I know this thing hasn't been updated in donkey's years, but I was planning to wait until I could get the permission of Flaring Rhythm, Shakra Flame and Druna Malgood. I wanted to put them in this chapter, but Druna hasn't replied. Because she is a naughty windmill. Either that, or her PM didn't get through. If she reads this, please reply. That is all. On with the story; this is dedicated to my Ict teacher for putting up with me being continuously behind on my coursework.

3 – The pianist

Valkyrie Cain was exploring Skulduggery's attic. It was an activity she was expressly forbidden to do, but she was bored, and ever-so-slightly irritated. Skulduggery had left her in his house on her own, as he went off to solve a case. His reasoning behind it was that she needed a good night's sleep; she, however, knew that it was a case that promised to be full of beating up suspects. As she climbed up the ladder and through the open hatch, she reached out carelessly for a light. Finding it, however seemed to be a different matter.

"Damn it!" She growled. She had just started to head back down the ladder for a torch, when she remembered. "For goodness sake, Valkyrie!" She clicked her fingers with an angry flick of her wrists, and produced a small fireball. She used her other hand to swing herself into the attic, and landed lightly on the floorboards. She used her flame to survey her surroundings, and found a small string hanging from the ceiling – the light switch. She pulled it, and a lamp switched on, giving off a harsh yellow glow that lit the room around her. With the light above her illuminating her environment, she could fully appreciate the size of the loft.

It was huge.

"You could hold a Requiem Ball in here, no problem." She murmured in awe. The attic filled the same area as the house beneath it, and was filled with junk. However, after pulling up the ladder and closing the hatch behind her, Valkyrie had no problem clamouring over boxes and other ridiculous items that cluttered the room. She spent a day peering into various piles, and basically working her way through the whole loft.

It was reaching midnight when she found the grand piano, although she had not realised the time. A smooth, black, glorious instrument, with a velvet stool poking out from underneath it. Valkyrie approached it slowly, as if hypnotised. Her delicate fingers slid gently over the keys, not making a sound. The room seemed oddly quite. She pressed her fingers down onto a note. The ivories were perfectly tuned, and there didn't seem to be a speck of dust; unlike everything else in the attic. She sat carefully on the velvet stool, almost as if it could break at any point. The piano seemed fragile and strong at the same time. Valkyrie played another note;

And the floor exploded as a fist coated in leather punched through.

Valkyrie couldn't contain the surprised shriek that forced its way out of her. She flipped backwards off the stool, and dived behind the piano. She then clicked her fingers and formed a fireball in her hands. She stayed low behind the piano, refusing to make a sound, waiting for the right moment to throw her weapon at her intruder.

"What have you done with Valkyrie Cain!" Shouted the person at the other side of the piano vehemently. Valkyrie knew that voice. She popped her head around the instrument. With relief she saw Skulduggery Pleasant standing before her.

"Skulduggery?" She cried. The skeleton cocked his head to the side in astonishment.

"Valkyrie? What on earth are you doing up here? Didn't I expressly forbid you from exploring the attic just this morning before I left?"

"I think the more fitting question is why on earth did you blow a hole in your ceiling?" She inquired indignantly. Skulduggery scoffed.

"Well, that is rich! We have only been spending the last three and a half hours organising search parties to look for you, when we heard my grand piano being played. Why did you go near my grand piano, out of curiosity? It is one of my most treasured possessions!" Valkyrie cringed slightly. She did not know that.

"Wait a minute; whose we?" She asked, in an effort to change the subject.

"Well, at a rough guess, I'd say around fifty cleavers, seventy five members of staff from the sanctuary, not to mention myself, Ghastly and Erskine -"

"I take it you kicked up a little bit of a fuss?" Smirked the eighteen year old. Skulduggery tilted his skull; he too was grinning good naturedly.

"Just a tad!"

This story was just something I wrote quickly in my spare time, leading up from many stories I have read in which Skulduggery plays the piano. I thought it would be much more fun to stage a little bit of light comedy around one. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it – I needed a break.

Keep reading,

ReaderMagnifique.