Chapter 10: Torture

"Valkyrie sit down you need to hear the end of this!" Skulduggery shouted to his wife, who was very pissed off with Peter.

"What! He gave Danielle a present that's going to kill her and you want me to sit down and listen as if what he's done has a reasonable explanation?" she screamed at him. When Peter had started telling his story he didn't get very far before Valkyrie stood up and started throwing fireballs at him and throwing the table and chairs with the wind power. He quickly leaped behind the kitchen counter that was stuck to the floor. Skulduggery managed to get his arms around her to try and calm her down that way.

"Valkyrie if you kill him now he can't tell us how to save her,"

"I don't care! I'm going to kill him," she said very close with the tears. Skulduggery tightened his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear.

"Maybe you can. Later. At least hear the end of the story," she nodded and he let her go and used the wind power to put everything back, then sat her down on a kitchen chair.

"It's OK Peter you can come out from behind the counter now," he said. Peter poked his head out to make sure it was safe. He didn't like the idea of the china getting thrown around and hitting him in the head.

"As I was saying," he said when he stood up. "Danielle's necklace is going to kill her. The Faceless Ones are going to feed on her soul until she is dead. The idea is they're going to make her hate you so the hatred she has will summon the Faceless Ones. When her heart is filled with all the hate Lord Vile needs her to have for you the diamond would summon the Faceless Ones and they would come through that necklace. They will feed on that hate until Danni's dead but, eventually, the necklace's power will die. Then the Faceless Ones inside that necklace will try and find another diamond to live in."

"And if they can't?" Valkyrie said

"Normally they will get pulled back into their dimension,"

"So why can't we just go and get the necklace off her now?"

"Because that could risk killing her. She's already starting hating you. She told me because it's one rule for her and another rule for you. You're always watching her, never giving her privacy and yet you are never there to care for her the way normal parents would."

"Don't you dare say that!"

"Anyway. As soon as the necklace has killed her Vile is planning to break it. That will release the Faceless Ones into the world,"

"But why kill Danni?" Skulduggery asked

"Because it's a way to get to you. The club knows that Danni is your weakness and if they kill her you, particularly Skulduggery, would have, what Serpine had once said, a 'clouded mind'. You can't think straight and by the death of your daughter you would be useless to the world so you can't defend it."

"Well why haven't they killed her yet?" Valkyrie asked.

"Because they need to make her hate you a lot for the necklace to work, otherwise it's a waste of a spell,"

"Peter. I need you to take me to where they're hiding her," Skulduggery said

"I can't,"

"WHY NOT!" Valkyrie shouted.

"Because my dad will kill me!"

"What about Danni?"

"Well if you kept an eye on whom your friends were maybe the Revengers Club wouldn't even know she existed!"

"What?" she asked confused

"China Sorrows has betrayed you and told my dad about Danielle! I will not betray my own dad for you. No matter how much I love her,"

"Well you're going to die anyway because I'm going to kill you,"

"OK you two I think that you should shut up and Peter take us to Danielle. We can find a way to stop your dad. Please," Skulduggery said

Peter sighed. He was never going to win and he knew it.

"OK. I'll take you there but I can't promise it will make things better. They still have secrets they want to share with you,"

"I'm sure whatever secrets we have, no matter how bad, we can manage. Right now im worried about getting my little girl back, saving the world and destroying that necklace before it kills her and before the Faceless Ones hibernate in there,"

"Yeah they've already started. Like I said it started when she put the necklace on,"

"Hang on a sec. didn't you just tell us China betrayed us?" Valkyrie asked

"Um... Yeah I did why?"

Valkyrie looked at Skulduggery who looked back at her. He caught her arm just in time to stop her from speeding out the house and over to China's library to smash up her beautiful face. Valkyrie tried pulling her arm out of Skulduggery's grip, violently, and he had to put his arms around her whole body again to stop her from throwing things around the kitchen again.

"I'm going to kill her!" she screamed

"No you're not!" Skulduggery said back

Danielle looked at the woman who just walked into the room.

"And I believe you know China Sorrows already my dear?" Lord Vile asked. Danielle just stared at her clearly confused as to what she was doing here.

"Danielle," China said. "I'm going to tell you a secret. It's a big one that your parents have kept from you your whole life. And I don't want you to be angry. We're going to try and help you with the shock you're about to get-"

"Are you going to tell me or not?" she asked

"Yes I am. You know your dreams?"

"How did you-?"

"Oh please. I know everything. Peter told us all what you tell him therefore making me know everything going on in your life."

"That twat,"

"Anyway. Danielle everything that happens in your dreams is real. Everybody, every place, every plot in each one? It's all real," And China started to tell Danielle everything that has happened. Valkyrie meeting Skulduggery when she was 12. The fact Skulduggery is over 400 years old. Gordon's death. Serpine, Vengeous, The Diablerie, The Faceless Ones, Vampires (good and bad), Valkyrie being Darquesse (yes China knew that too). Her parents wedding, what Peter is and what really happened with Daisy. She told her about the three names and how her mum got hers. She talked about the war and Skulduggery's first wife and child before finishing with tricking Danielle into thinking everyone in this room was the good guy and her parents were the bad guys. This, to put it simply, pissed Danielle off.

"How could you say that?" she yelled at China. "After everything they do for you, you do this?"

"Danielle I think you should be quiet. I'm not the enemy. They are!" China said raising her voice. Danielle looked around and remembered they weren't alone so she quickly tried to leave the room, only to have Lord Vile appear in front of her. Blocking her only escape route. She looked around.

"You know China. I thought you were better than this,"

"And I thought you were brought up more polite than you're being. You wait to be dismissed before you try to leave my presence,"

"Yeah, what a shame I've been brought up in the 21st Century. Not the 18th which apparently is the century you were brought up in,"

"Do not mock me child,"

"Do not call me child,"

"Or what?"

"Well if what you say about my parents is true then I'll say no more," China slapped her hard across the face.

"Don't you dare mock me like that young lady," China spat at her. "You will not like me if I'm angry,"

"Oh so are you angry all the time?"

"I don't see what that boy sees in you! A vampire with feelings? Never. Peter is the reason you're here my girl,"

"Don't you ever say that. He loves me and I love him you slag!"

China frowned at her, grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out of the room. She spoke in Danielle's ear with pure venom in her voice.

"You know I don't like rude children around me. So let this be a lesson to you," she pushed Danielle into the kitchen and sat her down. She walked over to a drawer and took out a pair of scissors and walked back over to Danielle, who stood up facing China.

"I love your hair Danielle," China said reaching out to touch it, then quickly sat her down and held her there with one hand on her shoulder. "It's just a shame I have to do this," she said bringing the scissors across her hair, cutting it making Danielle scream at the thought of losing her hair. "Maybe next time you'll think twice before upsetting me as I will do a lot more than cut your hair. You think Peter loves you? Then why would he hand you over so easily?" Chinas voice still harsh.

"Alright China I think that's enough," Lord Vile's voice said from behind them. China nodded to him and left the kitchen. Danielle finally stood up and ran to the closest thing she could find to a mirror. Her reflection in the dark window. Her mouth dropped open and her bottom lip quivered.

Her hair. Her long dark hair. Chinas ruined it. Danielle loved her hair long. It was originally just below her knees and shone in the moonlight as if she was one of those beautiful, vampire, princesses she'd seen in films. Now China cut it short. Really short. It was just at the middle of her neck. A bob that luckily China cut in an even line but still. It was short. It didn't suit her and boy was she getting angry while trying to hold in the tears. How could her hair this short gleam in the moonlight like a deep black cloak a keep her ears warm? I swear if I ever get out of this I'm going to kill China! Sh thought to herself.

"You look angry," Lord Vile said.

"That bitch just ruined my most prized possession! It took me ten years to grow my hair that long! Did you really think I was going to be happy about it? I was the dark-haired Rapunzel."

He laughed. He liked seeing people be tortured like this.

"Looks like Peter really does hate you. Look what he let China do,"

"Peter really did leave me to get kidnapped? He hates me that much?" She asked very upset

"Any minute now," he said to himself ignoring her now.

"Wha-?" Danielle managed before she fell to the floor in pain clutching her chest. The necklaces power had begun to take over her body. She was blacking out and closed her eyes just after she heard a familiar voice. Three familiar voices.

"Danielle," Peter and her parents shouted.

"Come on. We've got to go!" Skulduggery said

"Peter if you're lying you will not live long enough to quickly think of another one. Get in the car," Valkyrie warned. Peter swallowed and got in the car. He was telling the truth as to where they were hiding. His was too scared to even think about lying to the parents of the girl he loved. As soon as Valkyrie and Skulduggery were in the car they sped of to his home where the Revenger's Club were waiting for them.

"I think you should know that China will be there," Peter said. "She would have told Danni everything by now and, by prediction, they should be shouting at each other to make Danni angry in order to summon the Faceless Ones. If they're there then we don't have much time,"

"I don't care about time. Just finding her at the moment," Valkyrie said

"Oh you will care about time when the Faceless Ones enter the necklace. Once they enter there they cannot go until the necklace has lost its power. So the necklace will need a body to give it the energy it needs."

"We're here," Skulduggery said as they pulled up in front of a house that looked too big for just two people to live there.

"The club are here as well. They live with us," Peter said answering his unasked question.

They could see shadows through a window. Too many dysfunctional shapes must mean it was Lord Viles shadows. They burst into the house. The Revengers Club came out of a room but the three of them quickly ran through the house and into the kitchen where they shouted to Danielle to find her on the floor clutching her chest.

"Ah so here are the famous duo. So sorry about Danielle. But she did put on the necklace," Lord Vile said.

"Lord Vile. I want you to stop that necklace's power right now and give me back my daughter," Skulduggery said looking at Danielle's limp body on the floor. Her shoulders were moving up and down. She's still breathing.

"And ruin all my plans to bring back my God? I don't think so,"

"Well then. It's your own fault," Skulduggery replied summoning a fireball. Peter ran and knelt next to Danielle. Valkyrie stood next to Skulduggery and held his hand in hers and had a fireball in the other. She looked at him, and he looked at Vile.

"Tell me Vile? Why did you wait ten years before making yourself known? I'd really like to know,"

"You always were one to talk and never act,"

"That's generally what a detective does. Talk."

"We needed to get our facts right. And we had to wait for Danielle to be older enough to understand. It would be pretty embarrassing to tell your lovely wife here what you've been getting up to with China behind her back."

"What?" Valkyrie said

"Your lovely husband here has had something going on with your good friend China for a few years now. In fact I'm pretty sure she told me he went to see her on your wedding day, that night? Didn't he disappear for a few hours?"

"Yes but he said he was working."

"Yes that's what he said. Where's his proof?"

"Skul? Is this true?"

"Of course not," he snapped at her. "He's making it up. I told you, he was going to tell us stuff that would make us fight,"

"But you did vanish on our wedding day. I woke up and you weren't there,"

"I told you. I was doing a job for Ravel!" he shouted.

"Ravel was at the hotel all night!" she shouted back.

"Oh how I love to see couples argue," Vile said. "But I'm afraid, Valkyrie, he's not the only one to lie in this relationship,"

"What?" she spat.

"What your true name is? Hm? Darquesse," Skulduggery took his gun out and pointed it at Vile.

"What? Did you just call her Darquesse?" he asked.

"I called her, her name. So she never told you that?" Vile said. Skulduggery looked at Valkyrie who looked afraid. She looked up at him and he knew Vile wasn't lying. She was making it obvious just by looking into his eyes.

"Valkyrie?" he said slowly. She shook her head and wouldn't look at him now.

"I- I'm sorry," she cried. She had tears in her eyes.

"Skulduggery, Valkyrie. Now is not the time to worry about this. What about Danielle?" Peter said. Valkyrie ran over to them while Skulduggery stood in the doorway, stopping Lord Vile from leaving. Lord Vile laughed.

"You do remember I have the whole Revengers Club here right?" he asked when Skulduggery was hit in the back of the head knocking him unconscious. Dusk walked in followed by everyone else and dragged Peter away from Danielle by his ear and shoved him up against the wall.

"I thought I told you to stay away from them now we have the girl!" he snarled.

"Dad, I'm sorry. But I couldn't let you do this to her. I love her!" Peter said back

"You are a vampire! You don't have feelings. You don't know what love is!" he said putting a hand on Peter's throat. Peter looked at something behind him and Dusk turned to see Danielle awake now. But her breathing was getting shallow. She was looking straight at him but Valkyrie was trying to get her to look at her.

"Sanguine. Take Mrs Pleasant away from the girl," Lord Vile said as Sanguine walked over to Valkyrie. Her grabbed her hair and yanked her away from Danielle, kicking and screaming.

"Let go of me you son of a bitch," Valkyrie screamed.

"Hold on there Valkyrie. My wife was not a 'bitch'," Scarab said slapping her across the face.

"Who said I was talking about her," she said.

"Enough," Vile roared. "We must hurry. The girl is awake and the Faceless Ones are coming. Jack? Move the girl to the lounge and place her on the table. They're coming. And tie them up." he said gesturing to Skulduggery and Valkyrie.

Jack picked up Danielle's weak body and carried her into the lounge and placed her on the stone table in the centre. How they got that table in this house Valkyrie would never know, as she was dragged into the room and had her hands shackled above her head to the high banister of the stairs. Skulduggery was thrown down next to her wrists shackled, still unconscious. She sighed and had a tear in her eye as she watched Danielle be surrounded by everyone in the club, her breathing still getting shallow. Valkyrie could see the necklace getting dark, the shadows of the Faceless Ones. They were coming. Through her daughters soul. She saw Peter fighting and struggling against Dusks hold across the room.

"Leave her alone!" he was screaming trying to get to her. Dusk put a hand on his mouth to shut him up and tied him to a chair with a gag on. Valkyrie looked away. She was embarrassed by what Vile had told Skul, what Vile had told her. How could Skulduggery do that to her? On their wedding day. And how long has it been going on for? She looked up when she heard laughing and saw the whole Club was laughing at the joy of their God returning. Danielle looked really pale and weak. How angry was she?

Don't be angry Valkyrie begged her see it all as a happy thing then she realised. Maybe that's what Danielle needed. Happy thoughts.

"Danielle. I know you can hear me and I need you to do something for me. Think happy thoughts. See it all as a good thing! Don't be angry anymore," she said. The Club looked worried and Vile sent a shadow over to Valkyrie and slapped her around the face.

"Shut up! That will stop the power."

"I know! My name maybe Darquesse but I'm not ready to live in a destroyed world. Danielle think happy,"

"Someone gag that woman!" Vile shouted. Remus Crux walked over and slipped a scarf around her mouth. Not being able to speak she knew she would need a miracle. Something moved in the corner of her eye and she heard the gun shots before she saw it. Six shots from a revolver. She saw Skulduggery holding his gun straight at the reaming standing. Only Lord Vile. The others had fallen with a bullet hole somewhere. Sanguine was howling in pain but unable to move.

Valkyrie saw Peter get up from the chair and realised he was only tied with rope. Why would Dusk tie his son up with rope considering he had the strength to bend 10 kilos of steel in half? He ran over to Danielle who was still breathing even shallower than before. She sounded like she was trying to get air that wasn't there. The necklace was getting darker and darker. She was whiter that paper now. Her soul was slowly being fed on. She struggled against the cuffs at her wrists.

"Peter! You've got to find a way to save her!"

"I can't. Only my dad knows the words to stop the power and your lovely husband shot him,"

Lord Vile stood there knowing Peter can do nothing. He smiled. "There's nothing you can do now Peter,"

"Actually... there is." Peter said realising something he'd forgotten. "I can sacrifice myself to save her," Vile frowned. He'd known this all along but thought Peter didn't.

"I wouldn't do tha if I were you," China said as she walked in dragging a scruffy looking Daisy with her. Daisy was covered in blood. Her beautiful blonde hair was dirty and blood-stained, messy covering up her face. She was still wearing the dress she wore to Danielle's party last night. She must have been taken just after they'd all gotten home last night. She looked terrible and when she looked up they could see she was scared.

"If you do that I will kill Daisy and make her hate you even more. She believes you're the reason she's here. That's how clever at poisoning the mind I am. If you take your life I will kill Daisy and make her hate you even more,"

Peter looked at Danielle, Daisy then China. He couldn't let Danielle die, but he couldn't save knowing he's responsible for someone else's death. His thoughts were interrupted by a crash at the front door and Tanith, Ghastly and The Grand Mage, Ravel walked into the room. China pulled Daisy closer to her and pulled a knife out of her pocket and put it to Daisy's throat.

"If anyone comes any closer I will slit Daisy's throat!" China warned. Lord Vile stood next to her that smile back on his face. Ravel slowly walked over to Skulduggery and Valkyrie keeping eye-contact with Vile the whole time. He slowly slipped Skulduggery the key to his shackles and undone Valkyrie's for her. He saw Danni lying on the table and looked angry. Nobody treats his best friend like that and gets away with it.

"Lord Vile. China. Release the girl or I will be forced to go to extreme measures," Ravel said in a commanding tone. Valkyrie was at Danielle's side as well now.

"Oh how I hate to disobey you Grand Mage unfortunately I can't. You see as soon as I leave her you will all come and beat me up. And I really don't want any marks on my pretty face,"

"But what about Daisy's pretty face China! She's done nothing to you!" Tanith shouted.

"She was born beautiful! How did that happen? Her father so ugly and her mother so man-like. She insulted me by being even more beautiful than me!"

"You say my husband's ugly one more time I will rip your heart out! Oh wait. You actually need a heart in order to rip it out,"

Lord Vile laughed. He admired Tanith's energy and enthusiasm. He admired everything about her. Although he wouldn't tell anyone.

Skulduggery ran over to Valkyrie while China and Tanith shouted insults at each other. He put his arm around her and looked at Peter.

"How can you save her Peter? "

"I transfer all the energy from my body into hers and let shadows take me over as I release the necklace form her neck."

How do you do that?" Valkyrie asked. Peter hesitated for a second.

"I'll have to kiss her when I take the necklace. The Faceless Ones will take my life instead and she'll act like it never happened."

"You'll give your life for Danielle?"

"Yes I would Valkyrie. I know I'm a Vampire but I do love her,"

Danielle was getting paler. They couldn't hear her breathing now. She was fading and her distant eyes were closing. If Peter was going to save her he would have to do it now.

Meanwhile Tanith and China had stopped fighting verbally and started fighting physically. Ghastly was hugging Daisy tightly and Ravel was fighting Vile. Valkyrie saw that China dropped her knife and Tanith had picked it up and sliced her arm open with it. China screamed in pain and gripped her arm while Tanith rushed over with a pair of shackles and shackled China to the stairs. China struggled against it as her powers started to be drained from her body. She was useless now.

Ravel had somehow managed to get Lord Viles armour off and they were punching each other hard in the face. Ravels quickly threw the armour away from them so Vile couldn't try and get it back on. Vile tried all kinds a surprise moves not realising that Ravel had practically invented most of them and managed to blocked them all. Ghastly found Skulduggery's gun on the floor from where he dropped it and no-one realised. He opened it. Empty. He quickly loaded it back up with spare bullets he had and threw it to Ravel. Ravel caught it and fired it at Vile. The fighting abruptly stopped. In Lord Viles head were six bullet holes. He fell to the floor dead and China screamed her upset.

"How could you!"

"It's the only way to stop him China. As for you, you will spend a lifetime in prison. In fact you can stay there until death. Maybe,"

"But if I go to prison I'll grow old. That will be ugly!"

"I know. But it's a lesson you need,"

Across the room Skulduggery was tightly holding Valkyrie. Peter knelt down next to Danielle and whispered something in her ear and gently put his lips to hers. As he did so he undone the necklace around her neck and pressed it to his chest. Colour immediately returned to her face and when he lifted his face she gasped and her eyes shot open, just in time to see Peter's face before he fell on the floor next to her. She sat up and looked down at him.

"Peter!" she got off the table and put his head on her lap. Everyone looked over at them. He couldn't talk due to the pain. He felt so cold as The Faceless Ones ate at his soul. He could feel his body shutting down and feeding itself to the monsters in his chest. Danielle looked at him. Tears in her eyes as she watched her boyfriend slowly die. She knows how he feels right now and couldn't bear it. She closed her eyes and felt the tear fall off her cheek. It landed on Peters and he managed to raise a hand to stroke her face and she opened her eyes. They looked into each other's like he wasn't dying. But he was and Danielle was letting it happen. She bent lower and whispered something in his ear as he had done to her. She kissed him on the cheek and saw he was paler than a corpse, his breathing dying with every breath. Peter died in the arms of the girl he loved so much.

"Danni," everyone said softly. She looked up from Peter. Waterfalls in both eyes. Her mum and dad were standing watching her. Daisy looked a mess covered in blood standing across the room hugging Ghastly and Tanith. Lord Vile was lying dead on the floor surrounded by the bodies of the dead Revengers Club and China was shackled to the stairs opposite where she was sitting. Skulduggery walked over and knelt in front of her and cupped her face in his hands.

"Let's go home," he said simply and she nodded. He looked at the necklace. It was dead so he pulled it away from Peter and melted it with fire in his hands. As they stood up and went to leave China ran towards them screaming her fury. She had her knife again and was running straight for Danni. Valkyrie saw this and quickly stepped in her way so the knife attacked her instead. Ravel quickly grabbed China from behind leaving her knife wedged just under Valkyrie's chest. Danielle turned around and caught her mum as she fell back. Skulduggery turned and saw Valkyrie lying limp in Danielle's arms.

"Valkyrie!" he screamed. "Mum," Danni said.

"Danni. I'm sorry I never trusted you properly. Please forgive me,"

"Mum, there's nothing to forgive. You just saved my life," She smiled a weak smile at them both.

"I love you. Skulduggery promise me you'll look after her properly."

"Of course I will but you're going to be fine. I'll get you to Kenspeckle's"

"It's too late. I love you,"

"I love you Valkyrie." Valkyrie closed her eyes and became the second person to die in Danielle's arms. For saving her life. Skulduggery stood up straight Danielle by his side and turned to China.

"You've fucking killed her!" he said quietly. "Now I'm going to kill you," He raised his gun that somehow got put back in its holster only to have Ghastly rush forward and stop him.

"That isn't going to help Skul." He said and Skulduggery collapsed in his friends arms crying into his shoulder. Tanith and Daisy hugged Danielle who started to cry silently. Ravel took this distraction to get China out the way and started to march her out of the room but Billy-Ray Sanguine came up from the ground before he got there. No-one had even noticed him vanish they were all so distracted. He laughed pulled China to him and shoved Ravel away and took China away with him.