Skulduggery – Crow
Anton – Bear
Ghastly – Panda
Dexter – Wolf
Saracen – Weasel
Erskine – Snake
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Chapter 9
"An Echo stone," Panda said, looking over Stephanie to see the little blue gem.
"What's that?" Stephanie asked.
"It's a magic stone that people must stay next to for three days and nights at which point an imprint of themselves at that moment in time, with all their knowledge, is created within the stone," Panda explained. "They're very rare and incredibly expensive to get. Whoever did this probably knows what we need, or where to get it."
Crow nodded. "Exactly."
"How does it work though?" She asked him, pulling his arm down to inspect it closer. It was incredibly smooth, and she didn't see any colour change in it. It was a constant, pretty blue.
"No idea," Crow muttered and gently reached out and poked it with his fingertip. It began to glow softly. "I'm a genius."
"You poked it," she frowned.
"Still a genius." She sighed.
A moment went by and then an old man faded up from nothing besides them. Stephanie took a step back into Panda and he put a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't be alarmed," the old man said kindly. "I'm not going to hurt you, young lady. I am here to answer your questions and provide whatever information you need, so long as I - my, oh my," he said, facing Crow. "You're a skeleton."
"I am."
"As I live and breathe... figuratively speaking, of course, as I do neither. But a skeleton, and a talking one at that."
"Excuse me," Panda said, drawing the man's attention away from Crow. "But I understand Echo stones have very little power in them and we have a lot of information we need from you."
He nodded. "Of course. I apologise, I get swept up in my own curiosity sometimes. May I ask though, what language am I speaking?"
"English," Stephanie frowned.
"Oh!" He said and looked as if he were going to ramble on when Panda cleared his throat. "Of course, I apologise again. Quick, ask me something before I get distracted."
"You're an expert on the Ancients?" Crow asked.
"I am. I'm the one tasked with documenting their existence. It's a great honour you know – I got to meet some of their descendants. Three young ladies, not much older than you, my dear, and they were sweet indeed. Weren't too interested in the Ancients though, more so in the Great Magician's great-grandson, but they were young I suppose."
"Yes, well, Stephanie isn't allowed near boys," Panda muttered, not so much as grunting when she elbowed him. "Is there a way of defending against the Sceptre?"
"No," he said. "Nothing in existence has ever blocked the Sceptre, even the Faceless were destroyed by it. That was its purpose after all. To destroy anything and everything in its path. If there were any type of defence, it would have failed its purpose. It is a perfect object, and so nothing can stop it."
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Skulduggery Pleasant: Raising Cain
Fanfiction(This story is written as a fanfiction, but can be read as a story without having read any of the books.) Valkyrie Cain, the adoptive daughter of the Dead Men, has had a life full of love and magic. But as she gets older, times become scarier and sh...
