76More Than Just A Pretty Face
Chapter One:
"Ghastly!" Tanith screamed. She opened the door of the Bentley, went to get out, but Ghastly raised his eyes, shook his head.
"I'm not leaving you!" she shouted.
The Cleaver stepped up to Ghastly, ready to swing the scythe.
"You've got to," Ghastly said, ever so softly.
He lowered his head and clenched his fists, eyes closed...
Tanith jolted upright in her bed, her eyes snapping open to take in the blinding white light of the medical bay of the Hibernian cinema. She was covered in a cold sweat, tiny beads of perspiration on her forehead and her blue hospital gown clinging to her. But there was no-one else to see her in this terrible state. She was alone in the medical bay, thank God. Tanith eased herself back slowly, resting her head on the pillow and grimacing. The sudden movement had caused a stabbing pain in her chest, which was already tightly bandaged up. As she lay on her back Tanith closed her eyes, and laid a heavily wired hand on her wounded abdomen. The hole that the Cleaver had made with his scythe was healing up well, but was still very painfully. She tried not to think about it that much, but after a dream like that how could she not?
The thing was, it wasn't just a dream. She knew it had happened, everyone else knew, and it was all her fault. Of course it was, she thought bitterly, opening her eyes and glaring at the ceiling. I'm a walking disaster, it would have been better if that Cleaver had just finished me off like he did to-
Another sharp pain in her chest. But this time, it was in a much more delicate organ. Tanith Low closed her eyes again as they began to sting, and remembered.
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Skulduggery and Valkyrie left in the Bentley, and now Tanith and Ghastly had to make their own way to Denholm Street.
"We can take my car," Ghastly told her she rose from her seat in the conference hall. She nodded briefly. THIS is going to be awkward, she thought, not meeting his eye. Ever since yesterday, breaking into Serpine's castle and rescuing Skulduggery, Ghastly Bespoke was being distant towards her. She knew what that was about. He was still angry with her for ordering those Cleavers to distract the Hollowmen. Well , not order them exactly ,but...they were still dead. It made no difference. It shouldn't have bothered her so much that the guy wasn't really speaking to her. She didn't know him, she had only met him yesterday morning. What was her opinion of him? He was just a man: a man who had a knack for fighting, a man with a scarred face, a man who was a close friend to her childhood hero, Skulduggery Pleasant. But he was just a stranger. So why did she care what he thought of her?
"Mr Bespoke, Miss Low," the Grand Mage, Eachan Meritorious, addressed them. He looked at them with a grave expression on his face. "Good luck to both of you."
The two bowed their heads to him. "Thank you, Grand Mage," Ghastly said respectfully.
"We'll report back to you as soon as we find anything," Tanith added. Meritorious nodded to them, and they set off. Tanith got a strange feeling as she turned her back on him, as if this was the last time she would ever see Eachan Meritorious. She shook her head slightly. No, that was just nerves. This was war, after all. Anytime could be the last time.