Skulduggery Pleasant: Kingdom of the Wicked (44 page)

Skulduggery was on the floor of the gymnasium. His façade had retracted, and Kitana scowled at Doran as they closed in slowly. “Would you please learn to aim?”

“Don’t blame me,” Doran said defensively. “I got a massive headache because of this guy.”

Kitana looked back at Skulduggery. “So what are you? Are you actually a skeleton, or is this just a trick or something, like a disguise?”

“No disguise,” Skulduggery groaned.

“Why do you wear a suit?” Doran asked.

“Would you rather me naked?”

“No,” Doran shot back. “That’d be gross.”

Kitana sighed. “Why would it be gross? He’s a skeleton.”

“Well, yeah, but he’s a guy, like. If it was a naked skeleton woman, then that’d be OK.”

“So a naked skeleton woman would be hot, would she?”

“Yeah,” Doran said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Because she’d be naked.”

Kitana turned back to Skulduggery. “I want to apologise for my friend. He’s not very bright, and he’s a bit of a homophobe.”

“It’s not homophobia,” Skulduggery said, slowly getting to his feet. “It’s just typical teenage boy bluster. He’ll grow out of it, assuming he lives that long.”

“Is that a threat?” Kitana asked. “Are you threatening us?”

“Not at all. But now that we have a private moment to talk, why not discuss some rather pertinent matters? Such as what you’re hoping to accomplish with all this.”

“All what?” Kitana asked. “Oh, you mean the murder and mayhem? Don’t you like it? Aren’t you a fan?”

“Not especially.”

“Well then, Mr Skeleton, you are no fun. We were chosen by Argeddion because we would use these powers in the way they were intended, to punish the people who have messed us about in our lives.”

“Your ex-boyfriend, did he mess you about?”

“He humiliated me.”

“He broke up with you. There’s a difference. Doran, you killed your brother. Do you really think he deserved to die like that?”

“Yeah,” said Doran. “I do.”

“What about Patrick Xebec, and the others? What about all the people you’ve hurt? And when all the punishing is done with? Then what are you going to do?”

“Whatever we want,” Kitana said. “For the rest of our lives, we will do whatever we want.”

“You know I can’t allow that.”

“You can’t stop us. Those magic men tried to stop us earlier and we killed them so easily I was laughing.”

“I see.”

Kitana smirked. “Do you?”

“I do,” said Skulduggery. “You’re psychopaths. The magic may have pushed you over the edge or maybe you were like this anyway, I don’t know. But the point is you’re psychopaths now.”

“I suppose we are.”

“I should have shot you when I had the chance.”

“And
we’re
the psychopaths?” Kitana laughed.

“You didn’t get these powers so you could punish those who’ve wronged you. You weren’t chosen for any special reason.”

“You’re just jealous.”

Valkyrie moved around them, heading towards Skulduggery as he straightened his tie.

“Argeddion is using you in an experiment,” he said.

Doran frowned. “You know Argeddion?”

“You see? You don’t even know who the players are. Who did you think Argeddion was – some mystical being granting great power to mere mortals? Before he was Argeddion, he was just an ordinary sorcerer. He worked for peace and enlightenment. You’re his test subjects and you’re trampling over everything he believes in.”

Kitana put her hands on her hips. “Oh, really? Well, if we’re such a mistake, then where is he? How come he isn’t here to tell us where we’re going wrong?”

“He’s refusing to believe that you’re as bad as you are. But this? Coming to your own school to attack it? I think this will be all he needs to realise his error of judgement.”

“I think you’re lying.”

“I don’t care.”

Kitana smiled. “You’re jealous. Just admit it. You’re jealous that Argeddion picked us and not you. I know you all think you’re so cool with your secret societies and whatever, but we’re the new breed of sorcerers. And we’re stronger than you.”

Valkyrie dived on Skulduggery, hiding him from view, and dragged him to one side. Kitana and Doran let loose streams of energy that came dangerously close.

“Thank you for that,” Skulduggery said.

“No problem.”

They circled them, keeping low, as Kitana and Doran spun and fired at random, their eyes wide.

“Where are they?” Doran cried. “Where are they?”

“How am I supposed to know?” Kitana snapped.

Skulduggery took out his gun. “I didn’t want to have to do this,” he said as he took aim.

Valkyrie looked away, and Skulduggery fired twice.

ammit,” Skulduggery said.

Valkyrie looked back. Kitana and Doran were still standing. Hovering in the air next to each of their heads was a bullet, gently rotating.

“Hello, children,” Argeddion said from where he floated above them all.

He waved his hand and the cloaking sphere stopped working. The bubble retracted but Kitana and Doran weren’t interested in a skeleton and a teenage girl any more. They gazed upwards like they were seeing their own personal god.

“It’s you,” Doran whispered.

“Hello, Doran,” Argeddion said. “Hello, Kitana. I’m sorry it took so long for me to meet you, face to face. I took some time to experience what it means to be a free man once again. Hello, Skulduggery. Hello, Valkyrie.”

Skulduggery holstered his gun. “Are you proud of them?” he asked. “They came here, to this
school
, to kill everyone they found. If you’re hoping you showed them enlightenment, I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

“They’re young,” Argeddion said. “They’ll learn.”

“And in the meantime, they’ll kill and destroy. You’re meant to be a pacifist. You’re meant to value every human life. How can you let this continue?”

Argeddion smiled. “Because I can see the difference between one life and many. Between a few lives and all. The children are learning and exploring and pushing their boundaries. They don’t know who they are yet.”

“They’re through pushing boundaries. Now they need rules.”

“I have no wish to limit them with the restricted view of western morality.”

Skulduggery shook his head. “You’ve got to take responsibility for this.”

“I’m taking ultimate responsibility,” said Argeddion. “Spiritual responsibility. These few missteps don’t matter. Can’t you understand? Look at them standing there. They’re beautiful and flawed and a work in progress.”

“Dammit, Argeddion, your plan isn’t working. Why can’t you just accept that? You wanted to elevate mankind by giving them magic, so take a look at what you’ve created so far. They’re killers.”

“And so are both of you.”

“We’ve made mistakes, but we try to do what’s right.”

“You mean you’ve learned your lessons. You made your mistakes, killed and destroyed, and now you’re fighting the good fight. So what makes you think that these children will not follow your example?”

“Because they’re psychopaths.”

“And Lord Vile wasn’t? And Darquesse is a well-adjusted personality?” Argeddion laughed. “It seems to me that there is one rule for you two, and another rule for everyone else.”

“You can’t let them learn their lessons at the expense of innocent lives.”

“Every life lost is sad, but also necessary. These children are the future. They need the freedom to make mistakes and grow from them.”

“Yeah,” said Doran, wearing that smirk again, “let us grow, Mr Skeleton.”

“If you want them to learn,” Skulduggery said, “turn them over to the Sanctuary. We’ll train them, teach them how to control their powers.”

“You’ll imprison them,” Argeddion said, “like I was imprisoned, because you’re scared. Because you don’t understand them and you can’t control them. I’m sorry, Skulduggery. None of you can be trusted.”

“For God’s sake, you can
not
let them walk away.”

Argeddion looked down at Kitana and Doran. “Go,” he said. “I’ll see you again.”

It took them a few seconds before they moved, but when they did, they were laughing like kids. Kitana blew them a kiss as they left.

Skulduggery didn’t move. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

“When this is over,” Argeddion said, “you will understand.” And then he vanished.

The Cleavers arrived, sealed off the school. Skulduggery dumped Sean Mackin in the back of their van and slammed the door on his head. They waited for Geoffrey Scrutinous and Philomena Random to get there, told them the situation. This was bad. A signal block was now in effect, jamming all communication, but a few hundred teenagers had just had half an hour to get the word out of crazy goings-on at their school, and the news was spreading.

They drove back to the Sanctuary and found Ghastly outside the interview room where Sean Mackin was being held.

“This is bad,” Ghastly said.

“We know,” Skulduggery answered.

“Bernard Sult is running around, snapping out questions like he expects them to be answered. I’ve managed to avoid Strom all morning, but I don’t think Ravel has been so lucky. What are we looking to get out of Mackin here?”

“Just where they’re staying. We can’t afford delays. They know we’ll be questioning him, so they won’t stay around for long.”

Ghastly nodded. “I’m going to send Elsie in first. Maybe she’ll be able to appeal to his better nature before we have to scare him.”

Valkyrie and Skulduggery stepped into the room adjacent, nodding to the mage who sat at the monitor. She saw Sean on screen, sitting at the table and looking scared. The door opened, and Elsie O’Brien walked in. She was a heavyset girl in black, with thick eyeliner and a pierced lip. She had a nice face, but she was worried. Nervous.

Sean glared at her. “I should have known you’d be here.”

“It’s OK,” Elsie said. “Everything’s going to be OK now.”

He slouched in his chair. “Really? Are you going to force them to let me go?”

“They only want to help you.”

He laughed. It was a nasty laugh. “Does it look like I’m being helped? I’m in a jail cell. I was put in handcuffs.”

“Sean, you have to know that what you were doing was wrong.”

“You’re such a coward.”

“Please just—”

“Please just,” he mimicked. “Do you have any idea how annoying your voice sounds, you ignorant cow? You look like a cow as well, did I ever tell you that? You’re fat and ugly like a cow. I couldn’t stand it when you smiled at me. I wanted to vomit.”

The door opened and Sean shut up. Ghastly walked in.

Sean gathered his feet under him and looked at his hands as Ghastly pulled a chair over. He sat across from him.

“Now then,” Ghastly said, “you want to talk about ugly, Sean?”

Sean swallowed.

“There are those who have said over the years that I myself am ugly. What do you think?”

Sean gave the tiniest of terrified shrugs.

Ghastly leaned forward. “Am I ugly, Sean?”

“You... you have scars.”

“And do they make me ugly?”

“I don’t... I...”

“Well?”

“No. They don’t make you ugly.”

“So I’m not ugly? Am I handsome?”

Sean nodded quickly.

“Am I the most handsome man in the world?”

“Yes.”

“Just as I suspected,” Ghastly said to Elsie, “this guy doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about.”

A small smile flickered on Elsie’s lips, and Ghastly looked back at Sean.

“She’s trying to help you, you idiot. She asked to come in here, to talk to you, to try and get through to you. Because no one else wants to help. You hear an army of people outside this door, begging to be allowed to help you?”

“N-no.”

“No. Exactly. Because there isn’t one. But Elsie wanted to try, and this is how you repay her? She told us you were a good guy, Sean. That you were decent. Not like Doran. Doran’s a psycho. And not like Kitana. She’s... she’s something else. Elsie told us that you just got carried away a little. The power went to your head. Is that what happened?”

“Yes.”

“Did the power go to your head, Sean?”

“Yes.”

“Is that why you killed those people?”

“I’m... I didn’t...”

“You also killed a few of ours, outside that school. And another sorcerer, a man named Patrick Xebec. He had a wife, did you know that? I bet you didn’t. And you killed him.”