Skulduggery Pleasant - Night of the Dying Rose

Chapter 12- Artemis Steele

The traffic finally began to move, and Skulduggery and Valkyrie continued to drive towards the house of Artemis Steele. Skulduggery had gone quiet since Valkyrie had woken up, but she didn't want to bother him with questions. So she sat in silence. They drove for two hours, before pulling up to mansion house.

"Bloody hell." Valkyrie remarked. "This woman must be loaded with cash."

Skulduggery took a moment to answer, before inclining his head to Valkyrie. "She doesn't sell her information for a cheap price." 

"I can tell."

Skulduggery pulled up the Bentley, before getting out and walking for the front door.

Valkyrie followed, hands in pockets. "So, what's she like?"

"You'll find out in a moment." Skulduggery replied, and he knocked.

Valkyrie was expecting a Butler or Maid to answer the door, not a finely dressed young woman, who gave China a run for her money with her beauty. She looked over Valkyrie with piercing hazel-gold eyes. Her hair may have been white, but it wasn't old ladies hair, it was the colour of the moon, thick, full and long. It shone as it caught the light. She gave Valkyrie a smile.

"Artemis, looking tailored as usual." Skulduggery said by way of greeting. 

Artemis moved her smile to Skulduggery, the expression becoming warmer. "Skulduggery, looking dapper as usual."

Skulduggery laughed. "We're even on that one." 

Artemis looked to Valkyrie. "And you must be Valkyrie Cain, it is a pleasure to meet you."

Valkyrie shook the hand that was offered. "The pleasure is all mine."

Artemis looked back at Skulduggery, and raised an eyebrow. "I suppose that you are here about the business of Little Rose?"

Skulduggery nodded. "You assume correctly."

"You'd best come in then." Artemis stepped aside to let them through, and Skulduggery and Valkyrie entered the luxurious mansion. Everything was exactly to Artemis' taste, the colour scheme, and furniture, the painting. Not a single thing was out of place. Valkyrie took an immediate liking to Artemis.

As they walked, Skulduggery spoke. "How much do you know about Little Rose?" 

Artemis weighed her options before answering. "Some things that are useless, and some things that are useful."

"Tell me the useful things."

"As always, Little Rose received her Surge at the age of nine years old, her ageing immediately ceased, but for another price, she was able to adapt and become highly intelligent, but her childish personality remained, which leaves her to be over-excited and cocky."

"What about her origins?" Skulduggery pressed.

Artemis considered it, then answered carefully. "Precious little is known about her origins, the one thing that is the most useful however, is that her parents were murdered in front of her. In a state of grief and insanity, she set the house on fire, the fire caused damage to her, leaving her with the first stage of her scars, the rest of the scars she inflicted on herself to punish herself for being a bad person, she did it so much she completely went mad and became the girl you see today."

Skulduggery grunted, processing the words. "That could cause anyone to tip over the edge, very well, that is very useful for when we stand up to her." Skulduggery then tilted his head. "What about her True Name? She has a lot of power, but it's difficult to tell whether she knows her True Name or not."

Artemis shook her head. "There are no records of her learning her True Name, but even so, she is as powerful as Mevolent, perhaps even more so, and her Intelligence tops many people."

Skulduggery thought for a moment. "It's highly possible that she would want to learn her True Name."

Artemis shook her head. "There is no highly possible, she WILL learn her true name, she said herself that she wishes to finish what Nefarian Serpine started."

Valkyrie frowned. "How can you know that?"

Artemis smiled. "I have eyes everywhere girl." Valkyrie did not want to question just how accurate that was.

Skulduggery tilted his head. "It's impossible to learn your name without the Book of Names, how will she be able to learn it?"

Artemis shook her head again. "It's not impossible Skulduggery, The Book of Names can still live."

Skulduggery whipped his head over to her. "What do you mean?" Even Valkyrie paled.

Artemis sighed, looking unnerved. "Little Rose plans to find a way to bring back the Book of Names, and fully finish what Nefarian Serpine has started. And the secret to repairing The Book of Names, lies in your partner, Valkyrie Cain."

Skulduggery stopped dead. "How."

Artemis gave him a sympathetic look. "She was a vessel who absorbed magic, she has no true name anymore, in order to repair something full of true names, you use the opposite to awaken it."

Skulduggery looked at Artemis in disbelief. She continued.

"Little Rose will kill Valkyrie Cain in order to have full access to her magic, and full access to her True Name, and then, she will raise hell for the world."