Crux sneered. 'That's an awfully big word for a thirteen-year-old.'
Valkyrie resisted the urge to hit him. 'Actually, it's not,' she replied. 'It's fairly standard. Also, I'm fourteen. Also, your beard's stupid.'
'Isn't this fun?' Skulduggery said brightly. 'The three of us getting along so well.'
Crux glared at Valkyrie, then looked at Skulduggery. 'What are you doing here?'
'We were passing, we heard there'd been another murder, and we thought we could get a peek at the crime scene. We just arrived, actually. Is there any chance ...?'
'I'm sorry, Mr. Pleasant,' Crux said stiffly. 'Because of the international nature of these crimes and the attention they're getting, the Grand Mage expects me to conduct myself with the utmost professionalism, and he has given me strict instructions as regards you and Miss Cain. He doesn't want either of you anywhere near Sanctuary business.'
'But this isn't Sanctuary business,' Valkyrie pointed out. 'It's just a murder. Cameron Light didn't even work for the Sanctuary.'
'It is an official Sanctuary investigation, which makes it official Sanctuary business.'
Skulduggery's tone was friendly. 'So how's the investigation going? You're probably under a lot of pressure to get results, right?'
'It's under control.'
'Oh, I'm sure it is. And I'm sure the international community is offering help and pooling resources--this isn't just an Irish problem, after all. But if you need any unofficial help, we'll be glad to--'
'You may break the rules,' Crux interrupted, 'but I don't. You no longer have any authority here. You gave that away when you accused the Grand Mage of treason, remember?'
'Vaguely ...'
'You want my advice, Pleasant?'
'Not especially.'
'Find a nice hole in the ground somewhere and lie in it. You're finished as a detective. You're done.'
Wearing what he probably thought was a triumphant sneer, Crux, and the two Cleavers, entered the building.
'I don't like him,' Valkyrie decided.
Chapter Two. Killer on the Loose
The Bentley parked in the rear of the closed-down Waxworks Museum, and Valkyrie followed Skulduggery inside. A thick layer of dust had collected on the few remaining wax figures who stood in the darkness. Valkyrie waited while Skulduggery searched the wall for the panel that opened the hidden door.
Idly, Valkyrie examined the wax figure of Phil Lynott, the lead singer from Thin Lizzy. It stood nearby, holding a bass guitar, and was actually a pretty good likeness. Her dad had been a bigThin Lizzy fan back in the 1970s, and whenever 'Whiskey in the Jar' came on the radio, he'd still sing along, albeit tunelessly.
'The panel is gone,' Skulduggery announced. 'The moment we left, they must have changed the locks on us. I don't know whether to feel flattered or insulted.'
'I get the feeling you're going to decide on flattered.'
He shrugged. 'It's a fuzzier feeling.'
'So how do we get in?'
Someone tapped Valkyrie on the shoulder, and she yelped and leaped away.
'I am sorry,' the wax figure of Phil Lynott said. 'I did not mean to startle you.'
She stared at it.
'I am the lock,' it continued. 'I open the door from this side of the wall. Do you have an appointment? '
'We're here to see the Grand Mage,' Skulduggery said. 'I am Skulduggery Pleasant and this is my associate, Valkyrie Cain.'
Phil Lynott's wax head nodded. 'You are expected, but you will need an official Sanctuary representative to accompany you through the door. I have alerted the Administrator. She should be arriving shortly.'
'Thank you.'
'You are welcome.'
Valkyrie stared at it for a few more seconds. 'Can you sing?' she asked.
'I open the door,' it said. 'That is my only purpose.'
'But can you sing?'
It considered the question. 'I do not know,' it decided. 'I have never tried.'
The wall rumbled behind them, and a door shifted and slid open. A woman in a somber skirt and white blouse stood there, smiling politely.
'Mr. Pleasant,' the Administrator said, 'Miss Cain, welcome. The Grand Mage is expecting you. Please follow me.'
The figure of Phil Lynott didn't say good-bye as the Administrator led them down a spiral staircase, their way lit by burning torches in brackets. They reached the bottom and passed into the foyer. It felt weird, walking into a place that had once been so familiar and now seemed so alien. The irrational part of Valkyrie's brain was certain that the Cleaver guards were glaring at them from behind their visors, even though she knew they were far too disciplined and professional to display such petty behavior.
The Sanctuary, she had only recently realized, was shaped like a massive triangle that had toppled over, and was now lying flat beneath the surface of Dublin City. The foyer marked the dead center of the triangle's base, with long corridors stretching out to either side and a central corridor running straight. The side corridors turned in at forty-five-degree angles and eventually met the central corridor at the triangle's point. Smaller corridors bisected these in a seemingly random pattern.
The rooms along the main corridors were mostly used for the day-to-day running of the Sanctuary and the Council of Elders' business. But down some of those narrower corridors lay rooms that were a lot more interesting--the jail, holding cells, the Repository, the armory, and dozens more that Valkyrie had never even seen.
The Administrator chatted amicably with Skulduggery as they walked. She was a nice lady, brought in as a replacement for the Administrator who had died during Nefarian Serpine's raid on the Sanctuary two years before. Valkyrie closed her mind to the memory of the carnage. She had lived through it once--she saw no reason to do so again.
The Administrator showed them into a large room with no furniture. 'The Grand Mage will be with you in a moment.'
'Thank you,' Skulduggery said, nodding politely, and the Administrator left.
'Do you think we'll be waiting long?' Valkyrie asked, keeping her voice low.
'The last time we were in this building, we accused the Grand Mage of being a traitor,' Skulduggery said. 'Yes, I think we'll be waiting long.'
Almost two hours later, the doors opened again and a gray-haired man strode in, his face lined and serious and his eyes cold. He stopped when he saw Valkyrie, who was sitting on the floor.
'You will stand when I enter the room,' he said, barely managing to keep the snarl out of his voice.
Valkyrie had been getting up before he spoke, but as she got to her feet, she kept her mouth shut. This meeting was too important to risk ruining because of something stupid.'Thank you for agreeing to see us,' Skulduggery said. 'We understand you must be very busy.'
'If it were up to me, I wouldn't allow you to waste another moment of my time,' Guild said. 'But Mr. Bliss continues to vouch for you. It is out of respect for my fellow Elder that you are even here.'
'And on that positive note ...' Skulduggery began, but Guild shook his head.
'None of your jokes, Mr. Pleasant. Say what you came here to say and leave the sarcastic comments to one side.'
Skulduggery's head tilted slightly. 'Very well. Six months ago, while preparing to bring down Baron Vengeous, you fired us over a disagreement. Later that same day, we defeated both Vengeous and the Grotesquery, and the
