Last episode, Angaway distinguished himself in the raid by saving the rajah’s life in the midst of battle. Bagani killed another person for the first time, and is trying to deal with it. Lamitan, Mantal, and Marikit, meanwhile, took advantage of his absence to plot something evil against Amaya, and threatened her with Ahak’s death.
Teary-eyed, Amaya asks what they want of her, and not to hurt Ahak. To the three, however, Ahak is “just a slave” and Mantal, who is holding the blade to Ahak’s throat, refers to her as such. Mantal also asks Marikit what she wants to do to one who seduced her husband. Marikit thereupon smugly smacks Amaya across the face. Amaya angrily raises her hand to retaliate, but Lamitan tells her that if she lays a hand on Marikit, Mantal will slit Ahak’s throat. So Marikit has the time of her life beating up her younger half-sister while Ahak –and Kayang, who had accompanied the three hags– look on aghast.
Kabanata XIX Ang Ina at Anak na Pinagpala sa Isa’t Isa
[Chapter 19 The Mother and Daughter Fortunate for Each Other]
Back at Bugna’s old village, it seems that the only people left there are Agang and her young son, and Dal’lang and Binayaan. The four of them live by foraging the abandoned fields for food. Dal’lang washes Binayaan’s feet tenderly and dries them. Binayaan offers to wash her feet in return, but Dal’lang says there’s no need for her to do that– she can just sing, instead, because Dal’lang had heard her voice once before and wants to hear it again. At first Binayaan makes excuses, saying it’s already nightfall and perhaps the next morning would be a better idea, but Dal’lang says she wants to hear her daughter’s voice now.
Having indulged herself in beating up someone who couldn’t fight back, Marikit tells Amaya to remember: “What’s mine is mine… and Bagani will never be yours.” Lamitan makes this big production of telling her daughter to come and wash her hands after touching such a dirty thing, and the three evil hags leave. A weeping Ahak begs Amaya’s pardon, but the latter tells her that she has nothing to ask pardon for. Ahak says that if only her father and mother were still alive this wouldn’t have happened. Amaya says only that even if she prayed hard, her parents won’t come back, for they are truly gone. She hugs Ahak instead.
Agang coaxes Binayaan to sing, and she finally complies, singing a song about how much she loves her mother and wants to always be with her. It’s the same song that Dal’lang had heard Amaya sing that night she went to the bukot– and she looks uncertain, wondering why her daughter now has a different voice, although it’s still a very pretty one. She says nothing, however, and Agang notices. Agang asks Dal’lang why she has that look on her face– doesn’t she like Amaya’s voice?
Bayang finds Alunsina and asks to speak to her– Alunsina gets all snippy and tells her that if she’s come to harass her like Amaya did, she’s wasting her time. “You can’t stop me.” Bayang says she’d better not tell if she doesn’t want anything bad to happento
