Death Bringer by Derek Landy

finger on her left hand. Tingling and buzzing. Pins and needles. Lovely pins and lovely needles.
    She could feel the Warlock’s weight now. Her hip buzzed, the buzzing travelling slowly across her waist. The Warlock knew none of this. The Warlock just sat there, licking his lips and widening his mouth. The teeth looked bigger, darker, stronger. They looked like teeth that could tear through bone and gristle.
    Valkyrie’s own lips were burning as sensation flooded back into them. Her nose was itchy.
    The Warlock’s mouth stopped widening. The process was complete. The Warlock was going to eat, before feeling returned to Valkyrie’s arms and legs. The Warlock bent down, the huge mouth wide open, and Valkyrie sat up and crunched her head into his nose. He gagged, dropped back a little, shaking his head, eyes closed, too stunned to react properly. She did it again, the pain exploding through her skull, and this time the Warlock toppled backwards. She shifted her hips to the side, managed to get to her knees, tried to run but collapsed. The Warlock roared in pain and anger. His hand closed around her ankle and he pulled her to him.
    Skulduggery grabbed him from behind, wrapping him up in a sleeper hold and hauling him to his feet. The Warlock’s huge mouth snapped and snarled.
    Valkyrie fumbled clumsily for the handcuffs she kept on her belt. Moving unsteadily, she fell against the Warlock. He tried to bite her, but she swayed away from him, grabbed an arm and clicked the handcuff around his wrist.
    The Warlock gasped as his magic was bound. His mouth shrank. Skulduggery threw him against the wall and stomped on his knee. The Warlock howled in pain as Skulduggery cuffed the other hand.
    Valkyrie’s knees gave out, but Skulduggery grabbed her, stopped her from falling.
    â€œI’m all tingly,” Valkyrie said.
    â€œI have that effect,” Skulduggery responded.
    â€œYou won’t stop us,” the Warlock snarled from the ground. “My brothers and sisters will be coming for you.”
    â€œLots of people are coming for us,” Skulduggery told him. “We’re very unpopular in certain circles. Evil circles, you know. But your brothers and sisters are very far away, and it’s going to take a while for them to even hear about this, so they don’t really concern us right now. The only thing we care about is finding Dragonclaw. If you can help us do that, we’d be willing to make a deal.”
    â€œYou cannot bargain,” the Warlock said. “It is too late for that. Too late for you. I will be avenged.”
    Valkyrie raised an eyebrow. “We hit you a few times. Is there really a need to be avenged for a few slaps?”
    The Warlock managed a smile. “Look out for us,” he said. “We’re coming.”
    He contorted in pain, eyes screwed tightly shut. When he opened them, yellow light spilled out.
    â€œUh-oh,” Skulduggery said. He scooped Valkyrie into his arms and they flew, the wind in her hair, landing behind the Hyundai as more light burst from the Warlock’s screaming mouth. Skulduggery pulled Valkyrie down behind cover and there was an explosion of blinding yellow light – and then nothing.
    Valkyrie blinked rapidly, trying to get her vision back. She felt Skulduggery stand up, and she did the same. “What happened?” she asked.
    â€œHe’s dead,” Skulduggery answered. “Some kind of Warlock self-destruct thing. It must have been triggered the moment his powers were bound.”
    Her sight was returning to her, and she looked over at where the Warlock had lain. Now there were only his empty clothes.
    Skulduggery called the Sanctuary, then searched through the Warlock’s clothes while they waited for back-up to arrive.
    â€œNothing,” he said. “No receipts, no ticket stubs, no clues.”
    â€œWarlocks, eh?” Valkyrie said, watching him.
    â€œWarlocks are dark sorcerers on a dark