Two days later they arrived at Ibiza, a small village of whitewashed houses arranged almost symmetrically along the seashore. The rooftops were red, and many trees grew around the town. Small markets of seafood and fruit rose near the port where their ship anchored. Rodrigo, Ana, and Tania disembarked along with a small handful of others, most of them merchants rather than locals.
The local traders, upon seeing Tania, immediately greeted her. They spoke in a strange tongue Rodrigo could not identify. The red-haired girl returned the greeting with a smile—this time a genuine one, unlike the forced ones she had given elsewhere.
Tania explained that she did not live in the town itself, but outside it. They would have to walk from the port, past the edge of the settlement, to a cluster of mountains that hid curious caverns. She claimed that, since gods did not age, she could not afford to remain in a city or village for long, and preferred to live apart.
After walking nearly thirty minutes, they reached the cavern that was her home. It was well furnished, with tables, chairs, an improvised kitchen, and even a bathroom with a natural pool. The upper part had a huge opening through which she could see the town of Ibiza below.
Inside, dozens of candles lit the rocky space. At the entrance stood a large mahogany door with a small bell. Some children lingered nearby.
The children spoke in that same strange language, which Rodrigo could not understand. But Tania bent down, stroked one boy’s head, and answered them in that same tongue, which sounded somewhat similar to Arabic. With her words, the children happily returned to the village. Then Tania straightened, opened the door, and stepped inside.
“Well then, welcome to my home,” said Tania, raising her arms.
“Make yourselves comfortable.”
“Could I… take a bath?”
Rodrigo asked, embarrassed.
“Oh yes, I’ll show you where it is,”
Tania replied, giving him directions.
Rodrigo entered the bathroom and, upon seeing the enormous pool, quickly stripped and plunged into the water. The sensation was blissful: the water was cold, while the summer heat in Ibiza was stifling. He hadn’t been able to wash properly since the incident in Coimbra, and felt as though he reeked of sweat and blood.
To his surprise, Ana entered as well—completely naked—and dove into the pool. Rodrigo blushed furiously, an involuntary erection making him retreat as far from her as he could. It was the first time he had ever seen a woman unclothed.
“Wh… What the hell are you doing here?”
Rodrigo asked, flustered.
“Bathing?”
Ana replied, puzzled.
“But you’re a girl—you can’t be here while I am!”
Stolen novel; please report.
Rodrigo protested, trying to climb out while covering himself.
“You’re not human. Stop following their stupid rules,”
Ana snapped, annoyed.
At that moment, Tania came in and grabbed Ana by the ear, dragging her out of the pool.
“Stop being immature, crow,”
the red-haired goddess scolded furiously.
“But I want to bathe! There’s enough space for all of us!”
Ana retorted angrily, struggling as Tania hauled her away.
“Keep bathing, Rodrigo. Ignore this exhibitionist,”
Tania said as she left the room, avoiding looking at the boy.
Intrigued but relieved, Rodrigo returned to the pool and began washing himself.
Hours later, after both Rodrigo and Ana had bathed, they went into town to buy provisions such as potatoes, fish, and spices. Tania cooked the food, and they shared it with a glass of wine, which she also prepared in her cavern.
Satisfied, Tania looked at Rodrigo and said,
“Well then, I think it’s time we talked about what—or who—we are. Agreed?”
The young man nodded.
Tania took a breath and remained silent for a moment before turning to Ana.
“And of course, it will be her who explains everything to you,”
she said.
“I knew it!” Ana snapped.
“So I’ll be the one who looks bad in front of Rui, right?”
Tania pulled a mocking face, and Ana snorted in irritation.
“Fine, Rui. Listen carefully. In this world, humans have always worshiped deities since the beginning of their existence. They have painted them on cave walls or raised great monuments in their honor. Those gods… are us,”
Ana said, rising to her feet before Rodrigo.
The boy frowned in disbelief.
“A long time ago,” Ana continued,
“the gods were constantly at war, and some discovered that the faith of humans gave us greater power. Because of this, many came into this world to demand devotion from them.”
“The greater the test of faith, the greater the power the gods gained. Some began to provoke holy wars among humans, or demand human sacrifices, or even instigate genocides,”
she concluded.
The dark-haired girl took a deep breath.
“Well… this part may sound controversial to you.”
To Rodrigo, everything she said sounded controversial. As a child he had been told that the old gods once worshipped in the Iberian Peninsula were demons—and now this girl claimed she was one of those demons. Inwardly, he could not believe it.
“Rui, Christianity is not real. Neither is Islam or Judaism. Some religions, like Buddhism, were attempts at the same thing. The gods seek to abolish pagan human religions altogether,”
Ana went on, slightly blushing.
Rodrigo kept staring at her with uncertainty. If she said Christianity was false, then to him it was the clearest proof that these companions of his were demons. He began to feel anxious and uneasy.
