Dark Days

by Derek Landy

  Guild didn’t know how the skeleton detective registered pain – his very existence was a mystery still unsolved – but he doubted that even the great Skulduggery Pleasant could take a hit like that and get up again in time to stop him.

  He turned to run for the football field and saw Valkyrie Cain coming towards him. He went to sweep her aside but she was faster, and a trail of shadows whipped into his face and he stumbled. His time had run out and he couldn’t risk the girl getting in another lucky shot.

  “I’m sorry,” he said and tried to let go of the Desolation Engine, but his fingers wouldn’t loosen.

  He snarled, feeling the air closing in around his hand, painfully tight. Pleasant was doing it, propped up with his gloved hand outstretched. Guild ran to him, aiming a kick at his head, but Cain hit him from behind and took him to his knees. She wrapped an arm around his throat and wouldn’t let go.

  With his free hand, Guild tried loosening the choke. With the other, he smashed the bomb hard against her elbow, her shoulder, but her clothes were made by Bespoke. She probably didn’t even feel it. Out of the corner of his eye, Guild saw Pleasant getting to his feet, his hand still outstretched.

  Guild tilted, shunting Cain forward, then swung the bomb and felt it crack against her head. She cried out and the choke was gone. Guild pushed at the air and caught Pleasant full in the chest. Pleasant went flying back, the pressure around Guild’s hand disappearing.

  Guild stood, panting with exertion, his heart beating wildly. He opened his hand.

  47

  CRAZY

  Guild vanished.

  Valkyrie looked around. She’d glimpsed Fletcher running towards the Grand Mage, but now he was gone too and she knew instantly what he’d done. He’d seen Guild about to drop the Desolation Engine and he’d crossed the distance between them in the blink of an eye. Then he’d teleported them both away, somewhere safe, somewhere the bomb couldn’t hurt any innocent people. But was he fast enough to do that and teleport away again before it went off? Guild’s hand was open when he’d disappeared, the bomb already beginning its fall.

  She helped Skulduggery up. He took something from the side of his head that looked like a metal spider and dropped it.

  “Do you think Fletcher made it?” she asked softly. Skulduggery didn’t answer.

  Valkyrie took out her phone and dialled Fletcher’s number. It went straight to voicemail. She nodded then, closing off her mind, struggling to get back to the business at hand, even though there was a part of her, deep down, that was screaming. She hadn’t known how much Fletcher had meant to her. She hadn’t wanted to know. “Scarab’s still sitting there,” she said.

  “And Sanguine is holding Guild’s family hostage,” Skulduggery told her. Then he staggered and she reached out to steady him. “I can’t go out there,” he said. “I need a few minutes to recover.”

  “I’ll take care of it.” She ran out of the tunnel. An official scowled at her and she ignored him, got to the stairs and went straight for Scarab. He watched her coming. No smiles now.

  “Guild is gone,” she said, sitting beside him. “Fletcher teleported him away. Your little plan is over, OK? It’s finished.”

  “Teleporters,” Scarab murmured, shaking his head. “Never did like them.”

  “We’ve beaten you,” she said with real, undiluted hatred. “All these horrible things you’ve done and all my friends you’ve hurt, or killed, and it’s all for nothing. We’ve beaten you and you’ve failed. Where is Guild’s family?”

  Scarab rubbed his eyes. His hand, she saw, was trembling. He looked so old now. Old and sad and pathetic.

  She put her hand on his shoulder, and dug her fingers into a nerve cluster. He twisted in sudden pain, but she didn’t let go. “Where’s his family?”

  “Billy-Ray has them,” he spat.

  “Are they alive?”

  “Who knows?”

  She dug in harder. “Where are they?”

  “Don’t know the street name. Call him. Ask him for directions if you’re so damn eager.”

  She snatched the phone he took from his coat and as she did so, she snapped a handcuff around his wrist. She stood, stuffing the phone in her pocket and pulling him to his feet. She got him out on to the steps and cuffed his other wrist. She pushed him in front of her, heading back to the officials’ tunnel. The same official who had scowled at her came up to block their way. Valkyrie raised her hand to his chest and snapped her palm. The air rippled slightly and the official shot backwards. The people around her, unaware of the magic she’d just used, thought this was hilarious.

  She brought Scarab to the cover of the tunnel and shoved him towards Skulduggery.

  “Guild’s family?” Skulduggery asked.

  “I’m going for them now,” she said and hurried away, ignoring his protestations.

  She ran up the steps and looked at Scarab’s phone. There was only one number listed. She left the roar of the football crowd behind her and dialled it.

  “I ain’t seein’ no thousands of dead people on TV,” came Sanguine’s voice.

  “That’s not happening today,” she told him. “Your daddy’s in shackles and the Desolation Engine is far away from here. All your little buddies have been beaten. There’s just you left.”

  “An’ you’re comin’ for me, that it, Valkyrie?”

  “That’s it. Just you and me, Billy-Ray.”

  “Is it my imagination or are you soundin’ particularly angry today?”

  “If Fletcher is dead, I will kill you.”

  “An’ you’re in a vendetta kind of mood, huh? Well, heck, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do, am I right? Get a car to Howth. Number forty-one, Nashville Drive.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “I’ll be waitin’.”

  She hung up.

  The taxi made good time out of the city, and within minutes they were on the thin stretch of road to the peninsula of Howth. She could do this. She could take him. If he still had his magic, then no, she wouldn’t be so stupid to come here alone. But he didn’t have magic and Valkyrie did, and she was planning on using it. On the journey over she kept focused, kept her mind on what she was going to do, on what was about to happen. Not Fletcher. She didn’t think about Fletcher. She couldn’t.

  Valkyrie paid the driver and hurried up to number forty-one. It was a nice house, like all the other nice houses on Nashville Drive. She didn’t know how Sanguine had ended up here, but it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was paying him back. He’d hurt her so now she was going to hurt him. If Guild’s family was still alive, that was a bonus.

  She wasn’t going to be subtle. She didn’t have the time or the temperament. She snapped both hands against the air, the space before her rippled and the front door flew off its hinges.

  Valkyrie walked in, shadows writhing around her right hand, flames curling in her left. The living room was empty and so was the kitchen. She went in deeper, to the bedrooms. A woman and a girl were shackled together on the floor in the corner of the master bedroom, gags over their mouths.

  She turned, expecting Sanguine to be rushing up behind her, but the hall was empty. With two pairs of frightened eyes on her, she stepped into the bedroom and nudged the door open fully. It swung slowly back and tapped the wall. She crossed to the ensuite, using the mirror inside to make sure it was clear, then she darted in, but there was nowhere for Sanguine to jump out at her.

  She moved back into the bedroom. Her right hand flicked a trail of shadows under the bed. They didn’t hit anything. Her eyes found the wardrobe, both slatted doors closed over. If he was in there, he was watching her right now and he could see how tense she was. How scared.

  Valkyrie let the flames go out and abandoned the shadows. She pushed at the air and the wardrobe doors smashed to kindling. Clothes dropped from railings and hangers clashed, but when the debris had finished falling, there was nobody in there.

  She went to the woman and the girl and pulled th
e gags from their mouths.

  “Where is he?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” the woman answered. She was younger than Valkyrie had expected. The girl looked to be about twelve. “He put us in here ten minutes ago. We haven’t seen him since. Is Thurid all right?”

  “I’m sure he’s fine,” Valkyrie lied. There was nothing she could do about the shackles, but she burned through the ropes tying their feet and helped them up. “Get your daughter out of here.”

  “What are you going to do? You can’t face him alone.”

  “Sure I can.”

  Valkyrie used the shadows to break the window and she helped the mother and daughter out through it. Then she took out Scarab’s phone and pressed redial. From somewhere else in the house, she heard Patsy Cline’s ‘Crazy’.

  She stepped into the hall and held out her hand. The air’s natural currents drifted by and she felt them and searched deeper. She barely noticed the shift in the air, but that was all it took and then she was walking forward. The phone was in the living room, on the table, and it stopped ringing when she neared. She waited until he was right behind her before turning.

  The shadows stabbed at him, but Sanguine rolled, his straight razor flashing across Valkyrie’s leg, but failing to cut through. Then he was up and she pushed at the air. It caught him in the shoulder and he spun right around, and came at her again.

  He slammed into her and she sprawled over the coffee table, spilling the glossy magazines across the carpet. She tried to get up, but slipped on one of them. His knee came towards her. The world flashed and her head jerked back. He lifted her and threw her against the wall then he was up against her, his straight razor pressing into her throat.

  “Hush,” he whispered.

  She couldn’t stop him from cutting her throat if she tried. She stopped struggling.

  “Good,” he said and smiled. “You actually came here alone, by God. You must be really mad to leave the skeleton behind. Did you think you could take me?”

  “Yeah,” she said through clenched teeth.

  “Now that, I think we can both agree, was a mistake. Do you think I’m going to kill you? I should. I definitely should. Do you think I should?”

  Valkyrie didn’t respond.

  “You’d probably say no, even if you thought I should, so I don’t know why I’m askin’ you.”

  “Why didn’t you kill them?”

  “The broad and the kid? Saw no reason to. Only had ‘em to force Guild to detonate the Engine. Despite what you may think, I don’t generally kill without good reason. It’s usually money, but sometimes it’s whim and I had neither. But killin’ you, princess, now that is somethin’ I have a very good reason for. You took my magic. You fouled up our plan. Where’s my dear ol’ daddy?”

  “Skulduggery has him.”

  “So he could be in shackles or he could be dead – you never know with that guy, huh? Here’s the thing I find amusin’ – y’all call me a psycho an’ yet you keep missin’ the point. Your friend Skulduggery is an ice-cold killer. I mean, that guy is seriously unhinged. Takes one to know one, right?”

  “He’s adjusting.”

  Sanguine laughed. “Now that’s a good one! That’s one I should try! ‘I didn’t mean to kill all those nuns and orphans, Detective – I’m adjustin’!’ Oh, that is funny. But I think you’re misunderstandin’ me. It wasn’t his recent trip abroad that sent him nuts – he’s been nuts the whole time. Y’all just haven’t seen it.”

  “If you kill me,” she said, “he’ll kill you.”

  “I have no doubt. Which is why it is a very good thing that I have decided not to kill you. Dusk called a few minutes before you rang – he was hightailin’ it out of there before the bomb went off. He told me he bit you and I can see by the lovely wound on your neck that he wasn’t lyin’. He told me he bit you and he told me that I should probably reconsider my whole ‘I want to kill Valkyrie Cain‘ thing, like he’s doin’. Do you know why he told me that?”

  “I don’t.”

  “You don’t? Do you want me to tell you why he told me that? Do you?”

  “Sure.”

  He smiled. “He tasted your blood. You’ve got very special blood. Do you know that?”

  She glared at him. “Yes.”

  “No,” he said. “I don’t think you do. See, you figure you’re descended from the Last of the Ancients and that’s it, that’s the scope of your uniqueness in its entirety. I’m here to tell you, little lady, that that ain’t so. You got a whole host of other things goin’ for you. Not to give you too big a head or nothin’, but everythin’ about you screams important. And I’m talkin’ grand scale important. Everythin’ I hear about you just reinforces that whole idea that you, my dear, are a very special girl.

  “When I broke into the Necromancer Temple, I heard some of ‘em talkin’ about you. They called you the Death Bringer. By the look on your face, I can see that you know what that is. You’re their Great Dark Hope apparently, now that Lord Vile’s gone. Imagine that. You and Lord Vile – one of a kind, huh? Ain’t that somethin’?”

  He began tapping the blade against her skin.

  “It’s a big responsibility now. The Death Bringer’s the one to save the world, ain’t that right? Are you ready to save the world, Valkyrie? And I don’t mean save it from evil men or from twisted gods. I mean save the world from itself. Do you think you’re worthy?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well, you’re honest. I’ll give you that.”

  He tapped the blade and she waited until it was no longer touching her skin, then she slammed the darkness into him. He flew backwards, head over heels, his sunglasses dropping to the ground.

  “Damn it,” he growled, “I said I ain’t goin’ to kill you, didn’t I? Didn’t I say that?”

  “But you didn’t tell me why.”

  He got up slowly, brushing down his clothes. He looked at her without needing eyes. “I get the feelin’ bad things are goin’ to happen, and I get the feelin’ that you are goin’ to be smack dab in the middle of it all. I ain’t killin’ you because, honestly and truly, li’l darlin’, it’s a lot more fun to keep you alive. That, I think, will be my real revenge.” His smile returned and he nodded to the sunglasses at her feet. “You mind?”

  She picked them up, thought about crushing them, but then tossed them to him.

  He put them on. “Much obliged.”

  “The next time I hear that you’re back in the country,” Valkyrie said, “I’m going to assume you’re here to kill me and I will go after you. And I won’t let you walk away.”

  “I’m sure you’ll do your best,” he nodded. “Say goodbye to all of ‘em for me, will you? Especially the sword lady. I’ve taken quite a shine to her, I ain’t too embarrassed to say it.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled.”

  Sanguine laughed. “Good luck to you, Valkyrie Cain. You got a lifetime of dark days ahead of you, if I’m not mistaken. I’d enjoy the quiet moments while you can.”

  He tapped a finger to his temple in a salute then turned and walked away.

  48

  A QUIET MOMENT

  Valkyrie took a taxi back to Croke Park just as the crowds were leaving the stadium. Half of them were singing; half of them weren’t. She didn’t know who’d won the game. She didn’t care.

  She called Skulduggery and he told her where he was. She went round to the back of the stadium, slipping by a Staff Only sign. She saw Cleavers loading Springheeled Jack into the back of a van. He was kicking and struggling. They closed the door and his pleas were instantly cut off.

  Skulduggery stood with Ghastly and Shudder by the No Entry door. Caelan stood apart from them. They all turned and watched her as she approached. She didn’t say anything.

  Davina Marr led Scarab to a second van. She got in behind him, a Cleaver joined them and the van followed the other one away. Sorcerers filed into the stadium, their job being to cover up whatever needed to be covered up.
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  “Dusk and Remus Crux are unaccounted for,” Ghastly said. “Vaurien Scapegrace too, though I don’t really know if he counts.”

  “I don’t know about Crux or Scapegrace,” Valkyrie said. “but Sanguine and Dusk are over their revenge thing.”

  Skulduggery nodded and didn’t ask any questions. The questions would come later, she knew.

  “Where’d you lot disappear to?” Fletcher Renn asked as he stepped out into the rain behind them.

  Valkyrie turned, saw him there and the next moment she had her arms wrapped around him and her head on his shoulder. He laughed and hugged her back. He was soaking wet, but she didn’t mind.

  Thurid Guild hurried out after him and made straight for Skulduggery. “My family,” he said. “Sanguine has—”

  “They’re OK,” Valkyrie said, stepping away from Fletcher and composing herself. “They’re in Howth, around Nashville Drive.”

  He looked at her, surprised. He was drenched too. “He let them go?”

  “I let them go,” she said. “But I don’t think he was going to hurt them anyway. You’re the one they wanted to hurt.”

  “What happened?” Shudder asked Guild. “Where’s the bomb?”

  “Mr Renn teleported us over the ocean somewhere,” Guild said.

  “I took this cruise once,” Fletcher said. “Thought I’d like it. It was boring so I left halfway through. But I needed somewhere safe, somewhere without any people, and that popped into my head. I teleported there, dropped off the Grand Mage and teleported away again.” He turned to Valkyrie. “Your window’s fixed by the way.”

  She frowned. “You teleported into my room?”

  “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t have time to think, you know? I just needed to get somewhere safe and I ended up there. No one saw me. Your room is still a mess though.”

  She scowled and he laughed.