In Between

In Between Chapter 39

39. Revival

AU ending of Scepter of the Ancients. I wrote it for summer school. The first sentence is from the very end of the book, when Stephanie/Valkyrie is about to die.

-

The coldness had overtaken her now, the numbness was everywhere, and the last bits that made her who she was were gradually drifting away. And then Stephanie Edgley was gone.

-

Skulduggery watched helplessly as her limp body fell to the ground. He didn't need to check. He had seen enough corpses to know that she was dead.

Serpine was saying something, but Skulduggery couldn't hear. A sort of burning red filled his vision, and a roaring engulfed everything. He lost himself in the fire, and he couldn't feel anything except for the cold satisfaction of flesh and bone giving way.

It was Tanith who stopped him.

"He's dead already. Leave him."

The anger subsided, and he was aware of the blood staining his suit and gloves. He watched in morbid fascination as the crimson red dripped onto the floor, making a puddle around the mutilated corpse of Nefarian Serpine. He tugged at his gloves, suddenly desperate to forget everything that happened. He dropped them at his feet, blood seeping into the fabric and masking any white left.

Tanith motioned to him to carry Valkyrie. Only then did he realize how much blood Tanith had lost.

"Stay here," he said, and picked up the dead girl.

She was surprisingly light. He started to feel sick, looking at her now-delicate features. He set her down momentarily, wrapping his coat around her. It was big enough to cover the body, though a couple strands of dark brown hair were noticeable.

He walked through the empty halls and found a phone.

After the medics came, his memories became a blur.

-

Valkyrie was buried in a small clearing near the Sanctuary. There wasn't a funeral, since all of her relatives still thought that the reflection was her. There wasn't a tombstone, either. Instead, there was a small stone marker that seemed a bit out of place if you looked carefully.

Skulduggery visited her when he wasn't searching. Time passed by. The Sanctuary was sorted out. Ghastly came back.

And finally, one night, Skulduggery found him.

"Tenebrae."

"Pleasant."

The two men studied each other. Finally, the high priest spoke.

"I know why you're here. And I can do it. But are you sure that she would be fine with it?"

Skulduggery answered without hesitation.

"Yes."

-

Valkyrie woke up with her whole body aching.

"You're awake," Skulduggery stated.

"Yeah, I think I got that," she groaned. Her voice sounded rusty, and it took too much effort to get up. She was in a hospital or something.

"Where am I?"

"At Kenspeckle's. I'll introduce you two after."

She tried to get up, but Skulduggery gently pushed her back down.

"You need to sleep."

She frowned, and looked down. She was wearing a standard blue hospital gown. No big deal. Her arms on the other hand, had two parallel scars. They were silvery, and ropy. Valkyrie trailed her fingers along one, and a numb pain slowly ran up to her shoulders and down her spine. She hissed, and fuzzy memories suddenly became clear.

"I'm supposed to be dead," she breathed. "But- I'm alive."

"What happened?" She half-shouted to Skulduggery. He turned away.

"You've been dead for two years, and... I got a necromancer to revive you. You just woke up after three months."

She fell back into the pillow.

"Leave. Please."

He did, and suddenly, Valkyrie wanted him to come back. She didn't say anything, though.

When she first got into this whole magic thing, she never thought that she'd be drawn in this deep. But now... She'd been gone for two whole years. Her reflection had taken over her life this whole time, and Valkyrie knew that she couldn't go back now. She didn't know where she would stay, or what she would do. She was basically a zombie now. She felt lost.

Skulduggery peered into the room. Valkyrie nodded.

"Kenspeckle said that you'd be back to normal, soon. After that, we can go home."

Valkyrie unconsciously reached out, and Skulduggery took her hand. She supposed that she would get through this. She would have to, now that she was Valkyrie.

She fell asleep to Skulduggery singing softly.