Skulduggery crept forward before she could grab him, and Valkyrie groaned as he bounded onstage. Guns were drawn and hands lit up with fire and energy.
"Wait, wait," Skulduggery said, waving his arms, "let's not rush to judgement here. Let's all calm down. I realise what a shock this must be to you. You arrive here for a respectable night of bidding for a tablet that could make you into the most powerful sorcerer in the world - and here I come, the Skeleton Detective, to spoil all the fun."
No guns went off. No streams of energy were let loose.
Skulduggery gently pushed the auctioneer to one side and stood at the podium. He leaned on his elbows, surveying the crowd. "I'm not going to lie to you," he said, "but that's exactly why I'm here. However, I'm going to do you a big favour. I'm going to give you the chance to walk away. I understand why you're here. I understand why you want to bid and I don't blame you for it. You want power. Of course you do. Who doesn't? You want to crush your enemies, maybe take over the world or something hilariously old-fashioned like that. Again, I get it. I'm not taking the personally. So pack up your things and grab your coat - the valet is waiting with your car."
Nobody moved.
Then someone at the back shouted. "Kill him!"
Skulduggery took off his hat, laid it on the podium. "I give you the chance to walk away and your first response is to shout kill him? Who said that? Who was it?"
Nobody stirred.
Skulduggery sighed. "You've all heard of me. You've all heard of the things I've done. Chances are, you know someone who I've defeated, or arrested, or at the very least punched. And here I am, standing before you, giving you the opportunity to run away. I don't give that chance to too many people."
A man with a stupid beard stood up. "We outnumber him," he announced loudly. "We can take him!"
"And who's going to lead this charge?" Skulduggery asked. "You? Really?"
The man with the beard hesitated, and faltered, and sat back down.
"Violence is not the answer," Skulduggery told the audience. "Not for you. For me, it usually is the answer, and I'm OK with that. But you, all of you, should leave before something nasty happens. Go on. Yes, that's it. Pick up your things. Walk away."
Valkyrie heard a low murmur spread through the crowd. She saw them glance at each other anxiously, waiting to see who'd be the first to move. The old man, the one with the large bodyguard and the book, grunted, and stood, and suddenly they were all doing it.
"It worked," she whispered. "It actually worked."