Skulduggery Pleasant Fan-fiction- Love Amongst The Cain (Sequel to The Cradle Of Magic)

The Cold-Hearted.

-Schwartz

They said his house lay bedded into the mountainside. It was of the rocks from the facade of the cliff face and wood of the forest nearing the valley. They had travelled far to this place and had collected a fair new number of people on the journey.
Triss' shadowy hair whipped in the light breeze behind her as she outlooked from a rock ahead, sensing the air around and trying to pick out the way.
Our muscles ached in unison and water had run dry hours before, yet there was no need as the higher we climbed the moister the air became and the cooler our bodies progressed. Finally, as the sun fell behind the rocks, a glimmering light met our eyes and our thoughts became instantly focused.
The Texan moved with grace towards the rear of the shack and waited as the brunette knocked upon the door. Hidden behind a rock I could see her talking to the man, a small girl holding to his leg, explaining our back story.
I watched Triss closely, noticing her silvered eyes flicking back and forth as energy passed through into her vision and she gave a brief nod.
"It's him." She half whispered flattening herself behind the rock before facing me.
I furrowed my brow and ran a hand through my hair, inhaling deeply.
"We kill him?" I asked in hushed tone.
She shot a vague smile in my direction and peered over the top of the cliff.
"Now."
I flung my legs over the top of the ledge and belted to the hut, rolling and hiding in the shadows beneath the window. From inside I could hear light conversation on the topic of books and in that instant Triss kicked down the door, her gun blazing.

There was a long silence after the drift of carnage in the air and the slight whimper of a child.
I followed my partner into the shack and lent against the wall as she did her show. It was after all hers. It always was.
She smiled curtly and sat on the edge of a dishevelled chair, her gun playing between her fingers menacingly.
"Jardan, I believe?" She took her hair from the tied up bun it was placed in and let it fall around her shoulders in a gushing wave of violet sea. She shook her head a few times before stretching back her arms to support her torso, elevating her bust a little. Any untrained eye would think she was flirting, any untrained eye was dead in her sight. I smirked and fell back to the shadows on the wall.
Jardan bore no face older than thirty, his clothes faded and turbid which matched with his unshaven face and messy hair. His eyes however were a bright green which subtly linked to his daughter's to whom stood behind him as shelter, holding his hand. She was a soft blonde with blue petticoat and lilac dress, her face plastered with pure terror.
"Jardan, I believe you have a book for us." Triss cocked her head a little and grew her white smile. Beads of sweat could be seen forming on the man's brow from where I stood as the fire in the hearth leapt like the tension in the air. The tension that smelt of ammunition.
The man's expression sustained blank, trying to hide all forms of weakness.
"No. I do not." His accent was thickly Italian, quite rightly so, yet a thin layer of Ireland lay deep underneath.
Triss laughed with malice in her voice, joining the woman to whom was now lent against the table rather idly, "Oh. I really think you do, sir. You see we've travelled a long way to find this book and we won't return empty handed..." Her eye line twitched to the little girl to whom shrunk behind her daddy as he gripped tightly to her hand.
"There is no book. It was taken from me."
There was a groan from the left and the brunette walked to the wall off the fireplace, lifting a picture and revealing a series of locks. Locks to a bank.
I could see from here Triss' eyes flick to his as they caught each other's glance.
The man swallowed harshly and looked down to his daughter.
Triss moved from her place and rolled her shoulders, snapping a joint. "Sir, I don't have all day..."
I moved from the wall and joined her as the man bowed his head and went to the locks and typed in the coding.
The locks made a mechanical click and opened a secret panel in the wall.
A small smile formed on the edges of my lips and I rubbed my knuckles lightly, feeling the claws starting to develop.
Triss laughed and went forward to the cabinet, trying to push the man aside.
He stood his ground and revealed a knife, placing it to her neck.
"You take it, this world will burn."
She swallowed, a little aghast with what had happened and smiled menacingly.
"That are my intentions, Sir."
I caught her wavering glance and went towards the little girl. She backed away and I took her by the middle, forcefully taking an arm around her and holding her still. Her father paled and slowly dropped the knife.
"Don't hurt her..."
I felt her quiver in fear as she muttered something in Italian and then, "Papà, aiutami." Daddy, help.
Triss bowed her head and giggled a little, raising her gun. "We won't hurt her unless you refuse to give us the book. We need that book, Mr Jardan."
His eyes flicked back and forth from Triss' to his daughter's and he eventually gave will and moved from his stance. Devonair snatched the book and her eyes lit up instantly as the power leaked from the covers in a white glow.
She bit her lip and opened a page, scanning the words rather casually and humming a tune from Les Miserables.
The girl kicked and screamed under my grip, crying the same words repeatedly over and over again. Jardan advanced towards her but was quickly sustained by the brunette, her grip hard and strong.
"Let me go! I've given you the book.. There's nothing more you can want!"
Triss continued to read the book, licking over her lip slowly. "Hmm.. I suppose not. Let him go."
The man was pushed to the floor with great force, blood flowing freely from his nose. He stood instantly and punched Triss in the jaw she blocked and dropped the book screaming in anger. In those few seconds a flame was formed in his hand and the book was burnt to ashes at out feet.
"NO!" Triss screamed, kicking Jardan hard in the gut and sending him back down, a puddle of blood following him.
He moaned and looked to her, his eye blackened and face wet with sweat and blood.
"You'll never know."
She growled and placed her gun to his head.
"Kill the girl."
I felt the girl scream beneath me as her father yelled to her.
It was too late, my reaction was too quick.
Her blood carpeted the wooden floor, liquid scarlet leaking freely into the gaps and slowly spreading across the floor. I let the corpse fall and wiped my claws on my jacket.
The man screamed in terror and anger, his face red and wet as his daughter's blood tipped his fingers.
Triss drew back the butt of the gun and smiled at the man.
"Any last words? Some people have a preference on these things you see."
His face was sullen and greyed, drained of all that he had even known or cared about.
"Burn in Hell."
And the bullet sent his hot blood dappling to the floor.