Chapter 155

Valkyrie's POV

It was so dark in the cell. There were lights everywhere, lighting her torturer's face, but her eyes were fuzzy and painful. Her body was on fire from the agony. But, at least, their blood was mingling – he lay on the floor facing her, his eyes lifeless while she kept breathing.

She held no thoughts for his death, just as she hadn't when she killed him. For an eternity he had cut, sliced and hurt her and she had done nothing but scream. But, like all torturers, he grew bored and started talking. She had cried through him talking about her brothers because they were strong, and she had gritted her teeth when he insulted Tanith and Nadia like they were the same stupid, incompetent slut he wouldn't mind meeting on a dark night when no one else was about. But when he did the same thing to Laila, she had snapped.

Even being chained to the floor it hadn't been hard to wrap her legs around him, taking him down. She bit his ear off, kicked him and when she got some grip, she practically shoved her foot into one of his open wounds in his abdomen and when he lay flat on the ground screaming, used her other foot to kick his head up and snap his neck. It was disgusting and dirty, but it was much less painful than what he would do to Laila.

These thoughts swirling around in her head got her to blink out of her stupor. She shuffled over to him and, taking her slow, aching time, loosened the slack in her chains until she had just enough to reach a hand into his pockets. Whoever had him look after her was cocky to leave keys with him, knowing who they were dealing with.

She unlocked herself. That success gave her the motivation to get up.

Stumbling, she opened the door, which hadn't even been locked in the first place. She was lucky – there were no guard stationed outside. She remembered the way she'd been taken up to this torture room, so she could get back down. But she'd only taken two keys from her torturer. One for her chains and shackles and the other was unknown. It could have been for the door, which made the key useless. It was better she found a guard for their keys and got her brothers. They weren't tortured and could get them all out better. It would also help if she found some more clothes, because the torturer had just cut through her bra to get to her skin, and she was relying on her own blood to cover her important bits at the moment. At least she still had her underwear.

Moving as quickly as her broken body could take her, Valkyrie stumbled, swayed and hobbled as she kept up the tirade of thoughts that let her keep moving. She didn't really remember it, but she was at the stairs going directly down to her family's cell, and maybe more prisoners. In fact, it should also hold the rest of their team, the American's, if they'd all been captured.

Unfortunately, there were also enemies. Valkyrie noticed them and took her luck with a nearby room, opening it and stepping in fast. There was one person, but he was reading a book and didn't look up.

"Did you check on the Dead Men? They talking yet?"

At the other side of the room was a small table with a few bit and weapons on it. Valkyrie grunted and walked over – the man chuckled – and grabbed the metal stick. The man looked up right in time for her to slam it down on his head. He was unconscious.

She searched him quickly and found he had two keyrings, both with multiple keys on it. Useful. However, he also said he had a friend checking on her brothers, meaning that friend mustn't be far behind and she had left a trail of blood coming into the room, and she was starting to feel really lightheaded...

It was hard to think of whether she wanted to risk moving or wait for the friend and attack then, so she looked over the weapons more closely while she thought. None of it was of real use unless she wanted to kill someone. She had come here to kill the enemy, but she suspected this was a larger scheme at work and she needed her suspects alive. And anyway, she didn't fancy the feel of any of those straps or heavy items over her cuts.

Her eyes went black and she swayed for a moment before her feeling came back and she decided to risk moving. She shoved the three keys into the side of her underwear, where they would hopefully remain, and got going. It wasn't quite or sneaky but the guys at the top of the stairs were gone. She could hear their voices below. She just needed to open the cell door her family was in and she was in the clear. There was no handrail, so it was a dangerous few minutes trying to get down, and these stairs felt especially long, but she got down eventually.

Not far was those two men, and a third person she couldn't see standing in front of a cell. The one her brothers were in. They were laughing and hitting them. She could make a distraction up close. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. Valkyrie stood up straight, held the metal rod by her side and marched up to them with even, normal steps, pain shooting through her whole body.

She swung before anyone saw her. One of the men went down but he wasn't unconscious. It was okay though because her brothers rushed out and dealt with them while she leaned against the wall and tried to stay conscious.

.*****.

Valkyrie woke up to screaming, gunfire and pain all over. For a moment she only remembered the torturer and thought she was still there, swaying in and out of consciousness, and then she realised she was in Erskine's arms and he was cradling her closely behind a short wall. She blinked at him and surprised herself when she had the energy to look over her body and noticed a lot of the wounds had been healed at least partially. It wasn't good work and it looked like she may well be scarred all over if they didn't get to Kenspeckle soon, but she was alive and in much better shape. Erskine had his eyes shut, was humming one straight note and rocking them both.

Gently, as to not shock him even with all the craziness around them, she reached up and stroked his hair and his eyes snapped open in fright. "Cub?" He asked, his voice small.

Valkyrie, for all her injuries, knew he was doing a lot worse than she was. "I'm okay, Snake. Calm down now, it'll be alright. We're going to get out of here."

He looked around wildly. Dexter jumped over the wall to reload and gave Valkyrie a wink despite his serious face and then started shooting again. It was an all out battle then. Valkyrie needed to try and help.

She persuaded Erskine to let her go and he did, hugging his legs in place of her.

"Wolf, what's happening?" She asked over the racket.

"Thirty heavily armed soldiers, think they're all sorcerer, fighting against us. Trying to break out. Got the American's already but not enough weapons for all of us. Anton, Bear, whatever his name – he can't use his gist. Fuckers been hiding that since we fought Bliss!"

It took a moment, but Valkyrie suddenly remembered the moment Bliss grabbed and directed the gist all those months ago. She had no idea it had had a lasting effect; Anton hadn't had to use it in a long time. It also meant they didn't have their very best weapon though, and the enemy was obviously trying hard to kill Anton first to avoid the apparently unusable gist.

"Fuck," Valkyrie muttered before taking a peek over the wall. She was almost shot so she ducked back down. Still, she had her magic and she was good enough to take a few shots if Dexter got them distracted. She told him that and he crawled down the line. A few moments later he was shooting again and then the enemy was shooting back at him, Valkyrie focused hard on her magic, let it swell to killing levels, turned and shot it at the people in bulky black with massive guns. It shot two people, then went through them and hit two behind. The others got out of the way, but she continued the stream, feeling her body heat up quickly, feeling the sweat coming and her cuts hurting worse and worse. She cut down almost ten people singlehandedly before she cried out and fell back behind the wall. Erskine screamed, something hollow and manic, and jumped on top of her, covering her from falling debris from the ceiling above.

He was heavy and it really, really hurt, but she put on a smile and patted his head. "It's okay Snake, it's okay."

"Room clear!" Dexter boomed, and he and a few other people that had been there but hidden in other places jumped up from their cover and run out of the room to the gunfire further away, leaving her and Erskine to recover.

"It's okay," she said as her eyes closed. "It'll all be okay. I promise."

.*****.

Valkyrie next awoke in a small room that was jammed with people. Two of them seemed to be the onsite medics, so Valkyrie quickly assumed they had taken hold of the building. Anton noticed her and stepped over. She had a vague memory of being put under by someone for treatment but she wasn't sure if that was a real memory or not.

"You're awake," he said simply. "How are you feeling?"

"Better already," she said, shaking the thoughts of torture from her head. She sat up and pulled him into a shaky hug. He held her tightly. "How is everyone? How did it go?"

"Our group has casualties, but none of the Dead Men. I was shot, as was Dexter, nothing too serious. Saracen was tortured but not to the extent you were as he became unconscious and they moved to you. Erskine is… not coping well mentally. They pulled a television into our cell after they took you away. We were able to keep it secret that you had broken out and stopped the guards from leaving before you got to us, but it damaged Erskine. He's asleep now."

"Oh no," Valkyrie said sadly. Erskine didn't appear to be in this room. "Do we have any information on what's happening?"

"A little," he said, sitting beside her to talk more quietly. She stretched her legs and arms as he spoke, continuing to keep herself covered with the thin sheet. "The enemies we encountered were not who the American's thought they were. They also knew exactly where we were getting into the building from so we suspect a spy is in the Sanctuary here, though we don't know who. No one of exception was catalogued, mostly mercenary types and a few guards, and the torturers of course. From what we can gather, this is two groups come together. Some are hired by Grievers, the man that ran the basement you went into the last time you worked with Skulduggery."

"I remember," she nodded.

"The other half won't talk but we have two likely options. They work on drugs which supply Griever's Down. Or it's someone with a vendetta against us that knew where we were and where we were going."

"The Spider's."

"My thoughts also. Are you ready to stand?"

She stood, Anton helping her wrap the blanket around her like a towel, and actually felt a lot better than she looked. She didn't have much energy, not that she had much choice except to keep moving. She didn't want to miss out on anything. They walked from the room and he took her to another which had a lot of guns. The Dead Men, Fletcher, Aurora and a handful of others were in there.

"I can't get a hold of Tanith, Nadia and Myra," Dexter muttered as they walked in.

Valkyrie's blood went cold. "If they knew we were coming here, would a team have gone to meet them at the house?"

The others looked over before looking at each other and then rushing to get up and ready. Someone threw Valkyrie's clothes at her and she got ready in the corner, Anton holding up the sheet for her, and then all linked hands. Fletcher teleported them to the house.

So. Many. Things. And we haven't even addressed Anton's gist yet omg!

Demise Rim: I almost missed your comment before posting! Not quite a PVO like you wanted but you know, things definitely happened and that's a thing. I am making no promises though ;P