Warning! This chapter contains torture and some sexual abuse.
Being carried over a church threshold in a fireman's hold while having both arms and legs tied was not something Valkyrie recommended. Her entire body screamed in protest, especially her already sore back. She also couldn't help feeling helpless and humiliated, both at the same time. She was a young, strong and independent woman who had never felt completely helpless and being treated this way made her feel completely hopeless, mainly because she couldn't move anything but her head.
She let her gaze wander over the assembled people who watched her, Creed and Serpine as they stepped inside the doors. The church looked like a normal church, except for the fact that it had no pictures of Jesus and God on the walls. Instead, the walls and glass windows were covered with images of people either in the act of kneeling and praying, people looking up at creatures shrouded in shadow, and people being possessed by the shadow creatures while their faces expressed nothing but pure happiness.
Most of the faithful who had been standing outside the church doors when they arrived had now followed their leader through the church doors and spread out throughout the church to follow every move their high priest made. Neither of them said or did anything, just watched as Creed carried Valkyrie down the aisle to the altar where he laid her down. He said nothing, just closed his eyes and brought his hands together before placing them against his broad forehead.
Creed stood like that for a moment and at first Valkyrie couldn't understand what he was doing, but when she tilted her head and saw Creed's lips move, she understood that he was praying. She didn't know why, but she assumed he was either asking the Faceless Ones for strength to do what needed to be done or he was asking their forgiveness for letting a "sinner" into their church and defiling it.
Serpine, standing next to Creed with his arms crossed, rolled his eyes and looked impatient. Valkyrie understood that he thought Creed was keeping him from the torture he had promised Valkyrie he would put her through, but she was glad for this little respite. She needed time to mentally prepare herself for all the pain she knew was coming. She knew Serpine wouldn't hold anything back.
"May the Faceless Ones show me the way and watch over me," Creed whispered, clasping one hand in front of his chest before opening his eyes and standing up. He turned to his congregation. "I understand that you have questions that you do not know if you are entitled to ask, which is why I intend to explain to you what is about to happen and why this young woman lies on our altar, bound and helpless…"
"Who are you calling helpless, Creed?" Valkyrie interrupted. Her voice was strong and not an ounce of fear could be discerned in it. "I may not be able to move anything but my head right now, but that doesn't mean I'm helpless."
As if Creed didn't hear her, he continued to speak in a calm and steady voice. "Our brother Nefarian Serpine has asked me for help in bringing this young woman here because she is a sinner who needs to cleanse her impure blood and soul."
Valkyrie snorted and rolled her eyes, causing Serpine to give her an angry look that she completely ignored. She studied the congregants who had now stood before the altar, gazing wide-eyed at their high priest and leader as he spoke. Everyone stood with their hands clasped under their chins and their eyes wide open.
"Isn't it really fascinating the power he has over his congregation?" Serpine whispered to Valkyrie as Creed continued to tell her what a sinner she was and that Serpine would save her soul by making her realize her mistakes and hopefully convert her to the Faceless Ones church. "They absorb everything he says with both hook and line. Sometimes I wish I also had that talent, to make people believe everything I say, but you can't get everything you wish for, unfortunately."
Valkyrie snorted. "I suspect that you have other talents that Creed does not possess and that you are extremely proud of having."
Serpine laughed softly and looked at Valkyrie. "I'll admit I've always liked you, Cain. Too bad you're on the wrong side of the law. I have a feeling that if you were a 'villain' like me, you and I could have worked well together."
"In your wildest dreams, Serpine."
Serpine laughed again and leaned forward until his lips were mere centimetres from Valkyrie's. He grabbed her chin in a steady grip and forced her to look into his eyes. "If you only knew half of what I dream about Cain you wouldn't be able to sleep for the rest of your life. I guess it's lucky for you that you have no idea what awaits you in the near future. I really hope I get to have you to myself for a few days before your friends figure out where I'm hiding you."
"My friends already know by now that you hold me captive and that you have brought me here, Serpine. Skulduggery Pleasant has been chasing you longer than I have, and he knows all your tricks. He's probably already on his way here right now."
"I'm fully aware that they know you're here, but if you think I'm going to keep you prisoner in here, you're wrong, Cain. This is just a little pit stop before we arrive at our actual destination. The only reason Creed is showing you off like this is so the people of Roarhaven don't get suspicious and start talking amongst themselves."
"I want you all to add our sinning sister to your prayers the next time you pray to the Faceless Ones, dear congregation. It is only by showing your faith that she can be forgiven and find the right path, that she will have a chance to be cleansed from sin. That is all. May the Faceless Ones guide you forward," Creed finished his sermon before picking Valkyrie up again and taking her through the open door that was a short distance away from the altar she had just been lying on.
Serpine followed them both with a big smile plastered on his lips.
"Where are you going to take me?" Valkyrie asked.
"Why would we want to spoil the surprise by telling you that?" Serpine asked. "After all, it's no surprise if we tell, is it?"
Valkyrie growled and tried to escape Creed's grip, but he held her too tightly. Serpine laughed at her fruitless attempts before walking ahead of them both to a bookcase mounted against the wall opposite the door they had just passed through. He grabbed one of the book spines and tilted it back. A low rumble was heard and to Valkyrie's great surprise, the bookcase slid aside, revealing a stone staircase leading down to god-knows-what. A cold gust of wind swept over her, and she shivered.
"Ladies first," Serpine said, grinning.
Creed put Valkyrie down. He bent down and untied the knot that held her legs together before standing up and watching her. Valkyrie looked around the room but quickly realized that she wouldn't make it many meters before Creed caught up with her again. Creed sighed before grabbing her shoulder and pushing her forward, causing Valkyrie to nearly fall over. If she hadn't managed to regain her balance, she would have rolled down the stone stairs.
"Take it easy!" she snapped before she started walking.
The air that hit her was cold and smelled of cellar. The only light that illuminated the steps and made her see where she put her feet were small lamps that sat several meters apart. Valkyrie could hear the sounds of people moving and talking above her, which made her suspect that the tunnel she was currently in went under the church and perhaps even most of Roarhaven.
They continued walking in silence for several minutes before coming to what Valkyrie first thought was a dead end. The light from the lamps didn't reach all the way to the wall she was now standing in front of, and therefore she couldn't see what it looked like, or if it was a wall at all. It might as well be a door for all she knew. The only thing she was sure of was that she couldn't go any further and she wondered if this was where Serpine would hold her captive while he inflicted his torture.
A snort could be heard before the wall in front of her opened inward. She looked into a basement room that only consisted of a bed pushed into one corner, a white bucket that she suspected was being used as a toilet, a table filled with all manner of implements that could be used to inflict pain, and a pair of chains attached on the ceiling in the middle of the room which ended in a pair of thick black antique handcuffs.
"What do you think of my little torture chamber, Valkyrie?" Serpine asked, leading her and Creed into the room. He swept his hand across the room. "I know there isn't that much furniture in here, but I think the only thing needed is the bed. After all, I am not a barbarian who lets my victims sleep directly on the floor."
Valkyrie felt a knot begin to form in her stomach at the sight of all the tools on the table next to Serpine. Her mind began to conjure up all possible scenarios of what Serpine could use the tools for and she had to force herself to push those thoughts away before she started to vomit in fear.
"You can leave us now, Creed."
Creed said nothing, but just turned around, leaving Valkyrie alone with Serpine for the first time since he had first captured Valkyrie outside her parents' house. As soon as Creed was out of sight the wall closed and Valkyrie was now completely in Serpine's grasp.
Serpine began circling Valkyrie as he studied her. He let his gaze wander over her body, and he lingered extra-long on her lady parts, making Valkyrie feel exposed even though she was still wearing her clothes. Even though she knew that Serpine would put her through a lot of pain within the next couple of minutes, she preferred that to the thought that he might rape her.
"Don't worry, Valkyrie. I will not touch your body with my hands or any other part of my body. I will let my toys do the work for me."
Serpine stopped in front of Valkyrie and took a key out of his pocket. He unlocked her handcuffs and Valkyrie had time to think that now was her only chance to escape, when Serpine gave her such a hard fist across the cheek that she saw stars dancing before her eyes. She would have fallen to the hard concrete floor if it weren't for Serpine keeping an iron grip on one of her arms.
"That was your first and only warning, Valkyrie. If you try to escape from now on, I will punish you severely. From now on, you must do exactly as I tell you, without the slightest protest. Have you understood?" Valkyrie nodded. "Good. Take off your clothes."
Serpine let go of her arm and Valkyrie had to recover for a few seconds before she could stretch. She pulled down the zipper on her jacket and then let it fall to the floor. Then garment after garment fell off her until she stood sprawled and leaping naked in front of Serpine. The cold of the basement room made her shiver, and her nipples harden, something Serpine couldn't help but notice.
"Don't tell me you're the kind who gets turned on by violence, Cain?" he said in a mocking voice, picking up a whip from the table behind him. It was an antique whip that torturers in the past had used to punish prisoners. "I guess there's only one way to get an answer to that question."
Without warning, Serpine brought the whip across Valkyrie's chest and the pain that ensued made her scream and take a step back. Before she could register what was happening, Serpine whipped her again. This time the whip ran over her stomach before going around and whipping her over her back, bottom and the back of her legs. He circled her and let the whip, whip over her entire body and Valkyrie screamed out her pain. She felt warm blood running down her body and she tried to protect herself as best she could, but every time she tried, Serpine let the whip, whip over the backs of her hands, causing her to pull her hands away in pure reflex.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but eventually Serpine stopped whipping her. He looked at her with a grin that covered his entire face, his eyes glittered, and he had an erection. He grabbed Valkyrie's hand and forced her to embrace his erection outside his clothes. "Do you feel how excited you make me with your screams, Cain? You know I could force you to get down on all fours and taste my arousal."
Valkyrie took a firm grip on Serpine's erection and twisted her hand, causing Serpine to cry out in both pain and surprise. Valkyrie twisted some more, causing Serpine to drop to one knee. She let go of him, took a step back and kicked Serpine in the face. He fell headfirst to the floor and let out a weak moan of pain. Valkyrie quickly ran over to the wall they had entered through and desperately tried to find a way to open it, but all she found was cold concrete.
She felt the panic grow. If she did not manage to open this door in the next couple of seconds, Serpine would get up from the floor and come after her again. She didn't want to think about what he might come up with to punish her, but she knew it wouldn't be anything nice.
"You little bitch..." Serpine hissed and managed to get to his feet. He staggered over to Valkyrie and grabbed her hair. He pulled her back until their noses collided before headbutting her.
Valkyrie felt all the strength leave her body and she fell painfully to the cold concrete floor. She barely registered the pain as her already sore skull met the floor as a new pain in her perineum arose. It was soon followed by a new, stronger pain in her back, and it was only now that she realized that Serpine was kicking her. She could hear him yelling at her, but she couldn't register the words. It was as if he was standing on the other side of the wall, shouting in at her.
She was relieved when the darkness closed in around her and the pain disappeared.
She awoke to a searing pain that made her gasp for breath. It didn't make the pain go away; it only made it worse as she found her whole-body aching. She tried to sit up but screamed loudly in pain. She had at least one broken rib on her right side, and she could feel warm blood running down her back, stomach and legs as the wounds from the whip Serpine had used on her opened.
She lay back down and tried to find a position that didn't hurt to breathe in, but it was difficult. She tried to breathe calmly and relax as the pain only got worse as she tensed. She let her gaze sweep across the room, and she discovered that she was alone, which made her feel relieved.
She had no idea how long she had been unconscious, as there were no windows in here. The only light down here consisted of a bare lightbulb mounted on the wall above Serpine's torture table. Valkyrie suspected Serpine put it there so his victims wouldn't be able to avoid looking at any tools he might use on them. He wanted his victims to understand the power he had over them.
Valkyrie looked down at herself and gasped as she saw all the damage the whip and Serpine's kicks had done to her. She was covered in oblong wounds all over her upper body and a few on her legs that were bleeding faintly as they had opened again when she had tried to sit up. Her belly button was covered in a giant bruise, as was her right side where she had the broken rib.
Tears of fear, pain and hopelessness ran down her cheeks. She tried to cry quietly because she knew that if she started sobbing and shaking, the slight pain she was feeling now would increase to the sharp pain she had felt when she had found out that she had a broken rib. She gently put her arms around herself and curled up in the foetal position in an attempt to comfort herself.
The sound of footsteps made her open her eyes and it was only then that she realized she had dozed off. She sat up on pure instinct and screamed loudly as the pain from her injured body shot through her. She held one hand over her broken rib as she let her gaze wander to the maple door in front of her. It rose with a wheeze and in stepped her captor and torturer, Nefarian Serpine, a grin on his lips.
"I see you're finally awake, Cain. I hope I haven't ruined you too much, as there is so much more, I want to do with you before your body gives up."
"Go to hell, Serpine…" Valkyrie growled and somehow managed to stand up on unsteady legs.
Serpine laughed and walked over to her. He grabbed her arms and placed them behind her back before pulling her in front of him to the centre of the room where the handcuffs hung from their black chains. Ignoring Valkyrie's screams of pain or her attempts to tear herself away from him, he clamped her right wrist in one of the handcuffs before stepping back and studying her.
"There we go. Now I can do whatever I want with you without worrying about you resisting. I'll admit you have a beautiful body Cain, and it hurts me a little to have to ruin something so beautiful."
"You could always just don't do it. You could just let me hang here for a few hours and be uncomfortable," Valkyrie replied as she hung with one arm raised above her head and one heel hovering above the ground. The handcuffs hung so high that she was millimetres from being able to stand fully on her right foot, putting most of her body weight on her pads and toes.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you? Unfortunately, I happen to enjoy hearing people's screams of pain too much to let you get away that easily." Serpine walked over to his torture table and took out a two-inch nail before walking back to Valkyrie and lifting her left hand. "This might hurt a little."
Before Valkyrie could answer, Serpine placed the nail under her fingernail and applied pressure. The nail slid in without resistance and the pain that ensued was excruciating. Valkyrie bit her lip to keep from screaming outright. Serpine looked a little disappointed as he pulled out the nail. He positioned it on the other side of her fingernail and repeated the procedure there. This time Valkyrie let out a weak moan between her closed lips but refused to scream despite the pain. Serpine shook his head and positioned the nail one last time in the middle of her fingernail before driving it in hard and fast.
This time, Valkyrie couldn't hold back any longer. She screamed once before closing her eyes and biting her lip so hard that blood oozed out. Serpine smiled and lifted her fingernail a bit before placing the nail back on the table. He now picked up a small pair of pliers instead and let it wrap around the raised fingernail. Without warning, he pulled his hand back and Valkyrie's fingernail came off her finger.
She stared down at her now nail less finger and it took her a few seconds to realize what had happened. As the initial shock wore off and the pain came over her, she began to shake, and she whimpered softly.
"I must admit I'm impressed with you so far, Cain. Many others in your situation would have screamed themselves hoarse or passed out. You're something special, aren't you? I'm going to enjoy this a lot, I can tell."
Serpine grabbed Valkyrie's wrist and clamped it in the other handcuff. He then went back to the torture table and took up a hammer which he tested the weight of off by hitting it a few times in the palm of his hand. He nodded contentedly to himself before letting the cold hammer head caress Valkyrie's face and neck first. Serpine then let the hammer rest between Valkyrie's chest for a few seconds, watching it rise and fall in time with Valkyrie's laboured breathing. He then let it continue down past her belly, sex and legs until he let it stop above her toes.
"I know it's exhausting hanging in the air like you're doing right now, so I thought I'd be a gentleman and make the experience harder for you."
"Serpine, please…" Valkyrie begged, understanding what Serpine was about to do.
Serpine just smiled in response and swung the hammer with full force down on her left foot. A crunch of bones being broken or maybe even crushed could be heard in the small room. Seconds later it was followed by the echo of Valkyrie's pained and shocked screams bouncing around, around. Serpine raised the hammer again and this time he brought it down on Valkyrie's shin, causing Valkyrie's leg to give way and now she was hanging on one leg. She fell forward and would have fallen to the floor if it weren't for the handcuffs holding her upright.
"Now we're starting to get somewhere, aren't we, Cain?" Serpine said contentedly, putting down the hammer.
Valkyrie didn't know how much time had passed once Serpine left her for the second time, only that it was probably hours. The only thing she was aware of was the pain that enveloped her entire body. In addition to her pulled fingernail and broken foot, she had endured kicks, punches, more lashes, been slashed and burned. Her entire body was now covered in bruises, fresh and dried blood, scabs and burns. She also had another broken rib on her left side, a dislocated shoulder and a swollen knee.
Valkyrie had no idea how serious all these injuries were, but she strongly suspected that she might have minor internal bleeding and a concussion. If she didn't get to a hospital within the next 24 hours, she didn't know if she would last much longer, and the thought brought tears to her eyes. She thought of her family, especially of Alice who would have to grow up without her older sister. She thought about her friends and if they would manage to capture Serpine after she disappeared from this world and put an end to him once and for all?
Her thoughts were beginning to blur and hard to keep track of. Serpine hadn't loosened the handcuffs before he left so in addition to all her new injuries, her muscles began to ache from the awkward position she was half standing/half hanging in. She wished the intense pain she was feeling would make her lose consciousness so she could escape this nightmare for a while, but it never came… Instead, the pain kept her in a state between wakefulness and sleep. She was so thirsty and in dire need of some water. She would give anything for a little water right now…
The maple door opened again and this time it wasn't Serpine who came in, but a young woman dressed in a green dress with the symbol of the Faceless Ones sewn onto one shoulder. In her arms she held a tray. On the tray Valkyrie could see a glass of water and a bowl of hot, steaming soup. Her stomach began to rumble, and she was surprised that she could feel hunger at all in her condition.
The young woman said nothing, just setting the tray down on the floor in front of the bed before walking over to Valkyrie and pulling a key from the pocket sewn to the side of her dress. She unlocked the handcuffs, put the keys back in her dress pocket and helped Valkyrie back to the bed where she gently laid her down. She refused to meet Valkyrie's gaze as she fed her the water and soup. Valkyrie was far too weak to be able to ask questions and was just happy for the food. Her body needed all the nourishment it could get to heal.
When she finished eating, the young woman took the tray with her and left the room. The wall closed behind her, and Valkyrie was once again alone with her pain. She closed her eyes, and it wasn't long before she felt the strong claws of sleep embrace her. She had time to think that now she would at least escape the pain for a little while before she fell into a restless sleep.
"China, we must act now! It's been twenty-four hours since Valkyrie was kidnapped. Who knows what Serpine does to Valkyrie in this moment!" Skulduggery roared, glaring at China.
"Skulduggery, there is nothing I can do to speed up the process. You know without a search warrant from a judge we can't do anything."
"Why don't you use your contacts?!" shouted Skulduggery. "I know you are friends with several judges. I get the feeling you don't want Valkyrie to be found. It's not like you're in cahoots with Creed and Serpine, is it?"
"How dare you accuse me like that?!" China blushed, standing up. "Valkyrie is one of my employees and as her boss it is my duty to make sure she is safe! I'm doing everything I can for us to gain access to the Church of the Faceless, don't believe otherwise!"
Tanith stood between Skulduggery and China. She held up her arms in a reassuring gesture. "Calm down, both of you. I know you're both worried about Valkyrie, but this isn't helping our situation. If we're going to help Valkyrie out of this, you two need to be able to work together."
"I have to agree with Tanith," Ghastly said, standing next to Skulduggery. He put his hand on his best friend's shoulder and squeezed it.
Neither China nor Skulduggery said anything, just stared at each other with hatred in their eyes. Before they could start arguing again, there was a knock-on China's door, and her secretary came in with a piece of paper in her hand. "The search warrant, Ms. Sorrows."
Skulduggery took it from the secretary and stormed out the door with Tanith, China and Ghastly close behind. They followed him as he exited the Sanctuary and got into the Bentley. Before he had time to lift the hill and drive out of the parking lot, all three of them were already in the car.
"You didn't think we were going to let you go without us, Skulduggery?" China said as she buckled her seat belt.
Skulduggery didn't answer but drove as fast as he could to Roarhaven. On the way there, on more than one occasion they came close to being involved in a traffic accident as Skulduggery zigzagged between the cars on the highway. A drive that under normal circumstances would have taken around half an hour now took half as long and it was just after half past two in the afternoon when they drove into Roarhaven.
The sun had just begun its descent, bathing the city in its last rays of sunshine for the day. It was unusually quiet and not many people were out walking the streets. It was just like the people who lived here knew something was about to happen and wanted nothing to do with it. The few people outside stared at the Bentley as it drove past on its way to their church.
Skulduggery parked the Bentley in front of the church gates, turned off the engine and threw himself out of the car in seconds. He strode up the church steps and opened the heavy doors. The two guards standing guard outside the church approached him and asked him to leave the place, but Skulduggery just pushed his way between them and continued into the church. He looked around and when he couldn't see the person he was looking for, he called out his name: "Serpine!"
Tanith, Ghastly and China also entered the church. China held up the search warrant and ordered the guards to retrieve Creed when a voice said "That won't be necessary, China. I am already here."
Creed came walking towards them from a side door to their left that China knew led to his private room. She held the paper up in front of Creed who completely ignored it as he was fully aware of what was written on it. Instead, he stood in front of their small group of four, looking completely relaxed. He bowed before asking what he could help them with.
"Tell us where Serpine is holding Valkyrie captive," Skulduggery said in a voice that was completely devoid of any emotion.
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Detective Pleasant. It may be true that Serpine is a member of my congregation, but I know nothing about this Valkyrie you speak of. No one with that name has come here."
"Cut the bullshit! We know that you and Serpine brought her here yesterday and that she has not been seen leaving the church since."
"Then you must be misinformed." Creed turned to China and looked her in the eye. "China, how wonderful it is to see you again, although I wish the circumstances had been somewhat different."
"Creed don't try to talk your way out of this. I have a search warrant here that allows me to search your church from top to bottom. You can make this much easier for yourself and your congregation if you co-operate with us."
While Creed and China talked, Skulduggery walked around the church looking for clues that might tell him where Valkyrie might be. So far, he hadn't found anything, and he knew there were many more rooms that would need to be searched. He studied Creed out of the corner of his eye as he walked around, but so far, he was acting normal. Skulduggery let his gaze sweep over the altar aisle and then caught sight of a door that was slightly out of sight in the corner next to the altar.
Skulduggery walked over and heard Creed interrupt himself the moment he opened the door. The room he stepped into consisted of a table, two chairs, a window and a bookshelf. Skulduggery walked over to the bookcase and studied it carefully. He could hear Creed approaching with China, Tanith and Ghastly close behind. He completely ignored them and concentrated on the bookshelf. Something about it wasn't right and at first, he couldn't understand what was bothering him, but when he looked closely at the books, he discovered that one of the books was not properly pressed down.
"Let's see what kind of secrets you have hidden behind here…" Skulduggery muttered to himself before grabbing the book and trying to pull it out.
"You leave that alone!" Creed roared behind him the second the bookcase slid aside, revealing the secret stone staircase.
"You're staying here with us," China said, grabbing one of Creed's arms. "We have some questions we would like to ask you."
Skulduggery turned to his companions. "Keep him here. If Serpine should appear, do all you can to capture him. We can't let him escape one more time. If he is with Valkyrie right now, I will personally put an end to him."
"Be careful, Skul," Ghastly said helping China hold Creed while Tanith took out a pair of handcuffs and let them wrap around Creed's wrists.
"You too," Skulduggery said before turning and walking down the stone steps.
After a few minutes he came to a dead end. He put his ear to the wall and could hear the sound of someone talking inside before Valkyrie's terrified screams interrupted the person talking. Skulduggery backed away from the wall and looked around. There must be some way to open this door! He let his gaze sweep over the walls around him and he caught sight of a lever sitting to the right of the wall he had directly in front of him. He pulled the lever, and a hissing sound could be heard before the wall opened inwards.
What he saw as soon as the wall fully opened would haunt him for the rest of his life...