Chapter 5
Valkyrie made Fletcher teleport over as soon as Skulduggery called.
“You can save her?”
Jay told her some things about maybe and things might happen.
Half of Valkyrie was happy and the other half was screaming, “Maybe? Maybe? This is my best friend!!!! I need absolute, unarguable, bullet proof confidence.” The happy side won the quick battle and Valkyrie felt herself smiling so hard she was afraid her face would stay stuck like that.
“There are some dangers though,” Jay was saying. She was a very direct person. Maybe not blunt like Valkyrie but she didn’t beat around the bush.
“What are they?” Fletcher asked.
“Well, for one, I don’t know how much energy I am going to have to use to get it out. Magical energy in its purest form can be very dangerous. It might literally burn her up from the inside. I actually don’t think that there is much of a danger of this since I have lots of control over my amazing powers but still, I’ve never put that much pure magic inside anyone before. There may be dangerous side effects.”
Valkyrie nodded. She could deal with that. Maybe.
“Also,” Jay continued, “This has never been done before. Having a Remnant torn out of you after the four days are up, could do some damage. It might kill her. It may leave her a vegetable. She might lose her memories or some brain function. I honestly couldn’t even guess what might happen. So the question becomes… Would you rather have her dead, or with no memories or would you rather have be a Remnant?” Her eyes stared at them intensely but when none of the answered she shrugged and skipped off into the books.
“So, maybe we can bring Tanith back?” Valkyrie said.
“Yes, we just have to find her,” Skulduggery said, and as they contemplated that, China walked up.
Valkyrie felt a flutter of something in her stomach, as she usually did when she saw China. Her face had an interesting expression on it. Not annoyance exactly, something more like grudging admiration that she didn’t want to be feeling. “That Jay girl is quite smart. She just read Myeloen’s books and explained it to me. I actually agreed with everything.”
“Yeah, she’s brilliant. But never as brilliant as you,” Fletcher said. He seemed especially susceptible to China’s charms so that he fell in love with her over and over again. Strangely, Valkyrie wasn’t bothered by this. Another bad sign? No, she reasoned, everyone fell in love with China and Fletcher had no self-control. It was fine. Right?
“So, you think you can save that insufferable girl?”
Valkyrie felt a wave of anger that China had never been able to produce in her before. Valkyrie understood and dealt with China’s coolness but this time it bothered her beyond reason.
“Why can’t you just admit that you liked her? You thought she was strong and brave. A lot unlike you, actually. You are, and have always been jealous of her and you hate her because you know that even with a Remnant in her, she is a better person than you ever will be,” Valkyrie yelled at China.
Readers all around the room glared and complained about the distractions but Valkyrie ignored them. China’s eyes flew open in surprise and then narrowed. The muscles in her neck were straining and she started to clench and unclench her hand almost without realizing it. Valkyrie almost stepped back. She had never seen China like this.
“Do want to know why I don’t like her? Yes, I do think that she is strong and brave. But if that were why I didn’t like her, well then, I wouldn’t like you very much either. No, the reason I don’t like her is because she presumes to be so perfect and kind, yet she has a mean streak in her. In your blindness you overlooked that but that girl is about as trustworthy as I am.”
Valkyrie felt something stirring in her, something she felt from time to time ever since she had been taken over by the Remnant. It was Darquesse. She still wasn’t strong enough to take over but it scared Valkyrie because she could feel her there. Valkyrie gasped and fell to her knees. Concern flashed across Fletcher’s face as knelt down next to her. China’s face turned smug and arrogant and Valkyrie had to fight the urge to punch her. She felt like punching people a lot. Maybe that was thanks to Skulduggery.
“Are you okay?” Fletcher asked.
Skulduggery hovered over the two of them.
“What happened?” he asked.
Valkyrie shook her head. How could she tell him that she was losing control over Darquesse and that she had wanted her there, next to her for a second? How could he tell him that every time she got really angry, Darquesse started to squirm? Ever since the Remnant, she had become stronger and now she was losing her mind.
“Nothing, nothing,” she said.
They didn’t believe her, she knew that, but they respected her privacy enough not to push. China smirked like she’d won the argument and then walked off and Valkyrie felt like punching her again but Darquesse didn’t come back.
Suddenly, she felt herself fill with warmth and energy. Any thought of anger left her and she started to breathe again. She turned to where the warmth was strongest. Behind her, Jay stood. Her palms held out in front of her. They glowed with white and blue light. Jay’s face was calm, but she seemed to be concentrating very hard on something. When she saw Valkyrie’s eyes, she stopped and smiled a little weakly. Her knees buckled but she managed to stay upright by grabbing a bookcase. After a few seconds the color seemed to return to her face. She shook her head.
“What was that?” Fletcher asked.
“It was pure energy flushing out the bad energies that made Valkyrie angry.” She still swayed a little but she seemed better.
“It felt so good,” Valkyrie said.
“Heh,” said Jay as if she couldn’t manage a real laugh. “It should. It is pure energy and nice stuff. You know. It’s like eating lots of sugar without the stomach ache.”
Valkyrie nodded in agreement.
“Is that what you would do to Tanith?”
“Just doing that seemed to tire you out completely.”
“I can borrow magic from others. I think that if I borrowed some of each of your magic I should be able to stay awake throughout. That’s another problem. I don’t know how much energy it’s going to have to take. I might not be able to channel enough.”
Valkyrie nodded. Jay could take all of her magic if she could save Tanith. Anything for Tanith.
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