“Yeah …”
“We never know how much time we have left, Bennet.”
Bennet took another sip of his beer. “This is true.”
“If I had family, I’d be cherishing every moment I had with them.”
“You don’t have family?”
“Not any more.”
“You … want to talk about it?”
“Not especially.”
“Sore subject?”
“Yeah.”
“OK,” said Bennet. “But, if you ever do need to talk, that’s what friends are for.”
“Thank you,” Sebastian said, fighting the sudden rush of warmth that threatened to bring tears to his eyes. He clicked on the TV. “So what channel is the game on?”
“Do you ever doubt what we’re doing?”
Sebastian lowered the remote. “What do you mean?”
“What Forby’s doing with the machine and all?”
“Looking for Darquesse?”
“No. Well, yes, but not the search itself – just the likelihood of finding her.”
Sebastian sighed. “It’s tricky,” he admitted. “I’ve got this little voice in my head and every day it whispers to me, Maybe Darquesse is dead. Maybe the Faceless Ones tore her apart years ago.”
“Or maybe, if we find her, she won’t want to come back.”
Sebastian frowned. “You think that’s a possibility?”
“Don’t you?”
“I don’t know. It never occurred to me that she might not want to return. I mean, this is her home.”
“That she left.”
“Well, yeah, but she left under false pretences, didn’t she?”
“Which brings me to my next point,” Bennet said. “What if she comes back to finish the job? If we find her, if we tell her that she was fooled into thinking she’d ended all life on earth … what if she only comes back to do it for real?”
“That,” said Sebastian, “is a possibility. We all know that. But do you believe it?”
“No,” said Bennet. “But can I be trusted? Can any of us be trusted? We saw what Darquesse can do. We saw her power and it unlocked something in us, a love and a devotion that could quite possibly be self-destructive. I don’t think she’d kill us if she returned. But I might be wrong. We all might be wrong.”
“Sounds like you’re going through a crisis of faith, my friend.”
Bennet suddenly looked flustered, like he’d miscalculated. “I mean … I mean, I’m still devoted to—”
Sebastian held up a hand. “I didn’t mean it as an accusation. Of course you’re doubting all this. Everything you’ve said is one hundred per cent true. These are the thoughts that go through my mind a thousand times a day.”
Bennet relaxed. “So how do you handle it?”
“I … believe, I suppose. I choose to believe that it’ll work out, that we’ll find her, we’ll bring her home, and that everything will be OK. You’re not alone here, Bennet.”
Bennet finished his first beer, and put the empty bottle on the coffee table. “Well, neither are you. I hope you know that.”
Sebastian smiled. “Thank you. So, which channel is the game on?”
“I don’t know,” Bennet answered. “I don’t even like football. I came over here because I was lonely and I thought we could hang out. Do you have any video games? I’m pretty good at—”
Bennet’s phone beeped at the same time as Sebastian’s buzzed. They looked at their screens at the same time. It was a message. From Forby.
I think I’ve found Darquesse.
Valkyrie got back to Grimwood House at a little past nine. She got out of the car and Xena ran up to her and they cuddled until the dog calmed down enough for Valkyrie to open the front door.
She flicked on the lights, dumped the day’s post on the hall table and fed Xena. She ate leftovers in the quiet kitchen, washed the plate and put it away, then went upstairs to have a shower. Her phone chimed when she got out. It was Temper Fray, asking them to meet him the next day. She messaged him back, then dressed in pyjama bottoms and a light top. On her way back down the stairs, the doorbell rang.
She padded across the hall in her bare feet, and opened the door.
Tanith Low stood there in jeans and a warm coat open over a Prince T-shirt, her blonde hair tousled.
Valkyrie leaped forward, wrapping her in the biggest hug she could muster.
“Holy crap,” Tanith wheezed.
“I missed you,” Valkyrie said into her shoulder.
“I miss my lungs,” said Tanith. “I’m sure they were there a second ago …”
Valkyrie released her and jumped back, looked her up and down. “Your hair’s shorter. I love it. Where have you been?”
“Away.”
“What have you been doing?”
“Things.”
“How are you?”
“Tormented.”
“I want to hear every last little detail.”
She made them each a cup of tea and they sat on the couch, legs curled beneath them.
“Look at you,” Tanith said. “Right up until you answered that door, I still had this picture in my head of you as a … not a kid, but … a girl. But you’re a proper grown-up, aren’t you?”
“Technically.”
“How’s Skulduggery?”
“Same as ever. We’ve been dealing with a bit of a thing lately. Abyssinia, you heard of her?”
Tanith nodded. “I try to keep up with what’s happening. Is it true she’s Skulduggery’s ex?”
“That is true, yes.”
“Wow. Must have been quite a shock to learn he had an ex-girlfriend back on the scene. How about you?”
“How about me what?”
“Any boyfriends I should know about?”
“Not right now,” said Valkyrie. She took a breath. “There is a girlfriend, though.”
“Really?” Tanith said, drawing the word out as her eyes got wider. “You dark horse, you. When did this happen?”
“Few months ago. Her name’s Militsa Gnosis. She’s a teacher at Corrival Academy. Necromancer.”
“Oooh,” said Tanith, “a bad girl.”
Valkyrie laughed. “Not really.”
“So is this it? The full switch, girls-only from now on?”
“Ah, I still like boys, too.”
“You played that close