Skulduggery Pleasant: Books 1 - 3

“I am aware that it is thought to be, yes. But I am also aware that Serpine has been working on tracking it down, and I believe Gordon Edgley may have had it.”

“Nefarian Serpine is now an ally,” said Sagacious Tome. “We live in a time of peace.”

“We live in a time of fear,” Skulduggery said, “where we’re too scared of upsetting the status quo to ask the questions we need to be asking.”

“Skulduggery,” Meritorious said, “we all know what Serpine did; we all know the atrocities he has committed in the name of his master Mevolent, and for his own gains. But for as long as the Truce holds, we cannot act against him without good cause.”

“He has ordered the attacks on my companion.”

“You have no proof.”

“He murdered Gordon Edgley!”

“But you have no proof.”

“He is after the Sceptre!”

“Which doesn’t even exist.” Meritorious shook his head sadly. “I am sorry, Skulduggery. There is nothing we can do.”

“As for the girl,” said Morwenna, “we had hoped her involvement in all this would be minimal.”

“She’s not going to tell anyone,” Skulduggery said quietly.

“Maybe so, but if she takes one more step deeper into our world, it may be impossible for her to step out again. We want you to consider this carefully, detective. Consider what it would mean.”

Skulduggery gave a slight nod of acknowledgement but said nothing.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet us,” Meritorious said. “You may leave.” Skulduggery turned and walked out, Stephanie right behind him. The Administrator hurried over.

“I know the way out,” Skulduggery growled and the Administrator backed off. They passed the Cleavers, standing as still as the wax models above them, and climbed the staircase out of the Sanctuary. Skulduggery donned his disguise and they walked back to the Canary Car in silence. They had almost reached it when he stopped and turned his head.

“What’s wrong?” Stephanie asked.

He didn’t answer. She couldn’t see anything beneath his disguise. Stephanie looked around, paranoid. It appeared to be a normal street, populated by normal people doing normal things. Granted, the street had potholes and the people were scruffy, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. And then she saw him, a tall man, broad and bald, his age impossible to gauge. He walked towards them like he had all the time in the world, and Stephanie stood by Skulduggery and waited.

“Mr Pleasant,” the man said when he had reached them.

“Mr Bliss,” Skulduggery responded.

Stephanie looked at this man. He radiated power. His pale blue eyes settled on her.

“And you must be the girl who attracts all sorts of attention.”

Stephanie couldn’t speak. She didn’t know what she would have said, but she did know that her voice would have been thin and reedy if she tried. There was something about Mr Bliss that made her want to curl up and cry.

“I haven’t seen you in a while,” Skulduggery said. “I heard you’d retired.”

There was something peaceful about Mr Bliss’s eyes, but it wasn’t the calming kind of peaceful. It wasn’t a peaceful that comforted you and made you feel safe. It was another kind of peaceful, the kind that promised you no more pain, no more joy, no more anything. Looking at him was like looking into a void with no beginning and no ending. Oblivion.

“The Elders asked me to return,” Mr Bliss said. “These are troubling times, after all.”

“Is that so?”

“The two men who had Serpine under surveillance were found dead a few days ago. He is up to something, something he doesn’t want the Elders to know about.”

Skulduggery paused. “Why didn’t Meritorious tell me this?”

“The Truce is a house of cards, Mr Pleasant. If it is disturbed, it will all come down. And you are known for your disturbances. The Elders hoped my involvement would be enough of a deterrent, but I fear they have underestimated Serpine’s ambition. They refuse to believe that anyone would benefit from war. And, of course, they still think the Sceptre of the Ancients is a fairy tale.”

Skulduggery’s voice changed, but only slightly. “You think the Sceptre’s real?”

“Oh, I know it is. Whether it can do everything the legends claim, that I do not know, but as an object, the Sceptre is quite real. It was uncovered during a recent archaeological dig. As I understand it, Gordon Edgley had been searching for the Sceptre for some time, as part of his research for a book about the Faceless Ones, and he paid a substantial amount of money to gain possession of it. I imagine he worked to verify its authenticity, and once he had done so, he realised he couldn’t keep it. Nor could he pass it on. Gordon Edgley, for all his faults, was a good man, and if there was a chance that it did have the destructive capabilities we’ve all heard about, he would have felt that the Sceptre was too powerful for anyone to possess.”

“Do you know what he did with it?” Stephanie asked, finding her voice at last.

“I don’t.”

“But you think Serpine’s willing to risk war?” Skulduggery asked.

Mr Bliss nodded. “I think he views the Truce as having outlived its usefulness, yes. I imagine he has been waiting for this moment for quite some time, when he can seize all the power and plunder every secret, and invite the Faceless Ones back into the world.”

“You believe in the Faceless Ones?” Stephanie asked.

“I do. I grew up with those teachings and I have carried my faith through to this day. Some dismiss them; some view them as morality tales; some view them as stories to tell children at night. But I believe. I believe that once we were ruled by beings so evil, even their own shadows shied away from them. And I believe they have been waiting to come back, to punish us for our transgressions.”

Skulduggery cocked his head. “The Elders would listen to you.”

“They are bound by their rules. I have learned what I can, and I have passed it on to the only person who would know what to do with it. What you do next is up to you.”

“With you on our side,” Skulduggery said, “things would be a lot easier.”

A small smile appeared on Mr Bliss’s face. “If I have to act, I will.”

Without even a “Good day”, Mr Bliss turned and walked away. They stayed where they were for a few moments then got in the Canary Car and Skulduggery pulled away from the curb. They drove for a bit before Stephanie spoke.

“He’s kind of scary.”

“That happens when you rarely smile. Mr Bliss is, physically, the most powerful individual on the face of the planet. His strength is beyond legendary.”

“So he is scary?”

“Oh, yes, very much so.”

He drove on, and settled into silence. Stephanie let a few moments drift by.

“What are you thinking?”

Skulduggery gave a small shrug. “Lots of clever little things.”