For reference ~

Tanith is exactly: six months, two weeks, five days

Valkyrie is four days in a coma

Chapter 114

Sleep was difficult to find, but once she was unconscious, she stayed like that until ten the next morning. She had a few blissful moments between sleep and wakefulness where she felt almost nothing at all and stretched through a smile. Then she sagged back into a fatal position as anxiety and some other funny feeling she didn't like filled her belly.

Unfortunately for Nadia, she couldn't stay there wallowing because there was a whole family waiting to do things and she might be holding them up, especially if they wanted to visit Valkyrie and Anton, so she pulled herself out of the gigantic bed and shuffled through her bag for her toiletries.

Once she had cleaned her face, toned it, moisturised and given herself a strict talking to, she dressed and went down to see what was happening, hoping some breakfast might still be around even though it was now about to be eleven.

As soon as she was downstairs, though, she saw she had no reasonable chance of eating even if there was food because Skulduggery Pleasant was already sitting in an armchair by the window and Tanith, Erskine, Dexter and Saracen were sitting around also. They were talking in soft voices but went quiet when she came into the room.

"Nadia," Tanith said, giving her a smile and encouraging her to come closer. She did and sat next to Tanith. "We were talking about how to rescue Solomon."

Nadia's eyes widened a little in shock, but then she nodded quickly and sat back to let that conversation continue.

"We can't take on all the Spider's how we are," Erskine said in a low, but reasonable, voice. He didn't look happy but didn't look as panicky as he had been when the Spider's location had been brought up the day before. "And I can't go there. I know we're down two people, maybe Ghastly too, but I can't go there again."

"That's fine," Dexter said in a strong voice of finality. "We wouldn't expect you to. This needs to be an in and out mission, quiet and quick without anyone noticing we were ever there. And it needs to be quick. They might move on. They might have already moved on."

"They'll know I would have told you where they were," Skulduggery warned. "Anyone going near there will cause the whole place to get ready to kill you, and they always have wanted us all dead. I wouldn't be surprised if they killed Craven for leaving me behind. The only reason they would have remained behind and stayed there is if they are waiting for us."

"Seems about right," Dexter agreed, sitting back in his chair. "No matter what, we are all we have. Tanith and Erskine aren't going, so it's me and Saracen. An easy in and out."

"I can go," Skulduggery said immediately, his head tilting at Dexter. Nadia was suddenly stuck with how much Valkyrie copied her friends.

"You're too involved," Saracen said, glaring at Skulduggery. Nadia couldn't help but agree. "You're not going."

Skulduggery made a move like he was going to argue, but then he sat back a little. She could never tell what he was thinking or felt. "Okay."

"Good," Dexter said, glancing at Saracen who glared down Skulduggery for a few more moments before letting it go.

"Well, I need to get going," Tanith said, pulling herself off the sofa at a strange angle that was apparently most comfortable. "Erskine, are you okay to drive?"

"Sure," he said, and the two of them left the room for whatever they were going to. Nadia was pretty sure it was an appointment with Tanith's midwife from the bits of conversation she'd eavesdropped the day before.

"We should go see Pa and talk about a plan," Dexter said, standing up. Saracen stood after him and they stood close, closer than Nadia had seen them do before, and it was actually nice to see at least one couple seemed strong even though they had difficult things going on in life.

"I can help," Skulduggery said, standing and picking up his hat. "I know the layout."

Dexter and Saracen nodded and they left out the front too, utterly forgetting about Nadia sitting right there on the sofa, watching them leave.

The front door shut.

She watched the Bentley drive away.

Nadia kind of sat there for a moment, thinking about what to do, and then stood up and looked around as if there were some other babysitter around and realised they really had forgotten they were meant to do something with her. Then she remembered she was going to be eighteen in just a few months, and as an almost adult, she was capable of moving around a house she was invited to and willingly – or accidently? – left at alone.

She remembered where the kitchen was from her other infrequent visits but found it had been redesigned in the last few years. There was two sides to the kitchen and it was relatively thin but that was because the counters were extra deep to give more room, and without an island or the old table, there was a lot of movement space. There was a double oven in the middle opposite the window the massive double basin sink looked out of, but there were another two ovens stacked on the wall by the archway that led to the laundry room. The largest fridge freezer Nadia had ever seen in person was opposite those ovens, and when Nadia opened the two double doors, she fully recognised she and Valkyrie could sit in there comfortably and still have a ton of food with them.

The top shelf of the fridge had a bunch of plastic containers, and Nadia pulled two of the boxes down to see it was leftovers. One of the boxes on the very right side she stretched to reach was a fruit salad that was a little brown but when she opened it, it smelt fresh so she kept it for her own. She then picked out a smaller tub that had a boring looking tomato pasta. She heated that up in the massive industrial microwave and went to the living room to eat her breakfast cross lunch in front of the television.

She was incredibly full by the end of the meal, but once her half hour show was over, she felt peckish already, and since she was alone, she wandered over into the kitchen for a little more.

"Hi, Nadia," Fletcher said.

Nadia screeched and dropped the tubs and her fork on the floor where it clattered.

"Oh. Sorry," he said, and teleported closer and picked it up for her. His girlfriend, Myra, who Valkyrie said she didn't particularly like, was by the ovens mixing something together and gave her a smile. "Where are the others?"

"Um, Tanith is at her maternity place because she's not well, Erskine is driving her and the others went to the temporary Sanctuary I think." She took the tubs from him and started putting them in the dishwasher. "I don't know where Ghastly is. He was with us yesterday and then he disappeared."

"I picked him up yesterday and took him to his shop," Fletcher said, frowning. "What happened? He was really mad."

"Him and Tanith had a fight because Ghastly was telling her what to do and she's sick of it, and then we went to see Skulduggery in an old Gaol and he got mad and told him he wouldn't forgive Skulduggery no matter what, and he pushed through us to leave, because he was so mad, and pushed into Tanith," she explained, leaving out some of the gory details since Nadia didn't know how much the others, particularly Tanith, wanted other people to know. "To be honest, I don't think he realised at all that he pushed her, but she got really ill and threw up and was in a lot of pain."

"Damn," Fletcher said. "I haven't really been up to date since the Sanctuary blew up. I've just been moving stuff and waiting for a new Sanctuary to, you know, move more stuff."

"Neither, until yesterday," Nadia admitted, closing the dishwasher and turning to face him. Myra was balling up her mixture with her hands and putting the chocolate chip biscuit dough on a sheet. "Tanith asked me to live here so I could easier see Valkyrie in hospital. I don't know if you know, but she's in a coma. Tanith thinks that me talking to her might help her come back."

"Oh god," Fletcher whispered with wide eyes. He obviously hadn't been told anything. "What does the doctor say?"

"Doctor Kenspeckle? I haven't spoken to him, but Tanith said that he said that she should wake up, but he can't say when. Even if I don't help, me and Tanith agree that some people can hear when they're in coma's so it helps for me to be there. I'm meant to be basically talking to her non-stop."

"But, why didn't they take you there before they went out?" Fletcher asked.

Nadia smiled a little bitterly. "Well, yesterday, after talking to Skulduggery, they spoke to Elder Deuce and the Grand Mage and they decided to let Skulduggery go on the grounds that he was forced to bring the bomb in after being tortured, so it kind of wasn't his fault, and they believe that someone else was with him that blew the Sanctuary up. I'm on their side about that, but they let him go, and I don't think anyone's really comfortable about it until Valkyrie's awake and says what she saw. After all that, he turned up this morning and they were talking about rescuing Solomon. Tanith and Erskine left, and then the other three did, and I think they forgot I was there."

"Yeah, I know how that feels," Fletcher said, leaning back on the counter. "Hey, do you want me to take you to see Valkyrie? You can give me a call and I can bring you back if you want."

Nadia considered it and then nodded. "That would be really nice."

"That's okay," he grinned and without even seeing him move, she felt his hand on her shoulder and she was suddenly in the Hibernian Cinema.

Nadia swayed and with a turn of her stomach, she threw up all over the floor.

"Ah, sorry," Fletcher said from the other side of the room. "I forget that happens sometimes."

She choked up the last of the throw-up and spat it out before standing back up. "It's fine," she said, already regretting not eating more and not bringing something with her, and then the assistant Civet came in.

"Oh no," he said lightly, giving her a smile. "First time teleporting? Everyone has the same reaction. Are you two here to see Valkyrie?"

"Yeah," Nadia said, wishing she had some water, and despite it not being her first time. It was just the first time she hadn't prepared herself. Civet sent the two of them to the back to go and see Valkyrie, who was in the exact same position as she was yesterday when Nadia left her, pale and breathing on the bed. Civet gave them a smile and went off, presumably to clean her throw up, which she could already feel herself getting guilty over, damn it, but tried to ignore that part of her so she could focus on Valkyrie.

After taking her moment to take in the girl, she came forward and stroked her hair back, feeling how silky it still was after four days of being unconscious. "It's weird," she said absently. "Her hair is still soft."

Fletcher stood on Valkyrie's other side and looked at her face sadly. "It is," he said, not touching it or really making a move at all. "She apologised a few months ago, and I asked to have Myra live with me, and didn't bother to see her after. I didn't even go to the Ball, even when she made them put me and Myra on the list. I asked Ghastly about it once, a month ago or so, and he said she had argued for me and had been disappointed I didn't come but was thrilled you were dating her again. I don't think Valkyrie really wanted to cut me out, but the others don't really like me."

"You said you spoke to Ghastly?" Nadia said.

He shrugged. "I ask something, he answers. Not much, is it?"

"They have a close-knit family," Nadia commented. "It's hard to fit in when they're so tight. They can hold hands or kiss, or hug, or even sleep in each-others bed and it's not weird because they just have so much trust and love. It's not something most people can get in on."

"You've managed it," he said.

"Not really," she said quietly, pulling on a lock of Valkyrie's hair and beginning to braid it. "I'm close with Valkyrie, but no more than she is with Dexter, or Erskine, or Tanith. I mean, they're family, they should be. But I'm not really that close with the others. I know more about Anton than the other Dead Men, and that's only because everyone's met Anton through the Midnight Hotel. I slept there when I was a kid once when we went to India. I even spoke to him, but I was really young."

"Is… is that Anton over there?" Fletcher asked, looking at the end of the ward.

Nadia nodded. "I think he should wake up soon. He did already once, but he's still ill so he was put back to sleep so he could heal. I think Doctor Kenspeckle's mad because he was already hurt before he pulled Valkyrie out of the fires."

"I didn't know he did that."

Nadia just nodded and found herself wishing Valkyrie could wrap her up in her strong arms and cuddle her until she fell asleep.

"I heard things weren't so great at your house," Fletcher said.

Nadia shrugged. "It's okay," she said shortly.

Fletcher rocked on his feet for a moment and stuck his hands in his pockets. "You know, I had a pretty bad home life a few years ago too. It was a bit different, and I know we don't know each other much, but I wouldn't mind talking to you if you want. I know how it can get overwhelming sometimes, even when you love your folks and they love you and all. Like you wish you could be somewhere else and recreate those good times you used to have with someone else, without the bad memories hanging on. I mean, how else could I suddenly get the ability to Teleport other than wishing really hard? Just, I'm here if you want it."

Nadia swallowed back a ball of emotion in her throat. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

.*****.

Nadia stayed at the hospital for an hour with Fletcher, just talking about things that had happened recently, particularly the Spiders and what they thought and knew between them, before heading back to the mansion for food. Although she loved being with Valkyrie, she felt nauseous with hunger, so it was good to finally get something in her after throwing her breakfast up.

Myra was in the kitchen just taking out a tray of biscuits when they teleported in. The second time wasn't so bad on her stomach, but Nadia still swayed while the couple hugged. Luckily, that was the extent of the damage that time.

"Did you have lunch?" Fletcher asked Myra. Nadia went to the fridge and got out an apple and a yoghurt.

"No, I thought we could get sushi," she answered. "Don't touch my cookies. They're for dessert."

"Fine. We can do that. Hey, Nadia," Fletcher said. Nadia turned from chopping her apple into chunks. "If you want to see Valkyrie again later, just give me a call. I don't mind taking you."

She smiled. "Thank you."

He smiled back and a moment later he and Myra were gone, the tray of fresh, warm biscuits left on the side to cool. Nadia's mouth watered just looking at them, but she wasn't sure how her tummy would be after stuffing herself and then throwing up, so she mixed her yoghurt into the apples and stuck with that. She could make her own later if she wanted.

Nadia looked around the living room and felt her heart sink just a little. It was even lonelier now.

She decided it was best to go lay on Valkyrie's bed and relax with her snack, but didn't even get to the stairs before she heard a car rolling down the gravel and ran back into the living room like a kid to see who it was. It was the Bentley. But only Skulduggery was in it.

She still wasn't completely comfortable with his presence but tried to look casual on the couch. He shut the front door quietly and she watched as he came straight into the living room and sat opposite her.

"Nadia," he said quietly. "I have something I need to ask of you."

Nadia cleared her throat and put her bowl down on the coffee table. "Umm, what do you need?"

"I need to know if you would help me get Solomon back?"

She felt her heart skip a beat from shock and abhorrence to being anywhere near any place Solomon was being kept captive. The Children of the Spider's where there! "What?"

"The others think the best way to get Solomon back is to go in quietly, get Solomon, and leave. I think they're underestimating the Spiders," he explained, fiddling with the rim of his hat and staring at her intently with his gaping holes for eyes. " I think one person, small enough to fit in the vents, is the way to go. They have ventilation tubing throughout the safehouse, and I don't believe they allow smaller, real spiders in there because they use fans in the forging area, so it'll be safe to crawl through and get to Solomon."

"That's a bad idea," she squeaked. "You – I can't fit in a vent."

"You can, because Valkyrie can," he said as if that was all she needed. "I'll draw out a map, and all you'll need to do is follow it to Solomon. You won't go near any mage whatsoever."

"But – but what about getting him out the cell?" Nadia asked. "Solomon must be locked up, right? I can't get him out."

"You will be able to," he said and reached into his jacket pocket for something. He held it out to Nadia and she took it. It was a golden coloured string. "That's a String Blade. It's an old idea, but this one's brand new. Just wrap it around the bars of Solomon's cell and rub it back and forth, and it'll break."

"Dexter and Saracen won't like that," she whispered, staring at the string.

"No, they won't," Skulduggery said, and Nadia looked up at him. She could hear the remorse in his voice. "I'm going to tell them you went to your house while you're rescuing Solomon. I'll be there to collect you and him, and if anything happens, I'll be able to come in and help you. I'll have your back."

"I – I don't really want to be involved in this," she said, her heart beating wildly. "They'll be really mad."

"Not with you," he said, dropping the hat on the table. "But the Spider's will realise Dexter and Saracen are in the safehouse in minutes. They'll kill Solomon and take those two hostage and use them to get to Erskine. Their plan won't work, but this will, and if we do it now, there's no chance of Dexter and Saracen going and getting caught."

"I'll get caught. I'm meant to be here for Valkyrie," she said, standing up suddenly. She didn't know what to do. "Why can't you fit through the vents?"

"I'm too big," he explained. "You're small enough to get around the bends in the vents and light enough to be quiet. You have to trust me, Nadia. You're our only chance. You're Solomon's only chance."

"I– I–" she tried, and rushed around him. "I'm going to the loo."

She ran there, sprinted down the hall, and locked the door firmly behind her. She sat on the loo and thought about Skulduggery's words, thought about if what he was saying was right or wrong or worth it or anything at all. All she could think was that she knew nothing about attacking or breaking into a place, and she had no idea how Skulduggery thought she'd get into a vent in the first place let alone crawl all the way to Solomon.

She splashed her face with water and took some deep breaths until her hands were shaking a little less and went back to see Skulduggery. He was sitting in the same place waiting for her.

"How do you think I'd get into the vent?" She asked him, sitting down on the edge of the sofa.

"There's a maintenance shed outside that will let you into the vent shaft. It used to be a full house, but now it is just a small shed, they don't bother guarding it. You'll be fine getting into it, the safehouse is concealed by trees," he told her. "It's already been scoped out."

Nadia nodded, clenching and unclenching her hands. "And then I'd follow the map you'll make me to find Solomon, use the String to break him out. Right?"

"That's exactly right. Will you do it?"

Nadia took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and thought about Valkyrie. She would want her to. She would probably she proud she did something so good, but she was also scared, so, so very scared of the Spiders. Still, she felt herself nod. Saracen and Dexter were going to run headfirst into the Spiders if she didn't. They could be letting their hate of Skulduggery get in the way of a good plan. She just wished they'd agreed so she didn't have to do it. "Yes."

"Excellent. We need to leave now."

Oh shit. This is escalating, just like I was writing about roughly fifteen-twenty chapters previously. This is why I was going crazy trying to give content before because I was writing scary stuff like this!

Lonelygirl702: You're very sweet, thank you :) I hope the Skulduggery reunion wasn't too rubbish, I had some big plans for a shout off, but I really wanted to get into the shit I just yeeted Nadia into, so I kind of brushed over it. Then again, maybe all this chapter is the reunion of sorts! I wrote the chapter needed to upload this is class actually, a whole two thousand words in lecture. AND when in lecture, I made a point about some work (which was valid, you just talk in class because it's a small group and it's uni) and another girl literally said "Well, as I was going to say before I was repeatedly interrupted" and her friend asked, "Who me?" And the first one said, "No, somebody else" and stared right at me! I held in my anger because I'm a good gorl, but my friend called her a filthy cow under her breath so I am appreciative. Honestly, I hate that girl so much! Thank you again for your support, I love writing this story so much :)