Chapter 4

Six:

Everything I'd said sounded perfectly reasonable, and I wore the face of a woman who would file for divorce right here if Alfred didn't give me an answer.

Alfred looked at me, then at Julia, and in the end he gritted his teeth and chose me. To get me to cross the fire pit like a good girl, he shot Julia an apologetic glance, closed his eyes, and slapped her hard across the face.

"Julia, apologize to my wife. Now."

Julia looked ready to die of the unfairness of it.

But the instant her eyes fell on the fire pit again, she swallowed it, knelt, and told me she was sorry.

Then Alfred apologized to me too.

"Rissa, you know how I feel about you. I only lost my head because I was so anxious about the fire-pit crossing."

"You've gotten it out of your system now, and the fire in the pit has died down."

"Just step across. That's all."

"If the ritual allowed it, I swear I'd carry you across on my back!"

While Alfred was busy coaxing me, Grant hurried to signal the onlookers with his eyes.

The onlookers, not wanting to leave him hanging, all started pressing me at once.

"A husband this good, and you're still not satisfied?"

"Everyone else can cross the fire pit. Why can't you?"

"Don't tell me it's exactly like Julia said, that you're a cursed jinx who's afraid to cross."

Anna Harding listened to all of it, then dropped onto the ground and started wailing.

"How did I end up with a daughter-in-law like this? Throwing punches at her own wedding, and on top of that looking down on us, refusing to follow the rules?"

"Take it as your mother-in-law begging you. If that's not enough, I'll kneel just like Julia did, I'll kowtow to you a few times too. Will that do?"

Anna really was about to go down on her knees to me.

I gave in fast.

"Mom, don't do that. Fine, I'll cross. All right?"

Anna sprang up at once, laughing, promising over and over how well she'd treat me from now on.

I nodded. But I still didn't move.

"I'll cross the fire pit. But I have one condition!"

Seven:

Alfred nodded and nodded.

"One condition? A hundred, a thousand, name them all!"

I pointed at the fire pit.

"I'm scared to walk over there alone. Will you walk with me?"

"You don't even have to cross the fire. Just walk a few steps with me. I'm willing to sacrifice this much for you—you won't say no, will you?"

Alfred, Grant, and Anna knew what the fire pit really was, so they hesitated at once.

But Julia started making faces at Alfred, winking and gesturing.

I followed her eyes and saw a length of colored ribbon laid out in front of the fire pit. That had to be the safe zone. As long as you didn't cross past the ribbon, the blast from the fire pit wouldn't reach you.

Alfred trusted Julia, so he gritted his teeth and agreed, taking my hand and starting toward the fire pit.

I walked very slowly.

Alfred was thoroughly impatient.

The moment we finally reached the marked spot, he stopped dead.

"That's it, this is as far as I go. Any closer and there's no point in you crossing at all."

I caught his sleeve, quick as anything.

Before he could get angry.

I pointed at the fire pit first.

"Alfred, I'm still scared. I can't make myself do it."

"So could you give me a push? That way I can just shut my eyes, open them, and it'll be over."

Anyone crossing a fire pit normally would keep their eyes open, but Alfred knew what crossing would mean for me, so he didn't refuse. He couldn't have asked for more.

He nodded right away, ready to shove me across with everything he had.

I laughed to myself, cold, and used years of dance training to twist my body aside. I watched, wide open eyes, as Alfred lost his balance and pitched forward into the fire pit.

Grant and Anna shrieked, again and again.

Julia screamed for him to stop.

Too bad.

In the very next second.

Alfred's cries for help were swallowed by the flames....