Skulduggery Pleasant Fan-fiction- Love Amongst The Cain (Sequel to The Cradle Of Magic)

Blood in her eyes

A/N Warning: Vividly graphic torture scene.
***
-Dusk

I had found her easily. Tracking was never hard, and from being a being a beast himself, deep within, it was more instinct that anything. He had tasted her blood before, a bitter taste that lacked warmth, a sharp pang down his throat as if to swallow knives. It was different, but of course everyone knew that and it was no secret, unfortunately. He would have liked to have used something against her when he had the time to spare. Days were shorter now, the light fading quickly. We were on the brink of something, ready to topple and fall into the waters. Not quite, though. And whatever this girl was planning he was under the impression it may add to a factor or two. A storm was coming, readying. Some had said it was over, Darquesse dying was the end. It was not. It was always the beginning.
After that, people had started to query it's existence, it became rumour, things had developed and then cast aside like loose ash in the wind. People had questioned the Cain girl, and rightly so. It was unlike anything anyone had seen for hundreds of years.
It was a brimming cloud, ready to shower it's water over the earth and wash away the good. For good, this time.
The flowers would only ever grow with a sprinkling of rain, and that was what had happened since the beginning of magic. Flowers could never grow after a flood wiped them away.
I walked, a soft rain falling on my back. It was the rise of fall of autumn, the leaves scattered or decaying in piles to which they had gathered to, the trees bare and dead, readying for the winter to come.
The library had been build after her resignation, she had come as Grand Mage in a time of need. To serve for what was right and for the time needed. Until she fell back, taking her place and resigning to where she loved the most. She had collected since, her new library now blooming with books and the casual visitor. It was nothing as it had been but it apparently made her happy.
And for some odd reason. It made me smile.
There was a staircase to the right of the building, a narrow path of metal leading to a side door in the grey facade of the building. I strolled across the carpark, the night wavering in the sky. It waited, holding it's breath.
I climbed, taking the door to the main library route and strolling through the shelves with such ease it was almost ridiculous. I suspected there would be struggle later, oh certainly, but for now I was to enjoy the calm before the storm.
I slipped past a common reader, bowing my head as if to search for a book. Oh, I was searching alright and the book in question was quite dainty thing.
Dainty to sight, of course. She was a poisonous flower beneath that beautiful facade.
A Nightshade.
It was ironic, one of the most powerful women in the world just... Sitting there.
I watched her from the shadows, her flaxen locks dipping gracefully over her eyes as she dug into the book, her lip bitten hesitantly as she read. Her azure flicked across the pages of the leather bound book as she took a breath and turned the page, her legs tucking closer to her as she huddled to the window.
She was beautiful, I would admit it. Despite my loathing for her. She was the daughter of China Sorrows, he'd learnt that a time ago as he worked with the woman. I could see it.
I let a small smirk pass my lips as I hummed a soft tune, resting my head on the back of a shelf and placing my leg to it for support. I had managed to get a few metres away from her without her even batting an eyelid.
The library was empty, eachother our only company.
She looked from her book, a quizzical look on her face. It took her a half second before she reacted, panting hard and swallowing. She tapped a symbol on her forearm and the nearby bookshelf flew at me, missing me by a foot. I growled, running at her and punching her in the chest. She tightened her fists, reversing my action and I felt a hard push to my stomach. Anger rose in my chest and I grabbed her hair on surprise, throwing her against the wall and snarling. She flicked her wrist and tore energy at a nearby mirror, the flecks of glass blinding me partially for a second before I launched a kick at her throat, pounding her chest hard and sending her falling back into a wall. She cried out, screaming for her mother. I smirked, grappling her trachea in my left hand and raising her high.
"Want your Mommy do you, little one?"
She gasped at my force, her eyes flicking wildly as flames tore at my shirt. I yelled, a searing pain wasting away the flesh on my torso and batted the fabric, swinging a punch to her jaw and knocking out a tooth. She screamed, her boot latching to my groin and kicking me hard across the room. I screamed, staggering, wet eyed and ferocious. She called for China once more, no help coming, and upon her distraction did I take my act. I ran at her, tearing my growing claws in her chest and swiping over and over until she bleed like a cut grapefruit.
I heaved, her unconscious body in my arms. I gave a snarl, blood dripping from my claws and breathed, closing my eyes.
There was a bolt of lighting to my left, scorching the wall as I took the girl to my shoulder and held her there. The dark haired, piecing eyed mother of the girl stood in the aisle, her pants hard and angry.
"Get away from my daughter, you bastard."
She sent a hurtle of fire in my direction and I ran, jumping through the wide window and bounding hard onto to the street below. I rolled, holding the girl tight and looking quickly to the woman in the sill fifty feet above. She sobbed and cried, a bolt of ice searing behind my leg as I bolted to my car, pushing the unconscious girl in and driving off with the squeal of the brakes.