Hello there; it's been a while!
I was inspired to write this Fanfiction because of the "Exquisite Corpse" competition that is currently being held on the official Skulduggery Pleasant website. I'm going to warn you now; the events presented here take place after the Maleficent Seven, and some of the things written in it may be classed as SPOILERS.
DO NOT READ THIS FANFIC IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ MINOR SPOILERS!
Thanks, and enjoy!
Tanith had grown to love Ireland. Over the past few years it had held many memories for her, becoming a special place in her heart, and she hadn't ever imagined having to leave. That was before the Remnant had crawled its way down her throat and into her soul, of course. Since that had happened she'd been on the run, hopping from country to country and lying low in the lowest of places. Sanctuary representatives from all over the world had been trying to hunt her down, and none had been more desperate to find her than the Irish. Specifically, none had been more desperate than a certain Elder on the Irish council, Ghastly Bespoke.
She'd done well to stay free of a jail cell for two years, only bumping into her old friends Skulduggery and Valkyrie on the rarest of occasions. Then, she'd found a purpose, embarking on a mission to destroy the God-Killer weapons capable of felling Darquesse before she emerged. Tanith failed to do the job herself, instead leaving the weapons in the hands of Billy-Ray Sanguine, whom she had been sure would do it on her behalf. Left behind in the English Sanctuary, she was captured and thrown in the gaol for what she thought to be the rest of her life.
Shortly after being put into a cell, however, she'd been released by a man whom she thought she'd never see again. Moribund was one like her, one possessed by a Remnant, and he'd come to her with a proposition that sounded almost too good to be true. The longer you're possessed, he'd said, the less of a hold the Remnant has on your soul. You can go back to how you were, still bonded. You don't have to be evil.
Initially, this had sounded impossible to her. She could feel the Remnant inside, squirming around, her soul trapped in its clutches. After a while, though, she knew it wasn't. She had the option. And she was going to try it out.
On the run again, she became so distracted by her thoughts of this idea that she walked straight into two sorcerers from the English Sanctuary. As a result, she ended up back in the gaol, in the very same cell that she had been put in before. This, she had thought, is where I'm going to be for the rest of my life.
Again, things didn't turn out the way she had expected.
After being locked up for two months, her cell was approached for the first time by two mages, both of whom she couldn't fail to recognise. One was Dexter Vex, the other Saracen Rue, and both of them had been involved in her capture. Whilst they had wriggled free of a punishment for their actions, she had not, but that didn't bother her in the slightest. She smiled at them and the black veins rose to the surface of her skin as she did.
"Hello, boys," Tanith said, walking forwards to the barred gate of her cell. "What can I do for you two today?"
"As you may be aware," Vex began, eyeing her warily, "Ghastly Bespoke wants you back in Ireland. After two months of pleading, he's finally irritated Grand Mage Ode enough for him to let you be taken away. We're here to take you back to where you belong."
"And what makes you think I'd want to go back?"
"You've been thinking a lot about something for the past week or so," Saracen spoke for the first time, casually leaning against the gate of her cell and watching her with a bemused expression. "Something that was said to you, I think, probably quite a while ago now. You want to go back to Ireland because whatever it is you're thinking of, you can't settle anything unless you're there. What you're thinking of involves the place you used to call home, and whether you like it or not, you have to go back there to sort things out."
Tanith's face visibly paled and the black veins receded, but only for a moment, and then they were back and darker than ever. She stood up that little bit straighter, looked Saracen directly in the face, and then turned her eyes to Vex's when Saracen's didn't even blink.
"How does he know that?" Tanith's eyes flickered between the two men. "Is he a sensitive?"
"He just knows things," Vex said flatly. "Nobody knows for sure what his power actually is, and he refuses to tell anyone, not even me."
Saracen moved then, raising his hand and tapping his index finger against the side of his nose. Vex glared at him and rolled his eyes but Saracen didn't even look fazed. He smiled, but then stood up again and pulled a set of keys from his pocket.
"If I were you, Miss Low," he began, "I'd allow yourself to be shackled when I've opened the door. We wouldn't want you to get hurt, now would we?"
"He wouldn't actually hurt you," Vex smiled slightly as he spoke, "he's just saying that to sound tough."
Vex moved out of Saracen's way as he put the key into the lock and turned it. With one swift movement the door slid open, and as Tanith stepped free of the cell, she felt a momentary surge of joy as her magic returned to her after so long. This moment was ruined, however, when the shackles were clamped around her wrists and the binding effects kicked in. She allowed the black veins to recede as she was led out, a gesture which she hoped would be appreciated by the sorcerers which passed her. Being evil and merciless had been a lot of effort, it always had. Being courteous and respectful had never required any effort at all.
"How does it feel?" Vex asked as they reached the foyer and approached the lifts. "To know that you're going back home, that is."
"It feels good," Tanith said. "I used to think that England was my home, but after living in Ireland for a few years I've found that I much prefer it there. I have friends and family there, too, which is nice."
"Family," Saracen said quietly as the three stepped inside one of the lifts. He pressed the button for the pavement and the doors slid shut with a soft whump. "How is your brother, by the way?"
"He's as good as he ever was," Tanith glanced up to meet Saracen's eyes and saw that they had turned much softer. "Still mentally damaged, and still has a guilty conscience."
Saracen opened his mouth as if to say something, but then thought better of it and closed it again. Vex looked at him briefly but didn't ask; he knew better than to pry.
After a minute of silence the lift reached the pavement and Vex moved from where he had been leaning against the hand rail. Just as the doors slid open, he gently took hold of Tanith's elbow and the three of them stepped out into the harsh sunlight.
Having not seen the light of day for two months, it took Tanith considerably longer to adjust than it did Saracen or Vex. Whilst her eyes adjusted, Vex and Saracen looked around, scouting for the car that had been left for them. The lift and the place where they were standing were both completely invisible to mortal eyes; a cloaking symbol had been etched into the concrete, accompanied by a thought-inducing symbol that prevented anyone mortal from getting too close. Only those who both knew where the lift was and had a reason to travel in it could get anywhere near at all.
"It's around that corner," Saracen said, pointing to their left. "They had to move it because a policeman was going to impound it otherwise for illegal parking."
Vex nodded and glanced at Tanith. With her eyes now fully functioning again, she gave him a brief nod and a small smile. The truth was, she was nervous. She was happy to be going home, but she knew exactly what was going to be waiting for her when she arrived. They'd take her to the Sanctuary, and from there a certain Dr Nye would have the time of its life chopping her up in an attempt to remove the Remnant. If she could avoid that scenario, she would. After all, she had already decided herself that she was going to give up the villainous life up and return to being the good guy. The evil lifestyle just wasn't for her, and besides, evading prosecution wasn't as easy as some of her old enemies had made it look.
"Are you ready?" Vex asked, looking around at the people passing by. There weren't many, but there didn't need to be. All it would take to blow their cover was for one person to notice three others stepping seemingly out of nowhere. That's when they'd have to run.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Tanith cast her eyes down to the pavement, finding the shape of the tiny symbol and examining it. The light it was emitting was growing gradually fainter, a visual signal that its effects wearing off... By her reckoning, they only had a couple of seconds left before the protective bubble retracted from around them and they were revealed to passers-by.
"Then let's go," Saracen said, and with that he darted forwards without even looking to see if Vex and Tanith were following. They were, of course. Vex had known him for years, could read his movements, and as soon as he'd noticed the slightest alteration of his position he'd ushered Tanith forwards with him.
The three paused to look around after they'd moved clear, checking to see if anyone had noticed them. Nobody appeared to, which was a relief, but just as they were about to move away...
"MUM!" A small child yelled from across the street whilst pulling on his mother's sleeve. "Those people just appeared out of nowhere!"
"Oh boy," Vex said softly as the woman turned her head to look at him. Saracen said nothing, but quickly pulled them both out of sight. When he heard further commotions starting up around them, he cursed, and then started running, pulling Vex and Tanith along behind him. Vex found his feet quickly enough to remain upright, but Tanith wasn't as fortunate; Saracen was too quick for her and she tripped. Just before she was going to hit the pavement, someone hoisted her up and her legs started moving again of their own accord. Saracen had whipped around, picked her up and then set her down again, all in the space of a second. If she hadn't already known he was capable of such feats from previous experiences, she'd have been impressed.
As it was, she scowled and started running faster in an attempt to keep up. They rounded the corner and took off down a narrow alleyway, darting around parked cars and dustbins as they went. Tanith found the route they were taking questionable, especially since they didn't seem to be heading in the direction of their car, but after what had happened earlier she chose not to say anything.
"You doubt me, don't you?" Saracen's voice had an amused undertone to it as they rounded the corner of the alley and emerged onto a different main street. "Don't worry; I know exactly where I'm going."
"I'm sure you do," Tanith muttered, almost inaudibly. "Because you know things, apparently."
"That I do," he said with a grin. "Including what you just said."
"Please shut up, both of you, unless you're saying something important," Vex gave them both a look and then gestured to his right by nodding. "Is it this way?"
"Yeah," Saracen looked slightly put-out but didn't retaliate. "Can you see that black Audi near the post box? That's our car."
"Great, let's get there fast, then," Vex grabbed hold of Tanith's elbow again and pushed Saracen along in front of him with his other spare hand. "Ghastly wants her back with him today, not next week, and if she doesn't get back today you and I both know that we really will be dead men when we arrive."
~END OF PART ONE~