Skulduggery Pleasant_ Death Bringer - Derek Landy [58]
Prave’s bulging eyes bulged even further, which was a feat in itself. “I should kill you right here.”
“You know,” China said, “there was a time when nobody dared threaten me. I just wouldn’t stand for it. The amount of people I killed, of bodies I twisted and bones I snapped, all because they had allowed their anger to momentarily overwhelm their good sense. I regret it all now, of course. I was out of control. I was indulging the darkness inside me far too often. I was not, Mr Prave, a very nice person. But I have changed. I have allowed the years to mellow me. Now I find joy in simple pleasures. A good book. A fine wine. Good company. All of these things make me smile. They make me happy.
“But every once in a while, I get the urge. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? The urge for destruction. The urge to hurt, maim, kill. It’s quite a thing, to experience that urge, to let it wash over you, to give in to it. It’s addictive. It’s all-consuming. You lose yourself to it. It’s quite, quite wonderful. I can feel it, even as I speak, tapping around the edges of my mind, trying to prise me open, slip its fingers in. And it would be so easy to let it happen. But we’re all like that, aren’t we? We’re all barbarians at our core. We’re all savage, murderous beasts. I know I am. I’m sure you are. The only difference between us, Mr Prave, is how loudly we roar. I know I roar very loudly indeed. How about you? Do you think you can match me?”
Prave had grown quite pale. His fists were no longer clenched and he was no longer gritting his teeth. He took a step back, then another one. He hesitated, then slowly turned and went back to his sweeping brush.
China shrugged, and Scorn appeared at the door.
“China,” she said. “So sorry to have kept you waiting.”
“Not at all,” China smiled. “Mr Prave here was entertaining me. I do so like how you’ve kept him around.”
Scorn shrugged. “Ah, well, I made the mistake of feeding him, you see, and now he just won’t go away.”
China heard Prave muttering under his breath.
“But I didn’t ask you here to help me insult the help, as fun as that may be. I have a surprise for you.”
“Let me guess,” China said. “You’ve changed your mind and you’re going to put all this nonsense behind you.”
“Not even close,” said Scorn. “Do you want another try? I bet you won’t guess what it is.”
“You’re going to tell Skulduggery Pleasant what you’re planning to do and let him shoot you in the head.”
“Wrong again, I’m afraid. Do you want one more try?”
“I’d love one more try.”
“Then go ahead, China. Guess what the surprise is.”
China paused, tapped her chin thoughtfully and smiled. “I know. Is it, by any chance, Jaron Gallow with a brand-new arm?”
Oh, she wished she had a camera to capture the look on Eliza Scorn’s face. Gallow emerged from the doorway behind, suddenly unsure, suddenly paranoid that he’d been betrayed, that he was walking into a trap. There was a sudden fear in his eyes that was almost impossible to fake, and now China did believe him.
“How did you know?” Scorn asked. Almost snarled, in fact.
“Please,” China said dismissively. “I know what he had for breakfast this morning. I know what he’s been doing since he got back to Europe. I was only wondering how long it would take you to reveal him.”
A smile appeared on Scorn’s lips. “You always were impossible to surprise. Jaron here has just returned to the fold. I hope there’s no bad blood between you.”
“What’s in the past is in the past,” China said. “I’m going to end up killing every one of you for all this, and one more name added to the list won’t make much difference.”
Gallow looked at her, then at Scorn. “I thought you said she was under control.”
“She is,” Scorn said. “She just likes to say these things to pretend she’s still in charge. But as long as I keep her secret, China will do what she’s told. For instance, I told her to come back with information about all this Necromancer fuss I’ve been hearing about. China?”
Everyone else was standing, so China