Skulduggery Pleasant: Books 1 - 12. Derek Landy

at us, but he broke off to the north wing, to the Repository. I have people down there now, trying to ascertain what he was after.”

      There was a curse and they turned to see Davina Marr pointing her gun at them, fury in her eyes. “Step away from the Grand Mage,” she demanded.

      Guild shook his head. “Put down the gun, Detective.”

      “Sir, these people are fugitives! Pleasant and Cain were working with the vampires! They assaulted me!”

      “They were not working with the vampires,” Guild said, “and as much as it pains me to admit it, they saved my life. They’re free to go, Detective Marr. Put down the gun. That is an order.”

      Marr blinked and lowered the weapon. “The Desolation Engine,” she said dully.

      “What?”

      “Dusk took the Desolation Engine. We’re doing a visual search now, but it appears to be the only item that’s missing.”

      “What’s the Desolation Engine?” Valkyrie asked.

      “Essentially, it’s a bomb,” Ghastly said. “It obliterates everything within its radius, wipes it all out. These days it would be called a Weapon of Mass Destruction.”

      “It was only ever used once,” Tanith said. “Back in, when was it, 1498? A town outside of Naples. Every living thing, every building, tree and stone, was obliterated.”

      Valkyrie frowned. “Why is there a bomb in the Repository?”

      “That’s a very good question.”

      “It’s been made safe,” Guild said. “It can’t be activated. It was kept here because it’s the only one of its kind. The Engine is useless to whoever has it.”

      “You’re sure about that?” Skulduggery asked.

      “Positive. It’s a paperweight now.”

      “That may be so, but there’s a reason Dusk went after it.”

      “Then get it back,” Guild said. “Do what you need to do to find them and stop them. You will have access to every resource we have for the duration of the investigation.” He sighed. “Pleasant, I don’t like you and the idea that you were going to spend the rest of your existence on a world of Faceless Ones really warmed my heart these past few months. My wife was saying to me just the other day how she’s noticed a spring in my step lately. That was because I thought you were gone forever.”

      “I missed you too, Thurid.”

      “But it’s time to set my personal loathing of you to one side. We’ve just witnessed a massacre, and we need to catch those responsible and make them pay.”

      “You seek revenge,” said Skulduggery.

      “I seek retribution.”

      Skulduggery looked at him and nodded. Valkyrie and the others followed him as he walked away. Marr glared at them with fury in her eyes and they left her to whatever argument she was about to have with her boss.

      “I’m only going to be telling you the absolute minimum about what I’ve been doing these past eleven months,” Skulduggery said to Ghastly and Tanith as they reached the Foyer and climbed the stairs, “so don’t bother prying.”

      “Fine with me,” Ghastly said.

      “A little prying would have been nice,” Skulduggery mumbled. They passed through the Waxworks Museum and emerged into the chill night air to find Fletcher standing beside the Bentley. His arms were folded.

      “You abandoning me?” he asked crossly as they neared. “Is that what’s happening? I do what you need me to do and then you discard me, yeah?”

      “This really isn’t the time to be petty,” Valkyrie said, frowning at him.

      “On the contrary,” Skulduggery said, “this is an excellent time to be petty. Fletcher, we didn’t bring you with us because we didn’t want to risk you.”

      Fletcher narrowed his eyes. “So … I’m still on the team?”

      “Of course you are,” Skulduggery said happily. “Apart from anything else, you’re the only one who can guarantee that we escape any more vampires that we come across. You’re going to prolong all our lives, my boy.”

      “I am?”

      “You are. You, Fletcher Renn, are good for our health.”

      Fletcher beamed.

      “You’re like our own little vegetable,” Skulduggery continued and Fletcher’s smile disappeared.

      “I need my sword,” said Tanith.

      “I’ll take you to it,” Skulduggery said. “Valkyrie, take Fletcher and go and see China.”

      Fletcher frowned. “I’m not a bus.”

      Skulduggery ignored him. “If anyone has heard rumours abut Sanguine or Dusk, she has. The fact of the matter is that Sanguine doesn’t do anything for free, so if there is someone paying his bills, we need to find out who that is, and what he wants with both the Desolation Engine and the Soul Catcher.”

      “Or what she wants,” Valkyrie added.

      “That’s a good point,” Skulduggery said. “This might be the first move Darquesse makes on her road to destruction. If it is, then we’re in a lot of trouble.”

      “And if it isn’t?”

      “Let’s face it,” he admitted, “we’re probably still in a lot of trouble.”

      

      alkyrie and Fletcher appeared in China’s library. It was late at night and there was nobody around. Fletcher didn’t say anything as they walked and she knew he was thinking about Skulduggery’s dismissive attitude towards him. Fletcher didn’t talk much about his parents. She knew his mother was dead, but he rarely mentioned his father. Was that why he could be so insecure and intimidated by Skulduggery? Was Fletcher harbouring a secret need for a father figure’s approval?

      She led the way across the hall and knocked on the apartment door. China bid them enter. Valkyrie turned to Fletcher.

      “You stay out here,” she said.

      He frowned. “Why?”

      “Because China’s probably still weak after being shot and she doesn’t need the both of us in there. Also every time you’re around her you make a fool of yourself.”

      “Not every time.”

      “You’re staying out here.”

      “I think you’re confusing me with a dog.”

      “Stay.”

      He looked annoyed so she left him to it and stepped in, closing the door behind her.

      China walked in from the bedroom and Valkyrie stared. China looked awful. She was too pale and her eyes looked bruised. She moved stiffly and wore a silk robe tied with a sash. Still beautiful, unnaturally so, but sick. For the first time Valkyrie saw China in a moment of weakness and she didn’t know what to say.

      “Your silence says it all,” China said, a faint smile on her bloodless lips.

      “I’m sorry.”

      “Nonsense.” She sank into a chair with an audible sigh. “Take a seat, Valkyrie. You reaction is refreshing. Most people do their best not to