“Congratulations on saving the world,” Skulduggery said. “Or helping to save it anyway. Being in the general vicinity. Cassandra and Finbar and the others actually saved it. But it was my plan, and you enabled it to happen, so … I think we’re all winners here, really.”

“Yay us.”

“You don’t sound overly delighted.”

“Would you be? I didn’t help save the world, Skulduggery – I helped cancel out the threat I posed to it. Those people, the ones who attacked me, they had it right. I’m to blame for all this.”

“You know it’s not as simple as that.”

“Darquesse was part of me. That little fact is inescapable.” Valkyrie paused. “I notice you haven’t asked me yet how I could suddenly use the Sceptre.”

“No I haven’t. And I won’t. We’re called on to do things, again and again, that a person should never be asked to do. But we find a way, Valkyrie. And your family is safe and Darquesse is gone. It looks like we’re going to have a happy ending on this one.”

She grunted. “Since when do we ever get a happy ending?”

“It’s rare,” he said, “but it’s possible.”

They started down the steps.

“You think she stands a chance against the Faceless Ones?” Valkyrie asked.

“I don’t know. Part of the reality the Sensitives constructed was to convince her that she’d accumulated more power than she had. But she opened that portal. It probably took everything she had to do it, but that part was no illusion. And if she could do that … she might stand a chance against a Faceless One. Maybe even two.”

“But not an entire race of them?”

Skulduggery shook his head.

“Then she’s gone,” said Valkyrie. “My bad mood is gone. Odd, I don’t feel any cheerier. I thought …”

“Yes?”

They got to the bottom of the steps, walked the cold corridor to the next set.

“I thought Darquesse was my bad side,” she said. “But I did something so … so terrible …”

Skulduggery looked at her. “Long life can be a curse. The longer you live, the greater the chance that you’re going to do things you regret. But long life is also a blessing – because you have a lot of time in which to set things right.”

“And what if there is no setting it right?”

His voice was soft. “Punishment is not the answer. Punishment is easy. It’s lazy. Redemption is hard. Redemption makes you work.”

“You’ve been working for redemption for a while now. Are you any closer to it? Are you ready to pick up your family crest again?”

He tilted her head to her. “You remember.”

“That you wouldn’t carry the crest until you reckoned you were worthy of it? Yes, I remember. So are you ready to carry it now? How do you know when your redemption is complete?”