"How is that possible?!" shouted Valkyrie. "It should be impossible to escape from the Sanctuary's prison! We have guards everywhere! There is no way that Serpine could have snuck past them all! Besides, he was wearing handcuffs even when he was in the cell, right?"
"I don't yet know how this is possible, Valkyrie. All I know is that about ten minutes ago when the guards were going to give Serpine his food, he wasn't in his cell. The cell door was wide open, and the handcuffs were on the floor. None of the guards on duty are gone and we're not missing any cars either, which means if this is an inside job then none of the guards on duty right now are to blame, plus someone was waiting for Serpine once he managed to get out in the parking lot.
We have checked the surveillance cameras, but he's only been seen on a few. I suspect that Serpine did not take the usual route to get out, but somehow got information about the less busy roads where there are not as many surveillance cameras to get out to the parking lot. We managed to glimpse the outline of an unknown person on the few cameras located at the back of the prison, but unfortunately the person's face is not visible in any of the images.
The only thing we have managed to figure out is that it is a man who was dressed in black clothes with the hood pulled up so that his face could not be perceived. I know he was the one who unlocked Serpine's cell and escorted him out, because we have him on tape. How he could know about the location of the cameras and how to go I don't know, but I have my suspicions. I believe we are dealing with a former employee, alternatively one of our employees who was not working the shift when Serpine disappeared."
Valkyrie gripped the phone so tightly that her hand had turned white. She felt her hand start to tingle and she forced herself to relax to get the feeling back in her hand. She took a deep breath before saying "Tell me what to do."
"Get here as soon as you can. We need to find out if we have a leak in the Sanctuary and if so, who this leak is. Then we must contact all the police stations around Ireland and tell them that Serpine has escaped. We will also need to guard his most loyal minions to make sure none of them are hiding Serpine."
"I understand. I will come as soon as I am sure my family is safe. I will call Tanith in the car and ask her to come too. The more people who help, the better."
"You do what you have to, Valkyrie," China said and hung up.
"Stephanie, what's going on?"
Valkyrie flinched at her mother's voice and turned so she could look her in the eyes. "Mom, go get your emergency bags. You, dad and Alice are to take the car and go to my house and stay there until I say otherwise."
Her mother stared at her daughter in confusion. "I don't understand... What's going on? Why do we have to go…?"
"Mom, just do as I say! Your lives may be in danger! Nefarian Serpine has escaped from his cell, and we don't know what he plans to do in the near future! For all I know, he might want revenge on me for catching him and putting him in jail. If so, he will find you and torture you to death!"
Her mother put one hand over her mouth as she gasped for breath. She took a step back and braced herself against the wall with her free hand. Her father and little sister joined them and when her father saw his wife's terrified face, he rushed to her and took her in his arms. "Melissa honey, what is it?"
"Dad, get the emergency bags. You must take your car and go to my house. I don't know how long you will have to stay at my place, but I have food for several weeks, so you don't have to worry."
"Stephanie, what has happened? Your mother looks like she's going to pass out at any moment and now you're saying we must hide at your place?!"
"Just do as I say!" Valkyrie shouted, causing Alice to start crying and Xena to bark worryingly. Valkyrie lifted her little sister in her arms and whispered comforting words in her ear before kneeling and petting her dog to make her calm down. She looked up at her father. "Serpine has escaped from prison. I can't take any chances as long as he's at large. Pick up the bags now. I will call you as soon as I know more."
Her father paled but nodded before running up the stairs. Her mother had rallied and took Alice from Valkyrie. She stroked Alice's hair and followed her husband up the stairs to help him with the bags.
As soon as her family was gone Valkyrie dialled Fletcher's number as she continued to pet Xena who by now had stopped barking. She tilted her head to the side and looked up at her mother worriedly. Valkyrie gave her dog a reassuring smile and when Fletcher answered she said "Fletcher, me and Xena won't be able to come by tonight. Serpine has somehow managed to escape from the Sanctuary and I must go there to try and figure out how that is possible."
"What are you saying?!" Fletcher exclaimed. "My God, that should be impossible! Do you need help? I can be there in a few minutes."
"You'd better stay away, Fletcher. I can't risk Serpine going after you too. I just asked my family to go home to me as they are safe there. Serpine doesn't know where I live and even if he does, I have so many security devices installed there that he can't get in without my help."
"I am not afraid of Serpine, Valkyrie. You know that if you need my help, I'm here."
"And I'm extremely grateful for that, Fletcher. I really am, but I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you because I let you get involved."
"If you regret it, I'm just a phone call away, Valkyrie. Promise me you'll be careful. I do not want to lose you."
"I'll do my best," Valkyrie replied, hanging up just as her parents came down the stairs. "Are you guys ready to go?"
Her father nodded. "We are."
"Good. You remember how to disable and re-enable the alarm and the other security measures, right?"
"Yes, honey we do." Her mother gave a weak smile before giving Valkyrie a tight hug. "Call as soon as you know anything."
"I will," Valkyrie replied before giving her father and little sister a goodbye hug. She gave Xena a hug before pointing to her family and said "Xena, follow."
Xena barked once, licked Valkyrie's cheek, then followed her mother's family to their car. Melissa opened the passenger door and strapped Alice in while Desmond unlocked the cage Valkyrie had installed in the tailgate of their car in case, they would need to transport Xena. The dog obediently jumped into the cage and settled down on its floor. Desmond closed the tailgate and then got into the driver's seat. He started the car and drove out onto the road without looking back once.
Valkyrie waited until she saw her parents' car disappear around the corner before calling Tanith and explaining the situation. Tanith cursed and promised that she would leave immediately. "I'm not going to just stand by and watch while that scum avoids justice and continues to destroy innocent people's lives!"
"I'm leaving my parents' house now. I should be able to be at the Sanctuary within half an hour. See you there." Valkyrie hung up before locking the door and heading down to her car. Before getting into the car, she looked around to determine if she was being watched. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary and didn't get the feeling of being watched. She opened the car door and sat down. Before she started the car, she made another call. She bit her lip as the signals went through and just when she thought he wasn't going to answer, she heard him say "Skulduggery."
"Skulduggery, you have to help me!"
"Valkyrie, what has happened?"
"Serpine has somehow managed to escape! I know I'm asking you for a huge favour here, but I need your help to catch him. You know him best as you are the one who has been chasing him the longest. I cannot let him continue his tyranny. This time we must stop him for good!"
It was dead quiet on the other end. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of Skulduggery's breathing. Valkyrie said nothing, allowing Skulduggery the time he needed to digest the news. When he did speak again, it was in an icy voice. "How did he manage to escape?"
"I do not know. That's what I'm going to find out now. I just sent my family to my house where they are safe. I'm in my car now and I'm going to the Sanctuary to hopefully get some answers."
"No, you won't."
"What do you mean?! This is my case! I have every right to…"
"You won't take your car. I'll pick you up. Give me the address of your parents and I'll pick you up. I'm already in the car."
"Do you know where the pier in Haggard is?"
"Yes."
"Pick me up there."
"I'll be there in five minutes," Skulduggery said and hung up.
Valkyrie looked at her phone for a long moment before putting it back in her jacket pocket. She took a deep breath and opened the car door before getting out of the car and locking it. She went down to the pier and stood on the bridge. It was now September, and an autumn wind caused her clothes to sway back and forth. She was filled with memories of her childhood when she had been playing here with the other children in her neighbourhood. How they had dived from the jetty even though it was dangerous, as there were plenty of sharp rocks on the bottom. She recalled how one of the boys she had played with had injured himself on the rocks and had to wear a cast the rest of that summer.
The sound of a car approaching brought her back to the present and she turned her head towards the sound. She saw the Bentley turn onto the gravel road that led to the pier and she started walking towards it. She could make out Skulduggery behind the wheel, but only the lower part of him as the sun had begun its descent, casting orange-red rays all over Haggard.
When she was a few feet from the Bentley, it stopped, and Skulduggery got out. Valkyrie stood by the Bentley's headlight; her hands shoved into her jacket pockets. Neither of them said anything for a long time, but just stood looking at each other. All that could be heard was the hum of the Bentley's engine and the waves crashing against the dock behind them.
Valkyrie was the first to move. Taking her hands out of her jacket pocket, she walked around the hood and hugged Skulduggery tightly. She laid her head against his chest and felt Skulduggery wrap his arms around her. He pressed her tightly against him and gave her forehead a gentle kiss.
"Thank you for doing this. I know this is a big favour I'm asking of you considering your and China's relationship, but I didn't know who else to ask for help. I want to end this. I'm tired of constantly having to look over my shoulder and wonder if I'm being watched. I'm tired of not knowing if I'll be able to keep my family out of harm's way or if one fine day I'll wake up and find out they're no longer alive…" Valkyrie sobbed, feeling tears roll down her cheeks.
Skulduggery brushed away her tears. "I understand exactly what you're going through, Valkyrie," he said before letting his lips envelop hers in a tender kiss.
Valkyrie wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. She let the tears flow freely down her cheeks as she continued to kiss Skulduggery. She couldn't explain it, but even though she'd only known him for roughly a day, she knew she could trust him completely. He knew what she had and was about to go through as he had experienced it himself, plus some more.
When they separated from each other, Skulduggery placed his hands on Valkyrie's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Valkyrie, I want you to listen to me carefully now. Nefarian Serpine is not like other criminals. He does what he deems necessary to maintain his empire. He has done horrible things to children, women and men. Age, gender, ethnicity, religion doesn't matter. Once you've captured his interest, he won't let it go until you're dead at his feet."
"I know all this, Skulduggery. After all, I've been chasing him for five years. I have seen with my own eyes what he is capable of."
"Which is why I'm saying this. I want to make sure you understand what kind of person you are about to hunt. I want you to understand that if he gets to you first, he will do inhuman things to you. You managed to do what no one else has managed to do: catch him. You are his number one target, and he won't stop until he kills you."
"I'm ready, Skulduggery. I intend to do whatever it takes to put an end to him once and for all. I am even prepared to kill him with my own hands if need be. I have killed before; it is nothing new to me."
Skulduggery nodded. "Well then. I also want you to know that if you want me to help you catch Serpine, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to hold back my anger if I am with you when you find his hiding place."
"You have as much right as anyone else to get revenge for what he did to you. If the opportunity presents itself, I will not stand in your way."
Skulduggery smiled and gave Valkyrie a kiss. "Now that we have the situation cleared up, are you ready to go to the Sanctuary?"
"Only if you let me drive."
"No one but me gets to drive the Bentley, Valkyrie."
"Why not? I'm a really good driver!"
"It may happen, but I don't trust anyone but myself when it comes to the Bentley. And it doesn't matter how much you nag, pout, or look at me with those puppy dog eyes, my decision will still be the same."
Valkyrie crossed her arms and gave Skulduggery an angry look. He laughed and got behind the wheel. Valkyrie stood still for a little while to see if Skulduggery would change his mind, but when she realized that wasn't the case, she sighed and got into the passenger seat. The moment she put on her seat belt, Skulduggery put in the gear and drove away from the pier.
"Does China know I'm coming?"
"No. I haven't called and warned her. If she gets when she sees you, I take full responsibility for her wrath. But I don't think she will be particularly surprised, as she will want as many hands as possible to help capture Serpine. She wants him back in his cell as soon as possible, as this will not be good for her image. Who will want to use China's services if she can't keep her prisoners in their cells?"
"You have a point there, Valkyrie." Skulduggery was silent for a moment before continuing, "Does she have any ideas as to who Serpine's accomplice might be?"
"China believes it is either a former employee or one of the guards who was not working the shift when Serpine disappeared."
"And what do you think?"
"I do not know. It could be an employee, but it could just as well be one of Serpine's followers who somehow got hold of the blueprints for the Sanctuary and who studied them long enough and carefully to find the few weaknesses that exists."
"Interesting theory."
"But you believe something completely different?"
"I didn't say that. I will have to look at the surveillance cameras before I can comment on what I think about this. I have a feeling that there is a piece of the puzzle that is missing and that this piece of the puzzle will not be found until I have all the facts."
"Oh, so mysterious!" Valkyrie couldn't help but say in a ghostly voice as she waved her fingertips at Skulduggery.
Skulduggery glanced at her and shook his head when he saw her gesture. He once again turned his attention back to the road. "You act like a child."
"I don't!" Valkyrie said hurt. "I try to lighten the mood a bit. I don't like when it's quiet around me when I'm worried. I want something else to think about while I prepare for what I know is coming."
"So be it, but that doesn't change the fact that you behaved childishly."
Valkyrie punched Skulduggery's arm before crossing her own arms over her chest and pursed her lower lip. She knew she probably looked even more childish right now, but she couldn't help it. She hated being called childish, as this was the complete opposite of the reputation, she had managed to garner for herself during the five years she had worked for the Sanctuary.
"I guess you already know this, but now you really look like a kid who got caught taking a cookie out of the cookie jar and is pissed off that she got caught."
"You don't have to rub it in, you know…" Valkyrie muttered sourly, looking out through the window.
Skulduggery placed one hand over Valkyrie's thigh and began caressing it slowly with his fingers. Valkyrie gasped and had to fight to keep the moan she wanted to let out from escaping her lips. She just continued to stare out through the windshield, trying to ignore the feeling of Skulduggery's fingers against her body.
To no avail, it should be added.
"Come on, Valkyrie. Such a beautiful young woman like you should not sulk like that. You'll just get a lot of unnecessary wrinkles."
Valkyrie turned her head with such speed towards Skulduggery that her neck made a cracking sound. She leaned towards Skulduggery and whispered angrily "What did you say?"
"You heard me clearly. And do not think I did not hear you gasp the moment my fingers touched you." Skulduggery smiled wryly and let his index and middle finger caress the inside of Valkyrie's thigh, just out of reach of her womb which had begun to throb with both longing and anticipation.
Valkyrie bit her lip to keep from moaning loudly. She couldn't believe that she was feeling excited right now! What was the matter with her? What was it about this Skulduggery Pleasant that made her feel this way? Why did she have such a hard time controlling herself as soon as Skulduggery touched her?
On pure instinct she pressed her desire against Skulduggery's fingers and leaned back in the seat. She closed her eyes the moment she felt Skulduggery's fingers touch her and she let out a weak moan. She clenched her fists tightly as desire coursed through her body, causing Skulduggery to chuckle softly.
"You like it when I touch you, don't you?" Skulduggery whispered, putting a little more pressure on his fingers.
"Oh, God, yes!" Valkyrie moaned.
"How much?"
Valkyrie didn't answer, as she was busy feeling pleasure.
"How much?!" Skulduggery growled, wrapping his entire hand around Valkyrie's bosom. He squeezed hard, causing Valkyrie to gasp at the sudden pain. "When I ask a question, you must answer it. Do you understand?"
"Y-yeah," Valkyrie stammered, shocked at the sudden change in Skulduggery's behaviour. "Sorry…"
Skulduggery smiled and gave her a kiss. "Apology accepted. Just remember this for next time."
Valkyrie nodded and Skulduggery gave her another kiss before turning his attention back onto the road. He continued caressing Valkyrie's thigh slowly again and Valkyrie found herself realizing that at no point during Skulduggery's outburst of anger she had stopped being aroused, quite the opposite, actually. She had never before been aroused by violence, but the second Skulduggery had yelled at her, her inner muscles had contracted in a powerful contraction.
I must be going crazy… I've never behaved like this before. I have never even considered throwing myself into a relationship where all I want to do is have uncontrollable sex! I have never even considered the idea that I would want someone to perform violent acts on me during sex.
Is it Skulduggery's dark side making me feel this way? Is it his dark personality? His mystery? The fact that he can change personality from one second to the next. That I don't know how he will react to things I say and do?
Valkyrie was interrupted in her musings by Skulduggery's voice. She turned her gaze to him and only now realized that he had pulled his fingers away from her thigh and placed them on her shoulder instead. "I apologize if I scared you, Valkyrie. Sometimes I get so caught up in the moment that I lose control. I hope I didn't hurt you?"
Valkyrie smiled and grabbed Skulduggery's hand. She kissed his fingertips slowly while looking into his eyes. "I must admit that I was surprised, but I'm fine. I discovered something about myself that I didn't know about."
Skulduggery shivered as Valkyrie's lips touched his skin. "And what was that, if I may ask?"
"That I don't mind you being a little violent with me."
Skulduggery smiled and stroked Valkyrie's lower lip. "Is that so? When we get time, I'll teach you a thing or two about controlled pain." Valkyrie shivered with desire and let the tip of her tongue caress Skulduggery's fingers. In response, she received a groan from Skulduggery. "Beware, Valkyrie. Otherwise, I will have to stop the car and give you a crash course…"
"Not to disappoint you Skulduggery, but unfortunately you don't have time for that." Valkyrie nodded towards the road where the building that was the Sanctuary could be glimpsed a little further ahead.
Skulduggery reluctantly withdrew his hand from Valkyrie's lips and pulled into the staff parking lot. He parked in the spot Valkyrie pointed out as hers and turned the car off. Valkyrie took off her seat belt and was about to get out of the car when Skulduggery grabbed her arm and pulled her close. "Skulduggery, what are…?" Valkyrie began but was interrupted by Skulduggery's lips wrapping themselves around her own in a hungry kiss.
Valkyrie closed her eyes and began to kiss Skulduggery back, fully aware that anyone could see them. A tap on the windshield caused Valkyrie to open her eyes and jerk away from Skulduggery. She looked up to see Tanith's grinning face on the other side of the glass. Valkyrie laughed and opened the car door. "Hello, Tanith."
"Not that I wanted to bother you as you two looked like you were having a really nice time, but I don't think it's that smart to keep China waiting too long. She's pretty pissed off already."
Skulduggery and Valkyrie got out of the car and followed Tanith into the Sanctuary. It was total chaos in there. People were running back and forth like wild chickens, and everyone looked stressed. Several of them had their phones glued to their ears and were talking busily, some even shouting. Others stood completely helpless and didn't know what to do.
In the middle of all this chaos stood China Sorrows and tried to hand out orders. Her cheeks were red with anger and her body language radiated wrath. Her face, which was normally beauty personified, was now replaced by a mask of anger. Her eyes were wide, and the pupils had narrowed to a narrow line. The corners of her mouth hung down and her forehead was covered in angry wrinkles.
Valkyrie waved at China to catch her attention and when their eyes met, China's anger was replaced with surprise for a brief second when she discovered who Valkyrie had brought, before she went back to being angry once again. She said something to the nearest guard before motioning for Valkyrie to follow her. "Cain, Low, Pleasant, my office at once."
They followed China into her office and as Tanith closed the door behind them, China turned to Skulduggery with disgust in her eyes. "What the hell are you doing here?!"
"I asked Skulduggery for help. We need as many people on our side as possible if we are to stop Serpine before he can hurt any more people. We don't know what he might be up to or what his plans are. The only thing I can say for sure is that he will go after me first", Valkyrie answered in Skulduggery's place.
"So be it, but you should have called me first!" China said angrily. She hadn't let go of Skulduggery's gaze for a second.
"China, you are embarrassing yourself. You know as well as I do that Valkyrie is right. We don't have to like each other to work together. You have employed me several times in the past before Valkyrie captured Serpine and you know that I will do anything to ensure that the likes of him receive their just punishment. You know you can trust me when it comes to work."
China said nothing for a long moment, just looked Skulduggery in the eyes. Just as Valkyrie thought China wouldn't agree, she relaxed and took a deep breath before sitting down in her chair. "Let go. Welcome to the team, Skulduggery."
"Thanks. Can I watch what the surveillance cameras recorded during Serpine's escape? I have my suspicions but need more information before sharing them with you."
China turned her computer screen to Skulduggery, Valkyrie and Tanith. She pressed a key and on the screen, they could see several small boxes showing different parts of the Sanctuary prison. At first nothing happened, but after about half a minute the figure of a man could be seen in front of Serpine's cell. He had his back to the camera so they couldn't see his face, only that he was heavily built and tall, taller than Skulduggery.
He fished a key out of one of his pants pockets and unlocked Serpine's cell. He entered the cell and said something to Serpine before unlocking the handcuffs with another key. He backed out of the cell and walked to the left, closely followed by Serpine who had a big grin plastered on his lips. He said something to his liberator who nodded. They disappeared for a few seconds before the next camera caught them in a long corridor. Serpine and his deliverer were now walking slowly and seemed to be listening for something, before the masked man turned to Serpine and said something. Serpine nodded and they walked to a back door that led out to the back of the parking lot.
The unknown man opened the door for Serpine and as he did so the sleeve of his hoody pulled up to reveal a tattoo on his forearm. Skulduggery paused the film and asked China to zoom in on the picture. Now they could all see what the tattoo represented. It was a small circle that barely intersected with a much larger circle.
"The symbol of the Church of the Faceless. Serpine's liberator is none other than Damocles Creed."