Chapter 111
Saracen and Tanith filled Nadia in on the little details on their way, as well as some information about the Sanctuary she wouldn't know, such as Meritorious and Corrival being healthy and in a secret location – which they didn't reveal – while a new Sanctuary was secured, and that the other Sanctuary's around the world were offering support.
"That's good, though, isn't it?" Nadia asked.
"It would be if most of the quickest replies hadn't been from countries that we know want to take our government and keep it to have a Cradle under their thumb. Any time any of the three Cradles have an opening for an Elder or Grand Mage there's a guarantee on who will have put their name down as 'supporting' the country," Saracen explained. "We need to keep them out and get a Sanctuary building and new Irish Elder to show strength against our enemies and our allies."
"They don't sound like good allies," Nadia told him doubtfully.
He shrugged. "It's politics. It never makes sense."
Nadia hmphed and Tanith had to agree. It wasn't her scene either. Their information conversation took them right up until they got to the Hibernian Cinema, and it was a good job Nadia was an incredibly intelligent young woman or there was no way she could have kept up with everything Tanith and Saracen had told her. Tanith had ended up blabbing on about everything Kenspeckle had told her, but it turned out Nadia had been taught some basic medical lessons from her Indian boarding school and understood most of the details.
"Kenspeckle is still tired, so we need to be quiet," Tanith warned her, and Nadia nodded. At first, Nadia was slow going up the stairs as she seemed nervous, but the closer to the top she got, the faster she picked up speed.
She almost pushed past Civet to get to Valkyrie faster but he just shook his head good-naturedly. In the ward, Valkyrie was lying on her back still, tubes and needles connecting her to multiple machines, and a rolling table had been left close to her bed for easier medication.
Nadia stood over her girlfriend and looked her over. Tanith could see she was trying to keep it together, and it set Tanith off. She had to grab a hold of Saracen's hand to keep it back. By the bed, Nadia very carefully set her handbag on the floor and sat carefully on the edge so she wouldn't jolt Valkyrie or sit on any of the many things sticking into the girl, before leaning over her and kissing her cheek. So quietly Tanith almost couldn't hear, she started to whisper things to Valkyrie, stroking her hair and leaning over her so their torsos could touch just barely to, hopefully, give Valkyrie some comfort.
Saracen pulled on Tanith's hand and she reluctantly followed him out, dabbing her eyes dry with her sleeve. He took her to the couch in the waiting room and Tanith had only just got herself comfortable when Saracen's phone started ringing.
"Dexter," he said as soon as he picked up. There was a very long pause as Dexter explained what must have been the full conversation he'd had with the Grand Mage. "Okay. We'll come back in an hour." Saracen hung up the phone. "We have approval."
"That was quicker than I thought," Tanith frowned. "How did he talk to Meritorious so quickly?"
"Went to him through Corrival," Saracen explained. "He's in a different place to Meritorious, and easier to get hold of, at least for us Dead Men. It wasn't too hard to convince Meritorious, apparently, as all he's been asked so far internationally are questions about Skulduggery and if the Dead Men are compromised. People are worried that Pa is too, given our close relationship and him being an Elder."
"Damn, I didn't think of that," Tanith said sitting back.
Saracen shrugged. "Mages worldwide are wary of the Dead Men. They should be. We're a suicide team, and we've taken down every spy, assassin and mercenary group sent by them in the last two hundred years. And they think we're expanding too, with you joining us and training up Valkyrie, a Teleporter living with us, and not to mention a Necromancer dating Skulduggery."
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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...
