Just want to finish this wee section off, will be something different next chapter! Deffos violence and bad language in this. Are we wanting Valduggery in later shots? Lemme know. Okay this took my three hours to write but I'm really low-key proud of it. This is a long one but, hopefully, an interesting one. As always, hope you enjoy! Please R&R!
After the ceremony and then the reception, which was as awkward as anyone could imagine, the five prisoners were escorted back to their cells. They weren't given a change of clothes, so they sat on the dirty floor in their best dress. Ezra and Valkyrie had taken their shoes off and gently placed the accessories within them to try and protect them from the dirt and dust within the cells. Ezra had thrown the gold wedding band as far across the room as she could.
"We have to get out of here." Dexter said, staring at his injured hand.
"I can't believe he managed to convince people their magic was bound because of 'security reasons'." Valkyrie said bitterly, tracing patters on her knee through the dress.
"It'd be easy enough to set a swarm of cleavers on fire. But to physically fight ourselves out is a trickier situation." Skulduggery pointed out.
"I hate him. I never thought I would say it, but I hate Erskine Ravel." Saracen said.
There weren't any windows or clocks in the cell so it was hard to keep track of time. Skulduggery was the only one awake when Erskine marched down the steps, followed by four cleavers.
"Up!" Erskine yelled, and the other four sorcerers woke with a start, jolting to an upright position.
"This is your doing you little bitch. Did you really think I was going to let that go? You'll make me fucking suffer, will you? I don't think so. Open his cell. Cuff him." Erskine hissed. Ezra stood up, lunging to the bars, gripping them.
"What the hell are you doing?!" She shouted as the cleavers unlocked Dexter's cell and grabbed him, cuffing his hands behind his back, ignoring his wince as they grabbed his injured hand. The cleavers left his cell and Erskine walked in. Erskine took a swing but Dexter lazily dodged it, stepping back. Erskine took another swing, and again, Dexter dodged it easily.
"Fighting never really was your strong suit, was it Ravel? That why you got a cleaver to finish Anton off? That why you stabbed Ghastly in the back? Huh?" Dexter said, bouncing on the balls of feet, the street fighter in him coming out.
"Dexter, no!" Ezra begged, her gut twisting in her belly, she knew there was no way this would end well for him. Valkyrie laid a hand on Ezra's shoulder, not knowing what else to do but needing to do something.
"Hold him!" Erskine growled. The veins were bulging again. His eyes were blood shot, a thin layer of sweat coated the man. He seemed deranged. Two cleavers held Dexter's arm, keeping him in place, keeping him still, and this time when Erskine swung, his fist hit home, crashing into Dexter's temple. Erskine swung again, and again, and again. He wasn't aiming for anywhere in particular.
"I get it, okay? Leave him alone, please! I'm sorry, I won't do it again! Ravel stop!" Ezra pleaded.
"You've made your point now, Erskine, leave him be." Skulduggery said, totally composed and leveled, so unlike his little sister. Blood was pouring from Dexter's face now and he was swaying, starting to slump. He was breathing heavily. When Dexter did finally slump, Erskine grabbed his shoulders to hold him down, and drove his knee into his face, chest, belly, again, and again, and again.
"Erskine, stop!" Saracen cried out, being in the cell directly next to Dexter's and closely watching it all unfold. Ezra was crying now, trembling and near enough hyperventilating. Valkyrie tried to turn Ezra's head to her shoulder, to hide it from her, but Ezra pushed her efforts off, her eyes glued on Dexter.
"Drop him." Erskine commanded, and cleavers let the man fall. Everyone thought it was done, but then Erskine started kicking him.
"Erskine, he's down!" Valkyrie shouted, but Erskine ignored her like he ignored the others. No one was sure if Dexter was still conscious. Erskine grabbed a scythe from a cleaver, and when the cleaver went to grab it back Erskine held his hand up. The cleaver stepped down.
"Erskine, please!" Ezra screeched, shaking the bars now, as if they would somehow melt away. Erskine brought the butt of the scythe down repeatedly. Then he passed it back to the cleaver, slicked his hair back and wordlessly left, a cleaver locking Dexter's cell then following. They hadn't even took the cuffs off. Ezra's knees buckled and she collapsed, wailing. Valkyrie sat beside her, pressing Ezra's head to her shoulder and smoothing her hair out. She found herself gently rocking them back and fourth.
"He's breathing." Skulduggery said quietly. And he was, his chest raggedly and shallowly rising and falling. The only movement and sounds from within the cell was Valkyrie rocking and whispering to Ezra as she softly cried.
"It's okay. He's okay. When we get out, which we will, we will make that bastard pay, I promise, it's okay, he's okay..."
Eventually, Dexter moved, only slightly. His breath hitched and he moaned as he rolled over.
"Dexter?" Ezra whispered. Everyone held their breath. He moaned again, louder, then suddenly sat up.
"Oh fuck." He wheezed, grunting as he backed himself up to the wall, leaning against it. He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath.
"I'm okay, Ezzy." He said weakly. He didn't seem okay. His whole face was swollen, some wounds still bleeding. What was visible of the rest of him looked much the same.
"I'm so, so sorry." Ezra breathed, shaking again. Dexter shook his head, wincing as he did so.
"He's crazy. You can see it. Don't apologize for a crazy man's actions." Dexter reassured.
When morning came, what they assumed was morning, it brought with it a very angry China Sorrows with a bag over her shoulder. She was unlocking Dexter's cell as she spoke;
"It's taken me weeks to get into this Sanctuary! I hadn't heard from any of you in such a long time, and then I heard the news that Ghastly Bespoke and Anton Shudder are traitors? I shouldn't think so! But I was denied access. Me! Then I saw the wedding. And I knew something was wrong. So I demanded a meeting, and I am a very difficult woman to say no to, I'm sure you all understand, so as soon as I stepped foot in the door Tipstaff gave me a bag of supplies and told me to come down here immediately and I sure am glad I did."
She said all this while she unlocked the cuffs and tossed them to side. Then she gave Dexter a small handful of leaves, which he gratefully accepted, chewing them as China took off his tie, jacket and shirt. His torso looked just as bad as his face. China passed him anti-septic wipes.
"Wash." She instructed. She had a basin and a bottle of water in the bag, and she filled the basin with the water, crumbling up a rock into the water as Dexter cleaned the blood off of his arms, chest, face and stomach, still chewing leaves. Once the water turned to mud, China rummaged in the bag then sighed.
"No gloves, perfect." She complained. Her beautiful face contorted in disgust as she scooped some mud up in her pale hand. She liberally rubbed it into his wounds, as he scooped some up too and did the same.
"So what's happening out there?" Valkyrie asked. China sighed, still focusing on the mud.
"It's a mess, dear girl, such a mess. Everyone is wondering where you all are, and then yesterday there was an uproar. Don't know why Erskine thought that ridiculous wedding was a good idea, when everyone knows Dexter Vex and Ezra Bloom have been flirting for the past four hundred years. Never one without the other, as they say. So the good news is, people are suspicious. This grand sanctuary just pops up out of no where just as the Dead Men disappear, then the two most loyal men on this planet are executed because they betrayed the Dead Men, then that absurd ordeal yesterday? The Supreme Council are ready to tear this place to shreds." She explained. Once Dexter looked like a swamp monster and the basin was empty, China stood, taking one of many towels out of the bag and vigorously cleaned the mud off her hands. Dexter reached for a towel but China scooted the bag away with her foot.
"No, it must set first." China said. "Do you know who he chose as his Elders? He kept Mist on, for starters, and he picked Charivari! That beast of a warlock!" She exclaimed, her distaste clear.
"That makes sense..." Skulduggery trailed off. China whirled around to face him.
"Does it?" She asked, shocked.
"Erskine said he wanted to rule mortals. The warlocks are the only community that agree with his views." Ezra said softly. China looked at her, slowly processing it. She absentmindedly scooted the bag close to Dexter.
"You can wash that off now." She said, still deep in thought.
"I don't like not knowing these things. I should have been told. There hasn't been so much as a murmur about this outside these walls. But why? Surely the only people who aren't loyal to Erskine is in this room? Tipstaff would have gotten word out-"
"I don't mean to big us up or anything," Saracen interrupted, "But they're scared. Erskine killed two Dead Men and has the other five well hidden under lock and key. If they can do this to us, what could he do to them?" He finished. China nodded, her thoughts becoming clearer and making sense now, the last piece of a messy puzzle. Dexter was on his third towel, the angry welts and bruises looking less angry as the mud cleared away.
"I don't suppose you can let us out?" Dexter asked, his voice muffled as he wiped the mud from his face. China shook her head.
"I'm afraid not. I came to make sure you were alright, get information and fix up Vex as best I could. Now I must go meet him and see what he is up to exactly." She said.
"Better be careful, your charms might not work. He is a married man after all." Ezra said sharply. China smiled, packed up the med pack and dirty towels, locked Dexter's cell and left.
Nothing happened for the next few weeks. No visitors, except a meal a day, nothing eventful. Dexter was healing well, China leaving him the little bag of leaves which he chewed sparingly. Then Erskine came down those dreaded steps. No one stood, no one really even looked at him. No cleavers were with him. He was pale, his clothes put on hastily, his hair a mess. Under his gold eyes were black. He took a forced deep breath and blurted it out.
"The warlocks have betrayed me. They... They've gone to war with me."
"Wow." Valkyrie said slowly. "That must really suck." She sounded bored.
"I just can't imagine how that feels. Don't know if I've ever been betrayed, what about you Saracen?" Dexter asked, not bothering to hide his smug grin. Erskine gritted his teeth.
"No, Vex, I can't recall if I have." He said, blatantly amused.
"I know for a fact I haven't." Skulduggery said coolly.
"That is such a predicament you have there, Ravel. Bitten off more than you can chew? Whatever are you going to do?" Ezra asked patronizingly.
"That's enough!" Erskine snapped. "I... I need your help." He spat, the words clearly sounding awful in his mouth. There was a moment of total silence before Dexter roared with laughter. Ezra snorted then laughed along, Valkyrie and Saracen following suit.
"No, guys, this is serious. Someone needs our help. So we will do our damnedest to offer our help from our little cells. Even if that is only offering our moral support... to the warlocks." Skulduggery said. Erskine was shaking, visibly stressed and angry.
"I swallowed my pride coming down here, but I'm a smart man-"
"Are you?" Valkyrie asked,
"And I know when I need help. And I need it. Please." His shoulders sagged as he said please.
"I want a divorce." Ezra said flatly. Valkyrie had to hold in her laughter as Erskine's face turned an unhealthy shade or purple.
"Is that a yes?" He asked through his teeth. Dexter looked at Ezra and raised his eyebrow. Ezra shrugged, then glanced at Saracen who also shrugged. Saracen exchanged a look with Valkyrie and Valkyrie then shrugged herself. They all looked at Skulduggery.
"Why do I always need to make the difficult decisions?" Skulduggery asked. He unnecessarily sighed then said;
"On my terms."
"What are your terms?" Erskine seethed.
"These are my men. They follow my orders and my orders alone. I don't follow orders from anyone, especially not you. And when this is all over and done, we are free to go. I also want to give Ghastly and Anton proper funerals when this is over because I'm guessing you didn't to keep up with this dreadful charade of yours. And finally; if you harm any of us, I will find you, and I will rip you limb from limb, do you understand me?" Skulduggery said. Erskine hesitated, mulling his words over. He exhaled.
"Yes, agreed. I understand." He said, defeated.
"Oh and one more thing, you get a divorce."