Skulduggery – Crow
Anton – Bear
Ghastly – Panda
Dexter – Wolf
Saracen – Weasel
Erskine – Snake
Solomon – Raven
Corrival – Pa
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Chapter 121
They split apart in the parlour just to sit. Nadia was kept tight to Valkyrie's side and got a seat next to her, Tanith on Valkyrie's other side and Dexter next to Tanith on the largest sofa. The others pulled the other big one closer and they sat there, pressed into each other's side. Nadia tried hard to stop her tears, but she was so shocked by Valkyrie's sudden return it was practically impossible. It was only Valkyrie holding on to her so protectively that got her smiling up to her instead of acting like an idiot.
"We've really missed you," a teary Tanith said.
"I don't know where I've been," Valkyrie said back, exasperation and confusion in her voice. "I only have these, like, flashes of memory. What happened?"
"Do you remember the Sanctuary? The people that came in, and you sent everyone to the safe room?" Dexter asked.
"Yeah, I – I went off to go out the front to see... and there were two people outside," she said slowly, her face screwed up in thought. "I – I remember Skulduggery and Craven were there and they looked at me. I hit the alarm signal and I think it electrocuted me."
"There was someone else in the building according to Skulduggery," Anton revealed to her.
"He broke the wards," Erskine said excitedly. "Kenspeckle said you'd had some type of shock."
"The building was blown up," Nadia continued quietly. Valkyrie looked down at her. "A part of the staircase hit your head. Anton was the one to run through the fire and pull you to safety."
She smiled at Anton. "Thank you."
Anton waved it away. "They put Skulduggery in a Gaol. Everyone believed he did it."
"We visited him after three days," Dexter said. "It didn't go well."
"What do you mean?" Valkyrie asked.
Dexter just shook his head. "It doesn't matter. We told Meritorious and Pa – oh. Val, Elder Crow was killed in the blast."
"What? She's dead?" Valkyrie asked, dismayed. Nadia squeezed her hand.
"Unfortunately. She was a good Elder," Dexter said, and there was a moment of silence for her before they had to continue. "We told Meritorious and Corrival, and they released Skulduggery, believing he was forced and couldn't be blamed."
Valkyrie looked over Tanith's and her brother's faces and after a moment, nodded. "Okay. Then what?"
"Skulduggery came to us to get Solomon back," Saracen said incredibly seriously.
"Did you?"
"Yes," Dexter said shortly. "But Skulduggery convinced Fletcher to do it, putting him at risk. No one has seen Skulduggery since then."
"How long ago?" Valkyrie asked as Nadia looked at Saracen across the room. He avoided her eyes and she was left with a sick, empty feeling. She had to keep her pain a secret from Valkyrie now? How could she even begin doing that?
YOU ARE READING
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...
