The Lost Tale

The Test of Fate

Asger leads me through the darkness in almost dead silence. A line in my hands leads a goat- Asger was sure to bring a sacrifice of course. The moon shines through the branches above lighting the shape of his bony shoulders through his cloak. A rhythmic hum fills the air from Asger's throat as we climb uphill. We continue to walk in silence until we reach a thinning in the forest; overlooking a small cliff. Stones laid out in a circle surrounding in worn down grass sits perfectly along the ground and Asger takes out the furs from his bag- making two sitting spots and begins to start a fire.

As the flames rise he sits next to me and we peer through the flames to the landscape below- Asger holding his staff upright as the wind blows the bones against wood. "Focus on your breath. Gather yourself and prepare for the gods to look upon you." He dips the pouch out of his bag and throws a small portion of the powder into the flames causing it to spark and flash higher. I do as he says; the smell from the fire burning my nostrils as I blink into the air and the moon sinks. My mind experiences a stillness as the sun peaks over the horizon and Asger slits the throat of his sacrifice- blood pouring into the flames as he begins an ancient chant. He instructs me to keep my eyes closed and focus inwardly as I feel a sprinkling of powdered herbs and drops of blood over my skin as he chants- the warmth from the blood makes the rest of my skin feel cold. Everything becomes foggy as my mind flashes. I no longer feel the furs beneath me or the heat from the flames- only cold.

When I blink my eyes open I am underwater- the bottom of the sea. There is not much light about me; but several strokes from my placement is a curious creature lit with a pale green glow. I don't feel afraid, and I begin to swim closer to it. The creature watches me curiously- moving seemingly farther away into darkness. Swimming after it takes the breath from me and I begin to feel a deep pang in my stomach. Faces appear- only one familiar to me. They look at me with complacency- with a mix of hidden emotions. A hand pulls me by the shoulder and I'm flung from the waves- gasping for air at the edge of the world.

Asger pushes me to the ground away from the ledge as my chest struggles to heave air in my lungs and I cough liquid onto the dirt. "The gods really are having a time with you girl." Asger says as he paces around the flames- the rest of the powder we made he releases into the wind with a prayer for protection and clarity. "Let's go now- speak of what happened to no one." We walk back in silence- having to stop more frequently now as my lungs ache like I've filled them with water from the Fjord.

The sun peaks above the skyline more and more as Asger and I trudge down towards the village. He murmurs in confusion and irritation as the throbbing in my chest continues. My skin is coated with sweat, and a stiff coldness settles in my core as we reach his home. He tells me to lay in the bed, and begins to bustle around his herbs in disdain. I begin to see things as sleep tries to grip me. Strange figures and unknown places bleed into my vision and I've slipped underneath the gods' waves again.

This vision is different than the other- different waters surround me. Hues of violet and green sink to me through the sloshing water. I lift my arms, pushing through the slick and feel myself approaching the surface. Right before I breach into the air I hear Asgers voice- talking to someone though I couldn't make out the voice returning to him. The water parts as I breathe in, and I find myself in a land I've never seen. Naturally curious I take my first steps onto the ground, and beneath my feet the grass is unusually soft. My hair falls loosely along my back, not even wet from the pool of crystal water behind me.

The clothes I was wearing when I fell asleep are no longer what I wear; replaced by a sheer white dress flowing lightly to my ankles. The small clearing is lined with flowers in multitudes of color; shaping the world into one of fantasy. Eyes peer at me from the forestry and without even a thought I take off towards them. Soon I find myself in the darkness of the trees; and my vision is unclear.