The Goblin Expert

"So who's this friend of yours?" Valkyrie Cain asked Tanith Low as they sat together on the former's bed. "And how is she supposed to get Skulduggery's head back for us?"

"You could always try asking me, you know" a smooth voice ventured. "But then again you remind me of me so it figures that you'd go about things the long way"

A tall black clad being with a hat that reminded Valkyrie horribly of Skulduggery's was lying on her bed watching them both through a pair of mirrored sunglasses. Valkyrie could feel the woman's eyes on her.

"Hey Only" Tanith smiled at the woman. "You're early"

"Can't do anything right can I?" the woman shrugged a smirk spreading across her lips. "It's been years Tanith, still riding that bike of yours?"

Tanith nodded. "Valkyrie Cain, allow me to introduce Only Forever, expert on all things Goblin"

Only didn't reply, instead she glared at the mirror, clicked her fingers and a heavy velvet curtain fell over it. "That's better"

"… the hell?" Both Valkyrie and Tanith exclaimed

"Mirrors are often far more than what seem" Only told them casually. "I had a bad feeling about that one"

She didn't elaborate and, as Tanith didn't appear to mind that Valkyrie supposed that it was standard behaviour.

"Now, ladies" Only sat up, smoothed the wrinkles out of her coat and doffed her hat revealing a lot of long dark hair. "What's all this about a stolen skull?"

Only listened as Valkyrie told her about how Skulduggery's skull was stolen by Goblins while he was 'sleeping'

"So if this skull was stolen years ago why are you only going after it now?"

So Valkyrie was forced to relate the tale of how her partner in crime had been sucked into the realm of the Faceless Ones. By the end of the story Only was smirking again, but because her eyes couldn't be seen Valkyrie had no idea as to why.

"So do you think you can help?" Tanith asked

"Yeah I can help" Only nodded. "It's whether I will or not that is in question"

Valkyrie growled.

"You are asking a lot of me. Give me a little time to decide whether my helping you will be worth a repeat of what happened last time I was around a lot of Goblins is worth it and I shall get back to you" Before Valkyrie could question the statement Only vanished, hat and all.

"Well that was new" Tanith shook her head

"She's never left so suddenly?"

"She's never done that to a mirror before. I met her when I was in Cardiff a few years back- she fell out of a mirror, into me"

"She broke the mirror?"

"No, I didn't say that." Tanith shook her head again. "She fell out of it- like your reflection does when you use it"

"So she's a reflection?" Valkyrie asked; thinking about how her own over used reflection didn't act like a normal one anymore since it was shot.

"No, she's a proper person- and a powerful sorceress; I'm just not sure what kind."

Valkyrie yawned, she hadn't realized how long it had been since she last slept- three days without sleep and now it was time to lie down.

"Call me when you wake up, ok Val?"

Valkyrie didn't reply, apart from a quiet mumbled something in her sleep.