Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Skulduggery Pleasant

Sending a Message

Valkyrie Cain hit the parapet and tumbled, unable to stop herself, and with a panicked gasp she tumbled of the edge.

The Flats roof stood high, looking out over the city of London. Below, was a dirty blackened alleyway leading to a street, with bags of rubbish thrown all over the place. The night breeze was brisk and carried the smell of the River Thames on the opposite side of the street. The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben stood on the opposite side of the River Thames, lit up in all there glory. It was a long way down.

A man in a tattered coat walked up to the edge and peered over. He shook his head.

"This is discourteous," he said. "They think that they can get away with murder and then when I turn up, they send a girl to dispose of me."

Valkyrie felt her grip on the ledge loosen. She ignored the goading of the man standing above her, and looked around for something else to grab on to. She looked everywhere but down. Down was where the ally was, where the long drop and the sudden stop was. She didn't want to look down. She didn't want anything to do with down right now.

"What age are you?" the man continued. "Thirteen? What kind of responsible adult sends a thirteen year old to kill someone? What kind of person, parent, allows you to get mixed up in something like this? That's insane."

Valkyrie swung herself gently towards the tower, planting her feet against a small buttress. The fear started to work through her and she felt herself freeze up. She closed her eye against the oncoming wave of paralysis.

The man was Vaurien Scapegrace, head detective for the Sanctuary, A group of people who's sole purpose was to stop people like her.

"You don't understand" Valkyrie said. "I am turning murder into a skill. To point a gun at someone? That's too easy. A bullet travels to fast for some spell to stop. When I kill, I want the satisfaction that I killed someone, not some metal weapon that was built on the other side of the world. When I – when I kill, I do it to show my power, to show how great I am, to show that people like you cant stop me."

Below Valkyrie, the River Thames sparkled and the Houses of Parliament glowed against the black night.

"I'm an artist," Valkyrire continued smiling a little. "Some people don't appreciate that. Some people don't recognise true talent when they see it. And that's fine. I'm not bitter. My time will come"

"Do you not here yourself?" Scapegrace said. "Do you not hear how insane you're sounding? Bringing back the faceless ones well cause the end of the civilisation as we know it. The old god's will say thank you, let you turn around thinking you've helped the great ones to return to earth, then they'll stab you in the back and laugh as you plead with them to spare your life."

Valkyrie laughed. "What, you think I want to bring the old gods to walk the earth once again? Is that it? You think I'm following in the footsteps of Nefrian Serpine? I am not nor will I ever be a slave, where my soul purpose is to bow down to those faceless beings. I am my own person; I have my own fate in my hands. The Faceless ones can rot for all I care."

Valkyrie had one chance, but she needed to be calm to take advantage of it. Her powers, limited as they were, were elemental – the manipulation of earth, air, fire and water. But she was still a rookie. He powers weren't fully controllable right now.

"So what's your purpose?" Scapegrace asked. "What's the point of these attempted murders? Just for fun?"

"I want to remembered," Valkyrie answered. "When we learn about history in school, it's always about the villains, Guyfawks, Hitler, Jack the ripper. Does anyone actually remember the names of the people who chased after them? Does anyone remember the name of the person who caught Guyfawks? It's the villains that get put down in the history books. It's the villains that get to be remembered. When I eventually die, I want to be remembered as one of the greats."

"Have you killed anyone?" he asked

"What? Did you miss what I said, about turning murder into an art form?"

"But you haven't actually killed anyone yet, have you? I read your file."

Valkyrie glowered at him "Technically, yeah, all right, maybe I haven't, but tonight's the night. You're going to be my first." She said as she readied herself, controlling her breathing.

"Find the space where everything connects," she murmured.

Scapegrace frowned. "What?"

Valkyrie kicked upwards, taking her right hand from the outcrop and feeling the air against her palm. She pushed at it like she'd been taught, and it shimmered and hit scapegrace, throwing him off his feet. Valkyrie clutched at the edge and hauled herself up, then flung her left arm across the edge and hauled herself up the rest of the way. She got to her feet, her arms and legs trembling with the strain, and moved away from the edge. The wind whipped her dark hair across her face.

Scapegrace was already getting up and Valkyrie saw shock cross his face. She clicked her fingers, generating a spark that she caught in her hand. She tried to focus, tried to build it into a flame, but scapegrace was coming at her like a freight train.

Vlakyrie jumped and thrust out both feet. Her boots slammed into his chest and he hit the ground and went sprawling. He turned to her and just as she lashed a kick into his draw. His body twisted and he tumbled back, came up to his feet then lost his balance, fell again. He spat blood and glared.

"You little brat," he snarled. "You uppity, sneaky little brat. Do you think you can get away with this? Do you think that we won't stop you!" He stood up slowly, wiping his sleeve across his bust lip. "When I'm finished with you, you will be begging me to kill you, when I'm finished with you; you won't be seeing any daylight. You'll be hauled up in jail, underground, with no food, no light, and no company. Just yourself and your thoughts. You should have never come alone. Your masters never should have let you out alone."

Valkyrie smiled and Scapegrace's anger flared. "You think this is funny! You think murder is funny!

"Of course," she said confidence growing inside of her, maybe tonight will be the night, maybe tonight will be when she would have her first., "What's the point of doing this when you don't enjoy doing it! Do something you love doing, rather than something you hate. That's what I've always been told. Second, I don't have a master. I'm my own person, I do what I want, when I want, I'm free! And third – and this is really the most important point – whoever said I came alone?"

Scapegrace frowned, turned, saw someone walking up behind him, a skeleton in a black suit, and he tried to attack, but a gloved fist hit his face, a foot hit his shin and an elbow slammed into his chest. He fell in an awkward heap.

Skulduggery Pleasant turned to Valkyrie. "You all right?"

"Annoyed but fine." Valkyrie answered.

"You're both under arrest!" Scapegrace howled.

"Hush," Skulduggery said.

Scapegrace launched himself forward and Skulduggery moved into him, grabbed his outstretched arm and spun him around, then he abruptly cut him off by slamming a forearm into his throat. Scapegrace flipped in midair, and landed painfully. Skulduggery turned to Valkyrie again.

"I'm okay," she said. "Really."

Scapegrace had his hands to his face. "I think you broke by nose!" They ignored him.

"He talks a lot," Valkyrie said, "you're under arrest yada yada yada, but he's too dumb and too weak to actually fight me."

Scapegrace leaped up. "You will never get away with this! I will see you in jail!"

Skulduggery hit him again and Scapegrace did a little twirl before falling.

"The sanctuary is putting its nose where it doesn't belong," Skulduggery said. "It's rather annoying. We've been sent to take care of you."

Scapegrace, looked between the two of them, horror in his eyes as he knew what was coming.

Scapegrace tried one last desperate attack that Skulduggery cut short by punching him very hard on the nose. Skulduggery squatted down to talk to him.

"It's a shame really," Skulduggery said. "I was rather hoping my partners first would be something special, a masterpiece. You're almost not worth the effort. But we've been sent to do a job. And a job we will do. Valkyrie…"

Valkyrie stepped up to Scapegrace as Skulduggery stood up and moved away. This was it. This was the time when she stopped being a rookie, and she became a master. Finally, after such a long wait, she would feel the rush of her first kill; feel the power that she alone wielded over this man before her. To hear his begging, the power she possessed over him.

Power.

It's a wonderful thing when you have it. It's a truly devastating thing when you don't. Fortunately, she had the power. And he didn't.

"I would rather my first be something grand, something spectacular, and something everyone will remember." Valkyrie started. "But not everyone has things go their own way. Something's you have to compromise on. I'm an understanding person you see, I understand when its time to kill, when it's right to keep someone alive. However tonight, its time to kill.

"We wish to send a message to your masters," Skulduggery said. "A warning you see. To stop bothering sending people after us."

Valkyrie pulled a knife out of her back pocket, and brought it down to Scapegrace throat.

"We're quite busy at the moment you see," Skullduggery continued. "And we don't have time to mess about with annoyances like you. Our plans must not be foiled. Our plans must go precisely to schedule. And unfortunately detective, you're getting in the way of our plans. Fortunately, there's an easy way to fix that. Valkyrie."

Valkyrie smiled. She breathed the fresh air. She smelt the fear of the man under her grip. She felt the man shiver as her knife touched scapegraces' skin. This was the moment, this was the moment when she truly became an artist. This was the moment when she truly became a master. She tightened her grip on the knifes handle, and pulled.

AN: Hiya guys, Okay so you guys are properly wandering what this is if you read this from Harry Potter Author alert. Basicaly this is a short abstract for a writing course of the first Chapter of Book Two, Playing with Fire of the Skullduggery Series.i Wrote this years ago and have only now found it again so I thought it might be fun to upload. The Next Erasing the Future Chapter is Coming! I Promise.