It wasn’t easy entertaining a seven-year-old. For one thing, Alice flitted from activity to activity like a bright-eyed butterfly. At first, she seemed content to watch TV, but quickly grew bored. Then she wanted to play a game on her tablet. After that, she wanted Omen to play a game on her tablet, and laughed as he tried to figure out what the rules were, what the controls were, and what the point was.
Eventually, she asked him if he wanted her to put on a show. She sang two Disney songs, one of them twice, then bits and pieces of Ed Sheeran and a song Omen didn’t know. It was cute, but got boring very fast.
When Alice swung her arms wide and bowed dramatically, Omen clapped.
“Well done!” he said. “That was brilliant!”
“Thank you,” said Alice, nodding at his wisdom. “What was your favourite part?”
“The bit at the start, and then the middle, and that bit at the end. It was all great, it really—”
“Do you want to play hide-and-seek?”
“Um, sure.”
“Do you know how to play?”
“I do.”
“Did you used to play hide-and-seek when you were small?”
“I did, yes, with my brother.”
“Is your brother older or younger than you?”
“He’s older, but only by a few minutes.”
“My sister is eighteen years older than me.”
“I know.”
“Is my sister your girlfriend?”
Omen laughed. “No. She’s much older than me, too.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
He thought about it. “I think so.”
“What’s her name?”
“Aurnia. She’s very nice.”
“Do you love her?”
“Ha. Not yet.”
“How can she be your girlfriend if you don’t love her?”
“Because I like her a lot.”
Alice nodded. This answer satisfied her.
“So do you want to play hide-and-seek?” Omen asked.
“No,” she said.
“Do you want me to, uh, read you a story or something?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any books?”
“We keep half of my books in my bedroom – they’re for bedtime stories – and half in that bookshelf. They’re for daytime reading.”
“Well, OK,” Omen said, wandering over to the bookcase and hunkering down. “What one do you want? Jack’s Amazing Shadow? Little Legends? Alice? Which book would you …?”
Alice didn’t answer. She was staring out of the back window.
“Alice? What are you doing?”
She pointed. “There was a man there.”
Omen straightened up. “Where?”
“Outside the window,” she said. “He was looking in.”
Fear’s cold fingers immediately started to tap their way down Omen’s spine. He went to the window. “What did he look like?”
“He was old,” said Alice.
“Have you seen him before?”
She nodded, and he relaxed.
“Oh, good,” he said. “Where have you seen him before?”
She pointed behind her. “At that window over there.”
The fear came back.
It was probably nothing. It was probably a neighbour, or maybe someone had broken down and needed to call a tow truck, and they hadn’t heard that everyone had mobile phones these days so there was no reason to leave their car.
He stepped into the hall and froze.
The front door was open.
Omen backed away. “Alice,” he said softly. “Alice, come here.”
She wandered over and he took her hand and knelt down. “I want you to be very quiet,” he whispered. “Can you be very quiet for me?”
She nodded earnestly.
He took out his phone.
“This is a surprise.”
Omen cried out and whirled round.
Cadaverous Gant stood by the stairs.
“I was expecting parents,” Cadaverous said, “feeble mortal minds that I could command to deliver my message. Instead, I have the lesser of the Darkly brothers. I can’t command you, can I? But what do you do when life hands you lemons? You make lemonade.”
“What do you want with me?”
“I don’t want you, little boy. I want her.” He smiled at Alice. “Hello there.”
Omen pulled Alice behind him. “You’re making a mistake,” he said. “A huge mistake.”
Cadaverous smiled. “You see, it’s that kind of thinking that meant this has never happened before. Until now, no one bothered to follow Valkyrie home. No one bothered to find out where she lived, who her parents were, if she had any cute and adorable siblings. At first, I fully expect it was because to strike at Valkyrie Cain would be to incur the wrath of Skulduggery Pleasant. But that changed, I think, and suddenly it was the wrath of Valkyrie herself that frightened people off.
“But I’m not scared of Miss Cain, and I’m not scared of the skeleton. I’m not scared of anyone, now that I come to think about it. Not even Abyssinia – not any more.”
“Why do you want her? She’s only a kid.”
“There’s no need for you to worry about the whys and wherefores. I was going to use her parents to deliver the message, but I can just as easily use you. Your corpse will make it even more dramatic, I daresay.”
Omen darted to the fireplace, grabbed the poker, held it before him in both hands. “Stay away.”
“I’m not one for fisticuffs, little Darkly, but we both know that I’m strong enough and fast enough to whip that poker out of your hands before you can swing it. So, please, have a little dignity in your final moments.”
“Alice,” said Omen, “when I tell you to, you run to the neighbours, OK?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Omen saw Alice nodding.
“Run!” Omen yelled, and launched himself at Cadaverous.
The old man batted the poker away and then slapped Omen so hard he spun and collapsed, his thoughts falling silent for a moment.
Dimly aware of Cadaverous speaking, when he blinked and looked up again, Alice was walking calmly back into the room.
“Good girl,” said Cadaverous. “Don’t be scared, Alice Edgley. Don’t panic. Don’t try to run.”
Omen looked around for the poker, but couldn’t find it. He clicked his fingers, doing his best to summon a flame into his hand, but all he did was attract Cadaverous’s attention.
“Did you ever think, little Darkly, that perhaps magic just isn’t for you?”
Omen got to his feet. Cadaverous walked towards him, backing Omen into the corner.
“You don’t have to kill me,” Omen said.
“I’ll make it quick.”
“You can tie me up or lock me away somewhere.”
“Hush now,” Cadaverous told him, “and come here.”
“Please don’t kill me.”
Omen’s back hit the wall. Tears ran down his face. Cadaverous reached for him – and stopped.
They stood there, frozen, while Cadaverous considered his options.
“I’m not going to kill you,” he said suddenly. “I was going to kill you. I still might. But I probably won’t. It might be more fun for Cain to come back and listen to your pathetic excuses.” He held out his hand. “Phone.”
Omen wiped his eyes. “Sorry?”
“Your phone, boy,” Cadaverous said. “Give it to me.”
Omen passed it over. Cadaverous dropped it and slammed his heel into it three times. Then he took another phone out of his pocket and tossed it to Omen.
“There is one number in that phone,” he said. “When Cain gets back, tell her to call it. When is she due home?”
“Uh, half an hour, maybe.”
“Perfect. You are to wait here. You are not to call anyone or alert anyone. You are not to step outside that door. Do you understand me?”
“Yes.”
“If the skeleton comes in with her, make an excuse. Do not let Skulduggery Pleasant know what is going on. Alice’s life will depend on it.”
“OK. I promise.”
“Sit on the couch there, like a good little boy. Sit and wait.”
Then he was gone, and Alice was gone with him.