Deep in the Void

Chapter 28

Ceris

Ceris walked sullenly along the deck of the small boat, hands tied behind her back, dried blood cracking along much of her body, leg still throbbing from where it had been impaled. The air of the last ours of night was chilly, and she couldn't stop herself shivering. Two guards walked on either side of her. Behind her, Arabella was being escorted in a similar manner.
And behind her...Pearl. Walking aside Pontus, head down, hands unbound. In a way, Ceris was unsurprised. It had been clear that tensions had been rising between Pearl and Arabella. What worried her was that Arabella had barely even reacted.

Once everyone was on board, Pearl and Pontus included, the boat set off, only the slightest hum of magic indicating it's manner of propulsion, making for the ship that, as usual, sat in the water on the left of the Great Orchid.
Ceris could see several other boats moving in the same direction. The silhouette of Purple Reaper was visible on one, violently fighting against his guards, making clear that this mutiny had not been a universal decision.

'Pearl, what is the meaning of this?'
Ceris started at Arabella's voice.
She'd expected anger, fury, something, some form of reaction to her crew's betrayal. Instead, the vampire's voice was merely tired, as though this was just the final, fully expected event in a thoroughly miserable day.
Then it occurred to Ceris that that may well be the truth.

Pontus answered her question.
'You are no longer fit to lead us. Your recent personal feelings have been distracting you from your duty. So we have chosen to remove you.'
Arabella was silent, confirming Ceris's suspicion that she was past caring.
The boat reached the ship, bumping gently against the side as waves of dark water lapped at its sides.
Pontus spoke again, clearly relishing his new power.
'You and the interloper will be imprisoned here until we find a convenient island to maroon you on. Not, of course, before we entertain you by putting any loyalists to death.'
Arabella still didn't speak.
Ceris twisted round partially to look at her.
The vampire was slumped between her guards, hands tied like Ceris's, with the addition of a magic-nulling amulet round her neck.
Her face was blank, devoid of emotion.
Ceris tried to catch her eye, but the pink haired pirate just stared at the floor.
'Teleport us.' ordered Pontus, looking at Pearl.
The white Enderman nodded, and the group appeared on the deck of the ship with a rush of air displacement.
He could have had us teleported any time he wished, thought Ceris. He just wanted an opportunity to gloat. Narcissistic bastard.
She had thought almost the exact same thing when she'd once been captured by Lance and the Void Lord had personally escorted her to the cells.

The layout of the deck was almost identical to the ship they had just left, although there were two stairwells: one leading below the rear deck, the other towards the front of the ship.
The guard on her left gave her a push towards the back stairwell. Giving him a look that would have made a Zoglin stop dead, she walked forwards down the stairs, toward the darkness at the bottom.
Arabella followed behind, and from the sound of her stumbles, Ceris could tell the guards pushed her more than once.

The stairs were not long, and soon they reached a jail cell.
'We're putting them in the same cell?'
Pearl's sullen voice sounded out, no more cheerful than usual for having betrayed her captain and leader.
Ceris turned and looked at Pontus. Endermen's faces were permanently smiling anyway, but he was clearly amused.
'That's right. Put the lovebirds together.'
Ceris barely had time for confusion at this statement to set in, before she was shoved in through the iron door. Arabella stumbled in a moment later, and the door slammed. It's frame glowed for a moment, then faded. It appeared the same, but Ceris didn't doubt that it was now locked tighter than the stone-hard shell of dragon egg. Her restraints crumbled to ash, leaving her free to slam a fist against the locked door, for all the good it did.
'Enjoy your stay.'
A line so cliche it made Ceris want to mutilate the speaker wafted through the grille set into the door, and the footsteps of Pontus, Pearl and the guards receded up the stairs.
She glanced round at her surroundings. Plain Endstone walls and floor, another iron door which presumably lead to a bathroom, and a single metal bed with white sheets. Sparse, to say the least, though Ceris had seen worse. At least it was clean.