Chapters (115)
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Table of Contents
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 45
- 46
- 47
- 48
- 49
- 50
- 51
- 52
- 53
- 54
- 55
- 56
- 57
- 58
- 59
- 60
- 61
- 62
- 63
- 64
- 65
- 66
- 67
- 68
- 69
- 70
- 71
- 72
- 73
- 74
- 75
- 76
- 77
- 78
- 79
- 80
- 81
- 82
- 83
- 84
- 85
- 86
- 87
- 88
- 89
- 90
- 91
- 92
- 93
- 94
- 95
- 96
- 97
- 98
- 99
- 100
- 101
- 102
- 103
- 104
- 105
- 106
- 107
- 108
- Also by Derek Landy
- About the Publisher
He left, China by his side. The Black Cleaver followed.
Stephanie looked at Valkyrie. Seconds dragged by. “So what’s going to happen now?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” said Valkyrie. “Maybe—”
“I’ll tell you what’s going to happen now. You went away. You gave in, and you gave up everything you were born into. They’re my family now.”
Valkyrie’s eyes narrowed. “We could have sorted this out, you know. You didn’t have to attack me. You didn’t have to try and kill me. We could have talked.”
“You wouldn’t have talked,” Stephanie said. “You wouldn’t have even considered a compromise.”
“So let’s compromise. I’m still going to need a reflection to—”
“I’m not your reflection.”
Valkyrie held up her hands. “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant, now that I’m back, I’m still going to be heading off with Skulduggery every day, so I can’t do without you. I need you to keep doing what you’re doing. I think we should share my – our – family. When I’m at home, you spend the night somewhere else, and for the rest of the time, you’re there.”
Stephanie shook her head. “It’d never work, not without the mirror. What if we get different haircuts? Or one of us gets a pimple? What if you put on weight?”
Valkyrie frowned. “How come I’m the one who gets fat in this scenario?”
“Without the mirror, this won’t work. And there is no mirror any more. And even if there were, I wouldn’t get back into it.”
“It’ll be a learning process,” said Valkyrie. “We’ll settle into a routine. We’ll come up with ways to work round problems. Does that sound agreeable?”
Stephanie grunted. “Maybe.”
“We can co-exist, you know.”
Stephanie grunted again, and put the bag she was holding on the bed. “Here are your clothes.”
Valkyrie looked surprised. She opened the bag, peered in. “You don’t want them?”
“I don’t want people mistaking me for you. I have my own outfit now anyway. The shock stick’s in there, too. You can keep it. It doesn’t recharge for me, and I have the Sceptre.”
“OK. Well … thanks, I suppose.”
“So, are we friends now? Can I leave you alone without Skulduggery berating me for it when he gets back?”
“I won’t tell him if you won’t.”
Stephanie shrugged. “Suits me,” she said, walking to
23
the door, and then she left, and the room was quiet. All the tests had been run, and the Sensitives had been in, and the questions had been asked, and Darquesse had fooled them all.
She got off the bed and dressed. Black trousers – tight. Black jacket – zipped. Black boots – awesome. She’d missed these, the clothes Ghastly had made for her. Well, for Valkyrie really, but what was the difference?