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The Maleficent Seven
The Maleficent Seven
Author Derek Landy
Cover Artist Tom Percival
Date Published 28 March 2013 (UK & Ireland)
01 April 2013 (Australia)
Date Set In Early 2013
Publisher HarperCollins
No. of pages 288
ISBN 0007500920 (10)

978-0007500925 (13)

Publication Order
Preceded by
The Button
Followed by
Skulduggery Pleasant: Last Stand of Dead Men


The Maleficent Seven is a spin-off novella, set and released between Kingdom of the Wicked and Last Stand of Dead Men.

The novella focuses on Tanith Low and Billy-Ray Sanguine's attempts to steal the God-Killers, while their group is opposed by a rival team led by Dexter Vex.

Flashbacks throughout the novella reveal details about Tanith's past.

Plot

Present day

Tanith Low and Billy-Ray Sanguine have finally learned the location of all four God-Killers from Jerry Ordain and Christophe Nocturnal. As such, they intend to steal and destroy all four so that they cannot be used against Darquesse once she finally arrives. Tanith recruits Sabine Adorn to charge replica God-Killers with magic so that their heist will remain undetected for as long as possible, and also recruits old enemies Dusk, Springheeled Jack, and Black Annis for additional muscle. All four are promised something different in return, securing their loyalty.

However, Dexter Vex has been preparing to steal the God-Killers, intending to use them against Darquesse. He has recruited Saracen Rue, Frightening Jones, Aurora Jane, and the Monster Hunters to his cause. After learning that Johann Starke intends to display the God-Killer dagger at a private party in Germany, Vex calls the group together to begin the heist. Needing a way of operating without being detected by the Sanctuaries, he reluctantly recruits Wilhelm Scream.

Tanith successfully steals the dagger at Starke's party by seducing him, and replaces it with a replica. After she vanishes, Starke assumes that she was scouting the area for a theft later on, and as such is on high alert when Vex's team tries to steal the dagger the following night. Vex, realising that he is in a race for the God-Killers, abandons the theft of the dagger and escapes with the rest of the group.

In Chicago, Tanith's team storm the compound of mob boss Jackie Earl, who has the God-Killer bow. Tanith succeeds in replacing the bow with its replica, partly due to an unknown individual assisting the group. She warns Earl that Vex's team will attack shortly afterwards, and as such, Earl is ready for them; however, his shipment of Necromancers is defeated, and Vex and Saracen take the replica from him.

Tanith fights and kills Crab for the God-Killer spear, once again aided by the unknown individual. Vex's team finally catches up to her, but is caught in an ambush led by Sanguine. After Tanith's team retreats, Vex realises that Wilhelm is a traitor and is working for Tanith, and that Tanith has the real dagger and bow. Wilhelm is retrieved by Sanguine and joins the rest of Tanith's team.

Tanith successfully breaks into the English Sanctuary by selling Sabine to Thames Chabon, whom Sabine has double-crossed in the past, in exchange for access to a secret entrance. To distract the Sanctuary, she kills Springheeled Jack and throws his body off a building, and has Dusk transform into a vampire once he's inside. Tanith, Annis, and Wilhelm are confronted by Vex's team, before both groups are apprehended. Tanith reveals that she has dropped a rage-zombie virus into the Sanctuary's ventilation system, and escapes with Wilhelm in the confusion as the rage-zombies kill Annis.

As the rest of his team subdue the rage-zombies, Vex confronts Tanith himself, but is defeated after the intervention of Wilhelm. Tanith reveals to Wilhelm that the case containing the God-Killer sword was designed by his uncle and can only be opened by someone of his blood, then cuts Wilhelm's finger off and smears the blood on the case, releasing the sword. Sanguine is unable to tunnel away with both Tanith and the sword, due to the razorworms guarding the building, so Tanith tells him to leave her behind.

Tanith, Vex, and Saracen work together to defeat Dusk's vampire form, before Vex and Saracen arrest Tanith and are arrested themselves. Vex's team are later released for their help in subduing the rage-zombies, and Tanith and Wilhelm are released by the unknown individual who has been helping them, revealed to be Moribund, a Remnant-possessed individual who has managed to retain his conscience. Tanith gives Wilhelm and Dusk their rewards, admitting that she had always intended to betray the rest of the team. Dusk's reward is the name of the vampire who infected him: Moloch.

Finally, Tanith melts down the God-Killer weapons with Sanguine, whom she agrees to marry. Sanguine, however, has replaced the God-Killer weapons with another set of Sabine's replicas, and has the real God-Killer weapons hidden away for use against Darquesse.

Flashbacks

Tanith, as a child, is left in the care of Quoneel by her parents. She is trained as a Knife in the Darkness, a highly skilled assassin, though she is mocked by Avaunt and the rest of the training Knives, who call her 'Highborn' for her polite and proper mannerisms. Eventually, she is forced to take her first life: a woman named Tanith Woodall. 'Tanith Low' takes her name in response to these events, and finishes her training.

In the 1960s, Tanith leaves the Knives, realising that she doesn't want to spend the rest of her life killing people. She begins working as a freelance mercenary and bounty hunter for various Sanctuaries. One day she confronts Avaunt as the latter attempts to kill Mr Bliss, possibly hired by China Sorrows. Tanith fails to stop Avaunt, but Avaunt's attempt on Bliss' life fails, and Bliss snaps her neck. Bliss thanks Tanith, and Tanith admits that Avaunt was the closest thing she had to a friend.

In 2007, Tanith is injured by the White Cleaver during Nefarian Serpine's attempt to steal the Book of Names. She locks herself in the Sanctuary's Gaol, where the imprisoned criminals take advantage of her weakened state and use the remaining dregs of their magic to force her to release Moribund. Moribund refuses to release the other criminals, and promises Tanith that he will find her and repay his debt.

Characters

Trivia

  • This is the first and only book since Dark Days to italicise entire chapters. In this case, however, it is used to indicate that a chapter is a flashback, rather than to distinguish the narration of the antagonists.
  • The song that plays on the radio at the end of the novella is Carry On, Wayward Son by Kansas.
  • The novella was originally going to be included in Armageddon Outta Here, but it was ultimately excluded, as it is too long.
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