As Skulduggery and Valkyrie struggled to free themselves, they heard a voice echoing through the room. "Well, well, well," the voice said. "What have we here? Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain, all tied up and ready to be delivered to their doom."
The two of them looked up and saw a figure approaching them, his face obscured by shadows. But even though they couldn't see his face, there was something familiar about his voice.
As the figure stepped into the light, Skulduggery and Valkyrie gasped in shock. It was Serpine, the evil sorcerer who was meant to be dead.
Serpine grinned at them, his eyes glittering with malice. "Surprised to see me?" he asked. "I bet you thought I was dead, didn't you? But you should know by now that a good villain never stays dead for long."
Skulduggery and Valkyrie glared at him, their expressions full of hatred. They remembered all too well the damage that Serpine had caused in the past.
"What do you want, Serpine?" Skulduggery asked, his voice cold.
Serpine chuckled darkly. "What do I want? You really don't know, do you? I want power, Skulduggery. I want to rule the magical world, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get there."
He paced back and forth in front of them, his eyes gleaming with madness. "And you two are going to help me," he said. "You're going to help me take down the Council of Elders and seize control of the magical world. And if you don't…well, let's just say that I have ways of making you cooperate."
Skulduggery and Valkyrie exchanged panicked looks.