5.4 DOGGY DOG DARKNESS

  It was dark when the rain abated and the birds started falling down from the skies. Next, the frogs started plopping dead and along with it were all manner of vermin and pests began to expire.

  Tikum was fetching himself water in the almost dried up well behind their hut when he noticed it. But before he saw them die, he felt it under his skin. A malicious feeling of heavy dread and a cold fear like that of a welcoming coffin, making his gooseflesh rise. He already encountered the sensation before. The same exact dread and fear a long time ago when his master, Sri Kihod, did something no man should ever do. The thought of the Bone Gates chilled Tikum's blood, taking the warmth out his gut faster than the night breeze. An unwanted memory visited him. It was one of those best forgotten. It seemed as though it was just yesterday. He still remembered how he betrayed his master. He still remembered every detail of how it all unfolded. He still remembered the surprise and hate on their eyes. Tikum sighed. He did it for the right reason. It was worth the price. And he no longer needed to convince himself. Ukok was the proof.

  It was a long... long time ago, when the past was not yet a shadow who stalked him day and night. It was after he married Ambu, his master's promising apprentice, and right after she gave birth to their daughter.

  Tikum was a spy for Sri Kihod back then and a proud one at that. But it wasn't an easy path for the Black Dog. He had to earn every lesson on the job. And he made mistakes that almost caused him his life. But being a spy was not as bad compared to when he was just only a lowly thief, relieving barter traders of their precious belongings. It was a far harder and more dangerous life for a young man like him. He had to use his wit just to stay alive or risk starving to death. As time went by, the lowly thief was promoted to be one of the many eyes of the infamous sorcerer-king. And it marked a great change for him. Tikum became responsible for watching over the nobles of the city-state of Madia-as after the second rebellion ended. He was there to be Sri Kihod's informant against the nobilities who coveted the Lord of Manghihiwit's promotion as Uray Kang Dayang's consort. Sri Kihod was to marry the Makaporos nga Datuk, the unified ruler of all the chieftains in Vijayas, in a years time. It would've placed the manghihiwit in a position of power and influence. But fate had other plans. Plans that involved the Black Dog.

  Tikum's job was simple enough. He only had to warn Kihod if his enemies made their move. And occasionally, he was also someone to help eliminate Kihod's problems?. His master's infamy grew and the scheming courtiers began to fear his master's dark magic. And this left Tikum with nothing to do. As months passed by, the life of debauchery and vice in Madia-as, the greatest city in Vijayas, became boring and unbearable for a man like Tikum Kadlum. He missed Ambu and their daughter too much. So, one day he decided to come back home in the Island of Sorcerers, in Sri Kihod's domain without his master's knowledge. It was going to be a surprise, he thought. It was time for the Halad, the day of offering for the gods, a great event that only happened when the sun's light ringed the black moon's shadow. On that fateful day, Tikum Kadlum arrived, eager to find his family, but what greeted Tikum was not a warm hospitable welcome. Rather, shockingly, it was the preparations for a dark ritual, a sacrificial offering to the shadow-god, Saragnayan.

  Ancient wards glowed eerily around their abode, and inside it Amburukay held their child from Sri Kihod and from the yawning abyss that was the doors of the Dark realm on the floor. The numbing sound of bells tolling resounded in the background as an unearthly feeling melded with the atmosphere to suffocate the air. All warmth fled as though frightened by some unseen hungry predator. While reality itself was splitting away as the clawed and fanged things on the black crater before them tried to escape the bounds between their world and the Living realm.

  Not far from them stood Tikum, his axe, Hutik, held tight. He was stunned as confusion clouded his mind like a thick fog in the wee hours of morning. Apart of him didn't want to go near the hole in the ground. But something about it called for him. He shook his head in disbelief. Sri Kihod and Amburukay was trying to use Ukok in there arcane ceremony. Tikum would not have realized what was happening if he didn't saw all the puzzle pieces in place. The fact that his master had told him that his own wife entertained the idea of using a permanent living-key in their experiments to gain more power from Gadlum months ago, cemented his guess.

  To hold direct control over a vast source of magic. To tap the dark realm's energy without any limitation was unimaginable. It would rival any mortal sorcerer's magic, even that of their own master, and even that of a god. When he confronted her, Amburukay argued that she was protecting Ukok from Sri Kihod's greedy hands. She said, that she had no other choice. She said, that she was duped by their master. Sri Kihod had planned things differently. And that the sorcerer-king wanted the power all for his own. It meant that, as soon as the gates were opened, Sri Kihod was going to steal the powers from Ukok, which meant that she had to die in the process.

  Ambu did not want all of this to happen so she cursed her master.

  They continued to argue, and she even tried to convince the Black Dog that it would be better for them to hold the power together. To finish the incantation... For a split second, even Tikum himself thought of keeping it all. But then, the Black Dog stopped himself. No. It was not going to work. He realized that Ukok becoming a living-key also meant that she could be everyone's target. This did not sit well for him and fury rose inside his core. Words didn't mean anything anymore for the Black Dog. And all semblance of reason inside him faded as rage dulled his mind. He shook his head. How could Ambu, his own wife, let such a thing happen to Ukok? To consider it was a travesty. Was she so convince of her powers that she was all too willing to choose this course of action

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  She could've prevented this. She could've escaped this predicament. She could've protected her...Why do this? he asked himself. Then, he realized why it ended the way it did. He knew then how ambition ensnared her, how it enslaved her heart.

  She wanted the power for her own too. She wanted to bear the dark powers of Gadlum. Ukok was far more important, Tikum thought. And Amburukay was not thinking straight. It was the dark rot in her, he convinced himself. She was too intoxicated with magic because of it. So, he made the choice.

  In the corner of his eyes, Tikum saw Sri Kihod whisper a spell to break free from Ambu's hex, but before he could finish it she stunned him with a far stronger spell. Writhing in pain, the sorcerer-king told Tikum that he was right. He told him he was going to be next, that he was just another tool for Ambu to reach her ambitions for greater power. Sri Kihod told him that Amburukay was not to be trusted. And Tikum knew he was not completely wrong. That it was not a lie. In his desperation, Sri Kihod ordered Tikum to stop her. He was, after all, bound to honor his allegiance to his master. But Tikum already made his mind. With a whisper of apology, he pushed Sri Kihod in the yawning black maw that led to Saragnayan's realm. Tikum convinced himself that it had to be done. Sri Kihod had to be stopped... he had to be betrayed...

  When the Lord of Manghihiwit fell towards the Bone Gate, Tikum could still remember every minute detail. He could still see the poor man shrieked as the swirling mass of corruption eat through him. Then, the proud sorcerer's demise started. Countless hands made of shadows tore his hair from his scalp. Next, his sharp eyes grew filmy and blind as the pure chaos energy of Gadlum course through him. And then his chiseled face shriveled into a gaunt and ghostly mask, and what once was the king of sorcerers was all gone, swallowed by the darkness.

  Witnessing this, Amburukay lowered her guard. Showing no signs of contempt, Tikum approached her, eyes trained on Ukok. She uttered something he could not make out. He ignored it, too many things were going inside his mind to even care. Then, a thought struck him, he could of course forgive Amburukay and things could be as they were before all of this happened. They could still live a happy life– the life they planned on living. He growled a curse But it was still their daughter and there was no excuse for putting her in danger... not over power or anything else...

  As sudden as it came, Tikum's reverie was cut short. He felt his gooseflesh stand behind his neck as though a demon decided to embrace him. And then, Tikum heard the all too familiar sound of faint tolling bells. Cold fear instantly washed over his heart as he realised how desperate Amburukay had become. Tikum cursed, feeling the exact sensation he once feared along time ago. He shook his head. It was as unpleasant as the first time he experienced it. Deep inside he knew, that the Bone Gates of Gadlum were once again open. Tikum's heart began to beat frantically. And there, he knew he couldn't outrun this. Despair had paralysed him like a stone statue. Dark thoughts emerged in his racing mind... if the gates were open then a gadlumanon was about to be unfettered in the human realm... and in turn, he and Ukok would be in danger!

  ***

  It sped through the shadows, avoiding the moon's gray light with ease. And as it moved through dark places, it began to open its unworldly senses to find Ukok's scent. It drank the air around it like a man dying from thirst. Then, it began parsing through a multitude of human essence. Some were too faint..only little traces... too old... too vague... while others smelled like a bouquet of sweet sweat.

  It felt its hunger call, making its core being shudder. It must be satisfied. It must feed. It must eat. But suddenly, the will of the Bone Gate's keeper wormed through the gadlumanon's heart. His voice was a subtle whisper. Almost an echo of a song. But its intention was to control it, to make it rebel, to instigate it to escape from the Lady of the Darkest Night. The gate's keeper was strong. Stronger that most mortal and growing in strength by the second. Like a leech latching on to exposed skin... the once mortal, Sri Kihod, began to fill itself with more power from the Dark realm, shackling the gadlumanon for a split second into its own snare. To compel it. But he was not that strong enough yet. The thing called Makabagting broke loose from the binds and went its way, rebuffing all his efforts. But then, a maniacal laughter echoed through the fiend's mind and it knew that Sri Kihod would try to leash it again. He would try to impose himself again as though the gadlumanon was a fragile mortal he could control with his borrowed tricks. But the gadlumanon knew how weak his bindings were.

  The meddling abruptly stopped. The woman with pearl white skin, the gadlumanon's summoner, the manghihiwit, her orders came first. Their pact must be honored right down to the letter. Amburukay called it and so its loyalty was to hers and hers alone. Up until she makes a mistake of her own. Up until that... the thing called Makabagting will obey her. Like a brand seared on the gadlumanon's mind the commands began tugging its limbs. It gave a rueful howl, doubling its speed towards the forest, making short time of the journey to its prize.

  Faster and faster it went through the obstacles on its way, flowing like smoke and crashing like thunder when it needed to. Closer and closer it came. Soon enough it would– a dull thud resounded as the chaos-born entity rebounded on an invisible surface, halting its approach. Its many eyes scanned for movement, for magic, before it even began to reform its corporeal self.

  The shield had the sheen of water struck by the sun's beam as it blinded the gadlumanon for a breath. Makabagting's entire effervescent skin hissed, burned slightly by the flash. The aura of the spirit-ward straddled the line between intoxicating and nauseating... It enveloped a large area and in some places it could feel that the shield was worn. There were weak points in the spirit-barrier around the forest. Too stretched. Too thin. It's potency was also slowly washing away as time went by. Perhaps, the rain had to do with it. But it was still strong enough to repel a gadlumanon or any unwanted visitor. Like an impatient beast around its prey, the thing called Makabagting began pacing around the ward, testing its many limbs against it. Every strike sent back a crackle of energy that rippled around the gadlumanon, giving the it a painful backlash. Undeterred by the hindrance, it kept on its task, varying its approach of entry and learning from each mistakes and suddenly it halted as it finally found an opening to tear apart...