Read Online Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy - Free Book Online
Authors: Derek Landy
Tags: Fiction, General, All Ages, Children's Books, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Juvenile Fiction, Action & Adventure - General, Magic, Fantasy & Magic, Large Type Books, Children: Grades 4-6
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cost of that little spell was that a large amount of water would be lethal. Every big spell has a hidden snag."
He clicked his fingers and conjured fire, and Stephanie started to feel warm again.
"Neat trick," she said. "You'll have to teach me it sometime."
With quite a bit of effort, Stephanie pulled open the car door. She wiped the broken glass from her seat, got in, and buckled the seat belt. Skulduggery went around the other side to his own broken window and climbed in behind the wheel. He twisted the key, and the engine turned, complained, and then came to life.
Her body was tired. Her mind was tired. Her limbs felt heavy and her eyes wanted to
89
close. She dug her mobile phone out of her pocket--miraculously, the canal water hadn't ruined it. She pressed a button and the time flashed up. She groaned, then looked outside as the first light of the morning started to seep into the sky.
"What's wrong?" Skulduggery asked. "Are you hurt?"
"No," she said, "but I will be if I don't get back to Gordon's house. Mum will be picking me up soon."
"You don't look too happy."
"Well, I don't want to go back to that world--a boring old town with nosy neighbors and nasty aunts."
"You'd rather stay in a world where you get attacked twice in one night?"
"I know it sounds crazy, but yes. Things happen here."
"I'm going to see a friend later today, someone who might be able to help us out. You can come along if you want."
"Really?"
"I think you might have a real instinct for this line of work."
Stephanie nodded and gave a little shrug, and when she spoke, she fought hard to keep the sheer joy out of her voice. "And what about magic?"
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"What about it?"
"Will you teach me?"
"You don't even know if you're capable of doing magic."
"How do I find out? Is there a test or something?"
"Yes, we cut off your head. If it grows back, you can do magic."
"You're being funny again, aren't you?"
"So glad you noticed."
"So will you teach me?"
"I'm not a teacher. I'm a detective. I already have a career."
"Oh, right. It's just--I'd really like to learn, and you know it all."
"Your flattery is subtle."
"But it's okay; if you don't want to teach me, that's okay. I suppose I could always ask China."
Skulduggery looked at her. "China won't teach you. She won't teach you because there is nothing that she does that is not for her own gain. You mightn't see it at first, you might think she's actually being nice to you, but you can never trust her."
"Okay then."
"Okay. So we're agreed?"
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"We're agreed. No trusting China."
"Good. Glad we've got that sorted."
"So will you teach me magic?"
He sighed. "Dealing with you is going to be a trial, isn't it?"
"That's what my teachers at school say."
"This is going to be fun," Skulduggery said
dryly. "I just know it."
Skulduggery dropped Stephanie off at Gordon's house, and half an hour later her mother's car splashed through huge puddles and Stephanie went outside to meet her. She managed to keep her mother's attention off the house, lest she notice that the front door was merely leaning against the door frame.
"Good morning," her mother said as Stephanie got into the car. "Everything okay?"
Stephanie nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine."
"You're looking a little bedraggled."
"Oh, thanks, Mum."
Her mother laughed as they drove back toward the gate. "Sorry. So tell me, how was your night?"
Stephanie hesitated, then shrugged. "Uneventful."
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Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
Serpine
Nefarian Serpine had a visitor. The Hollow Men bowed deeply as he strode through the corridors of his castle. They looked real from a distance, but up close they were nothing more than cheap imitations of life. Their papery skin was a mere expressionless shell, inflated from within by the foulest of gases. It was only their hands and feet that were solid and heavy--their feet clumped when they walked, and their hands weighed down their arms, so they stood with a perpetual stoop.
93
Their number
He clicked his fingers and conjured fire, and Stephanie started to feel warm again.
"Neat trick," she said. "You'll have to teach me it sometime."
With quite a bit of effort, Stephanie pulled open the car door. She wiped the broken glass from her seat, got in, and buckled the seat belt. Skulduggery went around the other side to his own broken window and climbed in behind the wheel. He twisted the key, and the engine turned, complained, and then came to life.
Her body was tired. Her mind was tired. Her limbs felt heavy and her eyes wanted to
89
close. She dug her mobile phone out of her pocket--miraculously, the canal water hadn't ruined it. She pressed a button and the time flashed up. She groaned, then looked outside as the first light of the morning started to seep into the sky.
"What's wrong?" Skulduggery asked. "Are you hurt?"
"No," she said, "but I will be if I don't get back to Gordon's house. Mum will be picking me up soon."
"You don't look too happy."
"Well, I don't want to go back to that world--a boring old town with nosy neighbors and nasty aunts."
"You'd rather stay in a world where you get attacked twice in one night?"
"I know it sounds crazy, but yes. Things happen here."
"I'm going to see a friend later today, someone who might be able to help us out. You can come along if you want."
"Really?"
"I think you might have a real instinct for this line of work."
Stephanie nodded and gave a little shrug, and when she spoke, she fought hard to keep the sheer joy out of her voice. "And what about magic?"
90
"What about it?"
"Will you teach me?"
"You don't even know if you're capable of doing magic."
"How do I find out? Is there a test or something?"
"Yes, we cut off your head. If it grows back, you can do magic."
"You're being funny again, aren't you?"
"So glad you noticed."
"So will you teach me?"
"I'm not a teacher. I'm a detective. I already have a career."
"Oh, right. It's just--I'd really like to learn, and you know it all."
"Your flattery is subtle."
"But it's okay; if you don't want to teach me, that's okay. I suppose I could always ask China."
Skulduggery looked at her. "China won't teach you. She won't teach you because there is nothing that she does that is not for her own gain. You mightn't see it at first, you might think she's actually being nice to you, but you can never trust her."
"Okay then."
"Okay. So we're agreed?"
91
"We're agreed. No trusting China."
"Good. Glad we've got that sorted."
"So will you teach me magic?"
He sighed. "Dealing with you is going to be a trial, isn't it?"
"That's what my teachers at school say."
"This is going to be fun," Skulduggery said
dryly. "I just know it."
Skulduggery dropped Stephanie off at Gordon's house, and half an hour later her mother's car splashed through huge puddles and Stephanie went outside to meet her. She managed to keep her mother's attention off the house, lest she notice that the front door was merely leaning against the door frame.
"Good morning," her mother said as Stephanie got into the car. "Everything okay?"
Stephanie nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine."
"You're looking a little bedraggled."
"Oh, thanks, Mum."
Her mother laughed as they drove back toward the gate. "Sorry. So tell me, how was your night?"
Stephanie hesitated, then shrugged. "Uneventful."
92
Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
Serpine
Nefarian Serpine had a visitor. The Hollow Men bowed deeply as he strode through the corridors of his castle. They looked real from a distance, but up close they were nothing more than cheap imitations of life. Their papery skin was a mere expressionless shell, inflated from within by the foulest of gases. It was only their hands and feet that were solid and heavy--their feet clumped when they walked, and their hands weighed down their arms, so they stood with a perpetual stoop.
93
Their number
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