“Exactly my point. So if you think we’re going to trade banter or get into wordplay or anything like that, I’m afraid I have to disappoint you. Instead, we’re going to be very simple and very direct, because we obviously don’t have a lot of time. How many are coming? And before you try another sneer, please understand that I will inflict pain if you fail to answer.”

“Save yourself the bother,” Valkyrie said. “You’re going to tell us anyway, and you know you are. So why get hurt? Why not skip to the end?”

Dragonclaw looked at both of them for a long time before shaking his head. “No. I’m not a traitor.”

“Yes, you are,” Valkyrie said. “You just don’t know it yet.”

Dragonclaw stood up straight, chin stuck out defiantly towards Skulduggery. “If you’re going to hit me, hit me. I haven’t got all—”

Valkyrie rapped her knuckles right on his chin. Dragonclaw’s eyes bulged and his knees quivered, then he fell backwards to the wall and slid down to the floor. Skulduggery looked at her and she shrugged.

“You’d have knocked his teeth out or something,” she said. “All I did was give him a little brain-shake.” She looked down. “Bison. Bison, can you hear me? How many are coming?”

“I’ll never tell…”

“The plane landed ten minutes ago,” Skulduggery said to her. “If we’re lucky, they’re only just starting to disembark. You need to get to them before they clear Customs.”

Valkyrie’s eyebrows shot up. “What? Me? Alone?”

“I need to ask Bison some questions about getting into the Temple. You’ll be fine.”

“How am I supposed to get by the security section? I don’t have a ticket.”

Skulduggery cocked his head. “Valkyrie, you’ve got magical powers. If you can’t get through airport security, then I have failed in whatever capacity I have as a mentor.”

She glowered. “Fine. What do I do when I find them?”

“You need to delay them for a few hours, at least.”

“And how do I do that?”

“They’ll be very serious people wearing black. It won’t take much for the police to stop them for a chat. Go on now.”

Still glowering, Valkyrie left the toilets and walked to the Departure gates. The queue wasn’t very long. She followed an old couple and a businessman through the cordoned-off section. The businessman was obviously in a hurry, and the old couple weren’t moving fast enough for his taste. He muttered and sighed and cursed under his breath, loud enough for them to hear. Valkyrie didn’t like him. His passport and ticket were in his jacket pocket. She gripped the air and pulled it back, the ticket slipping into her hand.