A face flowed up over his skull, an unremarkable face with unremarkable features. He leaned in, and softly kissed her cheek. The face flowed away. He hugged her, then peeled her arms from around his neck, took off his hat and put it on her head. He spent a moment angling it just right.

“There,” he said. “Looks good on you.”

She couldn’t speak as he stepped round her. He walked up to the Accelerator. The Engineer watched him impassively. Ravel looked away.

“I love you,” Valkyrie blurted out.

Skulduggery didn’t look back.

107

“Danny. Danny.”

Danny opens his eyes. Someone is behind him, holding him, their arms round his legs, taking his weight.

“Stephanie?” he mumbles.

“May as well call me Valkyrie,” she says. “Can you lift your hands off the hook?”

Danny makes the mistake of looking up. A river of stinging sweat flows into his eyes, blinding him. He grits his teeth, tries freeing himself.

“Can’t move my arms,” he says.

She releases him, and his full body weight hangs from his wrists again. He swings a little, enough to see her hurrying to the wheel on the wall when he cracks one eye open. Stephanie, or Valkyrie, dressed in black, sweating in the heat, but not looking overly concerned about it.

“They’re waiting for you,” he says. Christ, he’s thirsty. His words feel thick and slow. “This is a trap.”

“Yep,” she says, “bears all the hallmarks of one.” She abandons the wheel, comes back over. “What a place, eh? Bigger on the inside. Like the TARDIS. Look away.” She raises her hand. “This is going to be bright.”

He closes his eyes but not all the way, and sees white lightning crackle from her fingertips. The lightning hits the chain and suddenly he’s swinging wildly. He looks up. The chain is scorched. He can see a clear fracture in one of the links.

“Sorry,” Valkyrie says, reaching out to steady him. “Haven’t done this in a while. Another blast should—”

A large shape bursts from the door and Danny shouts a warning, but he’s too late. Jeremiah swings a sledgehammer into Valkyrie’s ribs. The impact lifts her sideways.

“Mr Gant!” Jeremiah screeches. “She’s here! She’s here!”

Valkyrie tries to get up. She’s wheezing. Jeremiah doesn’t give her the chance. The hammer comes down, right between her shoulder blades. Valkyrie flattens out.

“Mr Gant! I have her! I have her, Mr Gant!”

He goes quiet all of a sudden, and assumes the look of a man to whom an idea has just occurred. He leans the sledgehammer against the wall, takes hold of the collar of Valkyrie’s jacket, and drags her from the room. Amazingly, Valkyrie is still half conscious, but she’s in no fit state to fight back. The last Danny sees of her are her boots.