It was a foggy, cold afternoon in London. Traffic was raging and in every street, tourists were swearing and trying to find shelter from the rain.

And the worst part was that Tanith Low had missed it all.

She had grown up on that place. It was only natural that the sight of it made her remember her childhood. The fights with her brother, her parent's laugh, the smell of the river and the factories, it seemed like a lifetime ago…for the real Tanith, that is. To the remnant, it meant nothing. It had been born on a place that was dead to the memory of man, and the other places it had known were destroyed by its brothers and sisters. It was not good that it was feeling this things, it meant that she was fighting back.

The small part in her soul that was still Tanith wanted to run, to scream and fight the creature who had consumed her. That small part of her wanted to run back to Ireland, hug her friends and apologize for the bad things she had done as the Remnant. That small part of who still had the capacity to feel.

After a while, the Remnant managed to push all that aside and continue its mission. If their source had been right, the artifact they were looking for was somewhere in the country. The only problem is that they had no idea where in England it was located, but with a little torture-and-threat, anything could be resolved.

-You okay, honey-bunny?-Billy Ray Sanguine asked-You seem a little…distracted.

Tanith resist the urge to sigh. She did not like him, not really. He was arrogant, cocky and never seemed to run out of stupid lovey-dovey nicknames, but he was useful, in other ways. He had contacts in almost every city in the world, and, should trouble arise, she could just snap her fingers and he would defend her with his life. Humans called it love, she called it stupidity.

-I'm fine, sweetie. I just missed the city, that's all.

-Really? That's all?

-That's all-she said, and kissed him in the cheek-Now; let's find that artifact, shall we?

He smiled, took her hand and then kissed her on the lips.

Both Tanith and the Remnant tried their best not to spit.


Valkyrie ran as fast as she could. The rain was falling fast and she had already tripped twice. Little pools of water and mud had formed on the small gardens that lead to front gate of Gordon's house. Skulduggery had stopped the Bentley outside the house, claiming that ''the mud was going to ruin the paint''.

Finally, she reached the car; put Skulduggery immediately closed the door.

-Skulduggery, what the hell?-she shouted-Open the door!

-Absolutely not!-he said, putting his head out of the window - You're all muddy and filthy!

-You're willing to let me out in the rain because of your car?

-Of course.

She sighted, took a deep breath and stretched out her arms. With a few more movements, she got all of the water out of her body and used it to create a big bubble. After focusing for a few seconds, she dropped it right on Skulduggery's head.

-When did you learn to do that?-he asked as she got on the car and sat next to him.

-I've been practicing.

-It seems like you have doing more than just ''practice''.

-You think I'm lying?

-No, I'm just saying you are not telling the truth.

-It IS the truth! I have been practicing! I just have been doing it a lot!

It was true, ever since the Death Bringer incident 10 months ago, Valkyrie had spending all of her free time practicing her elemental magic. She had gotten extremely better at it, impressing even Skulduggery. She had told him he was doing it because she didn't want to be so dependable of necromancy and using it after the Irish Temple had been burned down was dangerous, but it was a lie. She wished to get stronger in case she was in danger and didn't need to get Darquesse's help. She had seen the damage her fight with Lord Vile had caused, who knew what could happen next time? What if someone she loved got hurt? What if she died? It was a risk she couldn't take. If she did get stronger, she would have to learn to tame that power. Either way, Darquesse would not win. Valkyrie wouldn't let her.

After he finally got all of the water out of his head and hat, Skulduggery finally began driving. After almost an hour, the grim-looking city of Roarhaven appeared before them. Valkyrie never could understand that place; it was like the city itself was angry at something. Few people dared to go there. It was lonely, dangerous and scary as hell.

It was also the perfect to hide something.

Three years ago the previous Irish Sanctuary had been destroyed and then rebuilt in Roarhaven. She knew that a long time ago, the first Sanctuary was supposed to have been build there, but it was eventually moved to Dublin. Why, nobody knew. It was very ironic that after years of rejection, Roarhaven had become one of the most important places on Earth.

Valkyrie and Skulduggery stepped out of the car, and as they walked the road to the Sanctuary, Valkyrie noticed a spider walking on her arm and screamed, shaking her arm to get it out. When she was done, Skulduggery was facing her with a puzzled look.

-Valkyrie Cain-he said- the Last of the Ancients, the God Killer, the Dimension Crosser, is afraid of a little spider?

-Shut up.

They continued to walk, but after a few minutes, she turned to him:

-The Dimension Crosser? Really?

-It certainly does have its ring.

-No, it doesn't. It sounds like something from a really bad super-hero comic book.

-Have youever read a bad super-hero comic book?

-No.

-Have you read any super-hero comic book at all?

-Why would I? We're practically super-heroes. We have powers, an awesome car, cool names and fancy clothes. All that's missing are the capes.

-No capes. Capes are evil. Just ask Ghastly to tell you about the ''Oliver Night'' incident and you'll understand.

-Why do I get the feeling I'm going to laugh?

-You will. You should not, but you will. It's a tragic story, really. He was a good sorcerer, Oliver. A little obsessed with his clothes and his ego, but a good sorcerer still.

-Sounds like someone I know.

- ...my hat never got me killed.

-Skulduggery, if I dropped your hat in a pool of lava, you would jump in a second.

-It's my special hat!

-So was the last one, and the one before that. Both were destroyed by some crazy nut-job trying to kill us.

-Excuse me, -said a voice next to them- but are you here to talk with the Elders, or just to discuss tragic pieces of clothing?

- Oh, sorry, Tipstaff –said Valkyrie. They had been so busy talking that they had not noticed the Administrator standing right in front of them- We're here to meet with the Grand Mage. He asked us to.

-I know. Please, follow me.

Erskine Ravel's office was located deep in the heart of the new Sanctuary, and they had to walk a long time to get there. As usual, it was full of people running around, doing something important. However, they all stopped when Skulduggery and Valkyrie passed. Ever since they had left Mist, Ravel and Ghastly waiting for then in the Sanctuary to receive their medals, nasty rumors had been following then, especially Skulduggery. People said that, since two of his best friends were in the Council of Elders, he was using Sanctuary resources whenever he liked. They said that he didn't need to obey the Elders anymore. ''He always made his own rules''-Valkyrie head one man said- ''But now, it's worse. You saw the way he acted when the Cain girl was attacked by the Death Bringer. Thank God we at least have Mist there to keep an eye on him.'' It was not the gossip that scared her, people had always been afraid of Skulduggery, it was the fact that they were stepping over Ravel and Ghastly to defend Mist. The Children of the Spiders had practically lived in a dark hole for the last two thousand years, and if people were starting to support them, things were really bad.

-We have arrived. - Tipstaff said, interrupting her thoughts. - The Grand Mage is waiting for you.

-Are Ghastly and Mist here? - She asked.

-Elder Bespoke is, but he is too busy to talk to you and as for Elder Mist, I haven't seen her all day.

-Ravel didn't ask for them?

-No, only for you two.

-Curious. - Skulduggery said. – Why would he do that?

-I believe it is better for you to ask him.

Tipstaff left and they entered the office. It had 3 gigantic bookshelves that covered almost all of the walls, a beautiful mahogany table, a red carpet decorated with golden drawings and, of course, the Grand Mage himself, reading something on his desk. He immediately put aside the paper he was reading and asked her and Skulduggery to sit. Something was wrong; he looked worried, like the grim reaper himself was standing next to him.

-Valkyrie, Skulduggery, I'm so glad you could make it.

-Where are Ghastly and Mist? Why aren't they here?

-Calm down, Valkyrie. I'm sure you had a good reason for not calling them. Right, Erskine?

He remained silent.

-Right, Erskine?

-I don't trust Mist, not a bit, you know that. And Ghastly…he's too busy trying to find Tanith to focus. I will them as soon as I have time, but for now, this is for your eyes only.

He handed them a small pile of papers. Police reports, newspapers clippings, photos, nothing that seemed important. That is, until they started reading. Most of them were reports about strange fires and disappearances that were happening around the Dublin area and the photos were of the burning buildings and the missing people, which, strangely enough, were all about Valkyrie's age. Sure, they were horrible, but were they horrible enough for the Ravel to be worried about them?

-You think these are the work of the same person? –asked Skulduggery. He assumed it was one of the normal cases they used to get: track down and arrest a criminal.

-No, they are too organized to be made by one person. The kidnappings started about a week ago, and seemed harmless at first. We thought it might have been some mortal serial killer targeting teenagers, nothing the mortals couldn't handle. And then, the fires started. One of the scientists that examined then discovered that they were all started by magic.

-A magic explosion? You mean like the one that destroyed the last Sanctuary?

-No, these ones are totally different. - Skulduggery said. - The Desolation Engine was a normal weapon. Extremely dangerous, yes, but normal. To create a magic explosion, or Wizard Fire, it's a very messy process involving symbols, elemental magic and a lot of luck. Ch…that woman could create something like that, with the help of an Elemental. It is not something one can do alone, and if goes wrong, it could pretty much kill you and everyone and everything near it. Whoever did this knew what they were doing.

He did it again; he refused to say her name. They didn't talk about China Sorrows, it was a forbidden topic. He had disappeared for 3 months after they had found out her secret, and then, one day, Valkyrie had found the Bentley parked near her house, with Skulduggery inside. She did not ask where he had been and he didn't speak about it. Things had tuned back to normal, and Skulduggery was satisfied that way. After everything he had gone though, she didn't want to upset him even more. They had to focus on what was happening right now, or else, they would both lose their minds. There always people to save and villains to defeat, which was enough to keep them distracted. That was one of the good things about the magical world; it never stopped for anybody, not even for the Skeleton Detective and The Last of the Ancients.

-As I was saying, - Ravel continued. - Someone is causing this, someone clever. Each day there are more fires and the double of disappearances. The mortals are beginning to get suspicious; even they know that those are not normal attacks. Our whole society is in danger, and with the other Sanctuaries pressuring us, I can't tell anything to anybody. I want you to find whoever is doing this as fast as possible and then arrest them.

-All right, but where do we start?

-At the location of the last explosion, the Seabridge warehouse complex. Scrutinous already cleared the area, so you should have no trouble with unexpected visitors.

Skulduggerry nodded and they left the office. Valkyrie was so busy thinking about their new case that she didn't even mind the whispers.

-So, do you have any idea who is doing this, or why?

-I haven't the slightest. And you?

-Nothing. What's really troubling me is how Ravel didn't trust the others. I understand Mist, but Ghastly? I mean, you guys have been best friends since before the war! He should at least trust someone; it just wasn't smart of him.

-Valkyrie, if people were smart, we would be out of business. As for Ghastly, as much as he is my friend, I agree with Ravel. He only agreed to become an Elder with the condition that he would be able to look for Tanith, and that is what he's doing now. Don't you want to find her?

-More than anything in the whole world, but sitting here won't help! We need to go out there and actually find her!

-What we need is to keep her as far away from you as possible. They need us here, and here is where we are going to stay. Ravel has a team of the best agents in Ireland looking for her.

-We are the best agents in Ireland. - She said as she entered the Bentley.

-Exactly, and that is why they need us here.

-You are the most confused person I've ever meet, did someone ever told you that?

-''Confused'' is practically a complement compared to some of the things people have said to me.

-Like what?

-Trust me; it is better if you do not know. They would be too hard for an innocent girl like you, and you are the least innocent person I have ever met.

-''Least innocent person in the world'' is practically a complement compared to some of the things people have said to me.

He looked at her, and she had the feelings that, if he had eyes, they would be widening.

-Good God, I have created a monster.

You have no idea-said the Voice inside her. Fortunately, it had been low that not even she heard it.


It would have taken them hours to find the warehouse if it weren't for the magical aura that still hanged in the place. The minute they stepped into the complex, Valkyrie felt like she had been hit by an electrical shot. Skulduggery explained to her that Wizard Fire always left a huge magical trail near the place it had hit, and sometimes the energy was so strong that it was able to make sorcerers fell sick or even faint. According to the reports, even the mortals had felt it; there weren't many things that were able to leave a magical trail enough for anyone to notice.

After they finished navigating the maze of buildings and seagull poop, they arrived on their destination. There was nothing there, just a ginormous hole in the ground, big enough to swallow Central Park. The explosion had happened 2 days ago, but there was still a lot of ash falling from the sky, and the smell of smoke was making Valkyrie sick. Everything had been destroyed.

-No wonder people saw the explosion, even in a place as far away from the city as this one. Was anything inside?

-No, this part of the complex is empty and there was no one there last night. The magical pulse reached the entrance, so that's how the security guards realized something was wrong.

-But if they wanted to create an explosion this big, why do it in an abandoned place? - Said Valkyrie as they descended to the center of the crater. - Maybe they wanted to scare people?

-Perhaps, but I doubt it. All the explosions occurred in places like this one, and if it weren't for the pulse, no one would have noticed them. It was a risk they had to take.

-A risk to what? What if…they were practicing for the real thing? Training for a bigger target?

Skulduggery nodded.

-We just have to find out who that target it. It won't be an easy task. Wizard Fire can be created by anyone, if they wish to do so, but it's been rarely used since Mevolent was defea…WATCH OUT!

Something landed on the center of the crater and knocked sent both Skulduggery and Valkyrie flying. She managed to land without breaking anything, and managed to take a look at her attacker. He was about her size and was wearing jeans and a black hood. He turned around to face her, but she only managed to see his eyes, which were an icy-blue color, and a necklace with symbol of an angel dangling from his neck. She pushed the air with all of her strength, but he jumped and landed right behind her. She didn't even have time to dodge before the wave of fire hit her. Before she could get up, a pillar of stone rose right where she was laying and threw her to air. Skulduggery managed to grab her and run to the back of a warehouse before the fire hit her again.

-Are you okay? - He asked.

-No, I'm not. Who the heck was that guy? I've never seen elemental magic so strong before!

-Me neither. He even managed to burn down your coat.

He was right. Valkyrie ran her hand over back and felt the burning fabric. This wasn't right, Ghastly's coats were made to withstand almost anything, but the fire had been so strong that it had managed to burn right through it!

She and Skulduggery ran at him at the same time, both throwing fireballs. He was flying high in the air, like Skulduggery had done many times. Valkyrie began to push the air in a way that it was actually pushing her. Skulduggery knelled down, she jumped on his back and he suddenly got up, making her jump so high that was face to face with the attacker. Her fireball was ready, but suddenly, he grabbed her throat with strength that he was literally holding her. If he let her go, she would fall to her death. It was difficult to breathe, but she managed to get a clear look of his face: he was a boy of at least 16-years-old, with blond hair and his sinister blue eyes, which looked to be starring right into her soul. Her vision was getting blurry and she was sure she was going to die when a voice, probably Skuldugger's, called out her name. The boy looked at him, then at Valkyrie again, as if thinking which one to kill first. For some reason, Skulduggery seemed more attractive.

He tossed her in the river like a child would toss a Frisbee. The impact had been so sudden and the water was so cold that she didn't have time to do anything. The water was a little murky, but it was possible to see a ray of blue energy coming out of the boy's hand, aiming right for Skulduggery.


What's up? Sorry, I know it took DECADES for me to upload this, it's just that my computer broke down, I had other fics to write and A LOT of stuff to do. But don't worry, I'll try to upload the next chapters as soon as possible :)

Oh, by the way, I know ''Kingdom of The Wicked'' just came out in Australia, but since I don't have it, this fic is happening 10 months after the events of ''Death Bringer'', for those who are confused. It's not a different version of KOTW(I've seen some spoilers, and trust me, the book is TOTALLY DIFFERENT from what I plan to write here), okay? It has one or two elements of the book, but it's very different.