Bat Country
Prologue
James stood their shaking at one end of the small room. He wasn't anywhere near the other man but all he could do was shake. James didn't want it to come to this but he had no other choice. All of his actions over the past month had led to this moment and now it was either this or his life. The man at the other side of the room had offered James a seat at the table but he had refused and stood as far away as he could, pressed against the wall, ready to run if need be. The other man had sent his guards away and told James to speak freely but they both new that could never happen no matter how many people were around. Making a deal with the devil was never easy but to James it was his last hope. The devil was growing tired of James' frightened silence and spoke his words for him, "You want to be allowed to leave Bat Country as it please me, so you can hide from the lord you managed to get on the bad side of, is that correct?" "It is my liege lord, I did not mean to offend but I couldn't let him have my daughter." James tried to summon every bit of courage he had left and pushed the memory of his daughter out of his mind, he would not show weakness if it could be helped. "You should have given that whore over to him, if you ask me." the devil remained impassive but the direct insult on his daughters memory was not something James would stand for no matter how powerful the person was whose lips it fell from. "I'd watch your tongue if I were you." James warned but it lacked power and to both their ears it only sounded a meagre squeak at best. The devils laugh rang booming around the room, echoing off of each wall. The devils face was hidden behind a black hood that hung over his face only showing his mouth. The rest of his body was hidden a coat that traveled all the way to his feet and a pair of black polished shoes covered his feet. The devils mouth pulled into a tight line and he seemed to be staring straight at James although his eyes were covered. The devil stood up suddenly and grabbed his black cane it was decorated with a single silver deathbat place on the top. The devil moved towards the door, it seemed as if he hadn't moved his feet. "No wait!" James shouted before he stepped through the now open doorway, "I swear by the angel, the devil, the god, the demon, anything, that I will give you anything you want if you let me go and give me safe passage out." "Anything?" the devil repeated sounding amused as he turned to face a startled James, "See we don't usually allow fallen angels in to Bat Country why would we let the ones we have out to roam earth? The price I ask will be steep and I trust you will hate it as much as I love it." "I'll do anything." the devil pointed to the table where a formal piece of paper and pen sat waiting to be signed that weren't there moments earlier. But James signed knowing this was his last hope. "What is it you want in return?" "Your daughter of course." the devil grinned from behind his hood. "She's dead! I saw Syntster kill her with mine own eyes. I heard her scream. I will never forget that scream. He shouldn't have asked for her! She's my daughter he can't just have any girl as he pleases he sure as hell wasn't going to get near her..." "And look how well that turned out. She would have died either way. I do still want your daughter though. Your wife's pregnant, if it's a girl I will collect her on the first day of the year that holds her first birthday. In fact I will do that for all of yours and your wife's daughters!" there was a swirl of black that engulfed him and then he seemed to turn into falling black feathers as he disappeared. James' mind was frantic, he turned to see if the paper was still there. It was. It had also been signed. James wasn't even sure of what he had just agreed to. But he was certain that he had just made a deal with the devil who had signed with one word: Shadows.