The fugitives' situation collapses into crisis the moment Soa escapes and alerts the priests. With their identities exposed and the priesthood mobilizing, Leonard, Juanna, Otter, and Olfan face certain death unless they can flee the temple prison. Their frantic attempts to break down the massive wooden doors fail, and the priests begin massing outside.

Otter proposes a desperate alternative: descend through the tunnel beneath the Water‑Dweller's lair and attempt the perilous ice‑bridge that leads out of the valley. With no other hope, the group gathers supplies, restrains Nam, and drops into the cavern—retrieving the sacred jewel bag in the process.

They reach the mountain tunnel just ahead of their pursuers and hastily block the entrance with ice and stones. As dawn approaches, the priests return with battering beams. Olfan and two captains choose to remain behind, holding the priests at bay so Leonard, Juanna, and Otter can attempt the climb. In a moment of quiet nobility, Olfan bids Juanna farewell, accepting death as the price of his oath to protect her.

With the ice wall cracking and the priests breaking through, the trio escapes up the mountain slope. Nam collapses, is freed from his bindings, and the group presses on until the glittering ice‑bridge appears ahead—an ominous gateway to freedom.

At the brink of the ravine, Otter reveals the only way across the treacherous ice‑bridge: riding flat stones like sleds over the frozen incline. As Leonard keeps watch, Juanna distracts herself by examining the treasure—an astonishing collection of sapphires, rubies, and carved gemstone idols.

But Nam, who had seemed unconscious, rises and crawls toward her. In a sudden lunge he snatches the jewel bag and sprints toward a rock promontory overlooking the abyss. Cornered, he threatens to drop the treasure unless Leonard swears to spare his life. When Leonard agrees, Nam mocks him, declaring that he will destroy the treasure rather than let "white thieves" steal the sacred wealth of his people.

With a final curse, Nam hurls himself—and the jewels—off the cliff into the chasm below.

The loss devastates Juanna, who blames herself, and Leonard, who sees his long‑sought fortune vanish forever. Otter confirms the jewels are unrecoverable: the ravine walls are sheer and a river roars far below.

With the priests still pursuing, the trio must now abandon grief and focus on survival. Otter finds two flat stones suitable for crossing the ice‑bridge—one large enough for Leonard and Juanna together, and a smaller one for himself. With no treasure left and no way back, they prepare for the most dangerous passage yet.

By H. Rider Haggard

The long‑awaited moment arrives as Juanna and Otter are led to the summit of the colossal Snake statue for their execution. The People of the Mist gather below in a frenzy of anticipation, convinced they are about to witness divine judgment.

Leonard watches helplessly from captivity as Juanna is forced to stand at the edge of the precipice, the monstrous serpent idol looming behind her. The mist still clings to the valley—meaning death is certain.

But just as the priests prepare to cast her down, a sudden break in the clouds sends a shaft of sunlight piercing through the fog. The beam strikes the idol's head, illuminating Juanna in a blaze of gold. The crowd erupts in awe.

Otter seizes the moment, declaring the gods have spoken. The priests hesitate. The people fall to their knees. And in the chaos, Leonard and Francisco realize that fate—perhaps divine, perhaps luck—has given them one last chance at survival.

This chapter delivers one of Haggard's most dramatic reversals: a miracle of timing that turns certain death into a moment of power.

With the crowd in turmoil, Leonard and his companions make a desperate escape toward the great stone bridge that spans the chasm. The priests rally their warriors, and a violent pursuit erupts across the heights.

As arrows fly and the People of the Mist surge forward, Otter reaches the bridge's ancient supports and begins hacking at them with a stolen axe. The bridge—centuries old and weakened by time—begins to crack.

Leonard and Juanna race across as the structure shudders beneath them. The pursuing warriors are nearly upon them when the bridge gives way with a thunderous roar, collapsing into the abyss and carrying the attackers with it.

The survivors stand trembling on the far side, shaken but alive. Behind them, the valley echoes with the destruction of the only path the People of the Mist could use to reach them.

It is a narrow escape, bought with courage, desperation, and the final destruction of the ancient bridge. The journey home is still uncertain—but for the first time, freedom feels possible.

Now playing

This week's episode dives into one of history's most shocking miscarriages of justice. Joan of Arc—France's teenage military savior—was betrayed, captured, and subjected to a rigged trial designed to destroy her. Her execution in 1431 was not simply a political act; it was a crime engineered by powerful men terrified of her influence.

But the story didn't end at the stake.

Decades later, Joan's family forced the Church to reopen the case. What followed was a dramatic retrial that exposed corruption, overturned the verdict, and restored Joan's honor. It was a legal battle so explosive that it shook the foundations of Church authority.

This is true crime at its most riveting: a wrongful conviction, a political conspiracy, a grieving family's fight for justice, and a verdict that changed history.

Listen now at 1001 True Crime From Another Time — new episodes every Sunday at 12pm ET

"THE WHITE DAWN"**

In this tense and atmospheric chapter, Leonard carries the unconscious Juanna through a secret passage beneath the temple while Otter and Francisco are taken to the summit of the colossal idol for judgment. Below them, the People of the Mist fill the amphitheater, waiting in total silence for the dawn to reveal whether the "gods" will live or die.

As the mist thins, the mountain peak shows a white dawn—the sign of death. Francisco faints, unable to take his own life, and Otter makes a desperate, astonishing leap, dragging a priest with him as he hurls himself off the idol's head into the deadly whirlpool below.

Hidden beneath the rock ledge, Otter watches the monstrous crocodile—the true "Snake God"—emerge to claim the bodies. Then, in a shocking twist, the dawn suddenly turns blood‑red, throwing the crowd into chaos. But Otter's battle is only beginning. The Water Dweller has returned to its lair, and Otter must face it alone.

"HOW OTTER FOUGHT THE WATER DWELLER"**

Otter enters the crocodile's cavern—a smooth‑worn tunnel filled with the remains of centuries of victims. There he confronts the Water Dweller itself, its glowing eyes hypnotizing him until he forces himself to break free of the spell.

In one of the most intense action sequences in the novel, Otter charges the beast and drives his double‑bladed knife deep into its throat. The crocodile drags him through the whirlpool, smashing him against rock and diving repeatedly in its death throes.

At last, the monster retreats to its lair, dragging Otter with it—where it finally collapses dead. Exhausted and battered, Otter awakens beside the slain god, victorious in a battle no man was ever meant to survive. Exploring the cavern, he discovers an icy exit leading out onto the glacier behind the city—his only hope of escape.

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Juanna, Otter, Leonard, and Francisco are brought before the People of the Mist for a public judgment. Nam, seeking to save himself and regain power, denounces Juanna and Otter as false gods and produces Soa—who claims they came to steal the tribe's sacred stones. Juanna responds with fierce dignity, warning the people that rejecting them will bring famine, pestilence, and civil war.

The elders deliver their verdict: at dawn, the gods must prove their divinity by causing the sun to shine through the mists. If the sun fails to appear, Juanna and Otter will be hurled from the head of the great statue into the Snake's pit. Leonard and Francisco will be kept alive for later sacrifice.

The group returns to the palace knowing the truth: the mist will not lift, and their execution is set for morning.

Facing certain death, the group shares a somber meal and discusses their fate. Otter prepares a desperate plan to fight the monstrous Snake if he survives the fall. Francisco withdraws to pray.

Leonard and Juanna, believing they have only hours left, finally confess their long‑hidden love for one another—an emotional, tender moment in the shadow of death.

Otter returns with a brutal homemade weapon to use against the Snake, and Soa suddenly appears with guarded priests. She confirms their fears: the mist will not clear, Juanna and Otter will die at dawn, and Leonard and Francisco will be saved only for later sacrifice. She hints she may offer a sliver of hope—but Leonard rejects her as a traitor.

As the group awaits their likely deaths, Juanna pleads to Olfan to help save their lives-Olfan questions her motives.

Join us Sunday for 29 and 30.

Chapter 27 marks a turning point in The People of the Mist. The tension that has been quietly building finally snaps when Soa, driven by fear and loyalty, confesses the truth to her father about their mysterious visitors. Her revelation doesn't just shift the emotional landscape — it alters the fate of every character in the story.

The chapter pivots from adventure into suspense, tightening the noose around our protagonists as the Mist People begin to understand who has entered their world… and why. The atmosphere grows darker, the stakes rise, and the fragile alliances formed earlier now tremble under the weight of truth.

• Soa's Confession: After days of secrecy, Soa finally tells her father everything — who the visitors are, why they came, and the danger they carry with them. Her honesty becomes the spark that ignites the chapter's tension.

• A Father's Reaction: His response is not rage, but a cold, calculating shift. He now sees the visitors not as guests… but as leverage.

• The Mist People's Suspicion Grows: Whispers spread through the settlement. Eyes linger longer. Trust thins. The visitors' presence is no longer a curiosity — it's a threat.

• The Tone Changes: What had been an exotic adventure now becomes a tightening trap. The chapter ends with the sense that the Mist People are preparing something — and the visitors may not be ready for it.

• Truth as a Catalyst

• Loyalty vs. Survival

• The Thin Line Between Hospitality and Hostility

• The Rising Shadow of Consequence

Chapter 27 is the hinge on which the entire story swings. It's the moment when the Mist People stop being mysterious hosts and begin becoming potential enemies. It's the moment when Soa's courage reshapes the future. And it's the moment when the visitors realize they are no longer simply travelers — they are pawns in a much larger game.

This week at 1001 True Crime From Another Time, we're releasing one of the most misunderstood — and most sensational — stories in European history:

For centuries, Lucretia Borgia has been painted as a poisoner, a seductress, and a cold-blooded killer. But the truth is far more shocking:

Her family did — and history blamed her anyway.**

In this episode, we peel back 500 years of propaganda to reveal:

• The real killers inside the Borgia family

• The political machine that used Lucretia as a scapegoat

• The murders, betrayals, and power plays that made the Borgias infamous

• How Lucretia became the most slandered woman of the Renaissance

It's a story of corruption, ambition, and the deadly cost of being born into the wrong family —