End of time

Valkyrie and Skulduggery driving back to the sanctuary when suddenly Valkyries phone beeped.

"Oh shite! What the hell is that?!" She cried out.

"That my dear, would be your portable telephone." Skulduggery simply explained, trying to let his grin creep over.

"Oh. Shh you." Valkyrie grumbled as she fumbled around in her jacket pocket for her phone. She flipped it open and found a text message from Ghastly which read:

VAL AND SKUL COME TO SANCTUARY MEETING ROOM 6. NOW.

"Ghastly wants us to go to meeting room 6 for something important." Valkyrie informed.

"Really. Hmm I wonder what is so important that it needs us, the great detectives."

"He was rather blunt in his message, bordering rude." Valkyrie muttered to herself as the conversation died down.

They finally arrived and found herds of sorcerers and mages piling into the giant hall/ arena. Tall figures dressed completely in black stood like shepherds, forcing the resistant mages inside.

"Should we go in?" Valkyrie asked as they hid around the corner.

Skulduggery paused silently until he saw Ghastly in the crowd, their eyes met and Ghastly did his best to portray confusion as to what was happening. "Yes." Skulduggery finally decided,

They joined the back of the crowd and calmly walked past the threatening figures. Valkyrie inhaled and immediately regretted it as they stench made her feel ill and uneasy. Once inside they were ordered to line up. Some of the words best sorcerers in the same room, and none of them daring to speak.

Valkyrie started looking around her to see if she could recognise faces. None of them stood out until Fletchers crazy hair was noticeable three rows in front of her. She quickly looked away where she then saw China. Their eyes met like Ghastly and Skulduggery's did earlier although there wasn't the friendly feeling she got as they did.

There was something more important to worry about though as suddenly that friendly voice she had missed chilled through her bones. Valkyrie looked up to the front where a certain blonde stood.

"You must be wondering why I have gathered you here today." Tanith started. "It's because I have recently found out from a source that Darquesse's coming has arrived. It has been traced back here to the Irish sanctuary and I think that we all feel as though we want to track her down and destroy her once and for good."

The crowd began murmuring and glaring at each other. Valkyrie felt sick, she looked at Skulduggery who remained still. Her head started pounding, she felt everyone was staring into her and felt as though she would faint.

"Please could China Sorrows come up to the stage." Tanith asked loudly while making eye contact with Skulduggery. Ghastly and Skulduggery looked at each other again. Trying to restrain themselves from charging up to the stage and grabbing the Remnant. China slowly got to the top of the stage.

Tanith whispered something into her ear and suddenly China rolled up her sleeve and slapped a tattoo with incredible force they a few more with concentrated in her eyes.

"She is initiating the process, she is breaking the barrier and Darquesse will be forced out so we can dispose of her here and now. The Remnant now looked Valkyrie in the eye and smiled the dirty smile that Tanith had done numerous times before when she was Tanith. Valkyrie was beginning to fill with pain, it was behind her eyes, inside her brain. Darquesse was whispering to her, teasing her.

Skulduggery squeezed her hand while Valkyrie stood her ground hoping it would end but the Remnant continued staring at her. She gasped at the intense pain that was now in her legs like they were on fire. People nearby turned and say it was her. Valkyrie cracked her eyes open and saw Fletcher staring her in disbelief, as did many others that she had been close to.

"And we have a winner!" The Remnant roared as people parted for her to walk closer to Valkyrie. "It seems, that the great Valkyrie Cain is the true destroyer of the world! Now I'm sure that we shall now all take pleasure in removing this burden now before it developing into a much bigger problem." Tanith bellowed and she unsheathed her sword and approached Valkyrie.

"Back off Remnant." Ghastly warned as he and Skulduggery guarded Valkyrie.

Valkyrie finally succumbed to the pain and collapsed, the feeling inbetween sleep and awake filling her, no matter how hard she tried she closed her eyes.

What awoke was no longer Valkyrie, it was her. Darquesse stood and surveyed her surroundings. Some sorcerers had begun throwing fire and attack but she removed them with a simple flick of her wrist. It was too easy for her and she wanted a challenge.

She turned to where Skulduggery had been but instead saw Lord Vile standing, armed.

"How?" Darquesse asked with a raised eyebrow. Vile didn't reply, he simply attacked Darquesse.

They jumped punched, lit, slashed each other until finally they parted away to regain breath. In this space Darquesse stooped slightly and had a grimace on her face. Vile also stopped but in confusion as to why Darquesse was in pain.

"IT'S VALKYRIE! SHE IS BREAKING THROUGH HER MIND! SHE WOULD BE IN CONTROL OF DARQUESSES BODY AND POWER!" China roared from outside the fighting arena.

With this piece of knowledge, Valkyrie started kicking out, she felt as though she was punching out in heavy water but every kick made Darquesse gasp a bit louder so she continued until finally she opened her eyes and though she was back to normal. But instead she saw people glaring at her in fear and she understood the power she knew had and knew what she had to do. Immediately Valkyrie sprinted up to Vile at a tremendous speed and slapped him, making his helmet tumble. She then used her necromancy to rip out his internal core which brought out a shattering scream. She slashed it with another web and it turned to powder. Up stood Skulduggery. Valkyrie felt like she had been punched across her jaw as her world shook but she ignored it and turned to the Remnant.

She did the same but gentler for fear she might kill Taniths body. As she ripped the Remnant out the leather body collapsed to the floor. Ghastly rushed over and woke her up. Tanith leant forwards, slightly confused and dizzy. Valkyrie would have smiled back but she hurt so much she turned away to do the final object quickly.

Valkyrie concentrated hard and using Darquesse imagined a portal between life and death, used a tendril she pulled someone out of the portal. Kenspeckle slowly got to his feet as he tried to come to terms with what just had happened. As the three joyful and freed friends all smiled, Valkyrie collapsed, exhausted. Immediately the others sprinted over to help her.

Hey, I almost forgot I had this account. Whoops anyways this is how I like to imagine the next book will include with Tanith and Kenspeckle back but oh well