Skulduggery Pleasant: Books 1 - 12. Derek Landy

you’re here,” frowned Valkyrie. “If a part of you hates him, wouldn’t you have wanted to stay in the Sanctuary, away from him?”

      “I’m a practical girl, Val, and the practical side of my brain pretty much tells the stupid side what to do. So I’m cool here.”

      She shrugged and winced and Valkyrie noticed the bandages on her shoulders.

      “How are you?” she asked.

      “I just told you.”

      “No, you told me how your injuries are.”

      “All right then, I’m doing OK actually. The pain wasn’t really any worse than the White Cleaver stabbing me in the back, but the White Cleaver didn’t talk, you know? That Remnant thing in the Professor just would not shut up.”

      “Tanith, you were tortured.”

      “Everyone gets tortured these days. Skulduggery was tortured by Serpine, who then turned around and did that red right-hand thing at you. Then Skulduggery was tortured again by the Faceless Ones. I figured it was my turn, you know? You’re not part of the team if you haven’t been tortured – that’s what I always say. Well, I’ll be saying that from now on anyway.”

      Valkyrie stood there, feeling stupid and awkward. Tanith had been put through hell and Valkyrie didn’t have the first idea how to talk to her about it. The pain was evident in her friend’s eyes, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. Valkyrie searched clumsily for the words she needed, but they weren’t coming to her.

      “What are they going to do with the Remnant?” Tanith asked, breaking the silence.

      “We’ve handed it over to Wreath,” Valkyrie told her and Tanith’s face soured.

      “Why does he want it?”

      “Well, technically, the Soul Catcher is his and he asked for it back. He just wants to study it for a while, now that it actually contains something. He’ll bring the Remnant back to the Midnight Hotel when he’s done.”

      “I don’t know how you can trust that guy, Val.”

      “He’s helped me a lot over the last year. He’s helped all of us.”

      Tanith looked like she was about to argue and then there was a beep from somewhere overhead, and she groaned. “Just when you get comfortable.”

      Tanith gripped the edges of the tub and rose out of it, moving stiffly. The mud covered her completely as she reached her arm out. Valkyrie grabbed her elbow with both hands to make sure she didn’t slip and helped her into a white bathrobe. Tanith wiped her face clean with a towel.

      There was a knock on the door. Valkyrie looked over her shoulder to find Skulduggery standing in the doorway.

      “Tanith,” he said. “You’re looking great.”

      “And I’m ready to go,” Tanith said.

      “Is that so?”

      “You give me my sword back and I’m right behind you.”

      Before Skulduggery could answer, Tanith’s left leg buckled and Valkyrie grabbed her as she fell, guiding her to the chair.

      “Bloody hell,” Tanith growled. “That hurts.”

      “Tanith …” Skulduggery began.

      “You want to know if I learned anything, right?” she said, pain lending her words an edge. “You want to know if Sanguine or any of them let something slip in all their gloating? They didn’t. They kept me shackled in a room and then they gave me to the Professor. Forgive me, but there are patches of the last twelve hours that are a little fuzzy.”

      “They didn’t mention any names? Places? Times?”

      “The Remnant in the Professor talked about a lot of stuff. Mainly about how happy he was to have finally found a friend.”

      Skulduggery nodded slowly. “OK. All right, thank you.”

      “But what does it matter? We have the Desolation Engine, right?”

      “We do, but I’d have liked to have known their target. If they can’t take it down with the bomb, they might try some other way.”

      “Or they’re all running,” Tanith said. “Let’s face it – none of these guys are great team players. They’re all in it for their own reasons, so the moment the big plan goes wrong, I think they’re going to split.”

      “That is possible. It’s also very likely.”

      “If you want my opinion, it’s over. Now all we have to do is track each one of them down. And I want in on that action, Skulduggery. Springheeled Jack threw me off a moving car. I owe him a few slaps.”

      “The moment you’re fighting fit, we’ll call you.”

      “I’m ready now.”

      “You can’t even walk, Tanith.”

      “An hour or two is all I need.”

      “A few days’ rest – those were your doctor’s orders.”

      “Yeah, well, my doctor’s the one who tortured me for God’s sake. I don’t think his opinion really matters, do you?”

      Valkyrie looked at her boots. Skulduggery was silent.

      “Fine,” Tanith muttered.

      “Valkyrie,” Skulduggery said as he left, “we have work to do.”

      She looked at Tanith. “You’re really OK, huh?”

      “Don’t start, Val.”

      Valkyrie hunkered down until she was looking straight into Tanith’s eyes. “You’re my sister,” she said. “I have another sister or maybe a brother on the way, but you’re my sister too. I want you to stay here and get better, and try to accept the fact, with every part of you, that it wasn’t Kenspeckle who did this. I want you to be OK. OK?”

      “OK,” Tanith said softly. Valkyrie hugged her and kissed her cheek.

      “You’ve got mud on your chin,” smiled Tanith.

      “Yeah, but I make it work.”

      Ghastly and Anton Shudder were waiting for them in the darkened cinema. Fletcher appeared on the stage, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

      “You have a visitor,” he said. “Your friend the vampire’s outside. He wants to talk to Valkyrie.”

      “By all means,” Skulduggery said. Then, much to Fletcher’s satisfaction, he said, “Fletcher, you go with her. Caelan’s been banished from vampire society because of us. He might be cross.”

      Valkyrie glared. “I don’t need protection.”

      “A vampire’s waiting for you outside – of course you need protection. Keep it brief. We’ll be waiting for you.”

      Fletcher grinned. Valkyrie shot him a look and jumped off the stage. He followed her up the aisle and out of the gloom.

      Caelan was standing just outside the door. He turned to them as they approached, his dark eyes on Valkyrie. It was as if he didn’t even notice Fletcher beside her.

      “Hi,” she said. “Anything wrong?”

      “My home was burned down,” Caelan said. “My cage was destroyed. Moloch has lifted his protection – the other vampires see me as fair game now.”

      “Oh, God,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”

      “That is terrible,” Fletcher muttered.

      “I have no friends left,” Caelan continued, “and nowhere to go. I thought you or the skeleton would have a suggestion. I need somewhere secure.”