Chapter Thirty-four. The Battle of Aranmore
They drove the rest of the way in silence, with only Skulduggery's skill stopping them from skidding off the road. By the time they reached Aranmore, it had stopped raining, and the Purple Menace took the turn and sped up the meandering driveway, long grasses growing on either side. There was a plume of smoke just over the hill, and Ghastly's van came into view. It was on its side, burning fiercely. The doors were open.
There was an explosion up ahead, and they saw Tanith flipping away from it. She landed and ran for the corner of the farmhouse. She reached it just as a hail of bullets tore up the ground at her feet. 'They have machine guns,' Valkyrie said. 'And hand grenades.'
The Purple Menace braked, and Skulduggery kicked the door open. Valkyrie gripped the black bag.
'Stay low,' he said, and they ran.
She caught a glimpse of the Diablerie in the yard on the other side of the farmhouse. She saw Fletcher, his hands cuffed in front of him, staggering after Gallow. Murder Rose saw her, raised her gun, and fired. Valkyrie stumbled, but kept running until she reached the cottage and got behind cover.
Skulduggery pulled his revolver from his jacket. 'Ghastly?' he called to Tanith.
'He's somewhere around,' she said, ducking back as more bullets slammed into the corner beside her.
The door to the farmhouse was yanked open, and Paddy charged out, shotgun in hand and yelling a battle cry. Skulduggery pushed at the air, nudging the shotgun upward just as Paddy fired, and then gestured and the gun flew into his grip.
Paddy realized who he had just tried to shoot and winced. 'Sorry! Sorry!'
'What are you still doing here?' Skulduggery demanded. 'I called to tell you to leave.'
'To be honest, I don't really give a damn what you told me to do. Give me back my gun.'
'Paddy, this isn't safe.'
'You don't think I have a right to be here? This is my home. It has been for forty-two years. I'm not abandoning it just because a bunch of wizards are waving their wands about and firing a few bullets.'
'This is dangerous,' Valkyrie said.
'I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, young lady. I have plenty of cartridges for my shotgun, and these are a new pair of trousers. I'm ready.'
'If you're volunteering,' Skulduggery said, handing him back his shotgun, 'stay here with Valkyrie.'
'You can count on me, Mr. Skeleton.'
The ground erupted behind them, and two figures flew from the spray of dirt: Ghastly, with his arm wrapped around the throat of Billy-Ray Sanguine. They hit the ground and tumbled, Ghastly losing his hold. Sanguine gasped, suddenly able to breathe again, and he unfolded his straight razor and came at Ghastly with a snarl.
Ghastly dodged, then jabbed, and Sanguine's head jerked back. Ghastly's fist crashed into Sanguine's ribs, lifting him off his feet. Stunned, Sanguine could only swing the razor wildly as Ghastly moved in and caught him with a perfect right hook.
Sanguine's legs gave out from under him, and he dropped.
'Into the farmhouse,' Skulduggery ordered.
Tanith went first, then Paddy. Skulduggery ushered Valkyrie in before him. Ghastly came last, shutting the door. They stayed low as bullets flew and glass rained down upon them.
Skulduggery crawled to the window that looked out on the yard and returned fire. The sheds and the farm machinery provided excellent cover for Murder Rose as she danced and spun, reloading her machine gun and laughing all the while.
'Where are the Necromancers?' he shouted to Ghastly.
'Wreath was supposed to be approaching from the west, to come up from behind. I don't know what's keeping them.'
'Never trust a Necromancer,' Tanith growled.Valkyrie risked a glance. At the far side of the yard she saw Gruesome Krav drop the Grotesquery's torso inside a chalk circle that Jaron Gallow was drawing on the ground. Fletcher tried to run, but Krav hauled him back, throwing him down beside the torso. Gallow was drawing something else now--symbols, all around the circle.
Before Valkyrie could ask anyone what was happening, the symbols began to glow, and red smoke rose from them, mixed with the black smoke that rose from the circle, collecting into a cloud that swirled around the circle's perimeter, roaring like a hurricane.
'Damn,' Skulduggery said, and switched targets from Rose to Gallow. But it was like the bullets hit the smoke and were caught up in it as it rose high into the air in a spiraling column.
Valkyrie glimpsed Fletcher, on his knees, the handcuffs on the ground beside him. Gallow was standing close, both hands gripping the boy's shoulders. The handcuffs were off, but if Fletcher tried to teleport away, he'd take Gallow with him--and she knew Gallow would waste no time in punishing him for his disobedience.
Gallow made Fletcher put his hands on theGrotesquery. He was doing it. He was going to open the gateway. The smoke swirled, and he was hidden from view.
Valkyrie looked over at Murder Rose as the madwoman laughed and lobbed something at the farmhouse.
Valkyrie whirled. There was an explosion behind her and she was thrown off her feet amid a shower of splinters and rubble and glass. She fell painfully, ears ringing, dust in her mouth, and pain in her shoulder.
'Valkyrie!' Skulduggery shouted.
'I'm okay!' she called back, her voice dull. She looked around for the bag with the Scepter, saw it in the corner.
Bullets peppered the wall above her, and Ghastly dragged her from the danger zone.
'Hold still,' he said, and he gripped something at her back and pulled. She hollered and jerked away from him. He was holding a shard of glass, the tip dripping with her blood. 'Anywhere else hurt?'
'I'm fine,' she lied.
'I've got a new set of clothes for you. Nothing will get through them. They're in a bag in the van. Think you can make it? «She nodded, and he pulled her up. She did her best not to wince. There was a fresh burst of gunfire, and an ugly painting on the wall was reduced to tattered paper in a broken frame. Ghastly yanked open the door.
'Go,' he said. Valkyrie bolted from the farmhouse. She ran for the burning van and dropped, skidding along the ground until she was behind it.
She pushed at the air to clear the smoke and saw the bag on the backseat. She reached in, stretching for the bag strap, and yanked it out. The smoke curled and washed over her, and she closed her eyes against the stinging. She crawled backward, coughing, until she felt grass under her. Her eyes watered when she opened them.
She used her toes to pry off her running shoes as she threw away her tattered jacket, then zipped the sleeveless tunic over her T-shirt. Her jeans were filthy, splattered with mud. She discarded them on the grass and pulled on the black trousers, barely registering how well they fitted, how they were instantly perfect. Her new boots felt as if she'd been wearing them for years.
Valkyrie searched through the pockets of her old clothes, transferred whatever she found in there, and then pulled on the coat. It was shorter than her last one, stopping midthigh. All these new clothes were black except for the coat sleeves, which were of a red so dark, it looked like dried blood.
She tied her hair back and heard something like a whisper behind her. She turned in time to see a fist swinging her way. She dodged back, almost tripping over her discarded clothes. Her assailant kept coming, a thing of papery skin and stitches, dragging its heavy feet. Valkyrie clicked her fingers and sent a fireball into its chest. The fire burned through and ignited the gases within, but there was another one behind it, and another one behind that. Valkyrie ran to the farmhouse, giving herself some room before she looked back.
An army of Hollow Men, marching with that slow, awkward trudge, moved across the fields toward her.
She ran into the cottage, slamming the door behind her. There was a lull in the gunfire, but she ducked low anyway.
'Hollow Men,' she said, and immediately Tanith leaped to the door, pressing her hand against the wood.
