Requiem: Chapter Nineteen...

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"Do I have to?" Valkyrie whined.

"Yes," Skulduggery's voice was smooth at other end of the line. "I think you'd appreciate hearing this in person. Fletcher is coming, I'll see you soon." The line clicked dead and Valkyrie barely had time to roll her eyes before the Teleporter appeared in her living room.

"Hey beautiful," he grinned.

"If Skulduggery hears you call her that he'll snap your arms off," Tanith said without looking up from her phone.

"Who's going to tell him?"

"I might," she answered. Panic flickered across his face for a moment before he settled back into nonchalance.

"Is that jealousy I hear, Miss Low?"

"Nope." She finished her game of Angry Birds and slipped her phone into a pocket, getting to her feet and shooting him a grin. "And Ghastly will snap your neck if he hears you flirting with me." The colour drained from Fletcher's cheeks and he held his hands out to them in silence. The girls fetched their weapons from the table before joining him, and a moment later they were standing in Detective Cole's office.

She was a small woman with sharp eyes and an even sharper nose. She would have been pretty if it weren't for that nose and the permanent scowl she loved so much. As soon as Valkyrie arrived the scowl twisted into a sneer.

"Arbiters Low and Cain, thank you for joining us. Mr Renn, thank you for fetching them, you may leave now." Her voice was nice to listen to, like a kind teacher even as she burned holes in Valkyrie's face with her glare. She sat behind her desk with her hands clasped on its surface, surrounded by several folders and stacks of paper.

"You can't just call on me to fetch and carry and then dismiss me whenever you feel like it," Feltcher warned.

"I can and I have. You may go."

"I want him to stay," Valkyrie countered.

"As nice as it is to see you jumping to the aid of your friend, Arbiter Cain, this is my office and we are in my Sanctuary. Therefore we operate by my rules. And I want the Teleporter to leave."

"Fletcher Renn stays," Skulduggery said smoothly from behind them. Valkyrie turned to see him leaning against the wall with his hat pulled low over his eye sockets as he surveyed them. His arms were folded casually across his chest. "This Sanctuary is ruled by Elders Vex, Sorrows and Bespoke, not you. And while this may be your office, Arbiters work outside of Sanctuary law. As head of the Arbiter Corps I believe I outrank you in this situation."

"Skulduggery-"

"Cheif Arbiter Pleasant, if you please." Valkyrie hid a grin and Cole narrowed her eyes.

"Cheif Arbiter Pleasant, I must ask that you cooperate with us willingly while you are in partnership with the Irish Sanctuary."

"And I will do so wherever necessary. Right now, I find it necessary to pull rank. Fletcher stays." He pushed away from the wall and came to stand beside Valkyrie as he spoke, his tone never changing from its pleasant cadence.

"Very well," the detective answered through gritted teeth.

"Thank you. Now I believe you have news to share with us regarding our ongoing investigation into the activities of a Miss Maylen Dark, correct?"

"Yes." The detective regained her composure and regarded each of them in a cool, detached manner. When her eyes fell on Skulduggery they lingered there. "For months we have searched for her and found nothing. We would have abandoned said search a while ago if not for your insistence on chasing her. Last night she was spotted in Haggard."

"Where?" Valkyrie's skin prickled at the thought of such a dangerous Vampire loose near her childhood home. What if she attacked her family?

"The site of the old Sanctuary, underneath the wax works museum."

"But it was destroyed," Tanith pointed out.

"It was. She was seen not far from the area. Not long after, two of my people turned up dead and a third is missing. We have sentries posted throughout Haggard to keep an eye on your...activities. They will alert me if she is sighted again."

"Forgive me if I've misunderstood, Detective. Did you imply that you've been watching us?" Skulduggery's tone was still pleasant but Valkyrie could hear the sharpened steel hidden underneath. Suddenly she was glad to be standing on his side of the desk.

"I keep tabs on all those I do not trust."

"But seven months ago you trusted me enough to want to become my partner. What changed?"

"Many things." Cole's lips were a thin line as she surveyed them, her irritation barely concealed.

"Oh? Like what? Perhaps the fact that I found somebody more suited to the role?" Skulduggery dropped the pleasantries suddenly, and the razor's edge came out in full force. Valkyrie watched with grim satisfaction as the detective shrank back slightly in her chair.

"Your choice is your own. While I may not agree with it, I respect it."

"Enough to have spies following us? That's a strange way to show you trust someone." He leaned forwards and placed both of his hands flat on her desk. "If I find you continuing to spy on us I will send your sentries back to you on broken legs. Do I make myself clear?" Cole's throat moved as she swallowed nervously.

"I'll withdraw them immediately," she answered hoarsely.

"Excellent." Skulduggery straightened up, returning to his usual brightness like he hadn't just scared the wits out of her. "I do love a good compromise. Now then, let's get to the museum and see what we can find." He turned to the rest of his team as he spoke. "Valkyrie, you and I will search the rooftops. Tanith and Fletcher, I need you two to see what you can find on the ground." He turned back to the woman behind the desk and tipped his hat to her. "Detective." Valkyrie felt Fletcher's hand on her shoulder and she reached out to touch Skulduggery just as they teleported.

The wax works museum was a crumbled heap of charred rubble, surrounded by a high construction fence to seal it off from the rest of the world. When the Desolation Engine destroyed it the general public had been told it was built over an old mine shaft, and that the mine beneath had collapsed and taken the building with it. The truth was that a bunch of psychopaths had destroyed it with a magical Weapon of Mass Destruction, and nobody had bothered to buy the land to restore it since.

"This place gave me the creeps when it was still standing. Now it's ten times worse," Tanith shuddered as Fletcher disappeared and reappeared on the inside of the fence. "If we see anything we'll call you." She cleared the wooden barrier in one graceful leap.

"Shall we?" Skulduggery offered his arm as he spoke. Valkyrie rolled her eyes, but allowed him to pull her close and take them up to the nearby rooftops. As their feet touched down he let her go and she looked out over the ruins of the museum.

"What was the old Sanctuary like?"

"Honestly? Unimpressive. It had a wax statue of Phil Lynott that opened the door for you, and the Grand Mage's desk was solid gold. Other than that it was relatively boring."

"Did anything survive the explosion?"

"Anything in the vicinity was turned to dust. Many incredibly valuable magical artefacts were lost." His head tilted. "Even the Bentley was almost destroyed. She fell into the crater."

"She looks pretty unharmed to me. Good as new even."

"You can thank my excellent mechanic for that." Skulduggery's head swivelled as he scanned the rooftop. "There doesn't seem to be anything here. Let's check the next one." She nodded and followed him as he ran to the edge. They used the air the help them across the gap between roof tops, searching each one in turn until Valkyrie stopped and crouched down.

"Over here," she said. Skulduggery hunkered down next to her, peering at the cracked stone roof. On the ground was a brownish splatter.

"Blood. She killed one of the sentries here." He took a small pouch out of his pocket and opened it up, sifting his fingers through the dust inside. He took a pinch and sprinkled it in the air. As the dust scattered, it turned a dazzling blue, refracting shards of sunlight as it glittered. "She used her gift, and very recently. Why would she need to use her gift if she's simply dispatching her spies?" He directed the question at Valkyrie. She rose from her crouch and set her hands on her hips, looking at the powder as it sifted through the air.

"Maybe she wanted to know who sent them?"

"They were Sanctuary agents. She knew that already."

"Alright...what if they had information she wanted?"

"Information on what?" She could tell he already knew the answer, but she appreciated him giving her the chance to come to her own conclusion. He was an excellent teacher.

"...What if she's still after the armour?"

"She'd already know where that is as well."

"But maybe she thought the agents could help her find out how to bypass the security?"

"Perhaps. Are you sure though?"

"No." Valkyrie frowned and chewed her lip, thinking back through everything that had happened in the months prior. She thought about their talks with Requiem and all the evidence they'd managed to gather. And then it hit her. "Tenebrae's notes. She wants Vile. She was trying to find out a way to access the things seized from his house."

"Exactly. Maylen isn't after the armour. She's after the person that owns it. Requiem believed Lord Vile was alive." There was a strange hollowness to his voice as he spoke. "If she finds the notebooks she finds Vile."

"You think he's alive too?"

"Oh I know he is. The one thing Vile won't do is die." He cocked his head, deep in thought. "If she thinks the agents knew about the notebooks then it stands to reason that they were seized when Requiem's home was raided."

"They were at his house?"

"A man like Requiem would never leave something so valuable out in the open. If he was able to find it then somebody else would be able to find them too."

"So if the Sanctuary has Tenebrae's notes why haven't they gone ahead and launched a full scale search for Lord Vile?"

"That's the part that is interesting," Skulduggery answered. Valkyrie chewed her lip again.

"What if Requiem did something to them to make them unreadable?" His head lifted to look at her.

"Of course," he said softly. "There are spells that can be cast to translate texts into something that can only be read by specific people."

"What are the odds of you being one of those people?" Valkyrie asked.

"Surprisingly high," Skulduggery answered with a shrug. "Requiem was taunting me in the interview. I'm willing to bet you'd be able to read it too. It strikes me as something that would amuse him immensely."

"So we need to find the notes before Maylen?"

"We do. It should be easy enough to do it, since we have access to the Sanctuary and Maylen would have to break in." He seemed calm enough but there was something in his voice that made her think he was uncomfortable.

"So do we go now?"

"We go now." He took out his phone and dialled a number. "Fletcher, can you take us back to the Sanctuary and then continue searching the perimeter here with Tanith?"

"Sure thing," Fletcher answered as he appeared between them. Valkyrie heard the line crackle and die as it struggled to cope with the sudden change in proximity. The Teleporter put a hand on each of them and in the blink of an eye they were in the Sanctuary foyer. Fletcher shot her a wink and disappeared again. Skulduggery didn't seem to notice. He led them to the Sanctuary evidence locker in silence.

"You're awfully quiet," she remarked.

"There's a reason for that."

"And that is...?"

"You may not like what you read in the notes if you are able to read them."

"What do you mean?"

"Just promise me that, whatever you find, you'll give me a chance to explain it. Can you do that?"

"I promise," she answered without hesitation. He watched her for a moment before nodding. The slight undertone in his words and the worry in his posture gnawed at her as they walked. By the time they reached the locker her nerves jittered and her heart was hammering hard in her chest. Skulduggery took out his ID and flashed it in front of the electronic lock. It beeped and the door slid smoothly open. Behind it were row upon row of boxes, all neatly organised by alphabet.

"We'll start with J. The notes may have belonged to Tenebrae but they seized them in Requiem's home." Valkyrie nodded and followed him through the stacks, feeling as though she were trudging through mud. She tried to shake it off, but Skulduggery's ominous warning bounced around in her head. "Here it is."

"Skul?"

"Yes?"

"Should I be afraid of what I'm about to read?" He watched her with those hollow eye sockets for a second, considering his words.

"That is a decision only you can make, Valkyrie." She nodded, swallowing around the lump in her throat as he pulled the box from its place on the shelf, opened it up and searched through it. It wasn't long before he found an old leather-bound note book with yellowed pages. He quickly checked the contents for anything else that might help them before deciding there was nothing and putting the box back. He tucked the notebook under his arm and they left, closing the locker behind them.

"Where are we going?"

"To my car."

"I know that. I meant after."

"I was hoping we could go back to yours, or to my home." He looked away. "Somewhere private is probably best while reading through the contents of the book."

"Alright. My apartment is closest." He nodded and lapsed into silence. As they reached the Bentley he unlocked the doors and slid into the driver's seat, clicking his seatbelt closed before Valkyrie had even shut the door. The notebook was on the dashboard.

"Will you keep hold of it for me? I don't want it sliding around while we drive." She nodded, fastened her seatbelt and put the book on her lap. She knew it was her imagination, but as they got closer to her home she felt as though the book were getting heavier and heavier, weighing her down. When the Bentley pulled smoothly into the apartment car park she was sure she wouldn't be able to lift it and climb out. Skulduggery leaned over and took it from her, confirming that her imagination was running amock.

It's just a notebook. The writings of a dead man. That's all. She kept repeating it over and over, trying to convince herself that it wasn't as bad as Skulduggery was making it seem as they ascended the stairs. She unlocked her apartment door and stepped inside awkwardly, suddenly feeling like a stranger in her own living room. She sat on the sofa and Skulduggery sat beside her. She waited while he examined the pages.

"Can you read it?"

"I can." The hollowness was back. "And it says exactly what I expected it to." He held it out to her, and she took it carefully, treating it as though it were an angry snake waiting to bite her.

"Are you sure Requiem would have made me one of the people that could read it? We hadn't known each other very long when he was arrested. He didn't know I was significant."

"Oh he knew. A man as clever as him keeps a close eye on his enemies. He knew I could stop his insidious little plot, and I have no doubt that he knows at least one Sensitive willing to keep tabs on me and my future. He probably learned you existed around the same time I did, when the vision of me shooting you first appeared."

"But that still doesn't explain why he would make me one of the people that could read the notebook."

"I suppose he and I both knew from the vision that you would become important to me one day. That's what I'm guessing, at least." His head tilted slightly. "And my hunches are usually right."

"I'm not sure I want to read what's in here. It sounds bad."

"That's up to you. As an Arbiter you need to read it to understand what Maylen's next move might be."

"And if I don't like what I read?"

"Then we will handle that when it happens."

"Before I read it," she said cautiously, "is there a reason we left Tanith and Fletcher behind?"

"Yes. It's unlikely that they'll be able to read anything in here. The enchantment on the book is strong enough that even China Sorrows couldn't dismantle it. Also the secrets within cannot be shared with just anyone. I trust you with my life so I would like you to read it." He placed a gentle hand on her leg. "I would also like you to know before you do read it that I care about you deeply. Nothing will change that." He withdrew his hand and sat back, waiting for her to open the book and look at its contents.

Instead, she kissed him. The urge to do it was too strong to ignore, and the dread pooling in her stomach gave her the awful premonition that the time she had left with him could be limited. He grunted in surprise, but willingly returned the embrace after a moment. When she sat back she was breathless and dizzy, and glad that she'd done it. Without saying a word, she opened the book and looked down at the sloping script on the page.

Upon my travels I have witnessed a great many oddities. The secret war has birthed atrocities the likes of which this world has never seen. The things we have done would make the eyes of the mortals bleed and drip from their sockets. The war itself rages around me even as I write. Yes, many oddities have reared their heads. The Dead Men are one of these such oddities. A group of men whose purpose is to take on missions that should guarantee their death, and yet they return alive time after time. Two members of their group are largely responsible for this. Anton Shudder, and Skulduggery Pleasant.

Anton is an Adept, and his discipline is both rare and dangerous. I find it fascinating that a man may birth a creature of violence and destruction from his very soul, fueled by his hatred. His gist is among the most ferocious of them all. It fights with fang and claw and kills all in its path, and then Shudder drags it back inside himself, overcoming all that fury and hatred through sheer force of will. It is a wonder that will never cease to amaze me.

Skulduggery Pleasant is a different kind of wonder. He is undead, a skeleton returned to life thanks to me. Nefarian Serpine killed him with the Red Right Hand, but Pleasant had the potential to become a powerful Necromancer. Perhaps even our Death Bringer. I had to do something to stop such strength from being wasted. I made it impossible for Serpine to completely kill him with his little trick. Instead Skulduggery's soul was bound to his body the moment Nefarian pointed at him. It was believed for some time that Skulduggery was completely gone, and why wouldn't it be believed? Serpine burned his body on a pike for all to see. His passing was enough to turn the tide in Mevolent's favour. He watched as the war drew closer to being lost, and then he came back.

And then there is Lord Vile. Infamous. Dangerous. He has the power to change the world at his fingertips, if he so wishes. Vile does not care who his enemy is, so long as there is an enemy to fight. Vile came to the Temple to seek tutelage, and I truly believed our Death Bringer had come to us at last. But he turned on us to join Mevolent. So consumed by rage was he that he abandoned his teachings for the war. He turned death into art, laying waste to thousands of lives as easily as snuffing out a candle. It was a beautiful sight. For five years he decimated entire battlefields. And then he vanished without a trace.

Skulduggery Pleasant's return to the war was a shock to all. All except me. How strange that he should disappear as Vile rises, and then reappear as Vile falls. Nobody questioned this. Nobody wanted to know why he chose to come back when he did, or where he had been. Nobody except me. I saw the rage that fuelled the immense power that Lord Vile wielded. The same rage that sustained Pleasant after the murder of his wife and child. I saw that rage and I knew the two of them were one and the same.

Skulduggery Pleasant is Lord Vile.

Valkyrie read the last sentence again. And then she read it a third time. A fourth. And then a fifth. And then she looked up at Skulduggery with wide eyes and tried to say his name, but all that came out was a strangled croak. She swallowed and tried a different sentence.

"Is this a joke?"

"I'm afraid not."

"You mean it's true?"

"It is." He didn't deny it or try to hide it. He simply sat and waited.

"Why did you tell me?" Her mind was spinning. How could Skulduggery be a mass murderer? He was the good guy, wasn't he?

"If I didn't tell you then Requiem or Maylen would have told you instead. I wanted it to come from me." He turned his head to look away. "I also knew that if I chose not to tell you, it would be impossible to continue investigating the crimes they committed with you by my side. That in itself would have made you suspicious of my motives."

"I don't understand," she said softly, letting the notebook hit the carpet with a thud. "You're supposed to be the good guy."

"When my wife and daughter were murdered in front of me something inside me snapped. I felt rage like nothing I'd ever experienced before. It consumed me even as I died. When I returned, the rage came with me. I fell into it with no way to climb out. I was so overwhelmed by it that in the blink of an eye Skulduggery Pleasant was gone and Lord Vile stood in his place." He sighed softly, his voice taking on a far away tone as he remembered his crimes. "I lost count of how many people I struck down as Lord Vile. I worked with Mevolent because he offered me the opportunity to exercise my rage on the battlefield. The armour protected my identity and channelled the raw power inside me. I became a monster. I killed Ghastly's mother."

"You what?"

"I killed his mother. And that was what snapped me back to my senses. Just like that, Vile was gone and I was back in control. I've spent every day since then trying to atone for the monster I became." His voice grew softer, edged with pain. "They should have left me to the Faceless Ones when I was pulled through the portal. It was what I deserved. I will never make up for the terrible things I've done."

"And now Maylen wants to, what? Use you to steal the armour?"

"Maylen Dark wants to reunite Vile with the armour. And then Requiem intends to use Vile as his tool."

"What happens if they try that?"

"It isn't a matter of if, Valkyrie. It is a matter of when."

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