The Bolo Warrior: Bakunawa Rising 2 by AA Lee

Author:AA Lee [Lee, AA]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2021-02-25T00:00:00+00:00

12

Una

Carrying Iyay, Una flew as quickly as she could, trying to stay near Kidlat. Her own healing anting-anting was pathetically weak against Iyay’s wound. Her eyes felt hot, but she would not cry. Tears were reserved for the dead, and Iyay couldn’t die. Una would not allow it. The old woman had been the first to hold Una in her arms when other women and children avoided her. Iyay was the one who’d protected her when she was almost banished for failing to make anting-antings work.

The air itself seemed to boil with rage as Kidlat screamed. Lin-ay and Bugna had disappeared in a blink. Kidlat must have realized his mistake of wasting his time fighting Datu Habagat. He ignored the datu and flew away at the speed of lightning, without a doubt, to look for Lin-ay and Bugna.

“Don’t you die on me, old shaman. You have to heal my wounds.” Una desperately wanted to sound brave, but her voice cracked. Slick blood wet her arms as she hugged the old woman, feeling the liquid seep through her blouse.

Kidlat returned. Una would have pressed her head to the ground in gratitude if she weren’t flying.

“Mother! Tell me where that traitor hid Bulan.” Kidlat’s words escaped through gritted teeth. He reminded Una of the wild demons they’d fought at Sulod, which had escaped from the afterlife.

“She’s badly injured. I’m afraid she’s going to die, Head Warrior.” In the back of her mind, Una wanted to slap the head warrior for not healing Iyay immediately. She couldn’t believe healing his mother wasn’t his priority.

“I know you can hear me, Mother. I will release my healing anting-anting, but if you don’t tell me where they are, I will send you to the afterlife, where you’ll eventually meet your friends.”

Una couldn’t even gasp in shock. She stopped breathing, unable to say a word. She had always thought the head warrior was cruel, but only to Makanas. She finally released a breath when Iyay grunted, her first sign of life.

Kidlat flew up behind Una, facing Iyay. “Now, where could Bugna have hidden Lin-ay?”

“Sulod,” Iyay said in a breathy voice.

“No. Even that place can’t hide anting-antings from me.”

“Then why would you expect me to know? You know more about anting-antings than me.” Iyay coughed, unable to continue. After the bout of coughing ended, she swallowed and spoke again. “Save your son.”

“He is not my son.”

“He is your son. Anyag’s son is my grandson.”

The wind slapped them aside as Kidlat flew away in fury. The revelation shocked Una. She had never understood Kidlat’s cruelty toward his son. If Makanas was Anyag’s son, that meant Kidlat’s wife had bedded another man. But Kidlat’s respect to her soul during ceremonies for the dead made Una doubt Anyag had betrayed Kidlat. Una wondered why he’d raised Makanas. Anyag was long dead. Knowing the truth made her want to turn her back on Kidlat even more.

That wasn’t the first time she’d doubted the head warrior. After Makanas returned from his first mission, Una had been convinced he could lead the barangay better than his father.

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