Page 31 of Tear of Destiny

“That’s right. My spirit seeks out people nearby and I spin their destinies into the threads. I determine the path that lies ahead of them, which obstacles they’ll have to overcome, and the ways in which they’ll suffer.”

“You’re the descendant of Clotho,” I observe.

Patricia nods. “I am. But the original Clotho was far more powerful, just like the other goddesses. They could take care of millions of threads at once, determine their destinies, and didn’t even need to be close to the humans. Sadly, that’s no longer the case. The goddesses alive today can only work on one thread at a time, and we have to be near the person.”

One of Frida’s letters pops into my head. She wrote about seeing Patricia in an alleyway with a strange man. She was standing directly opposite him with her hands on his cheeks and about to kiss him.

“She was spinning his destiny into his thread,” I murmur.

“I don’t often see newborns, so I rarely get to determine destiny from the beginning of a life. I have to make up for it later as the opportunity arises. And trust me, I take my role very seriously. That’s the only reason I’m still here.”

“Why are you telling me all this? Why are you revealing yourself?”

Patricia’s gaze wanders over me, probing, and another shiver runs up my spine. I feel like turning around and leaving the room. But she’s still holding my arm. And I need answers.

“I can see your destiny. I can see what lies ahead and which tests you’ll have to face. I see you.”

I stare at her, momentarily speechless. “You know about my gift?”

She cocks her head and gives me a knowing smile. “It’s very interesting. You’re interesting.”

“Who chose this destiny for me?” I ask. I’m horrified at thethought of a goddess coming to me when I was a baby or a child.

“Nature takes care of that if there’s no goddess nearby to do it. But don’t worry, I could change it all with just one touch.”

She slowly pulls me toward her, and I’m about to struggle again when she lets go of me and laughs. “But don’t worry. I couldn’t have chosen better myself. You have interesting times ahead of you.”

My stomach ties itself in knots. If Patricia is satisfied with my destiny, that can only mean one thing: I’m going to experience harrowing things.

“So it makes you happy to see that I’ll suffer?” I hiss at her. “What kind of monster are you?”

She shrugs and says, “It’s a nice way to pass the time. And you’re particularly entertaining. I’ll give you a tip: find the library, quickly. That way you’ll find out the whole truth, and all of your questions will finally be answered.”

I frown. “Which questions do you mean? Do you mean what happened between you, Frida, and Charles? Or why I can see destiny threads? Why don’t you just tell me? You know the truth!”

She laughs quietly, and her thin ghost body shakes. “Where’s the fun in that? You’re the most fascinating thing to come my way in a long time. And anyway…” Her crystal-clear eyes sparkle at me. “…it’s your destiny.”

A cold shiver runs up my spine, and I take a step back. “Which library do you mean?”

“Which one do you think? The goddesses’ library of course. All the knowledge in the world is recorded there. It contains the answer to every question. I’m curious to see which ones you’ll find.”

I stare at Patricia incredulously. My thoughts are swirling, but one stands out: she can’t be serious!

“Tell me the truth and stop speaking in riddles. Where can Ifind this library and which book do I need to look for? I don’t want to spend years there trawling through old manuscripts. Tell me what happened between you, Frida, and Charles. Why are you still alive? And if you know about my gift, then you must know I’m a Tempes. Why aren’t you afraid of being discovered? They wouldn’t hesitate to come for you.”

She dismisses this with a wave of her hand. “What can they do to me? And anyway…” Her eyes wander toward the door. “…I’m not alone.”

I slowly turn around to see the handle turning and the door opening.

Chapter 14

Before I realize what’s happening, I’m grabbed, swept off my feet, and slammed hard against the wall. With my left hand, I grasp the muscular forearm and try to dig my nails into its flesh, and with my right I try to prize off the fingers relentlessly squeezing my neck. I gasp for breath, my feet thrashing helplessly in the air.

It’s Andrew, the caregiver who kept such a close eye on Rosie, and whom I met in the hallway here last time. He’s come to Patricia’s aid, and now I’m sure I know who the bird belongs to that Rosie kept mentioning.

“You’re… you’re a… Noctu,” I gasp, and the pressure on my neck increases.

“No kidding. You really think we’d leave a goddess of destiny unguarded? We found her. She belongs to us. We can’t take her away from this place, but we can make sure you Tempes don’t get your hands on her.”

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