A taxi passed, and the sweeping headlights illuminated Dusk's pale face and black hair.

"Sanguine isn 't with you," he noted.

Vengeous resumed walking, Dusk by his side. "He

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will join us soon, have no fear."

"Are you sure you can trust him? I appreciate that he freed you from prison, but it took him eighty years to do it."

Had Dusk been any other man, this remark would have been the height of hypocrisy, as he himself had not lifted one finger to help Vengeous either. But Dusk was not any other man. Dusk was scarcely a man, and as such, loyalty was not in his nature. A certain level of obedience, perhaps, but not loyalty. Because of this, Vengeous harbored no resentment toward him.

The resentment he harbored toward Sanguine, on the other hand . . .

Dusk's breathing suddenly became strained. He reached into his coat, fumbled with a syringe, then jabbed the needle into his forearm. He depressed the plunger, forcing the colorless liquid into his bloodstream, and moments later he was breathing regularly again.

"I'm glad to see you're still in control," Vengeous said.

Dusk put the syringe away. "I wouldn 't be much good to you if I wasn't, would I? What do you need me to do?"

"There will be some obstacles to our work, some enemies we will no doubt face. The Skeleton Detective, for example. Apparently he has an apprentice now -- a dark-haired girl. You will wait for them outside the Sanctuary,

19

tonight, and you will follow them, and when she is alone, you will fetch her for me."

"Of course."

"Alive, Dusk."

There was a hesitation. "Of course," Dusk repeated.

Chapter Four

THE BEAUTY, THE BEAST

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THEY LEFT THE Sanctuary and drove across town, until they came to a street lined with ugly tenement buildings. Skulduggery parked the Bentley, wrapped his scarf around his jaw, and pulled his hat down low, and they got out.

"I notice you haven't mentioned how I was thrown off a tower tonight," Valkyrie said as they crossed the road.

"Does it need mentioning?" Skulduggery queried.

"Scapegrace threw me off a tower. If that doesn't require mentioning, then what does?"

"I knew you could handle it."

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"It was a tower."

Valkyrie led the way into one of the tenement buildings.

"You've been thrown off higher," Skulduggery said.

"Yes, but you were always there to catch me."

"So you've learned a valuable lesson: There will be times when I'm not there to catch you."

"See, that sounds to me like a lesson I could have been told."

"Nonsense. This way, you'll never forget."

Skulduggery removed his disguise as they climbed the stairs. Just as they reached the second floor, Valkyrie stopped and turned to him.

"Was it a test?" she asked. "I mean, I know I'm still new at this, I'm still the rookie. Did you hang back to test me, to see if I'd be able to handle it alone?"