Wistful Kisses: Chapter Twenty One...

Here is the final chapter for you a (: RR is appreciated (:

*AN 04/05/2020: It's been so nice to read through my old writing and update it here and there. I made the decision to only make minor tweaks here and there and I hope it improved the flow. I'll be moving on to editing From The Ashes We Rise before releasing the final instalment of the trilogy.*

oO0Oo

Darquesse stalked towards the pitiful remains of the once huge monolith before her. The castle was crumbling and decrepit, much the same as it had been when she'd first visited years ago. She was unimpressed. The wall that had once housed the decaying corpse of the Grotesquery still lay strewn across the floor, the dim hidden room beyond empty and stinking of formaldehyde and rotting flesh. Her lip curled and she continued walking, knowing they would be in the deepest part of the castle.

She snapped her fingers together, the friction creating a spark. She curled it into a flame and let it build, pouring energy into the makeshift torch as she descended into the bowels of the ruined fortress. A dark, cold energy lashed over her skin, caressing her cheeks and filling her veins with electricity. It was the energy of death. There had been battles here over the centuries in which hundreds of soldiers had lost their lives. Darquesse couldn't help the smile that flickered across her lips as her nerves buzzed with her own powerful energy, the gauntlet on her right hand growing colder very quickly. The pain in the air only put her in a better mood. She was out for blood and for her husband.

Vile felt it when she entered the castle. The air dropped a few degrees and his armour writhed in excitement, moulding closer to his bones. His soul mate had arrived and she was very, very angry. He was in the mood for a fight and she was one hundred percent ready to give him what he wanted. They could have a little fun out here, damage whatever they wanted, throw as much or as little at one another as they wanted to and then...well, what they could do after that wasn't suitable for discussion in public. And when their need for each other was satisfied they could snuff out the rest of the world and rule the remains together.

There were two problems with that. First, Vile could sense that Darquesse wasn't as entirely evil as she used to be. Moulding with Valkyrie had weakened her and the gauntlet on her hand restrained her powers like nothing he'd ever seen. It was beautiful and in time she'd manage to use its full potential, but for now she was weak.

The second problem was Grimm. Vile didn't like the creature, nor did he have any intentions of sharing Darquesse with him. His granddaughter or not, she belonged to Lord Vile, not Notorious. And the feared General was prepared to do anything he could to make sure she remained his. But not yet. Not until the time was right.

Valkyrie gasped when she caught a scent of Lord Vile's magic, wrapped around Skulduggery like a manacle, and she almost dropped to her knees with relief when the knowledge that he was still somewhere inside that armoured horror, alive and well, hit her like a sledgehammer to the stomach. But she recovered quickly and straightened up, all evil again. Darquesse smiled. Vile was eager to play and she was happy to oblige.

She descended a flight of stone stairs without touching them, the shadows carrying her effortlessly downwards. She met a solid oak door that was a foot thick and cocked her head to the side. He was behind that door. Vile, Skulduggery, her husband, her weakness, her enemy, her best friend. Her world. And he was waiting for her. Her smiled widened and the door splintered, the deadly shards exploding into the room, shattering bricks and mortar that had remained unharmed for centuries. She wandered in, ignoring the carnage as a wall of shadows dissipated before her to reveal the unharmed armour-clad form of Lord Vile. Behind him stood Notorious Grimm and Melancholia.

"You don't seem pleased to see me, Grandad," Darquesse grinned wickedly, rising off the ground to sit cross-legged in the air on a cushion of shadow.

"I'm impressed. It didn't take you long to find us now did it?" The winged man was smiling calmly, not the least bit ruffled. The two beautiful black wings were tucked close to his back.

"I visited an old friend of Wistful's. We had a nice little chat." Darquesse made a show of looking round. "Speaking of the bitch, where is she? I could really use somebody to punch in the face right now."

"She's not here. I let my new lap dog loose on her and he saw fit to destroy her." Darquesse cocked her head, intrigued.

"You killed her?" She asked, and Vile nodded but said nothing. He just stood and watched her. She felt his gaze, sweeping over her body, leaving her nerves tingling. His head tilted and his armour grew small spikes as he gauged her reaction. She smiled coyly and forced her gaze back to the Last of the Ancients. "It's lovely to see you making friends Grandpa, but I'm afraid it's time for me and my husband to leave now. You see, I left his tea in the oven and if I don't get back it'll burn."

"Such jokes are beneath you, child."

"That's a shame. I thought it was pretty funny." She let the shadows disappear and dropped to the ground, landing lightly on her feet. "But really, we'd better be going."

"Please stay," Grimm smiled and the doorway behind her closed up, the bricks melting together in response to the lazy flick of his wrist. "We have so much to catch up on." He walked forwards until he was stood right in front of her. He was taller than her but Darquesse raised and eyebrow and stood her ground. His wings twitched and stretched out a little, curving and delicate, but hmshe knew the housed tremendous power.

"You think that could hold me?" she asked, jerking her thumb towards the bricked-up doorway.

"Not even for a second, but it's a start. You came here for your husband, yes?"

"I did."

"Well you can have him on one condition."

"You have a deal for me?"

"I do. You can have your husband back if you take your place by my side and get rid of the human stain. Kill them and you and I will rule the magical population together with our partners by our sides. Kill them all. Show me what you can do and live as a Queen, a ruler among the weak. Take your throne, child, and do what you were born to."

"Tempting as that is, I'm going to have to decline. See, there's three problems with this little deal of yours, Pa. Three really big problems." Valkyrie Pleasant raised one metal-clad finger, completely herself, but with all the energy of her darker nature coiling inside her. "First, that man right there is not my husband. That's Lord Vile." Another finger raised. "Second, my parents and my sister happen to be part of the 'human stain' as you so delicately put it. I don't kill family." The third finger raised and Valkyrie smiled. "And third, and this really is the most important part; I stand under no one. I won't play second fiddle to your fantasies, now give me back my husband and go crawl back into whatever nice little hole in the ground you came out of before I hurt you."

"Such a shame. You were such a promising girl, Darquesse. I had high hopes for you, but so be it. It is time for you to die, young one."

"You're going to try and kill me?" she asked, shadows curling round her arms.

"Not me, him." Grimm inclined his head towards the motionless skeleton in the liquid armour. "Finish her." Vile remained still for only a second before he moved to destroy her. All the confidence and darkness left Valkyrie and she stood, just a stupid, stubborn child again, trembling in the face of death. She hadn't expected him to launch himself at her. Some dim part of her had been counting on Skulduggery having some small margin of control. That dim part was about to get her killed.

Vile wanted Darquesse. This girl wasn't Darquesse, this was Valkyrie. She meant nothing to him so he did as he was told. Only when Darquesse was released would he hesitate to destroy her. Until then? No mercy. He would force the enchanting sorceress to the surface, or he would kill the girl that fought to contain her and trap Darquesse's soul in another vessel until he could revive her. He didn't need the girl.

Valkyrie knew that she was in trouble. She couldn't bring herself to harm Vile, for fear that she'd hurt Skulduggery. If she was still thinking like the planet destroying charlatan she was born to be she could fight without hesitation. She could enjoy it. But Valkyrie couldn't get herself back into that frame of mind. She was stuck with all this power and no inclination to use it. She was weak and vulnerable and Lord Vile was ruthless. She was in trouble. Serious trouble.

He slammed into her and a slice of darkness pierced her stomach. She cried out and shoved him off, getting both her boots flat against the chest plate and kicking. He fell back and she rolled, coming up on one knee and back moving to give herself some space, her mind working over time. She tried to scare herself into fighting properly, into using the energy she didn't want to release, but just when she needed it, it refused to surface.

Vile came at her again, sending spears of shadows shooting towards her. She barely had time to push her palm out flat, but she managed it and shards shot upwards, digging into the ceiling above her head. An idea formed and she remembered being twelve again all those years ago, when Skulduggery had blown the hole in the wall the first time he'd demonstrated magic for her. She splayed her hand and snapped her palm before covering her head with the protective coat as blocks of crumbling brick showered down on her shoulders. She ignored the fresh bruises and leapt, kicking at the air to push her up higher. She shot through the hole in the ceiling at an alarming speed and landed in a heap, but was up and sprinting through the ruins immediately.

She felt the air pressure change and threw herself forwards, flat against the ground with a painful gasp as a wave of blackness flew over her head. It withdrew quickly but a tendril of it wrapped around her ankle and dragged her back. She cursed and in a flash she was upside down, hanging above the ground and suspended before Lord Vile by her boot. His gaze met hers and a wave of heat sizzled through her and finally, finally, as a sharpened shadow pressed against her throat, her mind turned murderous.

The skin of Darquesse's throat split and red blood sprayed but it knitted up and soaked back into her skin immediately as a whip of her own shadows slashed at the restraints around her ankle. She would've dropped onto her head any other time but she was strong now. She was quick. She spun as she fell and shot upwards the next ceiling above her crumbling as she neared, turning to dust, much like the Sceptre of the Ancients had destroyed the entrance to the caves under Gordon's house. Darquesse smiled. She was much stronger than even she'd imagined.

She burst out of the dust cloud into the cool night air and continued upwards, untouched by cold or fear. She was enjoying herself. Vile pursued her and she waited for him high above the ground. He slowed to a stop and simply hovered before her.

"Vile."

"...Darquesse," was the hoarse, whispered reply. The mask distorted the silken, honey-smooth voice that Darquesse knew he really possessed. She missed it, but his new voice sent a different kind of thrill through her.

"I wondered when I'd see you again."

"Likewise." He drifted closer, and she let him. He was inches from her. As much as she was in the mood for a fight, she wanted her husband back. She still thought of Darquesse as a separate being even though they were the same person now, and while Darquesse wanted a fight, Valkyrie wanted Skulduggery. She had to get that armour off him.

She dared to place a hand on the chest plate of the armour. Vile looked down at that hand, wondering why the contact with his power wasn't burning her skin or boiling her blood, and saw that it was her right hand. She wasn't in pain because her skin wasn't touching the armour. Her gauntlet was. He felt the cold even through his protective metal clothing. It wrapped around his ribs and built inside him, until it could build no more. Darquesse pushed slightly, and Lord Vile shot backwards and fell out of the sky.

He continued to fall and hit the ground at a terrible pace. Valkyrie forced her feelings back and Darquesse drifted to the ground, her feet gently touching the floor. She bent to unclip the armour and was thrown back off her feet, but not by Vile. Grimm slammed into her and she felt some of her bones break.

He shot towards the sky, heavy wings beating furiously, carrying her higher and higher. The oxygen got thinner as he broke the cloud bank and continued to rise. He held her tight and she felt her energy sapping away, looping out of her and into him.

"You're a disappointment, Darquesse. Granted, you put my pet out of action for a while and I'm impressed, but you're weak. You should've killed him. He was going to kill you. He will still try when he wakes up."

"...Stop," she gasped, her vision dimming as her strength left. The only part of her that remained usable and full of power was her right hand. From the elbow down power was building in her gauntlet, terrible power that hurt her to contain it. Power that would destroy the world in a swathe of darkness and choking shadow if she didn't control it.

To her surprise, Grimm stopped stealing her energy, and instead he dropped her, thousands of feet between her and the ground. She couldn't focus enough to fly, so she fell like a lead weight, her body spinning and twisting as she hit clouds and went straight through, the unforgiving landscape beneath her quickly coming into view. She fought to gain control of herself, fought so fiercely that heat flashed in her chest. Ten feet from the ground, she knew what she had to do. She knew how to control her power enough that she wouldn't hurt anyone yet.

A pulse of darkness shot out around the gauntlet and the force pushed her upwards, away from the bone shattering impact. She was tired of being pushed around. She was angry and she was more in the mood for a fight than she had ever been in her life. She twisted gracefully and tucked her body in a somersault so that when she landed she would land on her feet. Not that she was going to land.

She straightened out and spread her arms wide and her feet stopped just short of the ground. Melancholia hissed and shot blackness towards her. Darquesse inclined her head and it went back the way it came, twice as thick and fast as before when it barrelled into Melancholia.

"You won't get rid of me that easily, Grimm," Darquesse said, ignoring Vile as he sat up. She only had eyes for her Grandpa. That was a mistake. He landed with a quiet thud, his wings tucking close by his sides again, and stretched out a hand. Vile rose, only it wasn't Vile. The armour dropped away and Skulduggery was rising, dressed in his tattered suit, rising off the ground.

A resounding snap, followed by a pained gasp, marked the first of many bones to be broken. Valkyrie's eyes widened as a second snap made Skulduggery's gasp turn to a cry.

"Skulduggery!" she called out, but he couldn't answer. His shirt parted and the ribs began to crack, one by one. Long splinter lines appeared, working their way across his skull, his jaw bones, around his eye sockets, and spreading beneath his clothes. Skulduggery continued to scream as Grimm slowly tore him apart. The fingers on his left hand snapped, his right arm cracked, the splinter lines spread to his teeth and his pelvis split.

"STOP!" Valkyrie shrieked as the cries escalated and her husband's spine was twisted. Grimm smiled and curled his fingers and Skulduggery's left shinbone broke in three places. He roared in pain and Valkyrie gagged on tears, dropping to her knees and begging. "Stop it! Stop, please! I'll do anything! I swear, just please stop! Don't kill him! Not him, not my husband," she sobbed, wrapping her arms around herself and rocking, crying and begging.

Finally, Grimm stopped. Skulduggery's head slumped, his ruined skeleton limp, limbs hanging at odd angles. His body dropped and he landed with a sharp hiss of pain. Valkyrie wanted nothing more than to run to him and tell him everything would be okay, that he'd be alright. The truth was she didn't know if he'd be alright. She'd seen Skulduggery survive so much, but this? This was new. Nothing, not a single part of him had been left unharmed. It was a wonder he hadn't just fallen apart. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, and Valkyrie didn't know what to do.

"I can make that last for days, you know," Grimm said to her, smiling at her mangled husband. "I can make him scream for years. I have done before and I must say, it's surprising to see how much he can take. But if I remember right this nearly killed him last time. I was so close to finishing him, but China went back on her word and freed him. Bliss drove me back." The faraway look in Grimm's eyes faded and he focussed again. "But Bliss is dead and now there's no one to stop me from killing the skeleton and forcing you to do as I say."

"Anything. I'll do anything. Just don't kill him. Please don't." Valkyrie closed her eyes, her whole body trembling with fear, pain, and anger. Anger so fierce that it surprised her. A sharp pain in her chest soon shot outwards to her arms and she remained hunched over, wondering what Grimm was doing to her.

But it wasn't Grimm. He was watching with a look of confusion, as clueless as she was, while the shooting pain turned to ice in her veins, pooling in every muscle inside of her, growing and building, cooling and spreading, numbing her nerve endings, only to light them with a more intense pain than before. A shiver walked the stairs of her spine and the ice in her body concentrated itself in the centre of her heart. A thousand voices whispered in her ears and she stood, opening her eyes to see the world in such a strange way.

Everything was smoky and grey-blue, the outlines hazy and indistinct. Grimm was simply a standing swathe of darkness, a winged Faceless One with human eyes. Skulduggery was a pale yellow light, stretched out on the ground, the armour beside him a thick purple mass, seething and reaching for him. Melancholia was simply another shade of grey. Valkyrie looked down at her own hands and saw the gauntlet was glowing a pale blue. She felt disconnected from the world, trapped in her little grey bubble, and it scared her.

Grimm shot towards her and his hand closed around her metal fingers. He spoke and his voice was whispery and indistinct, but she could make out the words.

"Now is the time when I unleash your power. Now is the time when you kill the world. Now is the time of Darquesse."

And before she could do anything to stop him, he drew the power from her, the power she'd struggled so much to contain, and unleashed it on the world. The greyness brightened to blinding white and she cried out as it burned her eyes, clamping them shut tight. But she could still see, no matter how tight she closed them. She could see it, the destruction, the devastation.

She heard her parents scream as the skin and muscle sizzled from their bones, even though they were miles and miles away, still in Haggard, and she began to sob again, begging and wailing for the light to stop, for the power to go away, for it all to end. She wanted to go back to being twelve, to the night she was saved. She wanted to make herself listen to Skulduggery, to just stay put instead of being stubborn. She wanted to be a normal young woman with a normal life and a family. She wanted to be bored with her life again, where her biggest worry was when her next pay cheque went into her bank account.

Buildings crumbled, forests burned, mountains fell and great chunks of earth tore up from the ground and scattered across the street. People screamed, people died, souls departed and darkness rose, life snuffed out like a candle.

The world fell silent...

oO0 The End 0Oo

AN: Whew! That was one Hell of a ride! :D I bet you all hate me right now, don't you? Well all is not lost! There is a sequel coming up! From The Ashes We Rise is out now and ready to read! Thank you to all my wonderful readers. I love you all!