AN: Okay, so I know I said I wasn't going to be posting anything for a while but I felt quite mean leaving it on a cliffhanger. So I've written this for the many people who have reviewed the last chapter, a record amount for this story, who wanted more because of the cliffhanger. This was meant to be part of a larger chapter but I didn't want to leave everybody on tenterhooks for weeks. That said this will be the last for a while. Until I can start writing again. I want to thank everyone who has commented, faved or followed, you guys are all amazing and this is for all you. Hope you enjoy.
Chapter Seven: Old Enemies
"What the hell are you doing here?" Valkyrie demanded as Sanguine's blade dug deeper into her back, pressing into the soft material of her dress. If she had been wearing anything else that Ghastly had made for her the knife wouldn't concern her, as it was she could feel every tiny movement that blade made. It made her blood run cold. Where the hell was Skulduggery?
"What, I can't just be here to say hi, ask how you are, and reminisce on old times? You sayin' that ain't allowed?"
"Not when you've got a knife in my back,"
"I can understand that, well, it's a good thing I didn't come to do any of those things. Someone wants to see, darlin', and I've been told to come get you. A very special someone if you catch my drift."
"Tanith? But she's in a jail cell. You and your little band of psychopaths broke into the English Sanctuary and she got arrested."
"I hate to disappoint but that little bit of information ain't strictly speaking true, not anymore anyway. Why do you think old Mister Funnybones got a call? She's out and she wants to see you. Sorry I didn't come sooner but I had a bit of trouble findin' y'all. That was until I got a letter from a very important person. You've been upsetting all the wrong kinds of people, darlin', people who know all about people like me. I've got what you might call a reputation and when these people heard I was looking for you they were more than generous in me helping me find you."
"Who? Who told you?"
"Now you know I can't tell you that." Sanguine said with a small chuckle as he pushed her forward through the crowd. Nobody saw the blade that was pressed into her back and thanks to his sunglasses nobody saw the holes where Sanguine's eyes should have been. They were too busy laughing and dancing to notice that anything was wrong.
Kill him. Do it. Kill him.
Valkyrie felt herself tense, not now, God not now. But the fear that was pumping through her had sparked something inside, her something she didn't want to see the light of day. She ignored Sanguine, trying to push down Darquesse but she could feel her, hear the whispers that she had been fighting down for months. That part of her, the part that stayed locked away, was fighting to get out. Darquesse wanted blood.
It would be so easy. It's not as if he doesn't deserve it. Do it. Let me out. Let me kill him.
"Shut up, just shut up."
You're no fun.
"But I wasn't saying anythin'." Sanguine pointed out with a frown and Valkyrie realised she'd spoken out loud. They were in the Entrance Hall. There were fewer people in there now, a couple of students who were bored of the music and sought other entertainments together and didn't care who saw.
"Do you think you can really get away with this?" Valkyrie asked, desperately trying to drown out that voice. She could feel herself trembling slightly, her hands shaking but she didn't dare let the panic show on her face. She wasn't about to give sanguine the satisfaction of thinking it was him that scared her. "When Skulduggery finds out what do you think will happen then?"
"Tanith's got a plan, don't you fret."
"A plan that involves her in shackles and you dead because that's what'll happen when Skulduggery finds out."
"I ain't afraid of him."
"You should be,"
You should be more afraid of me.
Valkyrie felt Sanguine shove her outside, now they were clear of onlookers he was done being gentle. There were even less people out here, in the cool night air. The Grounds had been transformed into a delicate rose garden, what Valkyrie assumed were real fairies were glittering in the many rose bushes. They followed a winding path that led away from the castle, now and then they passed vast ornamental statues but Valkyrie was too preoccupied to notice what they actually were.
For whatever reason Sanguine needed to walk her out of the castle, maybe there were enchantments that blocked his ability to burrow or defences too dangerous to avoid under the ground. According to Vex he had his powers back and he wasn't afraid to use them. Whatever was protecting the castle was good. Though, it made sense that Sanguine wouldn't have been expecting it. After all, only a few people in their world knew about wizards.
They stopped when they reached a small clearing in the rose bushes. Many benches had been conjured to rest in front of the rose bushes. Frost, delicately applied, clung to the marble of the benches. Sanguine dragged her over to one and they sat down that blade still dangerously close to her spine. Valkyrie could feel her breathing becoming shallow, it was taking everything she had to keep Darquesse down ever since Argeddion it had been a lot harder to keep control.
"You know I've missed this." Sanguine said after a moment. "The quick talkin', the insults and the glarin', I didn't think I would but I have. I'm kind of missing the skeleton and his stupid jokes but you can't have everythin'. Am I right?"
Valkyrie was about to retort, to tell Sanguine to shut up, help get rid of some of the fear-fuelled anger that was building up inside her. But the words died on her lips as a figure dressed in brown leather stepped out of the darkness before her.
"Hey, Val." Tanith Low smiled, her face exactly how Valkyrie remembered. No black veins. No lips the colour of darkness. Just Tanith. But she wasn't Tanith. Not anymore, not after that Remnant had crawled inside her and taken control of her. It had grafted onto her soul and there was turning back, not anymore. Her friend was gone.
"I'm sorry to drag you out of your lovely ball, if I could I'd let you enjoy the evening, I really would but I'm on a bit of a timetable. You look amazing by the way, that's a great dress."
"What do you want, Tanith?" Valkyrie asked as her old friend approached, her blonde hair seeming to shine in the moonlight. But she had already guessed what Tanith wanted. The Remnants had wanted Darquesse, they knew who she was. No doubt Tanith had gotten bored of waiting. Maybe she thought she couldn't risk letting Valkyrie become Darquesse of her own free will or maybe she wanted Valkyrie close by for the fireworks. Tanith wanted Darquesse.
"Nothing much, I'm just tired of waiting, Val." Tanith replied. "Darquesse is close, I can feel her, I'm just asking for a little help in setting her free that's all."
"That's not going to happen."
"One way or the other will happen, Val. Might as well get it all over with. You'll enjoy what's coming, I know you will."
"I won't help you." Valkyrie said, but she could feel her voice shaking as Darquesse screamed, she wanted to be set free and Valkyrie was looking at the key to seeing it happen. But every second they wasted talking Skulduggery was getting nearer and nearer, he must have noticed she was gone by now. He'd be searching, looking for her.
"You will. You just don't know it yet."
"I'd never let Darquesse kill all those people. This future you want, I've seen it, I know what happens and I'm not going to let you set her free. She's going to tear the world apart."
"Not all of it, Val, only most of it." Tanith smiled. "And it's going to be beautiful."
But that smile vanished only moments later, Tanith wasn't looking at Valkyrie anymore but behind her at something Valkyrie couldn't see. The veins in her face turned black, her lips darkened and her eyes turned cold. Sanguine dragged Valkyrie back, twisting her round so as he could see what Tanith saw, that knife digging into her yet further, warm blood trickled down the inside of her dress but she didn't care, his fear could mean only one thing.
"Let her go." Skulduggery said, his voice cold, his gun pointed straight at Tanith's chest. Valkyrie had never been so pleased for his nick of time rescues before. Sanguine she might have been able to take if he didn't have that knife in her back but Tanith, there was no way she could take Tanith. "Now."
"What's in it for us?" Tanith asked her black lips twisting as she looked at Skulduggery.
"We'll get that Remnant out, cure you for good as for Sanguine, I can only promise I won't kill him."
"But I don't want to be cured, I like this."
"No you don't. The Tanith I knew would've hated being somebody's puppet. You can be her again, just let us help you."
"No, Skulduggery, I don't want help. Not from you or Ghastly or anyone. I'm happy like this. Being a bad guy is fun. I like it, I'm moving on with my life. You should be happy for me, isn't that what friends do? I'm happy like this and nothing you say is going to change that."
She slipped out of her jacket, her black lips forming a crazed smile. Skulduggery cursed under his breath, pulling back the hammer of his gun ready to fire.
"Last warning, Tanith, don't make me shoot you."
Tanith laughed, unsheathing her sword, it caught the moonlight, shining brighter than any of the fairies in the bushes beside them. She leapt and Skulduggery fired, but his bullet hit nothing but the bench she had been standing in front of. He dodged back as she landed before him, avoiding the blade and sending a fist into her jaw before going for a lock. But she was faster, spinning out of his grip and using her momentum to throw him over her hip sending him face first into a large statue. He cursed as the gun fell from his grip and she laughed again.
"Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough."
He splayed his palm, a wave of air crashed into her and she was sent tumbling, flipping in mid-air until landing on her feet, her face losing its smile and contorted into a snarl. She surged forwards but Skulduggery was quicker, ducking under the sword swing and sending a palm into her jaw. There was a cry of pain as Tanith went stumbling, it was all the distraction Valkyrie needed. She rammed her elbow into his face, pulling out of his grip and away from that blade.
She followed it up with a fistful of shadows, sending the Texan sprawling, his straight-razor falling to the ground. He dived for it but she splayed her hand, sending it skidding across the ground out of his reach. Swearing Sanguine lunged at her, his fist coming up to her face, too powerful for her block to have any effect. Her world rocked as pain exploded across her mind. She lashed out with a kick that caught Sanguine on the knee and he cried out as Valkyrie stumbled back, her heels catching on the hem of her dress. She cursed and kicked them off, hearing the dress tear as she did so.
Sanguine pressed forwards, ducking under the wave of shadows she sent his way before lashing out with a fist to her gut that sent her stumbling, the air forced from her lungs. The attack was followed by another swing that she batted down and countered with her own, swinging an elbow that he ducked under and before she had time to adjust he dove for her sending them both crashing to the ground. Her exposed flesh stung as they skidded across the gravel, if she'd been wearing her jacket it wouldn't have been a problem but a dress wasn't designed to protect her, it was designed to make her look good and she was paying for it.
She bucked and fought but Sanguine was on top, his weight pressed down on her keeping her pinned as he batted away her fumbled attacks before wrapping his fingers around her throat, digging them, choking her of her air. She tried to prise his fingers off her throat as her vision swam, her head going light as she fought for breath but found none, there was nothing there. Blackness was seeping into her vision now but she didn't stop fighting, she couldn't stop fighting. Pain was filling her mind, distant screaming filled her head, growing louder and louder as Sanguine's fingers dug deeper into her throat.
Let me out!
Valkyrie tried to dislodge Sanguine, desperately jerking underneath his grip. Something lodged under her, something sharp, metal, a blade. Sanguine's blade. Releasing his hands, she fumbled, searching for the blade under her, reaching for the handle. She felt it under her numbing fingers, her brain was shutting down but she fought through it, she had to. She wrapped her hand around it, getting a good grip, she only had one chance. Desperately she lunged, sinking the blade into Sanguine, not caring where as he roared with pain finally letting go.
She used the shadows to push him off her, gasping in a deep lungful of air as she scrambled away, clambering to her feet aware of Sanguine's cursing but she didn't care, she just focused on breathing and putting distance between her and Sanguine, feeling that sliver of coldness burning bright inside her. Darquesse had nearly been free, the pain calling to her, letting out. It had been too close, far too close.
Valkyrie turned away from Sanguine, the American was on the ground, gripping the handle of his blade as it stuck out from his leg, preparing to wrench the blade from his leg. He wasn't going anywhere. Not like Tanith. The blonde woman was flipping away from Skulduggery's attacks, her teeth bared as she ducked under his fist. She spun out his reach and then her blade flashed slicing his shirt open, he roared in pain and dropped.
Tanith laughed in glee but that laugh was cut short when Valkyrie sent a fistful of shadows into her back. There was a shriek of pain as Tanith was sent flying, flipping in mid-air, that unnatural grace making sure she landed on her feet her sword flashing in the moonlight, a snarl on her pretty face. Valkyrie splayed her palm but Tanith dodged and spun, swinging her sword. Valkyrie ducked away, sending a wave of shadows at Tanith but she was faster, avoiding the shadows and pressed her advantage, closing in on Valkyrie.
Valkyrie cursed, throwing herself out of the way of that sword, her bare feet skidding slightly on the gravel. She threw up a wall of shadows as Tanith leapt for her. Tanith collided with the wall, getting her feet on the wall and leaping over, lashing out with her sword. Valkyrie caught in mid-air with a kick that sent sideways, her sword missing Valkyrie by inches.
But before she could even blink Tanith was swinging again and this time her sword found its mark. Valkyrie screamed in pain as the sword opened up her back, once, twice. Skin ruptured, blinding pain tearing through her Valkyrie fell to the ground, her knees giving out. Pain ripped through her, tearing her apart as Tanith ran her sword through her back. Agony, pure agony, she wanted to scream but she couldn't the pain was all too much. A smile flashed on Tanith's black lipped face as she moved in front of Valkyrie, hunkering down in front of her.
"You should've just come with us, Val." Tanith said sadly, the veins in face slowly fading back to normal, the blackness receding, the only sign of what she truly was. "I never wanted to hurt you, you know that but you and Skulduggery just had to go and play hero. Guess that turned out badly for both of you, huh? She won't let you die, Val. If I can't persuade you to help I'm just going to have to wait for her to save you."
Tanith turned away from her for a moment, looking at Sanguine who was shouting and cursing in pain but Valkyrie didn't hear his words. Everything seemed faded but the pain, the harsh, excruciating pain that tore her back apart. Tanith was speaking now, talking to Sanguine, adopting a sad sort of smile.
And then the air exploded.
Gun shots, two in quick succession. Screams filled Valkyrie's ears. Blood stained Tanith's chest. Surprise flitted across her face, her hand going to the wound, turning red with blood. Sanguine was shouting, screaming and then there was another gunshot and Tanith dropped, blood exploding from her exposed shoulder. More shouts filled the air, people were running. Lights flashed above Valkyrie, spells, curses. Someone was yelling her name but it was far off. Hands were on her now, the voice that was shouting her name somehow closer. Then Skulduggery came into view, his jaw moved but Valkyrie couldn't hear the words. Darkness was seeping into her vision, she just wanted the pain to end. It had to end. Someone rushed into view, someone in white, Madam Pomprey. There was a something, a word and then a flash of red light and everything went black.
