They’d expected Mevolent to appear long before this. Maybe he wasn’t coming. Maybe he didn’t believe for a moment that she was Darquesse. Maybe someone was going to shoot her from a rooftop before Peregrine had a chance to teleport her to safety. One bullet, right between the eyes. How stupid would she feel then?

She was almost relieved when Mevolent drifted down from the sky. Almost.

He didn’t have Vile or Vengeous with him. Were they too busy torturing Skulduggery and Ravel, or were they sneaking up behind her? She wanted to look round, but kept her eyes fixed straight ahead.

“Sorry about yesterday,” she said loudly. “You caught me unawares. Shall we pick up where we left off?”

Her voice only trembled a little, right at the start. She didn’t think he noticed, though. She hoped he didn’t.

Mevolent brought the magic-sucking gun out from beneath his cloak. Valkyrie kept the smile, and wondered if this was going to hurt.

The beam hit her and it was hot against her skin, and hit with enough force to drive her back one step. But with no magic to drain out of her, once she’d got over the initial impact, all she felt was a mild tingle. Even so, she mimicked Darquesse’s earlier reactions, and fell to her knees like she was exhausted.

Mevolent cut off the beam and strode forward. Before he had a chance to finish her, Valkyrie stood up, felt Peregrine’s hand on her back, and suddenly she was on the opposite side of the street.

“Is that it?” she asked, forcing a grin on to her face. “Is that the only setting it’s got?”

Mevolent raised the weapon and fired again. This time when the beam hit her, Valkyrie laughed.

Peregrine teleported her three strides to the left. “Your little toys only work on me for a short time,” she said. “Then I learn. I adapt. We have a race of beings in my universe – we call them the Borg. They taught me everything they know about adapting to new weaponry. You cannot defeat me, Mevolent. Resistance is futile.”

Mevolent fired again, and again. After each blast, Valkyrie forced her smile to grow wider.

He leaped at her and suddenly she was on the opposite side of the street, watching Mevolent land.

She tried to give a laugh, but all that emerged was a strangled bark that she really hoped nobody heard.

Mevolent turned to her. Valkyrie did her best to look arrogant. After all those years of being arrogant, it should have come to her a lot more naturally than it did. “I’m not here for you,” she said. “I’m here for Skulduggery Pleasant and Erskine Ravel. Give them to me and I will leave this depressing little reality and never come back. You have my word.”