“I’m just looking out for you.”

“I know. It’s appreciated. Up to a point.”

Ghastly nodded. “Can I ask a question, though? The last one, I promise.”

“Sure.”

“Did you take Fletcher for granted?”

Valkyrie was quiet for a moment. “I suppose I did. I knew he’d always be there for me so, like… where was the challenge?”

Ghastly nodded. “That’s what he figured.”

“Do you think he’ll be OK?”

“Of course he will. Just give him time.”

“How much time? I want us to be friends. You can’t spend all that time together and then all of a sudden not care if you never see that person again. I miss him already, you know? I don’t want to get back with him, but I miss him.”

“All you can do is wait, Valkyrie.”

“I hate waiting.”

“I’ve noticed.”

Ten minutes later, Fletcher and Skulduggery were back.

“OK,” Skulduggery said. “Most of the Necromancers are in a large, open room, so that’s where we’ll be teleporting. Very little furniture, very little cover. We’ll be dealing with thirty-five Necromancers, plus Melancholia, who will be on a raised stage directly in front of us when we arrive. You leave Melancholia to us. You stay away from the White Cleaver. Your job is to keep the rest of the Necromancers off our backs. Our aim here is to subdue Melancholia and teleport her out.”

“Subdue?” asked Kallista.

“We’re trying to take her alive.”

The collected sorcerers frowned.

“Not to be a pain,” said Rosella, “but wouldn’t it be easier to just kill her?”

Kallista nodded. “More fun, too.”

“It might come to that,” Skulduggery said, “but we’re not a death squad. We’ve issued a warrant for her arrest, and so we want to arrest her. It’s really that simple. Everyone clear? Then link up.”

They formed three rows and linked arms, Skulduggery standing between Valkyrie and Fletcher. At Skulduggery’s command, the factory became the Retirement Home. Big windows, lots of sunshine and open space, floors that may have once been used for ballroom dancing. One Necromancer saw them and the others turned, shouting, cursing, throwing shadows. Valkyrie saw Craven with his eyes wide, grabbing the White Cleaver and holding him as a shield. Behind Craven, Melancholia stood on the stage in a black cloak, the hood up and covering her scars.

Skulduggery’s arm encircled Valkyrie’s waist and they lifted into the air while the invading force engaged the Necromancers. Three of the Necromancers sent shadows up to intercept their flight, like missiles speeding towards a jet fighter. Skulduggery cursed, throwing Valkyrie forward a millisecond before the shadows hit him. She used the air to spur her on, over the heads of the others. Melancholia looked up, snarled at her, and then they crashed together and went down.