Skulduggery Pleasant: Books 1 - 12. Derek Landy

turned to see Sanguine approach, smiling that wicked smile. She clicked the fingers of both her hands and flames filled her grip, but cracks spider-webbed at Sanguine’s feet and he sank into the floor. Valkyrie turned, wary, ignoring the sounds of Skulduggery’s fight, listening for the tell-tale crumbling that signified Sanguine’s movements underground.

      She heard it and knew he was rising up out of the ground directly behind her. She lashed out a back kick and felt it connect. She turned to see Sanguine sprawling, hands at his face, his sunglasses broken neatly in two and his nose pumping blood. His eyeless face contorting in pain and fury, he scrambled up and made a grab for her.

      Valkyrie ducked under his right arm and kicked at his leg and he went down on one knee, and she followed through with an elbow to the back of his head. He dropped forward, on to his hands, and swung his leg back viciously, catching both of her ankles. She crashed to the ground and his hands were on her as he got to his feet. She tried to break his hold, but he was too strong and he hurled her into a row of shelves. The shelves toppled, artefacts smashing, and Valkyrie followed them to the floor.

      She scrambled up and tried to push at the air, but Sanguine was too fast. He punched, and her head snapped around and white light exploded in her vision, and even as she was falling, she tasted the blood. Suddenly she was on the ground, her left hand covering her mouth, aware that one of her front teeth was missing. Her body was leaden, drained of its strength, and all she could think about was that her tooth had been knocked out and the hassle it would be to explain that to her mother.

      A brown shoe appeared beside her face and Sanguine knelt, opening his straight razor, the blood from his nose flowing freely on to her coat.

      “You deserve this,” he snarled, bringing the blade to her throat.

      There was a gunshot and he screamed and fell to one side, clutching his leg. Behind him, Skulduggery switched targets, but Krav slapped the gun out of his hand.

      Cursing in pain, Sanguine got up and, ignoring Valkyrie, lurched to the cage. He pressed his hand against a symbol and it flashed. Valkyrie rolled away, expecting the death field to envelop them all as Skulduggery had warned. But the symbol faded, as did all the others. The cage door opened and Sanguine dragged himself inside. He reached for the Grotesquery, and at his touch, the chains released their hold and the bandaged torso fell heavily.

      “I have it!” he snapped.

      Krav snarled at Skulduggery, cheated out of his kill, and strode for the cage, as the ground crumbled beneath them and Sanguine took Krav and the Grotesquery down and away.

      Skulduggery snatched up his gun and hurried to Valkyrie. She became aware of the pounding on the double doors. The Resolute Thread was holding, but even as she watched, the blade of a scythe pierced the door and withdrew. The Cleavers were hacking their way in.

      “Let me see,” Skulduggery said, helping her to sit up. He took her face in his gloved hand and tilted her head back. Blood was running down her chin and she was doing her best not to swallow. “Open your mouth.”

      Valkyrie shook her head. She had tears in her eyes – partly from shock, partly from distress. Billy-Ray Sanguine had taken her smile with one vicious punch.

      Skulduggery pulled her to her feet. A sliver of cold air hissed through her teeth and she moaned in pain. She kept her lips pressed tightly together.

      The double doors fell apart and Thurid Guild stormed into the Repository, flanked by two Cleavers. He saw the empty cage.

      “Get them!” he thundered.

      Skulduggery grabbed Valkyrie’s hand and dragged her into the maze of shelves. One of the Cleavers bounded from Guild’s side and leaped high, landing in front of them, scythe swinging to block their way. Skulduggery thrust at the air, but the Cleaver moved through the ripples. The other Cleaver was coming in from behind, moving to trap them.

      They couldn’t afford to be arrested. The Diablerie had the Isthmus Anchor, which meant their next move would be to track down and snatch Fletcher Renn. They had to get out of here.

      Skulduggery’s gun was still in his right hand and he fired, point blank, into the first Cleaver’s chest. The Cleaver staggered, his uniform protecting him, and Skulduggery added to his backward momentum with a kick. The Cleaver went down and they jumped over him.

      They ran to the end of the row and Skulduggery grabbed the cloaking sphere, then rammed a shoulder into the shelf and the whole thing toppled over. Artefacts crashed to the ground, unnatural smoke billowed and there were cries, like a dozen trapped souls suddenly released. In the confusion, Valkyrie ducked low and followed Skulduggery on a course through the shelves, heading for the door. She could hear Guild barking orders as reinforcements arrived.

      The smoke reached her and smelled foul, and by instinct she took a breath through her mouth, immediately stumbling with the pain. Clamping both hands over her bloody lips, she blinked the tears away and saw Skulduggery disappearing into another row of shelves. She hurried after him, but froze as a Cleaver stepped in front of her.

      His visored helmet swept his surroundings. She stayed frozen. He’d see her in a matter of moments.

      Gloved hands emerged from the gloom behind the Cleaver and yanked him back out of sight.

      Valkyrie stayed where she was, waiting for the fight to erupt, but there was only stillness.

      She peered through the shelves and saw Guild, standing there with a furious look on his face. There was movement behind him and Valkyrie realised that a Cleaver had been standing there only moments before.

      She moved forward, staying low and quiet. She darted across the gap between shelves and followed another row which led her closer to the door. Another Cleaver ran in and Guild waved to him to stop.

      “Stay there,” he ordered. “Make sure they don’t leave.”

      The Cleaver pulled out his scythe. He was the only thing between her and the door. The unnatural smoke trailed and sank and swept up, and it passed in front of her, obscuring her line of sight. When the smoke cleared, the Cleaver was gone.

      Skulduggery moved out of the darkness and waited by the door. Valkyrie checked to make sure no one was looking. She crept to the end of the row and Skulduggery nodded to her, then she hurried by him and out into the corridor.

      They ran.

      A sorcerer Valkyrie vaguely recognised saw them and frowned, but Skulduggery pushed at the air and the sorcerer shot back off his feet. They took the corridor to their left, heading away from the busiest areas.

      “There’s another way out,” Skulduggery said as they sprinted. “Eachan Meritorious told me about it once. For emergency use only. Guild doesn’t know I know about it.”

      They burst into a large oval-shaped room with a single light source that kept the edges of the room in darkness. It was the room where Valkyrie had first met the Elders, two years before.

      Valkyrie turned to swing the door shut, but Remus Crux charged through, sending her to the ground. His gun was in his hand and Skulduggery moved into him, trapping his gun hand against his ribs. Crux tried to protest, but Skulduggery caught him with a right hook. Crux’s knees wobbled and Skulduggery disarmed him and flipped him to the floor.

      Valkyrie heard footsteps in the corridor and clicked her fingers to get Skulduggery’s attention. He took the cloaking sphere from his jacket and twisted both hemispheres in opposite directions. A bubble of haze erupted outwards, enveloping them and Crux.

      Thurid Guild ran up to the door, followed by three Cleavers. Valkyrie tried to ignore the pain in her mouth and prepared to fight, but Skulduggery laid a hand on her shoulder.

      “They can’t see or hear us,” he said. “Everything magical is now cloaked.”

      The sphere in his hand was gently ticking, as both hemispheres slowly worked their way back into alignment.

      “Grand Mage,” Crux called weakly. “Help me.”

      But Guild couldn’t