Skulduggery Pleasant_ Death Bringer - Derek Landy [76]
“So they could be killing three billion and it’d have no effect whatsoever on the lifespan of the others?”
“Very possibly. Of course, I think we can both agree that killing three billion people anyway, no matter what the supposed benefits might actually be, would still be a bad thing to do.”
“Oh,” Valkyrie said with a nod, “we are very much agreed on that one.”
“But you’re right – silver lining. At least we know what their ultimate goal is. Now we can work to foil it.”
The door opened behind them, and High Priest Tenebrae stepped in. They stopped talking, and observed him as he smiled. “Ah,” he said, “the awkward silence.” He closed the door behind him. “How are you, Valkyrie? Things have changed greatly since the last time we spoke, have they not? It’s all very unfortunate.”
“I don’t know how you could have thought that I would ever have been the Death Bringer,” she said. “Did you honestly believe I’d be willing to kill billions of people for a theory?”
“The Passage isn’t a theory, dear girl. It is an inevitability. We know it’s a lot to accept – we know you don’t understand. That’s why we sent Dragonclaw to keep it a secret for as long as possible. But now that it’s out in the open, now that we can have a conversation about it, yes, actually, we did think you would have been willing to kill billions of people – given enough time, of course. If you had chosen Necromancy over Elemental magic, which was a distinct possibility, this would have been the first schism to form between yourself and your skeletal mentor here. And once we had our hooks in you, really got them in there, you would have been ours. And you would have understood. We would have slowly opened your eyes to the truth and the glory of the Passage.”
“I still wouldn’t have killed those people.”
“Well, that’s rather a moot point at this stage, isn’t it? Because now we have Melancholia. She wouldn’t have been my first choice, I admit, but she is dedicated, and she is passionate. These qualities count for something.”
“She’s unstable,” Skulduggery said. “You can’t even keep her under control, for God’s sake.”
“She’s young,” Tenebrae shrugged. “Impetuous. Yes, she went after Valkyrie the first chance she got, but that was nothing more than childish spite. Nothing to worry about, not really. We were all young once, weren’t we, Skulduggery? Remember the adventures we got into when we were young men?”
Valkyrie frowned. “You knew each other?”
“He didn’t tell you? We used to be friends.”
“Friends is such a strong and misleading word,” Skulduggery said.
Tenebrae smiled. “Acquaintances, then. In the early days of the war, before the Necromancer Order withdrew from the conflict, we fought side by side. Didn’t we, Skulduggery?”
“If by side by side you mean I was always in front, then yes, Auron, we did. Not that it has any bearing on what is going on today.”
“Really? I would have thought that you of all people would know the effect the past has on the present. But then, you’ve lied to yourself about so many things, why should this be any different?”
“Now this,” Skulduggery said, “should be interesting.”
Tenebrae looked at Valkyrie. “He’s quite an angry man, isn’t he? It’s why his enemies are so scared of him, I suppose. I would even venture so far as to say it’s why you’re still alive. Don’t misunderstand me, Valkyrie – you are becoming a capable sorcerer and a formidable opponent in your own right. But there are plenty of people out there who would love to kill you, and could do so relatively easily. The idea, however, that to kill you would incur the wrath of the Skeleton Detective is, in my opinion, the only reason you still draw breath. I hope you’re not offended.”
Valkyrie looked back at him, and didn’t say anything.
“But there is a common misconception that must be addressed here and now,” Tenebrae continued. “The legend of Skulduggery Pleasant is that his wife and child were murdered and he returned, fuelled by rage and a need for vengeance. A nice legend. Romantic, intimidating, ticks all the boxes that a legend