Brahm bites his lip, whirling me in the direction of our exit. I release his sweaty palm and prepare the skeleton key. Brahm pins me against the door and kisses me. His lips travel to my neck, and I want nothing more than to melt into him, but I reach behind my back with the key. It scratches against the iron until it fits into the lock. I give it a twist, and the tumblers click. Brahm’s lips move toward my cleavage as I turn the doorknob.
We fall through the open door and are met with intense, fiery heat.
The Golden Slippers
BRAHM CRASHES ON TOP OF ME, and we both cough on heavy smoke filling the space. Brahm shakes off the remnants of the dancing spell and hops up, offering me his hand.
“Get away from there,” he shouts, pointing at the burning embers.
I wrap my arms around his waist. We’re in a long and narrow hallway filled with glowing coals and flames that lick the stone walls. The charred remains of skeletons lie fallen on the floor. A chimney is built into the middle of the hall to ventilate the smoke. I assume it opens to the outside air, but it’s difficult to see through the black clouds. At the other end is another red door.
“So, we have to cross the coals to get there?” Brahm asks. “I don’t know about you, but my feet are already killing me from dancing.”
We both pick up our feet to see the soles are red with blisters. I kneel to place my hand above the coals. The intense heat creates a mirage of warped colors. My eyes scan the dead Offerings.
“None of them made it. What do we do?”
“I’ll carry you,” Brahm says. “You can get on my back, and I’ll run along.”
“No, it will hurt too bad, and you might fall. We’ll both get burned up.”
I glance back into the ballroom.
“The music didn’t affect me as badly as you,” I say. “I’ll go look for some shoes. If I get tricked into dancing, say anything you can to call me over and tug me through the threshold.”
Brahm kisses my cheek. “Alright. Be careful.”
I re-enter the ballroom, keeping my eyes locked on one of the skeletons, so the room doesn’t trick me with its glamour. I edge along the circular wall and lift the first dancer’s shoes. Completely destroyed slippers that are only a frayed ring of silk around her skeletal feet.
The music begins as I make my way around the ballroom. I try not to blink as I stare at the next skeleton, dressed in pants and a yellow blouse. I can feel my body swaying to the music, and I pinch my arm to stay focused. No luck with this Offering; his shoes are threadbare and sole-less, too.
On the way to the next dancer, the room flashes its brilliant façade, and I squeeze my eyes shut. No, Gisela. Keep going. I take a deep breath and reach for the shoes next to a petite skeleton in a light blue dress like Mitzi’s. The slippers are tattered silk with no soles. Damnit. They’re all ruined. Maybe we could use some of the pieces to—
The music engulfs my mind, sending tingles through my body. I take off, spinning around the room. This is so much fun, no matter how sore my feet are. I laugh as I spread my arms wide and twirl like Thora at the Maypole celebration. The twinkling chandelier spins quickly in my eyes until it is one mass of bright light.
“Freckles, come back!” Brahm shouts.
I stop spinning and curl my finger. “Come dance with me.”
“No, we need to move forward, so we don’t die in here! Come back now.”
I skip around, throwing my hands in the air to the jolly music.
“Gisela, come over here. Remember where you are!”
“I’m dancing.”
“Yes. Dance over here and give me a kiss.”
“No, you come over here and dance with me.” I do a twirl with my leg lifted and bent behind me. “Then, maybe I’ll kiss you.”
“What will make you come over here?” He pauses, rubbing his temple with his fingers. “Thora. We have to get to Thora!”
“Oh, yes, my sister would love this ballroom.” I hold my arms out, dancing with an invisible Thora. “She loves pretty things and dancing. You’d have to make another floral crown for her!”
“No, come on. We have to go get her.”
I ignore him and prance around the room some more.
“Get over here,” Brahm says in a stern voice. “Now!”
“Don’t talk to me like that or I won’t sleep with you again.” I giggle and sway with my invisible sister. “And I might have to slap you for being so bossy.”
“Hmm,” Brahm pauses and clears his throat. “Don’t worry about that. I don’t want to sleep with you again, anyway.”
“What?” My heart pounds in my chest, and my cheeks grow hot. “Why would you say that?”
“It’s true. I didn’t enjoy it at all. When we get back to the valley, there’s a much sexier woman there I plan on marrying. You were just a fun little game, being Wil’s little sister and all.” He pauses to take a deep breath. “Schwesterchen. Wil was right; you and I are all wrong for each other.”
I swallow a painful lump, and the space behind my nose stings with fresh tears. I stop dancing and suck air through my clenched teeth. A foggy pain blooms in my skull and spreads throughout my body. Every breath causes the room to turn gray and dusty once more. The music rumbles in and out of tune until it stops completely. I ball my fists as the bones of the chandelier and skeletons rattle with my anger. Brahm stands in the doorway with a smug smile on his face. The face I’m about to beat to a pulp.
I sprint low toward Brahm and slam my body into his. He falls over, shouting as I raise my fist. I shake my head and glance at the coals lining the hallway.
“Freckles, I love you! Stop!” Brahm grabs my fist, pulling it to his face for a kiss. “I didn’t mean what I said—not even close. Sleeping with you was fucking amazing. Please don’t hit me.”
I blink a few times. Yes. We have to cross the coals. I was looking for shoes. “What happened?”
“Your eyes went black.” Brahm clutches his chest and blows a smooth stream of air through his lips. “I think you wanted to kill me.”
My skin grows cold despite the intense heat of the flames. Did I try to harm Brahm? What is wrong with me? My breath hitches in my throat as I contain a sob. I jump to help Brahm stand, and he tilts my chin as tears spill down my cheeks.
“What is happening? It’s like, the closer we get, the more…evil I become.”
“Hey, you’re not evil.” He strokes my cheek. “Something took over, yes, but it wasn’t you. I’m here. We’re going to sort this out together.”
“I’m sorry I almost hit you.” Composing myself, I adjust my floral crown and fluff out my dress, spattered with Ferdinand’s blood. I give Brahm a weak smile. “But what you said back there was awful.”
“I know, but nothing else worked. Even when I mentioned Thora, you just pretended to dance with her. It seemed anger was the only reaction that made you stop dancing—so, I went with it. I didn’t mean any of it. I’m so, so sorry.” Brahm nuzzles my ear. “Are we good?”
“Yes.” I run my fingers through what is now a short beard on Brahm’s face. “I kind of like when you don’t shave; it’s sexy.”