Valkyrie gasped and sat up, kicking the covers off the bed. She groaned, drawing her knees up and resting her forehead against them. It was still early—too early for her to really be out of bed. Covered in sweat, fueled with adrenaline, sleep wouldn't come back to her.

Valkyrie groaned and rubbed her eyes. She reached out, snagged the sheet, and wrapped it around herself. She stood and picked her way carefully through her room.

Valkyrie trudged down the stairs and into the kitchen. She leaned over the sink and drank from the faucet until she had cooled down.

"Glad to see you greet the day with your usual disregard for hygiene."

Valkyrie yawned in greeting. She began to rifle through the cabinets, wondering when they had last been shopping; most food she pulled down was expired. Finally, she chose the cereal that smelled least like cardboard and the carton of milk that seemed least likely to roll her stomach.

Skulduggery watched her from the middle of the kitchen, hands in his pockets. He hadn't changed suits yet, and Valkyrie wondered if he had just woken up.

"Coffee," Valkyrie said.

"Orange juice."

"Make me coffee."

"I don't like your tone. What are you doing up so early, anyways? Usually I have to tempt you out of bed with the promise of mystery and mayhem. Yet, here you are, wrapped in a bedsheet, scowling into your cereal."

Valkyrie didn't answer for a moment, shoving a spoonful of cardboard into her mouth. She chewed, giving him dirty looks until she swallowed. "I don't enjoy mayhem. Everyone thinks I do. I like… anti-mayhem."

"Of course you do."

"I do!" Valkyrie pushed her cereal away. When he didn't answer, "And I think I had a bad dream."

"Oh?"

Valkyrie rubbed her forehead with the palm of her hand, frowning. "Yeah, it was weird, though. Nye was there. I was naked."

"You're usually naked."

"Shut up." Valkyrie leaned back in the chair and stretched her legs, yawning. "Well, either way, I'm up, so we might as well get going. Make me coffee and I'll get dressed." She stood.

"I still don't like your tone," he called after her.

Valkyrie took a quick shower, but her thoughts wandered. The dream ate at the edges of her mind. It was cold and clear and panic-inducing. She could remember more random facts about the dream—the table, the bright florescence, hands creeping down her torso—than she could the last few cases they had solved.

As she dried herself off, she had the strangest feeling she had dreamed it before.

Skulduggery was waiting by the Bentley, wearing a clean suit. He handed her a mug.

"You have a minute to drink it before I leave."

"But—"

"No drinks in the Bentley. You have fifty-three seconds."

Valkyrie protested her unfair treatment with silence in the car.

Skulduggery didn't seem to mind. He was thinking, and Valkyrie watched from the corner of her eye as his head tilted back and forth between options. His pointed finger tapped lazily along to whatever he was debating.

Today promised to be another hot one. Valkyrie was getting sick of the heat. It was still early enough where she could roll down the window and enjoy the breeze blowing back her hair. She let her hand play in the wind until the shadows of Roarhaven made her retreat.

"What happens if they're just really shoddy sorcerers and our visit was for nothing? Or they're mortals who were enchanted?" Valkyrie asked as she got out of the Bentley.

Skulduggery followed her into the Sanctuary. "We can still interrogate. They're one of our only leads. Or we can go back to the cave and see if the Cleavers missed anything."

"Caves," Valkyrie groaned.

"You know, I don't mind caves that much. I know they're not very original, but there's something so homey about them; the drafts, the bats, the water trickling down the walls, the monsters."

"Yeah, really cozy."

"I lived in a cave for a while."

"I… I'm not really sure what you want me to say to that. I'm not surprised." Valkyrie grinned when he turned his head sharply toward her. "Like, I know you like nice suits and everything, but you're definitely the type of guy who's spent a couple of months in a cave, naked, muttering to himself about society."

"Why am I naked in this scenario?"

"Because you would be."

"I'll have you know I wasn't naked. I was wearing one of the most stylish outfits of the day."

"Skulduggery, I've Googled what people used to wear then."

Skulduggery didn't answer, but he adjusted his tie as they strode. Valkyrie just kept looking at him, trying not to laugh. Eventually, he glanced at her.

"Suits are a marked improvement over the most stylish outfits I wore in the cave."

Valkyrie barked a laugh, but wiped the grin off her face as they approached the holding cells. There weren't very many new prisoners since the vampires had started working for China. People tended to keep their dirty business out of Roarhaven unless China oversaw. She also shipped out Skulduggery and Valkyrie's criminals as soon as their trial was over.

Skulduggery nodded to the mage who sat at the desk and led them through the cells. There were maybe only four people languishing, and some recoiled in fear when she and Skulduggery passed by. Valkyrie raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

They reached the end of the corridor. George and Barney were nowhere to be found. She looked and Skulduggery, who gave a little shrug and started back towards the guard. The two Cleavers by the doorway didn't seem concerned.

"Hello, good fellow," Skulduggery greeted, standing in front of the guard. "I'm sure you know my associate Valkyrie and I."

The guard looked up from his phone and blinked. "Er."

Skulduggery nodded. "Excellent. Two prisoners captured yesterday were to remain here until we were finished interrogating them."

The guard nodded slowly. "Okay."

Skulduggery continued nodding with the guard. "They're not here," he enunciated clearly.

A flash of irritation crossed the guard's face. "What were the prisoners' names?"

"They didn't have any."

Valkyrie cut in. "Well, that's not true. I named the one with hair George, and the bald one Barney."

"We haven't had any new prisoners," the guard said.

Skulduggery tilted his head. "We brought them in yesterday."

"I don't know what to tell you," the guard grumbled. "The most recent guy came in three weeks ago—"

"Three weeks?" Valkyrie frowned. "They arrived with a full Cleaver escort yesterday."

The guard grumbled and rifled through some paper work. When he wasn't going fast enough, Skulduggery grabbed the manila folder and flipped through the pages. Valkyrie read at his elbow, eyes flicking over the words. Skulduggery started turning faster than she could read, and she was about to ask him to slow down, but he shut the folder.

He looked at a Cleaver. "Order a full lockdown."

The Cleaver nodded and moved off.

Valkyrie moved back through the cells, checking for cracks. When she found no signs of escape, she turned back to Skulduggery and shook her head. He was leaning over the guard, asking rapid-fire questions.

"It's official in the paperwork," Skulduggery said lowly as they hurried toward China's throne room. "There's a rat in the Sanctuary."

"But someone should remember. China has full control of the Cleavers, and they would be looking for George and Barney unless ordered directly not to. And the guard didn't seem—"

China had stepped out of her throne room and stopped when she saw Skulduggery and Valkyrie approaching. She looked thoroughly unamused.

"Just why am I calling a lockdown?" she asked when they neared.

"The prisoners escaped," Skulduggery said quickly.

"Oh yes, the prisoners. Even though you saw all five of them."

Skulduggery tilted his head. "You don't remember them either?"

"Either? Skulduggery, I thought this was a joke. I wasn't even aware you were coming in today, nor why you would be interested in some pond scum." China glanced between Skulduggery and Valkyrie.

Valkyrie frowned. "You don't remember the Resurrection Stone? The break in?"

"No," China said slowly. "Either all Sanctuary worker's memories were altered, or yours were. No new inmates have been admitted in months—none that you've brought it. Just a few bar fighters and vandals."

Skulduggery's head jerked back. "None? What about the vampire killer?"

China's eyebrows drew together ever so slightly. "Vampire killer?"

"The assassination?" Skulduggery prattled off the cases they had solved within the past few months, growing stiller and stiller the more China denied. When he came to the end of the list, he was silent for a few long moments, motionless. "Well," he said at last, "that's not good."

"No," China agreed.

"They can't just have disappeared," Valkyrie insisted.

"You're right," Skulduggery murmured.

"Janet would have been the last one to see them."

Skulduggery nodded and pulled out his phone, stepping away and calling her. Tipstaff had appeared at China's elbow, and she was issuing orders in a steady, low voice. Valkyrie whipped out her own phone, dialing Tanith.

"Val!" she greeted. "Is this a fun call or a business call?"

"Has you or anyone you know been having suspicious gaps in memory?"

"Business call, then." There was a jostling, like Tanith was resting the phone between her ear and her shoulder. "I've been freelancing; the Sanctuary is still grumpy about that whole business, so I can't really ask if they've been forgetting where their keys are. What's up?"

Skulduggery gestured with his hand, and Valkyrie walked with him.

"Everyone in the Sanctuary's forgotten how Skulduggery and I've saved the day the past few months. Everyone we captured has escaped and been forgotten about." Valkyrie stopped talking as they passed a group of mages. "We're trying to figure out where the most recent pair of bad guys went."

"What do you mean everyone at the Sanctuary?"

"Everyone. China, the paperwork, the Cleavers, they all seem to think we've been doing nothing the past few months."

"That's… pretty weird. Do you think you need me?"

Valkyrie looked at Skulduggery. "No, not yet. Call around, if you could. See if anyone feels like chatting."

"No problem, Val. How's Alice?"

"Angry and rebellious. Talk to you later, love you." Valkyrie hung up. "What did Janet say?"

Skulduggery stopped at one of the sitting areas, looking around. "She doesn't remember anything, either. She said she'd meet us here and check to see if we have any mental blocks in place, if the memories were implanted."

Valkyrie ran over this in her head, then looked at him. "She can't look through your thoughts."

He hesitated. "By 'me,' I meant you. She's going to check if you have any implanted memories."

Valkyrie slumped into one of the chairs. "I hate when people look through my memories."

"When have you even had someone look through your memories before?"

Valkyrie opened her mouth, but her mind ran blank. She frowned, looking away from Skulduggery. Eventually, "It's just the idea of them having their fingers in your brain." It still bothered her more than it should have that she didn't have an answer.

Valkyrie looked back at Skulduggery. "You know, it's trouble if they can implant memories in your head. Means even you can be fooled." Valkyrie leaned back in the chair, but Skulduggery remained standing.

"I don't think they can. I think it's the Sanctuary, not us."

"Why?"

Skulduggery shrugged. "We're too special."

"But the paper—"

"My dearest Valkyrie, I'm very observant. But sometimes, you trousers distract me from even—Convivial," Skulduggery greeted.

The woman walked up, blinking blearily at the two of them. "Hello." She shook out her hands, smiling quickly at Valkyrie. "What exactly am I looking for? You said I looked at someone yesterday but…"

Skulduggery nodded. "That's the trouble. Valkyrie and I remember bringing to justice two lovely gents who no one can remember. They had no memories before we interacted with them. They were huge. Mountain of men. They beat Valkyrie up."

Janet looked between the two of them. "So, I'm looking to see if they were real or not?"

Valkyrie frowned. "They didn't beat me up. But yeah."

Janet nodded and shook out her hands a couple more times. "How far back do you want me to dig?"

Valkyrie's hands were getting clammy. "I'm not sure. You're not really sure what you're looking for, or how much no one remembers for how far back. Or how many of my memories are fake."

Skulduggery nodded. "Use your best judgement. Anything that seems out of place, or that should be there but isn't."

Janet looked as scared as Valkyrie was becoming. Dear god, she was going to go diving into Valkyrie's brain without a clue of what she was looking for.

No, it was going to be fine. Janet, despite how nervous she got, was one of the better Sensitives in the Sanctuary. A quick poke around, make sure everything added up, and it would be like Janet hand't even been mucking around in her head.

Skulduggery adjusted his cufflinks. "And if you could avoid erasing her memories or giving her brain damage, I would appreciate it. I'd hate to have to train another one."

Valkyrie laughed as Janet stood in front of her. She rested her hands on either side of Valkyrie's head, and Valkyrie shot one last uneasy smile at Skulduggery.

"See you on the other side," she said.

The last thing she saw before her vision swam was Skulduggery tilting his head in her direction in a smile.

Comments, thoughts, theories welcome!

They motivate me to update faster lol.

And shout out to Heslen for having an amazing theory! I was really impressed like hella!