The Faceless Ones

Chapter Forty. Killing Gods

China found Crux sitting on the ground between the woods and the meadow. His head was lowered and his arms were crossed over his body. He was hurt--she could see that as she walked toward him. There was no one else around. There was no one to see. "Hello, Remus," China said. He looked up. His pupils were dilated and he was muttering to himself.

"What happened to you?" she asked gently.

"You're all in on it," he mumbled.

Her blue eyes narrowed. "Did you see them, Remus? Did you see those things? Those flying things? Did you look at them?"

He tutted and shook his head and held himself tighter. His mind was broken. He must have looked up as the third Faceless One passed by in search of its vessel.

Which would make this so much easier.

China hunkered down, laying a comforting arm across his shoulders. "Did you tell anyone my secret, Remus? Anyone at all?"

"Secret?" he whispered.

"I won't be mad." She smiled. "I promise I won't. Who did you tell? About Skulduggery?"

"Skulduggery ..." Crux said, trying to remember.

"Did you tell anyone?"

He turned his head to think, and his jacket opened, and she glimpsed gold.

"What have you got there?" she asked softly, reaching in slowly. His hands closed around it, and she saw it was the Scepter.

"Mine."

"Yes, it is yours, Remus. It's so pretty. Can I see?"

"It's mine. I found it. Saw a man dig a hole. Saw him dig. And then she came.»"Who came?"

"The girl. She hurt me."

"She's a mean girl. Can I see that? I'll give it right back, I promise."

Reluctantly, Crux released his hold, and China took the Scepter from him and smiled again.

"We're friends, aren't we? Did you tell anyone about my secret? I'm not going to be mad."

He shook his head. "No. No. Told no one."

"Good boy." She took a long, thin blade from the sheath on her boot. "You're confused, aren't you? I'm going to make the confusion go away. I promise."

"Give it back now."

"I'm afraid not."

He snarled and turned suddenly. The rock in his hand cracked against her head. China fell back, and Crux tried getting up on his broken leg.

"You're in on it!" he screeched. "You're all in on it!"

He made it up and stood over her, the rock ready to smash down, but something hit him and he was flung off his feet.

China sat up, dazed, and Valkyrie ran up to her."Give me the Scepter!" the girl shouted. There was a Faceless One right behind her and it was running.

China threw the Scepter and Valkyrie caught it and turned. The Faceless One stopped running and studied her with its blank face. It raised its hand to her slowly.

China could see the panic on Valkyrie's face, like she expected her body to explode or implode or, at the very least, twist. Then she raised the Scepter and fired.

The crystal glowed and the black lightning crackled and shot out, hitting the Faceless One in the chest. It staggered, and even though it had no mouth, it shrieked, an inhuman scream of pain and rage. The black lightning curled around its body, and Valkyrie hit it again. The skin dried and cracked.

China saw the god try to abandon its vessel, but it was too late, and the body erupted into a cloud of dust. China got to her feet as the wind took the dust away.

Valkyrie realized she was still holding the Scepter straight out, and she tried to lower her arms, but they didn't seem to want to go down.Skulduggery ran over. "What happened? Are you all right? What was that scream?"

"That was the sound of a god dying," China said.

"Paddy!" Valkyrie blurted. "Paddy is Batu!"

China didn't know who this Paddy was, but Skulduggery tilted his head, and his fist clenched.

"That's how he got close enough to kill the Teleporters," he said. "I doubt he even came to Peregrine's mind when we asked him who he'd been talking to."

China could see that Valkyrie was barely listening. She pointed at the spot where the Faceless One had been standing.

"It just looked at me," she said. "It could have turned me inside out, but it didn't. Why didn't it? "

"It must have recognized you," China said. "It must have recognized the Ancient blood in your veins, marking you out as something different."

China wiped the blood from her forehead and glanced around for Crux, but he was gone. Her jaw clenched in anger, but she said nothing.

"Now we can stop them," Valkyrie said. "We have the Scepter--we can stop them. All I have to do is point and shoot.»"That's right," Skulduggery said. "Okay then, so where's the next one?" China heard something in the trees behind her and turned.