Valkyrie screamed and ran towards Fletcher. He lay on the ground, bleeding. He was dead by the time he'd hit the floor. She stopped and looked at him, before falling to her knees. Silent tears streamed down her face. His face was calm, as handsome as it always had been, but it was covered in scars and bruises. His blonde hair was stained red with blood. But he was still beautiful. He always had been. "Fletcher?" She whispered. Her hand touched his shirt. It was wet. She pulled up his top and saw a hole in his stomach. She let out a sob, and pulled it down. She looked back at his face, he could have been sleeping he was so perfect. "No," she whispered. "No!" Then she cried, she cried lots. Tears streamed down her face and she started sobbing. She stroked his face, trying to control her cries. She gently placed his head on her lap, holding his hand. She sniffed. "I love you," she whispered in his ear and ruffled his hair, he'd have hated that. Slowly she bent down and kissed his forehead. She held him. She just held onto him, not letting him go. Skulduggery and Tanith just watched, not saying anything, not wanting to interrupt.
Too soon Skulduggery touched her arm, and she stiffened. Why can't you just leave us? She thought. She suddenly hated Skulduggery, hated him for taking her away from Fletcher. She pulled away from his hug, and stood there face down, fists clenched. The shadows surrounding them flickered. Skulduggery saw her eyes flash towards the place where Vile had gone. Suddenly, without any warning, she bolted for the space she'd last seen Vile and jumped through the shadows that had split for her to move through.