Chapter twelve- Here
When your heart is broken, you tend to do ridiculous things, and think irrationally. This usually results in more heart break. Until one not only has a broken heart, but a broken mind.
-Anon.
Valkyrie stared.
"What?"
"We tried calling him, then you. Nobody answered so we all came here with her and those guys," Fletcher gestured to the girl and the group she stood with, "And Skulduggery wasn't here, and the Bentley was gone. We rang China and she said he wasn't at the library so she came round and we called around and ended up with this lot and still no Skulduggery."
Valkyrie felt her face fall along with her heart. Had Skulduggery left her, because of what had happened last night?
"He wouldn't run off like that," China said, seeing Valkyrie's expression.
"He must've been kidnapped," Fletcher said.
"Well he must've been captured really, really quietly," Ghastly said.
"We have to find him," Tanith said, sitting down beside Valkyrie and hugging her shoulders, "Are you Ok, Val?"
"Yeah. I'm fine," Valkyrie said flatly.
So Skulduggery had left her. He'd left her when she most needed him. She felt a strong hatred towards him at that moment. He was unbelievable.
"We need to find him," Ghastly said.
"Don't bother," Valkyrie said trying to keep calm. The murmuring in the room died down and she could feel all eyes on her.
"What?" Tanith asked
"I said don't bother," Valkyrie snapped.
Everyone was silent, and Tanith pressed her lips into a thin line, looking at Valkyrie with an unfathomable expression. Valkyrie kept her eyes trained on the ground and scowled.
"C'mon, Val," Tanith said, helping Valkyrie up. Together they walked into the other living room and Tanith shut the door.
Tanith sat Valkyrie down on the sofa.
"Now, what happened with you two last night?" Tanith asked.
"Nothing."
"Did you two fight?"
"No."
"Did you say something that would've upset him?"
"Of course not!"
She mentally kicked herself for acting appalled at the idea of saying something that would hurt him. She wanted to kill him.
"…Did you two…?" Tanith gestured helplessly with her hands and Valkyrie stared, her mouth wide open.
"What? Tanith! I can't believe you'd even think that!"
"Sorry, sorry! I just thought…Never mind. Anyway, what did happen?"
"Nothing happened, Tanith. We just went into the house and I slept. Nothing happened."
"I don't believe you."
"Nothing happened!"
"So why don't you want to go and find him? When he was trapped with the Faceless Ones…well, you were pretty beat up over it, and you were determined to get him back. Why not now?"
"He's probably fine," Valkyrie grumbled.
Tanith sighed and got up.
"Well we need him. And I know you do too."
She opened the door and Fletcher, Ghastly, and a few teenaged boys Valkyrie didn't recognise fell into the room with a thump. They'd obviously been listening.
Tanith rolled her eyes and Valkyrie stepped over them testily.
"Boys," a girl from the strange group snapped. She was young and blonde and pretty and her eyes held many emotions. They were a piercing blue.
The teen boys who had been eavesdropping clambered up and shuffled over to the group, taking their place near the back.
Everyone was herded into the living room and Valkyrie sat with Tanith, Fletcher, China and Ghastly on the sofa. The group sat on the floor, cross legged. The girl remained standing. Three children who Valkyrie had assumed were with the strange group stood at China's side, looking awkward and anxious.
"Right," Ghastly started, looking at the bizarre people that occupied the room. He paused for a moment. "I honestly do not know where to begin with this."
"Let us start with the facts," The girl said, coming into the middle of the room, "Skulduggery is gone. We have a bizarre and extremely rare, very gifted gathering of people here. And we have not got much time.
Darquesse," the girl's eyes briefly flickered to Valkyrie, "is coming in a very soon. Much sooner than the Sensitives have foreseen. We need everyone we can get to fight. And we need to prepare now. Are there any Necromancers in here?"
Nobody raised their hands, except Valkyrie.
The girl's eyes turned the deepest black and her expression turned very, very serious.
"No Necromancer," she began, her tone a warning, "Is to know about us. Nobody is to know about this, full stop. But if any Necromancer finds out about this, we are in big trouble. Do you all understand?"
There was a murmur of agreement and the girl nodded.
"Good. Now. Onto the subject of the missing Skulduggery Pleasant."
"We could try and track his phone," Fletcher suggested. He knew his avid C.S.I watching would come in handy one day.
"That's exactly what I was thinking," A teenage boy grinned. He had an American accent and a deep, throaty voice. His hair was dark and styled in an equally ridiculous way to Fletcher's. He had light green eyes.
Fletcher grinned back.
"Great minds think alike," he said, and they high fived.
"And fools seldom differ," the girl sighed, shaking her head at Fletcher and his new found hair friend.
Valkyrie smiled, but it did not touch her eyes.
"What I think we should do, is forget about Skulduggery for now."
Everyone turned to look at the young man who had said that. He stood up. He was tall and blonde with dark eyes, and he was handsome. His clothes were old, but the deepest of black. He wore a ripped trench coat, over black jeans, and a black button down shirt. His boots were black and scuffed.
Valkyrie vaguely recognised him…for the Necromancer temple.
"You're a Necromancer," Valkyrie blurted out.
He nodded and smiled.
"I am."
There was an ominous silence, as everybody froze, waiting to see how the girl would react.
She stalked across the room, after a long moment of silence, until she was face to face with him. She looked furious.
"It is best if you leave," she snarled.
She was a good head and a half shorter than him, and yet it seemed like she towered over him. The Necromancer stood to his full height, and stared down at her, his expression complacent.
"I have no reason to. I don't mix with Solomon Wreath and his band of idiots. I find them increasingly tiresome. I do, however, know some Necromancers. But they're on our side, if that's what you're worried about."
Valkyrie knew he was telling the truth. She'd often seen this Necromancer and Solomon fighting and hurling abuse at each other. She had to admit it was amusing to watch.
But now she was curious as to why the girl was so against Solomon, as the young Necromancer had indicated.
The girl was silent for a moment.
"Fine. You can stay. But you must not go anywhere near the Necromancer temple. That goes for any other Necromancers in this room."
The Necromancer nodded.
Then she turned and walked away from him and back to where she had been standing.
"Right. As aggravating as it may to be to admit this, the boy is right. Skulduggery is not our main priority. We need to prepare. Things are a lot more complicated than you have determined."
"How so?" A young boy asked. He stood with the group.
"I cannot divulge, at this moment in time."
"Darquesse is coming," he said, growing impatient, "We don't have much time."
"I believe you are mistaken, boy."
"Yeah?"
"Darquesse is not coming. For she is already here."
