "Yawa," he thought.

"Who are those?" asked Tayag.

From the hill behind rose an army of fifteen men, led by two who were mounting buffalos. They marched rapidly through the grass, not even minding the road established for travelers. They grew in size in Kabael's eyes as they drew near. At that point, he gripped his blade's handle and brandished it, allowing what little light there was to shine and reflect upon steel.

"An army?" muttered Paglinawan. "From where?"

"Princess," Tayag spoke, "that's an army from Selurong."

"So, they followed us here?" Beads of sweat rolled down Paglinawan's neck. "How? Do you think they know who I am?"

"Apparently," Siti butted in. She took her bow and drew out an arrow from her quiver. "Ready yourselves, all right?"

Paglinawan scurried to take out her binagon. Swiftly, Tayag drew out his blades, carrying one on each hand. He stood with his right foot forward. He put forth his right hand carrying one blade, drawing back his left hand, allowing his other blade to rest on his shoulder. Kabael put his foot and his blade forward as well, resting his left arm, closed fist, on the blunt edge of his pinuti. All of them dropped their packs.

"A-a-are you sure they're hostiles?" Paglinawan stuttered.

"What does it look like to you, gadis?" said Siti, who fixed an arrow to her bow. "I'm not a good shot, so you best prepare for an encounter." Siti aimed her bow at the approaching army, closing one eye as she started stretching its bowstring.

"How many arrows do you have?" asked Paglinawan.

Siti let go of the bowstring, shooting a missile of metal, wood, and feathers right into the men who drew nearer. It sped through the ranks of the two men on a buffalo, and it struck right into the head of one footman, who was unfortunate enough not to anticipate the arrow and block it with his shield. Blood gushed from the man's shattered forehead, where the arrow was sticking out, and he fell, staining the green grass red.

"I don't know," said Siti, as she took another arrow from the quiver. "I didn't count."

The horn blew louder this time, and the approaching army began running through the hills. One man on a buffalo, a stubbled, muscular one, placed the horn on his back, and he went on kicking his buffalo hard, that it groaned in pain as it rushed. The other man, a young, princely figure, appeared confused and the rest left him behind.

Siti shot another arrow, seeing that the footmen were easy to pick off, but a shield blocked the arrow from piercing flesh. Siti grabbed another arrow and took another shot, and again, and once more, but she had only shot and killed one man, and wounded another. The army was already close to where they stood. The approaching buffalo could trample them.