Writing Destiny

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

When Aleator finally woke up, he smiled at the familiar face in his blurry vision. “Grace,” he uttered and quickly grasped her hand. “I’ve missed you.” She smiled back at him but pried his fingers from her hand and stood up from the bedside.

“You need to get ready,” she gestured to a suit draped across the desk chair. “They will be expecting you soon.” Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, Aleator searched for the look he used to see in her eyes when they used to be dating – when she still felt something for him. But now, all he saw was sympathy.

Aleator forced himself up as she left the room, and he tried to pull his thoughts together. What was the last thing he could remember?

Judgement. He had to face judgement by the Elders because he had chosen the wrong number on the dice with Chance…but he had chosen a correct number as well. Aleator frantically searched his pockets, but the pass to talk to humans wasn’t there. Where was it? He started to panic, he needed that pass. It was his one chance to correct his mistake.

A knock came from the door. “Are you ready?” asked Grace.

“Not yet, I need a few more minutes,” he called back as he threw the duvet onto the floor. To his relief, the pass lay on the bed.

“Well hurry up, they don’t like to wait,” she said from behind the door. Aleator clasped the pass tightly in his hands and then dressed himself as quickly as he could. When he was ready, he opened the bedroom doors. Grace gestured for him to follow, and so he did. With every step they took, his heart would beat twice as fast.

Grace stopped abruptly when they reached a grey arched door. “Just knock and say your name,” she instructed, “They are waiting for you in there.” With those words, she swiftly turned on her heel and left him alone.

Aleator wiped his sweaty palms across his shirt. It will be alright, you’re all grown up now, they aren’t that scary he told himself.

Then why haven’t you knocked on the door yet?

He took a deep a breath and then slowly released it. He brought up his hand to knock, but the door had already opened.

“We have been expecting you,” said a deep voice, “Please do come in Aleator.”

He looked up to see who had spoken but he was blinded by the rush of bright light. He took a step forwards but his feet never met the ground, and he found himself tumbling downwards into a white blur.

His stomach lurched upwards as he fell. Immediately, he searched for the place in the centre of his back that would activate his wings, and he pressed it. He didn’t care that they ripped through his suit, he just wanted to stop falling.

His heart calmed down as he heard the whir of the air and the flap of his wings. They guided him downwards until he reached the ground. Around him was an endless sea of white such that he couldn’t tell if there was a wall or limits to the space he was in.

A chair appeared next to him, and the same deep voice from before instructed him to sit. Aleator looked around for other people but he didn’t see anyone.

“Please take a seat and we can get started,” insisted the voice. Aleator took his seat, his eyes searched for a face or another presence, but the white space was empty.

“We needed to see you, not the other way around. You can stop looking about,” said a different voice – it was an older raspier voice, and much more grumpy than the last one.

Aleator chose to say nothing.

Suddenly, large golden scales appeared in front of him. The scales shifted from right to left until they were completely balanced.

“Let us begin the Judgement,” announced the deep voice.