"Unrequited love is nothing to be ashamed of. Many people have crushes. It's all perfectly natural."

"What, like you and Grace Kelly?"

Skulduggery turned his head away. "Don't talk about Grace Kelly."

"Oh, so it's OK for you to make fun of me for having a crush but not the other way around?"

"No, I mean don't talk about Grace Kelly when I'm flying. I need to focus, and talking about one of the most beautiful women who ever lived makes me inclined to drop you."

"I've seen her photo, you know. She wasn't that hot."

Skulduggery looked at her. They floated in mid-air.

"OK, fine," Valkyrie said at last, "she was. But she had skinny arms. I could totally have taken her."

"You may be stronger than she was," Skulduggery responded, "but I dare say she'd have cut you to ribbons with her elocution."

"She had electric powers?"

"I swear to God-"

"I'm joking. I know what elocution means."

"Sometimes I wonder about you, you know."

"Yeah," she said. "Sometimes I wonder about me, too."

he Sanctuary buzzed with activity, and Tanith didn't like it. She had no idea why there were so many mages here from America and the UK and Germany, and she had no idea why there was so much tension. She didn't care, either. She just knew it was there, and it annoyed her, but she struggled through, because that's what she did.

It could have been worse, of course. There could have been new mages in every part of the Sanctuary, which would have made sneaking in so much more difficult. But there were rooms in the Medical Bay that hadn't been disturbed in months, and so this was where they stepped into, the wall closing up behind them. Sanguine waited until he thought she wasn't looking, then wiped the sweat from his brow. But of course she saw it. That last trip had hurt him, and it wasn't even a particularly long one.

It just confirmed what she'd already known something had to be done.

They waited until Doctor Nye was alone, and Tanith walked across the ceiling so as not to make a sound. Then she dropped down behind him and politely cleared her throat.

Nye turned, and she pressed the tip of her sword against its long throat. It raised its arms slowly. "You don't have to kill me," it said. She hated its voice. It was too high-pitched and too soft. Everything about it screamed weakness. "I can help you," it continued. "Whatever you need, I can help you."

"Of course you can," Tanith said. "And you're going to."

"We need access to a prisoner," Sanguine said, joining them. "One Mr Nocturnal. You're gonna have him brought here, say you have some tests you have to run."

"Actually," Tanith said, "there's been a slight change of plans as far as Nocturnal goes." Sanguine frowned at her from behind his sunglasses, and she continued. "I've decided that I'll kill him in his cell. I know the way there, it won't be a problem."

"You're gonna do it yourself? What am I meant to do play chequers with the doc here?"

She hesitated. How to say this so as not to offend him? "You're useless, Billy-Ray. Sometimes your power works fine and everything's great, but then you have a bad day and every time you try to burrow somewhere it hurts. And then you complain, and gripe, and sulk, and really, I've had enough of you acting like a child."

He stared at her, and Tanith wondered if her plan not to offend him had actually worked. Regardless, she pressed on. "I can't rely on you, and I need to rely on you. You're a huge part of my plans, and I can't continue without you. But this injury you've been carrying around... it just won't do. So Doctor Nye here is going to patch you up."

"I told you," Sanguine said, "no one can patch me up. It was a botched operation the first time round, and no amount of repair work is gonna fix it."

"Oh, I'm aware of that. So Nye isn't going to try and repair the damage. He's going to rip you open and start all over again."

"He's gonna what?"

Tanith looked up. "Doctor Nye, you're not the bravest of creatures, are you?"

"I have been known to run from my fair share of conflicts."

"And you're not the most noble of creatures, either, isn't that right?"

"Nobility is a crutch for the ethically stunted."

"That's what I thought you'd say. Or something like it. And given your history, and you do have a history, I would go so far as to say you hold no particular loyalty to the Sanctuary as it stands."

Nye gave a disturbing little giggle. "These people? Oh my, no."

"Then what will it take for you to fix my friend Billy-Ray here without alerting your colleagues?"

Nye's tongue flickered over the thread that punctured its thin lips. "A favour," it decided. "Someone I might need killed when this is done."

"You have a deal. Can you operate now?"

"I can. From what I know of the injury, it will take some time."

"Well then," Tanith said, "you'd best get started. I'll be back in a bit."

She ignored the look on Sanguine's face as she left the Medical Bay. It was disappointingly easy to move through the shadows, passing mages of great reputation, coming so close she could have whispered in their ears. They were all too preoccupied to look up. They talked fast, walked faster, and there was that delicious tension again. It would have been all so very intriguing, if she cared about such things.

She got to the detention area, slipped by the mage on duty and strolled past the doors, reading the names of the prisoners inside. When she found the door she was looking for, she pressed her palm to the lock, and it clicked as it opened. She stepped into the small cell, and felt her powers dampen. She hated that feeling, but pushed it away. Christophe Nocturnal was sitting on his bunk.

"You're a little early with the food, aren't you?" he said, rolling his eyes. "And you've forgotten the food. Well done, idiot."

The door closed behind her and Tanith smiled. "You are a charming man, aren't you?"

"My charm is reserved for those who warrant it."

"I don't warrant it?"

"Only those who accept the Faceless Ones as the true masters of their souls warrant a kind word from me."

She walked slowly so that she was standing directly in front of him. "And how do you know I'm not a fan of the Dark Gods?" she asked.

"Your apparel, for one thing."

She raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with the way I'm dressed?"

"What's wrong is that you are barely dressed. True believers pride modesty and humility above all other attributes save obedience. We do not try to overshadow or outshine our lords and masters by wearing tight or revealing clothing."

Tanith looked down at herself. "Are you saying I'd make the Faceless Ones feel inadequate?"

He glared. "You are unclean."

"But I showered before I came here."

"You are tarnished by vanity."

"I'm tarnished by a lot more than that."

"Cover yourself up, repent for all the harm you've done, do penance and accept the Faceless Ones as your lords and masters. Maybe then your soul will not be burned upon their return."

"Covering up, repenting, doing penance... I'm sorry, but your church really doesn't sound like it's my kind of thing. I'm not here with your food, Chris. It has been brought to my attention that you know where a certain dagger is. I need to know what you know, Chris."

"Who are you?" he said, frowning.

"According to you, I'm a sinner."

"You work with the Sanctuary?"

"With them? I don't know if I'd say with them. With them makes it sound like they know I'm here. I'd say more alongside them. Or possibly against them. Yeah, actually, I work against them. Kinda like you, except obviously in a more successful fashion."

"What do you want?"

"I told you. The dagger."

"I don't know what dagger you-"

"Pish posh, Christophe. Of course you know what dagger I'm talking about. The only dagger worth talking about. You know who has it. That's information I need."

"Get me out of here and I'll tell you."

"You tell me, and I'll get you out of here."

"Once you have the information, what's to stop you from leaving me in this cell?"

Her eyes widened, all innocence. "My word is my bond."

"I'll tell you once I'm free."

"But what if you're killed while we make our escape? Then after the weeks of crying and wailing and mourning your death, and thinking of what might have been between us because there's a connection here and you can't deny it then I'll be left with nothing, not even the location of the dagger. Do you see my dilemma, my sweet pumpkin? Please spare me the heartache and tell me now."

"You mock me."

"Only because I care. Oh, Christophe, our moment is now. You and me, baby. Once I get you out of here, my boyfriend will be there, and of course Eliza will be waiting, and she's so pretty, and I can't stand the thought of you leaving me for-"

"You're working with Eliza Scorn?"

"But of course."

"Why didn't you tell me that? Take me to her, damn you. Why waste time with this ridiculousness?"

"Because you're the one paying me to rescue you, Christophe. You're paying me with the location of the dagger I want, and I always get paid before a job. Not after."

Nocturnal grabbed his coat, put it on. "You could have said that when you came in," he snarled. "The dagger is in the possession of Johann Starke."

"Starke... One of the Elders in the German Sanctuary?"

"Yes, him. Can we go now?"

"Thank you so much, Christophe. You've been a great help."

"Take me out of here."

"No. I'll be killing you now."

He froze. "What?"

"I'm afraid Eliza doesn't want you rescued. All your friends, back in your church? You know those people who really wouldn't approve of me, or my clothes, or how I wear my clothes? Remember those good and decent people? Yeah, they want you dead."

"You're lying."

Tanith drew her sword. "They're worried you might start talking, maybe mention a few names."

Nocturnal backed away. He'd gone quite pale. "I haven't said a word. I haven't said anything!"

"But your modest and humble friends can't take that chance. They've decided it would be best for everyone, apart from maybe yourself, if you were to be killed."

"No, no. I can get you the dagger."

"I'll take care of that."

He dropped to his knees. "Please..."

"Don't beg. It cheapens the moment."

"Have mercy."

She smiled with black lips, and showed him the veins beneath her skin. "I'm all out."

n their way into Dublin City, Skulduggery made a call, arranging for a plane to take them to Switzerland. When he hung up, he told Valkyrie that Ghastly had sounded especially harassed. The Supreme Council was making its presence felt yet again, it seemed, and new calls were coming in all the time about unusual disturbances. He took the next right.

Valkyrie sighed. "Not another incident."

"No," Skulduggery assured her. "Well, maybe. A missing person, one Patrick Xebec. Elemental. Last seen Friday afternoon."

"So? People go missing all the time."

"I think we should meet his wife, see what she has to say. This may tie in with what's going on."