Salt and tears{9}

As they all stood there wondering what the voice would want in exchange for the help they needed, they held their breaths in high anticipation. No matter what it wanted they would try to work it out but on no account could it request for the throne. Well it wasn't like they had much of a choice seeing how they had used a blood pact to summon it and ask for assistance so even if they all didn't agree to give it the throne it could still use them as puppets to get it, and that much they knew and understood but hey they could only hope right? Things wouldn't get to that level right? They wouldn't need to shed the blood of the royals, yet! But alas they knew everything came with a price. Some prices higher and some lower, some were irrelevant and some would cost the lives of people but that didn't matter right now. What mattered was that they would get the help they needed so desperately.

"I want the first born daughter of the second prince, a girl that lives in the western forest of Asteta named Thea, and I want a soul offering. I don't care who's soul it is as long as it has deep roots in Veskrea, a female, and is of noble blood. That is my price and it is a not up for bargain." The voice had named it's price with a happy tone and frankly they were confused as hell. For one they wanted to know why the voice would want long term payment of human lives but how certain were they that the girls he had asked for from Asteta and Veskrea were humans? What was the assurance that what they would go looking for wouldn't come back with even bigger problems that would require a higher price to pay with time? No matter how uncertain they were, they knew they had to pay the prices it had asked for without second thoughts on it if they were to accomplish what they had started and desperately wanted to achieve. They knew the end result would be worth it and so with their heads held high they looked at the woman that stood silently in their middle lifeless and comatose with a determination to get help from a higher entity that would assure them success, they agreed to give it what it required when the time comes but what they didn't know was that the path they had began treading was a dangerous one that could spell doom to all. Creatures and humans alike but even if they knew would they really care?

As they gave nods of approval their slit palms began bleeding, spilling out like distorted molecular waves and wove their way towards the woman's eyes. Their blood was sucked in through her eyes and as the blood flowed her eyes began glowing. A tremble was felt throughout the room and they stumbled for a bit until the glow died down and when they looked at her, the queens replica gave a sinister grin, eyes twinkling with untold misfortunes that would befall them all and in the next second she vanished. They all looked at each other and decided they would let things play out and watch from the shadows and when the time came, they would activate the summoning. One after the other they vanished from the room until there was only one left. The man took off his hood and revealed his face stricken with worry. The man standing in front of Sam looked extremely familiar but try as she did she could not place where she had seen the face before. Whispering to himself, it seemed he was praying to the fates in hopes that what he had started would not lead him to doom and eternal suffering. Looking around the room one last time he sighed before vanishing just like the others did.

Unknown to them all someone had been eavesdropping on their activities in that room and heard everything they all said. Stumbling on their feet, the person fled from there after he was sure nobody was left to catch him if he made a sound too loud when trying to run. None of them had seen him but Sam stood there as a spectator and watched the man run away through the walls of the room that were clear like glass to her and before he fled completely out of her sight, he made a sharp turn of his head to the left and she saw his side profile. He also looked oddly familiar from the side of his face that she had seen. Trying to follow the man, Sam took a step forward when she was yanked through darkness and landed hard in a small cave in the forest. Funny how at first she just appeared in places and now what ever force was doing this seemed adamant on using her as a ball. It wasn't like she knew who or what was doing it so she couldn't ask for softer landings. She sat there, rubbing her sore bum and thinking of what she had just seen when she saw a figure approaching where she was. The person was hooded and try as she may she couldn't see the face beneath. Ten minutes later another hooded figure materialized a foot from where Sam was.

"Why the hell did you not come out earlier?" The voice of a man was heard from where the first person was standing. "I wanted to be sure you weren't followed like the last time." This time a woman's voice was heard and when she took off her hood, she had the facial features of the king from the portrait Sam had seen in the halls of the palace when she had walked around with the queen the first time she came to this strange land.

"Come my love, come give me a hug. It's been seven days since the last time I saw you. I've missed you dearly." The man said while smiling warmly and softly to the woman before taking off his hood. With his face out in the open Sam was sure this was the man she saw running away not long ago. "No funny business Elvis. It isn't time yet and I know you only want to spend your days with me,but we can't come out yet so it is going to be just a hug." The woman said grumpily before she beckoned him over. Not minding the tone she had spoken to him with, he walked happily to her and embraced her unknown to him how she had squeezed her face from disgust hugging him and when he finally let go she was beaming with a smile. If snakes had human forms then Sam was damn sure this woman right here would be their queen.

"Enough now my love. Let's get to business. What did your father and the fiends discuss?"