“Now, my Offerings, I wish you the best of luck on your journey ahead. It will be difficult, and many of you will die,” she pauses and hums, twisting her draped fingers around in the air, “but you know your task is to find the Crown of Bergot. It has been missing for a thousand years, and you may have the honor of returning it to Bergot Sanctuary. If you do, you will be rewarded greatly. You will meet many dangerous challenges along the way. Be alert. Help one another. This would be a good time to introduce yourselves to your fellow Offerings.”
The others shake hands and give their names. I turn away and keep my head down. I don’t want to face Brahm, although it will be inevitable. The priestess stares at me with her head cocked. I close my eyes until someone grabs my shoulders. Brahm.
Tears pool in my eyes, and I bring my hands to my face. “I’m so sorry, Brahm. This is all my fault because of Albert. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
To my surprise, Brahm wraps his strong arms around me and squeezes tight. “Shh.”
I hug him back, leaning my head on his shoulder. “You don’t hate me?”
“Hate you? Never, Freckles.” He strokes my hair. “It’s not your fault. Albert shouldn’t be able to do this, but we’ll show him. We’ll survive.”
When we release each other, the other Offerings stare at us with squinted eyes. Some of them have tear-stained cheeks while others strain their jaws or stitch their eyebrows to hide the fear beneath.
“You two know each other?” Ferdinand asks.
We nod.
“What are the chances of that?” Mitzi, the girl with curly black hair, asks.
“Ask Lord Albert Schulze,” Brahm replies and slides his hand to my lower back. “Everyone, this is Gisela. Let me get this right. Ferdinand, Willa, Liam, Mitzi, Heidi, and Gunther. Correct?”
Before anyone answers, the priestess clears her throat. “Once outside, you must follow the path of ashes. Do not stray from the path for a dangerous fog lurks in the forest. It will kill you. The fog will often follow you, pushing you to move forward. Obey it.” She pauses and walks toward the wooden door at the back of the room. “I will help you along the way if I can get past the curses.”
“What curses?” Brahm asks. “What do you mean?”
“Similar to the fog, there will be…things out there that can kill you. Obstacles, creatures, illusions. You must stay alert.”
“How are we supposed to find this crown anyway?” Gunther asks.
“Follow the ash and obey the fog all the way to the castle on Glass Mountain.” She sighs and hangs her head. “Work together. Now go.”
The priestess opens the door, revealing a path of ashes leading through the woods. A dense, white fog sits roughly ten paces in on either side. We walk into the lush forest as the priestess shuts the door. A wall of flames erupts to separate us from the Sanctuary and, with every step we take, the fog lurks close behind.
No turning back.
The Path of Ash and Fog
“HELLO THERE, RED. I’M FERDINAND.” The man in pink thrusts his hand toward me.
I stare at him for a moment and then continue walking. The black ashes are soft underfoot and seem to go on forever. The cloudy fog on either side of the path conceals the true depth of the forest. Flowers of all colors grow on the trees, vines, and bushes along the trail. If we weren’t walking to our deaths, this would be quite a lovely hike.
“You’re Gisela, correct?” Ferdinand stumbles over a vine as he tries to keep up with me. “You sure are pretty. Which part of the valley are you from?”
I ignore him again and increase my pace.
“Wait up!” he calls out.
“Man, leave her alone,” Gunther says in a grumbly voice with a little chuckle.
“I’m just being nice.” Ferdinand jogs to my side again. “I’m from Westenstadt, you know, near the Muller Farms. My family used to own the theater there, but now I do odd jobs to get us by. What about you?”
“Why?”
“Ahh, she speaks.” He laughs. “Why? I want to get to know you.”
“No one wants to get to know me.”
“Well, I do. You’re sexy like a strawberry,” he says with a wink. “I can’t get enough of that red hair.”
I come to a halt. My cheeks grow hot, and my eyes flash wide. Does this idiot really think those stupid lines will work on me? The other girls, Mitzi, Heidi, and Willa, all stop to giggle. Even Brahm purses his lips, fighting a grin. Ferdinand runs his fingers through his blond hair and raises his eyebrows, waiting for a response.
“Are you fucking serious? Here’s all you need to know about me. I’m bitter,” I pause to glare at Brahm, who drops his chin, “and all I desire is to be left alone.”
I continue at the front of the pack.
Ferdinand laughs it off and flirts with the other girls, who all politely answer his questions. I only pay attention to bits and pieces of the conversations as we hike. Everyone joins in besides me. Was I too much of a bitch? Probably.
“Let’s all get to know each other. Occupations!” Ferdinand announces and points to Heidi. “You first, darling.”
“Oh, I come from a family of bakers, but I prefer sewing,” Heidi, the tall and slender brunette, says.
Everyone takes a turn answering when Ferdinand points to them.
“The Engel’s are shepherds along the Eastern Mountains in Ostadt,” Mitzi says. “Have been for generations.”
“My father owns the Vogel Banks,” Willa says. “And the stupid Priestess wouldn’t take any amount of gold as a bribe.”
“You, Gunner?” Ferdinand asks.
“It’s Gunther. I’m just a laborer on Heinrich Farms in Sudstadt.”
“I’m a butcher, like my father,” Liam says.
“I’m a musician,” Brahm says when it’s his turn. “I played the lute in Norstadt Square and at weddings for a while but was just about to launch music lessons for children at Becker School.”
“Wonderful!” Ferdinand’s voice falls to a whisper as he leans toward Brahm and points at me. “What about the bitch?”
My ears grow hot, and a pain blooms in my head as I walk even faster.
“She’s not a bitch!” Brahm spits. “You’ve known her what, a few hours? Well, I’ve known her for years. You don’t get to say—”
“Calm down, friend. It was a joke. I didn’t mean to rile you up.” Ferdinand chuckles. “Let’s move back to the conversation. Where did you all go to school?”
Of course, Brahm chats with everyone; he’s a social butterfly. Their discussion of schools causes the acidic heat of jealousy to burn in my chest. I had to quit three years ago, and never really got over it. I have nothing to add to their delightful chat, so I continue with long and fast strides, even jogging at one point.
Maybe this is why I’m the only one dressed in white. I’m an outsider. A lamb for the slaughter.
“Gisela, wait!” Brahm calls out to me, but it only makes me run faster. Being in the forest with him dredges up bittersweet memories.
I hike for miles, and I don’t even turn once to check if the group is still behind me. I could hear them talking for a while, but now all is silent. When will this path end? When will we die?