Desolation (50 page)

“She’s been shot,” he said. “Look. Three bullet holes.”

She looked. “Did they hit anything important?”

“Just bodywork. Still, though … she’s injured. My baby is injured.”

“She’ll live. And how are you?”

“Me? I’m fine. Everything’s in working order. A few extra bumps and bruises, but those are to be expected, are they not? Hey, maybe if I sat in the Charger for a while …”

“The healing thing only works on Milo, I’m afraid.”

“Yeah,” Warrick said dejectedly, “that’s what I figured. It’s some car, all right. He was knocked around pretty rough last night and this morning it’s like nothing happened. That’s a handy vehicle to have in this line of work.” He slapped a hand on the van. “You hear that, you lazy thing? Milo’s car heals him when he’s hurt. When was the last time you patched me up, huh?” He rolled his eyes, and they settled on the Charger. “How long has he had it?”

“Hmm? Oh … God, I don’t know. You’d have to ask him.”

“I’ve tried talking to him about it. Have you noticed how hard it is to get a straight answer out of that guy?”

“Milo has a complicated history.”

“I’d imagine so.”

In the morning light, at this angle, and with his hair swept back, Amber could see now the lines round Warrick’s eyes and across his forehead. She realised he was older, much older, than she had originally thought. In his thirties, certainly. Maybe even early forties.

“Kelly’s in the living room,” he said. “In case you wanted to talk to her before you leave. You know.” He shrugged, then went back to examining the van.

Amber walked into the house through the open doorway, passing Milo on his way out. They nodded to each other. Kelly wasn’t in the living room, but Austin sat on the couch and Linda had her arm wrapped round his shoulders. Javier was in the armchair in the corner, eyes fixed on his phone. No, not his phone. Virgil’s phone. Its screen had lit up.

“A text from his daughter,” Javier said, his voice hollow. “She wants to meet him for coffee.”

Amber didn’t know what to say to that.

“What about you?” Linda asked Austin. “Do you want us to call your folks? We could let them know you’re okay.”

Austin took a long moment to answer. “No,” he said. “They let me be taken. Why should I go back? Why should I stay?”

“Because it’s over,” said Linda gently. “The mayor and the Narrow Man are both dead. There’s going to be no more sacrifices, which means no more Hell Nights.”

“So?” Austin looked up. “You think that’s gonna make folks here into better people? Really? Just because they won’t be able to transform into demons doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t change
them
. They looked the other way while we lost one kid a year to that thing in the cell. My parents looked the other way when they lost
me
. And all of you are gonna get in your cars and vans and drive off and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

Nobody said anything until Ronnie walked in. “You try to have a normal life,” he said.

Austin’s mouth twisted, but Ronnie kept talking.

“You do your best to be happy. You go to school and you make friends and you get educated. And then, when you’re done with school and you’re done with this town, you call us, and we’ll come back for you.”

Austin’s eyes widened. “I can … I can come with you?”

“Always room for one more in the van,” Warrick said, walking in. “If that’s still what you want.”

“It will be.”

“What about you?” Kelly asked, and Amber turned. Kelly stood there, arms folded across a
Dark Places
T-shirt. “Don’t know where we’re headed next, but if you want to tag along …”

Amber hesitated. “I can’t,” she said at last. “I’d love to, really I would, but I can’t. Not yet, anyway.”

“We could help you,” Kelly said. “I know we’re not exactly a match for whoever the Shining Demon sends after you next, but there’s safety in numbers, Amber. If you and Milo hook up with us, we’d be able to watch your backs.”

Linda nodded. “It’s what we do.”

“And first order of business,” said Warrick, “is using that fancy key of yours to go kill us an uppercase-d Demon. Let us cleanse this town of his stanky,
stanky
evil so Hell Night shall never happen again, what say you, fine warrior?”

“I … I appreciate that,” Amber said. “I appreciate the offer. But things have … they’ve changed. My circumstances, I mean.”

“Changed how?” Ronnie asked.

“I can’t … I’m really sorry, but I can’t allow you to kill Naberius.”

Kelly frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Astaroth wants him to suffer.”

“So? Who gives a crap?”

“Astaroth was going to hand Milo over to be killed,” Amber explained. “I couldn’t just stand by and watch. I couldn’t let it happen. It’s my fault he got hurt in the first place. If I hadn’t come here, Virgil would probably still be alive. All of this, all of it, is my fault.”

“Amber, slow down. What are you talking about?”

“Astaroth,” Amber said. “He’s made me his new representative.”

Kelly paled, and stepped back.

“Bullshit,” said Ronnie. “That’s just pure bullshit. Amber, come on, that’s … You can’t seriously have …”

Warrick shook his head. “But then that’d mean you’re … you’re working for him. You’re working for the Shining Demon.”

“He didn’t give me a choice.”

The slap came hard enough to bring tears to her eyes, and the stinging that followed burned her cheek. Kelly dropped her hand back to her side.

“You’re the enemy now,” she said. “You’re his lackey. His henchman. You’re the one he sends to collect his offerings. You’re the one who drags people back to him.”

“No,” said Amber. “Kelly, no, that’s not what this is.”

“Then what is it? Come on, explain to me, explain to us all, how this isn’t you joining the other side.”

“I … Kelly, I didn’t have a choice.”

“Jesus Christ …”

“I didn’t. He was going to hand over Milo to be killed. He was going to torture me for a hundred thousand years. That’s what he said – a hundred thousand years. What did you expect me to do?”

“I don’t know,” Kelly said angrily. “Not agree to it, maybe?”

“How would that have made any more sense than what I did?”

“At least you wouldn’t have traded away your goddamn
soul
.”

“No,” said Amber. “No, I’d still have that, I guess. And I could have watched him
flay
it in front of me. I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry for disappointing you, but really, what the hell did you expect? I don’t travel the country to help people. I’m not like you. I don’t get into trouble on purpose. I’m doing this, all this, to save my own life. Did you forget that part? I’m not a hero. I’m not going to throw my life away over a
principle
. Yeah, I’m Astaroth’s representative, but so what? It’s not like I’ll be hurting any of the good people of the world. That’s not who I’ll be sent after. I’ll be sent after the demons, the people who’ve already made their deals, who’ve already killed. I’ll be punishing the guilty.”

“You don’t know who you’ll be punishing.”

Amber looked into Kelly’s eyes, saw the anger in there, the defiance, and she shook her head. “This is exactly what I needed right now, Kelly. This is just perfect. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding.”

“Hey, this was
your
decision,” Kelly responded. “Don’t you dare try to make out like I’m the one being unreasonable here. There’s a right way to do things and a wrong way and you’ve obviously made your choice.”

“I guess I have,” Amber said, and she shifted. Kelly stepped back at the sight of the horns, and Amber moved past her. She walked out of the house, heading for the Charger. The others followed.

“You running away now, is that it?” Kelly asked. “Well, why the hell not? You’ve got your new job to start, after all, and a boss you wanna impress.”

Milo watched Amber approach, and started the engine. The passenger door clicked, and swung open. He was with her. She knew that, just by the roar of the Charger. She got in, slammed the door.

Kelly walked up to the open window. “If you drive away now, the next time we meet we might be enemies. Have you thought about that? Does that even mean anything to you?”

“Sure,” said Amber. “It means you better watch yourself.”

She met Kelly’s eyes, saw the hurt in them, and willed herself not to cry as Kelly leaned over.

“The more you do it, the more you’ll be prepared to do,” Kelly said, her voice soft. “You’re a good person, Amber, I know you are. I knew it from the first moment we met. But, for all your good intentions, you can’t say for certain who you’ll end up hunting in the future.”

“No, I can’t,” said Amber. “But I can tell you who I’m going to be hunting now.”

Kelly took a moment. “Your parents,” she whispered.

And, despite everything, Amber smiled.

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant: detective, sorcerer, warrior. Oh yes, and dead.

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