by Derek Landy
“Sounds lovely. You didn’t answer my question.”
“Magic is a wonderful, joyous thing, and it should be shared, but sorcerers have been hoarding it since the birth of mankind. If the mortals knew of its existence, tests could be carried out to identify those who could wield magic. They could be trained, taught. We would have hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of mages and they could elevate this world to a true Age of Enlightenment. No more wars. No more pettiness. Peace and love and the search for knowledge. Paradise.”
“Your idea is not new,” said Skulduggery. “But if you were to prove to the world that magic was real, mankind would tear itself apart. The mortals would feel threatened and they would fight back with everything they had.”
“Only if there were any mortals left.”
Valkyrie paled. “You want to kill them? You said you were a pacifist.”
“I don’t want to kill the mortals,” Argeddion said, chuckling. “I want to change them. My test subjects are paving the way for the entire mortal population of the earth to be gifted with magic.”
“You... you could do that?”
“By myself, no,” Argeddion said. “But with the Accelerator and the help of my surprise guest, it will happen.”
“Your surprise guest?”
Argeddion smiled gently.
“This is insane,” Skulduggery said.
“You can’t see what I can see, Skulduggery. Heaven on earth. Can you imagine it? Once all my tests are run, once all the results are collected, magic will permeate every single person. They will evolve overnight, transforming the planet into a kingdom of enlightenment and peace.”
“The Summer of Light,” said Skulduggery. “That’s what it is, isn’t it? You’ve planned this so that everything will be ready to go on May the first – Greta Dapple’s two hundredth birthday. That’s when you’re going to change it all.”
“It will be glorious.”
“No, it won’t. You’re talking about changing human nature. It can’t be done. There will be no kingdom of enlightenment. The rot will start early, and it’ll spread. There’ll be war and horror and death. Your Summer of Light will turn into a Summer of Darkness. The human race will wipe itself out.”
“You’re blinded by your own limitations.”
“And you’re blinded by your lack of them. You’re a better person than I am, Argeddion. You’re a better person than most people. That’s the problem. You have no idea how most people will react.”
“I trust. I have faith.”
“You’re deluded, and we will stop you.”
“You could have stopped me,” Argeddion said. “You could have donned the armour of Lord Vile and come after me. With your natural strength and vicious nature, you might even have defeated me. But a quick peek into Valkyrie’s mind tells me exactly where you’ve secured it...”
He vanished, and a moment later, he was back, holding a thick metal case. Skulduggery tensed.
“You can feel it from there, can’t you?” Argeddion asked. “The pull? Like a magnet to you. But I’m afraid you won’t be donning this armour any time soon.” The case disappeared. “And now that Lord Vile is out of the picture, there is only one threat remaining.”
Skulduggery stood in front of Valkyrie. “You don’t have to hurt her.”
“I have no intention of hurting her,” said Argeddion. “I don’t want to see any harm come to her in the slightest. But Darquesse is a problem that I have to address. Valkyrie, if you’re able to access that power, you’ll tear me apart, won’t you? You’re not as strong as I am, not yet, but where I would keep looking for a non-lethal way to stop you, you wouldn’t feel the same need for restraint. Darquesse is a cold-blooded killer. And I can’t let her emerge.”
White pain flashed and Valkyrie cried out, stumbled, and Skulduggery spun and caught her as she fell. And then the pain was gone.
“My apologies,” said Argeddion. “I didn’t think that would hurt as much as it did.”
“What did you do to me?” Valkyrie gasped.
“Think of it as putting up a wall between you, the sweet girl called Valkyrie, and Darquesse, the cold-blooded killer. You can’t hear her voice any more, can you?”
Valkyrie stood by herself, her head still spinning.
“She will never bother you again,” said Argeddion. “Not while I’m alive. You’re safe from her, Valkyrie. You can still access your magic as you always have, but that level of power is now blocked off to you.”
“She’s gone?”
“She’s still there, she’s just... imprisoned. Your terrible future is now averted. All those fears you had about killing your parents, killing the world... They are no more.” Argeddion smiled gently. “And yet I sense your loss.”
She glared at him. “What are you talking about?”
“I can read your mind, remember. All of those guilty little secrets you’re so ashamed of, they’re spread open for me. Your private moments, your not-so-private moments, your doubts and your fantasies and your thoughts... Oh, Valkyrie, save your blushes. The only thing you should be ashamed of is how much you enjoyed being Darquesse.”
“That’s a lie,” she shot back.
“You didn’t enjoy the killing,” Argeddion said, “but you loved the power. It’s a shameful thing to love, but you’re young. You’re allowed to make mistakes. We’re all only human, aren’t we?”
“Are you?” Skulduggery asked.
“What else would I be?”
“Some people would say you’re a god.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m not human also,” Argeddion said, laughing slightly.
Lament’s sorcerers were stirring. One by one, they rose up into the air, turning slowly. Their eyes were closed.
“I’m afraid I must ask you to leave,” Argeddion said. “My friends will escort you back beyond the force field. For your own sakes, please don’t try to break through it.”
The sorcerers started to drift towards them, herding Skulduggery and Valkyrie to the door.
“Talk to us,” Skulduggery said. “Convince us that what you’re doing is right. Give us the chance to explain why it’s a mistake. You’ve been gone for thirty years, for God’s sake. You don’t even know what the world is like any more.”
“And this is where I change that,” Argeddion said.
And then the emptiness swallowed him and he was gone. Vanished.
“He learns,” Skulduggery said. “He may not have been conscious when Fletcher teleported us from the mountain, but he was aware.”
“That’s all it takes? He just has to experience something once and he can do it himself?”
“He knows his true name,” said Skulduggery. “He can do anything.”
Lament’s sorcerers kept coming, pushing an invisible barrier before them, forcing Skulduggery and Valkyrie out of the room. Valkyrie tried pushing back but there was no strength behind it. She felt drained, like losing Darquesse had robbed her of her determination.
“Lenka,” Valkyrie said. “It’s me. It’s Valkyrie.”
Lenka smiled. It was disconcerting, seeing her smile with her eyes closed. “I know that, silly.”
“How much of you is in there?”
“All of me is,” she said. “I haven’t gone anywhere.”
“But Argeddion’s controlling you.”
Lenka shook her head. “That’s not how it is at all.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
Lament drifted closer. They were being forced back up the corridor, to the energy wall. “Because Argeddion deserves to be free,” he said. “He never hurt anyone. He never wanted to hurt anyone. We took it upon ourselves to imprison him without him ever giving us a reason to do so.”
Skulduggery tried pressing back against their energy, but it was no use. “So you feel bad, and now you’re making up for it?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you all hovering on tiptoe and going around with your eyes closed?” Valkyrie asked.
“Yes, they are, Lenka. I’m looking at you right now and your eyes are closed. Can you see me?”
“Of course I can see you. There’s nothing wrong with us, Valkyrie. We’re just trying to do the right thing. I’m not like Tanith. I don’t have some evil parasite nesting inside me. I’m still me.”
Valkyrie frowned. “How do you know about Tanith?”
“Argeddion speaks to us. He opens his thoughts, lets us see what he sees. When he read your mind, we saw it all. We know about your guilt, and your fears, and your loves...” Her voice dipped. “And we know about your secret. We know it’s been awful for you, living with the knowledge that you’re going to kill your own parents. But that doesn’t have to happen any more, Valkyrie. Argeddion has helped you. He’s imprisoned Darquesse inside you. He’s changed the future.”
“He’s going to destroy the world,” Skulduggery said.
“Please,” said Lament, “have a little faith.”
When they reached the force field, it dimmed for a moment and they stumbled through, falling against the sorcerers collected beyond it. Lament and the others stayed on the inside, eyes closed and hovering off the ground.
Ravel pushed his way to the front, and looked at them. “Let me guess,” he said, sighing. “You’ve got fantastic news.”
alkyrie felt odd. Muted, somehow. It wasn’t as if she had been aware of Darquesse inside her at every minute of every day, or heard her voice constantly at the back of her mind, but now she could sense the part of her that was suddenly quiet. It wasn’t fair. Argeddion said it himself – Darquesse would have beaten him. But it was like the best close-combat fighter in the world being taken out by a sniper from a mile away – taken out before the fight had even begun.
Not that she wanted the fight to take place. Of course she didn’t. But if it did happen, she wanted to be as strong as she could be. She wanted to beat anyone who stood against her. She wanted to crush them. There was nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with wanting to survive. To win. To feel that power coursing through her.
She missed that power. She’d grown used to having it there, ready for when she needed it. She missed the voice in her head. No matter how much she ignored it, how much she fought against it, its presence had been reassuring. Facing down a werewolf? Three thugs kicking her half to death? None of that had bothered her because she knew, she knew, that all she had to do was give in for just one glorious moment, and she could feel that power again.
She didn’t tell Skulduggery that. It wasn’t that she didn’t think he’d understand – it was that he’d understand all too well. And Valkyrie didn’t want that.
But he was busy elsewhere in the Sanctuary. The force field had bisected some of the detention cells, short-circuiting the binding sigils that kept the prisoners’ powers down. Eight of them had escaped, including Silas Nadir. Skulduggery was not happy about that one, but he had more pressing concerns.
Valkyrie saw Tipstaff and followed him because she had nothing better to do. He led her into a room with a large table, at which sat the Elders with Strom and Sult. Tipstaff gave them all a cup of tea and a biscuit. No one spoke.
“Why is Argeddion’s plan such a bad idea?” she asked, breaking the silence. They looked at her blankly. “I mean, I know it’d be different, and the world would change in huge ways, but who are we to say that it wouldn’t change for the better?”
Quintin Strom stirred his tea. “If everyone in the world was suddenly capable of using magic,” he said, “there’d be a frantic scramble for dominance. We’d be looking at a new world order, and humanity would be decimated as each nation struggled to assert itself at the top.”
“Millions would die,” said Ravel. “Billions. There’s a reason Sanctuaries exist. We regulate our people. Keep them in line. Many sorcerers have the potential to be weapons of mass destruction. And in a world as fragmented as this one, with as many religious and political beliefs as it does? A small group of extremists could bring about our end.”
“So just explain all that to Argeddion,” Valkyrie said.
“The man’s been living in a bubble for the past thirty years,” said Ghastly, “and before that he was living in a different sort of bubble, where no one wants to hurt anyone else. He’d never be able to understand the mindset of violent people.”
“What,” said Valkyrie, “you mean people like us?”
Ghastly looked at her. “If we could live in Argeddion’s paradise, we would. And maybe it’s possible – it’d be wonderful to think that it was. But we’d have to step over a generation of dead bodies to reach it. The cost, Valkyrie, it’s just too great.”
“We can’t afford to be idealists,” Ravel said without looking up. “It’s our job to keep the world spinning. We let the mortals change it. As clumsy and as corrupt as they are, this is still their world. We’re just protecting it.”
The door opened and Skulduggery came in. He stood beside Valkyrie, and took his hat off. “Nothing,” he said. “No sign of Argeddion. No idea where he materialised and no traces for the Sensitives to follow.”
“We need to find out who his surprise guest is,” Ghastly said. “If his plan hinges on this guest and the Accelerator, we have to take one of them out. The Accelerator is still behind that force field, but the guest may be vulnerable. How much time do we have?”
“Tomorrow’s Thursday,” Skulduggery replied. “We have until Saturday before his tests are complete. He infected the mortals downstairs to find the best way to infect everyone. I’ve just checked with Doctor Synecdoche, but there was no change in their condition when Argeddion awoke.”
“And what about this Greta Dapple?” Ravel asked. “If he planned this out to coincide with her birthday, which is a sweet but psychotic thing to do, then maybe she plays a bigger part in this.”
Skulduggery nodded. “Maybe she does. She isn’t at her house and she isn’t answering her phone. I have people looking for her. If we can find her, she could lead us straight to Argeddion.”
“And what do we do when we find him?” Sult asked. “What can we do?” He looked to Strom, Strom looked to Ravel, and Ravel looked to Skulduggery.
“I’m working on it,” he said.
The drive back to Haggard seemed to take for ever. Valkyrie fell asleep twice, and woke up both times by bouncing her head against the window. “Ow,” she said.
“Sorry,” said Skulduggery. They were on country roads, and his skull was in complete darkness. “How are you feeling?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “My head feels empty. He just... cut her off from me. I don’t have her any more.”
“If it’s permanent, that could be a cause for celebration.”
“But Darquesse and Vile might have been our only weapons against him.” She sighed. “What are we going to do? This isn’t as clearcut as usual. Kitana and Doran and Sean and Silas Nadir... those are the people we’re used to dealing with. Killers. People who hurt other people. But Argeddion... he’s not like them.”
“Argeddion is as dangerous as anyone we’ve faced,” Skulduggery said. “He may not be out to physically hurt us, but his goals are just as damaging. We need to treat him just like any other hostile.”
“Would you kill him?” asked Valkyrie. “He’s a pacifist who only wants to help people. And there’s no guarantee that mankind would destroy itself. It might all work out according to Argeddion’s plan. Who are we to say it won’t?”
“Are you willing to take that risk?”
“I just... I don’t feel right about this. He wants to make the world a better place and we want to keep the world as it is. That doesn’t sound particularly... heroic.”
“We have to maintain the status quo, Valkyrie. It’s not our job to change the world. That’s for the mortals to do.”
“So you would kill him?”
There was a pause. “I believe his plan would result in billions dead. Yes, I w
ould kill him.”
“I… I don’t think I could.”
He turned his head to her. “I’m not asking you to.”
The Bentley pulled in at the pier and Valkyrie got out. It was just past ten but she was exhausted. The air lifted her to her window and she climbed in. Her room was empty. She sat at her desk, where schoolbooks lay open. She yawned, and her reflection came in. It shut the door behind it.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey,” it said back. “You look like you’ve had a rough day.”
“Rough enough.”
“Where’s your jacket?”
Valkyrie glowered. “I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to go to bed. You finished our homework?”
It shook its head. “Another half-hour or so, I’d say. Can you wait until then?”
“Yeah. Sure. I’ll go for a walk, actually.” She got up. “Hey, I want your opinion on something.”
“Sure,” said the reflection, stepping towards the mirror.
“No,” said Valkyrie. “I want your opinion as the reflection of me the last time I was here, not as the reflection of me now. If you know what I know, then your perspective will be my perspective, and I don’t want my perspective. I want your perspective.”
“For anyone else, that would be overly complicated. OK. What do you want your old perspective on?”
“Argeddion is out. He’s free. He wants to make every mortal magic and live in a kingdom of enlightenment and righteousness. It sounds lovely, to be honest, but according to Skulduggery and the others, it’d never work and we’d all end up killing each other. But he’s really powerful, and the only way we had to stop him was to...”
“Become Darquesse,” said the reflection.
“Yes. But I can’t do that any more. He got in my head, he blocked her off. I can’t Hulk out and Argeddion took Skulduggery’s armour, made it vanish. It’s not destroyed, or else all the Necromancer magic would return to Skulduggery, but it’s hidden.”