It was a strange ride, one Sadie never wanted to do again. The Room of Destiny spun around in blurs, everything blending into one turning a deep shade of purple. Sadie squeezed her eyes shut as motion sickness set in the pit of her stomach. She hoped there was nothing she had to do to get out of this vortex. She didn't even know where she was going.
Sadie landed with a thud. She peeled her eyes open realizing she was standing on her own two feet. She patted herself down. She sighed in relief that she was still in one piece.
The room was dark and cold. She was surrounded by deep blue stone walls and flooring with nothing but small torches to light the way. Sadie wrapped her arms around herself shivering. If this place was bringing her to Atropos then there could only be one place she could be.
Sadie looked behind her. The hall seemed to stretch for miles as it did in front of her. She looked straight ahead once more deciding to go the way she landed.
She walked down the hall for what seemed like ages. She had no idea how long she had been down there, no idea how long she had been wandering around aimlessly. Her teeth began to chatter and her legs stiffened with each step as the cold set deep into her skin. If she didn't find Atropos soon, surely she would freeze to death.
"Ah, so you've found me."
Sadie looked up from counting each stone she stepped on. There, directly in front of her was an old woman who resembled Clotho and Lachesis.
"A-Atropos?" Sadie said through chattering teeth.
The woman nodded with a sweet smile. She stepped back and a door appeared on the wall. Sadie narrowed her eyes. She looked all around her but there weren't any doors in sight. She wasn't sure if she had passed this hall before, but she hadn't seen anything for a long time.
Atropos let out a light laugh. "It's okay, darling. You're not going crazy. We keep everything hidden from the human souls down here."
Sadie stared at Atropos with a blank expression.
"Mortals are easily spooked. They're quick to panic. It's a form of punishment to the souls here. Some are doomed to wander these empty halls for all eternity," Atropos explained calmly. She turned away and disappeared into the room.
Sadie hesitated to follow. She looked behind her once more but there still wasn't anyone in sight.
Atropos poked her head back out. "We turn the souls invisible to each other as well. Loneliness is a wonderful torture."
Sadie drew in a deep breath and followed Atropos into the room. She didn't want to hear any more.
The moment she walked through the threshold Sadie felt instantly warmer. She straightened her back and stretched her arms down to her side. She sighed in comfort.
Atropos smiled at her. "Tell me about it. The chill in the hall gets me sometimes too."
Sadie couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "I've always thought Hell was supposed to be hot with fire and lava everywhere."
"Oh no, darling." Atropos laughed. "This is the home of dead souls and cold corpses. Welcome to the Underworld."
*
"You were chosen because you had escaped my sisters and I. You had escaped death," Atropos said steadily. "In fact," she continued when Sadie didn't answer, "you escaped death twice."
Sadie remained silent.
"We were supposed to use you as a vessel originally." Atropos sighed. "Meredith was stupid and rewrote your future, thus changing her own. So, that was the second time you escaped. Though I suppose it doesn't matter who we take as a vessel... but it would have been more satisfying if it were you." She smiled at Sadie who pressed her lips together in response.
YOU ARE READING
The Scribe
Fantasy"When one Scribe becomes three, three Fates will become one." Sadie Powers is an average college student. She has a couple of good friends and a boyfriend and has straight As in her classes. So, why does her science professor want to see her in the...
