Requiem: Chapter Eleven...
I have the next chapter already so here it is for all of you :)
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"He seems nice," Melissa said from the kitchen doorway, and Valkyrie almost jumped out of her skin.
"Mum, you scared me."
"Sorry dear. Do you like him? He seems to like you very much." She sighed. "Des used to look at me like that. Now he just asks me where I put his clean socks."
"Look at me like what?"
"You know, like you captivate him."
"Captivate?"
"Hold his attention. Like you're the most important person in the room. You can't honestly tell me you haven't noticed?"
"I haven't," she answered, feeling her cheeks heat again.
"Well, I certainly have. The way he looks at me makes my stomach go all funny and he was only saying hello. Lord knows how you cope with it."
"Mum! You're married."
"I know. But I can appreciate an attractive man when I see one. He has a fabulous dress sense. And that car outside says he must be well off too. I always found money made people a little conceited but he seems lovely." She beamed widely, her cheeks colouring again. "I love a man with a square jaw. He's very handsome, don't you think?"
"I guess so," Valkyrie muttered, turning away to make her father's tea.
"I'm your mother, Steph. You can talk about these things with me. Is he a good kisser? He looks like he would be."
"I don't want to talk about it. And I don't know if he is."
"You haven't kissed him yet? Why on earth not?" Melissa looked mortified. "The poor man will think you don't like him."
"It just never seemed right," she answered truthfully. Of course it didn't seem right to kiss a man she wasn't dating.
"There's rarely a wrong time with a man like that. If I were in your position I'd never let go of him." She giggled and Valkyrie grimaced. "Does he make you laugh?"
"Constantly," she answered automatically, smiling to herself. "He's funny."
"That's what attracted me to your father. If you marry a funny man you'll never be bored."
"Can we not talk about marriage? We met a week ago."
"Sorry, I know I'm being embarrassing. I'm just excited. You should bring him for dinner sometime."
"Sure mum," she mumbled, ducking out of the kitchen as quickly as she could to give her father his tea. "We should go, Doug. I still have some stuff to move to the apartment," she lied. He nodded and got to his feet. Alice looked up from her toys and waved at him. He waved goodbye as he followed Valkyrie into the hallway.
"I was saying to Steph that you should come for dinner soon. It would be lovely to get to know you," Melissa said before folding her oldest daughter into a hug. She did the same to Skulduggery and then Desmond shook his hand.
"We'll think about it," Val said, already halfway out of the door. Skulduggery chuckled and excused himself, following her out to the car. As they pulled away from the curb she let out a heavy sigh.
"Your parents seem nice."
"They think you're my boyfriend."
"They didn't really give either of us a chance to say I wasn't, though it's better than them knowing the truth isn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess so. The less they know, the better." She tipped her head back against the head rest and closed her eyes. "I have no idea how I'm gonna get out of the dinner invitation."
"I'm sure you'll manage," he answered.
"Have you ever thought about becoming an actor? My mum really believed you when you said you'd be around for a long time."
"Who said I was acting?" She opened her eyes and saw the corner of his mouth was lifted as he watched the road. "Becoming my partner isn't a short term thing, you know. And I don't know about you, but I usually expect a friendship to last a while. I simply told the truth."
"She talked about how you looked at me though. You were really convincing. I think even my mum might be in love with you."
"I am charming."
"You have Alice wrapped around your little finger too."
"Ah, now I think that might be the other way around."
"You like her?"
"I do. She's sweet."
"Even though she calls you Doug?"
"It ended up becoming useful when we met your parents. I don't think the name Skulduggery would've gone down as easily."
"Fair point." Valkyrie sighed. "I'm worried that becoming an Arbiter might make it harder for me to keep magic from my family. What if they drop by one day unannounced and you're at my apartment without your facade?"
"I'd hear them outside the door and activate it before they came in," he answered.
"And if they see me with a different guy every time they visit they'll starting thinking I'm some sort of harlet."
"A harlet? That's what you're going to go with?" His laugh was musical as she scowled. "That won't be a problem anyway. I've chosen to keep this face."
"You have? Why?"
"I like it," he shrugged. "And it will obviously be useful in future if I'm going to work beside somebody with a mortal family."
"You say that like you know we've changed the future already."
"I'm hopeful," he answered.
When they reached Sacrament's cabin he was already waiting for them at the door. Valkyrie waved in greeting and he nodded politely and ushered them inside. He wasted no time in guiding them to the basement and taking his seat in the chair. She watched him as the steam rose around them, tensed and waiting for a sign of anything moving in the roiling cloud. Ten minutes passed before Sacrament opened his eyes and smiled.
"It would appear that your untimely death has indeed been averted."
"That's so good to hear," she breathed, relief making her knees weak. "Thank you for looking."
"Well, it would seem we are indeed partners, Valkyrie." Skulduggery's words were cheerful as he laid a hand on her shoulder. "Welcome to the Arbiter Corps."
"Do I get a cool gun and a badge?"
"Have you ever used a gun?"
"No."
"Then no. You get an ID card and you can stick to the quarterstaff. I'd prefer not to be killed by friendly fire."
"Would it even kill you?"
"Probably not, but it would damage my suit and that won't do." He turned to Sacrament. "Thank you for your help these last few days. Without it we may well have been in a very different position today."
"It's no trouble. Call on me whenever you need me," he said, nodding respectfully.
"Sorry that the visit is so brief. Unfortunately we have a criminal to interview today."
"Not to worry." The Sensitive walked them to the door, closing it as they drove away. Valkyrie's smile was so wide it made her cheeks hurt.
"You're in a good mood," Skulduggery observed.
"Of course I am, I'm not going to die."
"Yet."
"I love how optimistic you are."
"You love everything about me."
"Sure I do," she snorted. "You're not annoying at all."
"I'm a delight. Ask anyone." He thought for a second. "Well, except Fletcher. Or China. Or anybody I've ever arrested. And don't ask Dexter Vex either."
"That's a lot of people not to ask."
"It's not that many."
"It's enough." She looked out of the window at the countryside as it streaked past them. "So what kind of questions are we asking Requiem?"
"Well we need to know how he found out about the armour. And we need to know who helped him infect people besides Argent."
"And you think he's just going to tell us?"
"Absolutely not."
"So how do you make somebody talk that doesn't want to without beating them to within an inch of their life?"
"I like to irritate people."
"Yeah, I can see why you'd be good at that." He shot her a withering look as they passed the border of Roarhaven City, deactivating his facade as he drove. When they reached the Sanctuary he led them to the weird floating tiles, and Valkyrie felt her stomach lurch as it always did when they moved. She stepped off of it as soon as she could. "What's wrong with using a normal elevator?" she muttered. "Why does everything here have to be magic?"
"China liked to show off when she was Supreme Mage." He turned as the Administrator approached them. "Ah, Cerise. I was looking for you."
"Arbiter Pleasant," she greeted politely. "Miss Cain."
"Actually, it's Arbiter Cain now," Skulduggery corrected. "I just need to get her an ID."
"Congratulations on your new job, Arbiter Cain. I assume the two of you are here for your interview with Requiem Jones?" Skulduggery nodded. "He is in interview room one now. Please ask the Cleavers to escort him back to the holding cells when you are finished." She turned away, tapping on her trusty tablet as she walked.
"Well, she seems to be in a good mood," Skulduggery mused. "Your ID should be ready by the time we finish with the interview. Cerise is very efficient."
"I still can't believe I'm not going to die."
"I can still shoot you if you'd like."
"Ha. Funny." He stopped outside the interview room and turned to face her.
"Since this is your first suspect interview I suggest you let me do the talking where possible. He might try to get under your skin. Don't let him. Are you ready?" She nodded. "Let's go." He opened the door to reveal Requiem sitting at a table with his wrists shackled to its surface. The fluorescent lighting made his scar stand out in sharp relief against his face. "Requiem Jones, I believe you know myself and my partner already. We need to ask you a few questions."
"Detective," he answered, smiling coldly. "Partner eh? And there was me thinking you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time." He turned his yellow eyes on Valkyrie and she suppressed the urge to shudder as they took the two chairs opposite him.
"Miss Cain is not somebody who would simply be in the wrong place," Skulduggery said smoothly. "I'd like you to tell me who was responsible for infecting innocent people after Argent was arrested. All I need is a name."
"Don't you want to know how I found the armour?"
"I believe I'm the one that's asking the questions here, Mr Jones."
"I find you highly underwhelming, I must say. After learning of your...history...I had expected somebody with more of a presence." The way he said 'history' made the hairs on Valkyrie's arms stand up. Skulduggery's head tilted.
"I'm sorry to disappoint."
"No matter. I'm sure I'll be more impressed by you soon."
"Your opinion of me holds absolutely no interest. I am here to gather information. If you aren't willing to answer my questions I will bid you goodbye and you'll be taken back to your cosy little cell."
"What about you, girl? Are you impressed by him?"
"My name is Valkyrie," she answered coolly. "And I'm not obliged to answer your questions."
"Loyal, isn't she?" Requiem mused, returning his attention to Skulduggery. "I wonder how loyal she'd be if she knew the truth."
"I'm sure I haven't the faintest idea what you mean. You have one more chance to answer my questions." Skulduggery seemed completely unaffected by Requiem as he spoke. "Who else was helping you?"
"I'll tell you who helped me. There are two names that you need. The first one if Maylen Dark." He grinned. "The second one is Auron Tenebrae." Valkyrie saw Skulduggery's fist clench so hard under the table that she was afraid his glove might split, but the rest of him gave no sign that the name meant anything to him.
"Maylen Dark is the Vampire responsible for infecting your victims, I assume?"
"You assume correctly. But dear Auron was my biggest help. I always intended to take over Haggard with my little army and use it as a...a base of operations, if you will."
"Why Haggard?" Valkyrie asked. Skulduggery didn't stop her.
"I'm not sure. I suppose I've always hated the town. Something about it just...irritates me. The opportunity to raze it to the ground and remake it as my own excited me. But when I came across Auron's writings a few days ago I was more than pleased." Valkyrie frowned. "Did you know Auron is responsible for your friend's...condition?" he asked. She shook her head. "Yes, indeed he was. He knows a lot about you, doesn't he Skulduggery?"
"It's difficult to know anything about anybody when you're dead," the skeleton replied. "How did you find the armour?" Requiem leaned forward, ignoring the clank of his chains.
"Lord Vile is an interesting character. He appeared in the middle of the war and swept across the battlefields like a tidal wave. The stories are glorious. He killed without mercy. He didn't care who was his enemy as long as he had one. In the dimension this city came from the war with Mevolent was lost because Vile never disappeared. The sheer power he weilded swung the tide in Mevolent's favour. I think that's beautiful, don't you? There's something so wonderfully simplistic in killing for killing's sake."
"Get to the point, Mr Jones."
"I wanted to know where that power had gone. Vile may have died, but I was certain his armour was still around. When I heard Baron Vengeous had found it I was overjoyed. Of course, Vengeous was killed and the armour was hidden again." He smiled, and the expression reminded Valkyrie of a snake. "I was interested in the person that managed to kill him and hide something so powerful, so naturally I did my research on you, Detective Pleasant."
"This is a wonderful story. Does it have an ending?" Valkyrie asked.
"It does. My research led me to the man that did this to you." He gestured to Skulduggery's skull. "I found Auron Tenebrae's diaries. Recordings of everything he found interesting. Imagine how surprised I was to find that Lord Vile himself isn't dead. In fact, he's very much alive." He sat back, pleased with himself. "I think you'd best keep a sharp eye on that armour, Skulduggery. Wouldn't want it to find it's owner again now, would we?" Valkyrie tried hard to look calm, but inside her heart was hammering in her chest.
"The armour is well guarded at a safe location, and it's no longer your concern Mr Jones. Thank you for your co-operation." Skulduggery stood and Valkyrie followed on numb legs. The Cleavers entered the room as soon as they left.
"How could Lord Vile be alive?" Valkyrie asked, the panic finally coming through.
"We don't know that he is," Skulduggery answered. "There are reports of the armour containing enough of his energy to animate itself when left unguarded, but the version of him it creates is incredibly weak. I think Requiem was confusing it with Lord Vile."
"And who's Auron Tenebrae?"
"As far as I know he's dead."
"I asked who he was though."
"Can we talk about this later?"
"Do you promise to tell me who he is?"
"I do once we're out of the Sanctuary. I prefer not to discuss my personal life when surrounded by Cleavers with China Sorrows close by."
"Fair enough." He led her back to the foyer where Cerise greeted them like she knew they were coming.
"Arbiter Cain, your ID is ready." She handed the plastic card to Valkyrie. "It will grant you access to the Sanctuary should you need it, and can be used to identify yourself when enforcing the law and making arrests. This card gives you the authority to act outside of the laws of our Sanctuaries, but please be aware that any abuse of your position will be met with appropriate opposition."
"Thank you," Valkyrie answered, slipping the ID into her pocket. Cerise nodded and left them again. Skulduggery led her back to his car, deep in thought as he walked. She didn't try to interrupt him until they were back on the roads.
"Why did the name Auron Tenebrae bother you so much?" she asked when she couldn't hold it in anymore.
"What Requiem said is true. He was the man responsible for my current situation. Serpine's intent was to torture and kill me. Auron was the man that taught him the technique of the red right hand. It's what was used to end my life and also to kill your uncle. When Serpine told Auron he wanted to kill me, Auron tried to protect me by altering the spells. Instead of ending me, the act of killing me with his right hand would bind my soul to my body."
"So if he hadn't burned you then you'd still have skin and everything?"
"That's right."
"Why did Auron want to protect you if he was helping Serpine?" Skulduggery hesitated.
"You know how you can manipulate elemental magic and practice Necromancy?" She nodded. "...So can I."
"What? Why didn't you tell me?"
"It's not something I willingly share because of people like Tenebrae. He did this to me because he saw that I could practice both disciplines. Being magically ambidexterous makes people like us stronger, but it can be dangerous for us if the wrong people know. Auron saw my potential and altered Serpine's spell because he hoped to use me later."
"Wow, that's heavy."
"Is that why Requiem kept talking about your history?"
"That's part of it yes. Lord knows what else he read in Tenebrae's diaries. Either way, we have a name for the other Vampire and Requiem is headed for the Gaol. The armour is safe and you no longer get shot in the head or stabbed in the neck. I call that a win."
"So what do we do now?"
"We find some bad people and punch them in the face."
"That sounds fun," Valkyrie grinned. "I like that plan."
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