The last time Valkyrie had been in the nave, the tiers of pews that surrounded the platform on three sides had been full of worshippers. Now they were empty.
Cathedral staff were busy on the platform. They’d replaced the pulpit with a podium, and had run thick cables across the walkway that connected the platform to the stage. There was a large cage built there now, and a bank of six huge monitors beside it. Creed stood in the middle of all this, issuing commands.
Two Cathedral Guards escorted Valkyrie and Skulduggery down the steps. They’d reached the halfway point when Creed’s assistant signalled them to stop. The guy escorting Valkyrie stomped on the back of her knee and she dropped. Skulduggery dropped beside her.
The assistant hurried over to Creed and stood on his tiptoes to whisper in his ear. Creed, his eyes on a computer tablet, tapped the screen a few times, swiped, tapped again, then finally looked. “What?”
Valkyrie glared and Skulduggery tilted his head, but Creed focused his attention on his assistant. “Why did you bring them here?”
The assistant paled. “I … I thought you’d like to—”
“To what?” Creed said. “Gloat? Explain my plan? Outside, there’s a riot, and in here we’re trying to change the world. I don’t have time for this, idiot. ”
Creed strode back to his original position. The assistant flushed red, and busied himself at the monitor bank.
“I have to admit,” Valkyrie muttered to Skulduggery, “I’m a little insulted.”
“Me too.”
“Like, are we suddenly not worthy of a gloating? Is he really so busy that he can’t take two minutes to laugh in our faces?”
“He does look busy.”
“Two minutes, Skulduggery. That’s all it’d take.”
They watched him issue orders to the technicians around him.
“Ah, maybe he’s right,” Skulduggery said. “Besides, if we’ve heard one gloating monologue, we’ve heard them all, right? We know how they go. You interfering do-gooders have interfered for the last time. Once my Doomsday Machine is ready, I shall bring forth the end of the world and everything you know will crumble to dust, et cetera, et cetera. ”
“Yeah,” said Valkyrie, “I suppose. But what’s the deal with the jail cell?”
“That’s not a jail cell, you ridiculous simpleton .”
“Oi.”
“That’s a Faraday cage .”
“And what’s that?”
“A Faraday cage is an enclosure built to block electromagnetic fields, you ignorant ape-person .”
“Seriously, dude …”
“But, instead of blocking electromagnetic fields, this particular cage will block the effects of the Activation Wave .”
“So you all get to stand in that cool-looking cage, safe and sound, while the rest of the world turns into zombified Kith?”
“Yes … ”
“OK.”
“… you moron .”
“Skulduggery.”
“What?”
“Stop insulting me. ”
“I’m not,” he protested. “Creed is.”
“Creed!” Valkyrie shouted. “Stop insulting me!”
Creed frowned over at them, then went back to work.
“You two are hilarious,” their guard said.
Valkyrie grinned up at him. “We’re at our best when we’re in trouble.”
“We’re at our best a lot,” Skulduggery muttered.
“You remind me of me and my friend,” said the guard. “That is exactly our type of humour.”
“Yeah?” said Valkyrie, and looked over at the other guard. “Is that you?”
The other guard glowered.
“Uh, no,” the first guard said. “My friend isn’t on duty tonight. His name’s Puck. I’m Winger.”
“Hey, Winger.”
“Don’t make friends with the prisoners,” the second guard said.
“I’m not,” Winger said, heat rising to his face. “I’m just making conversation.”
“Why? They’re going to be dead in a minute.”
“We’re just talking, Braylon. Jesus.”
“The Supreme Mage told us not to talk to the prisoners.”
“No, he didn’t.”
“Yes, he did.”
“When did he say that?” Winger asked as Braylon clenched his jaw. “When did he say those exact words? Well? You can’t answer because he didn’t say that.”
“It was implied in the briefing.”
“A lot of things were implied in the briefing, Braylon. It was implied in the briefing that tonight would be amazing and wonderful and we’d all have a great time – but you’re making that impossible.”
“Just don’t talk to them.”
“I can talk to whomever I like. ”
“Then talk to whomever you like. Just don’t talk to them.”
“You’re not my father, you’re not my mother, you’re not my wife, and you’re not my commanding officer. So shut up.”
“I’m getting so sick of you.”
Winger barked a laugh. “Oh, really? You’re getting sick of me? What have I done that’s so annoying?”
“You’re talking to the prisoners, and if you’re not talking to the prisoners you’re talking about Puck and about how great Puck is and isn’t Puck hilarious and wait till you hear what Puck said this morning. I’m sick of Puck and I’m sick of you and you know what? When the Supreme Mage throws the switch, I might walk out of the cage because I would rather spend the rest of my life as one of those freaky Kith weirdos than listen to one more amusing anecdote about bloody Puck.”
Winger stared at him. “What is your problem?”
“I don’t have a problem.”
“You obviously do.”
“I just want to do my job. Can we please just do our jobs?”
“You’ve got issues, man. Unresolved issues.”
“Yes, fine, I have issues. Can we drop it now and go back to being quiet? I like you best when you’re quiet.”
“Fine with me.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“You’re welcome, too.”
Valkyrie winced at Braylon. “Oooh, weak ending.”
“Shut up.”