Post by Insanitytea on Apr 25, 2012 18:59:36 GMT
Chapter 1
Lightning flashed outside the rain-lashed windows. Huddled around a single candle, whose feeble, flickering light managed only to peirce the thick gloom enough to illuminate their faces and necks, was four figures. One was small and mousy, hunched over in urgency; his thick, nut-brown hair was short and unkempt. he had a face which spoke of many years of worry. His large green eyes sparkled with knowledge, his nose was thin and pointy, nostrils flared with impatience. he had drawn his mouth into a frown, teeth clenched and bared.
"I'm worried, Skul," the man said.
"When aren't you, my dear Parigan?"
The man who answered was very tall and very thin. He wore a dark-blue, pinstriped suit, made of an unidentifiable material; and a wide-brimmed hat which was also a midnight-blue colour. For his face -- he had none; his entire head had been replaced by a skull. In fact, judging by the way his clothes were draped over him -- as if over a coathanger -- his entire body seemed to be that of a skeleton.
"What is it, Mr. Henn?"
It was Valkerie Cain who asked. Being only 16, she was still young. Her long, black hair fell about her head and shoulders like dark water. Her features were young and beautiful, but expressed Knowledge and determination which adults several times her age would never possess. At her shoulder stood Fletcher Renn, his blonde hair as tediously untidy as ever. turning to her, Parigan Spoke:
"As you know, I am a Sensitive; Meaning I occasionally have visions of future events."
"Yes, we are all familiar with your powers, sir," said Fletcher, sounding bored. "Can you hurry along to the part where you tell us what's going to destroy the world this time?"
Rolling her eyes, Valkerie said, "Sorry Mr. Henn, please continue."
"Well, I've been having the same vision for about a week. I've consulted with the other Sensitives in the area, but none of them have sensed anything."
"What have you been seeing?" Skulduggery asked, genuinely interested.
"Black clouds cover a grey sky," Perigan began, squeezing his eyes shut, "A round patch in their center starts to swirl, tighter and tighter but never decending. Then the circular piece separates, clouds disapearing from the center outwards to be replaced by a black portal visible only by its flat surface, until just the outer edge remains, clouds still spinning but not spreading. Suddenly the portal begins to drip darkness as if it is the underside of a lake of black ink. The drops hit the ground, splashing over trees and houses. The black liquid starts flowing towards itself and pooling. It rises upwards, forming legs, torsos, arms and heads. The humanoid shapes shake themselves, flinging darkness everywhere. As the fluid flies from their bodies, skin is revealed underneath, human skin. One of these creatures walks forward, dressed in the skin and clothes to Valkerie Cain. It raises it's arm, beckoning to the others. Together they move forward, an army of Doppelgangers."
Silence followed, the sound of the rain beating against the windows went uninterupted.
"Those other Sensitives are lucky, dripping darkness, evil look-a-likes, 'd give me nightmares for days," Fletcher remarked, horror painted all over his face.
"Do we have a date?" inquired Skulduggery, always the first to get down to business.
"As of yet, no; but I'd guess we have about a week, ten days at the most. I usually get my first vision between two or three weeks before the event." replied Parigan, slightly releived at Skulduggery's reaction.
"Well then, thanks for the heads up," Skulduggery beamed, "wish there was a bit more information, but I've saved the world on less details before. Should be a snap!"
"We've saved the world, Skulduggery. Can you get over yourself for even a minute?" Valkerie said, exhasperated.
They turned to leave but Parigan called out to them, "I want to come with you, in case I have another vision. Plus I don't like this house," He added, casting his eyes around in fear.
"Alright then, hurry up!" called Skulduggery, holding the door open.
Scurrying over, Parigan pressed a symbol, carved inside the door frame and followed Skulduggery out the door. SKulduggery firmly closed it and from the handle issued a loud thunk as the door locked more securely than a bank vault.
Raising his hand, Parigan showed them another symbol that had been carved into his palm.
"The one and only key," he said, with a smile, "only my hand will be able to unlock that lock and open the door."
"Very fancy," Skulduggery said, admiringly.
Then they walked out from under the overhang, grabbed each other's hands, and disappeared along with Fletcher.
****************************************************
The night rolled by outside Valkrie's window as the Bentley drove quietly down the dark country road. Trees and buildings strolled by, black-on-black shapes.
"So who's this guy we're meeting?" Valkrie asked, turning her head to Skulduggery beside her in the driver's seat
"A Necromancer Cleric by the name of Marius Deep" Skulduggery replied, not taking his eyes off the road.
In the backseat, Parigan snored; he'd been sleeping since midnight, just a few hours ago.
"Why are we trusting a Necromancer?"
"Dripping darkness? Evil Clones? Sounds right up their alley," Skulduggery said, turning briefly to face her, "besides, we need to start somewhere."
"Yeah, but a necromancer?!" she said, her voice getting higher with disbelief, "Their goal is to kill half the world to stop the rest from dieing!"
"Cleric Deep does not live in a Temple so he likely has a different view of society,"Skulduggery replied, "coincidentally, that's how I was able to find him. We're nearly there by the way, look out the windscreen."
Valkrie tore her eyes from Skulduggery's eye sockets and peered through the darkness beyond the headlamps. There on top of a low hill, a long driveway leading up to it, was a squat building. No lights shone from the windows, so it was almost invisible against the dark background of the night sky.
The gentle snoreing emanating from the backseat was interupted as Henn gave a loud snort. Startled, Valkrie twisted around in her seat to look at Parigan. Instead of looking relaxed and apathetic, he looked in pain. His eyes were clenched and his teeth were bared, his eyebrows lowered on the outsides and his brow and nose were wrinkled. He wimpered and shook his head.
"I think he's having another dream" Valkerie said, not taking her eyes off Parigan
"A good one, I hope?"
"Definitely not good."
"You sure?"
"Definitely," she repeated.
"Oh, dear," Skulduggery replied, sounding seriously worried.
"You think it might be another premonition?" she asked, looking at him.
"That's a likely possibility," Skulduggery nodded, "but at least we're here."
Gravel crunched under the tyres as Skulduggery pulled hurriedly up the laneway. Valkrie engrossed herself in her seat belt, fumbling with it in her hurry to get out. It seemed like something might be attacking Parigan in his dream and Valkrie didn't want to be in the way if he tried to defend himself.
"So I'll just stay behind with him then, while you have all the fun?" Skulduggery asked sarcastically, as she was getting out.
"Yeah, thanks!" she said, before closing the door behind her.
She scurried up the driveway, eager to put distance between her and Henn. She slowed as she reached the porch, taking the few stairs carefully. Not bothering to knock, she turned the gold-colored handle and entered the house. It was pitch black inside so she could see nothing of her surroundings.
"Any one here?" she whispered, cautiously.
The night parted and out of it stepped a man, his long coat tails flapping as the shadows settled. These tails belonged to a coat of the deepest black, visible in the gloom because it was even darker than the pressing blackness. Neat black hair obsured his left eye and lay carefully parted, smoothly to either side of his head. Eyes of pure black glinted from darkened sockets. The rest of his skin was pale, almost to the point of transparency. His thin eyebrows betrayed no emotion; yet beneath a sharp angled nose, a smile full of hauty derision and a mocking self- assurance danced accross thin black lips. the shadows swirled around a pair of black metal-studded leather gloves which snuggly wrapped his clasped hands.
"Beautiful night, isn't it?" Purred Marius Deep, turning his head to a window on her right.
"Lovely." valkrie replied, flatly
"Almost as beautiful as you." He breathed returning his gaze to her indifferent face.
"See now that's creepy since you're centuries older than me," She said, "I've already got a
proclaiming his undyeing love to me , I don't need another infatuated grandpa.""I apologize, my dear" he said, removing a glove to examine his black manicured fingernails, his attidude quickly became condesending, "I've heard a lot about you and I wanted to see how much you trust new people; Apparently, not at all."
Just then, Skulduggery burst through the door. "Val you've got to get back to the car, there's a troubling development. Oh, Deep's here, good; He can come too."
