“This is the gauntlet. It’s different from the ice in the other areas. It’s easy to shatter and falling on or through it is about akin to a death sentence.” Lydian turned back to look at the ice again. “Sometimes you may hear voices or urges to go under. If you do, avoid those, or else you’ll end up like Janneke almost did last night.”

Diaval frowned. “What happened to Janneke?”

“I got lured outside and almost eaten by a giant thing formed from ice and mist,” I said quickly, unwilling to let the other two men tell anyone about what happened while the feud was still strong. “I’m okay, though. Soren saved me.”

Lydian rolled his eyes as Soren’s lips twitched into a hint of a smile.

“Anyway,” Lydian said, voice overtaking ours. “We go through single file. No running. Careful steps. Judge the ice with your foot or something before you actually press your full weight on it.”

With that, he started across the gauntlet. I watched intently as he slowly lowered a foot down, pressed some weight on it, and then when the ice didn’t crack, pressed his full weight on it. Then he did so again and again with a pace as slow as a cat’s stalk.

Rose went after him, looking uncertain about the ice shimmering at his feet as he placed his steps slowly like Lydian did. When Rose was a few feet out, Diaval came, then it was Seppo’s turn, then mine, then Soren. I looked over my shoulder at Soren, fearful of his heavy, unsteady steps and what they might do, but for the moment the ice appeared strong enough around them.

Lydian never said how long this field of ice was, but my anxiety spiked even higher with every step onto the rainbow-glimmering surface. I put a prayer out there to every deity I could think of to keep the ice steady as we walked and walked and walked.

Up above, my heart jumped into my throat when Diaval stumbled in a misstep but managed to catch herself before she’d fallen completely over. Everyone froze for a full minute, listening for the faint sound of ice cracking or making spidery webs across the top surface. Time passed with all of us as frozen tableaus in the clear, non-misty air until Lydian signed a thumbs-up that got passed all the way down to the end of the line, and we continued our deadly walk across the gauntlet.