Читать книгу Skulduggery Pleasant: Books 10 - 12 - Derek Landy - Страница 33

“Where are you taking me?” Valkyrie asked. Xena ignored her, went snuffling through the undergrowth until she’d found a scent she liked, then set off in pursuit. Valkyrie sighed, and walked after her.

The night was cold, and she stuffed her hands into her coat pockets. She was getting to know the land around Grimwood pretty well, and didn’t need a torch any more. Pretty soon she’d be able to navigate these trails and paths through the trees without even thinking about it, like she’d been able to do back in Meek Ridge. She thought about Colorado, thought about how much she’d liked it there. She couldn’t go back, though. That part of her life was over. If things didn’t work out here, she’d go live somewhere new. Maybe even somewhere warm.

“How about it?” she asked the dark shape that was Xena. “How’s Australia sound?”

Xena didn’t answer.

“Find a nice place on the coast, far away from everyone. We could go swimming every day, what do you think about that?”

Xena bounded in front of her, looked around and bounded off again.

“We don’t have to decide now,” Valkyrie told her. “Take some time. Think about it.”

Her phone rang. Skulduggery. She chewed her lip, then answered on the fourth ring. “Hey,” she said.

“Hello. I’m at your front door.”

“Ah. I’m close by, just walking the dog.”

“A wholesome way to spend your time. May I join you?”

“I’ll light the way,” Valkyrie said, and hung up. Energy crackled around her hand, but she hesitated a little before letting it loose, straight overhead. It lit up the night for a split second.

Moments later, Skulduggery strode across the sky. He saw her and quickly dipped, keeping pace with her as she walked.

“How are you?” she asked.

“You mean since I got beaten, fair and square?” Skulduggery asked, landing beside her. “I am chastised. Humbled. A better person because of it, I think.”

She raised an eyebrow. He shrugged.

“No, you’re right. I’m none of those things. I’m angry, and ready for round two.”

“That’s what I figured,” she said. “Any word on Fletcher?”

“He’s conscious. Dr Synecdoche is optimistic that he’ll make a full recovery. Give him a few days. He’ll be fine.”

They ducked under a low branch.

“He saved us,” she said.

“Yes, he did.”

“We shouldn’t have gone in there.”

“In retrospect, no, we shouldn’t have. But we couldn’t have foreseen what happened.”

“That’s the problem,” Valkyrie said. “We didn’t know what we were going up against. We didn’t know who the enemy were. I’m trying to remember if we were always so …”

“Brash?”

She glanced at him. “I was going to say dumb.”

He shrugged. “We’ve walked into bad situations before. It’s how we find out who the enemies are, so we’re better prepared the next time.”

“If it wasn’t for Fletcher—”

“I know,” said Skulduggery. “I know.”

Xena was somewhere in the dark. Valkyrie had lost track of her.

“I thought you had him,” she said, coming to a stop. “Lethe. When it started, and he was bouncing around with all these fancy kicks, I said to myself, this’ll be over in a second.”

Skulduggery rubbed his arm. “And then he changed tactics. He’s better than me, I’ll give him that, but he took me by surprise. That won’t happen again.”

Xena came trotting back. She went right up to Skulduggery, tail wagging, and he crouched, scratching behind her ears.

“The Teleporter,” she said, folding her arms to keep herself warm. “Nero. He brought them all in, but they weren’t touching. I didn’t think that was possible. In order to teleport other people, you need to be touching them – that’s the rule, right?”

“As far as I know,” Skulduggery said. “But Neoterics don’t concern themselves with the rules.”

“And he followed Fletcher straight to Reverie. How did he do that? His powers … he can do a lot more than Fletcher – but Fletcher was almost a Neoteric, too, wasn’t he? I mean, he’s mostly self-taught.”

“But then Cameron Light found him,” said Skulduggery, straightening up. “And we gave him a book telling him how to harness his power. From that point on, his evolution was directed in the conventional way. If we’d left him alone, maybe he’d be able to do what Nero can do.”

“So are Neoterics more powerful than regular sorcerers?”

“Not necessarily. Our training makes us strong. Their unpredictability makes them strong.”

“They have a guy who can mess with time,” she said. “Any idea who he is?”

“I found no mention of him in the Neoteric Report, so I don’t know where Parthenios Lilt found him.”

“Lilt,” she said. “I’m assuming now is the time to go after him, yes?”

Skulduggery adjusted his hat slightly. “He has already been arrested,” he said. “Commander Hoc saw to it personally.”

“Have you interviewed him yet?”

“I doubt I’ll be able to.”

She frowned. “They wouldn’t stop you … would they?”

“Hoc is a smart man, and a good investigator, but when I was Commander we had our differences. Now that he’s in charge, I feel he would be disinclined to grant an interview request, even to an Arbiter.”

“But China would allow it.”

“No,” he said. “She wouldn’t.”

“Skulduggery, why did you quit?”

He took a moment before answering. “Politics.”

“China said you couldn’t handle being stuck behind a desk all day.”

“That was part of it.”

Valkyrie didn’t press it. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to know.

“Shall we go back?” he asked. “You look cold.”

“Sure,” she said. “Come on, girl.”

She motioned ahead of them, and Xena ran on.

“So,” he said, as they followed the dog, “are you going to redecorate?”

“Sorry?”

“The house. You may have taken ownership, but it looks like Gordon still lives here. All those dramatic paintings. All that Gothic sensibility.”

“I like it,” she said. “It reminds me of him. I still miss him like crazy. At least I got to say goodbye the second time he died. And I know what you’re going to say. I know the Gordon in the Echo Stone was just a recording of his personality, but I don’t care.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything of the sort.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“But he left you his house, Valkyrie. I think it’s safe to assume that he expected you to update it a little. It might be nice for you to make your own mark.”

“Honestly, Skulduggery, I don’t even know if I’m staying.”

He stopped walking.

She turned to him. “The nightmares came back last night,” she said. “I woke up and I couldn’t breathe. A panic attack. I haven’t had a panic attack in … a while. I thought I was over them. I don’t think I can go on with this.”

“You said I had twenty-four hours.”

“You’ve had twenty-four hours.”

“I didn’t think you literally meant twenty-four hours. I thought it was more of a metaphor than an actual measurement of time.”

“Well, I meant twenty-four hours.”

“But we’re only getting started, Valkyrie. We’ve just had our first life-or-death encounter. This is how things go. It’s how we do what we do. We have a life-or-death encounter, we stay on it, and then at the end we win and walk away triumphant.”

“Yeah,” she said. “I don’t know if that’s going to work this time.”

“Stay with me. See it through. I need you, Valkyrie. And you need me.”

“Do I?”

He stepped closer. “You’d be lost without me.”

“I managed fine for five years.”

“You were just recharging your batteries. Now you’re ready for phase two.”

“I don’t think that’s right.”

“You gave me twenty-four hours. Give me another twelve.”

“You’ve actually had another twelve.”

“I mean give me another twelve starting from tomorrow morning. You can’t leave now. We’ve just had our first breakthrough.”

“I’m not up to it any more, Skulduggery. Come on, you must be able to see that. We were outmatched. Lethe pulled your jawbone off, for God’s sake.”

“Which was painful, but useful.”

“How the hell was that useful?”

“When I could no longer speak, he filled the silence. He told us what they were after.”

“He did?”

“To breathe life into the lifeless. That’s why Melior is so important to them – he’s the vital piece of this puzzle. That’s how he differs from other Vitakinetics – if I am interpreting Lethe correctly, the good doctor can actually bring someone back from death.”

Valkyrie frowned. “You’re serious?”

“Deadly.”

“So they’re … they’re going to resurrect someone? Like actually resurrect them? Who? This Princess of the Darklands woman?”

“Possibly.”

She frowned. “Do you know who she is?”

“No,” he said. “I know who she might be, but I don’t want to say just yet. Trust me on this. For the moment, we need to focus on Richard Melior. He’s the key. If we can stop the anti-Sanctuary at this early stage, then their plans for war will never be set in motion.”

“And if we find Melior, but Lethe and the others are still with him?”

“We’ll run away.”

She thought for a moment. “That’s honestly the best plan you’ve ever come up with.”

“I thought you’d like it. So you’ll stay with me? For just a little while longer? Give me tomorrow.”

“You know, you’re probably better off on your own.”

He tilted his head. “I disagree most vehemently.”

She sighed. “Tomorrow, then. One more day.”

“Excellent.” He swept his arm wide, inviting her to carry on walking. “How is China, by the way?”

“Um …”

“Valkyrie?”

“I’m just trying to find the right word for it. She was … regal.”

“Regal?”

“Worryingly regal.”

“You think the power may have gone to her head?”

“This is what she’s wanted all along, right? She was never satisfied with the other Grand Mages when they were in charge. She was always complaining about how they were blocking her attempts to do this or to do that … Now she’s in control. Finally.”

“And she doesn’t even have a Council of Elders to balance her out.”

“She doesn’t have a Council? Really?”

“Well,” Skulduggery said, “she has what she calls her Council of Advisors – two Grand Mages that she put in power herself, from England and Germany, and the American Grand Mage, who succeeded the old one after he tried to overthrow her.”

“So they just agree with whatever she says?”

“Essentially.”

“Is there anyone in a position to argue with her?”

“Not really.”

“Isn’t that hugely, amazingly dangerous? What do we do if she starts abusing her power?”

“We hope her better nature triumphs.”

Valkyrie frowned. “Does China have a better nature?”

“I suppose we’ll find out, won’t we?”