The Tales of Tikum Kadlum

2 AMULET AND TALISMAN

2.2 BOWOWOW BABAYLAN

Through the thick green foliage and the serpentine vines, Salak, the rotund timawa of Raguet, persevered and guided the thief, Tikum the Black Dog Kadlum. As he led the way, the Raguetanon sang a most unmelodious song with his raspy voice. What made the whole affair worse was that it wasn't about the deeds of long forgotten heroes, nor was it a tale of the gods' romances and the tragedies they wrought, all of which would atleast cater to anyone's interest. Alas, Salak was simply uttering nonsense, drumming at his stomach like a frog during the rainy season. Along the way, Tikum grumbled in annoyance, wallowing on his own ire. But as they got deeper into the trees, the timawa from Raguet finally quieted down and unease veiled his pudgy visage.

"Gi-atay, are we lost?" Tikum said, breaking the silence that comfortably settled between them in their trek. "We've been all over the side of the mountain for hours already." He sighed. "And it seems like we're going in circles."

"Don't worry, there's no reason to be so pissed off... I mean, we didn't step on any nuno's mound," Salak said in jest. "Those dwarves don't live here anymore. Not with magic getting harder to come by."

Tikum seethed in anger. "I'm here to do a job. Not hike and admire the view. And fair warning, keep your lousy jokes to yourself."

"Sure. Sure." Salak raised his hand to silence Tikum as he crouched behind the wall of impenetrable shrub. "Ease up with the whining, don't you see we're here already," he said to Tikum, fatigue and fear clear on his face. "Welcome to Karas and Tihol's domain, Dalak."

He cleared a small opening in the brush to let his companion see the babaylan's lair. Tikum shook his head, not sure if the timawa intended to delay things just for this well-timed reveal. Was he even that sort? This kind of theatrics was pushing it.

"Huh, now that's interesting," the Black Dog said as the imposing abode loomed before them, its thick branches jutting up and over the canopy of trees. "A hut built on a giant tree?"

Salak nodded. It was exactly that. And why would it not be like any old house on stilts? Surely, a powerful figure in Raguet could indulge on her eccentricities. It was not a surprise for Tikum though, but he'd seen more eloquent things.

"Do they belong to an ati clan?" Tikum was reminded by the indigenous tribesmen when he saw the entirety of structure. Not exactly just a hut on a tree, he thought. Looking at it more closely, there were clear differences between it and the man-made dwellings of the ati people. He cursed. He didn't like this omission of detail by Kalibutdan. This was usually how things go hogwash. Little lies and obfuscations. "That runt of an asog you call your uncle didn't say they were shamans of the Ituman–"

"Nope. They're not."

"Then what's the deal with the house?Shit looks like an ati built it but–"

His companion nodded, cutting him off. "See... strange, right? The villagers still whisper rumors about it. They said, a kafiri fell madly inlove with one of the sisters. Others say, their father was the kafiri itself. That's probably why magic runs easy on their veins, right? It makes more sense that way. But whether it's an heirloom or a dowry from the devatas, no one knows for sure. The common thread with all these gossips is that it, whatever it may be, gifted that dwelling to the sisters."

Tikum raised a brow. It. A kafiri? He was doubtful there were still living kafiris in this region. They were more scarce than good sense here. Maybe in the unexplored lands to the east of Buglas, where wild tobacco is plentiful for them to smoke and enjoy. Maybe in Madia-as too, where magic is strongest and the devatas still walk with mortals in their leisure...