the compounds made us weak,” Camina whispered, taking off her shoes, “they’re misinformed. But I wish they’d just challenge us to a proper fight instead of all this showmanship.”
“Agreed,” I said, shrinking under the watchful gaze of the whole community. I hated being on display.
Jazmine shrugged it off.
“Come’on, it’s kind of fun. And it’s just ash; they’re right, we’ll be facing it everyday. It’s the whole world now instead of hiding in a protected compound, cleansed with elite machines. These humans are acknowledging that living alone, outside of the king’s reach, gives them freedom, but also responsibilities; of endurance and pain. It’s symbolic. There’s honor in that.”
“It’s pageantry,” Penelope whispered. “No different from how the king manipulates his subjects and creates loyalty. Tobias would have loved it here.”
“I’ll go first,” Trevor said, taking off his wet boots and rolling up his pants. Trevor was used to working in the heat, as a blacksmith, though I wondered how sensitive his bare feet were.
He winced when he put one foot against the coals, leaning forward with his whole weight. It sank deeply in the ash and dirt, nearly coming up to his ankles. After that he moved more quickly, taking careful strides across the burning ash until he reached the boulder on the other side and stepped onto it.
His eyes sought mine over the crowds and he nodded once. Luke followed, then Camina. Jazmine was more of a show off, turning around halfway to tread backwards, before doing a standing backflip and a cartwheel.
Penelope and I were last.
“Tobias was always afraid of fire,” she told me. “Most wounds heal or mend quickly for elite, as long as we feed. Burns aren’t as easy to heal, and more painful. Plus, fire is one surefire way to kill them. Us. Engulfed in flame and burnt at the stake. He told me about what it was like, before, during the race wars.”
“It’ll be fine,” I said, squeezing her hand. “We’ll go together. It’s only an inch of ash.”
She nodded, holding in a deep breath.
I went first with her close behind me. The ash was already wet from the ground, and my feet were dirty, my skin damp. But they dried quickly on the hot coals. Halfway there I started to feel the pain, as my bare skin found hot red embers. I bit my lip to keep from jumping off the path, lifting the cuffs of my jeans higher around my bare ankles. I smiled when I made it back to the rock, damp and cool against my bare skin. Trevor and Luke gave me a hand up to the boulder. I turned around to help Penelope. She was only a few paces behind me when her feet started to blacken and burn.
I reached my hand out to her and she took it, closing the final few steps with an inhuman, yet graceful leap onto the stone. There was something ironic about asking an elite to prove her humanity. But she made it. At the back of the boulder was a low ledge in the rock filled with water. I pulled her to it so she could douse her feet, standing in the cold water with a look of relief.
“We did it,” I whispered. “That wasn’t so bad.”
“What else you got?” Jazmine taunted, with her hands on her hips.
“You have finished the second ordeal,” Sam said, “the challenge of Heart. No cowardice, only courage. Next is our third ordeal, and the most challenging.”
Sam raised his arms, lifting his cape off the ground solemnly.
“We must keep our community strong. There is no place for weakness. This is a base of force, not the last refuge of the weak. Every new resident must strengthen our numbers. Unfortunately, there is not enough room for everyone; at first I capped the upper limit at 50 strong men. Then 100. The limit is now 250, and it cannot be exceeded.”
“So?” I asked, dread running down my spine.
“Our rules are simple, by your arrival, others must leave. You must choose whose place you will be taking, knowing that you seal their fate by forcing them back out into the wilds. They will probably resist. You will take their place, by force if necessary.”
My blood ran cold at his announcement. I stood still for a moment, hoping I’d misheard him. The rain had almost stopped, and slow, heavy flakes fell through the trees, hissing near my ear.
I looked out over the crowd. Some had their faces painted like Sam, and were wearing