A KISS OF RAGE AND FIRE

TWENTY-SEVEN

Somewhere in the Abandoned Lands

Astaeria Forest

The night was dark and the more you stare at it, it would stare back. Ada was getting some new dry cloth para maibigay sa kanyang kapatid sa loob. It's been hours since the house was in complete chaos.

The forest was quiet at tanging ang pagtahol ng mga lobo sa 'di kalayuan at ang sigaw ng kanyang isang kapatid na nanganganak ang tanging maririnig sa katahimikan ng gabi. She felt anxious because she has been told by her older sisters that noise attracts bad things.

"Ada!" tawag ng nakatatandang kapatid na si Maerna dahilan para mapatalon siya sa kinatatayuan. Sinenyasan lang siya nito na pumasok na sa loob na agad naman niyang ginawa.

Bitbit ang isang maliit na palanggana na may maligamgam na tubig, at mga tela sa kanyang balikat, pumasok na siya sa loob ng kanilamg kubo at umakyat sa itaas. Doon niya nakita ang kabatid niyang si Isabela na nakahiga sa sahig. Blood could be seen everywhere and she fought nausea that's starting to build up inside her.

Isabela was crying and she couldn't help but mutter to herself that pregnancy is indeed not a joke. But Maerna, Racquel, Diana, and Ursula were handling the situation perfectly. Only because they've been there themselves. They've been pregnant before.

"Maerna," Isabela rasped, gripping Maerna's hand, the oldest among them. "Maerna, please. Whatever it is, please don't take it away from me, please." Umiiyak na ito ngunit agad naman itong napalitan ng sigaw dahil sa sakit.

The kids, or her sisters, or perhaps she could call them her nieces, were downstairs kasama ang ama nila. Sila lang ang nasa itaas at tinulungan si Isabela sa kanyang panganganak.

"Maerna, promise me," Isabela said, crying. But Maerna's face was stone cold and unmoving. It was then that Isabela looked at her. And her eyes were pleading as she looked at her.

"Ada, maawa ka sa akin. Maawa ka sa anak ko."

Akmang magsasalita na siya nang sumingit si Racquel. "It won't do, sister. If you happen to give birth to a boy, we don't have a choice but to give it to them. Ipagdasal natinna hindi magiging lalake ang anak mo."

And Isabela wailed but she couldn't really do anything dahil nakagapos ito. And then her screams filled the house and perhaps the whole of Astraea forest. It lasted for about a minute and then stopped. Isabela was panting, tears trickled down to her neck and her face. Basang-basa rin ang buhok at damit na suot nito.

They were all silent hanggang sa nakarinig sila ng iyak ng bata. It was Diana who picked the baby up. Nakatingin silang lahat sa kapatid habang sinusuri nito ang kasarian ng bata. Isabela was whimpering.

"Diana, please let me hold him," pakikiusap ni Isabela sa kapatid nila but Diana just looked at all of them with a grave expression on her face. And they instantly know what it means. Isabela gave birth to a baby boy.

"No, please! Please don't do this! Maawa kayo sa akin. Maawa kayo sa bata. Maerna, Diana, Racquel, please!" She watched Isabela wailing and trying to get herself out of the ties around her wrists but it was no use.

Binigay ni Diana sa kanya ang bata and she looked at it. It was a baby boy indeed.

"Ada, please let me hold him." Napatingin naman siya kay Isabela na umiiyak pa rin.

But Maerna just held their sister's shoulders and said, "It would only make things hard for you. Mas magiging madali pa sa iyo kung hindi mo ito makikita o mahawakan."

Ursula signaled her to go and she did, trying her best to ignore her sister's cries, and went downstairs.

Sinalubong naman siya ng ama nila. His face was anxious. He, too, was nervous about his daughter giving birth dahil siya rin ang ama ng bata.

Hindi niya alam kung kailan iyon nagsimula but Ada's mother was also her sister. Maerna, Ursula, Diana, Racquel, and Isabela were all her sisters from the same mother. But their mother was long dead. For whatever reason, hindi niya alam. Gideon, their father, wouldn't tell them. But all she knows is that they are going to go through the same fate as their mother. Used to birth babies that will be fed to the ancient monster lurking in the forest. 

Maerna, Ursula, Diana, Racquel, and Isabela had experienced pregnancy. Siya nalang ang wala sa kadahilanang hindi pa siya nagdadalaga. They live in this forest where an ancient monster was also living. Sa pagkakaalam niya, they feed on babies. Sila lang ang mga taong nakatira doon dahil ang ama nila ang nagbibigay pagkain sa mga ito. If they give birth to a baby girl, it stays in the house and become like them. If it is a baby boy, they sacrifice it to the monster. She isn't sure which one is better

She looked at the kids on the corner. Ursula, Maerna, and Diana's kids. And then she looked at her father. For so many years she had attempted to kill her father. Ngunit hindi niya magawa. Ang ama nila ang bumubuhay sa kanila. Without him, who would protect them from the monsters? If it wasn't for the kids, matagal na silang umalis doon. But the forest was big. It would be hard to escape especially there are wolves in the woods.

Her magic isn't strong enough. She mainly uses it for healing simple cuts. Not really useful against fighting wolves.

Akmang kukunin ng ama niya ang sanggol sa kanyang mga braso nang ilayo niyo ito rito. Nagtatakang napatingin ang ama ama niya sa kanya and then she said, "I will be the one to bring this there." Her voice was cold. Something she didn't really expect.

Tiningnan lang siya ng ama bago ito tumango. Agad naman siyang lumabas ng bahay bitbit ang sanggol. The baby was fast asleep and she could hear sucking on something.

Hindi niya mapigilan ang pagpatak ng mga luha niya habang naglalakad papunta sa kung saan niya ito dapat ilagay. The woods seem to be watching her and she could hear the distant howling of the wolves.

Mas binilisan pa niya ang paglalakad, hugging the baby tightly hanggang sa makarating siya sa tabi ng ilog. She could see a huge rock on the side that almost looked like a table.

Then the baby cried. It was as if he knew what his fate is going to be. Marahas niyang pinahid ang kanyang luha at inilagay ang bata sa ibabaw ng bato. The baby cried harder and she took a step back.

She was supposed to run back after putting the baby down ngunit hindi niya magawa. Hindi niya kaya.

Akmang kukunin niya pabalik ang sanggol nang may biglang lumitaw na pigura malapit sa bato, kung nasaan ang bata. It was dark and tall. Unusually tall. And when it finally took form, doon niya nakita nang husto kung anong klaseng nilalang iyon. It was made of smoke. Black smoke. Tila wala itong katawan and its body was just swaying with the wind and with its little movements. Its eyes were glowing red and its fingers were slender and sharp as it reached to touch the baby's face.

The baby stopped crying and she couldn't move on her feet. It was like her feet were glued to the floor that she couldn't even run.

And she almost lost her balance when the monster looked at her with its red glowing eyes. And she instantly knew she was dead.

Then she felt a burst of power slam into her sending her flying across the ground and hit her back on the tree. She grunted in pain at tila nabali ang likod niya dahil sa lakas ng pagkakatama niya sa kahoy.

She opened her eyes and tried to stand, try to run ngunit nang tingnan niya ang paligid ay wala na ang halimaw at wala ba rin ang sanggol na nasa mga braso pa niya kanina.

The monster has taken it and left her there with nothing but grief and fear.

Agad naman siyang tumayo at tumakbo papunta sa kanilang kubo. Ito lang ang tanging maliwanag sa lugar and seeing it was very comforting for her. So she ran as fast as she could, trying to wipe the tears in her eyes. Because at the moment, she could feel more fear than the grief of losing the baby.

Nang makarating siya sa kubo ay pinagbuksan siya ng kanyang ama. Nag-aalala ito habang nakatingin sa kanya. And then his eyes went to her empty arms.

"Is it done?" tanong nito sa kaya ang she just nodded, swallowing hard as she tried to calm herself down.

"It is done."

And she hid her trembling hands behind her back as she walked to her room and cried her eyes out.

* * *