"Stephanie is my partner," Skulduggery answered. "A detective-in-training. Work experience, if you will. So no, we're not the only ones who know her. People I come into contact with on a daily basis know her. That includes people at the Sanctuary, the Elders - our ruling mages - and various other friends of mine. Although they all know her under a different name."
Kenspeckle Grouse didn't work for the Sanctuary and couldn't exactly be counted as a friend, but Skulduggery didn't think mentioning a magic-science healer as one of the people who knew Valkyrie would go over too well. Likewise, he didn't mention any of the numerous criminals they'd encountered and arrested. Or the number of times Valkyrie was nearly killed, thrown off buildings, or shot. He was, under the circumstances, keeping things very gentle. And yet, it probably wasn't gentle enough.
They'd be proud of her, once they knew and accepted this part of her life. Skulduggery was. Gabe was. It was only natural that her parents would follow. And Gabe had a point; their influence wasn't a bad idea either. Sometimes Skulduggery forgot that Valkyrie was only a teenager - or what that meant. Her parents never would.
"A different name?" Desmond turned blankly towards Valkyrie. "You changed your name?"
"I - had to. People can be controlled through their given names. I had to come up with something new."
"Something new."
Valkyrie didn't say anything, but her grip on her mother tightened, and she nodded.
"You changed your name, you left us with a... a reflection, went and - have you even been going to school?"
"Yes," she said quietly. "I haven't missed a day."
"You, or this reflection?"
"I'm passing all the tests," she insisted. "I know everything the teachers said. The reflection can transfer its memories to me. I haven't missed a day."
Desmond only looked at her for what felt like an age even to Skulduggery, and then his eyes flickered toward the detective in that way of someone who was trying not to notice something obvious about the other person. In this case, most likely Skulduggery's skull. "I want to meet these Elders."
It wasn't exactly the response Skulduggery had been expecting. "Excuse me?"
"You heard. I want to meet these ruling mages who didn't try to stop a twelve-year-old girl from running around in this world of magic. I want to know why nobody told us what was going on."
no subject
Kenspeckle Grouse didn't work for the Sanctuary and couldn't exactly be counted as a friend, but Skulduggery didn't think mentioning a magic-science healer as one of the people who knew Valkyrie would go over too well. Likewise, he didn't mention any of the numerous criminals they'd encountered and arrested. Or the number of times Valkyrie was nearly killed, thrown off buildings, or shot. He was, under the circumstances, keeping things very gentle. And yet, it probably wasn't gentle enough.
They'd be proud of her, once they knew and accepted this part of her life. Skulduggery was. Gabe was. It was only natural that her parents would follow. And Gabe had a point; their influence wasn't a bad idea either. Sometimes Skulduggery forgot that Valkyrie was only a teenager - or what that meant. Her parents never would.
"A different name?" Desmond turned blankly towards Valkyrie. "You changed your name?"
"I - had to. People can be controlled through their given names. I had to come up with something new."
"Something new."
Valkyrie didn't say anything, but her grip on her mother tightened, and she nodded.
"You changed your name, you left us with a... a reflection, went and - have you even been going to school?"
"Yes," she said quietly. "I haven't missed a day."
"You, or this reflection?"
"I'm passing all the tests," she insisted. "I know everything the teachers said. The reflection can transfer its memories to me. I haven't missed a day."
Desmond only looked at her for what felt like an age even to Skulduggery, and then his eyes flickered toward the detective in that way of someone who was trying not to notice something obvious about the other person. In this case, most likely Skulduggery's skull. "I want to meet these Elders."
It wasn't exactly the response Skulduggery had been expecting. "Excuse me?"
"You heard. I want to meet these ruling mages who didn't try to stop a twelve-year-old girl from running around in this world of magic. I want to know why nobody told us what was going on."