'A delight, sir, as always.'
Skulduggery nodded his farewell and walked from the house, out into the rain. Valkyrie followed.
'What was that?' she demanded as they approached the Bentley.
'History,' Skulduggery replied.
'You never told me you had a history with the Necromancers.'
'I'm over four hundred years old,' he said. 'I haven't told you a lot of things.»
Chapter Twelve. In the Office of the Grand Mage
Remus Crux knocked, and the Grand Mage bade him enter. The office was crammed full of books, and maps covered every inch of the far wall. Thurid Guild was not one to become complacent just because he had reached a certain level of power. Crux admired that and was determined to follow his example. Together, they would make the Sanctuary strong again.
'You idiot,' the Grand Mage said, and Crux lost his little smile.
Sir?
'Do you know how many calls I've been getting? Our people are terrified, Crux. They're looking at what is going on and they're thinking, If someone can kill the Teleporters without leaving one single trace, then they can kill me, too. That's what they're thinking.'
'Grand Mage, I assure you, I am doing everything in my power--'
'You assure me? I've assured them, Crux, that my best detective is on the case. And do you know what they say? '
Inwardly, Crux swelled a little at this compliment, but he shook his head.
'They say, 'Oh, I didn't know you'd got Skulduggery Pleasant back.''
Crux felt the blood rush to his face.
'They are scared and they are looking for results. I brought you in to do the job, and you have yet to impress me.'
'But sir--'
'There's another Teleporter. Did you know that? The last Teleporter. A boy.'
'Sir, yes, sir. His name is Renn, sir. He was last seen in a nightclub in County Meath. I have our agents combing the area. We'll find him.'
'Do not let me down, Crux.»'I won't, sir.'
'Leave me.'
Crux bowed and hurried out, closing the door gently behind him.
Chapter Thirteen. The House on Cemetery Road
Skulduggery had a home. When Valkyrie had first discovered this, her initial reaction had been surprise. Her second reaction, following hot on surprise's heels, had been logical acceptance. Of course he had a home; of course he had somewhere to live. Had she really thought that he just drove around all day in the Bentley? A part of her actually had thought that, but that was a silly part, and not very bright.
His house was the only residential building on Cemetery Road. There wasn't an actual cemetery on Cemetery Road, but there were two competing funeral homes, situated directly opposite each other, and Skulduggery's house sat proudly at the top, like a parent overseeing squabbling siblings. He'd told her stories of the arguments the funeral directors would get into as they stood just inside their gates and hurled abuse at each other from a safe distance.
One of the first things Valkyrie had noticed about the inside of the house was that every room seemed to be a living room.
'I don't need anything else,' Skulduggery had explained. 'I don't need a kitchen or a bathroom, and I don't need a bed, so I don't need a bedroom.'
'Don't you sleep?'
'I don't have to, but I've developed the skill and I quite like it. Though I suppose you'd call it meditation. The effect's still the same--I shut down completely, let my mind wander where it wants to wander, totally unhindered by conscious thought. It's good. It's relaxing.'
He'd shown her the chair he liked to sit in while he 'slept.' It was an armchair, nothing particularly impressive about it. Valkyrie had looked at it, felt pretty bored, and gone snooping.There were a lot of books and a lot of files. The biggest room in the house had a large sofa, and whenever Valkyrie had to spend any time on Cemetery Road, this was where she'd usually end up.
The front door opened and Valkyrie walked in, dropped her coat on the floor, and sprawled on the sofa. Skulduggery walked in after her, picked up her coat, folded it neatly, and put it on the table.
'Will you be okay there?' he asked. 'Do you want anything to eat or drink?'
'You never have anything to eat or drink,' Valkyrie said, her words muffled by the cushion her face had sunk into.
'I think I have some leftover pizza from last time you were here.'
'That was two weeks ago.'
'You think it's gone off?'
'I think it's walked off. Really, I'm fine. Have you figured out what the Isthmus Anchor is yet? '
'I'm ... working on it.'
'You might want to work faster. When are we going to look for the gate?'
'First thing in the morning.'
Valkyrie sighed. 'In that case, I need to get some sleep.»***
Friday came, with a morning that threatened rain, and they drove out of Dublin, took the motorway, and turned off at Balbriggan. Half an hour later, they pulled up beside a sign that announced, in faded red letters, that this was Aranmore Farm and that it was private property. The land was vast, with hills and meadows that stretched out till the woodland that bordered it.
'So this is where the world ends,' Valkyrie said, putting the map away. 'Certainly prettier than I'd imagined.'
Skulduggery put the Bentley in gear, and they started up the hill. Long grasses grew on either side of the track, and the wheels rumbled heavily. A white farmhouse came into view, with a slate roof and large windows. Behind it, stone sheds of varying sizes surrounded a yard in which old farm machinery stood in neat lines.
They reached the house and Skulduggery turned off the engine. He made sure his disguise was in place, and then they both got out.
They approached the front door and Valkyrie knocked. She knocked again and looked back at Skulduggery.'Who do you think lives here?'
'At a guess? A farmer.'
'You're amazing,'' she said dryly.
'A single farmer,' Skulduggery continued, 'living alone. Never married, by the looks of things. No children. I'd say he'd be in his early seventies, judging by the clothes on the line we passed.'
'We passed a clothesline?'
'What have I told you about keeping your eye out for details?'
'You said I shouldn't worry about that because I have you to do it for me.'
'Yes, I'm pretty sure that's the exact opposite of what I said.'
'Maybe he's taking an afternoon nap or something.' Valkyrie peered in through the window. 'I don't think there's anybody around.'
'That's lovely, that is,' said a voice from behind them, and they turned to see an elderly man striding toward them. He had wiry gray hair, bald on top, and a large nose. He was dressed in a tattered shirt with black
