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"Damn I'm dead. Way too tired to teleport outta here. Shit! I'll hafta wait it out then. Gre4at just great."

I sat on the tree away from the carnage happening to catch my breath, slumped my shoulders and put my head in my hands, heavily panting. I felt my hair covered in sweat and the feeling of it matted and I hated it. I always loved my spiky hair and the gel I used. I looked down at my shirt soaked in sweat and a bit of blood.

I was tired and frightened. I didn't want to admit it but I was scared and i couldn't see anybody about...wait. Are those footsteps? I looked up slowly feeling the pain in my neck. Valkyrie. Thank God.

"I helped them" I couldn't help the guilt that was coming on even greater now that she was in front of me.

"I know. But now we need you to help us. Have you seen Paddy?" Paddy? The old guy? I haven't even seen the faceless ones thank god, but why does she want to know. Wasn't paddy just a normal human?

"Haven't seen anyone. I didn't even fight them. They threatened me, they cut me, and that's all it took. I always thought I'd be the hero, you know?" And I always did. I thought I could easily handle this and impress Val and Tanith. I laughed at the thought of it.

"I don't mean to sound cruel but we don't have time for this." Ah... she was thinking about time. She must want to leave. She could come with me then. Thinking about it reminded me of London Somehow and I started missing it.

"You want to get out of here? I'm gathering my strength to teleport somewhere, anywhere. For some reason I really want to go back to London right now." I started thinking about what the family would do with me back again and if I brought my friend. They would hate me there again, but they might like Valkyrie and-

"You can't leave..." Wow what did she just say? I can't leave? While thinking why I caught that Batu was the old guy, needing to find the sceptre and me re-opening the portal. Wow, wait a minute!

"Are you nuts?! Opening it the first time wiped me out. I mean, if I could use my powers don't you think I would have by now. Do you think I'm staying here because I'm brave? The moment I'm strong enough, I'm gone" I was really trying to show how desperate I was that we should leave. I was even telling her that I wasn't brave, but even that didn't work.

"It's not my fight"

"It's everyone's fight." Everyone huh...the sorcerers!

"When the other sorcerers hear about this, they'll all come running to help, from all over the world. They'll stop them. Not me. I'm just a kid." And I was. I was a reckless cocky teen who was in over his head. I looked into her eyes and saw the desperation and fear in them, and realized she's near my age. She's also just a kid. One that I should at least protect.

"You should come with me" I wanted her to come away from the danger, from Skulduggery as well. He was the one that got her into this. She should come with me, not him.

"I can't. If you won't help us, finding the sceptre is our only chance." Those words hurt me more than being cut. It made me feel like i was betraying her. Couldn't she se that I was trying to help her in a different way?

"You'll be killed" That thought alone made me wanna throw up as the picture of her laying limp on the ground, blood covering her body, torn to shreds and her eyes staring at me entered my mind. That's another picture i won't get rid of ever.

"Apparently that's been coming awhile now" What did she mean by that? Did someone say she was going to die? Or was she always in life or death situations? That angered more then I liked.

She gave me my chance. She stood waiting in optimistic hope. I looked at her then. Really looked at her appearance. She was covered in sweat and dirt but that was to be expected. Her long silk hair was still the same just a little messed up, but it looked good on her. Her clothes clung to her feminine body, that on closer inspection, looked nice and she was still growing too. That thought needed a covered up blush and her face was also covered in sweat. Her plump lips were in a straight line and i looked at them a second longer before her eyes screamed out at me. They looked desperate and fearful, but mostly disappointment. She was desperate and yet look what I was doing. Even her eyes looked and all her body looked pretty and would probably be stunning in a year.

She walked away sensing that I wasn't going to come. There was fear in her eyes so she's as scared as I am but look how she's handling it. Pretending to be confident and for help finds me. Away from the destruction to safety. But she wanted to be there not being selfish or showing weakness. She wanted to protect people. Well then I'll help her and protect her.

With that thought in mind, I stood up, sucked in, breathed out. Then ran in her direction.