“Do not let go,” she said. “Until my blood starts flowing properly I won’t be the most agile person in the world. Oh, this feels good. This feels right.” Samuel helped her into her jacket. “Valkyrie, how do I look? What do you think of this colour on me? I like it.”

Valkyrie glared. “I’m going to kill you.”

Darquesse smiled. Her wet hair hung down over a face that was already starting to get some colour back into it. “With a tranquilliser dart? No you’re not. Even while I’m waiting for this body to adapt to the power levels I need it at, I’m still stronger and better than you. You really want to see which one of us would win in a fight? Really? Then let’s go. I can’t access most of my power yet, I can’t even move properly, but I bet I can still rip your head off.”

“There can be only one,” Foe said, grinning.

Darquesse frowned at him. “I’m sure that’s referencing something I’m too young to get, but either way, shut up. This is between me and—”

Valkyrie whirled, made to break for the tunnel, but only managed a few stumbling steps. Tanith stood before her, her lips black and her face riddled with black veins. Her sword was in her hand and her eyes were fixed on Valkyrie.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Darquesse said. “I know how much you hate being the hostage, so let’s just call you the Emergency Negotiation Device and leave it as that. I’m sure Skulduggery, if he’s even still alive, has a last-resort plan to take me down … but if I keep you with me, I think I’ll do OK. Mercy, would you put some shackles on our guest and find her somewhere to sit?”

“My absolute pleasure,” Mercy said, grinning. She came over, smacked the gun out of Valkyrie grip, and Tanith’s sword came up, almost lazily, and cut Mercy’s hand from her wrist.

Mercy stared at the stump and the blood and, before anyone could even react, Tanith took her head off.

Then she grabbed Valkyrie and pushed her into the tunnel.

“Run.”

Valkyrie ran. She ran from Vincent Foe’s screams of rage and Samuel’s echoing snarl, then she turned sideways, squeezed out through the fissure. She stuffed the Echo Stone into her jacket as she stumbled out into the cavern. Tanith wasn’t following her.

She sprinted on.

She left the cavern and retraced her steps as well as she could, alternating between jogging and sprinting whenever her lungs and legs would allow it. But she got lost. It was inevitable, really. Only a matter of time.