Chapter 16
Tanith was confused. Her head hurt and she felt feverish. Everything hurt. There were lots of noises around her. People talking. She heard a familiar tear-filled voice near her and a hand holding hers. Valkyrie. What was going on? Okay, Tanith, time to open your eyes. Let’s go. Open them. You can do it. Remember those things called muscles and that thing called a brain. Use them. After a few more minutes of teaching herself how to move, she opened her eyes. Everything was too bright. She closed them. After a few seconds she allowed herself to look again. This time she blinked a few times before opening them for real. She could see Valkyrie hovering over her. She looked older, more beautiful. Her arms were strong. Tanith turned her head. To her left, she saw Skulduggery and Fletcher checking up on a girl who also seemed to be unconscious. How many unconscious people do they have hanging around? Tanith tried to sit up but felt a wave of dizziness take over and she fell back. The stone floor was warm where she’d been lying before. She didn’t recognize the room but she recognized most of the people there. Erksine Ravel, Skulduggery Pleasant, Valkyrie Cain, Fletcher Renn, and… Ghastly Bespoke. Tanith forced herself up again. The dizziness this time was fleeting.
“Are you okay?” Valkyrie asked.
She looked so worried. And so much older.
“What happened?”
Valkyrie hesitated.
Now Tanith was worried. Valkyrie was nothing if not blunt. That was what made some people love her and others hate her.
“Val, what happened?”
“Hey, you’re alive.”
Fletcher was suddenly in front of her. He held out his hand to her and she grabbed it, pulling herself up. She swayed but Valkyrie’s strong arm held her up. When had she become the strong one? Tanith shook her head.
“Is she alive?” Ghastly asked behind her.
“Duh, she’s standing up.”
“Not her, Fletcher. Jay.”
Again Tanith had to shake her head to clear all the thoughts that were pushing up against each other. Jay?
“I think she’d okay. She just has to sleep it off. I mean she just created a miracle. I think she deserves to sleep in a real bed.”
Ghastly gestured to a Cleaver and spoke to him quickly. The Cleaver nodded and carefully bent over to lift the unconscious red-headed girl. Ghastly turned to the other mages in the room.
“Thank you for coming. Now I’d like to give Miss Low some space, so, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to clear out. Thank you.”
Ghastly had changed. He was stronger and calmer. He spoke easily and with authority. It was nice except Tanith had a problem with authority. She shook her head. This was Ghastly. She loved him. He seemed to be looking at anyone but her and it irritated her. Her body had cooled down a little but she still felt warm on the inside, like she’d just eaten a lot of warm soup. She started to stretch. It felt nice but she found that she had become considerably less bendy. She felt at her waist for her sword but it wasn’t there.
“Um, we had to take your sword.”
Everyone seemed to be looking at her except Ghastly, who seemed to be watching everyone else look at her. Tanith sat down cross-legged on the floor.
“Okay, so tell me. What happened and why am I being treated like a criminal?”
Valkyrie sighed.
“What’s the last thing that you remember.”
“I remember driving to the valley. After that only flashes. I remember you killing some people. You really hurt them. You were Darquesse.”
Tears came to Valkyrie’s eyes.
“I was controlled by a Remnant. I don’t remember that. What I do remember is trying to force the Remnant that took you over out of your throat but I was too late.”
Tanith shook her head.
“I was taken over by a Remnant? It’s been more than four days. You look a lot older, at least three months.”
Valkyrie didn’t say anything so Skulduggery took over in explaining what the red head had done for her.
“Okay, tell me the truth, no lies. What did I do as a Remnant?”
No one answered. Nobody would even look at her.
“Guys, you have to tell me. I can’t walk around not knowing. I’ll think that I murdered Val’s mom or something. Tell me, what did I do.”
“You didn’t kill my mom, or, as far as we know, anyone at all.”
“Okay so what’s the big deal.”
“You dated Sanguine,” Ghastly said in a rough voice.
Tanith looked up at him. His face was screwed up in pain. Bile rose to her throat when what Ghastly said registered in her mind. She forced herself to relax and in the calmest voice she could manage, she said,
“I did what?”
Suddenly everyone was talking all at the same time.
“We know it wasn’t you at all. We don’t mind at all.”(This was Skulduggery)
“Hey, relax. I mean he is good looking.” (Valkyrie, not very helpful)
“It was kind of gross but we got used to it. I mean, you were meant for each other. I mean Remnant you.” (Even less helpful Fletcher)
“I love you. I know you don’t love him. That’s all that matters.”
Tanith looked up at Ghastly and, in one fluid movement, she put her arm around him and hugged him. Ghastly blinked and then hugged her back. Suddenly, behind her Valkyrie started to laugh.
“Damn it, I’m crying. Why the hell am I crying?”
Tanith hugged her and all of a sudden she was crying as well, which, naturally, made her laugh. Fletcher stared at them.
“Wha – Why are you crying? What’s going on?”
This had both Valkyrie and Tanith laughing and they stopped crying. For the rest of the afternoon, Valkyrie, Fletcher and Skulduggery took turns filling her in on what had happened in her absence. Ghastly was quiet, just holding her against his chest. She squealed and hugged him when Valkyrie told her that he was an Elder. Ghastly looked pleased and a little self-conscious. Finally, seeing that Tanith looked ready to drop, they went to eat and sleep. Ghastly set her up in a room at the Sanctuary and slept on a small couch. Tanith felt bad for him but was glad that he was there. She fell asleep listening to his breathing.
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