Skulduggery froze when he saw his form near the stagnant lake in front of the Sanctuary. Her legs were crossed like a child in class; he could only tell it was her in the dim light because his left hand was clutching poor Isla Jefferson's hair. He looked back at the Sanctuary, wondering if he should call for backup before approaching. Turning back to the lake, he shivered. Darquesse was in the exact same position, only closer. He saw her shoulders sag as if she were sighing. Impatience wasn't one of Valkyrie's strengths, so she highly doubted Darquesse would be any better at waiting. To prove it, he looked down at the floor, at his Italian leather shoes, then jerked his head up. She, as he suspected, had come closer. He was almost rounding the corner of the lake where the willows leaned over the water. “Show off,” he murmured. He smacked his palms together and sent a gentle wave of air toward her, watching her advance with the utmost caution. Her hair; he noticed, much longer than before, he pulled away from her face and heard her giggling. That sound would have filled him with confidence if the sickening sound of bone breaking hadn't spread across the street. Isla screamed loud and short before a hand must have covered her mouth. “The longer you take,” he said mechanically, “the worse it will get.” The scoundrel could barely hear her, but he took a step forward anyway, speeding up as he approached. With a fireball in hand, he found himself looming over her as she picked up a stone and threw it across the lake. It bounced nine times; he was a little impressed. “I got bored with her,” Darquesse said, holding up Isla's limp hand for her to take, “And you're here again, so she's of no use to me.” .half of paper......it. Everything will be fine, everything will stop hurting. You won't have to fight for your thoughts, you won't have to live with guilt. Feel how helpless you are; destroying the world is a heavy burden to bear on such weak shoulders, Miss Cain.” “Don't call me that,” she tried, “I'm so tired.” Skulduggery nodded. "I know. Everything will be fine if you just let it go." "Cheat, get away from her or we will be forced to arrest you too," said Erskine. "One minute!" he shouted, "Come on, Valkyrie, you are stronger than her." Darquesse's face fell he crumpled. “I'm the strong one. It all happened in a second. A wave of air lashed out, with Darquesse at the epicenter, sending the Cleavers and Erskines crashing to the ground. The cunning remained intact, his grip on her shoulders became painful as his eyes turned golden brown before he blacked out..