'They said that without the proper training I could be dangerous. Said I could attract the wrong kind of attention.'
'We usually try not to attract any kind of attention,' Valkyrie said, attempting to keep the annoyance out of her voice.
Fletcher looked at her. 'Is that what we try?'
'Fletcher,' Skulduggery said, and once again Fletcher's eyes flickered to him. 'I'm sure that the idea that known killers are after you is one that, at the very least, is causing you some worry.'
'Do I look worried?'
'No, but neither do you look intelligent, so I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt.'
Fletcher glared at him, and sat back and said nothing.
'If Batu is behind these murders,' Skulduggery continued, 'then he wants to use your powers to open a gateway that will enable the Faceless Ones to return. Do you know about the Faceless Ones?'
For a moment, Valkyrie thought Fletcher might be too sullen to respond, but eventually he nodded. 'The old guys told me about them. They're the ones who want to take over the world. But that's just a story, right? None of that stuff's real.'
'I used to think the same way,' Skulduggery said. 'But my mind has been changed.'
'So if these Faceless Ones come back, the world ends?'
'It probably won't end immediately. They'll come back, inhabit indestructible human bodies, tear down the cities and the towns, burn the countryside, kill billions, enslave billions more, work them until they die, and then the world will end. Are you okay, Fletcher? You're suddenly looking very pale.'
'I'm fine,' Fletcher mumbled.
Skulduggery went quiet for a moment, thinking it all through. 'But if Batu needs a Teleporter to make this all happen, why didn't he go for someone with experience? You don't even have any formal training. You may be a natural, as I've heard, but compared to Cameron Light, your powers are practically nothing.»'If Cameron Light's so bloody good,' Fletcher said with a sneer on his lips, 'how come he's so bloody dead? '
There was nothing Valkyrie wanted more in the world than to reach across that table and smack Fletcher Renn. Skulduggery, for his part, remained as impassive as ever.
'Even though this will go against your instincts,' he said, 'for your own safety I think you should be put in protective custody.'
Fletcher's grin was back. 'Ground me, you mean? Not a chance, skeleton man.'
Valkyrie scowled. 'He has a name.'
'Oh, yeah, Skulduggery, right? Skulduggery. That's an unusual one. Were you born a skeleton, or were your folks just disturbingly hopeful?'
'Skulduggery is my taken name,' Skulduggery said evenly.
'That's the advantage of being in this little 'world within a world' of ours,' Valkyrie added. 'You're told a few of the rules, a few tricks you'll need to survive.'
Fletcher's shoulders made a slight movement, like they were too lazy to give another shrug so soon after the last one. 'I'm doing okay.»'So far. But how do you feel about being someone's puppet? Because if you don't take on a name of your own, any sorcerer who can be bothered might decide he wants a new pet.'
'Aha. So Valkyrie Cain isn't your real name, that right?'
'That's right. It's the name I took, the name that stops anyone from controlling me.'
'Well, I changed my name when I ran away from home, so I guess I'm safe too, right?'
He was enjoying this. That made her dislike him even more.
'Are we done?' he asked. 'I've got places to go and people to see.'
'They're not going to stop,' Skulduggery said. 'No matter where you go, they will find you. And if they find you, they will force you to help them.'
'No one forces me to--'
'I've not finished talking yet,' Skulduggery interrupted.
Fletcher sighed and raised an eyebrow expectantly.
'As I was saying, if they find you, they will force you to help them. And if you help them, Fletcher, then you're on their side.»Fletcher frowned. 'Meaning what? '
'Meaning you won't have to worry about them. You'll have to worry about us.'
Fletcher grew even paler than before. Skulduggery, Valkyrie reflected, could be a very scary person when he wanted to.
'You don't want me as an enemy, Fletcher. You want to be my friend. You want to do as I say, and for your own good, you want to enter into protective custody. Am I right? '
For a moment, Valkyrie thought Fletcher was going to defy him again, just for the sake of it, but then his eyes softened and he nodded. 'Yeah, okay.'
'Excellent news. And I have the perfect place for you to stay.»
Chapter Seven. Batu
Where's Gallow?'' Billy-Ray Sanguine asked the empty room.
'Elsewhere,' said the voice, distorted over the tinny old speaker that hung in the corner. 'They are all elsewhere. '
The walls were cold stone. There was one door, no window, and a mirror. Sanguine was fairly certain there was a camera behind the mirror, watching him.
'So who are you ?' he asked.
'I'm nobody,' the voice said.
Sanguine smiled. 'You're Batu, ain't you? You're the one they keep talkin' about.»'Am I?'
'Yeah, you are. You're the big boss. So how come you ain't here in person? I been workin' for you for over a year now. Ain't it time we met, face-to-face?'
'I value my privacy.'
Sanguine shrugged. 'I get that.'
'You failed me, Mr. Sanguine. I paid you to do a job, and you failed me.'
'You said nothin' about the skeleton detective and the girl gettin' involved. That's what we call extenuatin' circumstances. If I'd'a known they'd be there, I could have prepared. Or at least charged double.'
'You will have a chance to redeem yourself.'
'Yippee,' Sanguine said without enthusiasm.
'I'm going to need you to steal something for me, as soon as Gruesome Krav returns. There is a very good chance you will encounter opposition.'
'So you'll double my rate?'
'Naturally.'
'Yippee,' Sanguine said, and this time he smiled.
Chapter Eight. The Civilized Man
The Hibernian Cinema was as quiet and dark as ever, the sound of laughter and applause long since faded. Skulduggery went first, down the aisle between the red-covered seats. Fletcher made comments as they walked, comments that neither Valkyrie nor Skulduggery responded to. As they approached the small stage, the heavy curtains parted and the screen lit up. Valkyrie allowed herself an inner smile when they moved to the projected image, an open doorway, and passed through, and Fletcher was finally impressed enough to shut up.The darkness was replaced by the bright lights of the corridors that snaked between the laboratories, and the smell of disinfectant replaced the mustiness. Clarabelle, one of Professor Kenspeckle Grouse's new assistants, drifted by them dreamily, humming to herself. She wasn't, in Valkyrie's opinion, all there.
