by Derek Landy
Sebastian lowered the remote. “What do you mean?”
“What Forby’s doing with the machine and all?”
“Looking for Darquesse?”
“No. Well, yes, but not the search itself – just the likelihood of finding her.”
Sebastian sighed. “It’s tricky,” he admitted. “I’ve got this little voice in my head and every day it whispers to me, Maybe Darquesse is dead. Maybe the Faceless Ones tore her apart years ago.”
“Or maybe, if we find her, she won’t want to come back.”
Sebastian frowned. “You think that’s a possibility?”
“Don’t you?”
“I don’t know. It never occurred to me that she might not want to return. I mean, this is her home.”
“That she left.”
“Well, yeah, but she left under false pretences, didn’t she?”
“Which brings me to my next point,” Bennet said. “What if she comes back to finish the job? If we find her, if we tell her that she was fooled into thinking she’d ended all life on earth … what if she only comes back to do it for real?”
“That,” said Sebastian, “is a possibility. We all know that. But do you believe it?”
“No,” said Bennet. “But can I be trusted? Can any of us be trusted? We saw what Darquesse can do. We saw her power and it unlocked something in us, a love and a devotion that could quite possibly be self-destructive. I don’t think she’d kill us if she returned. But I might be wrong. We all might be wrong.”
“Sounds like you’re going through a crisis of faith, my friend.”
Bennet suddenly looked flustered, like he’d miscalculated. “I mean … I mean, I’m still devoted to—”
Sebastian held up a hand. “I didn’t mean it as an accusation. Of course you’re doubting all this. Everything you’ve said is one hundred per cent true. These are the thoughts that go through my mind a thousand times a day.”
Bennet relaxed. “So how do you handle it?”
“I … believe, I suppose. I choose to believe that it’ll work out, that we’ll find her, we’ll bring her home, and that everything will be OK. You’re not alone here, Bennet.”
Bennet finished his first beer, and put the empty bottle on the coffee table. “Well, neither are you. I hope you know that.”
Sebastian smiled. “Thank you. So, which channel is the game on?”
“I don’t know,” Bennet answered. “I don’t even like football. I came over here because I was lonely and I thought we could hang out. Do you have any video games? I’m pretty good at—”
Bennet’s phone beeped at the same time as Sebastian’s buzzed. They looked at their screens at the same time. It was a message. From Forby.
I think I’ve found Darquesse.
Valkyrie got back to Grimwood House at a little past nine. She got out of the car and Xena ran up to her and they cuddled until the dog calmed down enough for Valkyrie to open the front door.
She flicked on the lights, dumped the day’s post on the hall table and fed Xena. She ate leftovers in the quiet kitchen, washed the plate and put it away, then went upstairs to have a shower. Her phone chimed when she got out. It was Temper Fray, asking them to meet him the next day. She messaged him back, then dressed in pyjama bottoms and a light top. On her way back down the stairs, the doorbell rang.
She padded across the hall in her bare feet, and opened the door.
Tanith Low stood there in jeans and a warm coat open over a Prince T-shirt, her blonde hair tousled.
Valkyrie leaped forward, wrapping her in the biggest hug she could muster.
“Holy crap,” Tanith wheezed.
“I missed you,” Valkyrie said into her shoulder.
“I miss my lungs,” said Tanith. “I’m sure they were there a second ago …”
Valkyrie released her and jumped back, looked her up and down. “Your hair’s shorter. I love it. Where have you been?”
“Away.”
“What have you been doing?”
“Things.”
“How are you?”
“Tormented.”
“I want to hear every last little detail.”
She made them each a cup of tea and they sat on the couch, legs curled beneath them.
“Look at you,” Tanith said. “Right up until you answered that door, I still had this picture in my head of you as a … not a kid, but … a girl. But you’re a proper grown-up, aren’t you?”
“Technically.”
“How’s Skulduggery?”
“Same as ever. We’ve been dealing with a bit of a thing lately. Abyssinia, you heard of her?”
Tanith nodded. “I try to keep up with what’s happening. Is it true she’s Skulduggery’s ex?”
“That is true, yes.”
“Wow. Must have been quite a shock to learn he had an ex-girlfriend back on the scene. How about you?”
“How about me what?”
“Any boyfriends I should know about?”
“Not right now,” said Valkyrie. She took a breath. “There is a girlfriend, though.”
“Really?” Tanith said, drawing the word out as her eyes got wider. “You dark horse, you. When did this happen?”
“Few months ago. Her name’s Militsa Gnosis. She’s a teacher at Corrival Academy. Necromancer.”
“Oooh,” said Tanith, “a bad girl.”
Valkyrie laughed. “Not really.”
“So is this it? The full switch, girls-only from now on?”
“Ah, I still like boys, too.”
“You played that close to the chest, didn’t you? I’m usually good at picking up on things like this, but you’ve surprised me.”
Valkyrie shrugged. “You meet the right person at the right time, and you discover brand-new things about yourself. I was a little surprised, too, to be honest, but there you go.”
“Have you told your folks?”
Valkyrie hesitated.
Tanith smiled. “Yeah, that tends to be the hard part. Coming out to other sorcerers isn’t a big deal – we’re all at it. But those limited life spans mean that mortals tend to be a little more conservative. Some of them.”
“They’re going to be cool about it,” Valkyrie said.
“Of course they are.”
“But I’m still nervous.”
“Course you are.”
“How about you?” Valkyrie asked, sitting back. “Boys? Girls? Both?”
“Neither,” said Tanith. “Been too busy for distractions.”
“Is that why you’re back in Ireland?”
Tanith sipped her tea, then put the cup on the saucer and the saucer on the coffee table. “Yeah.”
“Are you in trouble?”
“When am I not?”
“Anything I can do to help?”
Tanith shook her head. “I got myself into this, Val. I’m going to get myself out.”
“How brave,” said Valkyrie. “How noble. How dumb. If I can help, let me help. You have friends.”
“I know I do,” Tanith said, her voice quiet. She let a few seconds go by before speaking again. “Have you heard of Black Sand?”
“Sure,” Valkyrie said. “The terrorist group in Africa.”
Tanith did not appreciate that. “They’re not terrorists, Val. You can’t believe everything the Sanctuaries tell you. They’re a resistance group.”
“And what are they resisting?”
“OK,” Tanith said, shifting slightly, “China wants control of the African and Australian Sanctuaries, right? I mean, that’s fairly obvious.”
“Of course,” said Valkyrie. “She already controls one Cradle of Magic – she’d love to control all three.”
“But she’s not actually doing anything about it, is she? She would like control – but she’s not trying to take control. That would be like declaring war on your allies, and she’s not going to do that.”
“Right.”
“Except she is.”
“Tanith—”
“
Just listen. I could get you proof, but this isn’t your fight. I need you to understand why I’m doing what I’m doing. She can’t just take them over, as much as she’d love to, so she’s being sneaky about it. As far as I can tell, she’s focusing on the three African Sanctuaries first. She’s got spies and double agents working in a, quite frankly, bewildering array of schemes designed to usurp the Council of Elders, and replace them with her own people. Then they’ll bow to China as their Supreme Mage, and she can focus her attention on Australia.”
“And Black Sand …?”
“Black Sand are resisting,” Tanith said. “They’re targeting her schemes and disrupting them wherever they can.”
“And you’re involved with them, aren’t you?”
“They needed fighters and I …”
“You needed somewhere to go,” Valkyrie finished.
Tanith looked away. “I was lost,” she said. “With what happened to Ghastly, and Billy-Ray … I couldn’t stick around, you know? I was looking for a fight, and they offered me one.
“But, a few months ago, Sanctuary forces rounded up a load of friends and families of Black Sand members. Innocent people, Val.”
Valkyrie frowned. “They would have been interrogated by Sensitives,” she said. “They can’t be that innocent.”
“They knew what was happening, but they had no part in it. And now the Sanctuaries – who have no idea we’re doing all this for them, to keep them independent – have decided to make an example out of them by sentencing them to thirty years in prison. Each.”
“So you’re here to convince China to release them?”
“No,” said Tanith, “that’d never work, and she wouldn’t be interested anyway. I’m here to offer up the Black Sand leader in exchange for the people they’ve imprisoned.”
“The Black Sand leader,” Valkyrie repeated.
“Yes.”
Valkyrie closed her eyes. “Tanith, please tell me you’re not the Black Sand leader.”
“I can’t exactly do that, Val.”
Valkyrie groaned. She put her cup on the coffee table and leaned forward. “They’ll throw you in prison. Not one of the good ones, either. Ironpoint, maybe, or Coldheart, if it was under Sanctuary control.”
“I know.”
“The other convicts will kill you,” Valkyrie said. “You won’t last a week.”
“Oh, ye of little faith,” Tanith said with an unconvincing smile. “I give myself two, easy.”
“Let me talk to China. Me and Skulduggery. We’ll sort it out.”
“You won’t be able to,” Tanith said. “This is bigger than your friendship with her, Val. You know her. I know her. From her point of view, she’ll have no choice but to be seen as ruthless, and lock me away in the worst prison she has. The fact that she hates me and I hate her will have nothing to do with it. She’s set herself on this course, just like I have.”
Valkyrie blinked. “But … OK, wait, so why are you here? I mean, what’s the plan?”
“I told you the plan.”
“No, you told me the stupid plan where you go to prison. I mean the good plan where all this is taken care of and you stay out of prison.”
“That plan doesn’t exist.”
“Not yet it doesn’t, but that’s because you’ve just come to me about it. I’ll come up with a good plan. Skulduggery will … well, he’ll watch as I come up with a good plan.”
“Skulduggery’s not very good with plans,” Tanith agreed.
“Don’t do this yet,” said Valkyrie. “Promise me that, OK? Give me a little time to think of something.”
“Val, I appreciate the offer, but there’s really nothing you can do.”
“Give me time.”
“Innocent people are in jail cells as we speak.”
“A few more days isn’t going to matter,” Valkyrie said. “It’ll give them time to maybe work out in the yard or something. Start a diet. Make new friends. Don’t rush into this.”
“No one’s rushing, believe me.”
Valkyrie clutched Tanith’s hand. “Help us.”
“Help you what?”
“Help us with this thing,” she said. “This Abyssinia thing. We need all the help we can get. There are bad guys all over the place – more of them than there are of us. Help us with this, and then if your thing hasn’t been sorted or we don’t at least have a good plan, then you can continue with your stupid one.”
“Val …”
“Give me a chance to help you. Please.”
Tanith sighed, and Valkyrie grinned.
Tanith got on her motorbike and rode away, and Valkyrie locked up the house and went to bed, Xena curled up on the floor beside her.
She woke almost two hours later to Xena barking madly at two people stumbling through the bedroom.
Valkyrie sprang out of bed, hands crackling with energy. Her bedroom was not her bedroom. Her bedroom was a town, at night. Cars were on fire. Bodies lay on the streets. Gunshots and screams in the distance. The stumbling figures were the Darkly brothers.
She shook the magic from her hands, and knelt beside the dog. “It’s OK,” she said. “It’s not real. It’s OK.”
Xena stopped barking but kept growling.
The brothers changed direction and the town shifted around Valkyrie, keeping them in view. The effect was dizzying.
She’d seen this before – it was part of a vision of the future she’d had multiple times – but never like this, never focusing on just this one event. Something was different about it. It felt … more real. It felt more urgent.
She knew why. It was closer. It was going to happen, and it was going to happen soon.
Auger was bleeding badly. Omen dragged him on. The people in the helmets and black body armour came after them, guns up, swarming across the road. Professional. Relentless.
They opened fire. Three bullets struck Omen and he went straight down without even crying out, and Auger turned to help him and another burst of bullets sent him spinning.
“Stop,” Valkyrie snarled. “Stop.”
The vision slowed, and then froze.
Valkyrie stood.
This was new. She’d never done this before. She’d never even considered that she could do this.
Xena came forward, too, sniffing at Omen, confused when she detected nothing but empty space.
Valkyrie moved towards the people with the guns, but they were beyond the walls of the bedroom, and, as much as she tried to shift the vision to bring them closer, it wouldn’t budge. She doubted she’d be able to glean anything new from them anyway. They wore no badges, no patches, no identifying markings. The only thing she knew about them was that they were well armed and that they killed teenagers.
The vision flickered. It was breaking down, and giving her a headache while it did so. Grimacing against the pain, she looked around for a clue as to where she was, where this was happening. Was going to happen.
There was a car parked by the side of the road just beyond the wall behind her bed. The vision flickered again.
She just had time to glimpse the licence plate before the vision washed away, leaving her pressed against the wall.
Oregon.
Omen Darkly was going to die in America.
Lunchtime. Omen finished eating, grabbed his bottle of rock shandy and went looking for someone to talk to. Mr Peccant passed and scowled for no reason other than scowling at Omen was what he did. Omen was pretty sure it was becoming Peccant’s favourite hobby.
He found Never on one of the benches in the second-floor corridor, talking to Grey Keller. They laughed, and Grey got up and made another joke, then laughed again as he walked away.
Omen sauntered over, took Grey’s place on the bench and wiggled his eyebrows.
Never frowned at him. “What’s your face doing? It’s weird and I don’t like it.”
“My face is asking you a question,” said Omen. “It’s asking, is there anything going on that I should be aware of?”
&nb
sp; “And my answer is, undoubtedly,” Never said. “Like, a serious amount is going on that you should be aware of. Schoolwork is only the beginning of it.”
“I mean about Grey.”
“What about Grey?”
“You and Grey.”
“Oh,” said Never, taking a drink from his bottle of water. “Naw. Grey is lovely and everything, and undeniably cute, but he isn’t interested in me.”
“You want me to talk to him?”
Never looked horrified. “About me? Great googly moogly, no. Why would you even suggest that?”
“I have a few classes with him. We chat occasionally. I could tell him how cool you are.”
“First of all, he knows how cool I am. Everyone knows how cool I am. Look at me. Second, he’s not interested in me because, from what I can tell, he’s not interested in anyone. Being interested in people is just not his thing.”
“Huh,” said Omen. “I wonder what that’s like.”
Never grunted. “I’m sure it has its problems, the same as everything else. Speaking of everything else, any movement in your love life?”
“Not really,” Omen admitted. “I met Aurnia’s boyfriend yesterday.”
“Aurnia …” Never said, squinting. He clicked his fingers. “Mortal girl from Mevolent’s dimension! Got it! Yes, and how was her boyfriend?”
“Large,” said Omen, “and I’m pretty sure he wanted to fight me.”
“Well, he did just meet you, so I can understand the impulse.”
“Oh, cheers for that.”
Never grinned. “Did you puff out your chest and square up to him?”
“No,” Omen said, frowning. “Was I supposed to?”
“Not really. Good boy, Omen. I’m proud of you.”
“I’m not sure what for, but OK.”
A Fifth Year girl whose name Omen didn’t know walked by. She smiled at Never. Never winked back.
Omen frowned. “Is that something I should be aware of?”
“We’re just friends,” Never said casually.
“That was a flirty look she gave you.”
“How would you know?”
“I’ve seen them in movies,” Omen replied, a little defensively.
“You are surprisingly well versed in romantic comedies,” said Never. “But we’re just friends, really. It might lead to something more, or it might not. Whatever.”