A/N: I don't own Valkyrie, Skulduggery, Gordon, Echo Gordon, Ghastly or Erskine. This is set after the novels, but an alternate universe sort of thing. Val is in her 20s at least, story is in her POV. (And the full title of the room is the fabled Mystical Hall of Magical Cabinets, but I took liberties. Sorry, Val.)
I was working late at night, so bored I'd started writing down short stories with Uncle Gordon. Well, Echo Gordon, when my mobile rang. I tried to ignore it, we were just getting to the good part, when it rang again. Shrilly. I sighed, knowing the ring, Skulduggery. My partner and best friend had gotten rather strange lately and I wasn't sure why.
"You better answer that." Uncle Gordon said, amused. He knew I was avoiding Skulduggery and he found it funny. "We've not even published yet and you have your own obsessed fan." He teased as I dug my mobile out, grumbling.
"What?" I growled into the phone. There was a pause, then the velvety voice I could listen to all day came on.
"Well, Hello to you too, Valkyrie. And here I though you loved me." My hand tightened on the phone at his dig. It wasn't funny and he knew it. It wasn't my stupid fault I'd fallen in love with my partner.
"No, I don't." I managed to grate out.
"So you say, and yet you do. I was wondering, if you aren't doing anything terribly important, how you'd like to visit the Hall of Magical Cabinets with me. That, after all, is where you come alive."
"Shut up, Skulduggery! Wait, you took a case without me?"
"No, but I wanted to check something."
"And Erskine is going to just let us waltz in there without a good excuse?" I asked doubtfully. Erskine was a good guy and didn't like rules, but he didn't let us do everything we wanted either. Well, he did, but other people gave him problems for it, so sometimes he actually acted like our boss.
"Our exalted Grand Mage already knows and approves." I felt the hair rise on the nape of my neck. Not even Skulduggery liked busy work. This felt like a case. A case no one could know about.
I looked at Gordon and he shrugged. I agreed and rang off and soon enough was climbing into the Bentley. "Seat belt." Skulduggery murmured. He'd gone back to his old disguise but I'd known him long enough to know he was staring at me.
"What?" I growled as I complied.
"Nothing, it's just that clothes do come in colors other than black, you know. Maybe Ghastly can make you something new. Pink is a fetching color for young ladies your age."
"Shut up and drive, Skulduggery!"
"Yes, dear." Skulduggery fell silent and switched the radio on, but the whole way to the Sanctuary he kept looking over at me. Not moving his head but side glances I didn't think he knew I noticed. My partner was getting stranger and stranger and I hoped the case would take his mind off things.
OK, at this point I wanted to see if I could still do SP and find Val's voice. Not sure if it will go on, this was a test bit.