To Get What She Wants

“So, do we have a deal?” His voice echoed and hissed with excitement. He extended six elongated fingers tipped in ragged claws that looked as though they had been digging through ash out towards me.

I took a large gulp of mead for courage, bit my lip, and nodded. This would work, it had to work. My hand trembled slightly as I reached forward and shook hands with the Devil.

“We have a deal.”

The satisfaction glinted in his eyes as the King of Hell claimed yet another soul. Humans were always so quick to give theirs away. Their desires for things in their lives to be different than how they were never seemed to end. This one had almost been too easy, a lonely young woman sitting in the darkened corner of a desolate tavern. The desperation emanating off of her had been what had first attracted him, though as she pulled her hood back and looked up at him, he was pleasantly surprised to note the rest of her was quite attractive as well. Her eyes had been filled with an appetizing mix of fear and hope when he had slid into the bench across from her and made his offer. Initially, he had expected her to ask for one of the usual desires, unending gold or the return of a long-lost love; perhaps a wish for luck, for fame and glory, or possibly even revenge.

Yet, a silver tongue was all she had asked for. The ability to talk anyone into anything in exchange for her immortal soul. He had been slightly impressed with her request, maybe the girl was more cunning than he had first assumed. He made a note to check in on her in a few years to see what she had accomplished with her new gift. Now that the deal had been struck, the Devil was ready to return home with his prize. Dark wings flexed, sending a slight twitch down the muscles of his back as he stood, a wide smile on his face as he gazed back at the foolish mortal girl.

I watched the demon stand to leave and took a deep breath.

“Wait.” I spoke and the Devil stopped. “There’s something else I wanted to ask you, why don’t you sit back down?” I couldn’t help but finally let my lips spread into a sly grin that caused his to falter as I watched the demon lower himself back into the seat. I’m sure he had been expecting me to ask for something like money or love or revenge, as I had seen many others begging him for over the years. Those had never been among my desires; no, I had my eyes set on something much bigger. I took a slower sip of the mead, actually enjoying it this time before looking back up and directly into the Devil’s burning gaze.

The King of Hell couldn’t hide the momentary falter in his smile when the woman spoke again and he found himself returning back down as she has suggested. Clever girl. Watching her enjoy the mead, his curiosity was now piqued as to what else this woman might be brave enough to ask of the Devil with her newly gifted tongue. He could only assume she would now try to bargain her soul back from him; though it would be useless, his deals were unbreakable. Leaning back, he waited for her question with mild amusement.

“I think I’d make the perfect Queen of Hell to your King, wouldn’t you agree?”

His eyes widened in surprise and I knew I had him.

The Devil hadn’t expected that. No, he hadn’t expected that at all. It seemed this woman was not just another foolish mortal. In fact, it seemed quite the contrary; this woman was a lot more cunning than he had even thought to presume.

What a Queen she would make indeed.