Gant picks her up only to slam her down again. Then he kicks her and Valkyrie goes rolling across the platform, gasping.
"I've known that boy since before either of you were born," he says, his voice a little more than a guttural snarl. "I practically raised him. He had his flaws, of course he did, but he was a good boy, and he was a good boy, and he worked hard, and all he ever wanted to do was make me happy. And you... you come to my home and you..." Gant grabs her by the collar, lifts her off her feet. "What gives you the right? What gives you the right to kill that poor boy?"
Valkyrie struggles to breathe. "How many... people has he... killed?"
"They don't count!" Gant screams. "They don't count!" He headbutts her and lets her drop, and Valkyrie staggers and stumbles away from him, blood running down her face.
"They're cattle!" he continues to scream. "They're practice! Their lives meant nothing!"
Danny sees his chance. The walkway is clear. But he hesitates, his feet stuck. Valkyrie glances at him, waves. "Go," she says, spitting blood. "Go."
"Yes, Danny," Gant says, kicking Valkyrie's legs out from under her, "go. Run. I'll hunt you down soon enough." He stomps on Valkyrie's back. She cries out.
Limping, staggering, throwing on foot in front of the other and willing his knees not to buckle, Danny crosses the walkway. He almost falls at the hut, but manages to keep himself standing. He doesn't look back. He doesn't turn at every cry of pain. He lurches into the hut, clinging to the hanging chains for support. The broken link dangles above him and he looks at it for a moment before reaching up to slip it from the chain. He pockets it, then stumbles to the doorway on the other side . He rests there for a moment. He's almost out. He just has to keep it together for another few minutes. Just one more little bridge, and then the front door, and fresh air and freedom. That's all.
He leaves the hut. One foot in front of the other. Hands on the railing. Easy does it. Don't get distracted. Don't look over at what's happening to Valkyrie. Don't look over at what Gant is doing.
One foot in front of the other.
One foot in front of the-
Danny falls against the door. He grabs the latch. It's slippery beneath his fingers. For the first time the thought occurs to him that it might be locked, that it won't open, that some kind of magic will deny him his escape, but when he finally gets a grip and turns the latch the door does indeed open, and he pulls it wide and cold air blasts his whole body.
He sobs with relief and throws himself forward, the steps taking him by surprise. He falls to the sidewalk, skinning the palms of his hands but not feeling it. He crawls on, tries calling for help, but the street is as empty now as when he first got here.
He reaches the Cadillac, fumbles for the handle, uses it to pull himself to his feet. Valkyrie's pickup is parked right behind it. He hears her yell in pain.
He looks back, into the house. He can still see the top of Gant's head, bobbing up and down as he continues to beat Valkyrie to death. Danny takes a deep, deep breath, and wipes some of the sweat from his eyes. Then he stands, and takes the broken link of chain from his pocket. It's heavy and big.
He turns to the Cadillac, and smashes the driver's window.
Next to go is the wing mirror. That smashes easily, making plenty of noise.
"Hey!" Gant yells from inside the house.
Danny ignores him, goes round to the front of the car. He swings the broken link into the left headlight.
"Hey!" Gant screams. "You leave that car alone!"
Danny moves slowly over to the other headlight, making deep dents in the hood as he goes. Clang. Clang. Clang.
Then there's a smash. And no more headlights.
"Hey!"
Danny looks up. Cadaverous Gant stands in the doorway, lips pulled back from his teeth. He looks livid. He looks, with the sunlight hitting his liver spots, like a really angry corpse. Danny laughs. This only makes Gant angrier.
"First you kill Jeremiah and then you attack my car?"
Danny brings the chain link down on the hood. Clang.
"Stop that! Jeremiah took great pride in maintaining this car. He would wax it every day until I could see my-"
Clang.
"Stop!" Gant screeches. "Stop it!"
"Make me," says Danny. His throat is so dry it hurts to speak. "Come out of there. Face me like a man."
"What is this?" Gant sneers. "You think you're the hero? You think you can-"
Danny doesn't think anything of the sort. Danny just smashes the passenger side window.
Gant lets out a cry of anger and horror and jumps down the steps. Danny backs off into the middle of the street, giving himself room. Gant stalks right up to him and Danny raises his fists, thinking maybe he can use the broken link to knock out a few of Gant's yellowing teeth now that he no longer has the house to make him unstoppable. But even out here, the old man surprises him with his speed and his strength. Danny barely glimpses the punch that rocks his head back. He completely misses the one that knocks him on his ass.
Dazed, he can only look up as Gant takes Jeremiah Wallow's knife from his pocket. He closes his eyes. He doesn't want to see the end coming, and he has no strength left in him to fight.
Then suddenly he's being pulled to his feet and spun. Gant holds him from behind and digs the knife into his throat. Danny opens his eyes.
Valkyrie stands on the steps of the house. Her face is a mask of blood and she's holding her ribs with her left hand. Her right hand is outstretched, and it's glowing white.
"Your aim is off," Gant snarls, almost directly into Danny's ear. "You'll hit your friend here. Might even kill him."
"My aim's improving," Valkyrie says. "I'm just out of practice, that's all."
"Then go ahead," says Gant. "Fire. If you think yo can do it. Go on. Tell you what, I'll make it easy on you. I'll count down from three. If you haven't fired by then, I'll cut his throat. Does that sound fair?"
"I have a counter-proposal," says Valkyrie, coming down the steps. Her eyes burn. "You let him go and drop the knife. You surrender and I arrest you. You tell me why you came after me and who wants me dead. That sounds pretty fair to me."
Danny can hear Gant's smile in his voice as Valkyrie joins them on the street. "Three."
Valkyrie's hand glows brighter. "Two," she says.
The knife digs a little deeper into Danny's throat. "One," says Gant.
"OK!" Valkyrie says, the glow immediately fading from her hand. "OK, you win."
"Naturally," says Gant. "You have shackles, I take it? Put the on."
Valkyrie's face turns to stone.
Gant's laugh is not a happy one. "You think me stupid, girl? You think I'm going to leave you even the slightest chance to gain the upper hand?"
She hesitates. "The shackles are in my pickup," she says, and starts forward. She freezes when Gant presses the blade deep enough into Danny's throat to draw blood.
"Do not take one more step, you insolent little whelp."
Valkyrie narrows her eyes. "You want me to get the shackles, I'm getting the-"
"You're not doing anything," Gant says. He drags Danny back towards the pickup. "I've heard all about you," he says as they go. "I've been told about the things you've done. Up until now, I wondered which version of you we were going to get - the angel or the demon. Jeremiah and I, we were prepared for both."
Valkyrie actually smiles. "You'd never be prepared for Darquesse."
"You'd be surprised," says Gant. "I've killed all sorts of people in the course of my work."
"And what work would that be, exactly?"
"Killing people like you." They come to stop at the door of the pickup. "Angel or demon, we wondered. Now I know."
"No," says Valkyrie. "You only think you do."
Danny feels Gant's grip loosen as he reaches for the door handle. "Is that so? Well then, you tell me, young lady. Which are you? Angel or demon?"
Valkyrie smiles again. "I'm like anybody," she says. "I'm a little bit of both."
Gant opens the door and all Danny sees is a flash of brown and black as Xena leaps from the seat. Danny recoils and Gant falls, the big German shepherd snarling as she rolls off his chest. She goes for him again, jaws clamping down on his forearm. Gant screams and Xena shakes her head furiously. The old man staggers to his feet, kicks the dog in the side. Xena yelps, dances back, dives again, closing her teeth round his ankle.
Hollering, Gant swipes at her with the knife. This time Xena gives a yelp of real pain and lets go. Gant swipes again, misses, and then Valkyrie is barrelling into him. The knife falls. Valkyrie catches him with an elbow that cracks against his chin. He tries to make space between them, but she has a hold of him now and she won't let go. She digs her fingers into his face, shredding across his features. He panics, tries to push her off. She's like a limpet. There's no dislodging her. Gant's eyes are squeezed shut. His face is bleeding. Danny watches as Valkyrie's fury is let loose. It's terrifying.
They fall and Valkyrie is on top. Xena dances nearby, barking her rage and thirst for blood. Valkyrie crouches over Gant, starts slamming her right palm into his face.
He tries to push her off and she grabs his wrist, wrenches it and Gant hollers in pain.
Valkyrie leans in, and snarls. "Not so much fun when you're on the receiving end, is it?"
"Please!" Gant squeals. "I'm an old man!"
"Damn right you are," she says, and drops with an elbow to the jaw. Gant goes limp.
Valkyrie puts both hands on his face, shifting her weight to jump to her feet. Then she stands, well out of the way of his limbs.
"Xena," she says, "hush."
Immediately, Xena quiets down. But her tail doesn't stop wagging as she keeps her eyes fixed on Gant.
Valkyrie walks over to Danny and helps him stand. He hadn't even realised he'd collapsed. "You OK?"
He nods. It's a blatant lie, but Valkyrie doesn't seem to mind.
Once he's on his feet, she leaves him, walks back to the front door. She shuts it.
The dog barks and Danny looks back and Gant is halfway to the Cadillac with Xena biting into his already bloody leg. He curses in pain and throws himself through the broken window shaking Xena off as he drags his legs after him. Valkyrie's hands glow and white lightning catches Gant in the shoulder as he squirms behind the wheel. The engine roars to life and the cars lurches forward. Valkyrie fires again, burning a deep scorch mark into the Cadillac's body, but she's too late to stop it. They speed away, swerving dangerously.
Once it's out of sight, Xena stops barking.
"Dammit," Valkyrie mutters. She looks back at Danny. "You in any mood for a car chase?"
"You can have one if you want," he says. "I'll wait here."
Valkyrie shakes her head. "Naw. I reckon we've enough these last few days, what do you say?"
Her hand wraps around the chain of his handcuffs and glows white, and a moment later the chain breaks. "Get in the pickup there," she says. "I'll make a few calls and then we'll head back to Meek Ridge."
He gets in, groaning a little when Xena jumps in on top of him. She settles herself in the middle, then reaches back to lick her bloodied fur. Every so often, she licks Danny's face. He is too tired to stop her.
Valkyrie talks on the phone for a bit, then gets in behind the wheel. "Some people are on their way here," she says. "They'll seal off the place, make sure Gant doesn't get back in. Hopefully, they'll pick him up on the road. If not, you'll get round-the-clock protection until he's arrested."
Danny nods. "OK," he says.
She reaches into her jacket, takes out a slim packet of dried leaves. She folds one, offers it to the dog. Xena swallows it and Valkyrie scratches behind her ears.
"Who's a good doggy, huh? Who's a good doggy?"
Xena wags her tail in a steady, happy rhythm.
Valkyrie pops one of the leaves in her own mouth, chewing it, and holds one out for Danny. "For the pain," she says.
He takes it without asking what it is. It tastes exactly like he expects it to - like a leaf. But the feeling that floods his body takes him completely by surprise.
"Wow," he says.
Valkyrie starts up the pickup and pulls away from the kerb. "Long drive back to Meek Ridge," she says. "You want the radio on?"
He'd wanted to sleep, but now that leaf is working wonders, he's got more important things on his mind. "No," he says. "I want to know what's going on. Stephanie, Valkyrie, whatever your name is... please. Who are you?"
She gives him a smile. "Well, OK. You deserve it, I suppose. I'll start at the beginning, how about that?"
"Sounds good," he says.
She fixes her eyes on the road. "It all started with the death of my uncle."
By the time Valkyrie has finished the story, told him all about Skulduggery and Tanith and Ghastly and Darquesse and the Accelerator, they have reached Meek Ridge and are driving past the grocery store.
It hasn't burned down, which is a good sign. They take the road up to Valkyrie's place. They pass Danny's car, but they don't stop until they get to the house.
They get out. Xena disappears immediately. Valkyrie stretches. Danny looks at her, says nothing. He follows her up the steps, into the house. It's cold in here.
"Make yourself some coffee," she says, and that's what he does while she busies herself in another room.
When he's done, he sits at the kitchen table, looking at his reflection in the window. They'd cleaned up at a gas station, but his face is a swollen mess and his clothes are stained with dried sweat and blood. His eyes dip to the mug off coffee he's set aside for her. Steam rises from the brim.
A few minutes later, Xena comes in. She goes right up to Danny, nuzzling her snout into his hand until he pets her.
Elsewhere, he hears water running.
Xena wander over to her bed, circles it a few times, and lies down. She rests her head on her paws, then looks up at him with wet brown eyes.
Valkyrie is standing there, in blue jeans and a jacket. Her hair is freshly washed. He hadn't heard her come in.
"Now I know why you're ninja-quiet," he says. There are two bags by her feet. "You going somewhere?"
"Home," she says.
This surprises him. "After... after everything that's happened?"
"It's time." She come forward, picks up her coffee, tastes it. "This is cold."
"You've been gone a while."
"I suppose I have."
"Why did you leave?" he asks. "I mean, I know, the trauma must have been... unimaginable, but..."
"We won," she says. "But the things I did when I was Darquesse, and the things I did later, in order to beat her... I had to leave. I couldn't stay. Not after what I'd done to..."
"Alice."
She nods. "I didn't deserve a sister or a family. Stephanie... now Stephanie deserved a family. Everything she did, she did out of love for them."
"But so did you. You said it yourself, protecting them was the reason you did everything."
"I did it wrong, though. I did it badly."
"You did what you had to do. I can't believe you've been living up here alone for the past five years, blaming yourself, hating yourself for the things you had to do. You saved us all."
"No. I didn't save us. Not that time."
Danny finishes his coffee. It's lukewarm. "Skulduggery sounds like... an amazing person."
Valkyrie gives one of those soft smiles. "Yeah,"
"He was a true hero, to give his life like that."
"Hmm?" says Valkyrie. "Oh, no, he didn't give his life."
Danny frowns. "He didn't? But you said he walked into the Accelerator."
She shakes her head. "I said he walked towards the Accelerator. He told me later, when he was taking his hat back, that a world without him would scarcely be worth living in. No, he told me he had a plan with Ravel, one of the cleavers that was behind Ravel was used." She looked down at her feet. "He wouldn't have made it anyway he was loosing too much blood."
Danny blinks. "But... but the soul had to be given willingly."
"It was," Valkyrie says, looking back at Danny. "But there was nothing in the rules that said the soul you willingly gave had to be your own."
"And that... worked?"
"Yep. The Engineer shrugged, said Skulduggery made a fair point, it allowed the soul to shut down the Accelerator, and Skulduggery turned round and made fun of me."
There's a knock on the door, and Valkyrie glances at her watch. "That'll be him now."
Danny jumps to his feet. "Skulduggery? That's Skulduggery Peasant?"
"Probably, yeah. I called him, told him it was time I came home. It's like he said, years ago - punishment is the easy option. If I really want to make up for the things I've done, I've got to help people. If I want to make up for what I did to my sister, I have to be around her. I have to be a part of her life. She's six now, for God's sake. Six. She barely knows me. It's... it's time that changed." She picks up her bags. "You can let yourself out, can't you?"
"Uh.. yeah..."
Valkyrie smiles. "I'll get the rest of my stuff shipped over to me and then, I don't know..." She looks around. "I'd sell the place, but I kind of like it."
"Will I ever see you again?" Danny asks.
"You might."
"But I might be an old man, yeah? And you'll look exactly the same?"
She gives a sad smile. "Yeah. Maybe. There'll be some people calling round to talk to you. Sorcerers. Good people. They'll make sure everything is alright."
"Yeah. Cool."
She raises an eyebrow. "Is everything going to be alright?"
"I... I don't know. You're asking me to return to my boring life after... after all this. After you. I don't know if I can do that."
"So don't. You have dreams, right? You don't want to spend the rest of your life running a grocery store in Meek Ridge, do you?"
"No. I... I used to have a record deal."
Valkyrie tilts her head. "Seriously? Wow. There you go. Get your record deal back. Become a rock star. Live an extraordinary life. You don't have to save the world to change it."
She taps her leg and Xena trots over. Danny goes as far as the hall with them. Through the frosted glass in the front door, he can see the dark outline of a tall, thin man, wearing a hat.
He remembers, as a kid, being scared of Santa Claus. He remembers lying in bed on Christmas Eve, curled in a ball, eyes wide, jumping at every creak the hose made, waiting for this ghostly presence to visit. He feels that same kind of fear now - fear of the supernatural, mixed with pure, undiluted excitement.
Valkyrie stops with her hand on the latch, and looks back. "You want to meet him?"
Danny hesitates - hesitates for a long time - then shakes his head. "My mind is already blown enough, that you very much. I think actually seeing a talking skeleton in person would just... I think my head would literally explode."
Her smile turns to a grin. "Yeah, fair enough. Hey, you have a good life, Danny, you hear me?"
"Same to you Valkyrie." He gives her a little wave, feels the twinge in his injured shoulder, and winces. "What'll I tell people about all this?"
"They won't believe you anyway," says Valkyrie, "So tell them the truth."
Now it's his turn to raise an eyebrow. "What, tell them about sorcerers and lunatics and kidnapping and murder?"
"Naw," she says. "Tell them the real truth. Tell them about what's really important."
"And what, if you don't mind me asking, is really important?"
Valkyrie holds her hand palm upwards, and it starts to glow from within. She smiles at him.
"Magic," she says.