“I’m sure he’s fine,” Valkyrie lied. There was nothing she could do about the shackles, but she burned through the ropes tying their feet and helped them up. “Get your daughter out of here.”

“What are you going to do? You can’t face him alone.”

“Sure I can.”

Valkyrie used the shadows to break the window and she helped the mother and daughter out through it. Then she took out Scarab’s phone and pressed redial. From somewhere else in the house, she heard Patsy Cline’s ‘Crazy’.

She stepped into the hall and held out her hand. The air’s natural currents drifted by and she felt them and searched deeper. She barely noticed the shift in the air, but that was all it took and then she was walking forward. The phone was in the living room, on the table, and it stopped ringing when she neared. She waited until he was right behind her before turning.

The shadows stabbed at him, but Sanguine rolled, his straight razor flashing across Valkyrie’s leg, but failing to cut through. Then he was up and she pushed at the air. It caught him in the shoulder and he spun right around, and came at her again.

He slammed into her and she sprawled over the coffee table, spilling the glossy magazines across the carpet. She tried to get up, but slipped on one of them. His knee came towards her. The world flashed and her head jerked back. He lifted her and threw her against the wall then he was up against her, his straight razor pressing into her throat.

“Hush,” he whispered.

She couldn’t stop him from cutting her throat if she tried. She stopped struggling.

“Good,” he said and smiled. “You actually came here alone, by God. You must be really mad to leave the skeleton behind. Did you think you could take me?”

“Yeah,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Now that, I think we can both agree, was a mistake. Do you think I’m going to kill you? I should. I definitely should. Do you think I should?”

Valkyrie didn’t respond.

“You’d probably say no, even if you thought I should, so I don’t know why I’m askin’ you.”

“Why didn’t you kill them?”

“The broad and the kid? Saw no reason to. Only had ‘em to force Guild to detonate the Engine. Despite what you may think, I don’t generally kill without good reason. It’s usually money, but sometimes it’s whim and I had neither. But killin’ you, princess, now that is somethin’ I have a very good reason for. You took my magic. You fouled up our plan. Where’s my dear ol’ daddy?”

“Skulduggery has him.”