Shards of Blood

"Please, sir. Don't do this. I beg of you." Raven hiccuped and struggled fruitlessly against the guards that were holding her so tightly by the arm that she was losing all feeling in them.

"SHUT UP YOU INSOLENT LITTLE GIRL. YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO OUR NOBLE FAMILY. MARRYING THAT DIRTY, POOR RUGRAT." Screamed her grandfather as he furiously lashed out at her.

Her cheeks were wet with tears that were still falling. She always knew that her family had objections to loving Mike. She knew that they would never accept that and they had tried multiple times to break them apart. They never succeeded. Until now, it would seem.

"O, the devil, the lord of the Dark, the Guardian of Hell, tonight, I call upon you to grant me one wish. Grant me one wish after which my soul and the souls of my descendants are eternally yours. We all worship the ground you stand upon, my Lord." He chanted, his voice coming out strained and heavy amidst all the smoke in the huge party hall.

"NO." shouted Raven hysterically as she still struggled against the guards. Her eyes are now looking straight at the limp body in front of her grandfather surrounded by fire and smoke. Mike.

"SHUT UP." The echoing sound of a slap was heard as Raven's head snapped to the side, her face now marred with a red hand print. It was her father.

She thought she knew her family. She couldn't have been more wrong.

As a child I always tried to be in their eyes. I've tried everything, being naughty, being good. Nothing worked. They always hated me. Since the moment I was born. Why would they love her when they had another perfect child to love? Her brother, the heir of this great family.

She knew they hated her, hated her even more when she chose Mike but to what extent she had no idea. Until now.

But how could a family hate their own child was always beyond her understanding.

Her grandfather continued chanting. As the minutes passed, nothing seemed to happen. But slowly the hall grew hotter, it was as if the fire was getting brighter. Raven thought she smelled burning flesh once.

Suddenly a huge flock of scrawny, ugly looking flock of crows began to fly around the hall above their heads and was crying hysterically.

Suddenly, all the fire went out. It was pitch black. The smell of smoke still lingering in the air. The only sound was the rapid breaths of Raven and her family. The room was beginning to get colder. It was as if winter ad arrived just in the room. The sound of the crows' cries was surrounding cold air.

Raven started shivering, whether from fear or from the cold, she didn't know.

At once, a deathly calm voice arose. Echoing around the hall. It was moving around the hall before it came to a standstill before her grandfather.

In the dark, they could only see tufts of cold breath seemingly coming out from someone's mouth as he spoke.

"Speak, child. What do you need from the Mighty Hell himself?" His voice, albeit calm, had a threatening tone commanding fear. Deep fear.

"My child has committed a grievous sin. To rectify it, I have summoned you, O Lord of the Dark. If you so wish, me and my predecessors' souls are eternally yours but please grant me a wish in exchange for it." His voice who was so sure till now lost all its calm. It had a trembling undertone.

Just as one would have before the Hell himself.

"Befitting service for a befitting payment." He replied, his voice hollow, emotionless.