Valkyrie blinked to clear her vision. She was on her hands and knees. The Eye of Rhast was beside her – dull and blackened and inert. No more pulsing energy. No more wind. No more noise.

She stood. Pulled up her mask. Pulled down her hood. She felt weird. Her skin rippled with gooseflesh and her insides buzzed. Her mouth was dry.

The Faraday cage opened and Creed rushed out, and froze when he saw her. “Valkyrie,” he said. His brow furrowed. “What have you done?”

She would have answered if she’d been able, but something was wrong with her voice. Something was wrong with her eyes, too – they were streaming tears. The muscles in her calves started to cramp. She felt sick and her head hurt. Her gut twisted. Her fingers curled.

Skulduggery landed beside her. He held out his hands. She looked at him.

The pain started in the base of her spine and exploded outwards. It hit her so violently she stumbled. Every muscle in her body contracted and she roared. Screeched.

Lightning danced from her skin, lifting her off the ground.

Her bones snapped.

Her lungs and her liver and her kidneys ruptured.

Her eyes burst. Her heart burst. Her brain boiled .

The lightning faded and her corpse hung in mid-air.

Then she dropped to her feet and she was healed.

“Valkyrie?” Skulduggery said, his voice quiet.

She worked her jaw a little before speaking. “I’m OK. I think. I think I’m OK.”

He hurried forward and hugged her. She hugged him back. She couldn’t think of what else to do. She was very confused.

“What happened?” asked Creed.

Skulduggery broke off the hug, watching Valkyrie as she answered.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “There was a … a whole lot of pain. I mean, a whole lot.”

“I’ll have my doctors examine you,” said Creed.

“They’re not your doctors any more,” Skulduggery responded. “You’re under arrest.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Skulduggery’s gun was in his hand. “Damocles Creed, I’m placing you under arrest for attempted genocide.”

Creed didn’t look impressed. “Skulduggery, please, don’t embarrass yourself. You can’t arrest me. Everyone in a position of power in this city is there because of me. Practically every Sanctuary around the world does what I tell them. What do you think will happen? You’ll put me in a cell and they’ll let me stay there? They won’t fall over themselves in their eagerness to set me free? Let’s not be childish now, not when Valkyrie is in need of our attention.”

“Valkyrie’s fine.”

Creed laughed. “She’s more than that, Detective. She is wonderful. She is superb. She is divine. She is, after all, the Child of the Faceless Ones.”

Skulduggery grunted. “What do you have to say about that, Valkyrie?”

“Not much,” she replied. “It affected me, sure, and it hurt like hell, but … it was the suit. The suit stopped it from changing me. ”

“You’ve failed,” Skulduggery said to Creed. “Your grand plan is over. Maybe it would have worked with someone younger, maybe it would have worked with someone weaker – but Valkyrie was ready for you.”

“Is all that true, Valkyrie?” Creed asked. “Has my plan failed?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Well, at least I tried. You can see yourselves out, yes? And take Cadaver Cain with you.”

“You’re under arrest,” Skulduggery said.

“Build a case, Detective. You won’t be able to find a Sensitive strong enough to break into my mind so you’ll have to collect evidence and witnesses. When you have all that, I’ll come quietly, you have my word.” He looked at Valkyrie. “As for you, you’d better take your little sister home. I suppose, in a way, you have spared her from what’s to come, but you’ve also robbed her of something it was not your place to rob.” He shrugged. “Such is life. My door, Valkyrie, is always open.”

Humming to himself, Damocles Creed walked off the platform and disappeared through the doors.

Valkyrie turned to Skulduggery. “We won, right?”

“I think so,” he replied.

“It’s just … it doesn’t feel like we’ve won.”

“We won,” he said. “We definitely won.”

They looked around.

“Are you sure you’re feeling OK?” he asked.

Valkyrie hesitated, thought about it, and shrugged. “Nothing’s different. Nothing’s changed. I think.”

Skulduggery nodded. “That’s good enough for me. You go get your unconscious sister, I’ll pick up my future self.”

She smiled. “What a life we lead, eh?”

“What a life.”