Skulduggery Pleasant: Mortal Cole (37 page)

They drove deeper into a small town, which seemed to be hibernating under all the snow. Valkyrie longed to see normal people out walking, or buying the morning paper, or even
sitting at traffic lights. She didn’t like this ghost town thing that had struck and spread, turning Ireland into a ghost
country.

The van slowed suddenly, pulling in to the side of the road. Valkyrie peered over Skulduggery’s shoulder. A police car lay on its side at the junction ahead of them, its lights still flashing.

“The rest of you stay here,” Skulduggery said. “Valkyrie, you’re with me.”

They got out. She slid the door closed, and pulled the bandage away from her face. “How does it look?”

He peered at her. “It’s healing. The swelling has gone. It’s a nasty scar, but with everything Tanith applied to the wound, it should disappear in a day or so.”

She glanced back at the van, and her voice lowered. “You don’t trust them.”

“Not entirely,” he admitted.

“You think one of them’s possessed?”

“We have no way of knowing until they reveal themselves. You’re to stick with me, OK? Do not allow yourself to be caught alone with any of them.”

She nodded. Skulduggery held his gloved hand out in front as they approached the car, turning the ice to steam, allowing them a firm grip on the road. Valkyrie wished she could have done that while she was slipping and sliding all over Drogheda.

They reached the junction. Two cops lay on the far side of the car. Valkyrie went to one, Skulduggery to the other. She hunkered down, felt for a pulse.

“This one’s alive,” she said.

“This one isn’t,” Skulduggery replied. “But I don’t think the Remnants are out this far any more. I’d say they’re panicking, keeping everyone back.”

“So they’re content to just sit around and wait for us to show up?”

“Why not? They know we have to go to them eventually. They probably have a few scouts flying around, checking the perimeter. We’ll have to be very careful from here on out.”

They turned, and retraced their steps. Sanguine walked towards them.

“Get back in the van,” Skulduggery said.

“We may,” Sanguine responded, his words slurring like he was drunk, “have a bit of a problem.”

And then he collapsed. A stream of red light hit Skulduggery and blasted him back, all the way to the junction, where he hit the overturned police car and flipped over it. Valkyrie jumped sideways. She could see Ghastly, lying on the road beneath the open door of the van, and then China, strolling towards her with a beautiful, black-lipped smile.

Valkyrie raised her hand, but China flicked a dagger of red light into her. It hit her jacket and it was like she’d stuck her fingers into an electrical socket. She jerked back and fell to her knees.

“It’s time to come with me,” China said. “You’ve impressed all of us, but really, you didn’t need to. You’re Darquesse. That’s all we needed to know.”

China crouched over her, and took the golden key from Valkyrie’s jacket, and put it in her own pocket. “I don’t think this is going to be much use to you, to be perfectly honest.”

Someone moved around the van. Valkyrie’s vision cleared, just as Tanith collided with China from behind. They slipped on the ice and went down, but Tanith instantly sprang to her feet. China kicked out, catching her in the leg and knocking her back, then came up and tapped her forearms and flung them wide. Tanith dodged the wave of blue energy and got in close, her fist smacking against China’s cheek. Tanith’s hands blurred. A punch caught China in the ribs. She staggered back, gasping for breath, but managed to block the kick that followed. She tried to give herself some room, but Tanith was already closing in.

China knocked her knuckles together, and the tattoos glowed briefly red. She swung a punch that missed, but the
next one caught Tanith in the chest. Tanith went sprawling, and slid across the ground.

Valkyrie glimpsed the glowing symbol on China’s right palm a moment before she seized Tanith’s wrist. Tanith screamed in abject agony, kicking out by pure instinct. Her boot crunched into China’s ribcage. China grunted and released her hold, and Tanith scrambled up and charged.

She went low, her shoulder against China’s stomach while her arms wrapped around her legs. She lifted China and then slammed her to the ground, falling on top of her. With her left arm, China held Tanith close, not giving her the room she’d need to throw damaging attacks. Tanith was concentrating on keeping China’s right hand, with that glowing symbol, away from her.

Feeling returned to Valkyrie’s legs, and she started to get up. Her brain struggled to sort itself out.

Tanith shoved China away and they parted, coming up on their feet at the same time. Tanith was the first to strike, but China parried the blow and chopped at Tanith’s bicep. Tanith back-peddled, her right arm hanging uselessly, and China stepped in quickly and caught her with a solid haymaker to the jaw. Tanith spun and fell to her knees.

Sanguine leaped at China, wrapping an arm around her
throat. They stumbled back, but instead of trying to break the choke, China’s hand went to her belly. Blue energy crackled through her, throwing Sanguine off. He dropped to the pavement, and China turned her attention back to Tanith. She activated the symbols on both of her palms, then stepped up to clamp her hands on either side of Tanith’s head. Tanith arched her back and screamed.

Valkyrie pushed at the air, but her focus was off, and all she could do was stir up a breeze that played with China’s hair. China looked at her and let go of Tanith, who collapsed beneath her. Valkyrie’s legs gave out and she fell. She saw a Remnant flitting down towards Tanith, but China held out her hand.

“No,” she commanded. “Leave her. She annoys me. Take the scarred one.”

The Remnant hovered as if reluctant, then darted for Ghastly. China turned back to Valkyrie. “Come now,” she said. “Your disciples are waiting.”

T
anith raised her head, and watched China and Ghastly drive off in the van, taking Valkyrie with them. Tanith’s head was buzzing and every joint was sore.

“Is someone gonna help me up?” Sanguine asked as he lay spreadeagled on the pavement. Tanith ignored him. Skulduggery came over, pulled her to her feet, and a wave of dizziness overtook her. She stumbled back against a lamp post.

“They have Val,” she muttered, waiting for the world to stop
spinning. “Why didn’t China just kill her? Why do they want to keep her alive?”

“Valkyrie is Darquesse,” Skulduggery said.

“What?”

“It’s a long story, one that we’re going to help her make sure never comes true. Our only chance is the Receptacle. Are you OK? Can you fight?”

“Always.” Tanith pushed herself away from the wall, managing to stand by herself. “But China has the key. Can you activate the machine without it?”

“Hello?” said Sanguine. “Anyone hear me?”

“According to Gordon we
need
the key,” Skulduggery said. “We have to get it back.”

“So we fight our way through all the possessed to China, and then fight our way back to the Receptacle? I like a good scrap as much as the next girl, Skulduggery, but we’d never make it. We need another plan.”

“We don’t
have
another plan. The Remnants are in place right
now.
We don’t have time to mess about trying to hotwire a machine that none of us have ever
seen
before.”

Sanguine grunted. “Fine. Don’t help me up. See if I care. I’ll just lie here an’ freeze to death.”

Tanith spun to him. “Will you shut up?”

Sanguine smiled. “You are finally succumbing to my charms, ain’t ya?”

“Unless you have something constructive to add,” Skulduggery said, anger biting the edges of his words, “then I agree with Tanith. Shut. Up.”

“Oh, but I
do
have somethin’ constructive to add. Sword-lady, help me up now an’ I’ll solve all your problems an’ woes, I swear on my dear dead momma, may she rest in pieces.”

Tanith stalked over to him, grabbed his outstretched hand, and twisted his wrist until he leaped up, howling.

“There,” she said. “Happy?”

The Texan scowled at her. “We got to work on our communication skills, honey bunny.”

“This constructive thing you were going to add to our conversation,” Skulduggery said. “Now would be a good time to share it.”

There was a sound, like a car backfiring in the distance. Sanguine frowned, and his hand went to his shoulder. When he took it away, it was covered in blood. “Hey,” he said, surprised. “I think I been shot.”

Tanith looked past him, and saw a man running towards them, his left arm in a sling, his right holding a gun. He was firing as he came.

“That guy shot me!” Sanguine exclaimed.

The man’s aim wasn’t improving, but the closer he got, the closer the bullets whined. Tanith ducked behind Skulduggery as he held up a hand, creating a solid wall of air. Sanguine took a deep breath, and the ground swallowed him.

“Remnant?” Tanith asked.

“Dalrymple,” Skulduggery replied.

The man, Dalrymple, threw the gun away and took a sword from his belt, yelling a battle-cry. A hand emerged from the ground, snagged his foot, and Dalrymple sprawled onto the road. Sanguine rose up behind him, kicking the sword from his hand. Dalrymple lunged, but Sanguine caught him with a knee to the gut, then grabbed his ear. Dalrymple cried out, and Sanguine dragged him over to the pavement. He dumped him at Skulduggery’s feet, then turned his full attention to clutching his injured shoulder.

“This really hurts,” he muttered. “I hope we’re gonna kill this guy. We
are
gonna kill him, right?”

“Please,” Dalrymple sobbed. “Let me close to them. I’m sorry I shot at you. You were just in my way. I thought you were going to stop me.”

Skulduggery turned his head, looking behind them. Tanith followed his gaze. The possessed would have been preparing to
stop anyone from reaching the Receptacle – so that probably meant that the place where they gathered was directly outside the chamber. She looked at Skulduggery and knew he was thinking the same thing.

“Leave the weapons here,” Skulduggery said. “We won’t stop you.”

Sanguine looked up. “What? We’re lettin’ him go?”

“This has nothing to do with you, Sanguine.”

“I’m the one he shot!”

“Dalrymple, go. Now.”

Dalrymple looked up, tears in his eyes, like he was waiting for Skulduggery to change his mind. When nothing more was said, he scrambled up, and sprinted past them.

“I don’t believe you guys,” Sanguine said, shaking his head. “I bet if he’d
shot you,
you wouldn’t be nearly so forgivin’.”

Tanith looked at him. “How stupid are you?”

Sanguine looked offended. “Not very.”

“Think about it, moron. None of us know where the Receptacle is, do we? None of us know where the Remnants are. They could be anywhere. It’s a big mountain range.”

“It ain’t
that
big.”

“He’s going to lead us right where we need to go. And you notice he’s on foot? So he knows a short cut.”

“And… we’re gonna follow him?”

“Do you need me to explain it to you slower?”

“Hey, enough with the attitude, OK? I been shot, an’ my insides are still all twisted up, and I’m sufferin’ from blood loss. But I ain’t no moron. Fact is, both of
you
are the morons. You’re plannin’ on followin’ him to the creepy critters an’ the machine that’ll save us all, but you can’t start it, can ya? What’re you plannin’ on doin’, lookin’ at it awhile? Remarkin’ on how pretty an’ shiny it is? Call that a plan?”

“Do you have a better idea?” Skulduggery asked.

“Course I do. I’m from Texas. We all got better ideas in Texas. My idea is to follow that fool who shot me, get into the cavern where the giant Soul Catcher is kept, and turn it the hell
on,
usin’ this key I picked from the pocket of Miss China Sorrows.” Sanguine held up the golden key, and tossed it to Skulduggery. “Now tell me – what do y’all think of
that
particular plan?”

They kept at a safe distance, but they needn’t have bothered. Dalrymple was so intent on getting to his precious Remnants that he didn’t even glance back once. Sanguine spent most of the time complaining about his arm. He was chewing on a leaf to numb the pain, but it was obvious, just by looking at him,
that he was getting weaker with each step. Halfway there, Skulduggery slowed down to help him traverse the rocky terrain. Sanguine was too tired to question the sudden change of heart, but Tanith knew that Skulduggery must have one last job for him to do before he fell by the wayside.

“Hold on,” Skulduggery said at last, as they watched Dalrymple disappear from sight. The golden key was glowing. He moved it around, and the glow strengthened. “This way. Tanith, check on Dalrymple.”

He half-carried Sanguine up an incline to their right, and Tanith jogged to where she had last seen Dalrymple. She crouched as she approached an outcrop, and peered over it. Below her, in a wide-open space of grasses and gorse bush, were two thousand possessed people. She saw Dalrymple running towards them, then ducked down before anyone saw her. Keeping low, she hurried back, and rejoined Skulduggery just as he sat Sanguine down next to a sheer wall of rock.

“I’m feelin’ distinctly woozy,” Sanguine mumbled.

“It looks like they’re all there,” Tanith told Skulduggery. “And I mean, all of them. There’s an
army
down there. Is this the cavern? Where’s the door?”

“I think this
is
the door,” Skulduggery replied. “Notice how
sharp the angles are on this section? See? Less weathered. Less beaten down by the elements.”

“So… what? What does that mean?”

“They’re resistant to damage. And the door to the cavern would have to be
very
resistant to damage.”

“Hey,” she said, nudging Sanguine with her foot, “can you take us inside?”

“Let him rest,” Skulduggery told her. “We’re going to need him soon enough. I’m sure we can get in here by ourselves.”

“So how do we open it? Is there a magic word or something?”