Apparently, it had taken Skulduggery 5 years to track down Silas Nadir. The slacker.
"You're only now getting around to that scumbag?" Val asked
"He's a shunter. He probably shunted. I'm rather impressed it only took me five years."
"You were moping, weren't you? You missed me."
"I enjoyed the silence, actually. It increases productivity."
"You missed me."
He whacked her upside the head. "And you've gone soft."
"Ow!"
"Now be quiet, or he'll scamper before we can cuff him."
"You're the one who hit me!"
"You're the one who spent the last five years moping."
"We can't all rejoin the Dead Men to make up for almost destroying the universe."
"No, but you could have at least studied your magic."
"It'll be fine. Like riding a bike."
His head tilted to one side. "You can ride a magic bike?"
"No, it's a saying… it's muscle memory… like riding a bike...you never forget how to do it…"
"What does riding a bike have to do with magic? Do you need training wheels now?"
She didn't have time to retort - they'd reached the pub. Skulduggery tapped his collarbones and slid a hand over his revolver. Val pushed open the door.
The place was small, dingy, and poorly lit - exactly the kind of place you'd expect to find a convicted serial killer. Green glass lampshades covered only a handful of the lights that hung from the ceiling, the rest were either bare or broken. Deplorable pool tables were surrounded by sticky wooden furniture. The bar itself began on the left wall, curved at the corner, and continued along the wall opposite the door. Val could just make out Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin playing beneath the din of drunken argumentation. All things considered, any public places - especially one frequented by people with little to no discretion - are not a prudent choice when one is evading capture. Perhaps the idiot thought no one would check Cleveland.
Silas was sitting on the right wall, with a clear view of the entire room. He would have seen them come in, if he hadn't been in the middle of an argument. His face was red and contorted, his voice a hot second away from becoming hoarse. At the moment, the attention of every person in the room was directed towards those shouting voices, so no one bothered to notice the two latest patrons. His adversary was tall and thin, with stick straight jet black hair that threatened to touch his shoulders. If he had been wearing black robes instead of a navy blue coat and white pants, he could have passed for Severus Snape.
"Hide in the corner and guard the door," Skulduggery muttered. "You're old enough to flirt, right? If we're lucky, Silas still thinks you're in hiding, and that gentleman will actually give you his number."
Val glanced at the man in the corner. He was short and round and his nose was about as big as his face. Also, he looked to be in his 80s, which meant he was either 80 or 800 and neither option was acceptable.
"I am not going to go flirt in the corner while you pick a fight."
"You're the one who likes to have a plan. That it the plan. When Nadir makes a run for it, you get to hit him." With that, he stalked off before their query noticed the newcomers.
Valkyrie did not go to the corner, but she did lean up against the wall and pretend to check her phone. She looked up with everyone else when the room fell silent.
"You." Silas' face went pale.
"Me."
Silas made a dash for the back room, but Skulduggery cut him off, punching him in the jaw before he could muster up enough concentration to shunt. Nadir chucked a chair in response, and Val watched as Skulduggery pretended to be caught off guard. Nadir took the bait, and sprinted towards her, focusing on the door.
She put her foot out.
The noise he made as he slammed into the floor was priceless.
She got her knee onto his back and used her right hand to grip Nadir's wrist while her left searched for the cuffs. Why hadn't she thought to have them at the ready? Nadir twisted and struggled against her hold on him, using his free hand to push his side off of the floor. Val could hear the other customers beginning to give Skulduggery a hard time - apparently, Silas owed many of them money, and they weren't too keen for him to go to prison and avoid repaying them.
With a grunt, Nadir wrenched his wrist from her grip and turned himself over. Her knee struck the floor and sent needles shooting up her spine - if it weren't for Ghastly's design, it likely would have shattered. Now he was sitting up, clawing at her face. She brought her hand up to send lightning into his system, but it was too late. The familiar sensation of vibration into another dimension began to take hold.
She fell three feet and landed on her face, the cement of the sidewalk scraping her exposed hands and jaw.
...
"Where is she?" Skulduggery's voice was dangerously quiet.
"I told you, I don't know," Silas replied with a smirk. "I was going to just send her back to Mevolent, but, like I said...her lightning interfered. She could be anywhere and there is nothing I will do about it unless I get full amnesty."
"That will not happen."
"Of course it won't. What will happen is I'll sit back in a goal cell, basking in the knowledge that you have finally lost that girl for good. There may even be people who will thank me for doing so, her bad side was that nasty. Whatever scheme you're thinking of now, I'm telling you it won't work. I do not trust you. Even if I saw the Grand Mage sign a document myself, there is no way I will cooperate with you."
"You seem to be under the impression that I am going to be working with the law on this one. That is incorrect. I have no inclination to play by the rules just now. "
Silas gulped.
"You are not at the Sanctuary. You are not in an interrogation room. You are in my hands. And my hands are going to rip you apart joint by joint if you do not cooperate. Starting with your toes. Possibly your eyes. Now, I ask you again, where is she?"