Chapter 112

The ride to the old war Gaol was tense to say the least. She wasn't exactly sure how the others dealt with the weird pressure that tried to suffocate her when socially awkward things came up lately, but it certainly wasn't digging their nails into their wrists like her.

It didn't help that she also felt a little hungry so her stomach would growl once in a while, making her more self-conscious, all while Tanith was blinking wearily at the van wall in her own world. She felt like an intruder in a very personal fight, and honestly, it was worse in the van than when they were shouting because Ghastly was driving and she could see him occasionally looking in the mirror at them.

When they stopped and the van was turned off, Nadia had never been so grateful to be somewhere, and Erskine obviously had the same idea because he was straight up and opened the back door. It was cold – it always felt cold after the summer heat of India – and they were on the other side of a line of trees that separated them from a main road, giving them a sound other than silence. She stretched her legs and back, feeling her spine crackle pleasantly.

"You okay?" Dexter whispered in her ear, almost making her jump.

She looked at him and nodded, seeing how he looked less okay than she probably felt. "Yeah. You look… bad."

He smirked. "I never look bad."

She couldn't help but giggle quietly at his joke but ducked her head while she did it. "How far is the Gaol?"

"It's underneath us," he said a little louder. "Not much of a walk."

She nodded again and gave Tanith a small smile when the pregnant woman joined her side. "How are you doing?" Nadia asked.

"I'm fine," Tanith nodded absently. "I will be, anyway. We'll do this, go home, have something to eat, report to Corrival and sleep."

"Sounds good to me," she replied quietly, watching as Ghastly spoke quietly with Saracen for a moment and then started walking off. Saracen turned and beckoned them to come, and they all walked after Ghastly. They were silent for a moment before Nadia whispered, without exactly meaning to, "Is he always like this?"

Tanith snored. "No. Just since this happened," she said gesturing at her stomach like it was somehow in the wrong, before wrapping an arm around it. "Usually it's not so bad though."

"You mean arguing?"

"Yes," she said shortly, and Nadia thought she'd offended her for a moment before she spoke again. "At first it was this bad, but it was the start, and stressful, and I could understand better because I was constantly sick, but when I told him to shove it, he listened and it wasn't a problem once Corrival told him to back off too. But this thing with Skulduggery sparked it again."

"I'm sorry," she said, not knowing what she should say.

"It's not your fault," she said, giving her a smile and bumping their shoulders together. "Although this place is cold and nasty, I know it's safe. None of us needs to worry."

Nadia agreed with her, in her head, but didn't say anything because Ghastly had stopped and crouched down to lift a manhole with his bare hands. He didn't even look back at them, just lowered himself into it and dropped down to the bottom which didn't sound as if it were very far. Erskine went next, and then Tanith who was caught, Nadia assumed, by Erskine with his magic, then Nadia jumped it and landed heavily about six feet down.

She stood and got out the way quickly. Erskine and Ghastly had a flame in their hands, so Nadia clicked her fingers and held one too, illuminating the dingy, muddy passageway. The ground was wet and soggy but Nadia could feel there were cobblestones, or some type of slabs, beneath the layer of wet dirt.

When they were all in, Dexter shuffled passed Nadia and led the way down the slowly curving tunnel, becoming quickly steeper as they went. She didn't know much about defence, but she knew from history that a winding path going down into the ground wasn't that great for stopping an attack should something happen up top, but she didn't say anything. There was a reason it was abandoned after the war, and honestly, she didn't believe it would have been the enemy storming it to rescue captives, but rather their own side coming to kill the prisoners. There were rumours.

It didn't take long before the prison cells came into view and they were walking in echoing cell blocks, one after the other, going deep and deeper into the ground, a weird, stale smell occurring the further they went. Her stomach curled unpleasantly and she was glad she wasn't Tanith right then.

They were in there a silently, eerie thirty minutes before Dexter came to a stop outside an iron cell and looked in with a hard look on his face. Nadia and the others gathered around as Skulduggery stood up, his suit in tatters and the jacket, tie and hat missing. Was that still a suit? Nadia didn't know, and she didn't care, because all of a sudden she realised she hated this place and wanted to curl up in bed with Valkyrie and cry into her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Skulduggery said and Nadia squealed when Dexter smashed his fist against the side of the metal cage.

"Don't you dare apologise," Dexter said in a gravelly, low voice. Nadia's heart beat wildly and she grasped at Tanith's hand. "You armed that bomb. You brought it into the Sanctuary."

"I did," Skulduggery whispered almost silently. Although standing, he looked properly dead with his broken clothes and the way he stood so very still.

"Why?" Ghastly asked, his voice filled with angry emotion. "Do you know how many people you've killed? And now this?"

Skulduggery looked away. "I tried."

"Tried what?" Dexter asked scornfully. "All you did was try to kill your daughter."

Skulduggery looked up now. "I did not try to kill her. I had no idea she was even at the Sanctuary."

"Why wouldn't she be?" Dexter snarled.

"I wasn't alone," he said after a moment. "Craven was sent to make sure I set it off."

"And you did," Ghastly said for him in a deadly calm voice.

"No!" Skulduggery said quickly. "I saw Valkyrie, and I couldn't do it. But I couldn't do anything to fight Craven when he took the switch, and he set it off before I could stop him."

They all went silent, a heavy consideration and suspicion thick in the air.

"Why did you agree in the first place?" Tanith asked after a moment, her voice surprisingly strong and much more level than Ghastly's or Dexter's.

"They were going to kill Solomon," he said, urgency in his voice as he tried convincing them. Nadia didn't even know what to think, but Dexter snored mockingly. "They tortured me for hours, and I refused, so they got Solomon and tortured him. He's already weak and sick, and I knew he couldn't stand much more, so I agreed, but even then Craven kept torturing him. They said if I didn't get them in and blow the Sanctuary up within that hour, they would kill him. But then I saw Valkyrie and – and I couldn't do it."

Nadia glanced at Tanith and saw she had thin lips as she considered his words.

"Where did they keep you?" Saracen asked after a moment.

"In their safehouse," Skulduggery said quickly. "It's down south, on the cliffs. Do you remember the battle we found Erskine in the field after he left the Spiders?"

Erskine took a sharp breath and nodded. Saracen nodded also. "You say Solomon's there?"

"And all the Spider's, The Torment, the mercenaries the Spider's had watch us, and a few others. They had the man that killed the Shunter, Creyfon Signate, and then kidnapped Solomon come with me and Craven into the Sanctuary. He had a separate mission to take something from the Receptacle."

"What?" Dexter asked harshly.

"I don't know," Skulduggery said darkly. "But the Spider's wanted it. You need to know, he has an enhanced Cloaking Sphere he made himself that can last hours, maybe days, that's how he got in and out the Sanctuary."

"What about his magic?"

"I don't know," he said again. "I think it has something to do with making copies or signals, but he's an inventor. Maybe better than the Monster Hunters."

"Like the Cleaver's Valkyrie saw at the Receptacle doors," Saracen muttered, looking at Dexter. "What else do you know?"

"Not much," he admitted quietly. "Only that someone knew we were there before we did anything, and that Craven shadow walked away after he pressed the switch without me. He was meant to take me back, and I don't know why he didn't."

"Valkyrie knew something was wrong," Tanith said, her eyes still narrowed at him. "She went to look for others at the front of the building after she noticed the strange Cleavers but found you."

"She tried to activate the wards," Skulduggery said quietly.

"We know. The bomb broke the stairs and they fell on her head. She's in a coma, Skulduggery. We don't know if she'll even wake up," Tanith finished, making Nadia's own eyes tear up. She didn't let herself cry. She couldn't.

"This is my fault," Skulduggery muttered, covering his skull with his bony hands. "I didn't mean for this. I didn't think that would happen."

"Anton's in hospital too," Dexter spat. "He pulled Valkyrie from the wreckage while you stood there."

"I couldn't move," he said quietly behind his hands. "I couldn't make myself move."

"I don't believe you," Ghastly said after a moment, making them all look at him, Skulduggery included.

"Ghastly–"

"Don't bother, Skulduggery," he said. "You'd do anything to get out of a punishment, and we all know it. You could have stopped Craven. He's a miserable, weak man you could have fought easily, and then we could have all gotten Solomon back without anyone else getting hurt. But no. You enjoy hurting people too much."

"No, that's not true–"

"I know what you did," Ghastly snarled, going right up to the bars and pointing at Skulduggery. "We all know, but we forgave you. But this? This just proves it was all an act."

Skulduggery didn't say anything, and Ghastly was apparently done with his accusations. Without a word he pushed right through them all, making Nadia and Tanith stumble back. She had no idea if Ghastly realised, but he had pushed Tanith back by her stomach and now she silently curled over and almost fell, using Nadia to stay standing.

They all watched quietly as Ghastly turned the corner and left, and then Saracen realised Tanith's pain and helped Nadia lower her to the ground. They all quietly waited for Tanith's pain to pass, but Nadia's heart clenched for Tanith. She was so close to her due date, just two months in a very difficult pregnancy, and her close friend and sister were in the hospital, her other friend in a cell for putting them there, and her baby's daddy was turning into a control freak that just pushed her pregnant belly hard enough to make her cry. Tanith Low, crying from pain.

"I believe you," Tanith gasped out after some deep breaths, and Nadia almost jumped when she looked at Skulduggery to see he was kneeling at the edge of his cell and holding the bars to be close to Tanith. "You're a dick, and you're the reason they're in hospital, but you didn't set it off. And I can see how you'd be brought to desperation after what the Spider's did to you and Solomon. Even if I think it was the wrong choice."

Nadia nodded also. "I think Tanith's right."

Erskine, Saracen and Dexter looked at each other from their places standing or on the floor with Tanith.

"I just don't know," Erskine said, and Nadia could hear he was getting overwhelmed. Dexter stood and linked his hand in his brothers. "I want to see Anton."

"I need to hear Valkyrie's side of the story before I believe you," Saracen said, his eyes glaring at Skulduggery. "But I am leaning more towards you not setting it off. The thing is, Skulduggery, if you hadn't seen Valkyrie, would you have done it?"

Skulduggery didn't say anything for a long moment and then nodded once, barely. "I probably wouldn't have seen a way out of it."

"Then you're still guilty," Saracen said quietly and helped Tanith stand. Nadia stood also, though she wasn't of any help to Tanith. "Dexter?"

Dexter was silent. He shook his head and began walking away, Erskine in tow. Saracen followed, helping Tanith to leave also, leaving just Nadia and Skulduggery. They looked at each other and Nadia felt her heart rate lower.

"You really thought you had no choice?" She asked quietly.

"We always have a choice," he told her quietly. "I could have said no. I've been thinking about it for the last few days. But I also realised, as will Dexter, Saracen, Erskine and the others, that if I hadn't, Solomon would have been killed and Craven and the assassin probably would have been able to do it by themselves with that Cloaking Sphere. Not just that, but The Torment would have had a second switch made. They only wanted me to be there to drive us apart and make the Sanctuary look weak. Perhaps it would have been more difficult without me, but there's always another way. They're mostly mad that I was involved, and because Valkyrie and Anton are hurt. I'm wrong to do it, and I know that, and I won't forgive myself for being a part of destroying the Sanctuary, but my involvement probably wouldn't have changed anything."

Nadia nodded, barely comprehending his words but listening anyway. "We're going there to see them now, I think."

"Can you tell Valkyrie I'm sorry?" He asked quietly. "And that I love her. Please."

Nadia looked down at her feet and felt all her emotions, the way Valkyrie's poor body was broken on a hospital bed and said this: "You know, she loves you like a father. She would love it if you would treat her more like your daughter than a friend or colleague. She just wants you to love her and hug her and spend more time with her. You've never really done that. Like a father."

Skulduggery didn't say anything and tears were about to fall from Nadia's eyes, so she walked away quickly, hugging herself and following the single, winding path up to the top.

Ta-da!

I'm sorry this took so long to put out, I need to be better! It took me three or four days of writing a few hundred words at a time to get a chapter done, and then there was family drama but I'm sure you understand that. Regardless, I hope you like this chapter, it was so hard to write! I don't think I got Ghastly's emotions portrayed the way I really wanted, the way I see in my head that it, but I hope it's enough for you to see the pure rage. And him hurting Tanith? Don't forget that. It comes to play a part.

Thank you for reading :)