Chapter 41

I shook myself from the awe of seeing it and then ran again. I stopped again though when Murder Rose or the faceless one whatever came in and slammed China into Skulduggery and throw them away. I was about half a mile away, but I could clearly see Valkyrie fall back with the sceptre.

'No Valkyrie! Get up and run! Get up! Val! Val...VALKYRIE!' My mouth refused to open but I felt the power surge through me and I teleported to her as the faceless one reached for her.

"Hold on" whispering in her ear felt strange but I had little time to savour it or to feel how she reacted to it. My arm just fit round her waist perfectly, but I let go when I teleported us to the burning van on the other side of the farm.

Val. Whirled on me saying"You came back" and something in me made me say smugly "Naturally." She then turned to Skulduggery and I felt protectiveness, but certainly not jealousy, spike up as she hung to him.

The faceless one came again and upon spotting Val and skulduggery, it reached for them. It happened so fast that the only thing I saw was Val dive down then I felt Skulduggery slam into me.

"OHH! Aww skulduggery get off me now" Curses followed my line of speech and Skulduggery, who still wasn't of off me, and I watched Val crumble another faceless one to dust... but we also saw the sceptre fall, robbed of its power and in fragments. 'Shit now what' I thought as Val ran over to us. I thought she would run to Skulduggery after asking "are you OK?" T he question was aimed at him surely, but as he gruffly said"I'm fine" she ran over to me and helped me to my feet. 'Is this pity or is she actually worried foe me?' I was confused and amazed and happy but still I only groaned out "I'm OK. One more to go huh? Not doing to badly." My optimism was truly reaching new heights but Val crushed them by reminding us of the broken sceptre. 'Nice one Val'

Looking to Skulduggery she asked for a plan and he composed and straightened himself into a cemi-dignified per-skeleton.

"The first thing we need to do is get over the fact that my wellbeing is obviously of less importance to you then Fletcher's here"

"I'm already over that." Happiness flowed into me at that sentence but then again she and Skulduggery joked about everything.

"The second thing is for Fletcher to reopen that gateway. Do you think you can do it?" Everyone turned and looked at me then and I felt the responsibility and pressure that I hated. Uncertainty crept up and I said "Yes. I mean, I think so. I hope so." I was never good at speeches and as Skulduggery helped China to her feet and said "that fills me with such confidence" he proved the point.

"what's to stop more faceless ones from coming through once it opens" Val asked when we raced back to the meadow.

"Absolutely nothing. What we're going to do is make a big wish that they don't notice." 'Say what?! He said that so happy ...and... that's what he says? How?'

"Seriously? Skulduggery, seriously?"

"Seriously. The fact is we stand a decent chance. The faceless ones that did get through were drawn here because of the markings of the Diablerie wore. Now that there are no markings left, there is nothing to make them look over" 'Serious?! That is his plan? How is this guy good at his work?' Val agreed with me and said "That's a plan that could fall apart in so many ways."

"The fun ones are like that."

"But how do we get the last faceless one to go back through?"

"We're going to let it chase us" 'we are?! There is no way I am being bait to a faceless one! He's mad!'

"Us?"

"Well I say 'us'. I mean you" 'her?! What is he thinking? Letting her take the bait? He's a skeleton he should do it instead of getting Val to do even more. That ungrateful, inconsiderate, son of a –'

"Terrific" Valkyrie muttered. 'Terrific indeed.'