Sorry for the wait, I would use the whole 'exam season' cliche but, lets face it, I'm just as bad no matter what time of year it is.
RedDawn1- To be honest I've no idea if people in Ireland even say bugger but it's a nice word, one I use a lot myself. Boring answer to weird question: I'm from and live in the north of England (probably explains the use of 'bugger')
They rounded the corner before Crux had even noticed they were running but the Rider was waiting for them. It straightened the white-hot chain menacingly.
"Didn't I just kill you?" Tanith asked in a tone of innocent curiosity.
The Rider roared, throwing its head back and breathing fire into the cold air, smoke pouring off him.
"That's new." Skulduggery muttered, reflexively stepping back and pulling his revolver from his jacket. He fired six shots in quick succession, each hitting the Rider point blank in the centre of the chest but having no effect. He sprayed water all over it and its skull turned to him for a second but then turned back.
The Rider was looking at Tanith, completely still. Skulduggery lifted his arms and condensed more water above the Rider's head but this time it barely even distracted it.
Tanith seemed frozen to the spot with it, matching the empty-socketed glare.
She raised her sword and the Rider straightened his chain again at the exact same time, both attacking with fresh energy. The Rider swung the chain with blinding accuracy but, every time, Tanith had already moved and the blade of her sword cut off another few links of chain.
The flames around the Rider flared and it fought with even more ferocity but Tanith was never there by the time it got close to her.
Eventually it stood staring at her again, unmoving. Tanith gave a sly grin and walked towards it confidently. The Rider didn't move, it seemed frozen to the spot.
Tanith leant in to the Rider, holding it's skull gently between her hands. The flames around her hands turned blue and the colour spread outwards. She pushed him back into the beam of a streetlight and flesh started to fill out the Rider's form until Johnny Blaze was stood in front of her again. He leant in to kiss her.
Tanith ran her fingers through his hair with the same smile then slammed her forehead into his face and Johnny fell to the ground, unconscious.
She turned to see Skulduggery and Valkyrie staring at her.
"Well done." Valkyrie grinned.
"I've got the looks. Why shouldn't I use them?" Tanith grinned, snapping cuffs around the unconscious man's wrists.
"Certainly an interesting tactic." Skulduggery said in a bemused tone.
"If I didn't know you better, Skulduggery, I'd say you were shocked." Tanith smiled slyly.
"Yes, well, good job you know me better." Skulduggery grumbled, looking away to check his revolver.
None of then had noticed Crux arrive behind them until he made a ridiculously nervous coughing sound.
"What?" Skulduggery snapped. "Have you come to arrest me again?"
"Um... It would appear we have made a mistake, Mr Pleasant. You're free to go." Crux said, not taking his eyes off Johnny.
"You owe me a hat, Remus."
Even in his tiny, windowless cell in the Sanctuary's Gaol, Johnny could feel the Rider's presence growing. So much for dampening magic.
He had managed to fight it off so far but he knew it was only a matter of time, surrounded by all these truly evil people.
The sun was about to go down, he could sense it. That's when his control would really vanish.
He suddenly started to laugh hysterically. Why worry? It was going to happen anyway. He might as well laugh.
Vaurien Scapegrace looked suspiciously across at the cell on the opposite side a few cells down. The man in there was obviously insane.
Scapegrace wondered why he was here. He hadn't even killed anyone. Wait no, he definitely would. He was just waiting for the right time and person. The right time being soon and the right person being /Cain/.
That guy just wouldn't stop laughing. Only now it sounded rougher.
The laughter stopped abruptly. Scapegrace shook his head. It was a good job the lunatic had stopped laughing or Scapegrace would have had to find a way out of this godforsaken cell and killed him himself.
There was a weird sizzling sound and Scapegrace leaned out between the bars of the cell again.
There was a skeleton glaring, Scapegrace didn't know how but it definitely was, at the man who'd been in the cell opposite his. It's skull was on fire. It dropped the other man's now lifeless body and looked at Scapegrace, who whimpered and backed further into his cell.
"Innocent." The Rider rumbled, striding past without so much as a second glance.
I'm working on an as-yet unnamed follow up. I've already written a few chapters so it'll be up soon, keep checking. (Hopefully it will be longer/written better than this one)
also: I own none of this but the plot, even the title is the name of a Stone Sour song.