Chapter Eight: The Ascension of a Star
How does she get me into situations like this? Skulduggery wondered as he took off his coat, and folded it neatly on his seat.
"Hurry up Skully," Luny shouted impatiently. "We're burning daylight, and Cainey needs us!"
Skulduggery muttered to himself, something about killing your sister, when Alanna briskly walked over to him, and turned him around to face her.
"Alanna," He said quietly; carefully, as if the red haired mage was a ticking time bomb.
Her eyes were still wet from tears, but instead of being red rimed and weepy, they sparkled in the sunlight. Not that there was much left, as it was seven o'clock. She stared at him for a moment before she took his skull in her hands and kissed him.
Skulduggery gently pulled back after a moment, cupping her delicate face in his skeletal fingers. He leaned his forehead against hers and sighed deeply, taking in the smell of her. Remembering the life he had had.
"Why can't things be the way that they were?" Alanna said remorsefully, wrapping her hands around the Skulduggery's waist.
"Because good things never last," Skulduggery answered hugging her small body to his, gently stroking her hair.
They remained silent for a moment before Alanna let go of him and looked up into his eye-sockets. "I know that if it comes down to a decision you will choose Valkyrie," She said. Skulduggery began to protest, but she placed her pointer finger where over his mouth region.
"Please. . . . Don't hesitate." She finished; much to the living Skeleton's surprise.
"What?"
"Neither of us are truly living Skulduggery. I live in fear, a shadow of what I once was. And Celina lives only for vengeance, and pain. If you make a choice; choose her."
She took his long hand in her own and squeezed it reassuringly. "We have nothing more to give this world, let us pass on into the next."
Skulduggery pulled her back into a hug. "That is not true Alanna. There will always be more to give, and more to take. You're just giving up."
"Maybe I am," She said with a sad little smile. "But at least I know where I stand. I trust you to make the right decision when the time comes."
"How can I choose between two people that I love Lann? How can I take one and let go of the other? What if I make the wrong decision?" He rambled, the tears coming out of his voice.
"You'll know what to do, you always do." She said, nuzzling him tenderly.
"Are you guys gonna snuggle, or are we going to save Valkyrie tonight?" Luny called over to them, tapping her foot in annoyance. "Come on, let's go!"
Alanna smiled looking to Skulduggery, "Shall we?"
Skulduggery nodded, "Let's go."
They walked over to where Ghastly and Luny stood, holding hands; the long skeletal ones, encased within the smooth skinned ones.
"How do we get in," Ghastly asked looking down into the depths of the lake warily.
"Why, we swim, of course." Luny said with a giggle as she plunged head first into the cold water.
"She really needs some help," Skulduggery muttered.
"That she does," Ghastly agreed before he jumped in after her.
"Ladies first Alanna," Skulduggery said gesturing for her to enter the lake.
Alanna smiled at him and did a back flip into the almost black looking water.
Skulduggery took one last look at the setting sun, before he dived after his friends, into the water.
Valkyrie slumped against the wall where she had been tied up; again. Her cheek was bleeding profusely after the skinning it had just received. She wanted to struggle, to put up a fight, but the knife had done something to her. The second it had pierced her skin, she had lost all energy; as if her body had been . . . poisoned.
"Do you know what kind of Knife this is Ms. Cain?" Celina asked as she polished the wicked blade, lovingly.
When Valkyrie didn't answer the girl continued, "It's a Tramiquian Blade."
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Valkyrie knew she had heard that name before. Then it hit her. It was the same type of knife Celina had been injured with; when Alanna had thought she was dead.
"I suppose you using the same type of knife that nearly killed, you has a purpose?"
"Not as dumb as you seem Ms. Cain." Celina said nodding. "I figure that father will suffer immensely if he finds you stabbed to death with the same instrument that murdered me."
"But it didn't murder you," Valkyrie spat, willing her arms to move. She got them to twitch, but besides that there was no other movement.
"Oh but dear Valkyrie," Celina drawled her name like it was painful to say. "I did die. I just came back, unlike most. Didn't my father tell you what I was?"
"No," Valkyrie said.
"That's right, he wouldn't tell you that I was a natural born necromancer would he? Well, you know how Skulduggery hates dark magic; so try imagining living with him as he daughter if you were one."
"But he loves you," Valkyrie said, feeling a pang of despair as she said it. I wish he loved me, like he loves you.
"When he thought I had died, yes he loved me. But when I needed him most; when I needed someone to support me, and tell me everything was going to be okay, where was he?"
Valkyrie didn't say anything. There was nothing she could say.
"He never said anything to make me feel bad no," Celina said her soft voice breaking into a harsh hiss. "But I saw the disgust in his eyes; I saw the shame and the fear, and the loathing."
"I don't think you know him as well as you think," a voice said emerging from the shadows.
Celina turned around her face contorting fury. "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to eavesdrop?" She asked as Skulduggery walked towards them; followed by Alanna Memoria, Luny, and Ghastly.
"I'm a Detective Celina, snooping is my job." He shot back with humor tinting his voice.
"Celina," Alanna said stepping forward, reaching out to her daughter. "What happened to you?"
"I learned a few tricks." She said walking away from her mother, and going to stand over by Valkyrie.
The Skeleton Detective's eyes fell on the knife his daughter was holding in her hand, and he cocked his head to the side.
"A Tramiquian Knife?"
Celina Pleasant nodded before she brought the blade down to Valkyries' throat. She grinned up at him devilishly, her eyes turning completely black.
"Time to pay the piper, Skeleton," She said yanking back Valkyries' head to expose her neck more.
"What crime have I committed?" Skulduggery asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.
Celina faltered, her hands shaking slightly. "You didn't save us . . . you left us to die."
"I tried to save you, and your mother." Skulduggery said sorrowfully. "But I wasn't strong enough. I didn't have enough time. You were already dead when I got here."
"You could have done more!" Celina yelled, as her grip hardened on Valkyries throat, make her choke out loud.
"Please love, don't do this." Luny begged from her place at the doorway. "It won't make the past go away."
"I know it won't." Celina said.
"Then why do it?" Ghastly asked.
"Because I can't stand the way you look at her!" The young girl cried, glaring at her father. "I see the truth! I know that you love her more than you ever loved me!"
"I share love for you both Celina. I love you because you are my child. I love Valkyrie because she is my partner. They are different kinds of love."
"You shouldn't share your love! I should be first in your eyes." She screamed.
"You are," Skulduggery said taking a step forward. "Please let me prove it to you."
Celina shook her head, her black tresses flopping everywhere. "No more talk. It is time for you to feel pain."
Alanna who had been quiet up until now, walk over to her daughters' side and knelt before her. Gently she placed her hands on either side of her child's face.
"Do you know what the meaning of pain is, Celina?"
The girl began to cry as her mother looked up at her intently, their matching light green eyes meeting, and an understanding passing to one another.
"The meaning of pain; is loss." She answered her eyes never leaving her mother.
Alanna nodded, and with one swift movement she grabbed the knife from her daughter and plunged it into her heart. Celina fell, blood spurting from the wound. Skulduggery ran over to them, dry sobbing.
"Celina!" He cried, grabbed her face and stroking it gently.
Alanna pulled the knife out of her daughter's chest and looked at it for a moment, her eyes dry now.
"In the end you didn't have to choose. I made the decision for you." She said brushing his chin with her thumb. "I love you Skulduggery."
"I love you, Lann." He replied, holding onto one of her hands.
Alanna smiled, "I know," She said as she stabbed herself as well.
Skulduggery cried as his wife and child lay on the floor of the sandy room. The past repeating itself, again. Skulduggery pulled Celina onto his lap, and placed both of her hands to his face.
"Open your eyes for me love." He pleaded.
Slowly her eyes green eyes slid open, "Daddy."
Skulduggery nodded, water dripping from his empty eye sockets. "I'm so sorry."
She smiled at him softly, all the hate leaving her eyes. "I am too dad."
"I'm sorry that I wasn't there to protect you." The living skeleton said.
"None of that matters now," Celina said squeezing his hands that held hers to his face.
"You were never second, my little flame."
Celina sighed, "And I never stopped caring about you." She said as she began to slip away, her breathing becoming shallow.
"Celina, don't leave me alone." Skulduggery begged desperately. "Please . . . don't leave me."
"Goodbye daddy." She wheezed quietly as she took her last breath, and her heart stopped.
Skulduggery hugged her to him, crying her name over and over again; crying for his dead daughter, and for his dead wife.
After what seemed like hours, Skulduggery Pleasant laid his daughter to rest, placing her body beside her mothers. He kissed her forehead and that of his wife; and as he stood up, Luny whispered.
"A Star has ascended."
This is not the last chapter. I believe one more is in order, to end this story. I would like to thank all of you who have read it, and help me along the plotline. Thank you.