Skulduggery had given her money and Stephanie had gone in to pay while he refilled the Bentley’s tank. As she waited for her change she looked at the chocolate bars on display and tried remembering the last time she’d eaten chocolate. She always ate chocolate when something bad happened, but these days chocolate just wasn’t enough.

Everything was going wrong. Tanith was injured, Ghastly was nothing more than a statue and now they had the White Cleaver to worry about. It was getting to the point where Stephanie didn’t know why they were bothering to fight any more, although she’d never say that to Skulduggery. He seemed to think she was like him – never give up, never surrender. But she wasn’t. The only reason she didn’t tell him this was because she liked the way he thought of her, and she didn’t want to disappoint him. But the truth was, the Valkyrie Cain he thought he knew was a lot stronger than Stephanie Edgley could ever be.

She walked back outside. Skulduggery was slotting the petrol nozzle back into the pump. Tanith had gone to soak her hand in the same healing mixture she had given Stephanie.

Now that they were alone, Stephanie didn’t quite know what to say. Skulduggery screwed the petrol cap shut and stood there, perfectly still. With his hat on and his scarf hiding his jaw, it could have been a mannequin standing there for all the difference it made.

“I’m sorry,” Stephanie said. He looked at her.

“If it wasn’t for me, Ghastly would be… he’d be with us. It’s my fault he had to use the earth power.” She fought to keep her voice from trembling. “How long will he stay like that, do you think?”

Skulduggery took a moment. “I sincerely don’t know, Valkyrie. It’s the most unpredictable power we have. He could be stuck as a statue for a day, a week, or a hundred years. There’s no way of knowing.”

“I’ve ruined everything.”

“No—”

“That Cleaver was after me. Ghastly was forced to—”

“Ghastly wasn’t forced to do anything,” Skulduggery interrupted. “It was his choice. And it wasn’t your fault. Serpine sent his assassin after you to hurt me. It’s what he does.”

“He sent him after me because he knew I wouldn’t be able to defend myself. He knows you’re looking after me, he knows I’m your weak spot.”

Skulduggery tilted his head. “Looking after you? Is that how you see this? You think I’m babysitting you?”

“Well aren’t you? I’ve got no magic; I can’t fight; I can’t throw fire or run on ceilings. What use am I to you? I’m weak.”

Skulduggery shook his head. “No, you’re not. You haven’t trained in magic or combat, but you’re not weak. Serpine underestimates you. Everyone underestimates you. You’re stronger than they know. You’re stronger than you know.”

“I wish you were right.”

“Of course I’m right. I’m me.”

Stephanie heard a phone ring as Tanith walked into the light of the forecourt. She had wrapped a bandage around her wrist. The magical properties of the healing mixture would already be working to reduce the swelling and mend the damage. Tanith held her phone to her ear. Stephanie didn’t like the way her face seemed to slacken as she listened to whatever was being said.

She hung up without replying. “Skulduggery,” she said softly. “You have your phone on?”

“Battery’s low,” he said.

“They’ve been trying to contact you. The Administrator, the Sanctuary.”

“What’s wrong?” Stephanie asked.

“The Elders,” Tanith said, her voice empty. “Sagacious Tome betrayed them. The Elders are dead.”

Stephanie’s hand was at her mouth. “Oh, God.”

“Tome’s been working with Serpine all along. He’s a traitor. Like Mr Bliss. They’re all traitors. Skulduggery, what are we going to do?”

Stephanie looked to him, praying that he’d come up with a great new plan, a scheme to ensure victory and a happy ending. He didn’t answer.

“Did you hear me?” Tanith continued, the emptiness in her voice giving way to sudden anger. “Are you even listening? Do you even care? Maybe you don’t. Maybe you want to die again; maybe you want to join your wife and child, but hey! We don’t want to die, OK? I don’t. Valkyrie doesn’t.”

Skulduggery stood there. A mannequin. Silent.

“Do you think we stand a chance against Serpine?” Tanith asked. “Tome? Bliss? That Cleaver? Do you really think we stand a chance against all of them?”

“What do you suggest we do?” Skulduggery said, his voice slow and steady. “Stand back and let Serpine grow stronger? Stand back and let him recruit more allies, let him open the door and let the Faceless Ones come through?”

“He’s winning, OK? Serpine is winning this war!”

“No such thing.”

“What?”

“There’s no such thing as winning or losing. There is won and there is lost; there is victory and defeat. There are absolutes. Everything in between is still left to fight for. Serpine will have won only when there is no one left to stand against him. Until then, there is only the struggle, because tides do what tides do – they turn.”

“This is insane—”

He turned to her so sharply Stephanie thought he might strike her.

“I’ve just seen a very dear friend turn into a statue, Tanith. Meritorious and Crow, two of the few people in this world I respected, have been murdered. So yes, you’re right when you say our allies are dropping like flies, but this was never going to be an easy fight. Casualties are to be expected. And you know what we do? We step over them and we move on because we don’t have any other choice. Now I’m going to stop Serpine once and for all. Anyone who wants to come with me, they’re welcome. Anyone who doesn’t, it won’t make a blind bit of difference. Serpine will be stopped and that’s all there is to it.”

He got into the Bentley and started the engine. Stephanie hesitated, then opened the passenger door and slid in. She glanced at Skulduggery as she buckled up but he was staring straight ahead. He waited three seconds, then put the car in gear and was about to drive off when Tanith got in behind them.

“No need to get all dramatic about it,” she muttered and Stephanie managed to smile. Skulduggery pulled out on to the road, driving fast.

“Where are we going?” Stephanie asked.

“Weren’t you listening?” Skulduggery responded, sounding like he was back to his old self. “We’re going to stop Serpine. I just made a whole speech about it. It was very good.”

Tanith leaned forward. “You know where he is?”

“Yes, I do. It came to me just there as I was filling the tank.”

“What did?”

“The Sceptre. Why did Serpine go after the Sceptre?”

Stephanie frowned. “Because it’s the ultimate weapon.”

“And why did he want it?”

“To, you know, to retrieve the ritual he needs to bring the Faceless Ones back, to force whoever knows it to tell him.”

“No.”

“He isn’t going to use it to retrieve the ritual?”

“The Sceptre’s too clumsy, too unwieldy. If he threatens to kill the only person in the world who knows how to work the ritual – what if that person chooses death rather than hand it over? What’s he supposed to do then? No. He used the Sceptre to kill the Elders. That’s the only reason he wanted it. He knew he wasn’t powerful enough to take them on without it.”

“And so how does that help him retrieve the ritual?”

“This isn’t just about the ritual any more. What do you get if you kill the Elders?”

“This sounds like a joke.”

“Valkyrie—”

“I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do. Now think. What would killing the Elders result in?”

“Panic? Fear? Three empty parking spaces in the Sanctuary?”

Skulduggery looked at her and Stephanie’s confusion lifted. “Oh, God,” she said.

“He’s after the Book,” Skulduggery said. “He needed the Sceptre to kill Meritorious and Morwenna Crow in order to dismantle the spell protecting it. He doesn’t have to force anyone to do anything; all he’ll have to do is ask. He’s been after the Book of Names all along.”