it’s not affecting you any more.”
Temper frowned. “I know. It only lasted two days or something. Wait, you can see that? You can see my soul?”
“I can see … something,” she said. “An aura. It’s colour, mostly.”
“What colour do you see?”
“Orange.”
“Is that good?”
“I don’t know if it’s good. But it’s normal.”
Temper came forward. “I’m sorry that you don’t trust me, and maybe you’re right not to. I’ve done some pretty questionable things in my life. But I don’t need to see auras to know I can trust you. I know they’re looking to use Doctor Melior to bring back someone called Abyssinia, and I doubt that’d be good news for anyone but her, so I’m here to help however I can.”
“I’m here to help, too,” said Omen. “I know you think I’m a kid, and I know you want me to go away, but I can be useful. I need to do this. You said your parents are worried about you. Mine barely even notice me, and when they do it’s to criticise me and call me names. I’ve never been a part of something like this. Please, let me continue. I’ll stay out of trouble, I swear. I’m not going to get hurt.”
“You don’t know that,” Valkyrie said. “For all you know, this is the first step on a journey that will end with you dying in a street somewhere, in your brother’s arms.”
Omen swallowed. “If that’s my destiny, then that’s my destiny. But at least I’ll have one.”
“You’ve got our help,” Temper said, “whether you want it or not. So what do we do?”
She frowned. “Why are you asking me?”
“You’re Valkyrie Cain, aren’t you? If Skulduggery Pleasant isn’t here, you’re in charge. What do you think, Omen? Does that appear to be the hierarchy?”
“It does,” Omen said, his voice cracking as he came forward. He blushed, and cleared his throat. “I mean, yes. It does. Skulduggery, then Valkyrie, then you.”
Temper nodded. “And then you.”
“Me? Really?”
“Of course. You’ve earned your place as fourth in command.”
“Wow.” Omen beamed. “Thanks.”
“You’re fourth in a group of four,” Valkyrie pointed out. “You’re in charge of no one.”
Temper slapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t you listen to her, slick. You’re in charge of yourself and, in the grand scheme of things, that’s the only authority worth having. So, Valkyrie, what’s our next move?”
Valkyrie took a deep breath, and let it out. “I don’t know. What would Skulduggery do? He’d kick down a few doors until a lead presented itself.”
“And where’s the first door we kick down?”
“I suppose … San Francisco? Maybe? If we can find out where Richard Melior and Savant Vega lived while they were there, we might find someone who knew them, and knew Lilt, back when they were all friends. If we find a lead to Lilt, we’re closer to finding a lead to the anti-Sanctuary.”
“Huh,” said Temper.
Valkyrie sighed. “It doesn’t make any sense, does it?”
“No, it does.”
“But it won’t work, will it?”
“There’s no reason why it shouldn’t.”
“Listen, if you two have any better ideas, please share them. Any ideas at all. In the slightest. Either of you. But maybe not you, Omen.”
“Yeah,” Omen said.
“You probably wouldn’t have anything useful.”
“Probably not.”
“Don’t want to be rude.”
“It’s not rude if it’s true.”
“Temper? Do you have anything?”
Temper shook his head. “Nothing better than what you got. Kicking down doors sounds good to me.”
“It’s a terrible plan.”
“It’s our only plan.”
“On the bright side,” said Valkyrie, “China’s people might locate Coldheart Prison any moment now, and when they do they’ll storm it and it’ll all be over and none of this will matter.”
“Exactly!” Temper said. “The fate of the world might not be resting on our shoulders. We just have to keep reminding ourselves of that.” He looked at them both and smiled. “I don’t know about you two, but I am pumped for this. Really. I’m not even being sarcastic. Not even a little. At all. In the slightest.”
Whatever disagreements Skulduggery had with China meant little or nothing now, and Valkyrie sat with the Supreme Mage on the highest balcony overlooking Roarhaven and told her everything. China listened and nodded and asked clarifying questions, and when Valkyrie was finished a silence settled and Valkyrie felt relief. Relief that she had unburdened herself, relief that the problem was shared and relief that someone else could take charge from this point on.
It was raining. From up here, the streets looked slickly smooth, the rooftops polished to a slippery gleam. People hurried, wearing coats or carrying umbrellas or manipulating the rain to divert around them. She could hear the faint splashes of cars driving through puddles. It was wet and cold everywhere but on the balcony – on the balcony it was warm and dry.
“Abyssinia,” China said. “I never thought I’d have to speak that name again.”
“Skulduggery said you were friends.”
China’s eyebrow raised a fraction. “That’s a strong word. But maybe, yes. How much did he tell you about her?”
“Enough to scare me.”
“If you’re only scared, he must have left out some of the more unsavoury aspects of her story.”
“She was that bad?”
“She was worse.”
“Has Lilt said anything about her?”
A flicker of annoyance passed across China’s flawless face. “He is proving to be most obstinate,” she said. “Our Sensitives are having trouble getting past his defences. He’s already sent the City Guards into a booby-trapped apartment – it was a miracle no one was killed. I can arrange for you to see him, if you want. Maybe he’ll talk to you.”
“You’ve got trained investigators,” Valkyrie replied. “You should stick with them.”
“Lilt won’t even talk to them any more. He knows about Smoke turning Skulduggery. Maybe he’ll want to gloat about it. It might be an opening you can use.”
“China, I really don’t think that’s a good idea.”
China stood up, walked to the edge of the balcony and looked down, then turned. “What’s wrong with you?”
Valkyrie blinked. “I’m sorry?”
China waved a hand at her. “This. You. What’s wrong? What happened to turn you from the feisty warrior I knew and loved to the nervous, apologetic woman I see before me?”
“I quit,” said Valkyrie. “That’s what happened. I walked away.”
“Why?”