“Detective Pleasant,” Zafira said, panic biting at her words, “we seem to have an emergency.”

Skulduggery looked around, then nodded. “Yep.”

Zafira grimaced. “I would appreciate any … assistance you could give us. Most of my operatives are at least twenty minutes away.”

“You’re officially requesting our assistance?”

“Yes, yes, whatever. Will you help?”

Skulduggery stood up. “We’d be delighted. Where would you like us?”

“Lower levels,” said Zafira. “We sent two teams down there and we’ve yet to hear anything back.”

“Then that is just the place we want to be,” Skulduggery said. “We’ll let you know when we’ve found them.”

Darquesse set off with everyone else, grinning to herself. This was fun.

They took this weird elevator-type thing down to the lower levels. Down here, the wail of the sirens was reduced to a distant scream.

“Stay together,” Skulduggery said, his gun in his hand as he led the way down the corridor. “We don’t know what these particular renegades can do and we don’t know if their powers are ebbing or surging. In any given minute, they could either kill us all with a look or fall down at a harsh word. They are not to be underestimated.”

He didn’t have to say this to Vex or Rue, and the Monster Hunters didn’t need to hear it. These words were for Stephanie and Fletcher and Darquesse. To protect them. Little gestures like that made Darquesse smile.

There were bodies up ahead.

Two dead. One unconscious. She recognised the injured girl. Tia. Blood ran from the gash above her eye. They moved on silently. Darquesse could sense the power ahead of them, lying in wait, but she didn’t say anything. She’d seen the list of renegades. She knew which one this was. Star, her name was. A pretty name. She was English, and her power was jumping and jiving along with her nerves.

Star burst from hiding when they got close. She took them all by surprise – all except Darquesse, who watched Dai go flying and Fletcher go reeling. Star hit Gracious and he flew back off his feet. Oh, this glorious power was making her strong! Darquesse nearly laughed to look at it. Skulduggery grabbed Star and she grabbed him and they went down. Stephanie and Saracen lunged, tried to pull her back. Vex and Donegan ran in, and between them they managed to haul Star off Skulduggery. Star twisted free, her hands lighting up. Before Darquesse knew what she was doing, she stepped forward, used her magic to send a column of air slamming into Star’s face. Star spun like she’d been hit with a hammer.

Odd, this new urge to lend a hand.