“You’re disgusting,” Valkyrie told him.

“I don’t feel well,” Arthur said, and burped.

Skulduggery’s hand closed around Arthur’s upper arm, and he shepherded him out into the night air.

“You found him!” Hansard said, running up behind.

The valet brought the car round, and Skulduggery and Hansard managed to bundle Arthur in. “We will have our revenge,” Arthur vowed from the back seat.

“Not tonight you won’t,” Skulduggery said, slamming the door.

Hansard stood and shook his head. “I knew it would be a mistake coming here,” he said. “But my father said it was important. He said we had to attend. It’s probably an honour thing or something. Although he doesn’t look very honourable right now.”

Valkyrie peered at Arthur through the window, and winced. “I think he threw up again.”

“Typical,” Hansard said. “Well, thank you both for your help.” He shook Skulduggery’s hand, then Valkyrie’s. “I hope to see you again.”

“I’d like that,” Valkyrie smiled.

“Until next time,” Hansard said, “when hopefully, you won’t have my father’s vomit in your hair.”

Valkyrie’s eyes widened and she dropped her head forward, saw a strand of hair with something dripping off it, and shrieked. Skulduggery quickly passed her a handkerchief. She wrapped it around the strand and scrubbed, then she flung the handkerchief to the ground and flicked her hair away from her face. When she looked up, Hansard was already driving away.

She glared at Skulduggery. “You could have told me!”

“I was waiting for a good time.”

“There is never a good time to tell a girl she has sick in her hair!”

“And that is what I learned tonight,” he said, nodding.

Valkyrie looked at the departing tail lights. “Whenever he thinks of me,” she moaned, “this is what he’ll think of. He won’t think of me totally owning this dress. He’ll think of me with sick in my hair.”

“What does it matter to you?” Skulduggery asked. “You don’t care, do you? You don’t even know him.”

“Don’t use my words against me,” she grumbled. “I hate when you do that.”

Chapter 52 - All Fall Down

Chapter 52
All Fall Down

elancholia opened her eyes. “I’m ready,” she said.

Craven took a moment to appear serene, and nodded. “Kill them without pain,” he said gently. “They are not our enemies, not really. They are merely ignorant. Kill them, take their lives, grow ever stronger. Then the Passage can begin.”

She lowered her head. Craven made sure that when he stepped behind another Necromancer, he did so very discreetly. If the others thought that he was even the slightest bit wary of Melancholia’s new ability, they could lose faith in his leadership.

“I can feel them above us,” Melancholia murmured. “Almost three hundred lives. So, so bright.”