Chapter 1 Karliene Jamesdottor

Karlie walked numbly and quietly. She shivered as she was barefoot in the deep snow as the king's son and the high priest marched her to the sacred grove. Tonight she would be sacrificed to appease the dragon. The entire community walked with her, some weeping others laughing and taunting. They carried burning torches to light the misty darkens that surrounded them. Karlie stood tall as she walked refusing to display the terror she felt. She was dressed in her new red dress she had sewn for her wedding, a day that now would never come. Soon all would be stripped away and her life taken.