A Shadow Returns

Fight to the Death

Valkyrie's eyes widened, and she let the flame in her hand go out. Jessica was lying in the dirt, unconscious. Valkyrie looked up to see Avril, with her sleeve in front of her face, standing near the car. She had kicked the globe! She'd kicked the globe and it had knocked Jessica out.

Valkyrie breathed a sigh of relief and Skulduggery wrapped his arms around her. She let herself sag and looked towards Tanith, who had managed to crawl away from the fight, and was sitting on her butt, with her broken leg stretched out in front of her.
"Oh god! Guys we need to get you to the Medical Wing."
Avril nodded, walking away from the mist while whimpering in pain. Valkyrie helped Tanith to her feet and she hissed as her leg hit the door of the car when she went to get in.
"Sorry," Valkyrie said.
Skulduggery helped Avril to his car. They weren't about to take the Porsche, not after what Tanith and Valkyrie had done to it. Avril was going to have to get that re-painted.

"Wait!" Valkyrie said once they were all in the Bentley. "What about Jess?"
"As long as that mist stays where it is, and she keeps breathing it in, she'll stay unconscious," Skulduggery explained.
"Do we really want to leave her on the street though? Anyone could see her."
"Good point," Tanith said, getting out of the car slowly.
"Tanith! What are you doing?" Valkyrie asked. Tanith didn't answer. She grabbed her sword and crawled along the ground, and over to Jess. She held her breath, so not to breathe in the mist, and took Jessica Carrow's head clean off her shoulders. Valkyrie raised her eyebrows as Tanith crawled back to the Bentley.
"Problem solved," she said, clambering back inside the car.
"There's still a dead body on the side of the road," Valkyrie said. Skulduggery sighed, and got out of the Bentley. Valkyrie watched him throw the bone breaker's body and head into the back of the car. She cringed. Skulduggery obviously wasn't too worried about getting blood in the back of his beloved Bentley then. She heard the boot slam shut and Skulduggery got back in behind the wheel.

While Tanith and Avril were getting healed, Valkyrie and Skulduggery were sitting in the Bentley. And there was nothing but awkward silence. Valkyrie sighed, her elbow on the window sill and her head resting on her closed hand, trying not to think about Jessica Carrow's beheaded body in the boot.
"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you Valkyrie," Skulduggery started.
"Don't be sorry," Valkyrie replied. "It wasn't Avril anyway. It was Jess all along. I'm the one who should be apologising, to Avril and to you."
Skulduggery kept his gaze on her. "You did realise that, even though I was spending most of my time with Avril, that you're still my favourite partner."
Valkyrie looked up. "Did you realise that Avril was a hitwoman?"
Skulduggery froze.
"That's where she got the Porsche from, that's why she wouldn't tell you where she'd been for 400 bloody years," Valkyrie continued. Then she became quiet. "Was Jess always the jealous type?"
"No," he said. "I think the fact that she wouldn't be able to work with me again if you and Avril were around, drove her around the bend. I think I need to have a chat with Avril after her arm is healed."
"Skulduggery don't hurt her."
"I said chat Valkyrie."
"Yeah well whenever you say something like that you usually mean a chat with your fists."
"Not this time."
"Can I trust you not to go all dark?"
"You can."
"Fine. But I'm coming with you."