A Shadow Returns

Strike Three

Valkyrie met Tanith back in her house a hour later. When the blonde sword lady walked in, Valkyrie was lying on the couch, sobbing her little heart out.
"Oh Valkyrie," Tanith whispered, coming to sit beside her little sister on the couch and rubbing her back soothingly. "What happened?"
Valkyrie stopped crying and sat up, wiping the tears from her eyes and drying her face. She took a deep breath, and leaned in as Tanith put an arm around her.
"Skulduggery doesn't believe me," and said, and Tanith stiffened.
"He what?"
"He doesn't believe me that Avril would do those things."
"Then he needs to get out more and learn that Avril Saffron is a fake girl. She doesn't deserve to have him."
"Where did you take her anyway?"
Tanith smiled. "To Kenspeckle Grouse."
"Why did you take her to Kenspeckle?"
"I was hoping that he would kill her for me."
Valkyrie laughed. "What did you show her?"
Tanith smirked. "Zombies."
Valkyrie screwed up her nose. "Gross."
"Her reaction exactly."
"God Tanith you are good."
"I know."
"Now what?"
"We are just going to have to catch our little blonde hitwoman in the act..."

Valkyrie was asleep on the couch where Tanith had left her, and Tanith was in the kitchen, cleaning her sword. She was thinking of how to get Avril back for the things she'd done, when she heard a window break upstairs. She rushed out of the kitchen quickly, grabbing her sword from the table as Valkyrie stood up and joined her. The noise had woken her up. They quietly nodded to one another and crept up the stairs, on high alert. Valkyrie looked in the bedroom, and motioned for Tanith to come in. The window was shattered and there was glass all over the floor. When Valkyrie went around the bed to have a better look, she gasped, and Tanith hurried over. Then she stopped, and stared at what was there. A large kitchen knife had been hurtled through the window, and was covered in blood. The blade had a note impaled onto it. Valkyrie picked it up and gently pulled the paper from the knife and unfolded it. Then her eyes widened and she held it up for Tanith to see. The blonde sword lady gasped. What was written on there were eight words, written in red.

Try to stop me and you'll both die.