Resurrection

“Very likely, and Lilt may have had contact with them both. Valkyrie?”

“I’m here.”

“Did you hear what I said?”

“Yeah. He may have had contact. So Omen might be right.”

“It’s a possibility. I’m heading back to Roarhaven. The High Sanctuary has a copy of the Neoteric Report and I want to reacquaint myself with it. Can you meet me there tomorrow?”

“Sure,” she said, if the nightmares that she knew were coming didn’t drag her down. If she could get out of bed in the morning. If she could even convince herself that she wasn’t dead.

“Is everything OK?” Skulduggery asked. “You sound … distracted.”

“I’m fine.” I’m not. “Just hungry.” Just nuts. “See you in Roarhaven.”

She ended the call, passed the heavy gates and drove up to her front door. She got out, breathed in the cold air and leaned against the car for a moment with her eyes closed. She wasn’t going nuts. She wasn’t insane. She was as healthy as ever. Everything was perfectly normal.

When she opened her eyes again, Darquesse was sitting on her front step. “You’re late,” she said.

16 (#ulink_8b08510d-88ef-51ef-82ac-37b552d524f6)

“Surprise,” said Never, taking the seat beside Omen in the Dining Hall and flicking the hair out of her eyes. “Someone is actually sitting beside you for breakfast. Wonders – will they never cease?”

Omen frowned. “People sit beside me all the time.”

“Rarely by choice, though. Admit it, Omen, you’re delighted to have someone to talk to this early in the morning, aren’t you?”

Omen didn’t answer. But he was.

“However, the truly amazing thing,” Never continued, “is that I’m sitting beside you even though you’ve been avoiding me all day.”

“It’s … first thing in the morning.”

“Don’t deny it, Omen. When you deny a truth, a kitten dies.”

The din in the hall – chattering voices, clinking utensils, the heavy tread of feet and the tortured scrape of chairs – had not yet reached deafening proportions, so, when Never leaned in and lowered her voice, Omen could hear her perfectly.