Chapter 9: The Final Fight
Skulduggery was shouting Valkyrie's name and then appeared beside her and stopped her just outside the door.
"Do you think that you should go in there?" he asked.
"I have to. She's my sister."
"But do you think you should? Surely you can let someone else go in?"
"Well you can come in with me if that's what you're trying to say,"
"Or how about I go in and you wait out here?"
"Why would I do that? You never stopped me from this before!" She challenged.
"Well I think in your condition you should slow down a bit,"
She looked at him shocked by his words.
"What condition?" she asked suspiciously. He sighed and took the pregnancy test from his shirt pocket.
"I found this in your room,"
"My room? Skulduggery what the hell were you doing in my room!"
"Fletcher took me there because he told me you were acting funny when he picked you up. You were staring at the drawer and that Rolanda said she thinks they the Vampires had already... you know," He looked away feeling embarrassed with his thoughts. She looked away because she felt embarrassed by his thought and also because she was angry.
"To be honest it's none of your business!" she shouted to him.
"Valkyrie keep your voice down. We are standing outside a room full of Vampires."
"I don't care if we were standing in front of the Queen of bloody England! What you were doing in my room was very perverted! Were you and Fletcher going through my other stuff as well?"
"Valkyrie the drawer with this test was the only place we looked. And it was Fletcher who got it not me!"
"Well it's a good thing I don't keep my knickers in that drawer then isn't it?"
"Yes now can you keep your voice down?" he said just as the door opened and King Tutankhamen stood in the doorway.
"You know," he said in English. "You should really wait until your somewhere alone so no-one can hear you. You two woke up Lisa," he grinned at Valkyrie then looked at Skulduggery and frowned.
"What are you doing here anyway Pleasant?"
"I actually came to rescue Valkyrie. What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to make sure that our plan goes well,"
"Very interesting. I hope you know that I can't allow that."
"We know," a voice said behind them. Valkyrie immediately stiffened then started to shake lightly. Skulduggery froze then turned slowly. Standing behind them was Lord Vile. Skulduggery went to attack but Vile hit him with shadows knocking him out. Valkyrie screamed and went to kneel beside him but Tutankhamen grabbed her arm and pulled her close. Lord Vile looked at her showing her his face. It had an ugly cut across his cheek and his nose was pouring out blood.
"How can a girl so young inflict this much damage?" he asked her. She looked down at Skulduggery. Vile looked at the unconscious figure. He used his shadows to lift him and drag him into the room after Valkyrie was. She saw, laying in the corner in a cot, baby Lisa. Vile put Skulduggery next to that cot and created a prison made of shadows.
"Now Valkyrie," Vile said "You do as I say and I will let them live. Every time you disobey me I will torture one of them. And I don't think baby Lisa will be able to suffer the torture. Her bones are so fragile."
"If you hurt her, I will kill you." She threatened.
"I'm sure you could. I had someone come to me and tell me a secret. But I think for that the first spot of torture should happen." And with that he flicked a stream of shadow through Skulduggery's chest and he instantly gained consciousness to scream.
"NOOO!" Valkyrie screamed. Vile stopped the shadows and looked at her. Skulduggery sat up and looked at his prison before watching the scene on the other side of the black bars.
"Please don't hurt him," Valkyrie was saying. "I'll do as you say. Just- leave him alone," she was actually crying. It hurt her to see him hurt because of her.
"You'll do as I say?" Vile asked. Valkyrie nodded
"She won't," Tutankhamen said. "She's a good liar. She's been lying to the skeleton for over a year now. How do I know that? Because Finbar Wrong came to see me the other day. Well a remnant telling us that she needs to be kept alive due to the fact that she could help us."
"She will help us anyway Vampire so what are you blabbing on about?"
"We can't kill her at all. She is Darquesse."
"She is?"
"Yes and I say when my son is born she will help us not as Valkyrie, but as Darquesse,"
"Really? Is this true Miss Cain?" Vile asked
Valkyrie swallowed. "yes,"
"Then will you help us?"
"Yes," she whispered just as Finbar Wrong walked in.
"But she needs some help," he said. "She needs me to be there with her,"
"Will you allow the remnant to enter you?" Vile asked. Valkyrie whispered
"Yes,"
"Valkyrie! You don't have to be her," Skulduggery shouted.
Just then the remnant exited Finbar and entered Valkyrie and yet again she became the very thing she never wanted to be. Darquesse. She broke out of Tutankhamen's grip, looked around and started killing the vampires, leaving only Vile and Tutankhamen standing.
"Very impressive Darquesse," Vile said impressed. Tutankhamen looked at her, also impressed.
"Valkyrie you can fight her! You don't have to destroy everything,"
"What do you know about it skeleton?" she asked.
"Tanith told me what happened last year when I had no idea what was going on. I was still recovering from being trapped in another dimension. I've known this whole time but I was waiting for you to tell me yourself,"
She walked over to Skulduggery with her back to the old Pharaoh and Vile and winked at him to let him know that she was still there. Ever since she had been possessed she had not stopped researching how to overcome that remnant. She was happy she had managed it. But now she had to use those drama lessons she never attended to fool Vile and Vampire.
"Darquesse," Vile said. She turned. "Are you on our side?"
"Yes sir. She said," she smiled.
"Valkyrie no," Skulduggery said. "Please don't. You don't have to do this,"
Valkyrie turned to look at him and when she turned back she flicked shadows at the two remaining people standing. Vile, being distracted again, broke his own cage trapping Skulduggery. Skulduggery ran towards Valkyrie summoned a fireball and threw at Tutankhamen's head. His head caught fire and he started running around trying to put the fire out, but soon enough his whole body caught fire and he dropped down dead. He looked where Valkyrie had been standing to find she was no longer there. He looked around when he saw Vile standing, holding Valkyrie in front of him, head pulled right back to expose her throat, with a knife held there. He called out to the rest of the house and a minute later Sanguine, Dusk and the rest of the revenger's club burst into the room.
"Now Skulduggery. I suggest you stand as still as possible and let Dusk put his shackles on your wrists. Or I kill Valkyrie Cain." He said pressing the knife harder against her skin. She didn't dare swallow. Skulduggery stood there, thinking. Save the world? Or save Valkyrie? He thought.
Valkyrie thought too. I have had enough of this. Is it because I'm a child? Or is it because I'm pregnant that I'm the hostage today? I don't really care now she screamed making Lisa start screaming and she elbowed Vile just below his armour into the stomach. Skulduggery got out his gun and fired at the revenger's club. Crux, Jack, Scapegrace, Scarab, Dusk and Sanguine fell to the floor yelling in agony. Crux and Scapegrace were silent however; the bullets had killed them straight away.
Valkyrie got out of Vile's grip and picked up Lisa holding her close to her chest. She started sobbing onto the baby's shoulder. She heard more gun shots and looked over to Skulduggery. He had reloaded his gun and fired all six shots at Vile, who still didn't die but was seriously injured.
"This isn't over Pleasant!" he screamed and used his shadows to vanish taking the surviving members of the revenger's club with him. Valkyrie just hugged Lisa harder and cried, her tears falling like a waterfall. Skulduggery walked over and put an arm around her and gently pulled her into a hug.
"You OK?" he asked. She didn't answer. She just cried. He started to lead her out of the room just as Fletcher appeared with Rolanda, Tanith and Ghastly.
"You're late," Skulduggery said.
"Oh darn. I fancied kicking some Vampire butt." Tanith said before taking Lisa off Valkyrie and giving her to Skulduggery the pulled Valkyrie into a hug so tight Valkyrie stopped breathing for a minute.
"Tanith can you let go of my partner before you kill her and make my rescue mission a waste of time?" Skulduggery said and Tanith let Valkyrie free.
"Sorry," She said
"That's OK Tan." Valkyrie said.
"Where's Dusk?" Rolanda asked them.
"Vile took him when he ran away." Skulduggery said. He was about to ask something when Valkyrie's phone rang. She took it out to find it was midnight and had 18 missed calls from her dad. It was constantly ringing through the fight but she never took any notice. She looked on the number calling now Dad and was almost too scared to answer it but couldn't reject him. She pressed the call button and held it to her ear.
"Ah 19th time lucky eh Steph? Where the hell are you? Where's Lisa? I thought something bad happened! Why haven't you been answering my calls? Why didn't even call me back? IT'S MIDNIGHT!" He shouted down the phone all at once. This was the first time she had really heard all this concern at once. He was worried sick.
"Dad calm down. I'm fine, Lisa's fine. We're somewhere safe just on our way home now. Got into a bit of difficulty. That's why I didn't call you back. And I'm sorry. I had my phone on silent so I didn't even know you called," it wasn't a complete lie but she know how he'd react if he knew the whole truth.
"I've just been round a friend's that's all and we lost track of time. I'm sorry,"
"Stephanie Edgley you get home right now and you are grounded for the rest of your life!" they hung up. She sighed. She didn't like to worry him and this is as close to the truth as he has ever found out.
"I'll take you home," Skulduggery said. "But can you sneak out when she's home. There's still one thing we need to sort out," She sighed again.
