An Immortal's Favour

Jack- Mr Percy

*

Three days later, we came to the coastal town of Il. Khitah, descending along the rocky cliff top roads to reach the town centre. The town itself was located on the edge of Lindima, a country famed for its numerous lakes, waterfalls and beaches. White cobblestones dotted with turquoise lined the edges of the town square, which itself had been inlaid with slabs of blue-grey rock.

A small knit community, Il. Khitah couldn't have had more than two to three hundred residents living in the small, villa-like dwellings that peppered over the cliffs and marched down to crowd around the strip of white sand below. 

A lively breeze carried in the scent of salty seawater from the waves that struck vigorously at the sand, the breeze's howl being one of the few things that stirred the quietness. Grey clouds tumbled over the sky, pressing together as the wind picked up. Of the hand full of people lingering in the streets, closing down stalls, tugging at laundry and whatnot, Gale and I were the only ones not to be in some sort of hurry, not until we noticed the darkening of the clouds. The rain fell, battering against the roof of the car before I'd even found somewhere to park. The sound irked me, knowing that our plans for the day could've easily amounted to nothing.

"It was supposed  to be sunny today."

"We could wait the rain out."

"Or..." I raised my eyebrows meaningfully. 

"Or?"

Gale cast raindrops away from the car, giving me the chance to step out and grab two raincoats from the boot. Opening the door to her side of the car, I tossed her the grey one, one of my hands clasped tightly around the other. When the both of us were ready, with our coats pulled about us and the car locked, Gale released her hold over the water.

The downfall beat relentlessly over our heads as we ran along, laughing like a pair of kids who'd just been let out from school. Puddles splashed beneath our feet, and we ploughed through the downpour, our arms brushing together whenever either one of us nearly slipped. I linked Gale's frigid fingers with my own and pulled her along towards the beach, taking care to mind my steps as the two of us descended the steep set of stairs coiling around the cliff sides.

"Here we are," I panted, stopping at last. Now, sheltered by a cave, I could pause for rest without the added risk of being pelted by rain. For a few moments, only my laboured breathing echoed throughout the space. Gale stared on at the iridescent walls of the cave, sidestepping a shallow pool of water. Even in the dull light from outside, the soot-coloured stone of the walls seemed to be speckled with a million other colours, which glowed with an eerie beauty.

"This place...I can't believe I've never been here before." Tentatively, she pressed her hand against the wall nearest to her and closed her eyes. Her fingertips glowed white, but it was nothing compared to the way the cave began to shine, the way its light reflected off of the large expanse of water opposite to us, at the back of it.

"How are you doing that?"

"I think it's my magic."

"What, are you transferring it or something? Is that even possible?"

"No, it only responds to my touch. I think a spirit might've been here. We could be standing on sacred ground, Jacob." Her words weighed heavy in the subsequent silence. 

"I came here when I was about thirteen with my mother. She said something about pilgrims visiting in the old days." Gale pressed her fingers against the stone walls once more, and the light returned, illuminating the space again.

"Mhm. There's definitely spirit magic here. Everything feels so...pure."

"I doubt all spirits are what you'd call 'pure'. You know, if Tamaranian moral tales, i.e. every parent's 'Get your kid to do as you say no questions asked' trump cards, are anything to go by."