Skulduggery Pleasant: Books 7 – 9: The Darquesse Trilogy. Derek Landy

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      Valkyrie clicked her fingers, summoning a ball of flame into her hand. Everyone froze. She nodded at a group. “You. Out first. Go. No one else move.”

      The group did as they were told. When they were off and running, she nodded to the next group. “You lot. Go.”

      Group by group, they left, followed by the teacher. Valkyrie turned back to the door. It had gone suspiciously quiet out there.

      She turned the handle and peeked out. Sean was still unconscious, still in shackles. She stepped over him, ran to the double doors at the end of the corridor. Smoke rose from a huge scorch mark in the wood. She passed through. Heard a crash. She ran, came to the gym. One of the doors was off its hinges. There was a flash of light from inside and she heard Skulduggery cry out. She twisted the sphere and ran in.

      Skulduggery was on the floor of the gymnasium. His façade had retracted, and Kitana scowled at Doran as they closed in slowly. “Would you please learn to aim?”

      “Don’t blame me,” Doran said defensively. “I got a massive headache because of this guy.”

      Kitana looked back at Skulduggery. “So what are you? Are you actually a skeleton, or is this just a trick or something, like a disguise?”

      “No disguise,” Skulduggery groaned.

      “Why do you wear a suit?” Doran asked.

      “Would you rather me naked?”

      “No,” Doran shot back. “That’d be gross.”

      Kitana sighed. “Why would it be gross? He’s a skeleton.”

      “Well, yeah, but he’s a guy, like. If it was a naked skeleton woman, then that’d be OK.”

      “So a naked skeleton woman would be hot, would she?”

      “Yeah,” Doran said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Because she’d be naked.”

      Kitana turned back to Skulduggery. “I want to apologise for my friend. He’s not very bright, and he’s a bit of a homophobe.”

      “It’s not homophobia,” Skulduggery said, slowly getting to his feet. “It’s just typical teenage boy bluster. He’ll grow out of it, assuming he lives that long.”

      “Is that a threat?” Kitana asked. “Are you threatening us?”

      “Not at all. But now that we have a private moment to talk, why not discuss some rather pertinent matters? Such as what you’re hoping to accomplish with all this.”

      “All what?” Kitana asked. “Oh, you mean the murder and mayhem? Don’t you like it? Aren’t you a fan?”

      “Not especially.”

      “Well then, Mr Skeleton, you are no fun. We were chosen by Argeddion because we would use these powers in the way they were intended, to punish the people who have messed us about in our lives.”

      “Your ex-boyfriend, did he mess you about?”

      “He humiliated me.”

      “He broke up with you. There’s a difference. Doran, you killed your brother. Do you really think he deserved to die like that?”

      “Yeah,” said Doran. “I do.”

      “What about Patrick Xebec, and the others? What about all the people you’ve hurt? And when all the punishing is done with? Then what are you going to do?”

      “Whatever we want,” Kitana said. “For the rest of our lives, we will do whatever we want.”

      “You know I can’t allow that.”

      “You can’t stop us. Those magic men tried to stop us earlier and we killed them so easily I was laughing.”

      “I see.”

      Kitana smirked. “Do you?”

      “I do,” said Skulduggery. “You’re psychopaths. The magic may have pushed you over the edge or maybe you were like this anyway, I don’t know. But the point is you’re psychopaths now.”

      “I suppose we are.”

      “I should have shot you when I had the chance.”

      “And we’re the psychopaths?” Kitana laughed.

      “You didn’t get these powers so you could punish those who’ve wronged you. You weren’t chosen for any special reason.”

      “You’re just jealous.”

      Valkyrie moved around them, heading towards Skulduggery as he straightened his tie.

      “Argeddion is using you in an experiment,” he said.

      Doran frowned. “You know Argeddion?”

      “You see? You don’t even know who the players are. Who did you think Argeddion was – some mystical being granting great power to mere mortals? Before he was Argeddion, he was just an ordinary sorcerer. He worked for peace and enlightenment. You’re his test subjects and you’re trampling over everything he believes in.”

      Kitana put her hands on her hips. “Oh, really? Well, if we’re such a mistake, then where is he? How come he isn’t here to tell us where we’re going wrong?”

      “He’s refusing to believe that you’re as bad as you are. But this? Coming to your own school to attack it? I think this will be all he needs to realise his error of judgement.”

      “I think you’re lying.”

      “I don’t care.”

      Kitana smiled. “You’re jealous. Just admit it. You’re jealous that Argeddion picked us and not you. I know you all think you’re so cool with your secret societies and whatever, but we’re the new breed of sorcerers. And we’re stronger than you.”

      Valkyrie dived on Skulduggery, hiding him from view, and dragged him to one side. Kitana and Doran let loose streams of energy that came dangerously close.

      “Thank you for that,” Skulduggery said.

      “No problem.”

      They circled them, keeping low, as Kitana and Doran spun and fired at random, their eyes wide.

      “Where are they?” Doran cried. “Where are they?”

      “How am I supposed to know?” Kitana snapped.

      Skulduggery took out his gun. “I didn’t want to have to do this,” he said as he took aim.

      Valkyrie looked away, and Skulduggery fired twice.

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