you know, he helped. China’s people set up a perimeter around Haggard though, so nobody magical can get in without being noticed. Except me of course.”
“Right,” Skulduggery said, yanking the wheel sharply. “I need to have a word with Wreath.”
Valkyrie had been to the Necromancer Temple only once before, to see her ring being forged in the shadow furnace. She had imagined, when told of the Temple, a vast building with spires and long narrow windows, of huge doors and possibly some dark and terrible towers. Her expectations were dashed when Solomon Wreath had led her through an old graveyard, to a crypt with rusted iron gates, overgrown with weeds and ivy. Beneath that crypt, however, the Temple lay – a cold and forbidding labyrinth, drenched in darkness.
It was at this rusted gate she found herself again, standing at Skulduggery’s side. Her heart beat fast. Not from nerves, or excitement, but simply because she was in a graveyard. She could feel the tendrils of death being drawn into the ring on her finger and soaking through into her body. The thought of it made her queasy, but the sensation was…electric.
The crypt door opened heavily and Solomon Wreath smiled at them, and said, “Suddenly there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.”
“How unique,” Skulduggery said without enthusiasm, “a Necromancer quoting Poe.”
Wreath’s smile grew wider. “By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.”
“Shakespeare is the happy hunting ground of all minds that have lost their balance,” Skulduggery responded. “Are we going to boast about how well-read we are all day or are we going to talk?”
“About?”
“Valkyrie.”
“I see. In that case, please come in.” The gate creaked open for him and they passed through. “How are you by the way? I hope that alternate dimension wasn’t too uncomfortable for you.”
“It wasn’t all bad,” Skulduggery responded. “It gave me time to catch up on some screaming.”
They followed Wreath down the stone steps, into the darkness.
“I believe I have you to thank for suggesting my own skull as an Isthmus Anchor,” Skulduggery continued. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d still be over there.”
“Think nothing of it.”
“Very well.”
Wreath laughed.
Now they were in the dark labyrinth, passing the chambers that were carved into the walls. In some of these rooms people in black robes raised their heads, lamplight catching flashes of skin against shadow. In others the dark-robed figures were too busy with whatever they were doing to bother looking up. Up ahead, people moved quickly.
“There seems to be a disturbance,” Skulduggery noted.
“Nothing to concern you,” Wreath said. “One of our trinkets has gone missing. We’re trying to find it. But enough of the everyday humdrum of Temple life. You are here to talk, are you not?”
“Valkyrie tells me she’s been taking lessons with you,” Skulduggery said, his voice loud in the cold silence.
“Indeed she has,” Wreath responded. “Would this be a problem for you?”
“Necromancy is a dangerous discipline. Not everyone is suited to it.”
“Well, now,” Wreath said, smiling, “could it be that I have more faith in Valkyrie’s abilities than you do?”
“This isn’t about ability,” Skulduggery said curtly. “This is about aptitude.”
“What do you mean?” Valkyrie asked.
“In order for you to make an informed decision, can I assume Solomon here has told you about the Necromancer beliefs?”
Suddenly Wreath did not look happy. “Our beliefs are private. They are not discussed with…”
“With?” Skulduggery prompted.
“Non-believers,” Wreath said.
“You can make an exception for me, can’t you?” Skulduggery pressed. Somehow, he was now in the lead and Valkyrie realised they were heading for the source of the quiet commotion. “And as for Valkyrie, don’t her lessons with you entitle her to hear this?”
“Valkyrie,” Wreath said, “you could be considered one of our indoctrinates, one of our trainees, and as such you could expect to be taught these things gradually, over the coming years.”
“But you’ll skip the formalities,” Skulduggery said. “Yes?”
Wreath sighed and spoke to her. “Death is a part of life. You’ve undoubtedly heard that before. It’s meant as a platitude, to comfort the bereaved and the scared. But the truth is, life flows into death and death flows back into life.
“The darkness we use in our magic is a living energy. You’ve felt it, haven’t you? It almost has a life of its own. It is life and death. They’re the same thing – a constant, recycling stream that permeates all universes.”
“Tell her about the Death Bringer,” Skulduggery said, looking around.
“The Death Bringer is not relevant to—”
“Well, you can’t hide it from her now, can you? So you may as well.”
Wreath took a breath to keep his temper in check. “We’re waiting for a Necromancer strong enough to break down the walls between life and death. Some people call this person the Death Bringer. We have conducted tests; we’ve researched; we’ve taken a very clinical approach to all of this. This isn’t a prophecy. Prophecies mean nothing, they’re merely interpretations of possibilities. This is an inevitability. We will find someone powerful enough to break down the wall, and the energy of the dead will live alongside us, and we will evolve to meet it.”
“They call this the Passage,” Skulduggery said. “What Solomon here is neglecting to tell you of course are the names of a few people whom the Necromancers have proclaimed to be the Death Bringer in the past.”
“She doesn’t need to know this,” Wreath said, anger in his eyes.
“I think she does.”
“Tell me,” Valkyrie said to them both.
Wreath hesitated. “The last person we thought was powerful enough to possibly become the Death Bringer came to us during the war. Within two years of starting his Necromancy training, Lord Vile was the equal to any of our masters.”
“Vile?” Valkyrie said. “Lord Vile was your saviour?”
“We thought he could be,” Wreath replied quickly. “His ascension through the ranks was unheard of. It was impossible. He was a prodigy. The darkness was…it wasn’t just in him. It was him.”
They
