Traffic [Valduggery, Skulduggery Pleasant Fanfiction]

Cliff

Valkyrie took a breath and steped up, toes right against the edge. The rock was porous and it dug into her feet, the grass far behind her. She could have slipped, bashed against the cliff face before she was ready, but her footing was sure.

From up here, Valkyrie imagined that this was it. The entire rest of the world spread before her, jumping, rolling, calm waves. Blue as the sky it met somewhere far in the distance. White sand and coral reefs as far as the eyes could see.

The sun glared down at her, seared her bare shoulders. She took another deep breath. The air here was so clear, crystal. Nothing but the wind in her ears, the waves far below.

She jumped, pushing off, and then she's whooping. The air caught her, pushed her close to the cliff face but not close enough, and then she's laughing, the giggles burning away the fear.

Valkyrie tried to twist herself into a dive, but all those years of relying on air to move for her showed. She ended up tumbling end over end, renewed laugher snatched away from her lips. Free, free as a bird as the waves rushed up to meet her.

And then she was slowing down, so minutely she would have thought it was her imagination if it hadn't been for Skulduggery. He slowed her decent, stopped her spinning, and then she hit the water. The waves bent under her, slowing her decent but not allowing her through until she was safe.

She was under the water. Even without Elemental magic, she could feel the currents. They were less harsh here, different than Haggard. Currents here were gentle, more like a suggestion to where she should float.

For a moment, she just stayed there. Watched the black, volcanic rock disappear into the white, white sand.

Then, Valkyrie kicked out, again, and her head was out of the water.

"Any sirens?" Skulduggery asked, standing above her, rocking on the waves.

Valkyrie grinned, floated on her back. "Nope. Not yet. I looked really hard up there, too. All around, not a single mermaid in sight."

"They're not mermaids, they're sirens. I'd like to meet a mermaid—sirens are a different matter altogether. Mermaids don't drag fishermen to their deaths. Sirens, on the other hand..."

"Don't they only come when it's misty?" Valkyrie floated closer to Skulduggery and bumped against his shoes. "They sing sailors to their death on the rocks, but only if they can't see the rocks."

"You're sunburned."

"Am I?" Valkyrie examined her arms. "Huh. I was hoping maybe it'd turn into a tan. You should grab a bathing suit. It's gorgeous."

"Don't you think a swimming skeleton would be a little suspicious?"

"There's no one around, and I'm pretty sure your little Jesus act is suspicious enough."

Skulduggery laughed. "Want to go again?"

"God, yes."

Valkyrie raised her arms, and Skulduggery leaned down and scooped her up. They floated through the air, the wind whistling through Skulduggery's eye sockets. Valkyrie grinned at him.

"You should put on sunscreen. You're going to bleach."

He grunted and placed her at the top of the cliff. "One more time, then we're going to actually look for them."

"Two more times."

Skulduggery hesitated. "Two more times."

"Three."

"You can certainly jump a third time, but your landing is going to be a lot less fun."

Valkyrie laughed and gave him a shove, and he dropped back towards the water.

She was alone, and she gazed back out at the endless, endless sky and jumped.