Cleavers were on their third sweep of the Sanctuary by the time Guild’s fingers were reattached. The final tally was fourteen dead vampires, plus one live vampire in a holding cell, and seventeen dead sorcerers. Nine Cleavers had died. The injured were brought in and quarantined as the Sanctuary doctors worked to rid their systems of the infections brought on by vampire bites. Three more died on the operating tables while Valkyrie was standing there.
Against the doctor’s orders, Guild left the Medical Bay as soon as he was able. His broken arm was in a sling and his damaged hand was wrapped in a glove designed to speed up the healing process.
“It was Dusk,” he told them as they walked the blood-splattered corridors. “We thought he was still imprisoned in Russia. They didn’t bother to tell us he’d escaped two weeks ago. Billy-Ray Sanguine burrowed into his cell apparently, and they fought their way out. The Russians didn’t bother to tell us that either.”
“So Sanguine and Dusk are working together again,” Skulduggery said. “But why? What happened here?”
“Dusk planted explosives on the door and led the way in. I’ve never seen so many vampires. They came like a wave, swarmed over everyone and just kept coming.”
“Dusk hadn’t shed his skin?” Skulduggery asked.
Guild shook his head. “He was still human. He let the vampires come at us, but he broke off to the north wing, to the Repository. I have people down there now, trying to ascertain what he was after.”
There was a curse and they turned to see Davina Marr pointing her gun at them, fury in her eyes. “Step away from the Grand Mage,” she demanded.
Guild shook his head. “Put down the gun, Detective.”
“Sir, these people are fugitives! Pleasant and Cain were working with the vampires! They assaulted me!”
“They were not working with the vampires,” Guild said, “and as much as it pains me to admit it, they saved my life. They’re free to go, Detective Marr. Put down the gun. That is an order.”
Marr blinked and lowered the weapon. “The Desolation Engine,” she said dully.
“What?”
“Dusk took the Desolation Engine. We’re doing a visual search now, but it appears to be the only item that’s missing.”
“What’s the Desolation Engine?” Valkyrie asked.
“Essentially, it’s a bomb,” Ghastly said. “It obliterates everything within its radius, wipes it all out. These days it would be called a Weapon of Mass Destruction.”
“It was only ever used once,” Tanith said. “Back in, when was it, 1498? A town outside of Naples. Every living thing, every building, tree and stone, was obliterated.”
Valkyrie frowned. “Why is there a bomb in the Repository?”
“That’s a very good question.”
“It’s been made safe,” Guild said. “It can’t be activated. It was kept here because it’s the only one of its kind. The Engine is useless to whoever has it.”
“You’re sure about that?” Skulduggery asked.
“Positive. It’s a paperweight now.”
“That may be so, but there’s a reason Dusk went after it.”
“Then get it back,” Guild said. “Do what you need to do to find them and stop them. You will have access to every resource we have for the duration of the investigation.” He sighed. “Pleasant, I don’t like you and the idea that you were going to spend the rest of your existence on a world of Faceless Ones really warmed my heart these past few months. My wife was saying to me just the other day how she’s noticed a spring in my step lately. That was because I thought you were gone forever.”
“I missed you too, Thurid.”
“But it’s time to set my personal loathing of you to one side. We’ve just witnessed a massacre, and we need to catch those responsible and make them pay.”
“You seek revenge,” said Skulduggery.
“I seek retribution.”
Skulduggery looked at him and nodded. Valkyrie and the others followed him as he walked away. Marr glared at them with fury in her eyes and they left her to whatever argument she was about to have with her boss.
“I’m only going to be telling you the absolute minimum about what I’ve been doing these past eleven months,” Skulduggery said to Ghastly and Tanith as they reached the Foyer and climbed the stairs, “so don’t bother prying.”
“Fine with me,” Ghastly said.
“A little prying would have been nice,” Skulduggery mumbled. They passed through the Waxworks Museum and emerged into the chill night air to find Fletcher standing beside the Bentley. His arms were folded.
“You abandoning me?” he asked crossly as they neared. “Is that what’s happening? I do what you need me to do and then you discard me, yeah?”
“This really isn’t the time to be petty,” Valkyrie said, frowning at him.
“On the contrary,” Skulduggery said, “this is an excellent time to be petty. Fletcher, we didn’t bring you with us because we didn’t want to risk you.”
Fletcher narrowed his eyes. “So…I’m still on the team?”
“Of course you are,” Skulduggery said happily. “Apart from anything else, you’re the only one who can guarantee that we escape any more vampires that we come across. You’re going to prolong all our lives, my boy.”
“I am?”
“You are. You, Fletcher Renn, are good for our health.”
Fletcher beamed.
“You’re like our own little vegetable,” Skulduggery continued and Fletcher’s smile disappeared.
“I need my sword,” said Tanith.
“I’ll take you to it,” Skulduggery said. “Valkyrie, take Fletcher and go and see China.”
Fletcher frowned. “I’m not a bus.”
Skulduggery ignored him. “If anyone has heard rumours abut Sanguine or Dusk, she has. The fact of the matter is that Sanguine doesn’t do anything for free, so if there is someone paying his bills, we need to find out who that is, and what he wants with both the Desolation Engine and the Soul Catcher.”
“Or what she wants,” Valkyrie added.
“That’s a good point,” Skulduggery said. “This might be the first move Darquesse makes on her road to destruction. If it is, then we’re in a lot of trouble.”
“And if it isn’t?”
“Let’s face it,” he admitted,
