Chapter Five
A Dukey Problem
A/N: Me: Do you like the chapter name?
Cousin: No.
Me: What? Why?
Cousin: I hate everything.
"Oh my gosh, why are you here?" Thomas demanded.
"Because Logan's dead!" There stood the Duke in all of his malevolent gory, demented smile stretched wide beneath his far too fake mustache.
"Logan's dead?" Thomas repeated shrilly.
"You killed him!" Patton shrieked.
"What did you do with him?" Virgil demanded.
"Me?" Remus asked, feigning indignation. At all of their disbelieving looks, he amended, "Okay, yes I've attacked one of you before, but this time. This time I didn't."
"Right." Virgil snapped moodily.
"You know what would be funny-" Remus began
"No!" They all said at once.
"Okay, I'll tell you." He said gleefully, smiling widely.
"Oh great, here we go." Virgil mumbled.
"If the ghost was kidnapping sides in order to use our souls to fuel a death machine that's going to start the zombie apocalypse and everyone in the entire world died because we weren't strong enough to fight off one ghost." Patton squeaked and Thomas covered his ears.
"Oh my god we're all going to die!" He yelled. Kohan whimpered and started to tear up.
"Oh great, look what you did." Virgil snarled at him, attempting to soothe the boy in his arms.
"Here's an idea, let's sacrifice him to the ghost." Remus suggested. Kohan began to cry.
"Oh my god!" Virgil shifted Kohan's weight in his arms.
"What the heck Dukey?" Thomas yelled.
"Don't cry, Kohan." Patton said gently. "We won't let anyone hurt you. We'll protect you."
"You didn protecc Pincy." He pointed out tearfully. It felt as though someone had shoved an ice pick straight through Patton's heart.
"That- that was different kiddo." Patton stuttered, trying to soothe him.
"Was it really though?" Remus asked. "I mean like, you tried to protect him and he's dead now so… Kohan's going to get sacrificed to a demon." He squealed delightedly, clapping his hands. "I'll go get my special sacrificing knife."
"Lay a finger on him and you're going to find your sacrificing knife shoved up your butt." Virgil growled Kohan sniffed, covering his ears at the tone and burying his nose in the crook of Virgil's neck.
"Been there, done that. But your more than welcome to give it a go, Virge." Remus wiggled his shoulders suggestively.
"I think you need to leave." Patton said firmly.
"I think you need to prove you're the king." Remus countered, examining the nails of his left hand and swinging his mace up over his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, what?" Thomas tipped his head to one side. "Of course Patton's the king."
"Really? Because last I checked, Innocence had the crown way back when and, well, the other light sides might believe you but I don- oh, hi Deceit." The duke waved cheerily at a corner of the room behind Thomas. Deceit looked up from the old-looking, black and white newspaper he was reading and chuckled his slow dark chuckle.
"You aren't in any way an embarrassment to the dark sides, my friend." He smirked. Remus, who now had his finger stuck up his nose, froze for a minute.
"What?" He asked after a second.
"Begone." Deceit scowled, making a shooing motion with his hand. Remus merely stood there, doing his stupid forbidden boi dance. "Remus, I in no way have orders from-" Before his sentence could be finished, Remus was gone. "I assume he won't be back." Judaes sighed, popping his knuckles out in front of himself.
"Why are you-" Before Virgil could finish his question, Kohan had began scrambling out of his arms.
"You're back!" He cried in a delighted voice. His little arms were suddenly slung around the snake side's waist. Deceit's face immediately registered confusion.
"Awe." Patton sighed. Virgil swooped in immediately, whisking Kohan away from the deceitful side.
"Kohan, don't do that." Virgil warned him, holding him close. "He's dangerous."
"Dangerous?" Judaes repeated mockingly. "I thought you weren't afraid of me Virgil."
"Shut it." Virgil growled. "What are you doing here and why did he try to pretend that Patton wasn't king?" He demanded.
"Where's the crown, Virgil?" Is all that Judaes said in response.
"What crown?" Patton asked politely.
"Did you ever think the dark one's crown was oddly designed?" He asked smoothly. "Maybe that it was strange that it glowed like it does?"
"His crown glows?" Thomas asked. Deceit blinked twice.
"Yes." He said exasperatedly.
"So it doesn't glow?" Virgil asked.
"I just said it did glow." Deceit said.
"But Deceit can only lie." Patton pointed out. The snake side sighed, annoyed, and transformed before their very eyes into the visage of Winston.
"What's all this about, Wisdom?" Virgil bit out savagely.
"I'm just going to give it to you straight, Virgil." Wisdom said tiredly.
"No, me first." Remus rose up behind him.
"I wasn't joking when I said I had my orders. Begone, thought." Winston waved him away. Virgil attempted to stifle his laughter with his fist while still holding Kohan with his other arm. Remus smiled.
"Spelled T-h-o-t or T-h-o-u-g-h-t?"" He replied. Winston fixed him with a cold glare that made Virgil's threatening glances look welcoming. He shrugged. "I'll be back." He said nonchalantly, he sunk out once more.
"What did you need to tell us so badly that you had to pretend to be Deceit to do it?"
I have really bad writer's block as I'm sure you could tell so enjoy this little tension builder and the fact that you don't get to know anything more about Winston for this chapter
Roman felt his head collide with the floor and heard the sickening, tell-tale crunch of cracking bone. Hot, sticky, something dripped down the back of his neck. He was going to die. He knew it. But… for some reason… he was okay with it. Maybe if took Virgil's place as the sacrifice, Virgil's fight or flight would take over and he would join them. It wasn't an ideal situation, but at least that way he would live. But the thought of Virgil having to live that way… The thought of him submitting… of losing the color he'd gained. Roman couldn't bear it.
