The boy

They were waiting, why where they waiting and for how long, and what where they waiting for? She didn't know because he wouldn't tell, she hated stakeouts.
"SKULDUGGERY!" she cried out for the fifth time that evening, "why can't you just tell me what we're waiting for and maybe then I can help". He looked at her with his hollow eyes and turned his head in a bemused sort of way and said "for the last time I can't tell you what we're looking for because I don't know it myself, our sensors just spotted a large amount of magic in this area."
"And why can't their own sanctuary handle this, why did we had to come all the way to Belgium to look for..., we don't even know WHAT we're looking for.."
"First of all they have grate waffles here and second..." but she never got to know how that sentence ended because he suddenly looked behind her into the distance had felt a ripple in the air, and now she felt it too someone was in the area and whoever it was, they were being followed. this was one of the times she envied him for being able to see in the dark."who is it?" she asked.
"a boy."he said so silent even if you'd been in the back seat you wouldn't have heard.
"and his followers?"
"seven of them,and one coming trough the ground."
"sanguine?"
"who else?"

She opened the car door and ran over to the boy, Skulduggery motioned her to hide but it was too late one of his followers had spotted them and shot an energy stream at the boy, right before it hit him there was a blinding light and the energy thrower flew trough the sky, another stream from one of his companions got shot right at her but she dived under it and shot a fireball herself which hit him straight in the face he cried out in agony but she was already fighting on of them who got too close she hit him in the face and he laughed she hit him again but this time she hit him with her finger in his eye and to her own dismay scooped it right out. He cried in agony and fell to the ground while she wiped all the goo and blood to the grass when she turned around she saw Skulduggery kick the last one on the chin which knocked him right out. She ran to the boy preparing herself for the worst skulduggery right behind her and there he was a boy maybe seventeen or sixteen, quite tall and long brown hair with broad shoulders and a pale skin "how can he still be alive?" she asked skulduggery
"well," he said "I have no idea. He should be looking like a candle on a stove."
"Let me answer that" said the smooth voice she hated with every fibre of her body.

Before she could even blink skulduggery had his gun out and was pointing it straight at the Texans head.
"Woah hold on a second, no need to get all hostile here we're on the same side for once."
"And how is that so?" skulduggery asked.
"Well I can't tell any details but I'll just say somebody paid me a whole lot of money to protect this kid"
"And who may this protector be?" skulduggery asked, a threat in his voice
"I can't really say but just know that I'll be keeping an eye on him." and with that he sunk into the ground before either of them could stop him.

Valkyrie looked at the boy again and saw his wallet sticking out of his back pocket she opened it it and read aloud "James Toner 14 years old" at this she looked at the kid again and realised how young he actually was.
"So," skulduggery said "we'll carry him to the Bentley and bring him to our hotel"
"Wait" Valkyrie said "what about his parents?" at that skulduggery took the kids phone pressed some buttons and said "that should do"
"what did you do?" Valkyrie asked
"Send a message to the contact saying home that he'll be spending the night at a friends house."
And at that moment the phone began to buzz and he read the text"his parents are okay with it" he said.
"oh and one more thing"
"what"
"you take his legs"

They smuggled him into the hotel and brought him to their room and laid him on skulduggery's bed,
after half an hour he woke up sweating and jumping up as if just had a bad dream.
"Typical" she tought to herself, "now that skulduggery's getting pizza he wakes up."
"where am I?"he asked in a strong but slightly shaking voice.
"Listen, take it easy" she said to him she didn't want to fight him because she didn't want to hurt him, and wasn't even sure she'd win in a fist fight because he looked strong and was slightly taller than her.
"You're at a hotel, you were attacked."
"ah" he said in the calmest voice in the world "by who?", and so she told him everything about sorcerers and magic and about how he survived something that would've killed just about anyone.
"well then" he said when she was finished "that's a whole lot to take in for one night"