Valkyrie got out of the Bentley as Skulduggery parked outside the Sanctuary, "So, this is the last Teleporter, right?"
"Right," Satya said, slamming the door to her Porsche.
"I feel like I should bow, or something," Valkyrie said with a snort, "Seeing as he's the last of."
"Do you bow every time you see the only living skeleton?" Skulduggery asked, "Even though you probably should, you don't."
"That'll happen when hell freezes over," She told him with a grin.
"I tried."
The four walked into the wax museum, past the throngs of tourists that gathered around a figure that claimed to look like Beyonce.
They made their way to the back, taking one of the doors with a staff only sign, finding themselves in the entrance hall of the Sanctuary.
"Hey, Mum," Valkyrie greeted Melissa Edgley who sat behind a desk, tapping away at her computer.
"Hello, darling-" Melissa flashed her a smile before looking behind the girl, "Skulduggery, this came for you." She pushed an envelope over the top shelf of her desk.
"Ah, yes. Fan mail," Skulduggery said with an approving nod.
"So," Melissa focused back on her daughter, "How's the case going?"
"Well, we have the last teleporter in Hopeless' office so I'd say not incredibly well," Satya said before pointing at the second coffee mug sitting on the desk, "Is that for me?" She asked hopefully.
Melissa pushed it towards Satya with a dismissive wave, "Take it," She said, "Steph- Don't forget, homework," She eyed her daughter with a warning glance.
Valkyrie groaned and Dexter slid his arm around her shoulders, "Oh, don't worry, Val," He said cheerfully, "You can finish it after training!"
She groaned again before turning to follow Satya who was happily drinking her coffee.
In the three years that her parents had known the Dead Men, Melissa and Satya had formed a very strange friendship. Not the kind where they spilled every dark secret of theirs, but one where they met up for coffee weekly and one where Melissa often listened to Satya whenever something came up- Like their battle with Baron Vengeous the previous year.
"Emmett!" Satya greeted, opening the door, "It's been- what? Forty years?"
A man was sitting on the couch across from Hopeless' desk. He had tightly curled brown hair and a few days' worth of beard growth, looking slightly agitated.
"Satya, lovely as ever," He greeted with a nod, "Vex, Skulduggery."
"Emmett, this is Valkyrie Cain," Hopeless stood from behind his desk, adorned in his Grand Mage robes, black with threads of gold.
"Our pet Elemental."
Valkyrie glared at Erskine Ravel who sat on the other couch, also dressed in black Elder robes.
Peregrine was a man who apparently didn't indulge in small talk. "Who's behind it? Who's killing the Teleporters?"
"We don't know."
"Well, why don't you know?" he snapped. "You're supposed to be the big detective, aren't you? Isn't that what they say?"
"Watch it, Emmett," Satya said in warning, "We haven't had much to go on since most of you're kindred decided to run off into solitude. If you had come earlier, we may have had a few leads."
"Seeing as you are the last teleporter," Skulduggery interrupted, "It would be safe to assume the killer is after you. You need protection."
"I'm not the last teleporter," Peregrine said quickly, "There's a kid- Fletcher Renn. Turned up last year. A natural-born with no training, cocky as hell."
Hopeless blinked, "You didn't think to mention this earlier?"
Peregrine shrugged.
Behind Valkyrie, she could hear Dexter whisper something under his breath.
"Where is he? He's obviously a target," Skulduggery asked.
"No clue," Peregrine said, "Cameron and I went to see him a few months back, he was causing too much attention, we offered to train him. Asshole laughed in our faces and buggered off."
"So we have another teleporter to look out for?" Dexter said, "Great."
"Emmett," Hopeless said, "We can hook you up with a few safe houses but it would be safe to assume that you can't trust anyone but us."
Emmett nodded and like a light blinking out, he was gone.
"I hate teleporters," Erskine announced.
"He was telling us before about a teleporter who was murdered about fifty years back," Hopeless told them, "Trope Kessel. They found his body by the shore of the Upper Lake."
"No one solved that murder," Erskine added before narrowing his eyes, "What's that, Skul?"
Valkyrie turned to see the skeleton opening the letter, pulling out and unfolding the paper.
"Valkyrie and I are being summoned," He said with slight surprise.
"By who?" She asked in confusion.
"Cassandra Pharos."
Immediately, his head snapped to look at Satya. Dexter, Erskine and Hopeless had avoided looking at the woman, like they wanted no part in this.
"What does she want?" Satya all but spat.
"Doesn't specify," Skulduggery replied.
"Ignore it."
"You know I can't. She's obviously seen something important."
Satya snorted, her expression dark and forbidding, "Seen something important? She probably has the dates wrong. Don't bother."
Valkyrie watched the exchange like it was an enticing movie, her eyes darting to each of them as if they were warring characters in the film, except she was missing a significant plot line.
Hopeless cleared his throat, "Anyway," He said, "Skulduggery, how do you want to proceed?"
Skulduggery slowly turned away from Satya and faced the Grand Mage, "Tomorrow, Valkyrie and I will see Cassandra, see if she knows anything about this Fletcher Renn. Dexter-"
Dexter yawned, collapsing on the couch next to Erskine.
"You and Saracen can start looking into the unsolved murder, find some leads."
"Do you want Robin to come back home?" Hopeless asked, referring to Robin Larrikin who was off gallivanting the world in his husband, Anton Shudder's magical hotel.
"No," Skulduggery shook his skull, "Leave him be for now. We may need him elsewhere if we find Renn. Satya-"
"Don't bother," Satya cut him off, "'Go see China', I know." And with that, she turned on her heel, coffee mug in hand and left the office, door slamming behind her.
"What was that about?" Valkyrie asked, wide eyed, turning to face the men.
Hopeless sighed, sitting back down in his chair, "Bad blood between the two."
"Bad blood is an exaggeration," Dexter corrected, "Satya doesn't like Cassandra Pharos."
"Who is she?"
"A seer," Skulduggery answered, "She was a friend of Ghastly's mother. We knew her when we were younger."
"Why does Satya hate her so much?"
Skulduggery didn't answer straight away, instead choosing to sit down, tucking the letter in his inner pocket, "It's a complicated story," He said, "And I think it's something Satya would prefer to tell you about herself."
Valkyrie wanted to press but she nodded.
