Requiem: Chapter Twenty...

Updates are getting slightly slower due to being back at work but I will continue to add chapters whenever I can. Here's the next one :)

oO0Oo

"I still don't understand." Tears had begun to track their way down Valkyrie's cheeks. "You're good. You're supposed to be the good guy. How could you be Lord Vile?"

"When somebody kills everything you love right in front of you it does strange things to your mind. Everything in me that was bad became so overwhelming that it split off and snuffed out the rational part of me. Vile and I share the same body, but we are different."

"How could you fight on the same side as the man that murdered your family?"

"I didn't. Vile did. Serpine murdered my family, not Vile's. As I said, my rage was strong enough to take on a personality of its own. That other side of me didn't have family or morals. All he cared about was the fight."

"So Lord Vile is what, your alter ego?"

"In a sense, yes."

"And when you were him you didn't have a connection to any of your friends? You didn't care about anybody?"

"Vile and I are aware of one another, and we see ourselves as entirely separate from each other. He recognises people that mean something to me, but does not care about them. He would sooner kill them."

"Why would Requiem want to bring Vile back?"

"You saw in your vision that he can control people. There are few more powerful than Lord Vile. Requiem plans to use his gift to control that part of me."

"But Vile is gone right? You're you again. How would he even bring Vile out?"

"All he would have to do is get me into the armour."

"I don't understand why you're telling me this. If this got out you'd be locked in the Gaol forever. All I have to do is tell someone the truth."

"I know."

"And you trust me not to tell anyone?"

"I trust you to do what you believe is right." He sighed. "If that means turning me in then that's your decision."

Valkyrie sat beside him in silence for a long time, pondering the impossibility that Skulduggery and Lord Vile were one and the same. Or were they? He admitted that Lord Vile was an aspect of himself, but he also said they viewed each other as separate. He told her Lord Vile had no loved ones and cared only about the battle. But Skulduggery did have people he cared about, and she knew even in the few months she'd known him that he would never side with the people that destroyed everything he loved. He was charming and witty and fiercely intelligent. He was loyal to his friends. He would lay down his life to protect any one of them.

She thought about all the things she'd heard over the years, all the amazing tales of how he and his friends had saved the world over and over again. She thought of how many stories she'd been told where he was almost killed. And she remembered how, even when threatened with the possibility of being shot by him, she'd still thought she might like to meet him even once.

The vision came back to her. The sight of her on her knees in front of him as he trembled, the way she'd looked up at him with no remorse, no hatred. Did the version of her in that vision know his truth? And when it shifted to Lord Vile taking her life, did she know the truth then too? Is that why she told him she forgave him?

He truly had spent his life trying to make up for the things he did in his short time as Lord Vile. She understood now where his recklessness came from. It wasn't overconfidence. It was a complete disregard for his own safety, because he believed that he was worthless in the aftermath of his crimes.

"I forgive you." The words came out as a whisper, her brain barely registering that she'd spoken them.

"You...what?"

"I forgive you. For everything you have done and everything you may do." She took a deep breath. "Maybe having someone forgive you will help you begin to forgive yourself."

"Why, Valkyrie? I don't deserve to be forgiven for the things I've done."

"You said it yourself. You've spent every day since trying to atone for your crimes. You let yourself get hurt and you take unnecessary risks over and over again because you're punishing yourself. You're always at the front of every potential world ending disaster, trying to hold it back, because you feel that's where you should be. You took thousands of lives during the war, but since then you've saved billions. How many times must you risk your life? How many times must you be injured and how long must you suffer before it's finally enough?" She turned to him and took his hand. "I think it has been enough. More than enough."

"Valkyrie..." He trailed off, unable to speak.

"You lost your family and it broke you. It drove you to do horrible things, but the good you've done for this world over and over again far outweighs the wrongdoings. There are people who will always remember the bad things over the good, but that doesn't make the good things any less important."

"I...I don't know what to say."

"That's a first," she answered. He chuckled softly. "The great Skulduggery Pleasant, speechless."

"It is a rare occurrence," he agreed. The silence settled around them in a blanket again, loaded and heavy as he processed her words. "Sacrament was right about you," he said finally.

"What do you mean?"

"Sacrament sees visions of the future like his mother, but his Sight sometimes, very rarely, gives him premonitions as well." His head tilted slightly. "He told me the first time we saw a vision of you that you would walk into my life and turn it on its head. He was right."

"But it's you that turned my life upside down. I was a teacher in a mortal school before all this started."

"And I was a self-hating skeleton with an excellent sense of style who believed he didn't deserve to be happy."

"So what are you now?"

"Hmm." He thought for a moment. "I will always hate myself for the things I've done. And I'll always be effortlessly stylish. But perhaps I am allowed to be happy too."

"Even during an epiphany you can't resist complimenting yourself, can you?"

"It's a talent really."

"Idiot," she retorted, but she was grinning again. And just like that, she realised that she accepted him as he was. She acknowledged he was capable of horrible things, and yet she trusted him to stay on the right path. And she realised at the same time that he trusted her to help him stay on that path.

"Valkyrie?"

"Yeah?" She turned to face him, and he took her hand in his.

"I'm in love with you." Valkyrie blinked. "I'm aware that it's a sudden revelation on the back of a much larger revelation. And I'm just now realising that this revelation comes from the mouth of a self-confessed mass murderer with a split personality. It's alright if it's too much, I would understand. I mean it's not everyday that-"

"You're babbling Skul."

"Right." He fell silent and looked away, moving to pull his hand away. She tightened her grip, keeping hold of his fingers. He looked back at her slowly.

"I don't know what this is for me yet, Skulduggery. I'm twenty two and I don't have a whole lot of life experience. I don't know if I'd even know how to recognise love. But I do know that I care about you deeply, and I wholeheartedly believe that we were always meant to meet." She squeezed his fingers gently. "I think it could become love. I...I want to see what happens between us. Regardless of your past. I hope that's enough for you for now."

"It's more than I hoped for." She leaned forward to kiss him gently, relaxing as he leaned into it. He pulled back and tapped his collar, the facade flowing up over his skull. As soon as it settled he brought her back to him and kissed her, slow and deep. Valkyrie's heart thundered in her chest as he pulled her onto his lap. She settled over him without breaking the embrace, her knees resting on either side of his hips. His hands traced her waist, his fingers slipping just beneath the edge of her shirt. Her lips found his throat and the groan that escaped him made her brave. She loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt, dragging her nails lightly over the exposed skin. He responded by pulling her closer, fitting her body flush against his as his tongue slipped between her lips. She couldn't help the sound she made, and her fingers knotted in his hair. He seemed to appreciate it, because the intensity of the kiss increased even further and Valkyrie was reminded of when he'd backed her up against the Bentley. Heat curled in her belly as he slipped her shirt over her head. She slid off his lap and took his hand, pulling him to his feet. His eyes roved over her as he followed her into the bedroom and closed the door softly behind them.

oO0Oo

"I haven't done that for a very long time," Skulduggery said softly. His voice was liquid gold, rolling over her as his fingers stroked the skin of her bare back.

"Are you sure? Because you seemed like you knew what you were doing." His answering chuckle was musical.

"I think I'd remember, don't you?" She reached out to tap his collar bones and the facade flowed away as she propped herself up on her elbows to look at him.

"Is it weird that I prefer you like this?" He cocked his head.

"There's probably a mortal psychiatrist somewhere who would be concerned that you're attracted to a living skeleton, yes. But we don't live in the mortal world." She felt him smile in good humour. "Of course our psychiatrists would be more concerned with the fact that you slept with me despite my history."

"Says the man that killed his ex-girlfriend by cutting out her heart and putting it in a box," Valkyrie retorted.

"She didn't die permanently from it. She sort of died. She semi died." He shrugged. "She could still come back at any time if the right process is followed to revive her."

"Where's the rest of her?"

"Pardon?"

"The rest of her. You know, the bits that aren't her heart?"

"Haven't the foggiest. Buried I think. Burnt maybe?"

"I love how casually you talk about murder."

"I prefer to think of it as saving the world from a maniacal woman that believed she was a princess fated to rule the planet."

"Idiot," Valkyrie chuckled.

"You call me an idiot and yet you're dating me, so who's really the idiot here?"

"You got me there," she answered. She felt him smile, and he sighed as her fingertips traced the tape on his ribs gently.

"I'm truly sorry that you had to find out the truth that way. If it weren't for Tenebrae's notes I could have kept it to myself."

"I'm glad I know. I know now just how much you trust me." She hesitated. "Does Ghastly know?"

"No. The only people that know about it are you and I, and Requiem of course. But I doubt he'll out me. He wants to use me, and having me thrown in the Gaol won't help his plan at all."

"What do we do with the notes?"

"I'm not sure. It makes sense to either keep them with us or destroy them. If we keep them close we may be able to draw Maylen out and arrest her."

"If we destroy Sanctuary evidence won't people ask questions?"

"They will. So I think our best option is to keep it with us for now. We can decide what to do with it once this is all over."

"And what does 'over' mean in this situation?"

"Well, the good version is that we arrest Maylen before she can do any harm and life goes on as it did before."

"And the other version?"

"Maylen manages to get me into the armour and Lord Vile destroys everything I care about." A loud ringing cut off their conversation as Skulduggery's phone lit up. He leaned over to grab it and answered the call, putting it on speaker. "Hello?"

"The visions. I'm seeing them again Skulduggery." Valkyrie's insides went cold as Sacrament Ballad's voice filled the room. "Come to my cabin as soon as you can. Bring Valkyrie."

"We'll be there in an hour." The line went dead and Skulduggery let the phone drop onto the mattress beside them. "Never a minute's peace," he muttered. Valkyrie sighed and dragged herself out of bed, tugging on her armoured clothing. Skulduggery activated his facade and put his suit back on, and in a few minutes they were leaving the apartment without a word. They climbed into the Bentley and Skulduggery pulled into the evening traffic. The setting sun cast long shadows over the streets. By the time they reached the cabin it was dark.

"Thank you for calling me," Skulduggery said as they greeted Sacrament. He nodded politely.

"I said I would contact you if anything changed." He led them to the basement without saying anything further. When Valkyrie's feet touched the metal grills the water was already pouring onto the burning coals. Steam billowed upwards in lazy puffs, coiling around Sacrament's ankles as the water shut off and he shook out his mother's yellow umbrella. Valkyrie watched with bated breath, her eyes glued to the undulating white cloud. Nothing happened at first, and then she saw a shadow flicker in the steam.

oO0Oo

Valkyrie was injured. Blood seeped from a wound on her shoulder, and as she ran her left foot dragged behind her. Her armoured coat was gone and her arms were lacerated all the way down. Droplets of blood flew from her fingertips as she limped through the streets. She was in a city, running down a street away from something. Her breath came in laboured gasps and the way she held herself as she ran suggested more than one broken rib.

A tendril of blackness snaked out and knocked her legs from beneath her, and she cried out as she went down hard. Lord Vile stepped out of a cloud of shadows and looked down at her with his head tilted.

"The Death Bringer," he rasped. "They called me that once."

"Please," Valkyrie whispered, spitting blood into the concrete. "That's not me, I'm not her."

"Come now, there's no need to lie to me, Darquesse."

"My name is Valkyrie Cain!" she roared, ignoring the red running down her chin. She pushed at the air angrily and Vile swatted her away with a club of shadows. She wheezed as she hit the floor, coughing more blood onto the tarmac.

"I know your name. And so do you. Come to me, dark one." He raised an arm and Valkyrie cried out as darkness surrounded her, forcing it's way down her throat and through her eyes. She gagged and choked, and then she disappeared completely as the blackness covered her.

After a moment it dissipated, and Valkyrie was kneeling. Her hair billowed around her as though suspended in water, and shadows coiled and snapped around her hands. And then she rose in one fluid movement, her feet leaving the ground as she floated in front of Lord Vile, elevating herself until she was eye level with him.

"It's good to be free," Darquesse said with a smile as her wounds closed over. She wore Valkyrie's face, and she had Valkyrie's voice, but it wasn't her anymore. "Why did you call for me?"

"I felt it was a waste to leave you trapped inside the mind of a lesser being." Darquesse tilted her head, watching him as a slow smile spread across her face.

"You need my help."

"You are smarter than you look."

"Why should I help you?"

"The man controlling me wants me to kill you. He believes his corruption of me is absolute."

"Isn't it?" Darquesse crossed her legs, sitting in midair. "You woke me up just like he asked. Like a good little pet."

"And yet you are not dead."

"What makes you think you're strong enough to kill me?" Vile's laugh was chilling.

"You and I are fated to destroy each other. Can you not feel it?"

"You do look like you could be fun." She grinned again. "What do you need?"

"Kill Requiem Jones. If you do that his control over me will be broken."

"And why didn't you ask Valkyrie to kill him?"

"Valkyrie could never be a murderer. You, on the other hand..."

"I like to have fun," she beamed. She floated closer to him. "When Requiem is dead, I'm coming after you. And when you're dead, I'm going to destroy everything."

"I always did like a challenge," Vile chuckled.

oO0Oo

Valkyrie stared at Skulduggery as the smoke dissipated. He was looking back at her, his posture suggesting an equal degree of shock.

"I dreamed of her," Valkyrie mumbled. "I dreamed of her months ago and she spoke with my voice and she wanted to destroy Lord Vile. I'm not a Sensitive. How did I dream of her?"

"Perhaps it was a premonition," Sacrament answered softly. "Who was she?"

"I don't know."

"Perhaps we should take some time to think about what we've seen," Skulduggery said. "Whatever that was, we need to avert it. If Lord Vile is going to somebody for help then the person he asks is as formidable as him."

"A meeting between the two of them would spell disaster for the rest of the world," Sacrament said. "The premonition that accompanies that vision is incredibly strong. If Darquesse and Lord Vile are allowed to fight one another they will destroy everything."

"Then it seems we'd better stop that from happening," Skulduggery answered.

"If I see anything else I'll call you."

"As always, your help is greatly appreciated Sacrament." The Sensitive bowed slightly and bid them goodbye, letting them leave. As they got back into the car Valkyrie let her fear show.

"Skul, I think I know what that was. I think...I think Darquesse is my true name." She felt it in her soul. She knew it was the truth.

"Then it would seem I am not the only one with a darker half. What a pair we make," he said softly.

"That vision and Sacrament's premonition suggest that you and I bring about the end of the world."

"Darquesse and Vile, not us."

"But it's our job to stop it, right?"

"It is."

"And how do we do that?"

"We find Maylen Dark." Valkyrie's phone buzzed loudly. She fished it out of her pocket and held it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Val, you and Skulduggery need to get to the Sanctuary as fast as you can. Maylen is here and she has an army of Infected with her. She's freed Requiem and Argent from the Gaol and she's going after the armour with them. Fletcher is down, you'll have to hurry to us." Skulduggery stamped on the accelerator, guiding the car through the night with expert hands.

"We'll be there soon, hang on Tanith." The call clicked off and Valkyrie felt the dread settle in her stomach. "Our enemies are free."

"They are."

"And they're going for the armour."

"It would seem so."

"And we're heading right for them."

"Yes we are."

"I hope to God you know what you're doing."

"I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing. But it's probably going to be something heroic and dangerous. Are you up for that?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really."

"Then I guess I'm up for it."

oO0Oo

The Sanctuary was a mess. Bodies lay strewn across the foyer and the sound of fighting echoed through the corridors from further in. Valkyrie grimaced as she stepped over the body of the Administrator. Her eyes stared unseeingly upwards, her hands still clutching the tablet she always carried. Like many of the bodies, parts of her appeared rotten. Black veins spread under the skin and her flesh was mottled and dried in places.

"Skul are you seeing this?"

"Yes. It seems we have another Neoteric on our hands. Stay alert." He drew his revolver and checked to make sure it was loaded. Valkyrie didn't have the quarter staff with her, so she picked up a scythe from nearby the body of a fallen Cleaver. It was well balanced despite the wicked blade on one end.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to the Cleaver on the ground, knowing he couldn't hear her but feeling the need to say it anyway. She gripped the scythe in both hands and turned away, following her partner as he picked his way through the bodies. He reached the first corner and held up a hand for her to stop. She waited, and then he signalled for her to go. She moved forwards silently, approaching the next corner with caution. She motioned for the skeleton to stop and he did. She took a breath, steadied herself, and then rounded the corner to find another empty corridor. They continued on like that until they reached the area where the fighting was coming from. Skulduggery nodded for her to go forwards and they rounded the last corner together.

Dexter Vex and Tanith Low grappled with four Infected. Tanith was on the ceiling slashing away with her blade while Vex threw heavy punches at anything he could reach. Skulduggery leapt in and slammed an elbow into the side of the nearest one's head, dropping it with one blow as Valkyrie whirled and cracked the staff of the scythe into the shins of another before kicking him solidly in the head. Tanith and Dexter swung for the same Infected at the same time, and Tanith grinned as it crumpled. Skulduggery dispatched the last one with the butt of his gun.

"Nice to see you finally joined the party," Vex beamed.

"I couldn't let you have all the fun now, could I?" Skulduggery replied.

"Fletcher is in the Infirmary with some other wounded," Tanith said. "China and some of the Cleavers are protecting it."

"Is the Gaol secure?" Valkyrie asked.

"It is now. Detective Cole and some of the other staff have rounded up most of the escaped prisoners and shut them in their cells again," Vex said.

"Who are the remaining escapees?" Skulduggery asked.

"Argent Bright and Requiem Jones. Maylen Dark is Argent's sister. She freed both of them and they're trying to get to the armour as we speak." Vex's expression was grave.

"And Ghastly? Where is he?" Valkyrie asked.

"In the lower levels trying to stop Requiem with the rest of the Cleavers. There are so many Infected here. We were trying to get to them when we were waylaid by these guys," Tanith explained.

"We'd better get down there then. Everybody stay quiet and keep your eyes on the corners," Skulduggery instructed. They followed him through the corridors, dealing with the few Infected they came across with relative ease. "This is it," Skulduggery said to Valkyrie in a soft voice. "The old Sanctuary starts here, and the armour is in the centre. If things go badly I want you to run. Do you understand me? I want you to run as far and as fast as you can."

"I understand."

"How come she gets to run and we get to stay and die?" Tanith asked with an arched eyebrow.

"It's a long story," Valkyrie answered. "But it ends in mass destruction if I stay."

"Ah. Fair enough." Tanith turned to Vex. "If things go badly you make sure Valkyrie is able to get away alive, alright?"

"No problem," he grinned. "Now are we gonna stand out here chatting or are we gonna go in there and help our friend?"

"Let's go," Skulduggery said. They ducked through the doors and broke into a jog, heading for where Skulduggery knew the armour would be. As they drew close they saw the evidence of fighting. There were bullet holes and scorch marks along almost every wall. As they reached the central chamber they split into pairs and stuck to the walls. Valkyrie was dismayed to see the larger container was already open and the sigils were down. The Cleavers stationed there were slain, and while many Infected lay dead, there were an equal number of sorcerers among them.

"Ghastly don't!" Tanith called out as Ghastly finished dismantling the last security measures around the box. Valkyrie watched as his hands jerked and his movements faltered.

"Tanith get back. It isn't Ghastly that's in control. Requiem is forcing him."

"How nice of you to join us," a familiar voice boomed as a figure stepped forwards. He gripped the back of Ghastly's head and slammed it into the wooden box. Ghastly slumped to the ground, immediately unconscious. Tanith snarled but didn't move towards him. Requiem reached the dais, flanked by Argent and Maylen on either side. Several more Infected followed them, growling at the four sorcerers facing them.

"Requiem, Argent, it's time to go back to your cells. Maylen Dark, you're under arrest." Skulduggery's confidence impressed Valkyrie as he levelled his gun at them.

"Ah, Detective Pleasant. Just the man I wanted to see." Requiem's smile was pure evil.

oO0Oo