Dexter woke up, sitting bolt upright. He was in the verge of hyperventilating. He kicked the covers off himself, wiping sweat from his brow. He rested elbows on his knees, straining to get his breathing under control. Ezra, Ethel, was with Erskine. They made her vulnerable and they struck in such a way that he didn't know possible. Macon knew what she meant to Dexter. His first, his only love. And Macon took that away from him. Something fluttered in his chest as his breathing went back to normal. It wasn't fear. Not anymore. Wasn't sadness or sorrow. It was anger, no, rage. He'd never felt such anger in all his life. Not during the War. Not after the war or anytime in between.
Dexter sat completely still, lost in his thoughts, staring at a circle on the pattern on the duvet. When sunlight filtered through the curtains Dexter looked at the golden streaks filling his room and that rage seemed to magnify, manifest, moving from his chest all the way to his fingertips. He showered, dressed. Slow, deliberate movements. He left his room and entered the mirror room, which was already busy and bustling.
"I'm going to kill my father." He said, his voice carrying, echoing in the vast room. Everyone turned to stare at him.
"What?" Valkyrie asked dumbly.
"I need the dagger." Dexter said instead of answering.
"You're not strong enough by your-" Saracen started but Dexter interrupted.
"They have Ezra- Ethel. Macon visited her last night. Showed her Darquesse and Lord Vile destroying Ireland. Showed her footage from the wedding between her and Erskine. They made her think that she's in love with him. I'm going to kill my father." Dexter repeated.
"We'll get her back-" Ghastly began, but again Dexter interrupted.
"How?!" He shouted. "How are we going to get her back?! We can't take her if she thinks she belongs there- that's kidnapping! We can't give her her memories back- it could kill her! How do you propose we get her back!?" Dexter shouted the whole time, his voice raising steadily.
"Dexter. Think rationally about this. Ethel doesn't know any better. If you go there and kill them your cementing Macon's lies. Don't do it, Dexter. Don't do it." Skulduggery said, pleading as much as Skulduggery pleaded. Dexter deflated, crumbling. His shoulders sagged, his head drooped.
"He took her away." Dexter said flatly. No urgency, no desperation, no anger or sadness. Nothing but emptiness. Saracen took a tentative step, resting a hand on Dexter's shoulder.
"We will fix this." Saracen promised. "I don't know how yet. But we will."
There was a soft whooshing sound and then a light voice rang out.
"We might be able to help."
Everyone turned to see two women. One was tall with long dark hair in a tousled braid, she was pale with strong cheekbones and a stronger jaw. Her body rippled with muscles beneath her black trousers and leather shirt. The other woman was smaller by a head, with soft blonde ringlets. She was tan and petit, with soft, welcoming features.
"I am Artemis. This is Hera. We would benefit from your help. We feel you may benefit from ours." Artemis, the tall dark haired woman, said evenly.
"What if we can't help?" China asked cautiously.
"Then nothing." Hera assured. "We will leave peacefully and quietly. There will be no consequences. But if you help us we will help you."
"What do you need? I'm not saying we will do it until we know what it is." Skulduggery questioned.
"We have a clan of witches. The Goddesses of Arrow and Fire. They've been captured by warlocks. They intend to sacrifice them, an offering for darker gods. We can't get close enough to get them. The last time we tried- they killed one of our girls." Artemis explained.
"How many warlocks?"
Hera hesitated.
"27." She said quietly.
"How many Goddesses?" Valkyrie asked.
"16." Artemis said.
Skulduggery was nodding. "What assistance can you offer?" He asked.
"The girls, if you save them. And us." Artemis answered.
Saracen have a low whistle.
"As in both of you? Both of you... Goddesses?" He asked.
Hera nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes, yes of course. You're putting yourselves in danger for us, if you agree of course. It's only fair we do the same. We've already tried to reason with Hades in the hope you'd say yes. He said no, I'm afraid. He won't back down." Hera said.
"So our only other option is take down the demons. And Macon." Ghastly confirmed.
"Will you help us?" Hera asked, desperation hinted in her voice. They all looked to Skulduggery, who sighed, his blue eyes staring afar, weighing his options up. He nodded.
"Yes. We will help you." He said eventually. Hera smiled and Artemis grunted her satisfaction. Hera paused for a moment.
"I will also try to help your beloved." Hera said to Dexter. Dexter looked up at her suddenly.
"How?" He asked, trying to diminish the hope he felt.
"They painted you all as the bad guys. I will show her the truth." She said simply. Dexter frowned, about to ask how, but when he looked up they were gone. In their place laid a piece of paper, an address scrawled onto it.
"Looks like we're going warlock hunting." Ghastly said finally.
Ethel wasn't asleep. She couldn't sleep. Erskine was sleeping, his arm around her, holding her so tightly it was uncomfortable. Ethel didn't feel right. Something just felt so inherently wrong, somewhere deep inside her, but she wasn't sure what it was. She was safe now. Erskine told her how much he loved her, how she was the most beautiful, caring person he'd ever met. He was good to her. Yet Ethel couldn't get Dexter's green eyes or half smile out of her head. He just didn't seem capable of forcing someone to love him. He certainly didn't have to, judging by his looks alone. Her mind drifted to the day before. To Dexter's hand on her stomach, so soft and gentle. His breath on her cheek. He smelled like freshly cut grass and soap. She had also seen the picture on his phone. She tried to recall if she looked the least bit unhappy, scared or uncomfortable in the photo. She hadn't. Ethel had looked so happy. Ethel tried to make herself stop thinking, focussing on where she was now. On Erskine.
"Hello, child." Said a soft voice. "Don't be scared. I want to show you something." The voice said. Ethel scanned the room for an intruder. She didn't see anyone.
"Get up." The voice insisted. Ethel frowned, but curiosity piqued. She gently manoeuvred herself out of Erskine's grasp and stood up. She was wearing a night dress that was too short to be comfortable for her, borrowed from a woman called Blaise. It was red and black and lacy.
"Leave the room." The voice instructed again. Ethel crept to the door, pulling it open and slipping out.
"Take a right. Follow the corridor." The voice instructed again. It was a female voice, soft and sweet. Ethel obeyed, passing through in darkness interrupted by the light of the moon and stars outside shining
"The third door on the left." The voice said. Ethel gently opened the door, peering in to see if it was empty. It was. There were monitors against the wall, showing each and every room in the building.
The voice commanded her to type in a certain date. Ethel did so.
"Go to 8.45am." The voice said. Ethel typed the time in and gasped. Dexter was tied to a chair, gagged. Erskine walked up to him holding a chain. He started battering into Dexter.
"Skip forward ten minutes." The voice said. Ethel was shaking now, her breathing uneven. But still she obeyed.
"I'm going to take her. I'm going to make her mine. You hear that? I will do it. Ezra will be mine. She deserves to be mine, do you understand? She's. Mine." Erskine sneered into Dexter face, which was already bruised and bloody. Erskine ripped that gag off.
"No- please, leave her alone. Please. You have me. Please don't hurt her-" Dexter was begging, but Erskine only laughed and hit him again.
Ethel paused the video, unable to watch anymore. She realised she was crying. She wasn't sure when she had started. That's why it didn't feel right. It wasn't right.
"I need to leave-" she began.
"No." The voice instructed. "Stay. Take them down from the inside. Keep up appearances, my sweet. They're coming for you, your friends. They plan to move in four days' time. You can help from here. Catch them all by surprise. Only four more days my love." The voice said. Then it said nothing else. Ethel wiped her tears away, switching the monitor back to normal. She sat there for a moment, calming herself. She would help her brother. She would take Erskine down from the inside.
