The Tales of Tikum Kadlum

2 SNAKE ROADS SLITHERING

3.2 BONES OF THE OLD ONES

"What are you standing there for, ingrates?" the bearded Silotan said, pointing at Ukok. "Grab that waif before she escapes!"

Seeing them come for her, Ukok raised the agimat on her neck high above her head, chanting the words her father taught her to trigger the tikbalang's mane. Not long after, the winds began to blow hard and the jungle around her became as quiet as an empty grave. Anticipation clung on everyone's heart. Something was about to happen. Something extraordinary. But then, there was nothing.

"That's it?" Ukok said, looking at the agimat like it was suppose to whisk her away from danger.

The hunchback halted in front of her. "Heh, what's that trinket supposed to be?"

"Probably, some magical thingy?" the gangly Birang offered an answer after grabbing​ the agimat from Ukok's hand. "Hell, ain't it our lucky day?" he added. "I guess our bounty's going to be doubled, boss."

"Lucky?" Silotan slowly rubbed his beard. "Perhaps, you're right." He smiled mulling things over, hatching a nefarious plan. "Today seems like our luckiest day. Perhaps, we could finally buy our own balangays and leave this god awful job behind. If only we could catch two buruhisan's instead."

Birang made a face. "Um... do we have to buy boats for each of us, boss? I'd want to spend my part on something else and–"

Silotan laughed. "You can do anything you want, Birang. If balangays are not your thing, then go buy yourself an uripon! Or ten slaves if you want!"

Birang nodded and smiled, showing all his teeth.

"The Toad king is going to owe us so much loot," Dumot the hunchback said. "And before the sun sets we'll surely empty his coffers." He cackled. "Good thing that loon is the superstitious kind. Still can't believe he's just doing this after a bad dream. I hope he keeps having awful nightmares."

Silotan gestured so, Birang grabbed Ukok by the neck and covered her mouth before she could scream for help. The little girl tried to struggle and escape, but the man's gangly hand was deceptively strong.

"Tell you the truth, I don't really believe him." Birang turned to Dumot, who was shaking his head.

"You dunce, didn't you know dreams can foretell one's fate?" the hunchback said before laughing at his own joke. A joke that clearly went over Birang. When Dumot so this, he shook his head slowly and turned to Silotan. "The Toad King's just being sensible. Right, boss?"

The mastermind of their operation nodded. "Sensible or not. What's important is we get him what he wants. If it's the heads of all the buruhisan in his territory then we give it to him."

The ati woman cut him off. "I'm not a buruhisan! I've been telling you the truth!" She struggled to balance herself on the stool.

"Nor is that mangy child one," Silotan said, turning back at her. "Bah! But who cares about the truth? I don't see Datu Magung seeing the difference between a dead buruhisan or some wanderer that no one will ever remember." He kicked the stool off the ati's feet.

The maiden's eyes widened as a scream tried to escape her mouth. She felt her whole body stiffened as her weight shifted backwards. She knew only the noose would hold her upright and only death would catch her fall. The stool wobbled underfoot as she balanced herself. She tried to hold fast, toes of her feet clawing at its edge, but in her panic she pushed the stool further, toppling it over. Time seemed to move a fraction of a second slower as her heart quickened, beating faster and faster as she felt the strangle of the rope. She was going to die a most painful death and she could not do anything about it. She whimpered as she fell, it was quickly followed by the resounding sound of something breaking.