Scrutinous clasped Valkyrie’s hand in his. “If there is anything I can do for you in the future, anything at all, do not hesitate to ask.”

Skulduggery looked at him. “Can I ask, too?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Valkyrie cared that I was being attacked. You told me to shut up.”

“That’s because your screaming was very annoying. How is that my fault?”

“If you’ll excuse me,” Scrutinous said, “I’m going to go for a walk. A nice, long walk, on solid ground.”

He left them, heard them bickering behind him, and then Valkyrie was laughing and Skulduggery was acting offended. Scrutinous emerged into the midday sun, took a deep, calming breath, and headed off in search of some lunch.

Possibly seafood.

Just Another Friday Night

In December 2011 Derek launched a competition on his blog (dereklandy.blogspot.com) to find two characters for a new short story, to be published exclusively in this book. One of them had to be Australian, and one of them had to be New Zealandish… New Zealandan… um, from New Zealand.

After much deliberation over all the fantastic entries, Derek chose:

Tane Aiavao, of New Zealand, created by Josie. Tane is a laid-back Maori Elemental with zero planning skills.

Hayley Skirmish, of Australia, created by Sparky Braginski. Hayley is a strong-willed, plain-speaking Adept with the ability to jump, flip, and run along walls and ceilings.

Congratulations to Josie and Sparky! And now read on for the brand-new story featuring their amazing characters…

ombies,” Tane Aiavao muttered as they crept closer to the mausoleum. “I hate zombies.”

The night air was filled with the stench of the dead. It wafted through the headstones and played with the long grasses of this remote Brisbane cemetery, and it was all Tane and Hayley could do to stop from gagging whenever one of the shambling, rotting things got too close. They stayed low, moving through the shadows, ready to run or fight in an instant should their luck change.

Hayley Skirmish, her brown hair tied back in a ponytail, held the axe in a two-handed grip. Tane, his own hair sticking up in a clump, followed behind her and did most of the complaining. Unlike his Australian companion, Tane didn’t cherish these calm moments before the storm, and he cherished the storm even less. Tane was a New Zealander, a Kiwi, and even more than that he was a Maori, and he reckoned Hayley could learn a thing or two from him on how to relax. Not that he’d ever suggest it. Tane was a big guy, but not all of it was muscle, and there was something about Hayley that was just flat-out intimidating to a bloke like him. She was athletic and pretty and impressive, looked to be around seventeen, so she was a bit younger than he was – but even so, she was in charge, and that was the end of it.