An Immortal's Favour

Gale- Her Return

*

After an hour's journey by taxi and a fifteen-minute walk, I arrived at the neat shrine dedicated Immortal Khitah, thirty-five miles east of Dorem. The wooden structure stood erect and seemed to float over the shallow fountain of water before it. I came forward, moving up the steps connected to the shrine's base. I dodged fresh offerings of flowers and food that been laid down and pushed at the little door behind them with one hand, shutting it behind me.

Inside, clean air circulated. The wooden flooring seemed new- almost as new as it had been when I'd come to shrine seventy years ago. It was dark; the walls allowed little light through.

Bowing my head, I closed my eyes, concentrating on the feel of my partner spirit, on the feel of its magic rather than my own. My senses deserted me until my feet planted themselves down against dried mud.

Skeletal trees scraped at the violet sky and marched along the contours of The Passage, the near-lifeless plain of land one had to traverse before arriving in the Spirit Realm. I kept to a narrow path, taking note of the differences in landscape since my previous visit.

The paths and the dirt hills were ever changing in an attempt to fool any trespasser- or absent-minded immortal -who'd managed to find their way into the Afterworld. I had to take care. I focused on the gentle throbbing of my merging mark, taking turns and ducking beneath wayward branches as needed.

The throbbing eased the closer I neared Danso, but just one thought of the place sent my heart racing. Had anyone questioned my absence?

Stiff hairs scraped at the skin of my forearm as something coiled around it.

"Immortal Gale. Well, isn't this a lovely surprise."

I screamed, shaking off the hand that'd grabbed me.

"Look at that. I've upset the noble lady. My apologies." The Gatekeeper of the Afterworld, Akaze, hung upside down from a sturdy branch. He swung himself up into a sitting position, folding two of his six arms behind his head. "Back from a favour, I see. No?"

"Leave me, trickster. I have no time for you." To prove my point, I quickened my pace.

"And here I am, still beneath you, great one. Surely you can spare me a precious second."

Ignoring his remark, I moved further into the trees, trying hard to put my mind at ease. But the horrid god followed, cackling all the while. I bit down a string of curses. Akaze sidled up to me and lifted up a clump of my hair. I snatched it back. "Don't you have a job to do?"

"My lady, I'm hardly two-hundred paces from my post. I'll be back once I've seen you off, safe and sound." Akaze smirked. Jumping from tree to tree, he loomed overhead. He continued this petty game, laughing while I tried to escape him in vain.

"Leave me!"

He acted as if he hadn't heard me, though, at last, he grew tired. "Farewell, noble one." Akaze melted away, freeing me from his torment. I took a moment to collect myself.

"Why? Today of all days?" I sighed, the knot in my stomach loosening. Voices drifted from all around. Laughter intermingled with piercing shrieks, and I pressed a hand against my head. It took all of two seconds before dread settled over me again. "No. No, no."

As I'd feared, I'd strayed too far. The bridge that hung above the divide between Ancestor's Haven and Hell swayed in the distance. I leaned against a tree, feeling the pulse of my partner spirit's magic. It only became stronger.

Bending my knees, I launched myself into the air, keeping afloat with the aid of my wind casting. I had to be in the heart of the Spirit Realm by now, if one were to judge by the keening of Haven and Hell's resident spirits. Coloured spots, other spirits, dotted the area, now green with leafy trees and sprawling bushes. But the familiar mountain borders of Danso where nowhere to be seen. I knew not when the next change cycle would occur; I had to keep moving.

I glided above the treetops, but the pain in my shoulder persisted. It became neither weaker nor stronger at this point, and every passing second became a wasted one. I stopped, resting my feet against the ground.

"What am I to do?"

Steadying my breathing, I paused to collect my thoughts. I scanned my surroundings. The sky had darkened, now wine instead of the rich purple it'd been before. Foliage crawled all over the place, swallowing me up. Stepping forward, I pushed through a bush and emerged into a small clearing.

Stone ruins sat at the heart of the enclosure, and I came closer for a proper look.

"It can't be. Algar?" I'd recognise those crumbling turrets anywhere.

Stumbling, I scrambled, trying to find the place from which I'd come, but a ghostly figure materialised before me. It drifted closer, closer, closer...

"Efua?" said the figure, a young girl, who paused, searching my eyes. "I've finally found you!"

Whimpering, I clutched at the sides of my head, bunching my hair up, and fell to my knees. I froze. The ghost swerved about me and caught sight of my mark.

"You're an immortal now? Amazing!"

"P-please..."I stuttered, tears clouding my vision.

"What's wrong? Are you still mad at me for lying? I truly did miss you when I went away, when Mami and I left. Efua!"

Bawling, I squinted my eyes. The castle vanished, but the girl remained for a while. She flickered, as if being dragged away, too. All around leaves rustled, the earth rumbled. A hush settled over the air. Looking up, my gaze trailed over the trunk of a tree. I hauled myself to my feet.

The ache in my mark had eased, and I made quick use of the recent change cycle. Once more, I lifted myself into the air, weaving through branches until the border mountains of Danso drew close.

*

Discussion: With the frosty exchange between Gale and Akaze, what might you interpret?

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