20 Chapter 18: Into the Woods
“ Where am I?”, his eyes widened to see such a majestic view in front of him.
“Oh, this?” the beggar gestured his hand and let Dex follow it as he presented the majestic view in front of them.
“ We are in a safe place.” the beggar added.
The mystifying view of luscious greens canopied the equally rich spread of colors of the forest floor, contrasting the gigantic trees from the dwarvish blooms and undergrowth under the perfect azure sky. The view left him awestruck as his unworthy eyes basked in the beauty of the scenery.
The beggar cleared his throat loud enough to distract Dex from his engrossment.
“ Welcome Katalonan to…”
A barrage of spears and arrows welcomed them like rain. Luckily, the beggar was able to grab Dex and hid under the great roots of an ancient tree where he fortified with his magic.
“I thought you said this was a safe place?!” Dex shouted as he panics to the storming weapons flying towards their make-shift fortress.
“I thought it was too.” the beggar replied, “ Baylan! Baylan! We ask for your protection!” the beggar exclaimed as he kneeled.
“Well, well! What is this?” a voice thundered the trees.
The beggar stood up and bowed, “ Baylan sa Kalasangan, I greet you with good tydings…”
“Spare me your tidings, you wordsmith!” the voice shook the trees as it echoed.
The beggar quickly got out of the defensive field he created and exposed himself to attack. Dex was too late, he was unable to stop the beggar from walking to his doom. The beggar looked at him and smiled.
“You see, Great Baylan, the prophecy has once again shown itself,” he explained.
There was complete silence. A few seconds later the trees started to shake violently. Dex ran out from the shelter and joined the beggar in the middle of the clearing. It has been very stressful for Dex who had been thrown from one odd situation to another. His mind is trying to grasp some logic to everything that is happening in front of him but to no avail.
His logic has failed to explain this entirety of events but he kept himself as composed as he can, not letting the situation overwhelm him. He looked around as the trees shook from their roots before bowing down as if some royalty just walked by the crowd.
“Bow down.” the beggar whispered.
He bowed down urgently at the behest of his savior. Suddenly, birds began appearing and nestled themselves at the branches of the trees. Dex noticed the variety of species perching from the branches, singing a melodious song like a choir.
“Don’t look up, Boy!” the beggar urged him not to keep his eyes on the ground.
Dex heard someone coming towards them. The footsteps were light and elegant, it was like how a pageant contestant would walk during an evening gown competition. His mind started to wonder at the eloquence of this person’s walk. As his mind go and went with the idea of who is coming towards them, he got a surprising realization.
Wait a minute! How did I hear the footsteps in the middle of these birds singing? he said to himself.
His train of thought was interrupted suddenly by the beggar who spoke in his loudest voice.
“I GIVE PRAISE TO YOU, BAYLAN!
“You don’t have to shout.”
Dex is outright stunned with what he’s hearing. Despite the singing birds, he was able to hear the footsteps, and now, the voice.
“BAYLAN! THE KATALONAN IS HERE.” the beggar announced.
“Is this true?” Dex could feel her voice jump in disbelief, “You! Answer me.”
There was a long pause in their conversation after she asked. Dex knew she was waiting for an answer. He was surprised that even the beggar was not answering her.
“TALK, SHE IS SPEAKING TO YOU!” the beggar said.
Dex knew that was intended as a whisper but obviously, it was a shout. He is still in awe with what’s going on with everything and yet, he chose to politely answer the question.
“I am not sure what he meant by a Katalonan.” he started, “ I am not sure where I am right now or what is going on. It’s just, things have been very weird lately.”
Dex was still trying to explain himself and his situation when he was interrupted by the loud beggar.
“SEE? I TOLD YOU THAT HE IS!” he bragged.
“I said you don’t have to shout.” she reprimanded him again.
“YES! I WON’T SHOUT BUT I REALLY CAN’T HEAR MYSELF WITH ALL THESE BIRDS SINGING!” he finally said it.
Dex could hear a sigh in her breath, “ Okay.”, suddenly the birds stopped singing and the forest became serenely quiet again.
“Ahem.” the beggar cleared his throat, “ Raise your head, Boy! The Baylan needs to see you.”
He slowly raised his head and presented himself to the Baylan. He was met with a welcoming and comely face. Baylan looked like she was in her mid 30’s. She had long silky black hair that flowed down to her waist. She has almond-shaped eyes with long curly eyelashes and beautifully-shaped thick eyebrows. She has a small aquiline nose and her lips are full and plump. She wore an intricately embroidered marlota and sarong that timidly covered most of her batiks.
Dex stood there again in awe of her beauty that would put most celebrities and models to shame. He struggled in his mind to find words to say to her. There, he stared at her silently.
“Hoy!” the beggar nudged him, “ Speak. Don’t look like a dumb person in front of the Baylan.”
“Uhmmm..” he tried to find his words, “ Ummm..I am Dex..”
“I know this has been overwhelming for you.” she interrupted him, “ Dex was it?”
He nodded and kept his mouth shut.
“ Come here Dex.” she commanded him.
Dex didn’t move. He doesn’t know whether to be scared of her or whether to trust her. He looked behind him and saw the beggar gesturing to him to go to the Baylan. He hesitantly agreed and walked towards her. The impatient Baylan met him halfway which surprised him.
He stood there in the middle of the clearing with the Baylan inspecting him. She never touched him, but instead, her eyes pried at him like a hawk locking its prey. After a minute of uncomfortable eyeing, she finally stops and nods in satisfaction.
“ Indeed, he is the Katalonan.” She finally agreed to the beggar’s claim.
“ I told you he is!” he exclaimed.
“But, why does he reeks of death?” the Baylan glared at the beggar. “Care to explain, Pantas?”
Pantas. Dex made a mental note of that name the Baylan called the beggar.
“Well umm…” Pantas was having difficulty explaining to her why.
“ Tell me. Why does he reek of death?”
Reek of death?! The comment made him self-conscious. He had been living in the church for 3 days and he did recall not going for any baths during his stay there. He tried to play it cool and subtly smelled himself, he does smell bad.
“I am sorry.” he stepped backward, “ I haven’t taken a bath yet for almost 4 days, now.” he stepped away from her as he consciously felt blood spreading his face.
“NO! That wasn’t what I meant!” the Baylan tried to explain her insensitivity, “Although, you could use one.”
“ Hoy! Pantas! I am looking for an explanation!” she asked again.
“ It turns out there was a ghost who kept following him that moment he awakened his powers.”
“ I see, then that explains that.” she walked towards him, “ You said you needed protection?” she asks.
“ Yes, Baylan,” Pantas answered, “ He needs some help.”
“No. I cannot let him enter the Sanctuary,” she said, “ His stench might attract unwanted visitors.” she added.
“But this is the Katalonan!” Pantas retorted.
“He is indeed! No doubt.” she answered, “ He cannot enter there unless…”
“No. You can’t do that!” Pantas exclaimed.
“ Yes, I will! He needs to do the cleansing ritual first before I can help him.” she walked back into the forest, “ Teach him, old man.” she jabbed at Pantas.
“ Dark forces are closing in....” Pantas tried to reason with her.
“...that’s why you need to hurry and let him do the cleansing!” she said before completely disappearing in the forest.
Pantas sighed and looked at Dex with eyes of resignation, “ Come, follow me.”
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WRITER'S NOTES
Greetings Reader!
Thank you for going this far!
I hope you find this chapter exciting and amusin. So, I'm back with some terms that might have you scratched your head while reading this chapter!
Baylan- Babaylan/Baylan/Baglan/Baylon; is a pre-colonial priestess of the Philippines.
Pantas- means scholar
Kalasangan- means forest
I think that's all the words I have for you today! Make sure to recommend this to your friends if you love this novel.
Also your gifts can really help in motivating the author (shameless). Feel free to drop a review or comment once in a while, I would really love to interaction with my readers!
Pugay!
