She felt him observing her for the longest time, as if he were peering into her soul and weighing up what he found there. If he found her strong enough, he might just let her go. If he discovered her weakness, he’d kill her where she stood.

His hand left her face.

“You are not Darquesse,” he said, and even as he was stepping back to swing the sword, Valkyrie felt hands on her from behind and then she was indoors.

She recognised this place, the darkness and the smell. It was the dungeon beneath Mevolent’s Palace. The cloaking sphere retracted and Peregrine stuffed it in his coat. He held the energy-sucker in his other hand.

“You came back for me,” Valkyrie said, her eyes wide.

“Of course,” said Peregrine. “You think I’d leave you there? We’re the good guys, Valkyrie.”

“Indeed we are,” said a voice behind her, and she turned as Serpine joined them, Skulduggery and Ravel following behind in shackles, escorted by a team of grim sorcerers. “See? Your colleagues, as promised. I am nothing if not a man who sometimes keeps his word. Peregrine, what is that wonderful object you’re holding? Is it, perhaps, the weapon I’ve been waiting for?”

Peregrine handed it over and, while Serpine gave it a cursory examination, Valkyrie rushed over to Skulduggery. “Are you OK? I wanted to get you out sooner but—”

“You got me out when you could,” Skulduggery said. “You have no need to apologise.”

“Where’s the key?” Valkyrie asked Serpine. “The key to the shackles, where is it?”

“I’m sure I don’t know,” Serpine mumbled, his attention still on the magic-sucker, “and I’m sure I don’t care to.” Satisfied, he looked up. “Your skeleton friend has a habit of hitting me, so he’s going to remain in shackles until you go home, which hopefully will be very soon. Peregrine, I think it’s time we all got out of—”

“Company!” one of Serpine’s sorcerers snarled as Baron Vengeous stormed towards them.

“Oh, this should be fun,” Serpine said, aiming the magic-sucker at him.

He pulled the trigger and nothing happened.

Serpine shook the weapon. “Work, damn you.”

“Get us out of here,” Skulduggery ordered, and everyone linked up, and before Valkyrie had formed her next thought they were back in the small fishing village on the other side of the country.

“Damn it, why won’t it work?” Serpine yelled, stalking away from them. He tried firing at the sky, spun and aimed at Peregrine, but again nothing happened. “Why won’t it work?”

“Maybe it doesn’t work because you don’t know how to work it,” Valkyrie said. “Maybe it’s not so simple as pulling the trigger. You’re like a kid who gets a toy on Christmas morning and flings it away when it doesn’t work first time.”