Meetings With A Skeleton

Zafira Kerias

(Death Rose about Zafira Kerias)

Zaf started walking away from the American Sanctuary and towards her home. It was an uneventful day with only a few executions and a few documents to sign. The life of Grand Mage Zaf was getting boring.

She stared at the beautiful full moon and wondered what she would be doing if she were like the mortals. Would she be working? Studying? Feeding her cat? She didn't know and didn't really care either.

She blinked. Full moon, she thought. The night was dark and it was making her edgy.

Werewolves + Full moons = disaster x 7

She hurried along the too quiet street and kicked an old can. It dragged across the road and made a terrible sound. She jumped. She was being paranoid. It's just a full moon, she thought to herself, nothing to be afraid of.

But she was wrong.

There was hot breath on her neck and she could smell the disgusting scent of dog behind her. She swallowed and turned around. A large black wolf with green eyes stood behind her. It was at least eight feet tall. She wanted to run; she willed her frozen legs to move.

Fire blazed behind her and shadows whipped at the wolf's face. It stumbled back and howled. There was a hand on Zaf's shoulder and it pulled her to the side. The hand was very light, and thin.

Zaf scrambled to the side of the building, so she could still the the fight between the wolf, the man in the suit and hat and the young girl. The wolf howled again and ran off. The man in the suit took off his hat and Zaf saw that it was not skin but bone. He walked over towards her. "Are you quite alright?" He asked and Zaf suddenly knew who this man was: the lengendary skeleton detective, Skulduggery Pleasant.

The young girl sidled up beside him and introduced herself with a funny Irish accent. "Hi, I'm Valkyrie Cain. We are from the Irish Sanctuary. It seems you have a lite wolf problem."