Seven Deadly Sins

Chapter Eleven

"So, tell me again why I should spare your life?" the hooded woman pondered out loud behind her mask.

From her seat, she could see the entire grand hall with it's white marbled floors and pillars. Currently the floor was stained a vibrant red, a color she had come to love. The woman in front of her could barely keep herself upright but the hooded figure felt no remorse. She had failed in her mission and forced the Order's physicians to waste their time piecing her back together and keeping her alive. Of course, she was the only person who had actually seen the eighth mate of the sins... unfortunately.

"Your highness, I beg of you. Give me another chance. Asmodeus appeared without warning and slaughtered my men. There was no way-"

A blood curdling scream bounced off the stone walls of the hall. The woman on the floor contorted in pain as the blood in her veins reached a boiling point and cooked her from the inside out.  Just before she could die, the spell was released.

The Queen of the Damned stood from her throne. The white mask that covered her face bore the same intricate gold symbols as her obsidian crown and white hooded cloak. The click of her heels echoed in the space only filled with the injured woman's sobs. The Queen tutted to herself. Erena had once been one of her finest soldiers and had been well on her way to becoming an army general, but, she  had begun to slack off. The Queen stood in front of Erena as she struggled with her wounds. She was bleeding all over the place.

"I will give you another chance. Your sister would appreciate it greatly if you do not fail Erena. I do believe Bane has already increased her punishment. She has unfortunately already lost an arm due to your inadequacies. So this time, find the eighth mate and bring him to me alive. I do not care if you have to make a pact with the devil himself in order to accomplish this!"

Erena sobbed a broken thank you and tried to get up. If she lingered too long after the queen's dismissive tone, she would get hurt again. As painful as every nerve was, she somehow managed to drag herself out of the great hall, a streak of blood following her to the door.

"You are quite an evil one Angelique. You damn near killed her. Also, no one...not even you, has been able to find the Sins' home. You gave her an impossible task sister" someone spoke, amusement dancing in their voice as they emerged from the shadows from corner of the hall. The Queen sighed and turned back to her black throne decorated with the skulls of her enemies, friends, subordinates and at the very top, sat her mother and father's skulls. All people she had killed.

"Brother, your presence makes me lose my appetite, must you breathe in my presence?" she snapped irritably. The man chuckled and sidled up to the elevated part of the floor where his sister sat. "I know you wish me dead you vile witch. Unfortunately for you, mother had a bit of foresight in that regard" the queen's brother said with a condescending smile. The Queen frowned behind her mask. Their parents had already known by the time Angelique was 12 that she was a murderous monster. Her repeated attempts to scrape her brother from existence did not help her situation either. Eventually, their mother made Angelique unknowingly form a blood pact with her brother, making it impossible for her to hurt or kill her brother without the same happening to her. It was a downright nuisance and she was determined to find a way to break the pact.

"Is there a reason why you decided to torture me with your presence?" the Queen asked, her calm voice masking her mounting irritation. "Oh, a guy can't visit his younger sister who's tried to kill him on 12 separate occasions?" the queen's brother joked with no humor in his voice. The Queen simply glared at the man. It angered her more to look at him. He looked exactly like their mother. Vibrant red hair falling to his waist, bright green eyes that held a spark of mischief, beautiful and delicate features. His body however was from their father. Right now, she would not win a physical fight with the mountain of a man he had become. As a teenager he had been a wisp of a boy.

"I just came to see if you had finally removed that mask. You know if you just used your face, you would probably not even need to resort to torture. That alone would have a sinner confessing to the lord."

The Queen finally snapped, a shriek leaving her lips and a wave of fire erupting around her. Her brother leapt back with a cackle. The Queen's face was damaged beyond repair. It was grotesque and scarred and she always had it covered. Of course she received this abomination of a face maybe the 9th or 10th time she had tried to kill her brother. It had been with acid this time around and her brother had fought back. He had a large scar on his arm and hand where he failed to dodge the acid as he threw it in his sister's face. Ever since then, her hatred for him had grown.

She too used to look like her mother and her brother missed no chance to pour salt in that wound, especially after she had killed their parents in their sleep.

"Get out Julian! Get out now! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU ONE DAY! GET OUT!" she shrieked as the flames around her mounted.

Julian cackled as he waltzed out the burning hall the way he had come. "Okay okay geez. I just wanted to say hie. Enjoy your day sister" Julian joked, amused at how easily he had gotten under his sister's skin. In truth, his visit was not for fun and games. Every few weeks he would approach his sister to test her sanity. It was no hidden fact that his sister's mind was slowly slipping away from her. However, it seemed that the more that happened, the more dangerous and unpredictable she became. Julian feared that his sister would destroy them all, kingdom and all before she went down. After all, his sister always made sure that she had the last laugh.

Julian just secretly hoped that the Sins would finally eliminate his sibling, if not for the kingdom, then to protect this new addition of theirs.

Hopefully...