Playing With Fire

Chapter Thirty-nine FACING VENGEOUS

THE GROTESQUERY flailed and struck. out and three Cleavers were flung away, but there were more to take their place.

Skulduggery and Valkyrie stood together. Tanith cradled her broken arm. Bliss had taken a step back to catch his breath.

They watched the Cleavers attack, and it was a sight to behold. They moved as a perfect team, silently and without the need for orders. They knew what they had to do, and they backed each other up, compensated for injuries, reinforced, and provided distraction. The Grotesquery was not granted a single moment to recover.

Valkyrie saw the growth on its left wrist contract, spitting acid. It caught a Cleaver full in the chest and he went down, trying to tear his coat off but dying before he was able.

The Grotesquery's right arm unraveled again, and all five talons plunged into another Cleaver and then tore out. The Cleaver was thrown through the air like a rag doll.

A slice across the Grotesquery's tendon made it stagger. Another slice, across its back, splattered the ground with black blood. It lashed out wildly, struck nothing but air, and stumbled to one knee. The Cleavers swarmed over it as it tried to heal itself.

And just when things were going right, everything went wrong.

There came a voice from behind them — "Heathens!" — and they looked around.

Baron Vengeous had returned.

He stood on the same rooftop they themselves had stood on, and the shadows whipped around him angrily. His armor shifted, became sharp, and when he walked forward, the shadows snaked over the edge and down to the ground. He strode on darkness, and the darkness lowered him to the courtyard.

The Cleavers broke off their attack. The Grotesquery was on its knees. Its body was trying to mend the wounds it had suffered. It didn't get up.

"How dare you!" Vengeous thundered as he stalked toward them. "How dare you attack a living god!"

"It's not a god," Skulduggery said. "And it won't be living for much longer."

Valkyrie looked closer at the shadows around Vengeous. There seemed to be a clump of darkness trailing after him. Suddenly the darkness unwrapped and let its captive go, and China Sorrows tumbled to the ground. Vengeous left her in his wake.

Bliss went to meet him.

"You will go no further," Bliss said.

"Then stop me," Vengeous snarled.

"That is my intention," Bliss said, and punched.

Vengeous held up a hand, collecting shadows to form a barrier. Bliss hit the barrier, and they all heard his knuckles break.

The armor shifted, reinforcing Vengeous's fist, and he smiled as he delivered a punch of his own.

The blow caught Bliss beneath the chin, lifting him and sending him hurtling back.

Skulduggery raised his gun and fired, aiming for the head. The shadows became a cloud that covered Vengeous's face, soaking up the bullets and spitting them out again. When the gun clicked empty, the shadows settled.

"Well, that didn't work," Skulduggery muttered.

"Cleavers," Tanith said, gripping her sword, "we have a new target."

Tanith ran forward, and the Cleavers sprang.

Vengeous held his arm out straight.

"Oh damn it," was all Skulduggery had time to say, before a wave of darkness erupted from Vengeous's hand and slammed into Tanith and the Cleavers. Skulduggery grabbed Valkyrie and dragged her down, the darkness passing above them. She glimpsed everyone else slump to the ground, unconscious.

There was a moment of stillness, and then Vengeous reached out his arm and a streak of shadow wrapped around Skulduggery and pulled him closer.

Valkyrie felt something tighten around her ankle, and then she was skidding along the ground, into the middle of the courtyard. The shadow released her and she rolled to a stop beside Skulduggery. Vengeous looked down at them.

"I am almost impressed. You actually managed to hurt the Grotesquery. I didn't think you'd be capable of such a feat."

"We're full of surprises," Skulduggery said, and sprang. A sliver of shadows smacked him down. He groaned, and rolled over. "That obviously wasn't one of them."

"None of you understand yet, do you?" Vengeous said. "You are no longer a threat. I am the most powerful sorcerer on this planet. When the Faceless Ones return, I will rule by their side. What hope do you have against me?"

Skulduggery stood, and Valkyrie got to her feet by his side.

"Baron Vengeous," Skulduggery said, "I'm placing you under arrest."

Vengeous laughed. Valkyrie looked beyond him, at China, who was moving slightly. Her white trousers were slashed and torn, and her waistcoat was dirty and bloodied.

"Here we are at the end," Vengeous said, "and I'm wondering: Have you, unlike China, learned your lesson? Are you ready to accept that the world belongs to the Faceless Ones? Are you ready to praise their name?"

"They're not here yet, Baron," Skulduggery said.

"But they're coming. You must realize that. The Grotesquery will call them and they will know the way back. And correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem to be out of reinforcements."

"Who says we need them?" Skulduggery asked, and snapped his hand out. The air rippled, and Vengeous stepped aside and flung back his arm. A wave of blackness hit Skulduggery and took him off his feet.

Valkyrie ducked under a return swipe and scooped up two small pieces of rubble. She brought her hands together, acting on pure instinct, and felt the air around them and pushed, and the pieces of rubble shot at Vengeous like bullets. He sent shadows to intercept them and they exploded in dry clouds of dust. He pointed at Valkyrie, and the shadow slammed into her.

"So, so easy," he laughed.

The shadows were on her again, wrapping around her, picking her up and moving her back, slamming her against the wall. She felt the cold darkness seep through her clothes, and tried to move but couldn't.

Skulduggery hit the wall beside her, the shadows pinning him. "You're nothing without that armor," he said.

Vengeous smiled at his prisoners as he walked over. "Is this the part where you goad me?

Where you insult my honor? This armor is a weapon, abomination. I'm hardly going to abandon my weapon right before the killing stroke, just so I can give my opponent a sporting chance. If my enemy is weakened, then my enemy will be destroyed. Such is the way of the dark gods."

"Please don't kill me!" Valkyrie blurted.

"Valkyrie," Skulduggery said. "Don't worry, I'll get us out of this."

"He won't get you out of anything," Vengeous said. "You seem to have chosen the wrong side, my dear."

"Then I'll change sides!"

Vengeous smiled, amused. "Do you hear that, abomination? Faced with the reality of the situation, your protégée has abandoned you."

Skulduggery shook his head. "Valkyrie, listen to me...."

"What?" Valkyrie snapped. "Are you going to tell me it'll be all right? Are you going to tell me to be brave? He's going to kill us! Baron, please, I don't want to die! Let me prove myself! Let me kill him for you!"

"You'd do that?" Vengeous asked. "Kill your mentor? Murder him in cold blood?"

"It's not murder if he's already dead."

Vengeous considered the proposal. "I suppose there is a certain poetry to it. Very well, Miss Cain. You get to be the one to kill him."

The shadows withdrew and Valkyrie dropped to the ground. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and looked at Skulduggery, who was now hanging there quite limply.

"How do you intend to kill him?" Vengeous asked.

"I think I know how," she answered. "Something he said, a while ago. Something about his weakness."

Vengeous motioned for her to come forward, and she moved unsteadily to his side.

She faced Skulduggery and raised her arms. "I'm sorry," she said.

Valkyrie closed her eyes, drew her hands into claws, and pulled her arms in close to her body, making the air shimmer around her, and then she twisted to Vengeous, but he smacked her arms away and grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off her feet.

"Did you really think I was that naive?" He laughed as she kicked at the armor. "Such a clumsy attempt. If this is the best the abomination has taught you, you really should have asked for a better teacher."

Her hands closed around his wrist and she lifted herself, easing the pressure off her throat for a moment. "You're a military man," she managed to say. "You should recognize a feint when you see it."

"Oh, is that what this is? You distracted me long enough to get into the perfect position, is that it?"

"Precisely," she answered. "And now comes the moment when I launch the attack and beat you down."

He laughed again. "Well, pardon the expression, Miss Cain — but you and what army?"

Valkyrie gave him a smile, took one hand away from his wrist, and pointed over his shoulder.

"That one," she said.

He looked around as China Sorrows stepped up behind him.