Valkyrie was sitting quietly in her bedroom reading one of her late uncle's books when the skeleton detective appeared at her window. She tried to ignore him at first, but after a few loud taps on the windowpane she bailed and let him in.
"I was just getting to a really tense part," she complained as Skulduggery Pleasant climbed through her window, gun in hand.
"Sorry," he said idly, scratching the back of his head with the gun. "I think an emergency regarding the re-emergence of Tanith Low is slightly more important."
"I don't." Valkyrie pretended to sulk, but when Skulduggery didn't put his gun away after standing in her room for a few moments, she stopped and stood up straight. "Why the gun?"
"Tanith Low – well, the Remnant bonded to her, at least – is hunting down people she believes pose a threat to the continuance of her existence." Skulduggery paced around Valkyrie's room. "Guess who's top of the list?"
"The man on the moon?" Valkyrie replied hopefully. She really wanted it to be the man on the moon.
The skeleton detective pointed the gun to himself and then to Valkyrie. She jumped backwards then felt embarrassed as she saw the safety switch still resting in place.
"You're top of the list, Valkyrie."
"Me?" Valkyrie spluttered. Not an attractive thing to do.
"Glad you can hear. It tends to be a helpful ability."
"Unlike making sarcastic comments."
"Or asking silly questions," Skulduggery added.
"Fair point, but just one more: Why me?"
"You are blocking Darquesse from taking over and eventually destroying the world. Nice job by the way, do keep it up."
"Surely killing me won't help?"
"It's unlikely. Hence why she doesn't want to kill you." Skulduggery was about to continue when he heard a knock on the door.
"Stephanie, are you all right?" Valkyrie's mother called out. Valkyrie shoved Skulduggery into her wardrobe before answering.
"I'm fine," she said. "Just talking to someone from school on the phone."
Valkyrie's mother opened the door. "You don't have a phone in your hand."
"Well observed," Skulduggery pointed out. Valkyrie kicked the wardrobe in response.
"I hung up so I could hear you," Valkyrie lied. It was becoming a bit of an alarming habit. She leant all of her weight against the wardrobe doors so that Skulduggery was forced into silence.
"School project?" Valkyrie's mother enquired, and Valkyrie nodded.
"Creative writing. Theme of men on the moon. With guns." Despite the habit, Valkyrie still wasn't very good at lying, and Skulduggery's snigger as she spoke confirmed this.
"Sounds interesting!" Valkyrie's mother exclaimed. "If this friend of yours needs to come round at any point, they're more than welcome."
"I'll keep it in mind," Valkyrie replied. She waited as her mum thought about saying something else before giving up and leaving the room, shutting the door behind her.
"That certainly sounds like the best story," Skulduggery said as he emerged from the wardrobe. "You could rival Gordon with that sort of plot."
Valkyrie shot him a warning glance before asking him to continue what he was saying before her mother had come in.
"Ah yes, the small problem of Tanith Low wanting to kidnap you. That problem is why I am also on the list."
"Because I'm going to be kidnapped?" Valkyrie shook her head. "I'm not sure I follow."
"She knows that I will do anything to protect you. Remnants love abusing knowledge. To get to you, she has to get rid of me first."
Valkyrie's face fell in horror.
"But surely she can't kill you?" she stuttered.
"I guess we'll have to see. I wouldn't say she could, but it's not like anyone has tested that theory."
"This isn't fair!" Valkyrie shouted, before lowering her voice. She didn't need her mum worriedly rushing in and finding her talking to a living skeleton with a gun in his hand. "Why me?"
"Stop sulking like a petulant child," the skeleton replied as Valkyrie crossed her arms, pouted and slumped down on her bed.
"Couldn't this whole thing just have been a horrible, horrible mistake?"
"You know it isn't," Skulduggery said. "You've seen the visions just as clearly as I have."
"So I guess now we have to go and stop her before she stops us?" Valkyrie asked, getting up and releasing her reflection from the mirror.
"Indeed," Skulduggery agreed, opening the window. Valkyrie shivered as the cold air rushed in. "What's the plan?"
Skulduggery scoffed.
"You expect too much." He adjusted his hat, straightened his hat and jumped from the windowsill.
"Of course," his accomplice grumbled, shrugging her coat on. She really needed to ask Ghastly to make her a new one. She slipped out of the window and waved at her reflection before dropping down and attempting to catch up with an already-running skeleton.