Chapter 10:

"Whoa! Now that hurt." She had woken up a few minutes ago so her vision was still blurry and her memories still need sorting through. "Hey Skulduggery! What happened to your house its kinda- Holy shit!"

"Finally waking up are we now Darquesse?" A tall and strong man said from behind her.

At first she was shocked so she jumped and turned around to find the man sitting smiling and sharpening his knives. She glared at him. "Don't call me that! I am not her!"

"Oh but you are… or at least you will be."

She was about to say something like 'I will never help you!' or 'Skulduggery will come and find me!' but the entrance of another man stopped her in her tracks. He was tall and lean and didn't look a day older that thirty. He had sleek brown hair and high cheek bones. He features were almost perfect.

"Leave us." He commanded the other man who looked like he had just been day dreaming. "Yes of course sir, right away."

Once the man was out of earshot he started talking.

"So you're the Valkyrie that's been getting all the attention around here?"

Her eyes opened in recognition and suddenly she was backing away from him and into the corner of the room.

"It's you." She said quietly.

"So you finally figured it out. Well done! I'm guessing you got the help of that… what's her name again? Oh well you know who I'm talking about."

"What do you want with me?" she asked him unfazed acting like the fact a really powerful mage responsible for the war and killing thousands was not scaring her in the least bit.

"Oh, that. I don't want anything with you dear."

"You want her don't you?"

"Yes, yes I do and I'm positive she will be making an appearance."

"Well I'm just going to have to let you down there sorry." She said mockingly.

"Don't you dare mock me girl. I am older and experienced than you I could take you down like that or even let her out earlier."

"But you're not going to do that are you. You don't want to ruin your plan do you?"

"Oh well I warned you." And with that he left her alone in the dark room to think for herself.

Was Skulduggery really coming for her? Would he find her in time? What if he didn't, she would become Darquesse and kill the world along with her parents, Alice, side by side with some of the most wanted, and dangerous criminals who have walked the earth.

How can this possibly get any worse?

"Valkyrie!" I yelled.

"She's not here! It's a trap!" Skulduggery yelled from somewhere in the warehouse.

Holy shit that's the last thing I need really.

That's when I got pulled behind one of the many crates in the room I was about to scream when someone put a hand to my mouth.

"Chill girl! It's just me, Tanith you know, your friend?"

"I hate you! You scared me shitless!" I said back to her causing a massive grin to spread on her face.

"I know, now shut up before the freaking find us."

We got out of there in one piece to find Skulduggery, Erskine, Ghastly and the cleavers by the car.

"Where's Val?" I asked.

"We couldn't find her" Erskine said. "but we know where she will be." Erskine said.

"Where?" Tanith and I said simultaneously causing us to grin. Just like old times. Us three, in sync.

"At the live show Kenny's doing. We're pretty sure he's going to have her there so their lot can reveal their plan along with the magical community." Skulduggery said interrupting Erskine. "Tanith?"

"Yes?" she answered turning to face Skulduggery.

"Can I have a word in private please?"

"Sure." She said leaving me behind.

"It's about Val." I said as soon as we were out of ear shot.

"What about her?" Tanith answered.

"Do you remember the night we went the remnant got inside of you don't you? When you found out about Valkyrie being Darquesse?"

"Vaguely, why?" Tanith said and cut me off before I could say anything. "you think that they're going to reveal that as well as the fact that she is Valkyrie Cain and Stephanie Edgely, or that they are going to make her turn, or… or-"

"That's exactly what I'm thinking."

"Oh god, Skulduggery! What are we going to do?"

"Tanith calm down. We are going to go to the studio tomorrow and get her back, hopefully stopping the broadcast in the process."

"Right, good plan… right, er, I'm going to go now. Wait what are the others going to say when they find out? What if they want to kill her?"

"I think we're just going to have to trust the fact that they n=know her better than that and actually care for her. It's the rest of the world we're going to have to worry about."

She just nodded and walked back to Dawn.

I stood there for a while, Valkyrie was like a daughter to me. I had grown to care for her and loved her. I was not going to let anyone take her away from me. It would be too much like when my own child was killed.

The memories flooded through my head, or should I say skull. The past seventeen years had been the best in my life, death whatever.

I would not let history repeat itself. I was going to make sure this didn't happen.

A few minutes of thinking to myself the door opened again and the man who had brought me here stepped into the room.

"What the hell do you want?" I snapped and realised a few seconds too late that it was probably the wrong choice of words.

"The boss said you were being a naughty girl."

"Well he's right about that one." I said coolly.

"He also said that you needed some discipline." He said the last words with a grin that really freaked me out. I started backing into the corner as he revealed a long blade from the inside of his coat.

Three hours later:

I had cuts and bruises all along my body. The pain was unbearable. I just wanted to die right then and there. I had fallen unconscious at some stage of the torturing and for that I was grateful.

The pain hit me all at once and I couldn't take it anymore so I started screaming again. My screams echoing throughout the room and down the long and dark corridors. There was blood on the floor and memories flooded through my head. Memories of when I was happy. I was so happy when my conscious started slipping away from me again and I just hoped that when I woke up I would find this was all a dream.

A/N:
Like, not like please let me know.
I have been really busy with stuff lately and all with like you know stuff…
I know this is no excuse but I thought this chapter might make it up to you …?
Anyways on to more positive matters, the next chapter will be out within the next couple of days hopefully.
Please review ! It makes me update faster knowing that more people are waiting for it.
Thanks for all the support guys and once again hope you like the chapter also tell me : do you want Val's parents to be there in the audience or not?
Thanks :DD
Keep reading,
Sophie Elizabeth xx