Prologue – You are Never Alone

I was walking down an old street, in darkness. The wind was nipping at my face but I walked on. I was alone in the rain and wind. I faced my destiny, as I should, there. A figure stepped out of a little shop and hurried past me, looking me up and down like I am some freak. The first sign of life. My clothes were ripped and covered in blood, both mine and my victims, my hair stuck to my head with the rain and I was cut. Badly. Yet I walked on. There was something in my mind telling me to go, that that was the only way I could ever live again, I trusted that something and kept walking. I didn't realise before that I was crying but the tears flowed and I let them do so freely. Soon I wouldn't be able to cry so I had to get my fill whilst I still could. The village I was walking through was vaguely familiar, I may have known it in a past life, but it was unknown territory then. The figure was the only sign of life on the planet. Poor man. Everyone else was dead, all killed in battle, including me. There was one more thing I must do before I could depart to join my loved ones, someone I must kill. That was why I was walking, all hope of life gone from my head, to meet my final destiny. I walked to my death.

"Tanith!" a voice sounded behind me, "Tanith, here it's me!" I turned slowly to see what I feared, the past before my eyes. I would recognise his face anywhere, those eyes that you could get lost in so easily, the lopsided smile that took me back to the good times and the distinctive scars that ran from the top of his head and down the rest of his body.

"I'm coming, love!" I shouted back through the sound of gunshot and swords clanging together. I saw him laid on the grass not so far away from me, there was no fighting going on near him, it was almost like he was in his own protective bubble. I pushed through the fighters and finally reach him. He smiled, a smile that made my heart melt the first time I ever saw it.

"Love, are you alright?" I asked wondering why he is layed on the ground. Then I see the blood, seeping through his cotton shirt, staining it the colour of death.

"No, darling, I love you, more than anyone." He started but his words were so quiet all I could hear over the sounds of war are a few syllables of his speech.

"Save your breath, love, you will need it,"

"No, I am supposed to die, but I want it to be with you," he reached up to grab my hand and lowered it to his mouth before brushing it with his lips. A tear rolled down my cheek and onto his.

"I love you Ghastly, with all my heart." I said and another tear joined the first one. I held him until I felt the last breath leave his body; he smiled and looked at me for the final time.

"Why are you smiling?" I asked, barely managing to whisper.

"Because I'm with" but the final word was too quiet to hear and Ghastly's head became limp. I put my head against his and kissed his cheek.

"Goodbye Ghastly," I said "Until we meet again, love."

The wind carried my voice far away so even I didn't hear the words I spoke but Ghastly did, wherever he was. I touched my head to his one final time and close his eyes.

One thought got through the memories that were swarming my brain. Vengeance. It's not what Ghastly would have wanted I chastised myself, but it's what I want the other part of my subconscious argued back, I couldn't let her get away with this. I had to kill her, I owed that much to Valkyrie, Darquesse could not be allowed to continue. I stood slowly letting Ghastly's head drop gently to the floor, I vowed that I would come back for him; I would keep him safe for the rest of my days. And so I walked away from the carnage and the loved ones I so dearly cared for and set out to find Darquesse and I knew that wherever she was that she knew I would be coming for her.

And I was still walking, every step I took away from Ghastly was pure agony but I needed to be strong. Every step I took made and ache in my heart more painful yet powered me on to move another step. This was how I made my journey to Darquesse, one step at a time. I relived that past so many times, each time I remembered one more detail until I was sure my recount of it was perfect. I would remember Ghastly as he was on the good days. There were dead on the streets, many people I didn't know but had joined in the fight against Darquesse to protect their families, friends and loved ones, some I did know but didn't like, some I knew and did like. To my astonishment the next body I laid my eyes on was one I knew well, a friend I had fought alongside, the most indestructible man I knew, the most feared man on the planet before Darquesse, not always a good guy but always wanting justice and hardly ever getting it. The skeleton detective, broken into pieces and thrown aside like he was nothing, oh how wrong Darquesse was to think she could kill him, her teacher, her best friend. Skulduggery Pleasant. All I could see was his head and for that I was glad. I kept walking; walking to the beat of my heart that was so loud in my ears I could hear nothing else. Not that there was anything else to hear. Each of the dead I passed I mourned silently, even the one I didn't know, even the ones I didn't like for they all had had the courage to stand up and fight with us. We became, for the first time in the history of the universe a united, magical and mortal army. I hoped that one day when I was dead, and hopefully so was Darquesse, that people would mourn me like I mourned their family and friends. If the population of the earth ever recovered. I would have to set out to find the survivors, there had to be more than just me.

The sun shone down on the park and the trees stopped it from hitting my face full blast. It made a beautiful pattern on the long grass when the sunlight dappled through the leaves of the trees. We were sat on a picnic blanket, Skulduggery's façade face was playing up again and his nose kept sliding around his face in the funniest way. It made Valkyrie laugh every time it moved, even the slightest. That made me laugh too. Ghastly's clothes were amazing; they kept you cool in the summer but super toasty in the winter. I was wearing my new clothes designed and made by Ghastly, of course, and Val was wearing hers too. Skulduggery, as per usual, was wearing an immaculate suit also designed and made by Ghastly but his without all the protective enchantments that our, living people's, had.

"One Coke for Valkyrie, one bottle of Water for Tanith and one Ginger beer for me," came Ghastly's voice from behind me and a can of Coke flew above my head, Val caught it in one hand. Ghastly was wearing his façade face too but his was only to cover up the scars he had been born with. Ghastly wasn't the same with out the scars running down his face but he was still gorgeous to me.

"Why are we here anyway?" asked Skulduggery. He was never cheery when the sun was out because he said it made his bones itch but then he was hardly ever cheery on a normal day.

"Aaaaahhhhh!" I screamed and a trickle of ice cold water went down my back. "GHASTLY!" he had thought that I wasn't listening to him and so had put my water against the back of my neck.

"What, are you listening now?" he asked.

"I'm gonna kill you." I whispered to him. But he had already gone, set of running and was dodging behind trees not too far away. I hauled myself off the blanket and chased after him. Ghastly was fast. But I was faster and caught up with him in no time. He stopped and sat on an embankment and I went and sat next to him, the sin was just going down.

"Beautiful," I said "Absolutely stunning."

"That's what I was thinking," murmured Ghastly, looking at me.

"Why can't it be like this all the time?" I asked.

"Be like what?" he replied.

"Never be alone…" I paused and Ghastly sighed; I knew what was coming next.

"You, will never be alone, Tanith." He finished and leant forward. His lips brushed mine then he was pulling me to my feet and we were walking back to the others, hand in hand.

You will never be alone.