“I’m only going to be telling you the absolute minimum about what I’ve been doing these past eleven months,” Skulduggery said to Ghastly and Tanith as they reached the Foyer and climbed the stairs, “so don’t bother prying.”

“Fine with me,” Ghastly said.

“A little prying would have been nice,” Skulduggery mumbled. They passed through the Waxworks Museum and emerged into the chill night air to find Fletcher standing beside the Bentley. His arms were folded.

“You abandoning me?” he asked crossly as they neared. “Is that what’s happening? I do what you need me to do and then you discard me, yeah?”

“This really isn’t the time to be petty,” Valkyrie said, frowning at him.

“On the contrary,” Skulduggery said, “this is an excellent time to be petty. Fletcher, we didn’t bring you with us because we didn’t want to risk you.”

Fletcher narrowed his eyes. “So…I’m still on the team?”

“Of course you are,” Skulduggery said happily. “Apart from anything else, you’re the only one who can guarantee that we escape any more vampires that we come across. You’re going to prolong all our lives, my boy.”

“I am?”

“You are. You, Fletcher Renn, are good for our health.”

Fletcher beamed.

“You’re like our own little vegetable,” Skulduggery continued and Fletcher’s smile disappeared.

“I need my sword,” said Tanith.

“I’ll take you to it,” Skulduggery said. “Valkyrie, take Fletcher and go and see China.”

Fletcher frowned. “I’m not a bus.”

Skulduggery ignored him. “If anyone has heard rumours abut Sanguine or Dusk, she has. The fact of the matter is that Sanguine doesn’t do anything for free, so if there is someone paying his bills, we need to find out who that is, and what he wants with both the Desolation Engine and the Soul Catcher.”

“Or what she wants,” Valkyrie added.

“That’s a good point,” Skulduggery said. “This might be the first move Darquesse makes on her road to destruction. If it is, then we’re in a lot of trouble.”

“And if it isn’t?”

“Let’s face it,” he admitted, “we’re probably still in a lot of trouble.”

22 THE MAN WHO KILLED ESRYN VANGUARD

22
THE MAN WHO KILLED ESRYN VANGUARD

Valkyrie and Fletcher appeared in China’s library. It was late at night and there was nobody around. Fletcher didn’t say anything as they walked and she knew he was thinking about Skulduggery’s dismissive attitude towards him. Fletcher didn’t talk much about his parents. She knew his mother was dead, but he rarely mentioned his father. Was that why he could be so insecure and intimidated by Skulduggery? Was Fletcher harbouring a secret need for a father figure’s approval?

She led the way across the hall and knocked on the apartment door. China bid them enter. Valkyrie turned to Fletcher.

“You stay out here,” she said.

He frowned. “Why?”