Читать книгу Skulduggery Pleasant: Books 1 - 12 - Derek Landy - Страница 197

alkyrie 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.

“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.

“The Desolation Engine detonated,” Guild said, picking up the story. “The blast left me unharmed, but I expect it vaporised every fish around me.”

“Better fish than people,” Ghastly said.

“Not if you’re a fish,” Shudder pointed out.

“I was in the water,” Guild continued, “and I tried to imagine what it would have been like to have detonated that bomb with all those people around. You saved over 80,000 lives today, boy.”

Fletcher’s smile kind of froze. “I … I hadn’t thought about it like that.”

“I owe you everything.”

“Uh … wow.”

“I owe all of you everything.”

“But mostly me,” Fletcher said.

“Scarab is still alive,” said Skulduggery. “Marr has taken him into custody.”

Guild’s face slackened for a moment. “Then she will learn the truth.”

“She might keep quiet about it,” Ghastly offered.

“No. No, she won’t. And she shouldn’t. After today, after what I was prepared to do, I think I deserve to be held accountable for my actions. If I am brought up on charges, so be it.”

“Thurid,” Skulduggery said, “we’re talking about possible jail time.”

“I am aware of the implications, Detective. But as for right now, I must go to my family. Thank you again, all of you.” He walked away.

“But mostly me,” Fletcher called after him and Valkyrie punched his arm. The moment her fist made contact they teleported.

She looked around. They were in Kenspeckle’s Medical Bay.

“I thought you might want that bite looked at,” Fletcher grinned as he rubbed his arm. His hair was flattened and spiky in all the wrong places.

“Your hair looks wonderful,” she said.

He laughed and was about to retort when she grabbed his collar and pulled him into her. She clamped her lips around his mouth and mashed her face into his. He took a step back in surprise and she went with him, stepping in a patch of wet floor. Her legs went from under her and she flailed as she fell, whacking him in the throat on the way down. She looked up at him as he gagged and coughed, and from across the corridor she could hear Tanith laughing hysterically.

“I think I need practice,” Valkyrie muttered.