Nevala Blue
Chapter One
My shoulder slammed into the cold hard ground, I gasped as the breath was pushed from my lungs, and my glance shot upwards. The man propelled himself into the air, snapping open his palms and shooting a torrent of flames in my direction. Acting fast, I rolled a metre to my left, and clawed the ground for the black barrel of the revolver that had landed beside me, a second too late. The flames licked the deep blue fabric of my coat, but were repelled instantly. This was not the first time Ghastly's handiwork had saved my skin, literally.
The man touched down next to me and swung a vicious kick at my head. I rolled again into a crouch, revolver in hand; I straightened up and my back pressed reassuringly against Tanith's. We circled our opponents warily; Tanith's golden tumbling curls radiated with brilliance in the early morning light. She turned her head, keeping one eye on the brutish man she was fighting, "Swap?" she whispered with a playful grin, "Not a chance." I replied, my eyes fixed on my challenger. His chest heaved with every breath, and his eyes were of the most piercing blue.
Tanith sprung at the man, sword in hand, swiping it across his well developed chest. The blade had created a gaping wound, which seeped scarlet blood. I whipped my head round just in time to see my opponent curl his fingers, and I was knocked off my feet by a blast of freezing air which he expelled from his fingertips. I felt the solid revolver in my right hand, which lent me strength. I used the same element to become airborne, I clicked my fingers, and the friction created a spark. I fed to it until it grew into a flame, and then hurled it at the man, he dodged it effortlessly. Cursing, I threw another; this caught him on the shoulder, he paused to beat off the flames, producing a rifle from the depths of his jacket. Aiming at each other with the deadly weapons, time stood still. We eyed the competition closely, calculating our strengths and, wondering who would make the first move. Deadlock. Each of us put away our weapons, Tanith sheathed her sword, and I slipped my gun into it's holder on my belt. We approached each other, and shook hands good-naturedly; my slender hand lost in Mr Bliss' strong, bear-like one. I could see the wound on the cleaver's chest begin to heal, and remove any trace of it ever being there.
"Want a ride?" I asked Tanith, as we walked out of the Wax-work museum that shielded the Sanctuary entrance from curious eyes. "Sure, my bikes at the garage at the moment," she replied, and following my prompting look, continued, "I had a run it with a vampire a few weeks ago, leapt from the trees straight onto the front of my bike." Tanith said thoughtfully. "Odd, I didn't think vamps' were that heavy…?" I murmured, chewing my lip. "Of course that wasn't what caused the damage!" Tanith chided as we reached my red Mini Cooper parked across the street. "Dirty great beast obscured my vision of the road; I lost control of the bike and skidded into a tree." She explained, tugging up her shirt sleeve to reveal an ugly scar the length of her arm. I flinched in surprise, Tanith nodded solemnly. We got into the car and I started the engine, which purred into life as Tanith joined me, and we sped off. "Where are we meeting Skulduggery again?" I asked Tanith as she sat cleaning her sword; "Park" was all she replied.
"Isn't that a bit too open?" I asked incredulously, "Why would Skulduggery pick a place so conspicuous I wonder?"
"Beats me," Tanith replied, lifting her polished sword up so it flashed in the light, and inspecting the surface.
We drove on in silence, until the long stretches of motorway finally gave way to the giants of the city. The skyscrapers towered up to the sky like a passage to the stars. Shoppers and businessmen bustled along the streets, the crowds moving in waves, in and out of shops like the watery fingers of the sea. "God, you know? For a girl, I actually hate shopping" I exclaimed.
"Yeah, me too, give me a hairy ravenous monster any day over the spring sales at Top Shop." Tanith grinned, gesturing to a woman trying to pack several large boxes into a taxi, and failing dramatically. I steered the car further into the centre of the city, it was a Tuesday and there was very little traffic to congest the roads. Gradually the shoppers began to disperse and the smart, expensive-looking shops became dull and less polished as we crawled to the grubby outskirts of Dublin. The park was, in all respect, a very nice park. There was a good, if not small, playground, and a large grassy area for walking dogs and playing football. We walked along the narrow path that looped around it like a safety belt, the large wizened trees spreading their branches above our heads protectively. My earlier assumption of it being too obvious a meeting place seemed quite laughable now. Of course the local children were at school, and it being around midday, many people were at home eating or resting. Save for the odd absent minded wanderer, the park was utterly deserted. I found it rather eerie, and subconsciously began to hug my arms to my chest, despite the fact that it was a warm, sunny afternoon.
The path was long and narrow; leaves fell on either side of it from the crippled, moulting trees. I looked up, and suddenly he was there. His tall and impossibly thin body was shrouded in the over-sized black trench coat, which was buttoned up past his chin. Skulduggery Pleasant was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses, and beyond the rim of his hat, I could just see a small indication of the fuzzy ginger hair poking out from beneath it. Wrapped up like that, he could have well been a burn victim. We walked towards each other in silence; we had talked only last week, it was unusual for Skulduggery to call a meeting so early on in the investigation. We smiled and shook hands, and walked together to the Bentley. Skulduggery twisted the key in the door, "There have been important developments in the case, and we need you two on our side." He paused, "but we need to talk somewhere a bit more private, Tanith, I'll meet you at the scene, Eva," he addressed me "I'll give you a lift." This usually meant that Skulduggery wanted to talk to me alone. Tanith looked at me expectantly; I sighed, dug my keys out of my pocket, and reluctantly handed them over. Tanith grinned, and skipped off.
Skulduggery opened the door of the Bentley for me, and I got in. It truly was a beautiful car, I defy anyone to sit in it for more than a second and not fall instantly in love with it, but it was Skulduggery who loved it more than everybody else. In the quiet streets, the Bentley stuck out brilliantly against the overall theme of beige and cream, but then, it stuck out everywhere it went. For a while we sat in silence, Skulduggery seemed to be thinking, although he had no face, and no expressions to speak of, somehow you could always tell what mood he was in by the way he held his head. "Im afraid we have to take a slight detour," he said at last, "I have to pick up a small parcel from a..." he hesitated "from a friend."
Artemis Corshack lived on the corner of a rough neighbourhood; it was a small village, a hidden community occupied entirely by sorcerers, and it was kept as unappealing as possible to deter unwanted snooping estate agents and the like. We passed down a road; I glanced back as a lone dog barked, and watched as a splintering door, hanging limply off its hinges, swung hypnotically in the breeze. A sordid breeze drifted solemnly past, a few figures floated along the otherwise deserted streets, they wore long coats and each had donned some kind of disguise to hide their identity. Some of these included a pair of dark glasses, a large brimmed hat, and a rather fetching false beard, or all three for that matter. Skulduggery parked the Bentley around the corner, we got out, and he pulled his hat down lower as we walked to the door. The door was green, and not the kind of deep emerald green used for clothing or curtains, it was a sickly green, the colour of a boggy marsh to be precise. The knocker was a dirtied gold, and the numbers etched into the decaying wood announced that this was number forty two. I had a very strong image of what its inhabitants would look like merely by studying the door, and I didn't like them.
I heard a key turn in the rusty lock, and the door swung gently open. A man in his early thirty's stood expectantly in the doorway, he wore a pin striped suit, such a deep shade of blue it was almost black, he had polished shoes and wore a black trilby hat upon his wavy brown hair. His face lit up when he saw Skulduggery; they exchanged a warm handshake, and the man beckoned us inside. His hall was well lit by a string of lights embedded into the ceiling, the carpet a cosy cream, and on every wall hung pictures, paintings and artefacts. This was far from the squalid, festering dump that the exterior had portrayed.
Artemis lead us into the living room, which was a little cluttered with newspaper articles, sweet wrappers, a few rough sketches of some buildings, and an issue of the local times. "I assume this is not a social visit?" he said at last, clearing some papers off a seat and sitting down. He did not offer either of us a seat, yet somehow I knew Skulduggery would prefer to stand. "No, I'm afraid not." Skulduggery replied. "In fact, I need that parcel I gave you, I trust it is safe?" he enquired,
"Indeed it is, I'll get it for you now." Artemis replied, rising from his seat and walking out of the room. I glanced at the newspaper clippings and sketches thoughtfully, Skulduggery watched me, "Mr Corshack is a freelance detective," he said, as if reading my mind.
"Are you friends?" I asked,
"No." there was a silence, "Merely a friendly acquaintance" I struggled to find meaning in his words, but then Skulduggery continued, "Artemis has been a good source of information to me over the years, being unable to do magic provides him with the excellent cover I suppose." The man wandered back into the room cradling a brown paper parcel, which he handed to Skulduggery with great care. It was small, and looked rather light, but the content was obviously of great value. Skulduggery thanked him and stood up, I rose with him, and we made for the door. "Oh, my friends" Artemis called, I watched as Skulduggery stiffened a little at the term, although he himself had used the very same expression not five moments before. "Yes Mr Corshack?" he returned, clearly showing his discomfort at being delayed a moment longer. However obviously this emotion had been portrayed, it seemed not to bother the man, as he stood resigned in the archway. "On what you are about to embark upon, I will say this, never underestimate your enemy, keep your eyes wide open, and know who your friends are." He blinked, "I suppose I know very little of this world, and even less of the contents of that package," I glanced at the object, which Skulduggery's hand reflexively tightened around, "but in my experience, I seem to know enough, which is not always a good thing." Almost unconsciously he flexed his left hand, making three long pale scars stand out against his olive skin. "Be careful, detective." He said with a small smile. Skulduggery inclined his head, and soon we were back on the street, heading for the Bentley.
"I suppose this would be a bad time to ask what that was all about." I said, having difficulty keeping up with his lengthy strides. "Yes." He replied, as a shifty looking man in a grey overcoat shuffled by. The bloated clouds wadded the sky like a thick duvet on a warm night, the air felt moist and clammy against my bare arms, and as I looked to the smothering, darkened sky, the first drops of rain fell upon my upturned face. We drove in silence back through the almost deserted street, chasing the rain as it moved north towards the towns and cities, and closer towards 'normality'. My mobile buzzed in my pocket, I dug it out, pressed the answer button and held it to my ear. "Where are you?" Tanith's irritated voice snapped at me. I passed the phone to Skulduggery, who held it to his skull, thought better of it, and put it on loudspeaker. "I've been waiting here for ages; I have to be somewhere at seven, you know." Skulduggery tipped his head back, "We'll be right there Tanith." He ended the call and passed me my phone. I was itching to know what the package contained, but I knew better than to press Skulduggery for information at that time.
The rain persisted throughout the whole journey, and by the time we reached the scene, the small road up to the house was flooded. "It looks like we may have to walk." Skulduggery said, stopping the car. I groaned, and grudgingly followed him as he got outside the Bentley. Yanking up the hood on my coat, I folded my arms across my chest defiantly, "We are not walking in that." I muttered, staring at the sludge and sodden grasses that was all that was left of the drowned road. Skulduggery pulled out his phone and dialled a number into the keys, "Tanith," he said when she picked up, "the road up to you is flooded, do you know if there is another way up to the house?" Even from my position on the other side of the car, I could still hear her exasperated moan as she saw a glimpse of the weather outside the window. "No," was her reply, "but we've found something you may need to take a look at." Skulduggery sighed,
"We'll be there as soon as we can." He said, and hung up. I frowned as he dipped back inside the car and emerged holding a battered umbrella. "You can't be serious" I said, but I knew we had to get there some how.
The path through the fields was slippery, the soft mud sucked at my heels, and my boots attracted clumps of thick mud, which clung defiantly to my soles and the bottom of my jeans. I hoped that Tanith had brought my little car, because Skulduggery wouldn't be too thrilled to have me and my filthy jeans in his. The air had gone from muggy and suffocating, to freezing and vicious. I held a flame in my palm to warm myself, but every time I tried to feed it magic, the wind stole it from me. So I let it go out and hugged my jacket closer to me. In the distance a row of houses came into view, it was a welcomed sight in the fading light. But only one had that comforting cinnamon-coloured glow radiating from the windows, the others were cloaked in an eerie, secretive darkness. Skulduggery pushed open the gate, which creaked on cue, and we ascended the path up to the house. The house had once belonged to a woman named Claudia Skye, but following her mysterious disappearance just over a week ago, the other residents had become increasingly suspicious. She had been a sorcerer, an adept to be exact, but the locals had said she did not like to be seen on the streets at any time, anywhere, or with anybody. Not surprisingly, her sudden disappearance had gone virtually unnoticed by the rest of the village. From what Skulduggery had told me, the woman was not one to be trusted, though she claimed to be 'on our side'.
We approached the storm battered house. The paint was flaking on the doorframe, and the aged knocker was severely rusted. Skulduggery gave the door a gentle nudge and it opened inwards with a creak, which was odd. Given the severity of the wind, Tanith would have thought to lock it surely? The whole feel of the place was off-putting. If the creaking door and the obvious signs of disuse weren't enough, the house was eerily quiet. I glanced at Skulduggery, his head was cocked to one side, a usual sign that he was thinking. This felt wrong; the house should be full of people and aside from the droning wind, there were no other noises.
In the distance there was a low muffled groan, and a short gasp as a clattering sound was heard. I whipped round; "That sounded like-"
"Tanith" Skulduggery finished, and suddenly we were sprinting through the house towards the source of the noise. We burst into the small dining room and gaped. Tanith was lying on the floor, the deep slash across her left cheek pooling blood on the carpet. She tried to raise herself, but gasped and fell back in pain. Skulduggery rushed to her side and helped her sit up. "Tanith, what on earth happened?" he said in a low voice, handing her a cloth, which she dabbed her cut with. She took a long shuddering breath, and doubled over as the pain struck again. "Aargh!" she groaned, clutching at her side. I hurried over, taking Skulduggery's place holding Tanith's head up. By the looks of things, she had obtained several broken ribs. Tanith squeezed her eyes shut, "The woman, Claudia Skye she's... she's" but she couldn't manage the rest. Then without warning, all the lights in the house began to flicker and fail. The cottage was plunged into sudden darkness. "Oh hell." Tanith muttered.
Chapter Two
There was a sound of movement beyond the staircase. I could feel everybody tensing around me. Tanith moved in the darkness, "One thing you should know about her" she muttered, propping herself up on her elbow. Hearing heavy footsteps sounded on the old wood floorboards "She never really disappeared..." she continued in hushed tones. I drew my gun, Skulduggery did the same, both training them on the same spot in the doorway. "She didn't even leave." I breathed as we heard the figure grow closer to the room we were in. Two more steps and it was upon us, a silhouette against the remnants of natural light filtering through the ripped curtains. "She's a-" "Vampire" Skulduggery finished. The beast sank into a crouch; its eyes were sunken pits, glinting maliciously with the perpetual, unquenchable thirst for human blood. It arched its back, the spine sticking out unnaturally, straining against the taught, alabaster white skin. The vampire leapt, hind legs straightened, drawing hardened black claws. Skulduggery shot it. The impact sent it wheeling through the air and smashing into the doorframe, sending splintered bits of wood in all directions. We fired shot after shot at it, peppering its chest with bloody wounds. It's not easy to take a vamp down at any time, but this one was strong and experienced. The creature, regardless of the woman it had been, was certainly not on our side. And it was pretty pissed.
The vampire was dazed and disorientated; I jumped up from my crouching position and hunkered down behind the remainders of the doorframe. The creature regained its senses and stumbled out into the room. I watched as Tanith stiffened against the wall, holding her side, in plain view of the monster. Her eyes flickered to me, panic setting in. The vampire's right eye had been wounded, and by the looks of things, it could only just about see out of the other one, that should give me just enough of an advantage. I took a deep, relaxing breath, loosening my muscles, letting the adrenaline pump through my veins, making me stronger. I stepped out from behind the door, pulling the small engraved silver knife from the sheath at my belt. The vampire turned, all too late, the blade flashed as I thrust it upwards. It pierced the flesh, slicing cleanly between the creature's ribs and stopping just below the heart. Dark blood splashed onto the tasteful cream rug at my feet, sharp hardened claws lashed out wildly, scrabbling along the floor. The animal screeched an agonised cry of pain and anguish. I lowered the creature down as it stilled, my knees buckled under its weight. Skulduggery skidded to a halt where he was been sprinting across the room towards me and hurried over to Tanith as she groaned again. I rubbed my eyes, suddenly very aware of the fact that I had been up since 3am. Skulduggery bent forwards to bind Tanith's side with a strip of ragged cloth, "This should do until we can get her to Kenspeckle." He murmured, tying the loose ends of cloth tightly around the wound. I nodded numbly, each brain cell was working overtime, processing the information I had obtained. The Vampire, Claudia Skye, who else was dead or badly injured? I stretched, everything hurt. "I'll be right back," I called into the living room as I reached the hall. I needed to see who else was in the house.
The hall was dark; each room I passed held upturned furniture and broken crockery and ornaments. A strange silence filled the house, like the still, sordid air after a terrible storm. I scanned each room mercilessly with my eyes, but found no trace of anyone being there. I stood on the landing, breathing hard. The silence was deafening. There was nothing up here except a whole lot of empty rooms, so I made my way back downstairs where I found Skulduggery pacing the room, while Tanith held a cloth to her bleeding cheek. "Who could have left it?" he murmured to himself clutching a thin envelope in his gloved hand. "What's that?" I asked, because someone had to. Skulduggery stopped pacing and glanced down at his hand. "It's and envelope." he said blankly. I tried to ignore his pitiful attempt at humour and took it from his out-stretched hand. "Where did you find it?" I asked as I carefully examined the seal on the envelope. "It was in my pocket." Tanith answered "I was unconscious for a while when the vamp broke my ribs, someone must have slipped it in." she said, casting a weary glance at the definitely dead creature in the corner of the room. "There was no one in the rest of the house." I mused, turning over the letter for any sign of markings or fingerprints. Skulduggery watched me. "It is addressed to you." I reasoned, handing it back to him. "Perhaps it will explain why the rest of the people here did a runner and left Tanith on her own."
"Hmmm" He said, sliding a thin finger under the seal. At that moment, the lights failed again, plunging us into terrifying darkness. From where I was standing, I saw Skulduggery withdraw a single sheet of paper from the envelope by the light of a flame conjured in his palm. He stared at it, then, wordlessly, turned it to face us. One word stood out in thick messy scrawl across the centre of the page. RUN.
Then the world exploded around us.
I don't know how much time had passed. When I opened my eyes my vision was clouded with dust and bits of the ruined building which now lay in rubble around me. I sat up quickly, hearing a noise far off that sounded like shouting, and fell back down again as my head spun sickeningly. I lay there for sometime as my head began to throb until it felt as though someone had taken a brick to my skull. I tentatively reached a hand up and felt the back of my head, and winced as the pain increased. I pulled my hand away and stared, hypnotised by the scarlet blood on my fingers.