Guess who'll be showing up in this chapter...

Chapter Four

The Girl, the Skeleton, and the Most Beautiful Woman in the World

It had been a week or so since James had chosen his name. Light had approved immediately, but Emmett hadn't been so sure.

"Isn't there already an Achilles something or other?" he had asked Cameron.

"Not to my recollection…" Light said. "Oh, wait, yes. There was that Achilles Macintosh, but he's pretty much gone into hiding since the release of the Macintosh Computer. Felt it cheapened the name, you know, being attached to a brand. So unless you count him, there're no more Achilles."

"Well… alright then," Peregrine had said with a grin. "Welcome to the community, Achilles Blink."

James, however, was still having some trouble. Now that he had decided on a name, Light and Peregrine were referring to him almost exclusively as Achilles. He would often forget to answer to it, which would annoy Emmett, which would, in turn, make Cameron laugh heartily. It was a fun relationship.

On this day, a Wednesday, Achilles Blink teleported into Cameron's house. They had called him the night before, saying they had something very special that needed doing. Achilles' mind had been racing all night, anticipating what it was. Some new and undiscovered location to teleport to and explore? A perilous journey to accompany the two of them on? Would he be helping with the ongoing investigation into Devon Mirage's murder?

"There you are!" said Light, as Achilles walked into the living room. He was sitting on the couch, sipping a beer, while Peregrine reclined in the armchair. The TV was on. "We've got something special for you today."

"Yeah," Achilles said, barely holding back his excitement. "What is it? Where're we going? What needs doing?" Emmett turned his head to get a better look at his protégé.

"We're not going anywhere," he said, eating a few chips out of a bowl on the table. "You're going to run an errand for us, while Cameron and I watch the Tennis match." He gestured to the TV. Achilles' face fell.

"Wha… what?" he asked. "Seriously? Are you being serious right now?"

"Do I look like I'm being serious?" Emmett asked.

"…No! You're lounging on a Lazy Boy chair! No one ever looks serious on a Lazy Boy chair."

"Despite how silly Emmett may or may not look, this errand is serious business," Cameron said. "Achilles, think about it. You've just chosen your name. That means…" He left it open.

"I need to get you two groceries?" Achilles guessed.

"No. It means that you can venture into the magical side of this city. Interact with other sorcerers. You do want to meet others, don't you?" Achilles' eyes widened. When Emmett had said "errand" Achilles had assumed it would be, like, getting the mail or something.

"So this is a magical sort of errand?" Achilles asked, excitement building again.

"In a way," Emmett said. "You're going to the library."

"Oh."

"Let me finish," Emmett said. "Not just any library. No, this is a library which specializes in… shall we say, special texts. And there's one specific book we feel could help in your training."

"It's called 'Into Thin Air,'" Light continued. "By the late Gordon Edgley. Heard of him?"

"Yeah, actually," Achilles said, remembering. "He wrote those books on magicians and stuff. But those are just stories. Right?" Light and Peregrine shook their heads simultaneously. "Wait… those stories were true?"

"Yes and no," Emmett said. "The stories themselves, and the characters within, are not 100 percent true. Based on true stories, yes, but not completely accurate."

"And this 'Into Thin Air' book is about teleporting?" Nods. "Is it, you know, credible?" Light snickered, and Peregrine removed one of his loafers, and threw it at Light's head. "What?" asked Achilles.

"Emmett's very self-conscious about this book," Light said, grinning. "Mr. Edgley interviewed him for it."

"And it was a damn good interview!" Emmett snapped.

"Yes yes, wonderful question answering, old friend," Light said, waving a hand. Cameron grabbed a slip of paper and a pen off of the desk next to the couch, and began writing something down. "Here's the address for the library," he said, handing Achilles the paper. "You'll need to go to the top floor. If there's a tall, thin man at the door, tell him Cameron Light sent you. There shouldn't be any problems."

"What about…" began Emmett.

"Don't ruin the surprise!" Light snapped, with a grin. Emmett sighed, but nodded.

"Should I even bother asking?" asked Achilles.

"Probably not," said Peregrine. "Now get going, you don't have all day." With a nod, Achilles Blink teleported away.

XxXxX

Achilles appeared in an alley nestled between two apartment complexes. He walked to the sidewalk, and checked the address on the nearest building. He looked again at the sheet of paper Light had given him, and found that he had arrived in the right place. Pleased with himself, he opened the door of the apartment building, and headed up the stairs.

There were a lot of stairs. Like, a lot. It was during the climbing of these many stairs that Achilles began to wonder why a library would be situated at the top of an apartment building. Then again, this was a magical library they were talking about. He half expected to find a book on the Sorcerer's Stone, or Nicholas Flamel. Achilles has seen a lot of movies.

He arrived at the landing of the final staircase, and bent to catch his breath. Once that was taken care of, he stood, and noticed for the first time that he was not alone in the hall. There was a man, tall and thin, in a suit. He said nothing, only watched as Achilles struggled to regain his composure. Teleporting everywhere sure had a way of making regular exercise a whole ordeal.

"Um… hi," Achilles said, walking up to the man. The man said nothing. "Uh… okay. I'm Achilles Blink. I was sent by Cameron Light to check out a book." The man made no sound or gesture that he acknowledged Achilles at all, and for a moment Achilles thought that this was perhaps one of those people that could fall asleep while standing, with their eyes open. But then the man slowly turned, and pushed open the great oak door he had been standing in front of. Achilles walked forward. "Um… thank you?" he tried. The man held out a long, thin arm, the end of which held a hand that was pointing a finger. Achilles followed the finger's direction, and saw he was pointing to two figures; both girls, but one seemed to be an adult, and the other a teen. He could see neither of their faces, but they both had dark hair.

Achilles nodded his thanks to the man, and walked in through the door. He saw, for the first time, just how grand and vast this library was. Countless stacks (some moving) of books and shelves lined the halls, and created rows that divided the giant room. It didn't seem like all this space could fit within the apartment complex. Achilles looked up, and saw a few books go whizzing by over his head.

"Wow…" he breathed. He then continued onward, heading towards the two female figures. As he got closer, he saw their apparel more clearly. The shorter one, the girl, was wearing black… everything. Pants, shirt, jacket. The other woman, whose hair fell down her back in perfect rivulets, wore an elegant red dress, high heels, and the most delicate looking bangles Achilles had ever seen. He saw very faint lines crisscrossing her exposed arms.

He walked closer, then stopped and cleared his throat. "Hi there, I'm here to…" Words failed him. The woman in the dress had turned to face him, and all thoughts left his brain. She was… perfect… Her hair, dark and voluptuous, her eyes, deep and powerful. Her pale face seemed to be sculpted from the most perfect clay known to man. Her lips, so full and beautiful, formed words, but Achilles barely made them out.

"Wh… what?" he asked, barely able to form words. His arms hung, limp and useless at his sides. His head was cocked over, and his jaw hung slightly agape. He had never felt anything like this. This was amazing. This was… this was love.

The other girl had turned to face him as well, but he didn't even register her there. She said something, but he didn't care. He just wanted to hear what this heavenly woman in the red dress had to say.

"I said, what are you here to do, exactly?" the woman asked. Oh God, her voice. Like the choir of angels. The fact that there was not a halo around her head should have been a crime. When he heard her speak, he felt that there were no more cares or worries in the world.

"Oh dear," the woman said, directing her words at the girl in the black. "It appears the poor boy has lost his words. Val, be a dear and take him where he needs to go. I have some business to attend to." The other girl said something, which again Achilles tuned out. Then the red dress woman spoke, saying, "We'll talk later, I promise. Just do this for me." The girl made a disgruntled noise, and moved forward.

"Cam… Cameron Light…" Achilles managed, before a hand wrapped itself around his wrist, and he found himself being dragged away from the beautiful woman by the dark clothed girl. His body, too limp to protest, was dragged along the wooden floor, but his head was still facing the woman, soaking in all he could. Eventually, however, he lost sight of her, having being dragged behind a large bookcase.

"Okay lover boy, snap out of it," said the girl. Achilles tried to walk back to where he had last seen the heavenly woman, but the girl pushed him back, and gently slapped him in the face. His eyes popped wide open.

"Hey!" he said, disgruntled. "What'd you do that for?"

"So you could come back to earth," the girl said. "I mean, I've seen China have a hold on people before, but that was just sad."

"China? Her name's China? It's… it's…"

"Perfect, right?" the girl asked. Achilles nodded. "Yeah, everything about her is. Listen, friend, just about every man who's ever laid eyes on China has the same reaction as you. Some women, too. So don't think you've got a chance, alright?"

Achilles rubbed his eyes. For the first time, he got a good look at this other girl. She had dark hair, darker eyes, and a few light freckles. Her skin was pale, but not in a gross way. In a sort of delicate way. But nothing about her attitude said 'delicate.' She was actually kind of pretty. No China, but still, pretty.

"Um… sorry," Achilles said, feeling suddenly self-conscious. "That was bad, huh?" The girl waved a hand.

"I've seen worse," she said. "Some people grovel."

"Ah."

"Yeah, it's not pretty," she said. There was a short awkward pause, during which the girl coughed, and Achilles scratched the back of his head. "So, um… you came here for a reason other than to stare at China, right?"

"Um, yeah, yeah I did," Achilles said. "I'm supposed to get a book, but—"

"You don't know where to look?" the girl guessed.

"Right."

"Well, I'll help you," the girl said. "I've got a few minutes to kill anyway. You know the name of this book?"

"'Into Thin Air,'" Achilles said. "By that Gordon Edgley guy. Heard of it?" There was a slight pause, and the girl's eyes widened a fraction. But then she nodded, and started to walk. She beckoned for Achilles to follow.

"You know," he said, jogging to catch up. "I always thought this Edgley guy wrote fiction, you know?"

"You read his books?" the girl asked, sounding a bit surprised.

"Yeah," Achilles said. "I mean, some of them. That one about that cowardly military guy, Fleece, that was pretty good. Not all his books were published in America, though. You'd need to order them online, and I doubt any of the libraries back home in Omaha would go to all the trouble of doing that." The girl stopped, and spun.

"That's what it is!" she said.

"Uh… that's what what is?" asked Achilles.

"You're from Omaha. I was trying to figure it out since you were stammering about in front of China. I could tell you were American, but you didn't have any of the recognizable accents. No Chicago accent, or Brooklyn or San Diego."

"Um… thanks?" Achilles said, unsure if this was a compliment or not. She smiled, and turned to keep walking. "So… you know about the accent. What else do you know about Omaha?"

"Not much," she said with a shrug. "Just that it's somewhere in Middle America." Achilles grinned.

"Get right to the heart of matters," he said. She turned, and gave him a look of confusion. "Oh… were you not doing the… it's… song lyrics…" He felt dumb. "You know, never mind. Forget I said anything."

"Will do," she said with a chuckle. "Come on, it's this way."

The girl in the dark clothes led Achilles through several bookcases before she stopped. "Well?" he asked. She pointed upwards. He followed her finger. The shelf towered to the top of large room.

"Top shelf," she said with a smile. "I don't know if there's a ladder around here, or…" Achilles held up a hand to stop her, then teleported. He reappeared at the top of the shelf, quickly grabbed the book, and teleported back down to her.

"Ta da," he said, a slight grin on his lips.

"So I don't have to ask what kind of magic you do," she said with a chuckle. She paused a moment, before continuing. "You know, you haven't told me your name."

"Oh," Achilles said. "I'm Ja…" he caught himself quickly, realizing he could no longer use his real name. Bummer. "I'm Achilles Blink." He thought perhaps she would laugh at how odd the name was. He had already felt like a fool in front of this girl several times in ten minutes, and hoped it wouldn't happen again.

And it didn't. She just held out a hand, and said, "Valkyrie Cain." He hoped his eyes weren't too wide. He thought his name was odd, but… Valkyrie? Like the women with wings that fought in wars from Norse mythology?

"Oh." Was all he said, shaking her hand. She chuckled, and gave him a gentle shove.

"You're new at this, huh?" she asked. He nodded sheepishly. "It's weird for a while. So, you're a Teleporter, huh? Did you know that Devon Mirage guy that was murdered?"

"No," Achilles said. "But these two guys I train with…" then something struck him as odd. "Wait… how do you know about Mirage's murder? I mean, I don't know a lot about the magical world, but I don't think they just go about telling little girls about murders."

"Well, first off, I'm not a little girl," she said. "We're practically the same age, I'm fourteen. And second, no, they don't tell just anyone. Detectives have a way of finding this kind of stuff out."

"Why were you talking with a detective about a murder?"

"How else were we supposed to investigate?"

"Well… wait, what?" Achilles was getting a bit confused. "Are you telling me you're a detective?" She nodded nonchalantly. "Oh come on! There's no way you're a detective. And, um, definitely not with the Sanctuary." Achilles hoped that bit made sense; one lesson that Emmett and Cameron hadn't been spending much time on was his introduction to the magical world, and so he had very limited knowledge of what this 'Sanctuary' even was.

"Well I am," she said. "At least the bit about being a detective. The Sanctuary part… it's iffy. There were some controversies."

Achilles was about to ask what kind of controversies, when he saw something that made his blood chill. At the end of the aisle, in a full suit and hat, a skeleton was sauntering towards them. He quickly grabbed Valkyrie by the lapels of her jacket, and—despite her protests—dragged her into the next aisle over.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked, slapping his hands away from her jacket. He held a hand up to silence her.

"Shh!" he commanded. He continued in a whisper. "I don't want to freak you out, but I swear that there's a living skeleton in the row we were just in. Walking in our direction. He was wearing a suit! Do we tell someone? That China woman?" Valkyrie rolled her eyes, grabbed Achilles by the maroon shirt he was wearing, and dragged him back over. The skeleton was right there. He was unnaturally tall. Then again, he was unnaturally living, for a skeleton.

And then he spoke.

"Ah, there you are Valkyrie," he said. His voice was deep, but smooth like silk. Achilles could see no tongue past his bony teeth, so he had no idea how the skeleton was talking. "China said you'd come down this way. Who's your friend?" He inspected Achilles, and Achilles saw the skull's brow move, as if he were raising an eyebrow.

"Skulduggery, this is Achilles Blink," she said, indicating Achilles with her hand. "Achilles, this is my partner, Skulduggery Pleasant." Achilles was at a loss for words. So this was the Skulduggery that he had heard Emmett and Cameron discussing those weeks ago. The detective that Cameron trusted, but Emmett did not. And from that information, Achilles decided he trusted him… a bit…

Skulduggery Pleasant held out a gloved hand, which Achilles took tentatively. It was… bony. Obviously. "So I take it you're new to all of this?" Skulduggery asked him.

"Um, yeah," he said, stumbling a bit. "I mean, I've had magic my whole life, apparently, but I only started training a few months ago. Learning to teleport better, and all that."

"You weren't training with Devon Mirage, were you?" Skulduggery asked. From behind the tall skeleton, Valkyrie made a face at Achilles that said 'I told you so.'

"No, not him," Achilles said. "Cameron Light and Emmett Peregrine." Skulduggery nodded, as if he was mulling over this information.

"I like Cameron, he's a good man," he said, then paused. Achilles noticed that he didn't say anything about Emmett. "So, what brings you to my dear friend China's library today?" Achilles realized he had dropped Gordon Edgley's book, and bent to retrieve it.

"Cameron and Emmett sent me to get this," he said. "Told me it should help with my teleporting." Skulduggery nodded.

"Gordon Edgley was quite the writer," he said, then glanced at Valkyrie for a brief moment, before returning his attention back to Achilles. "Well, hate to run, but Valkyrie and I have somewhere to be. Goodbye, Achilles Blink.

"Bye Achilles," Valkyrie said. Achilles waved, and the two detectives walked away. He stood for a moment, confused and a bit dumbfounded by the whole experience, before teleporting away.