"You said you were not going to disappoint us, then you go ahead and make matters worse for us. Look at the number you took in a such a small area in one night! You caused such an alarm that the people are now pressing the issue further. Why do I get the feeling we made a mistake choosing you?" One of the kings, seated on his throne in their secret throne room spoke in anger to the same man they had sent on the operation a week ago.
"Once again, I deeply apologize for messing up. I didn't mean to add more troubles than you are already facing. Please forgive my carelessness." He said with both arms on the floor and his head down at their feet.
"If not for your loyalty and good deeds all these years, you would have been dead by now." Another spoke up. Although they were not happy with his recent operations, they couldn't deny he had been doing his job so very well for a really long time.
No matter how furious they got, they did know that at some point, this was bound to happen. One can't keep doing things in the dark successfully, a slip up will in one way or the other occur. All they had to do was manage the situation like they had been doing so far.
"Anyway, you have served us well and we will not ignore the fact that you had a successful delivery with a good number, I might add." The Queen spoke up this time.
"Moving past that, can we see them now? The offerings, can we see them. I have been yearning for a very, very long time to get some fresh ones and I think I'm losing my mind. I think I'm..." One of the Kings said, salivating as he held his cheeks with thoughts of the children. He was made quiet however by the words of another king.
"Roderick, control yourself!"
"Unlike you, I have had nothing for six months and it's hard to fight back the urge!" He defended his excessive craving. To them, he was behaving like a mad man, but it was understandable. They all at one point had gone through 'starvartion' as they liked to call it.
"If it would make you feel better, my Lord, I can send the ones from months back to you immediately." The man said raising up his head.
"Thank you Rasmus, you are the only one who gets me." Roderick responded. "Still, I want to see the new ones. Take me to them."
"Us, take us to them." The Queen corrected.
"Right away." The man responded and led them out of the room. They walked through the halls which, unlike the room they had just walked out of, were brightly painted with crystal powered bulbs lighting the way.
They passed through different doors, taking a right down the hall they walked into the room and up to a hidden door which required Rasmus' palm ID and retinal scan to be unlocked. It opened into an elevator which took them into the deeper parts of the building. It was a long fall down and happened at the speed of beam. They got to the last floor and stepped out into a path leading to another door.
Just like the elevator, this one also required scans of Rasmus to be open. He placed his hand on the biometric palm scanner. It scanned his palm and rose from it was a virtual keyboard.
"Input password," A robotic female voice spoke which he did. He had the keyboard set up in an old language of symbols that he was one of the very few who could read it to avoid anyone getting access, especially the rulers. The keyboard closed up after he put in the password and another came up taking a retinal scan once more.
After the scan, the sound of doors unlocking was heard and they moved to stand directly in front of it. The doors slid open revealing another door. He then took out a golden wrist band and wore it around his hand staring at the opening in the centre of the door big enough to fit an arm. He stuck in his arm in it and turned it like a key. Small needles appeared and stuck into his arm, drawing a very minimal amount of blood.
"Identity confirmed." The female robiotic voice said as he withdrew his arm. He had gotten used to the pricking of needles that it didn't sting at all anymore. Despite the piercing of his arm, his skin showed no sign of it. There was no blood stain as well. The golden wrist band had released fumes which covered his arm and as they dispersed, his wounds vanished.
"Remind me why there is so much security to get in, aren't we the only ones who knows it exist?" Roderick asked getting tired of standing in wait.
"Just in case." The Queen answered.
"Also, to keep you from going in there and attacking those little souls. You would have surely wasted all of them in there by now if you knew the password." One of the Kings added. "The security is needed and he is the only key to this door." He patted Roderick's shoulder.
As the doors opened, the royals walked in and by the entrance they picked up masks and wore over their faces. "Move quicker, Rasmus!" Roderick ordered, unable to hold it in any longer. They walked for a while deep into the darkness of the room.
"We're here." Rasmus said standing outside the cage like rooms.
"Move!" Roderick pushed Rasmus aside and moved forward, grabbing hold of the bars at the entrance of one of the rooms. He took in a deep breath and his eyes immediately went white. This couldn't be seen though, his dragon designed mask that covered the entirety of his face.
"S-so pure, so fresh. Yes, this is all I have longed for. Come to me, come to me little ones." He reached his arm inside the room through the bars trying to force himself through. "Come to me!" He shouted frightening the children. They perceived him to be a lunatic going through a frenzy.
"Come to me, come to me!" He kept trying to reach in for them. By now the pins have been removed from their bodies and they could now sob loudly, speak and do as they pleased.
"Please, please let us go." They begged with tears in their eyes.
"Yes, yes! Keep crying. Weep! Sob louder!" He said and laughed maniacally. "Oh, how I've missed this. I've missed this so much. Come to me children, I've been starved for so long. Come and satisfy me!" He shouted and the children could swear they felt the room shake.
"Look, they are so scared," he said and sobbed a bit. He also was crying. He had tears, tears of joy running down his eyes, he had to turn away from the children, take off the mask and wipe off the tears. "There is no greater feeling than this." He sniffled.
"I used to think you were just starved, Rod. But now, I know you are just crazy, a crazy man with an addiction." One of the Kings said.
"I don't care what you think of me, Con!" He retorted. The one he spoke to actually bore the name Constantine, but they refused to use their names in front of the children, even though they were one hundred percent certain that they could never escape. Still, they needed to be safe.
"Fifty. Give me fifty of them!" He shouted at Rasmus.
"You know my Lord, the limit for everyone of you is five." Rasmus responded.
"Let's make an exception today, make it ten for him." The Queen spoke, placing her hand on Rasmus' shoulder.
"Very well then." Rasmus agreed.
"Oh Rabbit, you're the only one who gets me." Roderick said putting his mask back on. He called her rabbit due to the style of mask she wore. It wasn't just him, but everyone of them felt a certain bloodrush and excitement being in the presence of the children.
"Just learn to control yourself a bit more," She said.
____________
Hello, author here, participating in my first WPC. Giving the world of revenge a try, so here's a story about secrecy, greed, power, bloodshed, gods and demons, and a young man who finds himself between them all.
I hope you enjoy reading.