Valkyrie could hear her pounding heart echoing in her ears and feel her body stiffen the second Nefarian Serpine's hands were placed around her mouth and throat. She tried to take a breath but found that all she could do was pull in small puffs of air due to Serpine's hand that was pressed against her mouth and covering most of her nose as well. Panic and claustrophobia began to fill her body. She began to shake and no matter how much she tried to calm herself, she found she couldn't.

"Did you really think you could escape me, Miss Cain? Or should I call you by your real name, Stephanie Edgley?"

Valkyrie gasped as she heard her true name uttered from Serpine's mouth. How had he managed to find out her real name? She had done everything she could to keep her name a secret to protect her family. Did this mean that Serpine also knew who her parents and sister were?

"Once I found out your real name, it wasn't hard for me to find out where your parents and little sister lived. I've had this house under surveillance from the second I escaped my jail cell. My spies saw when you went here, and they saw when your parents left the house in their car. I suspect the house they went to was yours, because where else would you send them? I have also had your house under surveillance, and I must admit I am impressed with the security."

Valkyrie tried to tear herself away from Serpine but stopped the moment he squeezed his hand around her throat, cutting off her air supply. Black spots began to dance in front of her eyes, and she felt like she was about to pass out. She immediately stopped struggling and Serpine eased his grip.

"Do not try anything, Cain. Because every time you try to resist or evade me, I will cause you pain. Do you understand? Good. I suspect your stubbornness comes from your uncle Gordon Edgley whom I murdered a few years ago. He also did not know when it was time to stop and give up. I must admit to you that I was generous with him and gave him two warnings. When I gave him the second one, I told him that next time there would be no more warnings, but the third time I would seek him out in his delightful home and kill him personally.

You're just like your uncle, Cain. You think you are so smart and always one step ahead, that nothing can get to you. You believe that you are invulnerable, that all criminals are stupid and make the most banal mistakes that get them caught. I'll tell you one thing: not all criminals are like that. Sometimes someone comes along who is smarter than everyone else, who is ruthless and who isn't afraid to get blood on their hands. Who do whatever it takes to strike fear into people's hearts.

I am one of these criminals, Valkyrie. I rule over all the other criminals in this city and have also begun to take over large parts of Dublin. Because every day more and more people have joined me because they know I can give them everything they desire. They know that once I take over, it's better to be on my side than try to stop me. The only thing that has stood in my way from being able to complete my plans is you, Miss Cain."

Valkyrie pretended to listen intently to every word Serpine said as she slowly lifted her hand that was still holding the gun. The second before she was about to turn it on Serpine, he let go of her throat, grabbed the gun and tossed it into the bushes. He then grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm so far back against her back that it popped. The pain that shot through her made Valkyrie scream and she would have fallen to her knees if it weren't for Serpine holding her up with his body.

"I warned you before, didn't I, Cain? This is now the second time you have tried to resist me, and I always keep my word." Serpine pushed Valkyrie's arm up a little higher and tears of pain formed in her eyes. "Do you understand what I mean?"

Valkyrie nodded and Serpine loosened her grip a bit, causing Valkyrie to sigh in relief. He turned her around and started pushing her in front of him. They walked over to her car and Valkyrie thought Serpine was going to force her to drive them both out of there in it, but to her surprise he walked past it without so much as a glance. Instead, he continued walking, stopping only when they had reached the road.

It did not take many seconds before Valkyrie could hear the sound of a car engine approaching. Looking up, she saw a black van coming towards them. The one driving was none other than Damocles Creed. There was no mistaking that face and body hut. Valkyrie now had no doubt whatsoever that what Skulduggery had said yesterday afternoon in China's office was true. Creed and Serpine were really working together, and she suspected that she would soon get to see with her own eyes what the inside of the Church of the Faceless Ones looked like.

Where else could they possibly be able to take her? As far as Valkyrie were aware, there weren't many other secret places Serpine could take her to, as most of his other hideouts had already been discovered and ransacked following her capture of him a few days ago. But then on the other hand he probably had a few more secret hideouts they hadn't been able to discover yet.

Creed stopped the van in front of them and inserted the parking brake before he stepped out of the car. It was first now that Valkyrie truly understood how big Creed was. He was almost two meters tall and muscular in a bearish way. Valkyrie had no doubt that he would be able to break every bone in her body if he wanted to.

Creed said nothing as he walked up to them, only grabbing Valkyrie's free arm and helping Serpine escort her to the back seat. He opened the door and pushed her, causing Valkyrie to fall forward. She hit her knees on the underside of the car seat and her arm that was propped up against her back twisted at an angle that made her scream out loud in pain. The pain was so intense that for a few moments she thought she had broken her arm, but when Serpine let go of her and Creed lifted her into the seat as easily as if she had been a doll, she realized that was not the case.

Creed put her seat belt on before backing away from her and clasping his hands in front of his stomach. Serpine stepped forward and looked at Valkyrie with a wide grin on his lips. He produced a pair of handcuffs from the back pocket of his pants and locked them around Valkyrie's wrists. He then took out a rope from under the seat and used it to tie Valkyrie's feet together so she wouldn't be able to move. Lastly, he let his hand glide down to her jacket pocket where he took up her mobile phone and laid it in front of the back tire where it would be crushed as soon as they drove out of there with the van.

"I hope you don't mind these security measures, Cain. After all, I can't allow you to attempt an escape while we drive to our destination where you and I will have a chance to get to know each other really well."

Valkyrie gave Serpine a joyless smile before spitting in his face. Serpine yelped in surprise and disgust as he took a few steps back, away from her. However, the joy of getting Serpine out of balance quickly faded. After a few seconds the shock wore off and Serpine punched her across the mouth, causing her lip to split open. Warm blood filled her mouth and slid down her chin.

"You are going to be very careful from now on, Cain." Serpine's voice was filled with hatred. "You have two choices. You can either be accommodating and do as I tell you, which will result in the torture I'm about to put you through not being too unpleasant. Or you can continue to resist, and I won't hold anything back. Your death will be extremely painful and slow."

Valkyrie didn't answer but gave Serpine another smile. A smile that showed her bloody teeth and which made Serpine grimace in disgust. Valkyrie laughed. "It doesn't matter what you have planned for me Serpine, because I will not give way. Nothing you put me through will end with me telling you whatever it is you want to know."

"What makes you think that it is information I want out of you? No, Cain, all I want is revenge. All I want is to put you through as much pain as possible. I want to see you writhe like a snake while screaming out your pain until you can no longer scream anymore. I will have you begging me to kill you before this is over. I see you don't believe me, but you should take my word for it when I say that I've tortured many people over the years, and everyone eventually reaches their breaking point whether they want to or not."

Valkyrie didn't answer, just continued to smile her bloody smile. Serpine shrugged and closed the car door. Valkyrie could both see and hear Creed and Serpine get into the front seat, Creed in the driver's seat and Serpine in the passenger seat. Neither of them said anything as Creed started the engine, put it in gear and drove out onto the road.

I really hope the group message got through. It is my only chance to get out of this alive after all, Valkyrie thought to herself as she sat in the backseat with a sore arm and a chapped lip. Otherwise, no one will know what has happened to me and I won't get any more chances to contact anyone before we get wherever we are going. Serpine has already made sure that I won't be able to contact anyone, and it will not even surprise me one bit if he will force me to take off all my clothes so he can make sure that I am not carrying any hidden weapons as soon as we arrive to our destination.

The drive passed in silence and Valkyrie tried to figure out where they were going by constantly looking out the car window, but Creed wasn't driving on the freeway, he was taking back roads she'd never driven on before, so she had no idea where they were going. She didn't even know which direction they were driving. All she knew was that they had been driving for at least half an hour and that her bound body was starting to ache, especially her back. She had tried to change position, but it was difficult with her bound legs so she had accepted that the only thing she could do was to endure the pain.

A city suddenly appeared in front of her and the road sign they passed as they drove into the city read "Roarhaven". Valkyrie had heard of this city before but had never been here herself. The only thing she knew was that the people who lived here kept to themselves and didn't like outsiders. Why that was, she didn't know, but she had a feeling that she would soon have answers to those questions.

As they drove through the centre of town, Valkyrie studied the people out walking the streets. What they all had in common was that as soon as they caught sight of the van and that it was Creed driving it, they all bowed their heads in reverence. Creed nodded back to each one and Valkyrie understood why Roarhaven wasn't a city that many went to.

This was where the Church of the Faceless Ones was located. Roarhaven was ruled by Creed and Serpine.

"Surely, it's amazing how easy it is to manipulate people, Cain? Making them respect every step you take and do everything you ask of them without question," Serpine said as he noticed Valkyrie studying the Roarhaven residents.

Valkyrie didn't answer. She didn't even look at Serpine, but just continued to study the people. She suspected she would get no help from either of them if she somehow managed to escape, as both Creed and Serpine ruled over them with an iron fist. No, if she managed to get out of this alive, she would have to either threaten one or more of the townspeople or steal a vehicle.

"I don't like the idea of sullying our church with your dirty blood, but what better place to punish a sinner than a church? After all, that's where sinners come to cleanse their souls, right? And I'm going to do a proper cleansing of your filthy soul, Cain…"

Valkyrie looked into Serpine's emerald, green eyes before clearing her throat and spitting out a bloody spit in his face. Serpine screamed loudly in disgust, shock and anger. He raised his clenched fist and was about to punch her when Creed grabbed Serpine's wrist and stopped him. He shook his head and said in a low voice "Not here, Serpine. Not in front of my people. I don't want them to think we are barbarians. Remember that our faith consists of worshiping our gods without question. To devote all our free time to honouring them and showing them that we are worthy of being spared."

"The Faceless Ones don't care how we choose to worship them! They don't care how we choose to live our lives! All they care about is that when the time comes for their return, we will be willing to give up our bodies so they can live on our earth! They couldn't care less about how we've lived our lives!"

"What you say may be true, but they may also be untrue. The only thing I know is that it is easier to rule a society if you teach compassion, love and humility. Fear can be a good tool to use at times, but if you only use it, you will quickly notice that it won't be long before more and more people leave you for something better. I want to give my members the feeling of security, of being part of something bigger."

Serpine snorted but settled back into the car seat. He took a handkerchief from his pants pocket and wiped his face before saying "I was going to be nice to you Cain and not start the torture until tomorrow but after this I can't wait to get my hands on you soon enough . You and I will have some interesting hours ahead of us…"

"Have you also gotten a text from Valkyrie, China?" Tanith asked as she stood in China's office at the Sanctuary along with China, Ghastly and Skulduggery.

China nodded. "Yes, I have, and I have a terrible feeling in my stomach that tells me something is not right. I'm afraid she's in trouble and if we don't find her soon, she's going to be in a lot of trouble…"

Skulduggery, standing with his back to all three of them, looked out the window and said nothing. He stood with his back straight back and was as still as a statue, which was not a good sign if Tanith was to believe Ghastly, who was standing next to her and had put one arm around her shoulders to calm her down.

"Do you have any idea where she was last seen and what she was going to do?" Ghastly asked.

China shook her head. "I've no idea where she went yesterday afternoon after she was here."

"She was with me."

Everyone turned their heads and looked at Skulduggery's back. Neither of them said anything, just waiting for Skulduggery to continue talking.

"She spent the night with me and left me in her car just before lunch. She told me she was going to spend the rest of the day at her parents' house and that she would call us all tonight to discuss how to move forward."

"It is also at her parents' house that her phone was when she sent the text message that we have all received," answered China. "I suspect that's where she was when whatever happened to her happened, because her phone hasn't been active since she sent that message. I've tried to call her, but it only goes straight to voicemail. It wouldn't surprise me if the person that took Valkyrie has destroyed the phone, so we won't be able to track it."

Tanith shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. Ghastly kissed her forehead and whispered, "It'll be alright, Tanith, we'll find her."

"I know we will, but the question is not when we will find her, but how we will find her. What if someone has taken her and is doing god-knows-what to her right now? You saw the message she sent." Tanith picked up her phone and opened the texting app. She clicked on her conversation with Valkyrie and read the most recent message she had received an hour ago:

I'm being watched. If I disappear within the next few minutes, I've been kidnapped.

"I think we all know who took her," Skulduggery said in an icy voice. "Nefarian Serpine has somehow found out where Valkyrie's parents live, which must mean he knows Valkyrie's true name. Why else would he be guarding her parents' house? They have never been in contact with Serpine or stood up to him in any way."

"If what you say is true, how could he have obtained that information?" China asked.

"Creed."

"What do you mean?"

"You have information about all your employees on your computer, don't you, China? What's to say Creed didn't do more than just pull out the blueprints for the Sanctuary when he was left alone in your office the last time he was here?"

China paled and sat down heavily in her office chair. "Oh my God…" she whispered.

Before anyone could answer, Skulduggery's phone rang. "What have you found?" he asked. He listened for a few seconds before nodding. "Okay, good. What about the others? Have they seen anything? I understand. OK, thanks."

"Who was that?" Ghastly asked. "One of your contacts?"

"Yes. They have found Valkyrie's car, gun and her phone at her parents' house. Her car was locked, the gun was in the garden among some bushes, and her cell phone was lying in the road next to the driveway of her parents' house, crushed under what my contact thinks is a car tire. They couldn't find any signs of combat, so Valkyrie was probably surprised, maybe even distracted by something else that gave Serpine an opportunity to pounce on her before she was ready."

"My God... What do we do now?" Tanith asked.

"We need to find out which car Serpine was traveling in and if he was alone in the car. I'll check the surveillance cameras in the area to see if they picked up anything," China said and started typing away on her computer.

"What else has been found?" Ghastly asked, walking up to Skulduggery. Grabbing his best friend's shoulder, he turned him around and forced Skulduggery to look him in the eye. "What else have your contact found, Skulduggery?"

Skulduggery said nothing for a moment. When he did answer Ghastly, it was in a heavy voice. "He found some drops of blood near Valkyrie's broken phone."

China stopped typing on the computer and looked at Skulduggery with wide eyes. Tanith put her hand over her mouth and whimpered.

"It doesn't have to be Valkyrie's blood. It might as well be Serpines. Valkyrie may have resisted when he forced her into the car," Ghastly said.

"I do not think so. My contact also found what looked like spit next to the blood. I suspect that Valkyrie spat on Serpine and that he punished her for daring to stand up to him. I haven't known Valkyrie that long, but from the little I've learned about her in this time, plus everything Gordon told me while he was alive, I've come to understand that Valkyrie Cain is not a woman who gives up but fights back."

"It may happen, but we must not draw any conclusions without having some real evidence. I understand that you care about this Valkyrie Cain a lot of Skulduggery, but you must think rationally. You must not let your emotions steer you in the wrong direction. We'll only get one chance to stop Serpine and save Valkyrie, you know that. Don't waste that chance because you can't control your emotions."

"I'm not going to let another woman I love fall victim to Serpine. I learned my lesson - and I learned it the hard way - when he killed my wife and child five years ago, Ghastly. I'm as cool as a cucumber right now. You have nothing to worry about."

Ghastly studied Skulduggery for a moment before nodding. "If you say so, Skul." He turned and walked over to China where she was sitting at the computer. "Did you find anything, China?"

China turned to the computer screen and pointed to one of the windows that could be seen on the screen. "This is Creed's van. I have managed to follow it through Haggard but as soon as he drives out of town, he disappears into roads where there are no cameras. I have no idea where these roads lead, but I will try to find out."

"Is it possible to see if he has any passengers with him on any of the films?" asked Tanith who had joined them.

"I'll see if I can zoom in…" China mumbled and pressed a few commands and it wasn't long before her screen was filled with an image of Creed and Serpine, sitting in the passenger seat. "Okay, so far we know that Creed and Serpine are indeed working together, but I can't tell if there's anyone in the back seat."

Skulduggery walked up to them all and stood behind China's chair. He looked at the picture of Creed and Serpine for a few seconds before leaning forward and starting to manoeuvre his way between the surveillance footage that had been filming the van. None of the others said anything while he worked, as all three of them knew it would be a stupid idea to upset Skulduggery while he was working.

"There you are…" he finally whispered, pausing one of the videos before zooming in on the paused image.

On China's computer screen, they could all see Valkyrie Cain clearly as she sat in the back seat of Creed's van, positioned behind Serpine. They could clearly see the rope tied around her legs and the handcuffs locked around her wrists. They could even see that she had dried blood on her chin.

"Now we know who has her. Now we just need to figure out where they've taken her. Once we know where Serpine is hiding, we assemble a task force to storm his hideout. I intend to take command of it, and they will only obey my orders. I know how Serpine thinks and what his strategies are."

"Never in my life, Skulduggery! These are my men we're talking about, and I have full responsibility for their safety. We can not storm Serpine's hideout anyway! As soon as he notices us coming, he will kill Valkyrie instantly!" protested China.

"China is right, Skulduggery. If you want to save Valkyrie, we must sneak in and surprise him," Ghastly agreed.

Tanith said nothing and just stared at the image in front of her of her best friend, bound and bloody, taking up the entire computer screen. She clenched her fists and she had to use all her willpower not to start screaming out loud. Ghastly put his arms around her and turned her away from the screen.

"I hate him, Ghastly. I hate Nefarian Serpine so much. If I am left alone with him, I will do unspeakable things to him…"

"I know, Tanith. We will make sure that Serpine is made to pay for his crimes."

Tanith turned to Skulduggery. "I understand how you feel right now, Skulduggery, but I'm going to have to agree with Ghastly and China, even if it hurts. Do you remember what I told you yesterday? That if you harm Valkyrie in any way, I will follow you to the ends of the earth if necessary to avenge my best friend."

Skulduggery said nothing and just continued to stare at the computer screen, which he hadn't let go of once during the conversation. He had clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles had turned white, and his eyes radiated nothing but hatred. "I will find you Valkyrie and I will make sure you are alive when I find you. I'm not going to let Serpine take you from me the way he took my wife and children from me five years ago. This time I'll make sure Serpine doesn't get away."

No one said anything for a long time. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts. It was China who finally spoke up. "I think we all need to take a short break and clear our heads a bit. I want all four of us to take a ten-minute time out. I don't care what you choose to do during those ten minutes. All I want is for us all to be back in here when the ten minutes are up."

Skulduggery was the first to leave the room. He went out into the parking lot and got into the Bentley. He let his gaze wander to the passenger seat and slowly stroked the seat where Valkyrie had been sitting yesterday afternoon. He could smell her and had to summon all his self-control not to start crying. He didn't have time to show weakness now, Valkyrie needed him! He had made her a promise and he wasn't going to break that promise.

He picked up his cell phone and dialled a number. While he waited for the person on the other end to answer, he looked out the windshield while keeping his hand on the passenger seat. "There has been quite a bit of movement outside the Church of the Faceless Ones recently," said the person on the other end when he answered the call.

"What kind of movements?" Skulduggery asked, feeling his pulse quicken.

"Creed and Serpine arrived not even five minutes ago in Creed's van along with a dark-haired young woman who had her legs bound and was wearing handcuffs. Creed picked her up in a fireman's grip and carried her into the church."

"Thanks, that's all for now. Get in touch as soon as you see or hear anything more. I want you to try to figure out as much of both Creed and Serpine's movements that's possible for the next few hours, do you understand?"

"Absolutely. I'll let you know."

Skulduggery ended the call and went back into China's office. When all four were gathered again, he told them what he had just found out. "We must act immediately before Serpine can harm Valkyrie."

"It's not that easy Skulduggery and you know it. We can't just barge in with guns blazing. What if Serpine has moved Valkyrie before we get there? After all, it is half an hour's drive to Roarhaven where the church is located. Serpine can manage to do a lot in that half hour. No, we must be absolutely sure that he intends to keep Valkyrie there and that the Church of the Faceless Ones is his base."

"So, you're willing to risk Valkyrie's life just because you have to follow protocol?" Skulduggery roared, slamming his hands down on China's desk.

"It pains me to say this Skulduggery, but Valkyrie is safe for now. Both you and I know that Serpine will want to keep her alive as long as possible. Once he's got hold of his victim, he won't let go until he's had a little fun first. Valkyrie is out of danger for now and if we want it to continue, we must be very careful what we do from now on."

Skulduggery didn't answer, just glared at China. He was shaking with anger and if it wasn't for the fact that he knew deep down that China was right, he would have thrown himself at her. As it was, he showed what he thought of her planning through his eyes.

"Go home and try to rest for a while, everyone. It's an order. I will get back to you later today when I have managed to obtain more information."

Ghastly grabbed Skulduggery's arm, pulled him out with him from China's office and took him to the Bentley. "Go home, Skulduggery. Calm down and we'll see you later today. We will come up with a plan to free Valkyrie, don't worry."

"I know we will free her, but what condition she will be in when we do is what worries me the most," Skulduggery replied, looking into his best friend's eyes.

There will be 3 more chapters of this story. The next one will contain torture, just so you guys are prepared!