Skulduggery Pleasant_ Death Bringer - Derek Landy [67]
“You’re in a bad mood,” Skulduggery said. “I understand. I do. You’re saying things you don’t really mean. It’s OK.”
“I’ll kill you both.”
“Hurtful things said in the heat of the moment. We’re not going to hold it against you, Bison. We’re all friends here.”
Valkyrie nodded. “We love you, Bison.”
“We do,” Skulduggery agreed. “You’re our favourite Necromancer. You’re the cuddly one.”
“Shut up,” Dragonclaw said. “Both of you just shut up.”
They paused to allow a large group of large people to pass by, and then, from nowhere, there was a flash of yellow jacket.
“Excuse me,” Dragonclaw said loudly, and the cop stopped, and looked at them.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
Valkyrie turned Dragonclaw’s wrist painfully, and she felt Skulduggery apply pressure on his side. Dragonclaw yelped in pain and the cop’s eyes widened.
“We’re looking for the toilets,” Skulduggery said quickly. “Our friend here isn’t the best at holding it in, and sometimes he needs a little assistance.”
The cop nodded in understanding. “Of course, yes. The toilets are right over there. See them?”
“There they are!” Valkyrie said brightly. “Thank you so much! It would have been a mess!”
Dragonclaw hissed in pain as they hurried him away.
“Try anything like that again,” Skulduggery told him, “and you’ll be talking to us with two broken arms. Whimper if you understand.”
Dragonclaw whimpered.
They got to the toilets. Valkyrie grabbed an Out of Order sign from a nearby cart and propped it up at the entrance. Skulduggery threw Dragonclaw against the wall and searched him while Valkyrie checked that each of the stalls was empty. Skulduggery pulled Dragonclaw’s knife from his belt, then took a scrap of paper from Dragonclaw’s pocket and passed it to Valkyrie. On it was a time and a number.
“The flight he’s waiting on has already landed,” he said. They both looked at Dragonclaw. “How many are coming?”
Dragonclaw rubbed his arm, and sneered. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Skulduggery shook his head. “I would love to have a battle of wits with you, Bison, but I doubt it’d be a fair fight.”
“Shut your face.”
“Exactly my point. So if you think we’re going to trade banter or get into wordplay or anything like that, I’m afraid I have to disappoint you. Instead, we’re going to be very simple and very direct, because we obviously don’t have a lot of time. How many are coming? And before you try another sneer, please understand that I will inflict pain if you fail to answer.”
“Save yourself the bother,” Valkyrie said. “You’re going to tell us anyway, and you know you are. So why get hurt? Why not skip to the end?”
Dragonclaw looked at both of them for a long time before shaking his head. “No. I’m not a traitor.”
“Yes, you are,” Valkyrie said. “You just don’t know it yet.”
Dragonclaw stood up straight, chin stuck out defiantly towards Skulduggery. “If you’re going to hit me, hit me. I haven’t got all—”
Valkyrie rapped her knuckles right on his chin. Dragonclaw’s eyes bulged and his knees quivered, then he fell backwards to the wall and slid down to the floor. Skulduggery looked at her and she shrugged.
“You’d have knocked his teeth out or something,” she said. “All I did was give him a little brain-shake.” She looked down. “Bison. Bison, can you hear me? How many are coming?”
“I’ll never tell…”
“The plane landed ten minutes ago,” Skulduggery said to her. “If we’re lucky, they’re only just starting to disembark. You need to get to them before they clear Customs.”
Valkyrie’s eyebrows shot up. “What? Me? Alone?”
“I need to ask Bison some questions about getting into the Temple. You’ll be fine.”
“How am I supposed to get by the security section? I don’t have a ticket.”
Skulduggery cocked his head. “Valkyrie, you’ve got magical powers. If you can’t get through airport security, then I have failed in whatever capacity I have as a mentor.”
She glowered. “Fine. What do I do when I find them?”
“You need to delay them for a few hours, at least.”
“And how do I do that?”
“They