“A few days’ rest – those were your doctor’s orders.”

“Yeah, well, my doctor’s the one who tortured me for God’s sake. I don’t think his opinion really matters, do you?”

Valkyrie looked at her boots. Skulduggery was silent.

“Fine,” Tanith muttered.

“Valkyrie,” Skulduggery said as he left, “we have work to do.”

She looked at Tanith. “You’re really OK, huh?”

“Don’t start, Val.”

Valkyrie hunkered down until she was looking straight into Tanith’s eyes. “You’re my sister,” she said. “I have another sister or maybe a brother on the way, but you’re my sister too. I want you to stay here and get better, and try to accept the fact, with every part of you, that it wasn’t Kenspeckle who did this. I want you to be OK. OK?”

“OK,” Tanith said softly. Valkyrie hugged her and kissed her cheek.

“You’ve got mud on your chin,” smiled Tanith.

“Yeah, but I make it work.”

Ghastly and Anton Shudder were waiting for them in the darkened cinema. Fletcher appeared on the stage, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

“You have a visitor,” he said. “Your friend the vampire’s outside. He wants to talk to Valkyrie.”

“By all means,” Skulduggery said. Then, much to Fletcher’s satisfaction, he said, “Fletcher, you go with her. Caelan’s been banished from vampire society because of us. He might be cross.”

Valkyrie glared. “I don’t need protection.”

“A vampire’s waiting for you outside – of course you need protection. Keep it brief. We’ll be waiting for you.”

Fletcher grinned. Valkyrie shot him a look and jumped off the stage. He followed her up the aisle and out of the gloom.

Caelan was standing just outside the door. He turned to them as they approached, his dark eyes on Valkyrie. It was as if he didn’t even notice Fletcher beside her.

“Hi,” she said. “Anything wrong?”

“My home was burned down,” Caelan said. “My cage was destroyed. Moloch has lifted his protection – the other vampires see me as fair game now.”

“Oh, God,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”

“That is terrible,” Fletcher muttered.

“I have no friends left,” Caelan continued, “and nowhere to go. I thought you or the skeleton would have a suggestion. I need somewhere secure.”

“What about the Midnight Hotel?”

He looked surprised. “That…That would be ideal. You know where it is?”

“I can do better than that – the owner is inside.”

A big car pulled in off the street and Thurid Guild got out. He waved his driver away, then strode towards them. By his narrowed eyes, Valkyrie could tell he knew instantly what Caelan was, but he passed them without saying anything and disappeared into the cinema.

“Shudder might not want a vampire as a guest,” Fletcher said when Guild was gone. “I mean, let’s face it, not many people like vampires. Take me, for instance.”