She heard her parents call her given name. She looked at her hands. Her left hand, wrapped in dirty bandages. Her right, wearing that gauntlet. She frowned, and peered down at herself, her mind suddenly swimming with a tremendous sense of déjà vu.

“I’ve seen this,” she muttered. “I was watching from … there.”

Her eyes fixed on the space beside her. It was empty, save for some swirling dust. But she knew it wasn’t. In Cassandra Pharos’s basement, she was standing there watching this happen with Skulduggery at her side.

“Hi,” she said, because she could think of nothing else to say to her younger self. She remembered hearing the words she was to speak next, and the overpowering sense of guilt that came with them. “This is where it happens, but then you know that, right? At least you think you do. You think this is where I let them die.”

Her dad called her name. They were getting closer.

She remembered what was set to come next, Darquesse waving her hand and her family being consumed by black flames. She shook her head at the image. “I don’t want to see this,” she said. “Please. I don’t want this to happen. Let me stop it. Please let me stop it.”

From her pocket, Valkyrie took the device she’d stolen from the Medical Wing, and looked at it through her tears. “Please work,” she whispered. “Please let me save them.”

She stuffed it back in her pocket, wiped her eyes, and ran out to the middle of the street.

“Steph!” her mum cried, grabbing her and hugging her. Her dad rushed in, embracing them both. Valkyrie fought to free herself.

“Mum, Dad, you have to get out of here.”

“Not without you,” her dad said. “We heard the explosion and we thought … we thought you might have been in the middle of it.”

“I was on the other side of the city,” Valkyrie lied. “You have to go, OK? It’s too dangerous.”

Her mum grabbed Valkyrie’s left arm. “What happened to your hand? Is it broken? Oh my God, Steph, you’re covered in cuts.”

“I’m fine,” Valkyrie said, pulling her arm away.

“We found your friend,” said her dad. “The poor girl.”

Valkyrie looked at him. “Melancholia?”

“She was lying in the street. She … Steph, she’s dead. I’m sorry.”

“I know. She … she didn’t deserve that.”

“Come back with us,” said her mum. “Please, let’s just forget about all this and leave. Stephanie, this is insane. You’re going to get yourself killed. Please, honey, please come back with us.”

“I can’t, Mum. You know I can’t.”

“I don’t know that. You have no reason to stay.”

“I have the only reason to stay. Darquesse is part of me.”

“Steph, please, I’m begging you …”