So this is the ONLY thing I've ever felt ready to publish. I was re-reading death bringer. And got to the scenes in the tunnels I stopped reading to write.
So this is disclaimed, and mistakes are mine alone.
This is a slight AU where vile succeeds in killing Melancholia, and Val is left being hunted in the tunnels by Vile.
Vile was closing in on her. This would be it, she knew she wouldn't survive this.
Black shadows curled around her ankle. Dragging her across the ground closer to him. He wanted to finish her off without magic. Great for her, she readied herself for the pain that would arrive before death.
She wouldn't beg for her life, she wanted to die with dignity okay she might be screaming when it happened but she wouldn't beg.
So she calmed her expression as the tendrils flipped her over to face Vile. She locked her jaw and gazed at the eye slits in the armour and prepared for death...
"You're not begging for your life." Vile's voice spoke, or rather Skulduggery's did.
"Surely you know what I am capable of yet you don't beg. Everyone else has, since I began, why not you?"
Valkyrie paused before answering, she hadn't expected to live this long so formulating an answer was difficult.
"I wanted to die," she took a breath, "with a scrap of dignity. And I certainly wasn't going to die begging my best friend for my life."
"I am not your friend."
"Yes you are, you are Skulduggery whether you like it or not. You're just the violent part condensed and focused."
"I am Lord Vile, not Skulduggery he is weak. I am strong and I will not listen to this from you. You will die and you will beg for your life."
"No," she replied. Valkyrie didn't know if she was making things worse or better but she had to continue trying to talk. At least more talking meant less dying on her part.
"You can't be Lord Vile fully or you wouldn't have stopped from killing me, you wouldn't have questioned anything. You would have killed me in a second. But you didn't."
Vile drew back a little and turned his chin away from her a fraction.
"I know that the part of you that it Skulduggery can hear me now. Let him win."
Vile drew back from her again further this time. The tendrils left her and he stood a meter away. Looking down and then to where Valkyrie was on the floor. No words were spoken and she didn't trust herself to move from her spot on the floor. Finally after a time Vile spoke once more.
"He has grown both weaker and stronger because of you. He is stronger and able to fight me with more finesse now. He will win the fight for control. But he is weaker, as he will stop at nothing to protect you. You are Darquesse, and should be put down. You will crack the world in two. I was close to killing you now but I could not because he would not allow it."
Valkyrie's eyes blurred and her throat became thick.
The the armour Vile wore came apart leaving her friend in his place.
If she couldn't rely on Skulduggery anymore to stop her what was she supposed to do?