A/N: I don't own Skulduggery, Valkyrie, Tipstaff, Erskine, Ghastly, Lord Vile, Corrival, Hopeless, Larrikin, Anton, Dexter or Saracen. Victoria, Thaddeus, Frost, Lilac, and Lichgate are my OCs though.
The dragon roared, his yellow eyes blazing, and he prepared to launch another frost attack when Victoria was suddenly beside us, sending a fireball right into his face. He screeched and reared back, slamming his head on the roof of the cave. Then he whined and rubbed at his nose. He cringed as she marched out of the cave to face him, arms folded.
"Victoria, that hurt." He whined.
"It should hurt, you big bully. What have I told you about attacking people?" She demanded.
"That I'm bigger and I shouldn't? But I thought they attacked me first." He whined.
"He does have a right to defend himself." I said, coming to the poor dragon's defense and he flashed me a toothy smile.
"Thank you so much. Oh, would you put some snow on my nose please? It really hurts!" He brought his massive head down and I packed snow onto his burnt nose smiling at him. For a creature so big humans clearly terrified him. When I mentioned he didn't have to be scared of us he looked astounded.
"Why do you think there are few dragons left, my dear? We've all of us been hunted down. Only I and my beloved Lilac are left." He sighed fondly and then went on. "Normally a snow dragon and a meadow dragon would never, ever become a bonded pair but we fell in love at first sight." He sang the words faintly, a pleasant cooing sound then looked at us.
"Where are my manners? I am Frost, yes, I know, not a very creative name for a frost dragon but then when you live in ice caves all your life it seems creative enough. Like mortals living in California naming children Sunny, I guess. Now what can I do for you fine people?" He asked eyeing the now wide awake Dead Men.
"We need to find Lord Vile's armour." Victoria said and Frost winced.
"You are welcome to it if you can get Lilac to hand it over. It is our last bit of treasure, you know. Well, our only bit of treasure in a long time. But so long as it is for a good cause, I'm sure she will agree." He has us assemble and breathed an icy mist on us and when it cleared we were in a warm, well-lit cave, a lovely purple dragon smiling at us from an immense nest where little dragons slept all around her.
"Victoria!" She said happily and Victoria managed to hug her old friend. I looked at Skulduggery and he shrugged, this was news to him as well. The two chatted and soon Lord Vile's armour was being handed over.
I gave Lilac Lichgate's pendant, telling her how very important it was to keep it away from him and she grinned. "A lich's magic won't work on a dragon. Consider him toast if he steps foot in my cave." She cooed.
We all turned to Skulduggery and he cleared his throat. Well, the throat he didn't have. Whatever. "Erm, yes. Very well then. Oh, and before I do this, I must say I taught you better, Valkyrie. Never trust a Necromancer." Then he touched the armour and it was on and Lord Vile stood before me. He titled his head in amusement.
"You tricked me, didn't you? You planned this all the time, you needed us to find your armour, didn't you?" I growled and I sensed Lord Vile's smile behind his visor.
"You are going with us, aren't you? I asked warily and he shook hid head no. Then he touched his chest.
"You can't go alone, he'll kill you!" I said, horrified. But Vile's shadows were already massing, then he was gone.
Two days had passed with no further action from Lichgate. Skulduggery hadn't returned, nor had Lord Vile gone on a rampage. I sighed as I joined Saracen outside Skulduggery's house. "You can all go home, you know. Either Lord Vile defeated Lichgate and is pouring through his hoard of magical items or- Or-"
"Don't you even think like that, Val. Skulduggery is OK, I know he is. We've all agreed, we're waiting two weeks. In the meantime we have Sanctuary detectives trying to find Lichgate's lair. You noticed a smell like a grave, so did the techs who checked the gift he sent you. He can't be far, we'll find him."
I nodded. Every so often Victoria had checked in on the other side but Skulduggery hadn't shown so we held out hope. Poor Tadpole was sad and worried and I didn't blame him. "Look, Tadpole, this is dad we're talking about. He'll come through, you'll see." I promised, hugging him tight. I didn't know how or why, but the ghosts were able to be touched and to touch object at certain times. Not all the time, but enough. I gave Tadpole my mobile and brought up Angry Birds for him, and soon he was playing contentedly.
Ghastly and Erskine had had no choice but to return to work, duty calling, so the house was rather quiet with only Anton, Dexter and Saracen left. I knew they'd have to leave soon too and I sat down beside Anton.
"That hotel is going to go to pieces if you're away much longer." I said gently and he shrugged. "I mean it, Anton. You went with us, you came to help us get our family back, you can't be expected to stay on forever. Skulduggery might be gone- He might be gone a long time." I said, but Anton wasn't fooled, he cuddled me into him in a way big brothers have with little sisters.
"Hey, Skulduggery would do the same for us, so would you. The hotel will be fine for a long time, trust me. It can take care of itself when I'm not there. I don't like this any more than you do, Valkyrie. But if Lichgate had won against Vile, he'd have shown up to claim you by now."
I sat up and looked at him. "So my brothers stayed to fight Lichgate if he tries to hurt their sister?" I asked, touched. Anton nodded.
"And to help Skulduggery when he returns. He will return, Valkyrie, trust me on that. OK?" I nodded, but as the days wore one I was less and less sure.
Two weeks had passed and the Dead Men had to leave. Each man hugged me in turn, making me promise to call the instant I had any news. I nodded, and saw them to the door. Victoria and Tadpole had returned to the other side for safety's sake, and Skulduggery's house felt vast and cold without my family there. I wondered where he was. No word had come from anyone, no inert well-dressed skeleton had been found. Lord Vile hadn't been seen and the trail had grown cold. I'd had no way of following him instantly as I'd refused to abandon the others in the cave and now I cursed myself for not doing it anyhow.
Had I done so we'd have faced Lichgate together, but he had never planned it that way. "Stupid overprotective father." I muttered as hot tears stung my eyes.
"That's a fine way to talk about your father, young lady." I looked up at the voice.
"Corrival!" I said happily, and ran to greet him and he had his arms out. Corrival, ghostly or not, managed to hold me to him fiercely, and for a moment it was as if he were flesh and blood again.
He stood back and smiled at me fondly. "Sorry all I did was yell at you during the war, Valkyrie. But coddling you would have only made things worse. But look at you. The lone Dead Man keeping her post."
He took a seat with a contented sigh, Hopeless and Larrikin appearing beside him. "How did you all manage to get here? Do you know what is going on?" I asked.
"Of course we do, sis." Hopeless said kindly. "We took longer to get through, sometimes it happens that way, but here we are. We've already been checking every graveyard we can find and talking to all the ghosts we meet."
Larrikin smiled. "Wish I could have gotten here in time to torment Anton, he needs it. But I suppose you'll do instead." He teased and Corrival snorted.
"That's the curse of being the only woman among us, Valkyrie. You get a band of annoying brothers to dote on you. Or a father." He smiled hopefully.
"You know you're a father to all of us, Corrival." I said and he grinned. I suddenly felt better than I had in a long time. We had hope if the Dead Men were still willing to search. "I'm going to make some coffee, then I had a few ideas where Lichgate might be hiding." I said and the Dead Men trailed me into the kitchen.
Corrival eyed me. "Why do I think I'm not going to like this?" He asked.
"Well there are several places I could think of. We've already searched graveyards and family tombs, correct?" The men nodded. "Then I'm assuming we're looking in the wrong places. He could have picked an abandoned castle or church, or a modern building, or his lair is underground somewhere. He really doesn't need to be in a graveyard after all, the smell might be from his nightly outings to collect more unwilling dead. Or?"
Corrival shifted in his seat. "Or?"
"Or, and it sounds crazy, but weren't there burial vaults beneath the older Sanctuaries at one time? Huge ones?" I asked, and Corrival sat up straighter then nodded to Hopeless and Larrikin who faded from view.
"We'll find out soon enough." He murmured. We talked quietly until Larrikin and Hopeless returned.
Larrikin looked troubled. "The tombs of all the old Grand Mages and Elders have been desecrated, the bodies are gone." I flinched at the words but Larrikin wouldn't let me blame myself. "If you had went with Lord Vile and died you'd have abandoned our brothers to starvation." He said softly.
"Besides, we have no proof these tombs weren't raided a long time ago." Hopeless added. "Necromancers love using dead body parts- Oh, sorry, Valkyrie." He said, noticing my wince.
"I think I have a book that might help us." I said and they looked at me. "I got a book of old legends at the Necromancy temple when I was there. Wreath called them fairy tales and heresy and let me keep the book. While I realize that it might have been given to me on purpose, I don't think so."
"What kind of tales?" Corrival asked.
"Ones that make current Necromancers look like an abomination. Necromancers are terrified to destroy books in general since they are always sure there is some sort of hidden knowledge or it would have been destroyed long ago. Wreath admitted that much. Of course, Wreath isn't a man to be trusted." I admitted.
"But, you make it sound like Necromancers were the good guys." Hopeless pointed out.
"I don't, the book does. But according to the stories Necromancers at one time worked with and revered the dead. They live in temples, like now, but nice bright airy ones and their robes were white, not black. Probably just rubbish stories of course." I said, and shrugged, not wanting to admit that I treasured those stories, rubbish or not.
We decided to wait until Ghastly dropped by to pick me up that evening to tell him the men had returned. A letter had been left for Skulduggery, but nobody wanted me haunting that house like a living ghost. "Victoria will know where to find you." Corrival had assured me.
Ghastly came in to collect me and stopped cold, staring at the ghostly Dead Men. There was a joyous reunion and I was happy he could see them too. Ghastly turned to look at me. "I'd still like to take you to dinner if your brothers have no objections." He said with a faint smile.
Corrival nodded. "We can't do anything more tonight. I'll return to the tombs with the others and search for clues, then we'll withdraw and rest. We'll meet you both tomorrow at the Sanctuary if all goes well. Take care of her, Ghastly, I'm holding you responsible for my daughter's welfare." He said gruffly, then they all faded from view.
Ghastly smiled at me. "We'll find him, I promise you that, and we know your family is safe for now. Come on then, Valkyrie. You being here won't help him get back any sooner." Ghastly said gently and he led me from the house.
I locked the door behind me and didn't look back, because I knew I'd run back inside and never leave if I did. Besides, I knew I had to carry on and if the worst had happened Skulduggery would find a way to either return to me, or join our family. Ghastly interrupted my thoughts as we reached the van. "Valkyrie, do you love me?" He asked abruptly.
"Of course I do!" I said, stung.
"Well, it's just that you've never kissed me back when I kiss you." He said and I realized he was right.
"I wasn't sure how you felt, Ghastly." I admitted. "I know you said you love me, and that you're serious but-" I shrugged helplessly.
"Maybe you just don't find me attractive, Valkyrie. It's all right, you know." He said kindly and then I was kissing him, my arms wrapped around him tightly. I heard him grunt in surprise, and then he was returning the kiss, his arms wrapping around me as he nearly lifted me off the ground.
Somehow his hat had gotten knocked off and I was stroking his head gently, refusing to let the kiss end, but he pulled back slightly to places soft kisses on my face, showering me with affection. "Valkyrie." He murmured. Then his lips found mine again and I felt fireworks going off inside of me. I started to go limp and felt Ghastly soft rumbling laughter as he clasped me close.
"I should have asked you that question days ago." He said, amused as he helped me into the van. I got his door and agreed with him as he got in.
"That you should have, Ghastly. I'm sorry and this will sound stupid, but you're such a gentleman that I thought I'd scare you off if I kissed you back."
Ghastly snorted. "I'm not that much of a gentleman, Valkyrie, trust me. You are free to kiss me all you like, I trust you not to take advantage of an innocent Elder." He teased and I giggled.
"I missed you today, no matter how bad things get, you can always make me laugh." I said fondly.
"Wait until you are a full Elder and get to look at budget proposals, then you can laugh." He said dryly.
"I'll never be an Elder, Ghastly. You have to get elected."
"By two votes and as you well know we have an empty chair. I'd be more that willing to keep sharing an office and help you learn how to do the things I usually handle myself. We need you, Valkyrie."
"I'm too young." I protested.
"Nice try. The youngest Elder was eighteen. Wartime conditions to be sure, but he held the post for hundreds of years afterwards. You've already been elected anyhow, so you might as well get used to it."
"Fine, but there wasn't a meeting. I'll be drug out of the throne room by Erskine himself."
"Erskine was the other person to elect you, if fact, he suggested you. You're a veteran as strange as that sounds, a war hero, though I know you hate the term. People need a leader now, Valkyrie." He pulled up in front of the same Italian eatery we'd gotten take away from and looked at me intently.
I nodded. "You're right and I suppose as an Elder I'll have more clout on this case, but I'm not wearing on of those stupid robes, I'll tell you that right now." Ghastly laughed.
"Goes with the territory, and before you ask you can't wear Necromancer robes, you'd give visiting Elders coronaries." He grinned and I sighed. Ghastly helped me down and got the door of the eatery. The owner seemed to recognize us and gave us a romantic table for two in a secluded area. Having a long vertical scar across his face himself he smiled at Ghastly kindly. He waited on us himself and I was touched by the gesture.
But I noticed as I looked around that all the waitstaff appeared to be veterans of some horrific war. A young girl proudly sported an artifical lower leg, one of the cooks had a replacement for a missing hand. I didn't say a word, but Ghastly had noticed the same thing and he waited until we had coffee and tea to speak.
"There was a small sign out front that this restaurant employs the disabled, that's why I chose it. I come here every so often myself. They don't even give me a second glance and I like that." He said.
"You have a good heart, you know that?" I asked and he smiled shyly.
Although we'd agreed to share an order of pasta somehow veal parmigiana also came to the table along with garlic bread and extra meatballs. "You are good customers, nice couple." The owner said in his soft Italian accent, smiling, then left us to our meal.
I blushed furiously and Ghastly laughed softly. "We do make a nice couple, Valkyrie. Thanks for coming out to dinner, and I mean that. You know I'm in love with you, right?"
"I hope you are, the way you kiss." I said and it was his turn to blush. "But I love you too, Ghastly, and you're both right, we do make a nice couple."
We lingered over dinner for a long time, then we we're being given our leftovers in foil containers, plus a gift of tiramisu. Ghastly drove me to the mansion, and we stayed in the van for a while looking out into the night.
"Take the leftovers in with you. We can take them tomorrow and have lunch in our office." He said and I agreed. He pulled me into a lingering kiss then, and I happily returned his affections. Ghastly saw me to the door and I could tell he was pleased with himself.
He escorted me inside and I realized he'd thought there would somehow be bad guys hiding behind the door. He tipped his hat to me and left with a massive grin on his face, whistling to himself.
I looked up to see a smiling Uncle Gordon leaning against the railing the best he could. "Let me put the leftovers away, then we have a lot of catching up to do." I said and he nodded happily.
Soon I was in his study, catching him up on everything, he seemed very interested to learn dragons were real, and he sympathized with the continuing absence of Skulduggery. "While you know I'll be getting some wonderful short stories from your adventures, I will certainly be willing to set aside my genius and wit being put to dictation to help." He said, his eyes sparkling with good humour.
I nodded then asked him if he'd ever heard of the book I'd described. He hadn't, so I left it on the reading contraption he'd had made for himself and Uncle Gordon promised to read through it and give me his opinion then chased me off to bed.
I paused by the doorway of the room where the skull and radio were, but all was silent. I sighed and went to bed, too tired to even get undressed, and fell into a restful sleep.
The next morning I collected the leftovers and met Ghastly at the door, wondering if he timed himself to show up when I wasn't quite ready. He grinned at me, then was taking me into his arms, for an affectionate kiss. I returned it with interest but we parted quickly as we did have work to get to. That and the amused guffaw from Uncle Gordon, who was watching us from the top of the stairs hurried us out the door.
Ghastly grinned at me as we drove and we talked about the morning ahead. Luckily there was no ceremony to sit through, but I would be expected to collect my robe. "Look at it this way, Valkyrie, at least I made them for you." He said happily.
"True, there is that. And you have to wear them, there's that too." I said grinning. The robes after all were stupid, and although in theory the Grand Mage should have been able to have us do without them and the even stupider wooden thrones, Tipstaff somehow insisted on protocol and won. Tipstaff was on hand to see me collect my robe and gushed on about tradition and keeping the values of our ancestors. Luckily we only had to wear them in meetings that took place in the throne room, so I neatly folded mine and put them in a lower drawer of my new desk.
Ghastly of course was bursting with pride to have me share an office with him, so I made sure to compliment all the hard work and sacrifice he'd made. Erskine walked into our office. "I worked hard too, Valkyrie. I helped elect you, after all." He said, fishing for praise which I gave him and Ghastly rolled his eyes and snorted as he got to his paperwork.
Erskine settled himself into a chair in front of my desk and I eyed him. "I have paperwork to do, go away." I said and he laughed.
"Ghastly told me about the meeting and as the only other Dead Man left hanging about I want in on it. This is still a Sanctuary case, and I am the Grand Mage." He said lightly, but something in his voice made me look up.
"That was an order, wasn't it?" I asked, rather in awe since he rarely took that tone of voice with me.
"Yes, yes it was." He said gently. "Why do you think I elected you, Valkyrie? It is every older brother's fondest dream to boss around his little sister." He smiled faintly but I could tell the order lay underneath the teasing, harder than steel. I made a mental note to never get on his bad side.
"I bet you never bothered Madam Mist in her office." I grumbled.
"She was creepy, so no, I didn't. Besides, I get lonely with only Tipstaff to talk to." He mock-sighed then heaved himself up. "Very well, you know to come fetch me when they appear." He said brightly and left.
Ghastly looked over at me. "Big brother put the fear of God into little sister, didn't he?" He asked, mildly amused.
"Yes, yes he did. I don't think I'm going to like him much anymore." I said and meant it.
Ghastly made a soothing sound. "He's just frightened for you, Valkyrie. That's all. He'll be back to being the village idiot soon enough."
"I heard that." Erskine said as he walked back in with coffee for both of us and settled himself in once more.
"Are you going broody on us, Grand Mage?" I asked and he blushed. "Aw, look, Ghastly, a broody rooster. Aw." I teased and Erskine actually giggled.
"Now you stop that. No fair." He said still laughing. Tipstaff had wondered in and looked at me.
"Can roosters go broody?" He asked politely and both men laughed.
"They can, actually, and they are ten times worse than a hen. They seem to be going broody for every rooster in the world. No idea if they manage to hatch chicks though." I said and he nodded as he absorbed the information. He put some more paperwork on both our desks and handed Erskine his. He left and we all worked with an eye on the clock. The Dead Men hadn't said what time they would arrive, but we had expected an early arrival. But as the day drug on Erskine left for lunch in his own office and we enjoyed our leftovers.
"Déjà vu?" I asked and Ghastly nodded as we got back to work. Erskine came back in, looking troubled.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Shouldn't they have been here by now?" He asked.
"Well, we would have been but for us to transport a person takes some doing." Corrival replied as he appeared with Hopeless and Larrikin. They held a limp Skulduggery between the three of them, and we had him taken to the hospital part of the Sanctuary immediately.
"Lichgate is dead, as in truly dead, but the battle must have been too much for Skulduggery." Corrival told us. "He was like that when we found him and we can't get him to respond, I'm sorry, Valkyrie, but at least the threat is over." He said sadly.
I nodded and Erskine excused me so I could go to the ward where Skulduggery was being tended to. He was still in one piece but not responsive. The doctors were doing what they could, but things looked grim. I wondered where his armour was, but it didn't really matter. I took his hand in mine and spoke soothingly to him. I kept hoping for some response but he lay there, unmoving. At last his skull turned and he looked at me wearily. "Valkyrie." He managed, before his head lolled back and he passed out.
Exactly what happened and where is his armour? Only Skulduggery can say and he's in no condition to at the moment.