Skulduggery – Crow

Anton – Bear

Ghastly – Panda

Dexter – Wolf

Saracen – Weasel

Erskine – Snake

Solomon – Raven

Chapter 33

Tanith's POV

Tanith, Skulduggery, Anton, Ghastly, Saracen and Erskine pulled up in the van at Aranmore Farm, the place Finbar had indicated having the weakness in the dimension or whatever it was – Tanith hadn't really understood, didn't want to and didn't care. What she knew was the sickos that were the Diablerie wanted to use a kid to open the world up to the Faceless One's which would end in everyone dying. So, she wanted to catch and imprison the Diablerie and this Batu guy once and for all.

Hopefully as easy as it was said.

She sighed, looking at the spot Valkyrie usually sat in. She was at home with a headache. Skulduggery hadn't spoken about her at all, not even spoken when Tanith had asked him why she wasn't coming, so Tanith had simply assumed it was from the headache she had complained of earlier.

Saracen had said she couldn't sleep last night and Fletcher had told her, from a distance since she had been sitting with Ghastly at the time, that she had woken early and told him also that she had a headache. Hopefully, she would get some sleep even if she did miss out on all this.

Though it definitely wasn't like her to not just take a numbing leaf and come along.

They pulled up at the farm but only she and Skulduggery got out, posing as a couple of some strange combination, and went to the small farm cottage some way down the dirt path. It was a pretty cottage to be fair. Something she'd have enjoyed in another life.

Tanith knocked on the door, but no answer came. Carefully, she jumped over a dying bush and looked in the window. "Doesn't look like anyone's in."

Skulduggery looked around and shook his head. "This is a farm, he's likely working. We'll wait for him to turn up."

"Do you know him?" Tanith asked.

He shook his head. "I don't have a number to call ahead. I just figured we'd turn up. By the looks of it, this is a single man, with no kids, in his seventies or later sixties. No wife. He probably lives and always lived completely alone."

"That sounds sad," Tanith remarked, looking at Skulduggery. He glanced at her and looked away just as a man of that description came around the side of the house.

"Well, what's this?" The old man said. "Are you trespassing my property? I have signs saying no cold callers so if you're selling something, don't bother."

Skulduggery shook his head and took his hat off. "No, we're not trying to sell anything. Actually, we're investigators. We're looking into a series of murders that have been happening in the area and hoped to talk with yourself. My name is Skulduggery Pleasant and this is my associate, Tanith Low."

He grunted and stabbed his spade in the dirt. "Patrick Hanratty. Did they give you a prize for your stupid names?"

"Mr Hanratty–"

"Paddy."

"Paddy–"

"No, actually call me Mr Hanratty."

Tanith saw Skulduggery's temper rising and took over. "Look, we would like to ask you a few questions. Have you seen anything suspicious in the area recently?"

"Suspicious how?" He asked, leaning on the spade.

"People or things acting weird around your property," she said.

"Other than you two? No."

She sighed internally and decided it was a lost cause. She couldn't deal with him. "Alright, Mr Hanratty. Here's our number," she gave him a note with Skulduggery's number, "and if you see anyone trespassing on your property or strange things happening, please give us a ring."

"Sure thing lady," he said, putting it in his breast pocket.

They left quickly and drove away it was after a few minutes driving that Skulduggery spoke from the driver's seat. "Did you get a picture of him?"

"Yes," Ghastly said, holding his phone up. "It should be enough."

They got back to the mansion in good shape and the mansion was also standing, a feat Tanith was sometimes overpowered with thanks for. It was, truly, good to have a permanent home, even if she was technically not a permanent member. She knew Valkyrie considered her a sister, and she considered Valkyrie her sister, but realistically she couldn't be sure she'd be here forever. Life didn't always work that way after all, and a part of her missed the uncertainty, the travel. Despite those feelings, she loved this place and likely always would.

By Christmas her visa should be processed as well, and she wouldn't have to leave again if she wanted.

She needed to see Valkyrie, but seeing her curtains closed from where she was standing, Tanith decided to leave her for now and followed the others to see Peregrine and Fletcher in the large living room, all furniture gone, and working on Fletcher's teleporting.

"You two are getting on better then," she said, grinning at them. Fletcher blushed and looked away, but Peregrine grinned at her, leaning against the sofa. He looked a lot better than yesterday, had even shaved.

"Fletcher and I have spoken and have agreed that I should begin to teach him the basics," he explained. "How are you Miss Low, I didn't see you this morning?"

She smiled at him. "I'm well, thank you. You're looking a lot better. Could we quickly ask you a few questions about the case?"

He nodded and teleported to her side, putting a hand on her elbow somewhat flirtatiously. "Lead the way."

She smirked and led him to the downstairs meeting room. The others were already sitting, and a large picture of Patrick Hanratty had been projected onto the wall from Ghastly's phone.

"Is this the Paddy you mentioned yesterday?" Skulduggery asked as soon as they closed the door.

"Yes," he said, removing his hand and acting seriously. It wasn't as good a look as happy on him. "How on earth did you find him?"

"He lives at the same location as the weak point to allow the Faceless in is. It seems he's been preparing," Ghastly said, inspecting the picture. "I need a better camera."

"It's a good enough photo," Skulduggery reassured him. It was a little fuzzy. "It would make a lot of sense for him, a mortal, to have committed these murders. He's old enough to have committed the Kessel murder too."

"Wait, you think he's Batu?" Tanith asked, frowning at the picture too. "But he's just a cute old man."

Some of the Dead Men snorted, obviously being far, far older than Paddy, or Batu, or whoever he was. She was older than him. Skulduggery spoke. "Yes, I do. He is not only known by all the victims, as far as we know, he also fits the age description, he tried to redirect the conversation and was unhelpful when we saw him, and the fact he is a mortal coincides with the murder scenes. I believe he's working with the Diablerie."

They all nodded. Peregrine looked shaken. "I can't believe it's him."

"I'm sorry. He was a friend of yours," Tanith said after an awkward moment.

"I had dinner with him last summer. We all did. It was nice," he said. He looked out the window, swore and teleported away.

"I really hope he's not seeing Batu-Paddy," Tanith muttered.

Skulduggery started at her. "He knows the risks."

She nodded once, sharply, and waited for the meeting to finish, suddenly really wanting to see Valkyrie.

"I'll inform the Sanctuary, and, in a few hours, we will stage an attack to capture Batu and the Diablerie. Hopefully they'll be in the same place but if not, we may have to act fast to catch them."

They split up to prepare and Tanith went straight up to Valkyrie.

She loved the girls' room, was even a little jealous of all the cool things she had been given over the years. It was what her little sister deserved though. She had had enough hardship. And having a lovely young woman like Nadia to support her was the cherry on top for Tanith. Someone like Valkyrie needed a girl to calm her down and help her through hard cases and traumatic incidents, and the fact she was funny, sweet and good looking was probably nice for Valkyrie too.

She just hoped the older girl didn't push Valkyrie into something too soon or she'd have to kill her. Anything else and she wouldn't have killed at all but… Valkyrie still had baby fat on her cheeks! It was hard not to get at least a little protective.

If it was Valkyrie's idea, then she honestly couldn't care less and was even a little excited for the gossip of it all.

As it was, she had expected Valkyrie to be sleeping, on her phone, or lying in bed bored. Instead, when she knocked, got no response and peeked in to see her sister lying in an uncomfortable position in the dark, she was left confused.

"Val? What are you doing?" Valkyrie was on her bed with her arms around her head. She didn't make a sound but surely couldn't be sleeping like that? "Val?"

"Tanith?" She said in a hoarse voice. "What happened?"

"We just saw the farm, its owned by the Teleporters mortal friend Paddy who is actually Batu. I thought you were ill. Why aren't you asleep?"

"I'm not ill. Or I wasn't. I'm just grounded. Skulduggery grounded me until December."

Tanith didn't like the anger she said his name with. "Why did he do that?"

"A week for every minute I spent alone with Solomon. The fact he walked out and didn't tell me to follow means nothing. Apparently I'm so well trained I should just follow him out blindly. He said he can't trust me."

Tanith sighed and held Valkyrie tightly. "Talk to Nadia and I'll talk to Skulduggery and try to sort thing out, alright?"

"I can't," she said, glaring at her hands. She flipped her pillow over suddenly, but Tanith still saw a few tear marks on it. "He took away my 'electronic privileges'. He's forgotten he's not my father apparently. Said if I broke any of his rules he'd do worse."

"What?" Tanith said, frowning. "You have him wrapped around your finger, this doesn't sound like him at all."

"I don't want to see him at the moment," Valkyrie said, pouting. Tanith could understand - she had hated being punished as a kid and this was not exactly a well thought out punishment on Skulduggery's behalf.

"I'll go speak to him," Tanith reassured her.

"Don't bother," she said hatefully. Tanith knew it was directed at herself, not Tanith. "Let him do it. See how far it gets him."

Tanith didn't do anything, just looked at the girl, and pulled out her phone. Finding Nadia's number, she called it and Nadia picked up after a moment. "Hello? Who is this please?"

"It's Tanith."

"I haven't been able to get through to Valkyrie," she said immediately. "Is she alright? I know about the Diablerie, I was so worried."

"She's fine, Skulduggery overreacted and took her phone away. Here," she said, passing the phone to Valkyrie.

She grabbed it and held it to her face. "Hello?" She said timidly. Nadia said something, and a look of relieved sorrow passed over her sister's face. "Nadia, I'm so sorry."

Tanith stood with a sigh and left the room, so they could talk, pausing only to tell Valkyrie they were going to arrest Batu and she loved her.

She had to focus on the mission right now, then smack some sense into Skulduggery. She was certain the rest of the Dead Men would be on her side.

Tanith's on the case woot! She's a good sister :)