The Return of Mevolent

Chapter 6: Who am I?

Raven

"What the hell is going on?" I shouted. "What???"

"China Sorrows, please explain yourself"Skulduggery said.

China sighed. "It goes like this:

"I was once a young girl as well, you have to remember. I was lost. My brother had just left my family. Bliss was strong. I was still a coward. I had no one for me. And then I met Skulduggery.

He made me laugh without trying. He was friendly but not madly in love with me. He was unique, charming even. I fell in love with him. He was handsome then, as you can see with his facade now. I had promised myself that I would never fall in love with someone so recklessly. But I had. He made me smile. He made me feel alive. I owe him for that.

But then I still had to be loyal to Mevolent. I started the Diablerie, and he created the Dead Men. We were on the opposite sides of the war. But I never killed anyone he was friends with him. I never hurted the Dead Men, and only attacked in self defense. Mevolent sensed that I was hesitant with his orders, so he ordered the deaths of all the leaders.

And then I found out that he was married. I hated his wife. They even had a child, but the child was too much like Skulduggery for me to kill. So when I was ordered to capture his wife and child. I did not hesitate to capture Trinity. But his child I couldn't. So I told Murder Rose to capture his child.

I never hated you, Skulduggery. I fell in love with you at first glance. So in the dead of night, I took your child. I took a mortal child that looked like your kid and begged Robert Crasis to disguise the child as your son. I hid your son in the Kensworth Family, without realising that Mevolent's sister was the mother of it. I never realised that Mevolent's sister had forsaken her magical birthright in disgust of her brother. I could never be as strong as Mellony, and I admired her slightly for that. When Skulduggery rose from the dead, I never knew he was Lord Vile."

"CHINA!" Skulduggery roared. "THEY DO NOT KNOW. THEY DO NOT NEED TO KNOW."

Tanith looked shock. "You're Lord Vile? You killed Ghastly's mother?" Valkyrie looked grim. Fletcher looked like he was about to grab Skulduggery and teleport to space.

China's face betrayed no emotion, but one managed to leak one: love. She continued.

"I was terrified. Lord Vile was killing everyone, and I thought that he would chase after me for sure. If only I knew that he was Skulduggery. I would have reasoned with him."

"I would have killed you. Trinity was not my first love. She was my last. After I became Lord Vile, I had no love and hate. I had only one mission, to destroy the world with my rage. Somehow, Mevolent managed to leash my anger, and I was a pawn of his games. But Ghastly woke me up."

"You freed me from my icy cage, Skulduggery. The cage of my heart. But the only thing I could give you was the pain of loss, and the life of your child. And I return you the life of your son, in the form of your granddaughter. Kathryn, my darling, would you like to say hello to your grandfather?"

My eyes filled with tears. How had this gone unnoticed for 6 months? And only Sparrow realised. I didn't know what drove me, but I suddenly hugged Skulduggery. Skulduggery hugged me back. "My granddaughter..." he whispered.

Sparrow had gone eerily quiet. "What about my father then?" she said in a low voice.

"Your father, child? Who is he?" China asked.

"Nefarian Serpine." she looked like she wanted to disappear into the shadows. "The man who killed Skulduggery..."

China looked like she was about to go in shock. "With all my, ah, how do you say it? Informat and spies? I never knew that Serpine was... involved... with a mortal woman. Who was your mother, sweet child?"

"Jade... Jade Walkers. Her mother was Chinese, and her father was American." Violet blubbered.

"Oh, I see. My dear girl, can look at me?" China said sweetly, her voice intoxicating.

Sparrow looked up, and China did a quick flick of her wrist. Suddenly, Sparrow clutched her head, and then recovered. "What did you do?" she gasped.

China smiled. "I removed a glamour. It looks like Serpine paid someone to cover up the true color of your eyes to avoid detection. Sneaky, I must say."

I looked at my friend. Alexandria's eyes were no longer dark brown, they were emerald green. And they were brimming with tears. Skulduggery took a step back, closely followed by Valkyrie.

"You look like that murderer who tortured me with his red hand. You look like the man who killed China Sorrows." Valkyrie whispered.

"Do I really look like my father? Am I really the image of a murderer? Is this how everyone will look at me?" Sparrow was crying. But instead of tears of joys, like me and Skulduggery, these were tears of sorrow. She ran from the room, dodging Tanith's arm and out the door. I ran after her.

"Violet! Violet!" I called. She wasn't in any of the rooms, or in the corridors. Where was she?