Winding Roads {A Creative Writing Journal}

Atlantis (A2E23 Flashfic Winner)

Prompt 10

   The gods were angry.

   That is the only thing that can justify such destruction. I ran along the terrace, staggering on the uneven ground as the path rolled with the trembling of the entire island. In the distance, I could see waves, taller than even our highest towers, loom over the coast and swallow the Lower Ring whole.

    Hundreds of lives lost in a single moment. We had hours, maybe even minutes, before the rest of the city joined them.

  The priests fled days ago, when they first received visions of a cataclysm and learned that no one would listen. Why should we? When our technology and defenses rivaled the empires of the outside world. We had forgotten the ones who had gifted us with such knowledge and sullied their names with everyday swears. How foolish we were not to listen.

  How wicked of my father to leave me behind.

   The thwap of my sandals on the pavement was drowned out by the waves and screams, and tears pooled in my eyes as I ran towards our only hope of salvation. The temple of Delphine and Raksa, the twin rulers and guardians of the sea and moon.

   No guards greeted me at the temple's golden doors. Everyone had fled to the palace and the college in the Upper Ring. I pushed open one of the doors, slipping briefly as the earth shook. An ominous crack rang through the air, and the toppling of a row of houses followed. Another several dozen lives lost.

  The temple of our twin patrons was uncharacteristically dark. No white fire lit the halls' sconces. And the carvings depicting the creation of our island didn't glow as I ran past, grabbing the many layers of my pale blue dress as I sprinted down the halls like a rushed courier in the streets.

    The hall opened into a wide expanse, and the constant rumbling stopped as though the very sound of destruction wasn't allowed in such a sacred place. The towering marble statues of Delphine and Raksa reached to the opening in the temple's domed roof. But no sun or moonlight greeted their outstretched hands.

    The twin patrons, carved in ceremonial armor and headdresses, seemed more imposing than I remembered. I could have sworn Delphine's face was carved in a smile the last time I was here. Now, all I saw were hard frowns and sharp edges. Now, all I could see was the trident in Raksa's other hand and the scythe in Delphine's.

  I kicked off my shoes before the silver water basin resting between the two statues. With all of the priests gone, I could only pray that the daughter of one would be enough to garner their attention.

    The ceremonial dagger was thankfully still on its stand attached to the basin, and I picked up its ruby-encrusted hilt.

   Please let this be enough, I thought as I lifted the blade to one of my many braids like I had watched my father do so many times.

   The braid fell into the crystal water, and a shimmering silver glow filled the basin. I fell to my knees, extending my arms in front of me and pressing my forehead against the stone floor.

    "Most honored Delphine and Raksa, guardians and rulers of the sea and her bounty, please hear my prayer. Please, spare Atlantis from your wrath. Please, grant us mercy."

    I hesitantly looked up and saw the statues' eyes glow a blinding white that only lasted an instant. The temple shook, and Raksa's trident fell, landing in a shattered heap before me.

No.

   A spray of sea and salt flooded the door I left open, and water swelled around my feet. In my heart, I knew the truth. The island was sinking.

  The gods were gone.