The Maleficent Seven (From the World of Skulduggery Pleasant) by Derek Landy Page A

tradition of only wearing black, everything else about Kaiven seemed golden – his blond hair, his tanned skin, his bright smile. Even the way he moved reminded her of a golden lion – proud, strong and graceful.
    “Can I kill him now?” Sanguine asked from where he crouched beside her.
    Tanith smiled. “What’s wrong, Billy-Ray? Jealous? You think I might trade you in for a Necromancer?”
    “And what would I have to be jealous about? The guy’s an idiot. Look at him, preening like a damn peacock.”
    “All big smiles and white teeth and chiselled features...”
    Sanguine looked offended. “I have chiselled features. Look. Look how chiselled they are. And my teeth are at
least
as white as his. You seriously think he’s good-lookin’?”
    “I do,” said Tanith.
    “Right,” Sanguine said, and nodded. “I’m gonna kill him.”
    She kept her laugh soft so it wouldn’t travel. “I think he’s good-looking, but I think you’re better looking.”
    “Oh,” Sanguine said. “I mean, yeah. I am. I’m glad you noticed.”
    “But he does have better hair.”
    “
What?
”
    “See how it falls across his forehead like that? It’s long, but not too long... kind of dashing, really.”
    “A man’s hair shouldn’t be that long,” Sanguine said. “Too easy to pull in a life-or-death struggle. He ain’t being practical, that’s what it is. He’s too concerned with lookin’ good, not near enough concerned with doing his damn job. That’s why he’s got a haircut like that. And what’s he doing smiling, anyhow? The guys down there are a bunch of goons with guns, why do they need his smiles? He’s eager to please, that’s his problem. He wants everyone to like him. That’s a sign of a weak mind.”
    “And you got all that from a haircut and a smile?” Tanith asked. “Your skills are impressive, Billy-Ray.”
    “More skills than him, I’ll tell you that much. Main problem with Necromancers is that all their power is kept in a single object. You take that object away from them, they can’t do nothing. With Valkyrie, it’s a ring. Solomon Wreath, a cane. I don’t know what this guy’s special object is, but—”
    “A wand,” said Tanith.
    Sanguine turned his head to her. “I’m sorry?”
    “He keeps his magic in a wand,” she said.
    Sanguine took a moment, finding it hard to process the information. “He... this guy uses a wand? For real? He actually uses a wand? Like a wizard?”
    “Yes.”
    “A sorcerer, a proper, real-life mage... one of us... waves a magic wand?”
    She grinned. “You find something unusual about that?”
    “I... I don’t know where to start... How have they let him do that? Don’t the other Necromancers have any sense of pride? What’s he gonna do next, fly around on a broomstick? This ain’t Harry Potter. We ain’t witches and wizards. We are serious people with serious jobs and this guy—”
    “Calm down, Billy-Ray,” Tanith said, struggling to keep the amusement out of her voice.
    “It’s a stereotype,” he hissed. “It’s a damn stereotype and it’s harmful. If this catches on, we’ll have all sorts of sorcerers running around, waving wands and chanting spells. Do you know how ridiculous we’d look?”
    Tanith shrugged. “I liked Harry Potter.”
    “This ain’t about Harry Potter!”
    “You liked Harry Potter as well.”
    “They’re good books,” he snapped, “but I do not agree with this wand business. All those guys down there, criminals and mobsters and gangsters, and who are they taking orders from? A wizard with a wand. How can they take him seriously? How are they going to take us seriously when we attack?”
    “Hopefully they won’t,” said Tanith. “If they’re waiting for us to wave our wands, maybe they won’t shoot, and then we can kill them more easily.”
    Sanguine shook his head. “No. It ain’t right. That guy should be ashamed of himself. I have to kill him. You know that, right? It’s a point of honour. Now it...