Kingdom of Snow

*Chapter Ten - Robert

This woman is definitely crazy, Robert thought.

For the past few days, Robert had been forced to watch Anne do some weird rituals, like wounding herself every day and letting her blood pour into a spot on the ground. She had already stained the snow around her red. Then she chanted words he couldn't understand continuously for hours. She faints after each ritual, but no one dared touch her. Anne would wake up again after a few hours and continue. She seemed to have aged in years; she said she was twenty-seven, but she already looked older than him.

The Agnai didn't seem affected at all. They sat with her at least for an hour, and then they left her alone. He wasn't supposed to be watching; he was just curious. He didn't have anything to do after all. No work, no meetings, no appointments.

Robert adjusted his clothes. He looked like an actor from a medieval film: he was wearing a tunic, fit pants and a cape. Anne had said that they needed to treat him like a guest, but Robert felt anything but a guest. The Agnai took his clothes from him, and one of them mentioned something about his daughter, Leah.

He wondered if she was all right. He had asked the most approachable of them, Pentheus, to at least ask her to side with them, but Pentheus reported that she had refused. Her cousin, Annaliese, must have persuaded her not to.

I knew she was a bad influence, he told himself.

Anne had assured him that she won't do anything to Leah, but he doubted the woman's words. As long as she could get rid of Annaliese, I'll be fine.

He shifted his standing position. It was tiring watching her, but he supposed something was going to happen. He didn't realize he had already sat down and was yawning until Anne gave a triumphant cry.

"Yes! Yes! My sister lives!"

He rubbed his strained eyes as he stood up and peered at what Anne was doing. Suddenly, a bony hand came out from the ground. It grew longer, until a skull burst out next.

Robert lost his balance and stumbled back. He couldn't believe it. A full human skeleton had come out from the ground. Then it moved.

He thought he was going to faint. The Agnai came rushing in. Anne was weeping. She held the skull with both hands and for a moment Robert saw that the skeleton had turned into a beautiful young woman.

"Celia," Anne cried. "Come back to me, please."

The girl smiled but then she turned back into bones which fell onto the ground. Then they vanished.

Robert rubbed his eyes again to ensure that he wasn't dreaming.

Anne fell to her knees and began wailing loudly. The Agnai stood behind her. Then after a minute, she stopped crying.

"Pentheus."

The other Agnai backed away and Pentheus knelt on one knee, his head bowed. "Princess."

"Why did you think it failed?"

Pentheus remained silent. Robert thought about getting out of there, but he remained frozen in place.

"Maia? Eremon? Peleus?"

None of them said a word.

"The sacrifice wasn't enough," Anne said. "Pentheus, you were friends with the Prince of Sapiro before, were you not?"

"Yes, Princess."

Anne smiled. "Cyrus Castor. I want to meet him."

"Immediately, Princess?"

She then turned to Robert. "Do you know of him?"

He couldn't speak so he only shook his head.

"No? Then wouldn't you want to meet him?" He didn't answer. "Pentheus, bring Cyrus Castor to me. By any means necessary. Oh, and make sure Annaliese witnesses it."

Sunset came. Robert paced in his room. The woman was at it, again. What he saw scared the hell out of him, so he decided not to watch. Pentheus still hadn't arrived. He thought about walking around, but he was still unfamiliar with the area. He didn't want to encounter wolves again; he was defenseless.

When he could no longer take the silence of his room, he went outside. He saw Pentheus, and so he rushed where Anne was.

The Agnai had gathered and he stayed just behind them. "Princess," Pentheus knelt. "I brought him to you." He pushed a man into view and then made him kneel, but what he could only see was the man's back. Anne stood up from her position and stepped closer to him.

"Prince Cyrus, it's an honor to meet you. I am Anne de Calleio."

The man said nothing. Anne only raised her eyebrows and then beckoned to Robert. "Robert, come here."

He obliged and went near her. The man's face came into view. He looked like Justin Hudson, but the young man had more regal features.

"Robert, this is Prince Cyrus Castor," Anne said.

The man stared at him, and what struck Robert were his eyes. They were a dark shade of blue that almost looked violet.

"Are you Leah's father?"

"Yes, I am."

His gaze shifted to the side. Anne gave a soft laugh.

"Oh yes, Cyrus is also Annaliese's beloved," she said with a haughty tone. "Isn't that right?"

Cyrus remained silent.

"I can see why," Anne continued. "You are truly a sight. More handsome than I thought. My sister described you very well, Prince. Especially your eyes." She grabbed his jaw. "Interesting. Now, I wonder, what kind of man are you, Prince Cyrus?" She released him. "The man my sister died for." Anne turned her back to them. "Would you like to see my sister again, Cyrus?"

Robert could see Cyrus was shocked. "What are you—"

Maia stepped forward and handed Anne a knife, and Robert had to watch in horror as she cut her arm and let her blood drip into the ground. The bony hand came out.