Here's the second update! ; )

Ink...

Chapter XXV

Valkyrie stared at the bone. Why aren't I screaming? Oh! That's right. Sparrows will come in and Mevolent will hurt her. Damn, I hate have weaknesses. "What is that?"

He gave her a look.

"Am I not allowed to speak during an interrogation?" She raised an eyebrow.

He chuckled. "No, I just haven't met someone who's curious about the tool for their torture."

Valkyrie shrugged. "I'm a curious person."

He smiled and cut her skin from her shoulder to her elbow. "Good, then that means you have answers. Where is Vile?"

Valkyrie closed her eyes. Tears were creeping from the corners. A simple cut like that shouldn't hurt so much. "What is that blade?"

Mevolent smiled. "It's the same poisoned dagger that Serpine used against Skulduggery. I simply need to make you touch the handle if I want you to have the full dose, but the blade will do very nicely."

Valkyrie stiffened. Mevolent smiled. "I smell fear now. Good. Where is Vile, dear?"

"He's gone."

"Gone where?"

"He's not real. Only an alter ego."

Mevolent froze. "What?"

Valkyrie nodded. "He was the alter ego of Tenebrae."

Mevolent frowned. "Tenebrae vanished when Vile appeared. I had just assumed he joined the opposing side…" He frowned some more. "Where is Tenebrae?"

Valkyrie shrugged. "How should I know? You've got the scepter. Call him."

He smiled. "Thank you my dear. You have been very helpful. I would kill you, but I need you alive for a little while longer. The perfect bait for your husband, is you." He kissed her on the cheek and vaporized. Valkyrie realized she was shivering. Her body was so cold. Her skin was translucent.

"S-Skul-d-dugger-y… Ta…Dex…h-help…" Her eyes rolled up and she passed out. Her last thoughts were of her baby. How could it possibly survive this?! Her heart clenched.

Two days later

Skulduggery paced the hall. Ghastly was watching quietly. He held Tanith's hand. Tanith was pale and shaking. Her normally strong persona was shattered. Valkyrie had been discovered when they heard Sparrows scream from the living room.

Dexter had called Skulduggery and the detective had rushed to the medical wing, waiting for them to come. Now, Nye was with her. They had grabbed the slime ball a few years ago. It had been trying to clone mortals and program their brains.

Skulduggery was frantic. They had no idea who did this to Valkyrie. They didn't know what the weapon was. They had nothing to go on.

The former Skeleton Detective all but pounced on Nye when the creature exited the surgery. "Well?!"

"Mr. Pleasant, I must ask you to release my collar. You are wrinkling my coat."

"To hell with your coat. TELL ME ABOUT MY WIFE!"

It blinked. "She is stable. You were very close with changing positions with her. She very nearly became a skeleton. I have recognized the symptoms. The weapon was a bone blade. It is made from human bone.

"A necromancer's tool, it usually is used in rituals to animate the dead. However, with certain alterations to the spells, it can transform the living into a form of the living dead, very similar to you. Magic is indeed interesting in how it mixes with science." Nye would have said more, but Skulduggery started strangling it.

Ghastly and Erksine pulled him away from the creature. "Thank you, doctor. Is she stable now?"

Nye coughed and glared at Skulduggery, who looked supremely unrepentant. "Yes, she is both completely human and stable." He coughed again and left.

Skulduggery rushed into the room. "Valkyrie?"

She smiled at him. "Skulduggery Pleasant…I dare say, you look more upset than when the Bentley blew up."

He chuckled slightly. It was forced. "I am. I just received news that it will take four months to have it fixed. Four months in the Canary Car. That's enough to make everyone upset, don't you think?"

Valkyrie groaned. "On second thought, I don't want to wake up yet. Put me back under."

Skulduggery's smile faded. "Valkyrie, who did this to you?"

She stiffened. "Mevolent was powerful enough to get through the wards. Only him, he mentioned something about his assistants not being able to." Her eyes widened. "Skulduggery, he was able to touch me! How? Aren't ghosts suppose to be…unable to do that?"

Skulduggery growled. "He did this to you?"

Valkyrie nodded. "Skulduggery wait! That's not all. I-" She stared at the others. "I want to speak with my husband alone."

They nodded and left.

She pulled him weakly closer to her. "I had to tell him that Vile was an alter ego, but I told him that it was Tenebrae's ego."

Skulduggery paused and thought it through. "Brilliant. Mixing both truth and lies together. Perfectly done, darling." He kissed her.

Valkyrie sighed. "I also asked Nye something important. Skulduggery…I um…I'm pregnant."

He stopped moving.

"Skul?"

"…"

"Skulduggery?"

"…"

"Oh dear. I think you just broke." She poked his cheek. "Skulduggery?"

No response.

She sighed and thought of something. "I have pictures of it. I still don't know the gender yet, but Nye assured me that whatever Mevolent did to me, the baby wasn't affected. It's a miracle really." She looked at him. He nodded. "Oh good, you back with me again."

"Uh…."

She sighed and shook her head. "Where did that quick witted detective go? They just don't make detective husbands like they used to. I'm afraid I'll have to return this one at the nearest department store." She tutted.

Skulduggery blinked and looked at her. "You're pregnant. Did this whole thing injure the child at all?"

Valkyrie sighed and started repeating herself.

Skulduggery was paused again. Valkyrie snuggled into her bed and decided to sleep.

She sighed and closed her eyes. Everything was quiet, calm, peaceful. Her mind was buzzing with the drugs she'd been given and the questions she had. But everything seemed so far away. Too distant to concern her.

Valkyrie smiled. Her husband was alive. Her baby was healthy. Her little sister was alive. Everything was fine. She just entered a sleep wake state when…

"I'M A FATHER!"

"AHHHHH!" She fell out of her bed. Her heart monitor was racing.