“It would have been so much better if you hadn’t asked me.”

“She’s going to kill them? That’s what the Death Bringer does?” Valkyrie pushed Wreath, her palm against his chest. “She kills all these people? That’s the Passage?” She pushed him again. “How many people? How many? For God’s sake, just tell me how many people she’s going to have to kill!”

She pushed him again, but this time he caught her wrist, and raised his eyes to look at her. “Three billion ought to do it.”

Valkyrie broke free, spun, sprinted for the door. A wave of shadows crashed into her and sent her to the wall. The shock rattled her body, but when she fell, she managed to keep her feet under her. She pushed at the air and Wreath snapped his cane, deflecting her aim. A tendril of shadow came from nowhere, wrapped around her throat, yanked her back. She staggered, used her ring to cut the tendril, and then the cane came for her face and met her jaw. She was on the ground then, trying to focus, trying to look up as Wreath’s boot came swinging in, and she went spinning into darkness.

Chapter 28 - A Vile History

Chapter 28
A Vile History

alkyrie woke in a large room with no furniture to find Skulduggery crouching down and peering at her. She groaned. Her face hurt. Her head pounded. Her hands were shackled behind her.

“Wreath,” she croaked.

“I know,” said Skulduggery. “What did I tell you about wandering off ? Why don’t you ever do anything I say? If I didn’t know any better, I would swear that you feel a compulsion to disobey authority figures.”

“That can’t be what it is,” she said.

“Well, that’s what it seems like.”

“But I don’t view you as an authority figure.”

“Oh, not this again.”

Valkyrie sat up. Slowly. “Are you going to lecture me all day, or are you going to get these shackles off me?”

“I’m inclined to lecture you.”

She sighed, turned her back to him, waited for him to start picking the lock.

“Uh,” he said, “exactly what do you think is going on right now?”

She frowned over her shoulder at him. “What do you mean? Skulduggery, I’ve got a headache. Wreath kicked me in the face. He kicked me. In the face. It hurts. So get these shackles off me, and we’ll go find him, and I’ll kick him in the face. Then you kick him in the face. Then I’ll do it again. We’ll take turns. It’ll be fun.”

“It would be fun,” Skulduggery nodded. “I like kicking Wreath in the face. I haven’t had a chance to do it nearly as much as I’d like.”

“See? So, come on, stop delaying.”

“I wish I could.”