Saracen Rue knew things.
He didn't know how he knew things. He just knew that sometimes he'd wake up with a fact in mind. Sometimes he would dream. Sometimes it was a gut feeling.
This time it was a dream.
He had been sitting in his apartment, a glass of whiskey in hand as he read his book.
And he was three hundred and forty two pages in when he finally dozed off.
Saracen stood in a war camp. He recognised the place from three hundred years ago. The camp was silent. There were a few soldiers walking around, keeping watch.
He remembered this night. It was six nights before the night in the trenches, when the Dead Men had gone to fight Vile, only to find that he hadn't shown up.
Which meant-
A figure emerged in the darkness, a thin man could be made out in the fog. Skulduggery Pleasant walked into the camp, wearing leathers that Saracen hadn't seen him in in years, a hat bowed low to cover his skull. Under the guise of darkness, the skeleton made his way to one of the tents that were deeper into the camp.
This was the night Skulduggery Pleasant came back from his five years in hiding.
He had shown up one morning, to the shock of most of the camp.
But clearly he had made a pit stop.
Saracen followed the skeleton to the camp, and realised whose tent they were going to.
"Satya."
Satya Eka looked up, her forehead creased in annoyance before she realised who it was, standing up and stumbling back, "No- This isn't possible-"
Skulduggery was by her side in seconds, stabilising her, "I assure you, I'm very much real."
Satya's eyes were wide as she looked up at him, her breath shaky as he sat her on her bed roll, "How is this possible?" She whispered, "No one could find you- We were sure Lord Vile had killed you."
"You can't kill a Dead Man," Skulduggery said, "You know that."
"If you weren't dead, then where were you?" Satya hissed, moving away from him and standing like he had been burned, "Aoife is dead- Vile killed her on the battlefield. Larrikin almost died and Hopeless-" She shook her head, "He almost got himself killed trying to sneak into enemy camps."
Saracen felt a pang in his chest.
Skulduggery said nothing.
"What is it?" Satya asked.
Skulduggery looked up at her, his skull expressionless as always."It was me," He said, his voice quiet. Saracen had to strain to hear him.
"What?" Satya asked.
"Abyssinia-" Skulduggery started before shaking his head, "She fed my rage and tempted me- "
"What are you saying?" Satya asked, her voice a mixture of confusion and worry.
Saracen could feel his heart sink.
"Satya-" Skulduggery stood, looking down on his best friend, "I came to you first because I was there when you-"
"Skulduggery," Satya whispered, cutting him off, "What are you saying?"
"I was Lord Vile."
No.
No no no no no- It wasn't possible- let this be a lie - no no
Satya let out a shaky breath, taking a step back from Skulduggery, "No."
Skulduggery said nothing.
Satya covered her mouth with her hand, "No- You couldn't have," She whispered, "This isn't possible- Skul- Say it's a lie-"
"It's true," He whispered.
Satya was sobbing now, "Then this is my fault," She whispered.
"No- Satya, don't you dare-"
She pushed Skulduggery away, a hand pressed against his chest, "How could I not take the blame?" She sobbed, "This was me thirty years ago and you-"
Saracen couldn't block the ringing in his head.
It's true
It's true
It's true
Skulduggery reached for the woman, holding her as she sobbed, "I thought space was what you needed- I let her take you away from me- Skulduggery, forgive me-"
Skulduggery held her, her head resting on his bony shoulder, "Satya, this was all me," He said softly, "I turned you away. Don't you dare take my burden."
"You held me when I was in your place," She whispered into his shoulder, her voice muffled, "You held me and saved me when I almost turned to darkness- And when you needed me to do the same- I failed you-"
Saracen woke up with a start, knocking aside his glass which shattered as it touched the floor. The sound of the shattering was muffled by the ringing in his ears, like drums and bells booming at once.
"It's not true-" He whispered, stumbling to his feet, swaying slightly. His face was wet with tears.
"Please, dear lord- Don't be true."
