Chapter 3: Deal with the Devil

She was lead roughly through the familiar tunnels and chambers of the bandit's Cavern home. She noticed that the bandits had grown in size taking in humans and enterians alike. Just for the sake of size. Strength in numbers was their motto, but even if she gave up the hope of freedom and decided to pledge herself to the sake of the bandits she would never be casually welcomed like all the others. None would trust her there fore it was best to stay prisoner.

Chambers soon started becoming more and more crowded the closer they got to the fresh air and noonday light. When they came to the entrance of the cavern the golden light spilled in and the rays of sweet sunshine warmed Syren's cheeks. But this moment was unusually short lived for the bared a hard left to a wooden door. In fact it was the only door in the whole charted cave except her crude but sturdy cell door. The door opened slowly as they approached. When they passed the threshold it slammed closed with a loud CRUNK! And all of them jumped even Sarkaroka and herself. As Syren looked around she noticed it was like they had gone into a different world. The walls and floor instead of rough sandstone rock were smooth cool marble. A long worn oak table with matching benches sat in the middle of the room. On the air lingered the sweet stench of roses strongly wafting around the interlopers. The smell made her sneeze… twice.

First she sensed the movement. And when her eyes finished adjusting then did she see the cloaked figure as it stepped into the only shaft of light. Before Syren could even detect another movement, two smaller cloaked figures had her out of the bandit's grasp and pinned against the wall in such a way that Syren couldn't struggle, at all. As the taller figure glided toward Syren, it slipped out a delicately manicured hand with accurately sharp filed nails and gestured in a way that they took as dismissals.

"Lady She's mine..." Sarkaroka started to protest but was cut off by the horrid hisses of the two smaller things. For the fist time Syren actually saw terror flash across Sarkaroka's face and even she knew to feel fear. At least, enough fear to be wary of the thing.

When the big door closed behind the terrified Enterian bandits, it seemingly melted into the floor, leaving nothing but a cool marble wall in its stead.

Soon all three of the figures' attention was on Syren, which made it very uncomfortable as she dangled helplessly in the air with no way to fight back. Finally the taller figure that hadn't stopped walking was an arm's length away from siren and it slipped its hand out again though this time it spoke.

"It is so nice to finally meet the THING that has been making my ruffians so successful, hello Syren." The voice was airy with the authority of a noble woman whom, probably, never had a word spoken back to her at all.

'Poor girl won't know what hit her!' Syren thought nastily and to her surprise with great disappointment. Syren spat in the direction of the figure that talked, the other two tightened their grip on her and hissed. Ignoring the pain she spoke in her own roughly sawed voice saying,

"What do you want from me masked one." The sarcasm in her voice was unmistakable. The taller thing's light evil voice laughed rudely at Syren's blunt reply.

"Either you DEAD or working for me."

"And what would make me want to work for you?" the smaller figures began to shiver, but not from fear. Oh, no. they shivered from anticipation, "Death would bring me great solace in my current state. Besides, why should I take away all the fun these two would have from killing me? That doesn't seem quite fair now does it." The thing nodded solemnly then went on.

"Hm, it seems that I have no bargaining tool with you now, Ah, except…..maybe….. Freedom!" Syren's eyes lit up at the word. "Ah, yes, freedom, from this place, those MEN….. Fresh air, Sunlight, and the BIRDS sure do miss you." At that Syren sucked in air and tried to fight back tears of pain and sorrow. Her dry eyes burned as her thoughts raced and by reaction and curiosity she asked.

"what do you need me for?' her voice was weak and it trembled.

"To do a tiny little task I can not stick my hands in." it answered with shrewd certainty.

"What, may I ask is that tiny task?" Syren asked with suspicion and a bit of malice.

"I need a spy…. For a short time mind you. Someone, which I can freely trust. For only eight days inside the castle of Shinzo.

"Wait huh?"

"Shinzo, the castle…….oh good Yakumo, please tell me that you know of what and whom i'm talking about?'

"I'm no imbecile. I might look senile but I'm not woman! I know of what you're talking of but why me?"

"Because you used to visit there so you should know where mostly everything is."

"Huh…right."

"For how long?" Syren narrowed her eyes as she asked this question to the still covered woman.

"Eight days and no longer."

"And then I'm free?"

"Yes as free as a bird!"

"Fine I agree…." Syren sigh after a long pause of thought.

'Court isn't my life anymore... I have no loyalty to them, not even to the queen. Right? I'm alone, why should I care? I don't!' her heart was shattered and if she was caught, she wouldn't care if death came upon her as quick as it had for Sean. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought of his name. She hadn't had the time to properly mourn him. As tears threatened to take her, the figure started to move much more than it had been.

"Good, let the initiation begin!" it pulled back off its hood swiftly. Gloriously long silver hair cascaded down past the woman's shoulder blades. A gorgeous, young countenance, ruined though by the mask of hatred spread across it, put icy violet eyes upon her with an evil grin playing on the smooth red lips. This obvious noble woman grabbed sirens left forearm and quickly sank her sharp teeth into it. Syren watched on without flinching as the woman did it to her own forearm. After letting both of them bleed sufficiently she pressed the two together. A surge of pure energy washed through both of the women's bodies together. Syren couldn't help but scream as the power and pressure of the energy built up. Her scream held much more darkness and power than she had ever known before, but instead of subsiding it ended with an internal BANG! Knocking Syren out. The transfer was done.

"thought she wouldn't hold out that long." The violet eyed woman said. "too bad I can't have her remembering this! Memorious repressorioan!" a slight glow came to one of the woman's finger's and she pressed it to syren's forehead.

"know she'll remember what and when I want her to. put her outside the door. They can put her back in her cell for now." The other two figures nodded obediently and carefully slid syren down to the floor. The door appeared in front of them. They opened it and threw Syren out. The woman started whispering something to her forearm and in a faint glow of magic watched it heal to where there weren't even scars. What she didn't know is that as hers healed perfectly so did Syren's.

the door slamed shut and melted away as if it had never been there before.