Playing with Fire (Skulduggery Pleasant, Book 2) by Derek Landy Page B
Authors: Derek Landy
Tags: Fiction, General, Humorous stories, All Ages, Children's Books, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Juvenile Fiction, Action & Adventure - General, Magic, Fantasy & Magic, Science Fiction; Fantasy; & Magic, Children: Grades 4-6, Horror & Ghost Stories
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do muscle-for-hire, and a nice little sideline in mercenary activities. I'm very, very
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expensive, and I'm very, very good. And you are?"
"The end of you," Tanith said.
Sanguine laughed. "Oh, I see. I often wondered what the end of me would look like. Never imagined it'd be somethin' quite so pretty."
Tanith reached into her coat and revealed her sword, still in its sheath. "Are you going to come along quietly, Mr. Sanguine, or do I have to hurt you?"
Sanguine's face fell. "Oh, come on! Look at the size of yours, and look at the size of mine! I just got this little razor here! That's hardly fair!"
"But your blade against an unarmed girl, that's fair?"
He hesitated, stepping back as she neared. "Seemed fair to me," he said, "at the time. At this juncture, lookin' back, perhaps it was a bit onesided. Twenty-twenty hindsight and all that."
She took off her coat and let it fall. The muscles moved beneath the skin of her arms. She slid the sword from its scabbard as she walked toward him.
"Ooh," he said. "Gettin' interestin' now."
Tanith lunged and Sanguine ducked, the sword whistling over his head. Tanith flicked her wrist, and the blade zipped back toward him, but he
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jumped out of range, giving a laugh.
"Now, this is fun! Two grown people, gettin' to know each other the old-fashioned way. Romance is in the air."
"You're not my type."
"You don't know what your type is, darlin'."
"I know you're not it. Mr. Sanguine, I've got some shackles with your name on them."
"Shackles can't hold me, pretty lady. I'm immune to just about every binding spell I reckon you ever heard of, and a few more you haven't. That's what makes me special."
"That and your psychopathic tendencies."
"Oh, those don't make me special. They just make me fun."
This time it was Sanguine who moved first, feinting right to draw the sword away, then skipping in, the razor slicing up through the air.
Tanith lifted her elbow, hitting his forearm and making him miss; then she kicked out at his knee and slashed back with the sword. Sanguine had to dive out of the way. He rolled awkwardly and came up, rubbing his knee.
"That hurt," he said with a smile.
"I can make this easy on you."
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"You gonna give me that sword of yours?" "No, but if you tell me what Baron Vengeous is planning, I'll let you walk away from this." He frowned. "But I drove here." "This is a one-time offer, Mr. Sanguine." "And very considerate it is too. Unfortunately I am a professional; I got paid to do a job, and I intend to do it-- I have a reputation to protect, after all. So how about this: You stand very still and allow me to kill you, and then I take the girl here and we go about our merry business. That sound good?"
"Afraid not."
"Darn. Ah well, back to basics, I guess." He smiled again, and stood with his feet together. Valkyrie watched the surface beneath him start to crack and break, and when it was loose enough, he sank straight into the ground and disappeared from view.
Tanith held the sword ready. The ground had closed up behind him, leaving only hundreds of little cracks to mark what had happened. Valkyrie kept very still.
The seconds ticked by. Tanith was frowning, probably wondering if her opponent had simply
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run off. She glanced at Valkyrie, about to speak, then the wall behind her crumbled and Billy-Ray Sanguine dived at her.
Tanith, for her part, seemed incapable of being taken by surprise and simply stepped away, her sword casually slicing Sanguine's forearm. Covered in dirt, he howled in pain and the razor fell to the ground. He danced back, trying to stem the flow of blood. Valkyrie looked at the ground beside her feet.
"Don't you dare," Sanguine warned, glaring at her with those black holes, but she paid no heed. She stooped and picked up the straight razor, and this infuriated him even further.
"What is it with you women?" he yelled, kicking at the air. "You come into our lives, you take every thin'! Throughout the years you got little
87
expensive, and I'm very, very good. And you are?"
"The end of you," Tanith said.
Sanguine laughed. "Oh, I see. I often wondered what the end of me would look like. Never imagined it'd be somethin' quite so pretty."
Tanith reached into her coat and revealed her sword, still in its sheath. "Are you going to come along quietly, Mr. Sanguine, or do I have to hurt you?"
Sanguine's face fell. "Oh, come on! Look at the size of yours, and look at the size of mine! I just got this little razor here! That's hardly fair!"
"But your blade against an unarmed girl, that's fair?"
He hesitated, stepping back as she neared. "Seemed fair to me," he said, "at the time. At this juncture, lookin' back, perhaps it was a bit onesided. Twenty-twenty hindsight and all that."
She took off her coat and let it fall. The muscles moved beneath the skin of her arms. She slid the sword from its scabbard as she walked toward him.
"Ooh," he said. "Gettin' interestin' now."
Tanith lunged and Sanguine ducked, the sword whistling over his head. Tanith flicked her wrist, and the blade zipped back toward him, but he
88
jumped out of range, giving a laugh.
"Now, this is fun! Two grown people, gettin' to know each other the old-fashioned way. Romance is in the air."
"You're not my type."
"You don't know what your type is, darlin'."
"I know you're not it. Mr. Sanguine, I've got some shackles with your name on them."
"Shackles can't hold me, pretty lady. I'm immune to just about every binding spell I reckon you ever heard of, and a few more you haven't. That's what makes me special."
"That and your psychopathic tendencies."
"Oh, those don't make me special. They just make me fun."
This time it was Sanguine who moved first, feinting right to draw the sword away, then skipping in, the razor slicing up through the air.
Tanith lifted her elbow, hitting his forearm and making him miss; then she kicked out at his knee and slashed back with the sword. Sanguine had to dive out of the way. He rolled awkwardly and came up, rubbing his knee.
"That hurt," he said with a smile.
"I can make this easy on you."
89
"You gonna give me that sword of yours?" "No, but if you tell me what Baron Vengeous is planning, I'll let you walk away from this." He frowned. "But I drove here." "This is a one-time offer, Mr. Sanguine." "And very considerate it is too. Unfortunately I am a professional; I got paid to do a job, and I intend to do it-- I have a reputation to protect, after all. So how about this: You stand very still and allow me to kill you, and then I take the girl here and we go about our merry business. That sound good?"
"Afraid not."
"Darn. Ah well, back to basics, I guess." He smiled again, and stood with his feet together. Valkyrie watched the surface beneath him start to crack and break, and when it was loose enough, he sank straight into the ground and disappeared from view.
Tanith held the sword ready. The ground had closed up behind him, leaving only hundreds of little cracks to mark what had happened. Valkyrie kept very still.
The seconds ticked by. Tanith was frowning, probably wondering if her opponent had simply
90
run off. She glanced at Valkyrie, about to speak, then the wall behind her crumbled and Billy-Ray Sanguine dived at her.
Tanith, for her part, seemed incapable of being taken by surprise and simply stepped away, her sword casually slicing Sanguine's forearm. Covered in dirt, he howled in pain and the razor fell to the ground. He danced back, trying to stem the flow of blood. Valkyrie looked at the ground beside her feet.
"Don't you dare," Sanguine warned, glaring at her with those black holes, but she paid no heed. She stooped and picked up the straight razor, and this infuriated him even further.
"What is it with you women?" he yelled, kicking at the air. "You come into our lives, you take every thin'! Throughout the years you got little
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