LITMIR.BIZ

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that’s how it started.”

      “Yeah. Then it really got out of control. They killed Kitana’s ex, they killed this guy who turned up and started telling us about the magic police… they killed Doran’s brother…”

      “We need to stop them before they hurt anyone else. Once they’re back to normal, we can deal with whatever we have to deal with. But right now we need to stop them. Can you help us?”

      “What do I have to do?”

      “Do you have any idea where they are, or what their plans are?”

      “They keep moving around, and I don’t even know if they have plans. The lads do what Kitana tells them, and Kitana does whatever she feels like.”

      “Patrick Xebec was killed because he was a threat, but their real targets have been Kitana’s ex-boyfriend and Doran’s brother. They’re going after people who treated them badly at some stage in their lives. Does Sean have anyone like that?”

      “No. Not that I know of. His parents are nice. Doran’s dad is drunk most of the time and Kitana’s parents are never home, but Sean’s whole family is lovely. Sean wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

      “His power is corrupting him.”

      “But still, he wouldn’t. He’s not like the other two. He’s nice.”

      “He’s an accomplice to murder, Elsie. We have to stop him before he makes things any worse for himself. Can you think of anywhere they might go, or any score they might have to settle?”

      “I can’t think of anything. I’m really sorry. It doesn’t even make any sense. Kitana didn’t care about her ex. Not really.”

      “Then she was just looking for an excuse to hurt someone,” Skulduggery said. “No one is safe from her, Elsie.”

      “I don’t know where she is, honestly. The only... the only place I can think of that has people she’d like to hurt would be, you know, our school. You don’t think they’d do anything, do you? We have friends there.”

      “I’ll send some people round to keep an eye on the place. If they turn up, we’ll deal with it. In the meantime, I’d like you to accompany me back to a place we call the Sanctuary. It... may not be the safest place in the world, but at least Kitana and the others won’t find you. Will you accompany me?”

      Elsie nodded. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

      Skulduggery opened the passenger door and she got in, then he slid in the other side. “You might have to adjust the seat,” he said. “The girl who usually sits there is quite tall, and likes everything exactly right.”

      Elsie moved the seat forward. “Will she mind?”

      “Assuming she’s still alive and she ever gets home, I’m fairly certain I’ll never hear the end of it. Buckle up.”

      he Barge rumbled and shook as it moved over Dublin City. Were it not for the fact that her reflection was somewhere down there, Valkyrie would have been perfectly happy to spend hours in this little cell, just filling in the time until she was pulled back to her own dimension. But she didn’t want to leave it there. She didn’t want to abandon it.

      The shackles hurt her wrists, but comfort hadn’t been uppermost in Vengeous’s mind when he’d thrown her in here. Vengeous. The last time she’d seen him the Grotesquery was crushing his head, which was, what? Four years ago? She was pretty sure she preferred him with a crushed head. The Vengeous from this reality was every bit as humourless as his alternate self, and every bit as intimidating. He didn’t have his sword any more, though, that cutlass thing. That was one thing to be grateful for, Valkyrie supposed.

      It was pretty much the only thing.

      Vengeous hadn’t wasted any time with questions. He assumed she was part of this Resistance everyone kept talking about, and was probably looking forward to a nice bit of interrogation once they got back to the Palace. Valkyrie wondered if this version of Vengeous had been arrested by Skulduggery during that legendary fight China had once spoken of, or if none of that had happened here. If Mevolent, and now Vengeous, was alive here, then who else was? Was Nefarian Serpine waiting for them beyond the wall? And where was this reality’s version of Skulduggery? Would he be much different to the Skulduggery she knew?

      The idea that there could be two identical versions of Skulduggery Pleasant actually made her smile despite herself. The conversations that would result would probably be brain-punchingly narcissistic, at the very least.

      The pitch of the Barge’s engines changed. Deprived of a view, Valkyrie had no idea what was happening until the whole thing shook and clanked and shuddered, and then the engines slowly grew quiet.

      They had arrived.

      The door to her cell opened and a Redhood came in, yanked her to her feet. He brought her to the open belly of the Barge, to Vengeous, who ignored her while he oversaw the transfer of the mortal prisoners. Finally, he turned, dismissed the Redhood and walked down the steps. He turned when he was halfway down, looked back at her, his eyes glowing yellow. Valkyrie started down after him and his eyes returned to normal, and he led her out from under the Barge’s shadow into the City.

      The Dublin inside the wall was a vast oasis of luxury. The streets were wide and well ordered, bisecting buildings adorned with gargoyles as fierce as they were extravagant. Towers rose towards the sun and lush trees lined the pavements. At every corner there was a stone balcony, and on those balconies stood Elementals, conducting a stream of air over the privileged heads of the people. Carriages without wheels or horses or engines rose up from the ground to join this stream and were smoothly snatched away and carried from sight. There were a few rickshaws on the streets for those whose journeys deviated from the main routes, but there were no cars. The drivers of the carriages were all young sorcerers, probably Elementals, still learning their craft. The drivers of the rickshaws were brown-clothed mortals who kept their heads lowered. Valkyrie shouldn’t have been surprised. What was the point of being the elite in society if you couldn’t look down on those beneath you?

      There were other mortals on the streets. They walked quickly, slinking in and out of alleyways so that they wouldn’t offend the eyes of the magical. Servants and workers and slaves. Their social betters walked without hurry and wore clothes so fine they actually looked delicate, like a stray bit of dirt would tear a hole right through them. She didn’t know what fashion they wore, with the high collars and pointy shoes and everything so bright and colourful and vibrant, but she could tell that a girl in brown being led among them was not a welcome sight. The shackles didn’t help, she supposed, nor the fact that Vengeous was beside her.

      People glared and sniffed as she passed. These people were sorcerers? These primped and pampered idiots? Most of the sorcerers she knew were battle-hardened and tough, used to sticking to the shadows and not drawing attention to themselves. The sorcerers of this reality were an altogether different breed.

      “You’ve never been here before,” Vengeous said. “You have that look in your eye that people get when they see the City for the first time. Take a good look. Drink in the sights. The dungeon has no such splendour on view. Your days will be spent in agony and your nights will be spent shivering and weeping and waiting for the pain to begin again.”

      “Yeah...” Valkyrie said, and shrugged. “Ah, I’m more of a morning person anyway.”

      He looked at her as they walked. She pretended she didn’t notice. “The Sense-Wardens don’t want to enter your mind, do you know that? The ones who tried have not yet recovered. They say you have something living inside you. A guardian. A protector. Is this true?”

      “Yeah,”

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