Cautious

They spent the next few hours discussing and presenting ideas and plans. Skulduggery listened to them all, nodding and murmuring, but nothing anyone actually understood. Rio sat down after sharing his piece, she reckoned it was about interviewing everyone, seeing who showed signs of being a killer. Ebony wasn't quite paying attention, she was busy peering around the room, assessing who could be the killer. She knew it wasn't Killian or Delilah, as they were dead, unless they came back to life, but then why. So she ruled it out. Wasn't Vixen as they had been together the whole time. She looked over at Vixen, who was nervously looking around the group and thought to herself, what if this wasn't Vixen, and the real Vixen was going around helping funeral directors with their bills. She would have picked up on it by now if that were true. She snapped out of it as Skulduggery nodded to himself again before standing and striding into the middle of the room.

"Well, for starters, I have devised a way for all of us to be safe. We stay together"

Faith rolled her eyes. "No shit. There's Corrival students who could have come up with that."

Skulduggery cocked his head, the way he had done a few times today. "Did I say I was done? Did it look like I was done? The answer to both is no. Now if you don't mind." He pressed a finger to his teeth. Faith scowled in return but said nothing.

"Thank you. As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, we all stay together and the killer will get bored."

Lucian sighed. "Really? We are hoping to bore the killer into outing themselves?"

"Do you have anywhere else to be? No? Any other ideas? No? Well then, i'll make the decisions here then."

Raven and Avelija stood up and stepped forward. Raven spoke as he addressed the room. "Why are we all listening to him? He was the first person at Ravels body. He hated the guy, probably the most out of all of us. We all know about the legendary anger of Skulduggery Pleasant. His non-stop pursuit for revenge. How he went mad in the realm of the Faceless Ones. Almost lost his partner to her evil psycho counterpart. I reckon he finally snapped. I was talking to Av and we came to the deliberation that he finally snapped. Something twisted the wrong way in his mind and he lost the plot"

"If I may?" Skulduggery interrupted.

"No you may not!" snapped Avelija. "You have been on my arse this whole time. Making everyone think it is me."

"I'm going to anyway. I no longer think it was you. It would be too easy. there's too much pointing in your direction. Of course you would be the easy suspect. Although, if it is you then I reserve to right to say I told you so all along"

Raven stared at him in disbelief, half of the room sharing the same look. Ebony was curious on who he thought it was now. Raven, with fire in his eyes, marched almost right up to Skulduggery, but hesitated before he took the last step, thinking better of being too close.

"He's gone nuts. I say we find a way to imprison him, then the killings will stop."

"Or, as we all know, they would continue" countered Skulduggery, not looking or sounding intimidated.

"Who's with me?" asked Raven, ignoring Skulduggery and searching the room for volunteers. Rio eventually stood up and joined them.

"We should keep a cage here in the living room, the most susceptible person will be held in it, easily swap-able should events take a different turn"

"Good idea, I nominate Skulduggery Ple-"

"Whilst I am used to people voting for me, it's not in this matter . Howev-"

"Do you ever shut up?"

"I'm the smartest person in this room. I-"

Raven had clearly had enough, his next action even shocked Ebony. Before anyone could stop him, he had shadows slithering between his fingers and he was plucking Skulduggerys skull right from his spine. People shot out of their chairs and once again gasps, that had gotten very old very quickly, echoed around the room.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!? shouted Vixen, now that she was stood up Ebony could see a tail swishing back and forth angrily.

"He wouldn't shut up. Now he will."

Before anyone could continue, Ebony once again found herself shocked.

"That's not entirely true"

The voice was Skulduggerys, his skull had somehow spoke. Raven jumped back, dropping his skull in the process. Skulduggery held the skull in the air before plucking it back an returning it to it's place. It locked back in with a satisfying click.

"Much better. Raven, never do that again"

Raven was too stunned to talk. His eyes were wide and he stepped back again. Av stepped into the abandoned space.

"Neat trick. How are we making the cage?"

"Anyone here a linguist?" Ebony asked, Vixen turned suddenly.

"What are you doing? We are not imprisoning Skulduggery!"

"I'm curious, this might just work"

Vixen looked taken a back, her eyes brimming with hurt. She wasn't sure why.

Faith walked into the middle of the room, stopping once she was between Skulduggery and Avelija.

"If we make a cage, I recommend we put someone in that everyone thinks is the culprit, not just who you three think it is."

The lights suddenly dimmed whilst the curtains slammed shut and Ebony found herself wishing that she had brought a torch. She heard a crunch and a thud. A flame flickered just in time to see Skulduggery grab someone before disappearing. The darkness loomed until Faith used a flame to navigate to the light and switched it back on. Everyone scanned the room, all gazes settling in the middle of the room. On the floor. Rio lay there face down, knife in the back of his skull and the blood dripped out like a leaky faucet. The carpet turning crimson red. Scanning the room once more, she saw Skulduggery was still missing. A fact others were now clocking onto.

"I told you!" declared Raven. "He escaped after killing Rio!"

"Don't you use your eyes?" asked Mendacious. She had been so quiet that Ebony had practically forgotten about her all together.

"Is that a joke? Of course I do"

"Then, just like us, you would have seen Skulduggery grab someone and then disappear."

"His accomplice"

"Or, the murderer"

"His murdering accomplice, probably plotting his next move as we speak"

This guy had an answer for everything.

"Or he's fighting to spare everyone's lives in here including your own. His life is in danger whilst you bicker like a child."

Turns out, Raven didn't have an answer for that one. Nor did he need one as Skulduggery reappeared next to Rios body. He had a gun held to the head of someone dressed in a brown robe with the hood up.

"I think, I just found a lead."

*

Ebony watched as Raven and Lucian used necromancy together to trap the person on their knees in the corner of the room. Everyone stood around them, waiting for the big reveal. Skulduggery crouched in front of him, ready to take the hood off.

"Let's find out who our murder mystery guest is, shall we?"

He pulled back the hood and short black hair flopped down and to the sides. His face decorated with a black goatee that fell to his chest. He looked around the room with a sneer. "Oh well done everyone. Good job catching me."

"Why are we all here?" asked Skulduggery.

"Isn't it obvious? You are all here to die your rightful deaths" The smile that accompanied that statement was uncomfortably happy.

"You're not the first to try, and you undoubtfully won't be the last. Why are you trying to kill us?"

"Uh uh uh. Now that, I am not telling, for it is not my place"

Skulduggery straightened up an adjusted his tie. "So you're not working alone. Who's your superior?"

"You really want to know? Tell me, what's in it for me?"

Faith sighed whilst Vixen stepped in closer. "You can go free, if you tell us who it is"

"You think me a fool skeleton? I know your tricks. You have no intention of releasing me" He leaned in closer "I'm a murderer"

"Unfortunate but expected. Indulge me, is it someone in this room?"

The man pondered the question, shaking his head back and forth as if he was throwing the answer about, he eventually nodded. "They are in your presence"

Ebony watched him stare at everyone in turn around the room. She focused her eyes, did he longer just a little longer whilst he stared at Faith? Faith flipped her finger at him and he chuckled to himself.

"Touchy touchy. Although, I understand why. You can all feel that you are going to die in here, the desperation in... almost everyone's eyes is delicious. You feel of terror, especially the young ones. I almost feel the obligation...the obligation to help you. Tell you what, ask me any question you like. Can't be the big who is it question. Also the answer won't be clear. But, ask me anything."

"What do we ask?" Asked Mendacious, looking to anyone for suggestions.

"How about a way out of here?" posed Lucian.

People murmured in agreement, Ebony followed suit, curious to see if this would lead to what she thought it would.

"How do we leave this house?" Asked Skulduggery officially.

The man rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you have seen the sigils."

Yep, went exactly where she thought it would.

"Is there a way to destroy or deactivate them?"

"Wow. Someone can't count. I said one, not two"

*

An hour later they had moved Rio's body into the kitchen, along with Killian's body. They rested next to the table that Ravel's corpse laid upon. Seeing as they couldn't leave they were unable to retrieve Delilah's body. The man had spoken very little of relevance. He took the chance to goad whenever he could. Everyone had sat back down and returned to their own discussions. Raven and Avelija spoke in hushed whispers. Skulduggery, Faith and Lucian discussed what to do next. Mendacious had joined her and Vixen and it was an uncomfortable silence. Ebony found herself a topic and gave it a whirl.

"Do you feel lucky Mendacious? Being the last surviving member of your group."

Mendacious and Vixen just stared at her blankly.

"Sorry, was that inappropriate?"

"Just a bit Ebony. Just a bit"

"Oh, okay"

Mendacious just continued to stare at her whilst Vixen had taken to looking over at Skulduggery. Faith peered over her shoulder and smiled reassuringly at her.

"Okay! I've had it. If my associate doesn't assist me right now I'm outing them"

Everyone looked, seeing if anyone would make their move. He looked around and sighed. "Both of our funerals then. You had your chance but you reaps what you sow...Faith Matthews."

Everyone snapped over to Faith aside from Lucian. She looked bewildered. "Surely you don't believe him?"

Raven raised his dagger and aimed shadows at her. "We can't take the chance"

"Don't you dare Raven!" Warned Lucian.

Raven ignored him and slashed the shadows forward, right at Faiths throat.