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It had been the longest year of Valkyrie Cain's life.
She'd barely slept, barely ate; she rested when she absolutely had to. She only ever thought one thing:
Find him.
Now she was close. There was something other than sorrow in the air. There was excitement and hope.
Valkyrie still couldn't understand why Skulduggery had left. She remembered their final conversation.
"I have to go. You wouldn't understand... You don't understand much."
"Don't joke around Skulduggery. How long will you be gone?"
"I'm not joking. You can be extraordinarily thick sometimes."
"Skulduggery..."
"Valkyrie. This is just something I have to do. I shouldn't be long."
Valkyrie scoffed at that. "Shouldn't be long" her foot. He'd been gone a year and she hadn't heard a whisper from him. After two months of silence she'd decided she couldn't wait any longer.
Find him.
It wasn't easy. She didn't have the help of China or Tanith like last time. Valkyrie had managed to coerce Fletcher to help but he was very reluctant to get involved. Valkyrie supposed the only good thing was the Sanctuary was on her side. Ghastly and Erksine were just as desperate to find Skulduggery as she was.
Now she was in Russia, wrapped in a black padded coat and dark trousers. She pulled the hood up and tightened her scarf around her neck. It was the middle of winter and a white blanket of snow covered the silent cars and houses. The roads were quiet and streets dark in St. Petersburg. Although Valkyrie reasoned that nearly any city would be dark and quiet on a Tuesday at 2am.
She took a left turn off the main road down a suburban street. She walked along the footpath, snow crunching beneath her feet. Her breath was visible and her cheeks were rosy pink. Valkyrie stopped suddenly in front a house numbered 54.
This was it.
After months of tracking loose and dead ends, she was here.
Find him.
A tall, impossibly skinny man was seen bundled into this house less than 24 hours ago by members of the Russian Mafia. Valkyrie's source stated he was wearing an impeccable suit and kept making sarcastic comments about his captor's ears.
Valkyrie's heart had skipped a beat when she heard this.
Find him.
Now she stood staring at the darkened house. She had no immediate back-up. Fletcher had disappeared back to Australia and Ghastly couldn't spare any Cleavers. It was just her.
Still. Maybe she could sneak into the house, get Skulduggery out and not have to fight anyone. That would make a nice change.
Valkyrie sighed. It just wasn't going to happen.
She walked up the front path and tried the door handle.
Locked.
She moved to the window.
Barred.
Valkyrie took a few steps back and looked up. There, on the second story, was a balcony and a window left slightly ajar.
Perfect.
Valkyrie gritted her teeth and concentrated. She blocked out the cold and splayed her hands behind her. Feel the connections, she thought and she flew up to the balcony and landed silently. She crept over to the window. The room was dark, but she could see light coming under a shut door. Valkyrie slipped through window, praying there was no one in the room.
Just as she was about to open the door, it swung open. Valkyrie leapt behind it just in time. She didn't fancy fighting anyone before knowing where Skulduggery was. If he was even here.
The man grabbed what looked like a wallet off the bedside table and left, without even glancing in Valkyrie's direction.
She counted to twenty, then added another ten to be sure, and opened the door.
She stepped into a dimly lit corridor. The wallpaper was peeling off the walls and the floorboards were coarse and rough.
She walked close to the wall, so as not to make a noise.
Suddenly she heard voices. One was Russian. The other was... muffled. Whoever the second voice was, they were definitely gagged.
That had to be Skulduggery.
The voices grew louder as Valkyrie stalked down the corridor.
She reached the door. The time for "undercover work" was finished. She wanted her best friend back.
Valkyrie opened the door, and saw Skulduggery gagged and bound to a chair in the middle of the room. A Russian stood with his back to her. He didn't turn around; instead saying something to her she didn't understand.
He thought she was one of his men.
She smiled. Her luck was working wonderfully.
When she didn't answer the Russian, he turned and had enough time to widen his eyes in surprise before Valkyrie launched a punch to his throat to silence him, and then a swift open-palmed punch to his temple.
He crumpled to the ground.
Valkyrie looked at Skulduggery. He'd stopped mumbling and was staring at her.
Suddenly she wanted to hit him. How could he leave her this way? They were meant to be partners.
She walked over to him, grabbing the key from the unconscious man and unlocking his shackles. He removed the gag.
"Valkyrie..." He began but the door opened and two more Russians stepped in.
Valkyrie didn't even give them a chance. She was mad. Fury bubbled in her throat as she took down the first man with a kick to the groin, followed by a bone crunching punch to the nose.
She turned to the second man and punched him in the chest. She felt his ribs crack and his sternum break. Valkyrie brought her foot into his knee, dislocating it. He cried out and swung his fist into her stomach. She gasped but pushed her knee into his chin and punched him hard in the face. He hit the ground next to his friends.
She turned back to Skulduggery who was now standing behind her.
"Valkyrie..." He tried again.
She turned and walked out.
He followed her.
"Valkyrie listen..."
She increased her pace, taking the stairs two at a time.
She stepped out onto the street, the cold air stinging her eyes.
How could he betray her like this?
"Valkyrie Cain."
His tone made her stop.
They were both standing in the middle of the street, two metres apart.
Skulduggery deactivated his facade.
"Please hear me out."
"Why? So I can hear your reasoned excuses as to why you abandoned me for no good reason? Have you been having fun, Skulduggery? Because I haven't. I've spent the last damn year travelling across the globe trying to find you. I thought something had happened to you. I thought you were in trouble. Instead, I find you working a case in St. Petersburg. You told me you "shouldn't be long." Why did you lie?"
"I have a very good reason, Valkyrie. You should have forgotten me."
Valkyrie scoffed and began to pace.
"I left for your own good."
"I don't need your protection!" She realised she was snarling.
"I was protecting both of us."
"From what?" She snapped.
"Me." Skulduggery closed the gap between them. Suddenly Valkyrie noticed how unsure he looked. He was holding himself differently.
She looked up at him. They were about thirty centimetres apart. Snow began to fall lightly, the brim of Skulduggery's hat catching flakes.
"I told you. You can be extraordinarily thick sometimes. How you haven't noticed amazes me, especially when you're meant to be a detective."
Valkyrie scowled. "I have no idea what you're talking about so just spit it out."
"I love you." He said it so quickly Valkyrie couldn't be sure.
"What did you just say?"
He groaned. "Don't make me say it again."
Valkyrie stared at him.
"So that's why I left. Because you and I are never going to be-"
Valkyrie stepped into Skulduggery and pressed her lips onto his teeth. Fireworks exploded somewhere in her body and she felt slightly giddy when she stepped away.
"You're the extraordinarily thick one." She smiled at him.
"Oh." He said simply, and activated the facade. Skulduggery leant in to kiss her again, but Valkyrie stepped back and promptly punched him in the face.
"Don't ever abandon me like that again."
He rubbed his jaw gingerly and nodded. "Promise."
He took her hand and all Valkyrie could think was:
Found him.