Skulduggery Pleasant - Becoming Whole (Valduggery)

3

Dead man

China Sorrows was sat on one of her many tall thrones, surrounded by tapestry's of magic history, she was over looking Roarhaven through the glass window that stretched the length of the entirety of the skyscraper she was in. Outside, the rain poured and thrashed against the window and down on the balcony just outside. From here, China could see everything. Even in the dark she could watch as the rain fell into puddles and noticed how those puddles formed a small river that flowed freely down a back street. She glanced at a small child with a paper boat. The child was illuminated by a street light. He wore a yellow raincoat and chased his little boat down the little river, she watched and watched until he disappeared from sight. China saw as people struggled with umbrellas against the wind and decided to displace the air around them instead.

Her role as Supreme Mage was tiresome but she endured it nonetheless, enjoying the power that came with it. Yet she was thankful for the small moments, such as this, that she could spare, no matter how small they were, to admire all that she had achieved during her rein. She had created somewhere for sorcerers of all disciplines, even Vampires, to live. Before this there were only the secret communities like the one where Ghastly Bespoke had his tailor shop before he died all those years ago. But now, they hadn't the need to hide away in streets that were made to blend in and be ignored.

Suddenly, the great wooden door opened, a Cleaver stood there. The visor shielding the face beneath, and, though the Cleaver didn't speak any words, China knew why it was here. She nodded at it, her eyebrow raising a fraction but the rest of her features unchanging.

China stalked her way down towards the medical bay of the sanctuary, ignoring the adoring glances of those she passed as if they weren't even there at all. Her black velvet cape following her in her hurried movements, and her black stilettos echoing in the hallways.

As she neared she heard the voice of Milton Chiasmus, medical genius in the magic world. "The Supreme Mage has been notified. She should be here any second." He mentioned to Aporia Epistrophe, to which she, his student, nodded just as the Supreme Mage, herself, walked through the door to the entrance of the medical bay. "Ah, Supreme Mage, welcome. I hope you are well." Chiasmus looked to be thirty but was actually somewhere in his late three hundreds, whereas Epistrophe looked to be in her late twenties and that's because she was, indeed, in her late twenties.

"Where is he?" China had no time for small talk. She needed to see him for herself.

Chiasmus blinked a few times then opened his arm wide in the direction of a room that had two Cleavers stood guard on either side of the door. "Err, just this way." His English accent so prominent he could have just stepped out of a Jane Austen novel. He waited for her to walk in front. "We haven't yet been granted the time to examine him for ourselves." His hands rubbing together in his eagerness. "Miss Epistrophe and I had hoped to have the night on the matter. You are more than welcome to sit in."

China stopped abruptly and spun round to face him, both Chiasmus and Epistrophe almost walked into her. "Tell me, Chiasmus. Do you know why I hired you?" She found herself taking small glances at his huge moustache.

His head slightly tilted, unsure whether her question was rhetorical or not. When she didn't speak he assumed it was his turn to. "Erm, I would guess because..." She cut him off like he hadn't even been talking.

"I hired you in to come from England because I need the best. And I expect the best." Her tone calm and patronising. "You shouldn't need an entire evening to examine him."