Author's Note: This is only my third story, so, y'know, go easy on me. And second thing, err, actually there is no second thing. So, yeah: just read it.

Skulduggery Pleasant: The Worst Is Yet To Come

THE SANCTUARY

TUESDAY, 18TH FEBRUARY 2011

Valkyrie Cain was stubborn. She knew it. Her friends knew it. Even strangers knew it. But when she was asked to give up on a friend: that was just not acceptable.

"What do you mean I can't see her!?" screamed Valkyrie at the Sanctuary official. "She is pretty much a sister to me!"

"I'm sorry, Miss Cain, I really am, but Miss Tanith Low is too badly injured to be seen by anyone right now," murmured the official, in that same boring tone as an impatient receptionist.

Valkyrie groaned and stamped her foot with force. She was about to shoot a wisp of fire at the official, when Fletcher appeared in front of her and whispered urgently in her ear.

"Ghastly's been recovered. We need to go," he said. When she still didn't respond, he added: "I promise I'll get you in to see Tanith, later."

"Promise?" asked Valkyrie.

"Promise," he said as he held out his hand.

Valkyrie took it and she heard a sudden whooshing sound. When she opened her eyes, they were standing in a darkened alleyway, where Skulduggery appeared to have been waiting.

"Glad to see you could make it here, Valkyrie," he said cheerfully.

"What are you smiling at? Tanith is in hospital, Ghastly has only just been recovered, I'm exhausted and Fletcher's still annoying!" said Valkyrie.

"Being exhausted is a small price to pay, when there is a country to save," stated Skulduggery. "As for Fletcher, all I can say is he has stupid hair."

"I'm right here, you know."

Skulduggery turned to him for the first time this evening. "Ah, my dear Mr Renn. Good job on teleporting. But you appear to have an albino hedgehog on your head. Might want to get that looked at. Anyway," he turned back to Valkyrie as Fletcher scowled at the back of Skulduggery's head, "the assault on Greffley's headquarters was not a complete disaster, Valkyrie."

"Really? I mean, we did almost lose Tanith, we did lose Ghastly, as I said, I got tired and Fletcher was this close" (she held up her forefinger and thumb and put them close together) "to being pulverised by that new beam-weapon-thing that Greffley had. What wasn't a disaster about it?"

The three of them turned a corner, as Skulduggery spoke again.

"Well, since you ask, Anton Shudder managed to extract fingerprints from all over the site. This means we now know the few bad-guys-that-must-be-stopped who escaped. Second, err, actually, there is no second. But, think of it this way, we've got Ghastly back!"

"You're such an optimist." She scowled, but stifled a laugh as she saw Skulduggery pretending to cry underneath his hat. They both shared a laugh, however, when Fletcher tripped over a loose paving slab.

"You know, I could decide to just not help you at all," exclaimed Fletcher.

"And I could just arrest you, but we both don't want that," Skulduggery replied. "I was only joking when I said all those mean things about you."

"Good," said Fletcher with a look of smugness on his face.

"Well, some of them I meant. That one about your hair being stupid, that one I definitely meant," remarked Skulduggery.

Valkyrie had been watching the conversation/argument take place, when she noticed a pair of hooded strangers following them out of the corner of her eye.

"Skulduggery," she whispered and nodded in the hooded people's direction.

Skulduggery understood, but kept walking. He didn't seem to care.

"Skulduggery," whispered Valkyrie with a bit more intent. "Skulduggery do you know them."

Skulduggery stopped and stared at her.

"My dear, Valkyrie. If I knew them, I would have gone up to them and said 'hello'."

"Why?"

"Because that's polite. Hang on, where's Fletcher?" He looked around only to find a hooded figure standing opposite them.

"My men have the Teleporter. If you know what's good for him, you will stop this foolish attempt at stopping my master's plan," said the figure.

He spoke with a soft, cold, but sinister voice. As he was up close to them now, Valkyrie could see the markings on his hands, face and neck. She could see the horrible scar running up from his wrist to shoulder on his left arm. And she could smell the rancid, rotten smell that left his mouth with every breath. She could tell this much: this is not a nice man.

"Xerok," murmured Skulduggery with anger present in his voice.

Xerok smiled and revealed black, pointy teeth. "You remember me."

Skulduggery nodded slowly.

Xerok smiled wider and started to chuckle. But as sudden as he started to chuckle, he was all business again. "So, if you know what's good for your Teleporter friend, you will stop meddling in my master's plan. You will hand over Mr Bespoke. And that, Miss Cain, is a lovely ring. I'll have that too."

"You are never having my Necromancy ring."

"And, unfortunately, we don't know what's good for Fletcher Renn, so, sorry old pal," said Skulduggery.

Skulduggery quickly rammed into Xerok and punched him across the face. Xerok showed no sign of hurt, or even discomfort, and returned with a roundhouse kick to Skulduggery's ribcage. Skulduggery howled in pain and splayed his hands. This caused wind to rush at Xerok at very fast speeds and send him flying backwards.

He cursed as he landed on his left arm, the one with the scar. Before he could get up, however, Skulduggery's bony fist was making contact with his neck. Xerok grabbed Skulduggery's wrist and threw Skulduggery to the ground. He cried out in pain, as Valkyrie joined the fight. She used the power in her ring to push a thousand shadows at Xerok. Xerok just smiled and disappeared and a blaze of smoke. Valkyrie was startled and was just about to run to Skulduggery, who still hadn't got up, when Xerok grabbed hold of her ankle and pulled her down. She grunted when she landed painfully on her shoulder. She heard a 'crack!' and felt a leathery coil whip across her face. She fell back, clutching her face in agony. It was at this point that Skulduggery decided to get back up again. He sent fireball after fireball at Xerok, who was eventually forced to vanish in another blaze of smoke. He reappeared at the other end of the street and shouted: "If you want your friend back, then be at the old Sanctuary building by the end of Friday!"

"What…the…hell?" said Valkyrie.