Skulduggery Pleasant: Books 1 - 12. Derek Landy

yourself with the detective. I also have a plan to deal with him.”

      “Oh?”

      “Skulduggery Pleasant has always had one weakness – he forms attachments to people who are very easily killed. In the past, it was his wife and child. Now, it is this girl that is with him, this Valkyrie Cain. He is only a threat to us if he is thinking clearly. You know as well as I do that once he becomes angry, his judgement is clouded.”

      “So what are you going to do?”

      “I have already done it, Bliss. I have sent someone to… cloud his judgement. In less than an hour, Valkyrie Cain will be dead and Skulduggery Pleasant will trouble us no longer.”

       25

      THE WHITE CLEAVER

      ay had been beaten back by the time they got to Denholm Street, and the night was soaking through the city. It was a long street, dirty and quiet. The Bentley pulled up outside the warehouse. Ghastly and Tanith were waiting for them when they got out.

      “Anyone inside?” Skulduggery asked, checking that his gun was loaded.

      “Not as far as we can tell,” Ghastly said, “but they could be masking their presence. If Serpine is in there, or Bliss, we’re going to need back-up.”

      “They aren’t here,” Skulduggery said.

      “How do you know?” Stephanie asked.

      “Serpine used this place for something, something big and strange enough to raise a few eyebrows. He’d know eyebrows were being raised, he’d know I’d hear about it, so he’s already moved on.”

      “Then why are we here?”

      “You can only anticipate what someone is going to do if you know exactly what that someone has just done.”

      They approached the single door, and Tanith put her ear against it and listened. After a moment she put her hand over the lock, but instead of the lock breaking, this time Stephanie heard it click.

      “How come you can’t do that?” Stephanie whispered to Skulduggery. “It’s faster than picking a lock and quieter than blasting the door down.”

      He shook his head sadly. “A living skeleton isn’t enough for you, is it? What does it take to impress young people these days?”

      Stephanie grinned. Tanith pushed the door open and they went inside. The door led straight into the warehouse office, a dark, poky room with a desk and an empty corkboard. The place obviously hadn’t been used by any reputable company for quite some time. The office had a door that opened out to the warehouse proper, and a grime-covered window that Stephanie peered through.

      “Seems quiet enough,” she said.

      Skulduggery hit a few switches on the wall and lights flickered on. They walked out on to the warehouse floor. There were pigeons in the rafters, high above them, that cooed and hooted and fluttered from one perch to the next, startled by the sudden light. They walked to the middle of the warehouse, where an array of what appeared to be medical equipment was collected around an operating table. Stephanie looked at Skulduggery.

      “Any ideas?” she asked.

      He hesitated. “Let’s get the obvious out of the way. A lot of these machines would suggest that some kind of transfusion took place here.”

      Tanith held up a tube, examining the residue within. “I’m not a doctor, but I don’t think this is the result of medical research.”

      “Magic then,” Ghastly said.

      “You can inject magic?” Stephanie asked, frowning.

      “You can inject fluids with magical properties,” Skulduggery told her as he took the tube from Tanith. “Before we had wonderful machines like this, it was a far messier process, but the result was the same.”

      “And what was the result?”

      “The patient came out of the operation a changed man. Or woman. Or… thing. The question here is, what was the object of the game? What changes was Serpine seeking?”

      “And who was the patient?”

      “Patients, actually.”

      “Sorry?”

      “There are two sets of needles, two IV bags, two of everything – enough to take care of two separate operations. We’ll take a sample back to the Sanctuary, break it down and try to find out what it does. But for right now, everyone take a look around.”

      “What are we looking for?” Stephanie asked.

      “Clues.”

      Stephanie glanced at Tanith, saw her raise an eyebrow sceptically and managed to restrain her grin.

      Skulduggery and Ghastly walked slowly, passing their gaze over every surface, examining every centimetre of the machines, the table and the surrounding area. Stephanie and Tanith found themselves side by side, looking straight down at the floor.

      “What does a clue look like?” Tanith whispered.

      Stephanie fought the giggle down and whispered back. “I’m not sure. I’m looking for a footprint or something.”

      “Have you found one yet?”

      “No. But that’s probably because I haven’t moved from this spot.”

      “Maybe we should move, pretend we know what we’re doing.”

      “That’s a good idea.”

      They started to walk, very slowly, still looking straight down. “How’s the magic coming along?” Tanith asked, keeping her voice low.

      “I moved a shell.”

      “Hey, congratulations!”

      Stephanie shrugged modestly. “It was only a shell.”

      “Makes no difference. Well done.”

      “Thanks. What age were you when you first did magic?”

      “I was born into it,” Tanith answered. “Folks were sorcerers – my brother was always doing something. I grew up doing magic.”

      “I didn’t know you had a brother.”

      “Oh, yeah, a big brother and all. You have any brothers?”

      “I’m an only child.”

      Tanith shrugged. “I always wanted a little sister. My brother’s great, I love him to death, but I always wanted a little sister to talk to, to share my secrets with, you know?”

      “I wouldn’t mind a sister either.”

      “Any chance of that happening?”

      “I can’t see what would be in it for my parents. I mean, they have the perfect daughter already – what more could they want?”

      Tanith laughed, then tried to cover it up with a cough.

      “Found something?” Skulduggery asked from behind them.

      Tanith turned, looking serious. “No, sorry. I thought I had, but, no, it turned out to be, uh… more floor.”

      Stephanie hugged herself, trying to stop her shoulders from shaking with laughter.

      “OK,” Skulduggery said. “Well, keep looking.”

      Tanith nodded, turned back and nudged Stephanie to get her to shut up. Stephanie clamped a hand over her mouth