Skulduggery Pleasant: Raising Cain

Chapter 113 - Smells like Valkyrie to me

Chapter 113

By the time Nadia got to the top of the old war Gaol, she had shed a few tears but had pulled herself together, knowing someone had to be strong. She had expected to hear voices or perhaps shouting, but it was quiet above ground when Nadia used the air to pull herself out the manhole.

Dexter, Tanith, Saracen and Erskine were up there, and so was the van further down the field, but Tanith was incredibly pale and hunched over with Dexter and Saracen helping to keep her up, and Erskine pushing some hair gently behind the woman's ear. Nadia, slightly in awe and feeling a deep longing for the sort of bonds Valkyrie's family had, came over quickly.

"What's wrong?"

"The walk was difficult for Tanith," Dexter told her, not taking his attention from his friend. Perhaps sister was more accurate. He seemed to love her a lot.

"But where's Ghastly?"

Now all their faces soured. Tanith answered her. "Gone. I'm gonna be sick."

Nadia carefully rubbed Tanith's back while Dexter sprinted for the van and drove it over. They were all quiet on the way to Kenspeckle's, all tense from the visit and Ghastly.

At the Hibernian Cinema, Kenspeckle and one of his assistants practically pounced on Tanith at the door. Nadia ended up quietly leaning against the wall, trying to blend in, as Dexter and Erskine got angry explaining what Ghastly had inadvertently caused and Tanith began crying again and cursing her hormones.

They moved her off to a room to give her a check over, and without a real reason to stay with Tanith considering she was with the men, Nadia rubbed at her wrists awkwardly and went to see Valkyrie.

It was quiet in the ward at the back with the other few patients. There were a few beeps, and it really made Nadia feel strange to be in a magic hospital and there be beeping, but she was grateful to be away from the stress of the other room.

Valkyrie in herself gave her anxiety. She always did nowadays, though in a very different way to most people, the type she was very willing to ignore and get through because she trusted Valkyrie a whole lot more than most people. It was nothing Valkyrie had done, it was what other people had done, her own fears she wasn't good enough for someone like Valkyrie.

"Hey Val," she whispered, sitting back on the bed carefully. She moved Valkyrie's limp arm, which was surprisingly heavy, and wrapped it over her legs as if Valkyrie was holding her. Nadia smiled. "I hope you don't mind. I really miss you. We just went to see Skulduggery like I said to you earlier. It was – God it was bad Val." She began to tear up and lent over Valkyrie, holding herself up by leaning her arm next to Valkyrie's head and gently smoothed her hair with the other. "I guess I'll say about Skulduggery first. He said that he didn't do it. He helped them, but it was because they were torturing Solomon. I believed him, and so does Tanith, and I think Erskine does too, but Saracen and Dexter are still on the fence. We're still really mad though because, I don't know, he helped them. But I kind of understand too? If you were being tortured, I'd agree to blow something up if I thought they'd stop too. But then, you're meant to be his daughter, kind of, and it's just so sick to think about."

Nadia took a deep breath and carefully calmed herself before she began to talk again. "Something else happened. After we, that being me, Tanith and Saracen, got to your house, Tanith and Ghastly had a fight. And a bad one too. They screamed at each other with me and the others right there, and Tanith said if he told her what to do again, she would break up with him. It was really bad on the drive over, and then at the Gaol where Skulduggery was, Ghastly got mad and said he didn't want to forgive Skulduggery even if he didn't do it because he thinks he likes causing pain and something about something he did before. I don't know what, but he said he didn't believe his story and stormed out and he pushed through us all and I think he accidentally hit Tanith when he pushed passed. She's really bad. She was crying and she's thrown up and was in loads of pain. I really wish you were here. You would have called him back and punched him and made him see what he did. But he just disappeared and Tanith's sick and your brothers are mad, and I don't know what to do Val." A tear fell from her eye and splashed onto Valkyrie's pale, pretty skin. "I promised not to cry. God, I want a hug so bad. I want you to wake up and make it better."