Page 26

The Blood of the Fog

Grace

Eventually, after quieting my heart, I join the others outside. Everyone is gathered together near a massive rock circle meant for the Yule log bonfire. I watch the way Tai stands with Pearl, constantly gazing upon her. Pearl laughs at Kai, who is animated and telling some kind of story. Ro stands off to the side, holding the bridge of his nose with his fingers and shaking his head. He looks annoyed with his little brother and, most likely, very annoyed with me. I smile at my newfound family, a family of Gods. I never would have thought this would be where my life was heading, but here they are, taking care of me like I’m one of them.

“Grace,” Tai calls, giving me a soft smile. “Are you ready?”

Ro starts walking into the dense forest, not waiting for any of us. I prance to the group, skipping giddily.

“Good morning,” I say to everyone, a grin plastered on my face.

“Let’s go, I’m freezing my tits off over here,” Kai jokes, pulling me into a hug. “Warm me, little human.”

I laugh, pushing him away from me. “Let’s just go find the tree.” We follow after Ro into the deep forest, ready to bring back a Yule log for the bonfire. Fallon and I would usually just get a small log from a felled tree and bring it back. We decorated it with fir and berries and placed it in our fireplace on Winter Solstice Eve. We would then exchange the gifts we made each other and talk about what we would want to bring into our lives. We talked about everything: the past, present, and the future.

The next day we went to the festival at the market. We would go drink and dance and take part in the feast. I would always see my brother dancing with some pretty girl. It wasn’t long before he would disappear for the night, the woman gone as well. I would find someone to dance with, too, but it was only dancing. The only one I wanted then was Carter, and he never came to the market festival. The Bellamys had a fancier version at their estate for wealthier friends.

I smile at the thought of my stupid brother, dancing drunk with some girl. He was so carefree for having so many responsibilities. He never let it get to him, he enjoyed life. Tonight, when we make our candles, I will make it for my brother. I will light my candle in memory of him.

We walk along the dirt path, surrounded by ancient giants. A layer of fog settles around us, making visibility dim. Ro stomps through the fog in front of us, making wisps of air swirl behind him. I start to wonder about him and the other realms. What do they look like? I wonder if I could peek into one of his doors.

I look to my right, Pearl strolls with Tai. I bump her with my elbow. “Hey, Pearl, does Tai ever let you see in his doors?”

“His what?” She chuckles, confused.

“The doors in his hallway,” I clarify.

“Those doors are locked, Grace,” she says, watching me curiously.

“But Ro said he was going to throw me through one,” I whisper to her.

Everyone starts laughing around me. “And tell me, what were you doing at the time that made him say that?” Pearl pries.

“Annoying him,” I mumble .

“The Gods are trapped in this realm and to this land. When Ro made the Veil, it locked them out of all mortal worlds, not just yours.” She comes closer to me and says. “Death, War, and Chaos combined their forces during the War of Gods, and it wreaked havoc across the realms. The other Gods were forced to come back, or risk having nothing left. Ro pulled the Gods from everywhere and every realm, Grace. Only the Celestials were unaffected,” Pearl explains to me.

“Yeah, those were the good old days, back when we got sacrifices,” Kai jokes, walking to my side.

“Very funny.” I push him with my elbow.

He laughs. “You think I’m joking, but I’m not. Us Gods have an affinity for blood, and you mortals loved to give it to us. Blood, sacrifices, and virgins. Fuck, I’m getting hard just thinking ’bout it.” Kai grins at me madly.

I huff and look to Ro. He walks in front of the pack, not paying us any mind. He takes care of mortal souls. There is no way he accepted blood and sacrifices like that. Kai is just messing with me.

“Kai is right, Grace,” Tai says to me. “Ro likes blood as much as the rest of us, but mortal offerings often fell on deaf ears when it came to him. He didn’t accept deals through blood, and he didn’t give his blessings. I accepted offerings on the eve of war or sacrifices in combat. I usually talked to Ro on behalf of especially brave fallen warriors who spilled blood in my name.”

“Why give blood to Chaos then?” I challenge.

“To ward off bad omens. Chaos would take away those meant to create madness and mayhem in otherwise normal lives. He warded off darkness, mentally and physically. They also sacrificed to ward off his chaos and keep it from infecting them.”

I cannot believe this, I am stunned into silence. They let people be murdered in their name in exchange for a blessing?

“It is an honor to be gifted blood of a mortal soul; we do not take it lightly. It is the very lifeline of your people and shows us the highest of praises to be chosen,” Tai responds calmly.

“And it tastes amazing,” Kai chimes in, chuckling.

Tai gives him a warning look before returning his attention to me. “Would you have given blood to save your brother?”

I stop walking, forcing the group to stop and turn to look at me. I would have given blood. I would have given rivers of blood. I would have given my very own blood to save him. I would have sacrificed everything for him .

“Then do not judge us. You do not know the ways of our kind,” Tai reprimands gently.

I start walking with them again, silently, feeling like a scolded child. Sometimes, I forget that I am just a human walking among the Gods.

I marvel at the ancient forest as we walk. Our footsteps create an army of crunching on the snow, their large steps in synchronization while my little steps create their own pattern. I take interest in the nature around us. Large deep ferns grow into the path, and I swipe my hand through their rough leaves. I watch as they furl their stems; my touch stimulating some kind of reflex. Some of the plants here are massive, their green blades too tall for me to touch. I watch them pass overhead, their large leaves rounded like hearts. Looking to the bottom of the forest floor, I notice the white bell-shaped flowers growing from the ground. The tiny flowers share the color of the snow, but they give off an eerie blue glow. I look below them and see the baby dewdrops resting on the jade-green grass, peeking their leaves through the white ice. The little drops are hanging onto the tips, dangling precariously, but never falling off. Sometimes I feel like those little micro drops, just barely hanging on. My life has been so convoluted lately, but I have people in my life to keep hanging on for. I have to hold onto my little leaf and fight or risk falling off into my demise.

But what am I fighting for now? I am healing from the trauma of losing my family, my home, my life. I am fighting for my health and peace of mind. I am fighting to start over for a new life, but what is the meaning of it? Why am I here? There has to be more than just living among the Gods. I have come to love my found family, but I can’t help but feel restless. There is something calling to me from my old life, and it is back in my kingdom. I want revenge and justice. I want to dismantle the crown and faith. I want to free the people and let other Gods-touched be safe. I want more .

But how?

The Veil won’t let me through, and the others would never help me get through. Perhaps, the silver wall is only locked to the Gods. I wonder if humans can go back through. Ro would never tell me if I could. But I am curious if the other Gods would help me. How would I possibly get to them? I saw how far the distance was when I was on the mountain with Pearl. There is no way I can survive in a realm of Gods and travel that far. Unless I train more with Pearl. Eventually, I am going to get stronger and become skilled. I am already getting much better with workouts. My muscles are filling out; my thighs are bigger, and my arms are gaining muscle. I even had to get new leather pants. Once I’m strong enough, I am going to find the other Gods and break through the Veil. I am going to go home.

Something catches my eye as I’m lost in my thoughts. I turn my head to the ancient forest around me. Fog pours through the massive ferns and trees, covering everything in a ghost-like blanket. Yet, I spot an unusual shadow creeping through the forest. It stands out as it doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the shadows. My breathing picks up as I recognize the ghastly dark mist. I keep my eyes on the Dredge, trying to hide amongst the ferns, spying on me.

“Don’t you dare,” I whisper under my breath as I stare daggers at it. It’s weird, the last Dredge came at me so violently and aggressively, but this one hides. Is it the same one? It creeps along undercover, spying on me. I can sense its curiosity as I watch it gently slither through the tree roots, hop along through the plants, and crawl under the fog. It keeps pace with me in short bursts. It almost reminds me of a pet, pouncing along the bushes, following me excitedly.

“This one.” Ro’s deep voice sounds from within the thick fog, snapping my attention away from the Dredge.

We walk further and find him in front of a massive oak-like tree. It has one main immense trunk and splits further into three branches shooting into the sky. Each branch is so large, it could be its own tree. They stretch out far, expanding into the open air. The long branches reach down, showing beautiful burgundy leaves wider than my head. Its worn wood is dark with constant grooves, and dark moss grows along its surfaces. It’s a beautiful and mature tree. It’s a shame to fell the old giant.

“We can cut one of the branches off and leave the rest of the tree. Talon and Meadow will be upset if we cut her down,” Ro orders as he walks up to the oak.

Kai sprints to the Elder Tree like a maniac and jumps incredulously high, grabbing onto one of the broad branches. He climbs on with ease, making the whole tree sway in his weight. Tai, Pearl, and I watch as Kai takes his axe and starts chopping off one of the three main branches.

Ro puts his palm on the great trunk softly and emits a deep hum from within his chest, its sound ethereal and ghostly. I cannot tear my attention away from the dark God. I do not dare speak as I listen. My eyes are fixed on him as his hums turn into song; a deep chant of words I do not know. The sound is so sad, but beautiful. I have never heard anything like it. Tai startles me as he chimes in, his voice vibrating through his chest as his voice hums loudly. Their voices coming together and accentuating each other in melodic pitches. Kai joins them, bellowing his words in a high song. Their accents are thick as the three brothers sing in perfect unison, emitting sorrow and pure power. Their words echo through the forest as Kai chops into the old wood.

I do not dare breathe.

This is a song of the Gods.

They sing while Kai chops the branch with sharp thunder. Only when the massive tree branch falls, shaking the ground in its demise, do they stop.

“What was that?” I breathe.

Pearl leans into me. “An offering to the tree as gratitude for its wood,” she whispers. “Beautiful, huh?”

I nod, unable to find words. I have never heard a song like that. It awakened my bones and breathed life into my soul. My body felt so alive with the world and connected to the nature. I watch them silently as they prepare the fallen branch to bring back.

If only our world could see them and learn from them; they could teach us their beautiful ways.

We get back to the palace, and the men drop the oak log into the rock circle. Their strength astounds me. The servants have bundles of evergreen and berries ready in piles on the ground.

Ro speaks out, his rich voice booming across the open space, “Everyone, Winter Solstice is coming as you are well aware. In the past, I have given you all the night off to celebrate, and this year will be no different. The Yule log is placed; please grab a branch and make your offering; decorate it. When you are done, you are expected to continue your work until the evening of.” With that, he leaves, going inside through the massive front doors .

I grab a branch of fresh fir and a stem of berries. The wintery scent makes me inhale deeply as I smile excitedly. I get in line with the servants and watch them all. They share excited smiles on their faces, jumping up and down with each other. They set their branches on the Yule log, some even kneeling to give a prayer. I haven’t seen so many servants all together. Now that I’m looking at them, I can see they all differ greatly from each other. Realization hits me, and I can see, they aren’t all from my kingdom. Ro must make deals with souls from all the different realms. I turn my head to the person behind me and see a man. I examine him. He is much older, with wrinkles gracing his face and white in his hair. He doesn’t look so different from the people of my kingdom.

“Hi.” I smile at him.

His milky blue eyes go wide as he looks at me and quickly bows his head. “My lady,” he says warily.

“Can I ask you something weird?” I question the wrinkly man.

“I-I don’t know, my lady,” the elderly man says, his head still down and a slight tremor to his voice.

“What realm are you from?” I watch him tense his body. He looks around nervously, and he rubs his hands together.

“I am not supposed to talk to you, my lady,” he whispers.

“Please? I won’t tell,” I whisper back.

The man hesitates before finally, he speaks, “We do not talk of our past realms. Most of us do not remember them anymore anyways. I have been here a long time, my lady. This is all I know now,” he whispers, looking around cautiously.

“Ok, thank you.” I sigh.

I frown and turn back around in time for my turn to decorate. I place my fir beside the others and put my palm on the rough bark of the Yule log. What do I pray about? I love it over here, but I’m stuck. I have promises I need to fulfill, and they are on the other side of that Veil. I was distracted and distraught when I arrived here, but now my head is clear. I have a mission. If only the Veil was down, we could take down the fake faith and reintroduce the Gods. If everyone knew them as I did, they wouldn’t fear them.

I pause.

Instead of a prayer, I make a promise.

I will bring the Gods back to Calibria.

I take one last look of the Yule log, gathering my courage, and run to talk to Ro. The first step of getting the Gods back will be talking to him. I already know this isn’t going to go well.

I get to the doors to his den and knock lightly.

“Fuck off,” I hear him call through the door.

Great. I open the doors anyway, peeking my head inside. Ro is sitting in his leather chair, reading a small worn book. I walk in, hands behind my back, biting my lip.

“Hi,” I say quietly.

He doesn’t look up from the emerald book, staying silent and ignoring me entirely. I recognize the book immediately. Kai brought it to me one day. I always wondered where he got them. My gaze wanders the room, he holds so many books on his shelves. I wonder how old some of these books must be. If he has access to different realms, it makes me curious what languages they are in. I cannot fathom being such a God, to hold so much responsibility over the souls across every realm. My pondering gaze cuts back to Ro to see cold, dead eyes staring at me. He looks me up and down, his face expressionless, but his eyes hold a frozen fury.

I swallow past the knot in my throat, quickly losing my courage to talk to him. “Ro—”

“No,” he interrupts sternly.

“You didn’t even hear what I was going to ask.” I throw my hands up in frustration.

“I do not need to. No.” He takes a sip of the liquid in his glass, his sharp obsidian claws clinking the crystal.

“I want to bring the Gods back to Calibria.” I watch as his eyes narrow on me. “I think we can really benefit from your old ways! We already have a corrupt King, why not bring the Gods back? I think it could really fix our kingdom. Our people are so lost. The faith they have isn’t true, and it’s getting innocent people killed.” My words come out in a rush as I watch the God analyze me.

“Are you done?” he replies calmly.

“Yes,” I say quietly.

“Good. No,” Ro states again.

I huff. “Aren’t you supposed to be responsible for their souls?”

“I have done more for them than you realize, mortal,” he growls.

“You’ve completely abandoned them!” I yell.

“I am not finished talking!” he booms as he stands suddenly, dark shadows swirling from his feet, floating across the floor like dense fog. The air goes ice cold, pebbling my skin as a shiver runs down my back. “You selfish little brat. I care for my souls by keeping them far away from the grasps of my brothers and sisters. I have seen souls devoured and shredded in the wakes of Gods. You would doom your kind to the fate of being a Gods’ plaything? For what? Your own petty revenge? Your soul is nothing to the grand scale of the millions of others I need to protect. When are you going to get it in your little human skull, you are worthless to me. If you ever bring this up to me again, I will throw you in the Tyrn for your soul to roam for all eternity.”

My breathing shudders as his words sink in while black icy swirls dance up my legs. Anger roils in me as I stare into his cold, vicious eyes.

“Get out,” Ro bites.

I storm out of the room, slamming the door behind me. The heavy thud echoes into the stone halls as I run down the corridor. Tears well in my eyes, but I refuse to cry for him. I will get across that Veil, with or without him.