How to Tame Your Tikbalang Without Even Trying

Book excerpt: What happens when a Babaylan finds herself a Tikbalang to tame? Tala Bienvenido can’t help but be curious about a strange book in the attic of her clan’s ancestral home, and she finds herself thrust into a world filled with ancient lore when she takes the old tome. Buhawi Batumbakal was caught and he knew it. Yet all that was clear to him was that he needed to find a way to make that Babaylan his forever, elemental disturbances and threats to his life (and hers) notwithstanding. In Philippine lore and mythology, the Tikbalang is a monster hybrid of horse and warrior that is feared throughout the archipelago. Just as fearsome are the priestesses of the pre-colonial animist religion: The Babaylanes. A Babaylan, it is said, can heal the sick and injured, commune with the gods and goddesses, speak and do battle with otherworldly creatures like the Tikbalang and, yes, strike her foes down with lightning called from the heavens. So, what does happen when this Babaylan meets that Tikbalang? * This work of fiction contains graphic depictions of sexual acts that some readers may deem offensive. It is not for the faint of heart or for anyone younger than 18.