Valkyrie was not enjoying herself. Demons glared as they glided by. Food was laid out before them on the table, but no one had the appetite to eat.
"My, my aren't you two pretty girls." Said a voice that was trying too hard to be smooth but wasn't. It was the tall man with the stupid hair. He was grinning, leaning in towards Valkyrie who stared blankly at him, not bothering to hide her distaste towards him. His smile faltered slightly and he gritted his teeth. "Dance with me. I don't care which one of you." He said. Valkyrie opened her mouth, to say something that would get her into trouble no doubt, so Ezra abruptly stood. The man's grin widened as he took hold of her hand. He led her to the dance floor and rested his hand on her waist as she rested her own on his shoulder. "Which once are you? Valkyrie or Ezra?" He asked. She focused her eyes on him. "Ezra." She said.
He wasn't sore to look at if she was honest. His red eyes made her sick, but other than that he wasn't a bad catch. He had nice, pink lips and scruffy facial hair on his jaw and around his mouth. His hair was the colour of chocolate. He wasn't Dexter, but he wasn't bad.
"I'm Noah Arch." He said. Ezra stopped and stared at him.
"What?" She asked, not sure if she heard correctly, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. He glared at her and she cleared her throat to get rid of the giggle.
"Aren't you going to ask?" He questioned as he spun her gracefully.
"Ask what?" She asked low key impressed that she was a better dancer than he was. She had Dexter to thank for that one.
"What our… plans are?"
"If I did, would you tell me?"
He shrugged "Only one way to find out."
Ezra promised herself not to slap him if he didn't tell her once she'd asked.
"What are your plans?"
"To kill you all." He said.
Ezra looked at him and he looked at her, then the song ended and Dexter took Ezra's hand and pulled her away from him, from him with the stupid hair and stupid name.
His hands were warm and soft against her, his face a mixture of anger and concern, a deep concern that wished she could take away with a kiss. But she couldn't.
"What did he say, Ezzy?"
"That they're going to kill us." She said blankly.
"Well, we figured that…"
"I wasn't expecting him to come out and say it so… so blatantly." She said, Dexter spinning her. He was the better dancer this time. Ezra let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on her chest. She was fighting back tears.
"Why am I so scared? Jesus I fought in, like The War. I helped to defeat Darquesse. But suddenly this one group of people want me dead and here I am, nearly in tears." She said. It was muffled due to her hidden face, but Dexter heard.
And it worried him.
Because she was right. People have wanted her dead since she first became a Sorceror with her older brother. She always fought, and fought hard. But she was scared. She was relying on Dexter more and more for little things that she should be able to do. Dexter didn't mind doing those things, he'd do anything and more for her, but it worried him for her sake. What if they're separated?
He closed his eyes, his head bowed into her hair. They were swaying slightly. Ezra pulled away and wiped her eyes, shaking her head. She forced a smile, a convincing one, and then finished the dance. Then she went and sat back at the table, where and awkward and tense silence still hung there.
"We should be having fun!" She said, the only evidence of her previous breakdown was her voice. It sounded stuffy and strained. Skulduggery shot Dexter a look who shrugged, as Ghastly, Saracen and Valkyrie looked at Ezra with that concerned look that Dexter had overly familiarised himself with.
The walls were coming down.
Everyone begrudgingly got up and danced at one stage during the night, Valkyrie and Ezra working overtime. It was pretty funny watching the two worst dancers, Anton and Valkyrie, dance so clumsily amongst the perfect beings around them. They were ignored as a whole. Macon and his little posse didn't bother with them too much which bode well with them.
It was the night ahead that concerned them. As well as the fact that the place should be under siege by the sanctuary to collect the fugitives. Yet there wasn't a single disturbance. Maybe cleavers would be better than what was to come. The not knowing was eating Saracen.
"I mean Jesus, will we die? Do they want us dead? Should we be worried or excited? I don't like this. Not one bit." He complained to the table, his leg bouncing in an uncharacteristic annoyance. Ezra was clinging to Dexter's hand, feeling odd. Like everything was a dream… Like she wasn't quite there. Her thoughts were quick and flashing and disjointed and she was having a hard time working out what was now and what was past and what was just her own odd imagination. Valkyrie was bored and angry, while Skulduggery judged the demons with his usual dry sarcasm in a somewhat futile attempt to cheer her up. Anton was giving Erskine glares while Erskine pretended her didn't see it.
But everyone knew to be on guard. Because they were currently the puppets.
This is a bit of a filler chapter if I'm honest, but I have so many plans for the next chapters! Thanks for reading, please please reveiw!
