Skulduggery Pleasant: Kingdom Of The Wicked - Skulduggery Pleasant: Kingdom of the Wicked Part 52
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Skulduggery Pleasant: Kingdom of the Wicked Part 52

"Oh?" said Strom.

"You offered us your help, and we'd like to take you up on that offer."

Sult's eyes practically bulged. "I'm sorry? You want our help now? Now, after falsely imprisoning a Grand Mage?"

"That's right," said Ghastly.

Sult started to laugh, but Strom held up a hand.

"Mr Sult, please. Elder Bespoke, the actions of your Council were illegal and aggressive."

"I disagree."

"Be that as it may, what you have done could very well result in a war between Sanctuaries, sir an unheard-of situation." Ghastly nodded, and Strom sighed. "This isn't over. If this plan works, and if the threat posed by Argeddion is averted, there will be consequences."

"We'll deal with that if we survive."

"Very well," said Strom. He put on his jacket. "We promised you our assistance, and our assistance you shall have. For now."

"OK then," said Boffin, standing there in his white lab coat looking all pleased with himself, "Tyren Lament's design for the Tempest was, quite frankly, ahead of its time. It was a singularly momentous achievement that even today will raise the collective eyebrow of the scientific community."

His name wasn't really Boffin. Valkyrie couldn't remember his actual name. It was something long. She'd called him Boffin because he looked like a Boffin.

"In weaponising the Tempest, we have adhered to Lament's design template and merely tweaked, or as my good friend Professor Lorre would say, tickled " and at this there was a polite chuckle from other people in white coats "the relay system and delivery method. In essence, we have made the Tempest mobile. Where the chair was ideal for Lament's needs of siphoning a mage's power, it is not so for ours. Therefore, I give you the new and improved Siphoning Disc." He held aloft something silver with holes cut into it.

"That's a hubcap," Ghastly pointed out.

Boffin nodded. "Ah, yes, it is indeed."

Ravel pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're giving us magical hubcaps?"

"We've only had a few hours," Boffin said, a little defensively. "We've used what was available."

"Go on," Madame Mist said.

Boffin cleared his throat. "The Siphoning Discs will be connected via cable to the Tempest itself, which we have adapted to suit our needs."

"Adapted how?" Skulduggery asked.

"We've opened it," Boffin said. "We've attached a focusing nozzle to aim but unfortunately, it can only aim upwards."

"Then it's a good thing our target flies," Ghastly muttered.

"There are sixty Siphoning Discs," Boffin continued, "so at the very least sixty mages will be required."

"At least?"

"The discs will drain an individual's magic in the same way Lament's chair did, only it will be faster, and more intense. The chance of some mages being overwhelmed is... substantial. When they pass out, there will need to be another mage ready to take their place."

"So we hold on to those discs," Ravel said, "and our power is pulled from us, collected in this Tempest pyramid, and then fired upwards."

"As pure energy," Boffin said, nodding. "Yes. By our calculations, it should stun even a being of Argeddion's power. Provided you can get him to stay in the same place while you shoot him."

"Leave that to us," Skulduggery said.

"Oh, good," Boffin said, visibly relieved.

The atmosphere darkened when Kitana, Sean and Doran entered the Sanctuary. Against their protests, the Elders had been moved to another part of the building, purely for safety reasons. Ghastly seemed especially indignant. Non-essential personnel were moved out of the Sanctuary completely, so it was only Valkyrie, Skulduggery and Bernard Sult who escorted the teenagers downstairs. Sean seemed nervous and trying not to show it, while Doran kept a permanent smirk on his face. Only Kitana appeared genuinely relaxed as they were shown into the Accelerator Room.

"Ooh," she said, rushing over to the Cube as it rotated in the Accelerator. "What's this?"

"It's called the Cube," said Sult. "It's where Argeddion was imprisoned."

"It's so cool," she said, eyes wide. "Look at it, all floaty and glowy and stuff."

Doran rolled his eyes like he couldn't be impressed.

Skulduggery hit a button and two mechanical arms lowered, catching opposite corners of the Cube and lifting it from the Accelerator. Kitana watched it move, enthralled.

"What's it doing now?" she asked.

"It's getting out of the way," Skulduggery said. "We'll put it back when we're done, but the Accelerator is what we're here for."

Kitana made a face. "That? That's boring."

"What does it do?" Sean asked.

Skulduggery looked at him. "It will increase your magic long enough for you to stop Argeddion."

"This will make us stronger?" Kitana asked, instantly forgetting about the Cube. "Even stronger than we already are?"

"It will amplify your abilities."

Kitana's eyes narrowed. "You're not trying to trick us, are you, skeleton man? I've seen that Superman movie where he uses that chamber thing to rob the villains' powers."

"We're not tricking you."

Doran rapped a knuckle against the Accelerator's glowing skin. "Then why don't you guys use it, and you go up against him?"

"We don't fully understand the source of Argeddion's magic," Sult said, "but we do know that it is a purer strain than ours. You can think of magic like a frequency if you want. Your magic is on the same frequency as his, so you stand a better chance of hurting him."

Kitana turned. "Use the Accelerator on just one of us to start with. If you're trying to trick us, and it takes their powers, we'll kill everyone in the town above us."

Skulduggery looked at her. "So who should go first? Maybe you yourself, Kitana?"

She laughed. "I don't think so. Doran, how about you?"

Doran frowned. "Why me?"

"You're the strongest, aren't you? If it is a trap, you'd be the one able to resist."

Sean scowled, and Doran smirked, then nodded. "Yeah, OK. I'll do it. Where do I stand?"

While Skulduggery told him what to do, Kitana wandered over to Valkyrie.

"Isn't this fun?" she said. "Us two girls, having an adventure, surrounded by all these boys fussing over us. We're going to be the best of friends when this is over, I just know it."

Valkyrie looked at her. "When this is over, I'm going to beat you to a pulp and take my jacket back."

Kitana laughed. "Oh, Valkyrie! You're so funny!"

Doran stood up on the dais, fists clenched. "All right," he said. "Let's do it, come on. Charge me up."

Skulduggery tapped the controls. "Just give me a moment..."

Doran's leg was shaking. "Come on," he said. "Hurry up. Haven't got all day."

"Just one more moment..."

"Here," said Doran. "You have used this on people before, right?"

"Hmm?" Skulduggery said. "People? No, not on people. Ah, here we go."

The dais lit up.

"Oh, I don't know about this," said Doran. "I don't think I want to do this..."

"You'll be fine," Skulduggery said.

"How do you know?"

"I don't."

The hair stood up on Valkyrie's arms and light filled the room. The Accelerator whined like an animal, the whine getting louder and louder and the dais beginning to tremble.

"I want to get off!" Doran shouted. "I want to get off!"

"You can't get off!" Skulduggery shouted back over the roar. "If you get off you'll die!"

"I'll die?"

"I don't know," Skulduggery shouted. "Probably."

And then there was a flash, and Doran screamed, and then his scream was drowned out by the Accelerator...

... and then the whine lessened, and the light dimmed, and Doran was kneeling on the dais with his head down.

Kitana stepped forward. "Doran? Doran, you OK?"

He raised his head, looked at her and grinned. "You have got to have a go on this."

hey drove out of Roarhaven, skirting round Dublin and taking the smaller roads until they came to a cottage bordering a large field. A few small sheds huddled beneath the shelter of a line of trees like they were trying to escape the sun. The Bentley slowed, parked along the road. Behind it, dozens of vans did the same.

The sorcerers worked quickly. Using a cloaking sphere to hide themselves from the cottage, they laid the Tempest in the middle of the field and quickly hooked up the cables. Valkyrie watched the sorcerers lie on the ground in a wide circle, using camouflage to blend in. Once they were hidden, the sphere was retracted so that it only covered the Tempest itself, and Skulduggery and Valkyrie walked up the narrow driveway and knocked on the door of the cottage.

Greta Dapple answered, and smiled at them. "He said you'd be by here eventually. Come in, come in."

She shuffled to one side, and when they were in, she closed the door. "Would you like anything to drink? Tea?"

"No thank you," said Valkyrie. Greta's home was an old person's home. Old-fashioned, with doilies and a small television. Valkyrie helped her to her chair.

"Thank you, Valkyrie," she said, sighing as she settled in.

Skulduggery took off his hat and focused his eye sockets on Greta. "You've been talking to him," he said.

"Oh, yes."

"Where is he?"

"I'm afraid I don't know."

"Greta," Valkyrie said, "maybe you can help us. You need to convince him to stop what he's doing. People are getting hurt."

"Walden wouldn't hurt a fly. He is and always has been a perfect gentleman. If only all gods were as mannerly as he is, the world would be a better place."

"Argeddion is not a god," Skulduggery said.

Greta shrugged. "He's the closest thing to one that I've ever met."

"Has he told you what he plans to do?"

"He has. I think it's a wonderful idea."

"He's endangering the lives of billions."

"Oh, have a little faith in the human spirit, would you? He wants to make them better. He wants to make them happier. Wouldn't you like to live in a world without strife?" She paused. "Well, maybe you wouldn't, Detective Pleasant, but hopefully your young partner has not been completely corrupted by violence just yet."

"I'd love to live in a world without strife," Skulduggery said, "but that's not the path I've chosen. I do the things I do so that other people don't have to. Argeddion doesn't realise what he's about to unleash."

"He's about to unleash peace and love."

"He's about to unleash an animal."

"Mankind is not an animal."

"Oh, it is, Greta. It's a scared, dangerous animal. He thinks people are going to wake up one morning and be elevated by the wonders he's shown them. He thinks we're going to live in a kingdom of the righteous, of the noble. But we're not like that."

"I feel sorry for you, Detective. You fight for us but you have no true understanding of what we are. The tragic thing is that young Valkyrie probably follows your philosophy to the letter."