Skulduggery – Crow

Anton – Bear

Ghastly – Panda

Dexter – Wolf

Saracen – Weasel

Erskine – Snake

Solomon – Raven

Chapter 67

Valkyrie, Snake, Panda, Tanith, Wolf, Weasel and Raven all panted as they glared at Divina Marr who sat in the middle of the room tied to a chair. Crow was standing right over her with a somewhat satisfied look on his face. There was no way the Elders could allow her to continue to be a Sanctuary detective now she'd tried to break in, after all.

"Detective Marr," Crow said from behind her. The others quickly moved into position, standing at the doors and windows, allowing Tanith and Valkyrie to stand right in front of her and cross their arms. "What could possibly have made you think it's a good idea to try and break into the residency of the Dead Men and co?"

She said nothing, just spat blood onto their carpet.

Crow tutted. "Breaking in, I can deal with. Breaking that vase, I can deal with."

"It was from Beryl anyway," Valkyrie put in.

"Exactly. Disgusting! But spitting on the carpet? Someone has to clean that now. That is just rude."

Marr sneered. "I have reasons for coming here."

"But not for spitting on the carpet," Crow said, coming around and standing between Valkyrie and Tanith. "Tell me the reasons."

"No."

"Why?"

"I can't."

"Why can't you?"

She said nothing.

Crow hummed and used his magic to pull his armchair over to sit opposite her. "We're going to have to guess, are we? I think you're forgetting that as this is not yet a Sanctuary operation, no one here is being held by Sanctuary rules so we can do this our way." He leaned in. "Or you can tell us what we want and we can put you under Sanctuary protection by taking you in."

She glared at him. "You're all despicable. You shouldn't have that type of power to mess with people's lives. You're still a Sanctuary Detective. You're still Head of the Investigations Department. You shouldn't be allowed to pick and choose when you follow the rules or don't."

Crow tilted his head. "And you don't get to break into other people's homes, but look where we are."

"You arrogant prick. You have no idea why I'm doing this, or else you'd understand."

"Would I? Perhaps if you told me that reason I could make that verdict for myself. So what is it going to take to make you talk? Last time it was the threat of losing your job that made you leave myself and Valkyrie alone, but I think it's fair to say that's worn off. What could I try next? The fact you'll be sent back to America, or at least out the country if you lose your job? The fact you'll never be able to get a Sanctuary job again? Maybe it's your sister, that's still on trial following her aiding and abetting a murder in this country? Or perhaps the threat of having a psychic friend of ours rummage through your head for us is enough?"

She glanced at Valkyrie and Tanith's stony faces and wetted her lips. She looked nervous but no less convinced in her motive. "Get your psychic. They won't find anything."

"Why won't they?" Valkyrie asked her.

She spat at Valkyrie and blood landed on the carpet an inch from Valkyrie's socked feet.

"It's probably worse to make me angry," Valkyrie told her calmly. "Unlike him, the Elders like me and would let me get away with cold murder. So you might want to stop throwing your blood on my carpet and tell me why they won't find anything in that head of yours. Or are you so stupid you forgot?"

"That's not how it should work!" Marr snarled. "A child shouldn't be able to hold that much power. It's not right or safe and everyone is letting you get away with it!"

"Says the woman that used her power to conduct an unwarranted investigation into my activities and then forced me into letting you search my home in an inappropriate way. Is that the sort of things they should allow leniency in? Something tells me the public would prefer a cute kid running around with the backing of their favourite people than some bitch that breaks into children's homes."

Marr snarled but didn't say anything for a pause, so Valkyrie smirked at her. "The public doesn't understand what it needs. I need to make them see."

"See what?"

"That all of you are being given so much leniency it's causing more bad than good. If you lot weren't here unsettling the balance, this country wouldn't have the problems it does."

"Ireland was the battlegrounds for most of the war," Crow said smoothly. "Not only that, but it's a Cradle of Magic. There are many people that still want to upend what we have fought for, what we sacrificed for, to gain a little more power for themselves. Not just other supporters of Mevolent either – other Sanctuaries are ready to pounce on us if we make even one false move."

Marr laughed bitterly. "You think other Sanctuaries want to take your precious Cradle away?"

"Of course. They have for many years. The Sanctuary was very open with all the people and countries when they asked the Dead Men to remain a unit and work on any cases they brought to us. It's to keep a level a fear the Sanctuary alone cannot bring."

"You admit you use fear?" Marr laughed. "I didn't think it would be so easy."

Crow tilted his head to the other side. "Of course. We know we use fear against our enemies. It's not a secret. But we do not do things to raise fear. Mages know our reputation and that is all they need to stay clear of crime in our country. It's why only the worst of the worst come here – they're looking directly for us. But we can always handle them. We stop the majority of murderers and terrorists from trying to destroy our country simply by being here."

Marr didn't look convinced. "You're wrong and so is everyone else. You're nothing special. You just convinced everyone you are. I'll make everyone see."

"See how horrible we are? Is that why you broke in?" Crow asked her.

"No," Marr said.

Out the corner of her eye, Valkyrie saw Tanith half turn around and a bullet hit her in the shoulder.

She growled out her pain and they all turned as Wolf and Weasel barrelled right into a massive man wearing black and a mask. They were thrown back by him and Weasel slumped on the floor unconscienced.

"He's the Bonebreaker!" Valkyrie shouted, the little glint of the mask reflecting just like it had in the Temple's security camera.

They all backed off and he slowly walked into the room. "Dead Men," he said slowly, coming to a stop just inside. Wolf slowly got up behind him but they all kept a good distance to escape his magic. He had a Russian accent. "The basilisks in a world of headless geese. It is an honour."

"Why are you here?" Crow asked quickly, pulling the trigger of his gun back.

The Russian looked at Valkyrie. "I have orders."

He came up so fast on her Valkyrie couldn't so much as take a step back before the Russian tapped Valkyrie very, very gently on her sternum right above her heart. It blew the air from her lungs but her jacket took the worst of the blow.

Tanith pushed him back with a kick and the others threw their power straight at him, bullets, purple energy, fire, air, and punches all hitting him at once but he was merely rocked left and right and punched Valkyrie so hard without magic he broke her collarbone anyway.

Valkyrie fell to the floor and shuffled away from the frenzied fight. Catching movement, she saw Marr was struggling out of her shackles and had very nearly scrapped her skin off in an attempt to get them off – and it was working.

Growling against the pain, she jumped on the woman and they both went down, Marr screaming her pain when her arm got caught between the chair and floor with both their bodies pushing on it.

It didn't have the effect it needed though and Marr punched her bloody fist into Valkyrie's eye with a pained cry. Rolling off the woman, Valkyrie gathered shadows to herself and flicked them to the slowly rising Marr, throwing her halfway across the room. She'd have thrown her about more, but Crow was thrown into her and they both tumbled across the floor in a tangle of limbs.

"Get off me!" Valkyrie growled at Crow and he got up with a deep groan. She attempted to get up but the fractured bones ground against each other when she tried. She screamed in pain and fell back to the floor, breathing heavily through her teeth. Crow reloaded his gun and was shooting, and the alarms went off again when the window was smashed by Marr. Crow ran after her and Valkyrie forced herself to sit up against the wall and watch as the Russian used his magic on Panda, making his scream and fall to his knees as a mess of broken bones and blood. Tanith swiped at him with a war cry, fainting, and swooping to slice his leg right open.

He shouted in pain and moved back towards Valkyrie.

"Let him go!" Bear suddenly shouted. "Let him go!"

They held back and the Russian ran and jumped out the same window as Marr, making his getaway. Those who could ran for the window - Valkyrie had a view from the floor - and watched him go, running straight for Crow and picking Marr up and throwing her over his shoulder before Crow could get her away from him. She shouted at the man but he ran faster than Crow could and he stopped trying when he saw the rest of them looking from the window.

As he made his way back to the mansion, the rest of them took note of what had to be done, and Snake used his magic to lift Panda and take him to the car.

"That was a shattering defeat," Tanith muttered darkly next to Valkyrie in the van.

"You can say that again. We don't even know what they want, other than to kill us all," Valkyrie said, chewing a leaf. Looking over Panda's broken, barely alive body, she grabbed Tanith's hand and held it tightly.

"Don't worry," Tanith whispered, closing her eyes tightly. "It's okay. It's going to be okay. Ghastly will be alright."

"Will he?" Valkyrie asked as unwanted tears filled her eyes.

Tanith just rested her head on Valkyrie's shoulder, acting more anxiously than Valkyrie had ever seen her.

For those wondering - this is me sowing the seeds for the run-up to the end of the story (we're still smack bam in the middle, don't worry, lots to come yet!). I just wished to point out that I am coming up with what will eventually be the ending, and all sorts of fun things are happening.

You may have been wondering what I'd do with Erskine/Snake. This is me retelling the story so he is our beloved not evil brother and other things will create evil! I still have a few plot holes though, so if there's anything you want to see, or even just one tiny detail for one character in particular, please say! I love this story and all of you that read and review, seeing your feedback and interest makes my day! :)