House Of Madness

Chapter 20 Grave Fletcher

On the night before Grave's trial after Ari had left, Grave had asked Alice a question.
"If you could go anywhere where would you want to go?"
Alice hadn't had to think, "nowhere." I would simply evaporate.
Grave liked her answer, it was honest.
Grave was perceptive, he knew she had nowhere to go.
"If I could go anywhere I would want to go to the ocean."
Alice smiled, "there aren't any of those left."
"How do you know?"
"Because that's what they tell us. Besides, have you ever seen an ocean?"
Grave had never, "nope!"
"Than why do you think they're still around?"
Grave smiled, "because lately I've been seeing things I never thought I would."
Alice had known than, he wasn't taking about the ocean anymore.

"Get up!"
Alice opened her eyes and was in horror at what she saw.
Grave was getting forcibly removed out of his cell.
The day had come, Grave was to be given his trial.
"No! You can't do this! He's done nothing wrong!" Alice screamed, it hadn't mattered because no one listen to her.
"Let him go!"

Finn's head hurt, he was very hung over and Alice's pitchy voice wasn't helping.
He broke first, "I don't make the laws, I just follow them.
He broke a rule and now he has to live with the consequences."
"And what rule was that? How is giving away his riches breaking a rule?"
Finn would have answered but he hadn't known.
Finn wasn't great at memorizing things so he had no idea what law or laws Grave broke.
Finn was just doing his job, he was just doing what he was told.
Seeing Grave leaving, it had changed Alice.
Alice knew he was going to be executed today but watching him being lead to his death was too much.
In response with no other choice Alice had called to the one person who could help.
The one person who could fix this, Alice knew he could because she had seen him do it once before when Kit's trial date was set.
Alice prayed that it wasn't to late, "Nik! I want to make a bargain!"

Nik had passed out at Nivens and Terrett's house.
It hadn't been part of the plan but the tea had been so good.
Turns out the tea was 'special tea' and it had alcohol in it.
Large amounts of alcohol.
In Nik's defence he hadn't known there was alcohol in it because there was just enough that he couldn't tell but enough that after ten cups he would be plastered.
Nik really should of known, or at least been suspicious at why the tea had been so good. Nivens had the day off and apparently him and Terrett always did this when he didn't have work the next day.
Terrett telling him that was the last thing he had remembered before he had blacked out.
Now he was ready to leave, he had done more than his part.
Ember was somewhere safe and he could live with the fact that because of him a bunch of his eventual subjects are dead.
'Fuck.'
Because of Nik looking for Alice that one night his mother followed and to teach him a lesson had burned the Rocky Hotel to the ground.
It would never be enough, Nik would always be at fault.
At least with Ember not dead and no alone some of the overwhelming pain of guilt left.
Nik had showered, and ate breakfast extremely slow.
He had wanted to stall.
He left Nivens and Terrett's loving home with a goodbye and the intention of coming back very soon.
He had been halfway to his flat when his arm started to tingle.
His hands started to tingle and with a gut feeling he had turned around and starting heading to the House Of Madness.

Alice was balling in her cell when Nik finally arrived.
Nik hadn't meant to be a prick but it kind of just happened, "what's the matter with you?"
Alice sniffled, "they took Grave!"
Nik had never heard the name and had to ask, "who the fuck?"
"Grave!" Alice screamed like her yelling it would somehow trigger Nik's memory.
"Again, who the fuck is that?"
"The human turned fae, he was in the cell beside mine."
Nik glanced, the cell was empty, "well he's gone now."
Alice squinted her eyes, "he got taken for his trial this morning."
Nik squinted his eyes back, "and I care because?"
"I want to make a deal to save him."
Nik took a heavy breath in, "why?"
"It shouldn't matter to you why, it's none of your business.
Will you make a deal with me to save him or not?"
Nik was too old and tired for this shite, but he humoured her anyways, "what do you have to possibly bargain with?
What could you give me that I don't already have?"
"Save Grave from his trial and I'll do whatever you want."
"We've had this conversation, don't offer things you aren't willing to pay.
Besides I already get you a day every year from our last bargain.
It would be more than stupid to bargain with me again."
"I have to save Grave", Alice said annoyed that Nik didn't understand.
"Why do you think he's still alive?
You said they came for him this morning, he's probably long dead."
Alice knew he was right but she needed to at least try, "he's not dead."
Alice's ability to lie not just to others but to herself never stopped seeming amazing to Nik.
There was something utterly blissful about being that naïve.
"I'll be generous, I'll check to see if he's still alive.
If he is I'll make a deal with you."
Alice nodded once.
As Nik left the House Of Madness he couldn't believe how much Alice had him wrapped around her finger.
'And she doesn't even know it', Nik thought with a smile.