Skulduggery pulled the Bentley into a narrow and dingy side alley, cut the engine and killed the lights. The oldest part of Dublin dock was just ahead of them, disused now except for a few dirty old fishing boats. Tucked away and largely ignored by the passenger ferries, swank mariner and port authority it was the perfect place to base an illegal smuggling operation.
For a moment the pair sat in the car and didn't move. From here they could see almost endless stacks of crates and cages in semi orderly rows along the dock. Four large lorries and two horse boxes were parked on the access road and a barge was moored along side of the dock, bobbing slightly in the murky water.
"They transport animals all over the world in a barge and a few lorries?" Valkyrie said doubtfully,
Skulduggery shook his head,
"No, the barge takes any cargo to a container ship anchored off shore, the lorries take them to the airport and of course else where in Ireland by road"
They sat in silence for a while longer. The holding area and loading bay seemed quiet, occasionally a pair of armed guards would wander past, chatting quietly between themselves or greeting one of the handlers who would wander out of the crate stacks,
"Now they" Skulduggery said, nodding to the patrolling guards, "are new additions"
"Maybe they brought them in after that creepy black thing started attacking them" Valkyrie suggested, watching the guards disappear from view,
"Most definitely"
A moment later a forklift truck went by, a crate suspended on its forks, then a few seconds after the forklift had rounded the corner a black blur moved up and over the crates following the truck.
"What was that?" Valkyrie said, her eyes wide, back rigid,
"That" Skulduggery said, opening the car door, "Was our cue"
*******************************************************************
Valkyrie stayed close on Skulduggery's heels as they stepped up to the rusty railings and vaulted over, landing soundlessly amongst the crates. They stayed crouched for a moment, listening, then stood and began moving quickly through the labyrinth of crates and cages. The sounds of movement came from within some of the wooden boxes, and as Valkyrie stopped by one of them whilst Skulduggery checked the intersection, a breath of hot air from a hole in the wood caressed her ear. She shot side ways, trying to stick to the shadows whilst getting away from the unsettling disembodied breath, Skulduggery looked round,
"What are you doing?" he whispered,
Valkyrie rubbed her ear,
"Nothing" she said quietly, trying her best not to look embarrassed,
Skulduggery just shook his head and moved in to the walkway, Valkyrie followed him as he moved towards the sound of the forklift that had passed this way not to long ago. There was movement ahead and a handler walked into view pushing a wheel barrow. Skulduggery and Valkyrie immediately ducked back into the shadows. The handler put the wheel barrow down and collected a pitch fork that had been leaning against a crate. Skulduggery moved away from Valkyrie, stalking through the shadows, he stepped up behind the man and went to wrap his arm around his neck, but the man suddenly stiffened and swung the pitch fork in a wide arc. Skulduggery ducked under it and threw a punch that connected with the man's jaw, snapping his head back, the pitch fork flew from his grip and clattered against the crate, startling the animal inside, who began to thrash in panic, banging against the wood. The man rounded on Skulduggery again, but the detective simply flicked his hand and the wheel barrow, and its contents, flew at the handler. He tried to duck away, but was a second too late and was knocked back wards and pinned by the metal contraption, Skulduggery stepped forward and looked down at him, he was unconscious, young, in his twenties, but his features were rough, a man used to hard labour.
Whilst Skulduggery was checking on the man he'd just hit with a wheel barrow full of, well, what ever that was, Valkyrie heard a soft thump above her. She looked across to the top of the crates in front of her, and found a pair of large green eyes glaring down at her. For a moment she was frozen, her own dark eyes locked with the emerald green orbs that seemed to float in the darkness, then a light from the harbour silhouetted the figure against the night sky and the spell was broken. Valkyrie caught a glimpse of a sleek black body before it darted away, bounding over the top of the crates away from them, she ran forward pointing upwards,
"Skulduggery!"
Skulduggery whipped round, caught sight of the shadowy figure and sped off after it, Valkyrie trying hard to keep up.
Skulduggery skidded around the corner, keeping his eye sockets on the shape he was almost running parallel with. He could see the lights of the forklift up ahead, cutting through the night sky, to his right the figure sailed over a wide gap in the crates, easily clearing the large distance and easing back into its loping gait. Inwardly Skulduggery was impressed. He could hear Valkyrie behind him, booted feet pounding on the flaking concrete. They were closing in on the fork lift, its engine running idle as the driver manipulated the controls to lower the forks and their cargo to the ground. Up to his right, Skulduggery heard a growl and its owner sped up, and, before he could even shout a warning the dark shape had drawn level with the truck and leapt at the driver.
The force of the collision propelled the victim and the attacker out of the truck and across the walk way, they rolled together, then the driver was flung away, crashing hard against a crate whilst the dark figure flipped to its feet and dived at him grabbing the front on his jacket, hauling him up and slamming him against the crate,
"Where is he?", the voice was low and growling, tinged with absolute ferocity, but definitely female. The driver's voice shook with fear although he tried to sound unafraid,
"I-I don't know who your t-talking about", he was pulled forward and slammed back against the wood, his feet almost leaving the ground,
"You know damn well who I'm talking about!"
for a moment his face slackened in fear, then he made a visible effort to harden his voice and his features,
"Screw you",
his attacker growled, a truly terrifying sound, and pulled back a fist, but the fist was open and each finger was viciously clawed. He knew what would happen, he had seen the aftermath of this attack on his colleagues. Those claws would rake down his face then bite in to his throat, lacerating his vocal cords, leaving him unable to scream, as those claws permanently marked his body in a blaze of white hot pain. He screwed his eyes up, waiting for the blow, but it never landed. Cracking open one eye, he saw that a gloved hand had closed around the wrist of his assailant and the beast was yanked away.
Skulduggery had stopped as Valkyrie drew level with him, slightly breathless,
"What the hell?" she breathed.
The scene wasn't totally unfamiliar, Skulduggery often used this move to attain any information that was not willing given. It was the one who was making the move, that made Valkyrie stop and stare. The lights from the forklift illuminated one side of the figure, leaving the other in shadow and from this angle she could only see it's back. It was tall and muscular, but not so much that it's definite feminine curves became masculine. A close cropped mane of reddish copper hair flared out from a delicate yet strong neck , but from that mane protruded a pair of pointed conical ears that were laid back over the head in anger. The rest of the sleek body was covered in a shiny black pelt, the fur short and velvet like, shining in the whiteish light. A strong, whip like tail curved down over the buttocks and was thrashing back and forth, the fist that came in to view was covered in the same copper coloured fur as the head to about mid fore arm. It...she was going to kill that man! Skulduggery raced forward, grabbing the wrist and pulling the animalistic being away from the terrified truck driver, it spun towards him, hissing and Skulduggery's hand shot out and the air shimmered, knocking it back through the air. But it twisted, landing on it's feet, claws on it's hands and feet scoring deep gouges in the concrete. It stayed crouched, large emerald eyes glaring hotly at them from a startling face of feline and human traits, black accept for the copper and gold around the eyes and the white of the delicate muzzle. It's lips pulled back, revealing long pointed fangs, that gleamed in the headlights. Standing where she was now, by Skulduggery's side, between it and it's prey, for want of a better word, Valkyrie felt mightily uncomfortable.
"Get out of my way Skulduggery"
Valkyrie started,
"What? How -"
"You too child"
Valkyrie bristled,
"Hey, I'm not a child!"
Skulduggery stepped in,
"Now, now Sanura, we're all friends here, no need to be sharp with us"
A clawed hand shot out as Sanura stood, pointing at the man behind them, who was beginning to get up, looking warily from Skulduggery to Sanura,
"He" she spat venomously, "is not my friend, and I doubt very much that he is yours. He has information I want so, I suggest you get out of my way detective and let me retrieve it, or have you forgotten what happened last time you got in my way?"
Skulduggery's head tilted,
"Since when have you called me anything but my name?"
"Since I'm bloody furious with you!" Sanura growled, her tail thrashing angrily behind her legs,
"And I thought last time was an accident?"
"No"
"Oh" Skulduggery paused for a moment then shrugged, "Oh well that's all water under the proverbial bridge...so what you doing here? I've heard your back playing the slash and dash game, terrorizing the poor folk working on this dock, why? You haven't gone evil on me have you? Because that would be a tragedy"
Sanura rolled her emerald eyes,
"I don't have time for this" she said, frustration in her tone, beginning to advance towards them,
"Move Skulduggery or I'll move your bony ass for you and lock the girl in a crate! Do I make my self clear?"
"I have a name!" Valkyrie said anger in her own voice,
"Not interested" Sanura turned her gaze to her for a second, those green eyes burning hotly. Valkyrie could hear the man trying to shuffle away behind them. She could just let him go, but it was more than likely he would raise the alarm. She put a hand out to stop him, turning slightly, but he panicked, grabbed her wrist and shoved her into Skulduggery and they both staggered back. Sanura leapt, barring the man's escape route, and he turned and sprinted back towards the forklift, Sanura right behind him, but Skulduggery reached out, whilst trying to disengage himself from Valkyrie and grabbed Sanura's muscular black tail. The cat woman yowled and turned on him slashing at his wrist and jabbing a kick into his ribs, Skulduggery grunted in pain and rolled out of reach. Valkyrie got back on her feet and threw two fire balls at her, but those green eyes glowed and the fire balls fizzled out. She tried pushing at the air but Sanura, moving so fast she was a blur, dodged the concentrated stream and ran into Valkyrie, knocking her back. She tripped over Skulduggery who was in the process of getting up and the both went sprawling again.
The man dived into the truck, knocking one of the leavers. The forks tilted and the crate went crashing to the ground, cracking a splintering, panicked cries coming from within.
Sanura roared in rage and sprang at him, grabbing him and hauling him out the truck. He cried out and Sanura spun him round, punched him in the gut and backhanded him across his face. He hit the floor,
"How dare you!" Sanura advanced on him and he whimpered and tried to crawl away but she grabbed him hauling him up by the front of his jacket her clawed hand open, ready to deliver the fatal blow,
"Sanura!" , she stopped turning her head to Skulduggery. The skeleton detective had his revolver aimed at her. Sanura was fast but Valkyrie doubted she could dodge a bullet. Sanura sighed, then slugged the man across the jaw with a closed fist, his head snapped back and she dropped him to the ground in an unconscious heap.
Skulduggery lowered his revolver but in the distance they could hear shouts. Valkyrie expected Sanura to run, disappear in to the darkness, but instead she went to the broken crate, digging through the splintered wood. From within she pulled three white fluffy things and as Valkyrie looked closer she saw they were seal pups, their huge dark eyes standing out against their snow white fur.
"Selkie pups" Skulduggery said to her as they cautiously made their way towards Sanura, fearful that she would attack them again. Instead she scooped up one of the pups and thrust it into Skulduggery's arms,
"Be gentle with her"
Skulduggery held the little pup away from him as if it might bite, instead it blinked its large eyes at him and squeaked happily, waving its little flippers and brushing it's head against Skulduggery's arm. Valkyrie had to fight back the urge to 'awww' at it's cuteness. Sanura picked up the other two then looked to them,
"Come, this way, quickly"
She turned and darted into the darkness of the crate corridors, away from the approaching shouts. Within a minute they were standing on the edge of the pier, looking down into the murky water of the docklands, Sanura put the pups down and Skulduggery followed suite, she pressed her hand to each of them and a slight greenish sheen passed over them, she then picked them up, one by one, and, leaning over the side of the pier as far as she could, dropped them gently into the water,
"Go, quickly little ones!"
the pups looked at them once more, then sank under the water and swam away.
**************************************************************
Sanura had accompanied them back to the Bentley. She stood learning against the wall, her arms crossed, as Skulduggery and Valkyrie stood by the car. For a moment they were all silent, then Sanura spoke,
"I apologise for any injury I caused and my rudeness, my temper often gets the better of me...and I do appreciate your help, however little you actually gave"
Skulduggery nodded,
"No problem"
Sanura's eyes hardened slightly,
"But from now on Skulduggery, please keep out of my business. I can handle this on my own"
"I'm afraid we can't do that"
"Why?"
Skulduggery shifted position, opened the car door and took out the case file,
"We have been dispatched here by the Sanctuary" he said, handing her the file, "That's how I knew you were here in the first place"
"The Sanctuary?" Sanura scanning the photographs, "Why would they be interested in this? And why put you on the case, after what happened last year?"
Skulduggery shrugged,
"There is a lot of money changing hands, and some of the beast are being sold to non magical clients, the Sanctuary officials are worried that we will be exposed. And possibly that someone will set a dragon on a city or something, but that could be stretching it a bit far"
Sanura raised an eye brow, nodded but said nothing,
"Plus" Valkyrie put in, "The Grand Mage doesn't like us much, which is probably why we are working it"
"I see" she paused, studying Valkyrie, "I'm sorry, your name is?"
"Valkyrie Cain"
Sanura smiled, a beautiful smile even in felid form,
"Sanura Bast" she said, holding out her hand. Valkyrie looked at it for a moment then took it, feeling the rough pads and silky fur on her skin.
"I suspect you find it strange talking to a cat right?"
Valkyrie blushed,
"A little"
"I find it a little strange too" Skulduggery added, Sanura looked at him,
"You've seen it before"
"Yeah, not this one, this one's new"
"Fine"
As Valkyrie watched Sanura's form began to change. The conical ears and tail disappeared, the muzzel retracting, becoming a more human shaped nose and mouth, the velvet fur was replaced by subtly tanned skin. The short red mane didn't change much but the hair became finer, and the fully green, diamond pupil eyes reverted to a more human look. The change had been smooth and quick, and now stood before them, was a tall, athletic woman of around 25, with short scarlet copper hair, startling emerald green eyes and high cheek bones. She was dressed in a black, tight fitting cat suite, with knee high leather boots, her hands donned in black fingerless gloves, she wore a gold chain around her neck, with an egyptian looking pendant hanging just above her breasts. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with a strong and determined air about her, of regality, power and mystery. This woman was the fire to China Sorrow's ice, the subtlety to Tanith Low's outlandishness.
Valkyrie stared as Sanura chuckled at her surprise, then looked to Skulduggery, his posture also had an air of amusement about it,
"Sanura is an Animage...weird isn't it?"