let me be the one you call / if you jump I'll break your fall

[impudentsongbird]

Book Four: Dark Days
1 | into the breach
2 | finding skulduggery
3 | retreat to the tunnels
4 | into the cacophony
5 | sanctuary in the cathedral
6 | reuniting old friends
7 | kenspeckle's new patient
8 | holy water and disinfectant
9 | objecting to china sorrows
10 | the roadtrip
11 | baffling guild
12 | shenanigans at the safehouse
13 | reassuring fletcher
14 | valkyrie's intervention
15 | solomon's revelation
16 | visiting the edgleys
17 | recalled to the sanctuary
18 | guild's confusion
19 | gabe is busted
20 | the psychic tattoist
21 | envisioning the cacophony
22 | angel's first migraine
23 | the morning after
24 | china and solomon
25 | detectives' council of war
26 | china's foolishness
27 | the collector dethroned
28 | finding crux
29 | skulduggery's vileness revealed
30 | sorrows in aftermath
31 | finding equilibrium
32 | the devil's number
33 | at the carnival
34 | meeting authorities
35 | solomon's confession
36 | the stray soul
37 | sanguine unsettled
38 | solomon's choice
39 | a cowboy underground
40 | in scarab's basement
41 | striking midnight
42 | craven contested
43 | emergency services
44 | on your feet
45 | and don't stop moving
46 | easy recognition
47 | a deuce of an evening
48 | engines roaring
49 | compromising judgements
50 | solomon's conflict
51 | axis turning
52 | thinking circular
53 | blasting the past
54 | reviling vile

Book Five: Mortal Coil
55 | sanctuary unsanctified
56 | shudder unravelling
57 | catching an angel
58 | layering dimensions
59 | dead men meeting
60 | when it rains
61 | power plays
62 | sing on gold
63 | the valley of death
64 | grand aspersions
65 | no evil feared
66 | new days rising
67 | angelic neuroses
68 | step-brothers working
69 | the many sorrows of china
70 | peacefully wreathed
71 | tarnished gold
72 | the secret in darkness
73 | magical intent
74 | scars worth keeping
75 | benefits of a beau
76 | grand magery
77 | lighting the darkness
78 | old dogs and new tricks
79 | flouting traditions
80 | drawing lines
81 | brothers and sisters in arms
82 | channelling angels
83 | return of the carnies
84 | the death bringers
85 | meriting agelessness
86 | knick knack, paddy
87 | give a dog a bone
88 | americans propheteering
89 | the right side of honour
90 | tailored shocks
91 | hosting angels
92 | elders anonymous
93 | rediscovered strays
94 | changings and changelings
95 | a state of reflection
96 | adding hope
97 | the devil's truth
98 | dead mens' hospitality
99 | lives half lived
100 | next to godliness
101 | devilish plans
102 | beached angels
103 | lights of revelation
104 | heroes worshipped
105 | new devilries
106 | angels under the yoke
107 | brains frozen
108 | father, mother, daughter
109 | parental guidance recommended
110 | driven round the bend
111 | ongoing training
112 | privileged information
113 | reasonable men
114 | passing the buck
115 | gifting magicks
116 | strengths and weaknesses
117 | immaturity's perks
118 | priests and prophets
119 | scaling evil
120 | blowing covers
121 | marring an afternoon
122 | lie detection
123 | five-dimensional pain
124 | reliving nightmares
125 | taking stock
126 | sampling spices
127 | sleeping prophets lying
128 | rueful returns
129 | dead men reunion
130 | medically-approved hugs

The life of an angel was a contradiction in changes and stability. On one hand, they understood very well the way the cosmos was shaped by events within it. On the other, they stood at one step apart from it—or at least had, for a very long time, up until their Master's recent wager with Lucifer. Changes in the recent past had, even for angels, been fast and turbulent, but there were none that concerned Raphael more than Gabriel's abrupt reserve.

In the aftermath of the wager Gabriel had been almost the only one to know where their Lord was at any given time, a fact which had put the Archangel very firmly under Lucifer's radar. Raphael had joked that Gabriel ought to arm himself with more jokes or worse clothes to drive the fallen angel away; Michael had offered the peace of the Garden Coast. (Rafe thought his idea was better.)

Either way, even though their Master was fair hidden, every angel knew that they had only to ask Gabriel and the Archangel would pass on a message.

Then Gabriel had simply blipped off the radar himself. Poof! Gone! No one had noticed at first, because, well, they weren't exactly in constant connection. It was just when Raphael had taken a whim to seek out his younger brother that he'd noticed it, and let it be, because there was absolutely a reason for it. Gabe did not just off and vanish, except that once with his self-exile, and that didn’t count.

But when Gabriel had come back, he had been strangely agitated and yet close-mouthed. The younger Archangel had vanished off to wherever their Master was hidden for a long chat Raphael was dying to have listened into, and yet couldn't (but only partly because it would have been rude). Now he was here, floating among the stars and examining a black hole with unnerving intensity.

For a time Raphael watched without letting on that he was there, but eventually Gabriel spoke. “I’d rather you came to join me instead of lurking, brother.”

Absolutely refusing to feel chagrined, Raphael let himself manifest with an arm around Gabriel’s shoulders and ruffled the younger angel’s hair. Gabriel threw a fond, longsuffering glance up at him, but there was something in his eyes, something distracted and sharp, which indicated that Gabriel still wasn’t truly present. Raphael only wished he knew where the other Archangel was.

“Just wondering what you’re doin’ all the way out here,” he said teasingly. “There’s a party going on down there on Earth, Gabe.” There was always a party going on down on Earth. “You oughta be down there bobbin’ for apples and switching up party-hats!”

“I can’t,” Gabriel said quietly, with a sort of seriousness Raphael had, for all Gabriel’s literalness, rarely heard from him. So Raphael fell into the same seriousness, lost his playful accent, and spoke directly.

“Why not, brother? You’ve been reserved of late. I conf—I’m worried for you.”

For a very long time Gabriel said nothing and stared into the slow-turning swirl of the black hole. Raphael waited patiently, his arm still companionably across the other Archangel’s shoulders. Eventually Gabriel spoke. “Did you know, Raphael,” he said, “that the universe you see around you here isn’t the only one our Master has created?”

Raphael was so startled that he couldn’t answer. That wasn’t what he was imagining. He hadn’t been sure what he’d been imagining, but that wasn’t it. “I’m not sure what you mean, Gabriel,” he said after a moment. “Our Lord told me the story of Creation not all that long ago, and he never mentioned anything of the kind.”

Gabriel nodded. “He told me that story as well. And then He asked if I really wanted to know details.” He hesitated. “I … admit, I declined. It’s something He said—about faith. I decided I didn’t need to know details. But it’s true, nevertheless. Just beyond this …” The Archangel reached out his hand and touched that gossamer and unbreakable fabric that supported reality. “There are other universes, even with different versions of us.”

“Different versions of us?” Raphael repeated, appalled and uncertain and entirely confused. How could that be possible? What could their Master want with more than one of any of them? What was going on? Where had Gabriel gone in that time he’d vanished? Then something occurred to him and he smiled with relief. “This is a joke, right?”

Gabriel looked up at him and smiled back with such a gentle understanding that for a moment Raphael felt very small indeed. “No, Rafe. I’m not joking. It was a shock to me too. That isn’t the point, though.”

“Isn’t it?” Raphael asked, feeling as dazed as an angel possibly could, especially when he wasn’t even inhabiting an actual physical body.

“No.” Gabriel returned to watching the black hole intently. “I met some people from other realities. One of them is in a kind of Hell, and he very much does not deserve it. I promised him that, if I could, I would save him from it.”

Which did not in the least explain why Gabe was staring at a black hole, let alone a million other questions Raphael would have liked to ask and for which he couldn’t find the words. Finally he found one. “How?”

“First,” Gabriel said with a sort of tranquillity Raphael had heard in his brother’s voice a million times but never after delivering so turbulent a piece of news, “I’m going to jimmy open a crack in the door through this hole.”

Raphael stared at Gabe, and then at the black hole, and then back at Gabe. He opened his mouth to ask whether their Master knew he was planning this and then closed it, because that was a stupid question. He opened it again to query if Gabriel had asked whether he could go around lifting the sheets and then realised that was also a stupid question, because whether he had or not, their Master probably would have told him to do what he felt was best.

It was equally clear that Gabriel very much planned to go through with this, no matter what Raphael said, and really, did Raphael have the right to object? Surely if this carried a risk, their Master would have already forbidden Gabriel from making the attempt?

“I’ll come with,” Raphael said at last, and this time when Gabriel glanced back the younger Archangel’s expression was startled. A moment later that expression shifted into grateful apology.

“I’m sorry, Rafe, but I’m not entirely certain I’ll make it through, and we can hardly leave Michael here alone.” He grinned. “Did you see what he was wearing last festival day on the Garden Coast? He hasn’t moved out of the eighteenth century yet. How would he possibly handle the rest of the world?”

Raphael laughed out loud, warm but startled, and the sound of it rang through space. Gabriel chuckled quietly beside him, and for a few minutes there was just companionable humour that faded into an equally comfortable silence.

Still, Raphael had a lot of questions. How did Gabriel plan to find his friend, let alone the universe he was in? How was he going to get back? What would he do if he met another version of himself? Or, worse, Lucifer? Finally the Archangel just asked, “Have you figured out how to crack open the door?”

“I think so,” Gabriel said, considering the black hole. “Once I figured out what to look for. I wouldn’t have gotten even that far if it weren’t for some things our Master said.”

Which meant that, in some fashion, this expedition was sanctioned by their Master, Raphael translated, and something tense in him relaxed. “Something do to with this drain here, I’ll bet,” he said, falling into his casual accent once more. “Gonna rip out the kitchen sink, li’l brother?”

“Just to see what’s hiding underneath,” Gabriel said with a grin.

“I’ll try’n keep it open for ya,” Raphael promised, and Gabriel sent him a smile which lit up the very space around them with its brilliance.

“Thank you, Rafe,” he said, and straightened. Raphael took his arm away as Gabriel lifted his hands, not exactly stepping back so much as giving Gabriel space. The youngest Archangel didn’t often reveal his power, but it was always a sight to see, a song to hear, when he did.

As it was now. Gabriel’s voice started deep, lifted high, split and wove and became more melodies than one would think a single being could possibly sing at once. The sound of it made Raphael’s heart soar, made him want to fly and laugh. It was so deep, so light, so resonating that it was physical; it touched the slow turn of the black hole and made it, for just the briefest of moments, still. In that moment Gabriel sent a carefully-aimed bolt of energy into the heart of it.

It was the kind of sight Raphael hadn’t seen in thousands of years, a play of physics and metaphysics which he hadn’t thought possible, let alone imagined. There was an eruption in the centre of the black hole, where gravity was condensed; the cascade of energy plumed upward and was dragged back down as quick, a tear in the fabric of the reality not allowed the time to widen or become a danger.

Raphael didn’t even know Gabe had moved until the younger Archangel was gone, he was so busy staring in awe. With a start the Archangel stretched out his senses and just barely managed to catch a glimpse of his brother shooting toward the hole at speeds few angels could have achieved through such a gravity well. Raphael certainly couldn’t have.

How, he suddenly wondered, was he meant to keep that open if he didn’t even have the speed of thought to track Gabriel’s movements through it?

Desperately the Archangel cast about for something to jam in the door, as it were. There was some dark matter nearby and with a thought he fashioned it into a spear and pitched it toward the centre of the black hole. It struck just as Gabriel flitted through the crack nearly wholly collapsed in on itself; the star’s gravity caught it, pulled it in, and plugged the opening like a metaphysical sink.

Slowly Raphael made every part of himself relax. For good or ill, Gabe was gone on this quest of his, and now Raphael should probably go and round up some of their younger siblings to guard the area. Just in case.


Book Four: Dark Days
into the breach | finding skulduggery | retreat to the tunnels | into the cacophony | sanctuary in the cathedral | reuniting old friends | kenspeckle's new patient | holy water and disinfectant | objecting to china sorrows | the roadtrip | baffling guild | shenanigans at the safehouse | reassuring fletcher | valkyrie's intervention | solomon's revelation | visiting the edgleys | recalled to the sanctuary | guild's confusion | gabe is busted | the psychic tattoist | envisioning the cacophony | angel's first migraine | the morning after | china and solomon | detectives' council of war | china's foolishness | the collector dethroned | finding crux | skulduggery's vileness revealed | sorrows in aftermath | finding equilibrium | the devil's number | at the carnival | meeting authorities | solomon's confession | the stray soul | sanguine unsettled | solomon's choice | a cowboy underground | in scarab's basement | striking midnight | craven contested | emergency services | on your feet | and don't stop moving | easy recognition | a deuce of an evening | engines roaring | compromising judgements | solomon's conflict | axis turning | thinking circular | blasting the past | reviling vile

Book Five: Mortal Coil
sanctuary unsanctified | shudder unravelling | catching an angel | layering dimensions | dead men meeting | when it rains | power plays | sing on gold | the valley of death | grand aspersions | no evil feared | new days rising | angelic neuroses | step-brothers working | the many sorrows of china | peacefully wreathed | tarnished gold | the secret in darkness | magical intent | scars worth keeping | benefits of a beau | grand magery | lighting the darkness | old dogs and new tricks | flouting traditions | drawing lines | brothers and sisters in arms | channelling angels | return of the carnies | the death bringers | meriting agelessness | knick knack, paddy | give a dog a bone | americans propheteering | the right side of honour | tailored shocks | hosting angels | elders anonymous | rediscovered strays | changings and changelings | a state of reflection | adding hope | the devil's truth | dead mens' hospitality | lives half lived | next to godliness | devilish plans | beached angels | lights of revelation | heroes worshipped | new devilries | angels under the yoke | brains frozen | father, mother, daughter | parental guidance recommended | driven round the bend | ongoing training | privileged information | reasonable men | passing the buck | gifting magicks | strengths and weaknesses | immaturity's perks | priests and prophets | scaling evil | blowing covers | marring an afternoon | lie detection | five-dimensional pain | reliving nightmares | taking stock | sampling spices | sleeping prophets lying | rueful returns | dead men reunion | medically-approved hugs

Comments

[skeletonenigma]

It was mildly annoying, spending an entire year trying to stay two steps ahead of Skulduggery's little gang. Guild had gotten sick of it more than once, so he didn't mind admitting that it felt good to finally have a legitimate reason for arresting some of them. It felt good to be standing in this room, watching Bespoke getting handcuffed to the desk, even though he knew it would take highly unorthodox methods to get anything from the tailor. Pleasant had an even more annoying habit of inspiring misguided loyalty.

Guild had the utmost confidence that Marr would get the job done, in any case. She was exactly the unorthodox means the Irish Sanctuary needed.

... Or at least, he did have confidence, until they were both equally flabbergasted by the sudden arrival of Skulduggery Pleasant and the man Guild had seen in his office.

The stranger was hanging off of Pleasant's arm, face twisted in pain, looking just as dirty and ragged as Guild remembered. The same khakis and shirt, now with a cowboy hat stuck on top, as if the pair had been off gallivanting around theme parks while Guild had been going out of his mind trying to find them. He was sure the hat was a new addition, even though the man seemed to speak with a flawless Southern American accent.

Pleasant whirled on the man an instant after they appeared, though he was apparently being careful to remain a support. "Do you want Professor Grouse to blacklist me? Don't get me wrong, I'm flattered you apparently want to stay here so much longer, but I'd rather it was your choice, and not because you're forced to. I'm sure many others do too. Your Father, for instance."

Bespoke, who had been staring at the cowboy hat, abruptly seemed to come to his senses and clear his throat. "Skul?"

"In a minute." Pleasant's movements had grown more gentle, one hand on either of the American man's shoulders. "Are you okay?"

Guild finally managed to find his voice. "What," he began, injecting as much venom into it as he could, "the hell is going on here?"

Pleasant turned to face him. "Language, Thurid. Trust me. Language." He paused, expressionless skull pointed in Marr's direction. When he next spoke, his voice was underlined with shock, which Guild felt was much more appropriate for the bizarre situation. "Marr? What are you doing here?"

[impudentsongbird]

"If I'm here 'cos of--reasons--then it was my own choice, not 'cos I was forced," Gabriel pointed out, still with that American accent, but he favoured Skulduggery with a smile. "Besides, pretty sure my Daddy would be approvin'."

Carefully he folded his wings in close, wincing, but after that moment he was able to straighten--though he kept his hand on Skulduggery's arm. Then he nodded, albeit once and equally carefully. "Yep. I'm good. Sorry 'bout that, Ghastly. We had to have a li'l tiff before we got here. I think I won."

The Archangel grinned unrepentantly up at Skul.

"Hello, Skulduggery," Davina said coolly. She had risen from her chair and moved around the table, behind Ghastly. Her gaze took in the detective and the man he supported, and lingered on the latter. "As rescue attempts go, this has to be one of the most ... unique ... I've seen."

She laid a pointed hand on Ghastly's shoulder.

Gabriel's gaze was drawn to it, and then to her, and the mirth faded. Though the woman very obviously held up a convincing front of law and righteousness, there was more in her that only Gabriel could see. Like the fact that her soul was the soul of someone who was damned and didn't know it. He lifted his gaze to hers, and this time there was only stern pity in his eyes.

Davina stiffened and her face went blank. After a moment of warring with Gabe she looked away, pretending that she was voluntarily shifting her attention to Skulduggery. "I was hired, by the way."

[skeletonenigma]

Gabe might have won that round - even if it was, once again, by cheating - but Skulduggery wanted to make it clear that he had tried to stop the Archangel from doing anything strenuous. If there was hell to pay in the form of Kenspeckle Grouse, Gabriel would have to deal with it. Skulduggery officially washed his hands of all responsibility.

There was no denying how much simpler this would be, though, with Gabe in tow.

"I am known for being unique," he answered Marr slowly. "I didn't plan this one, though. I'm sorry, is she my replacement?" Skulduggery directed this last part at Guild, one finger extended in an accusatory point towards Davina Marr. "Really? And you thought I was unfairly biased?"

Guild was sputtering. It was beautiful to watch. He tried and failed to regain some sense of authority, and then his gaze was drawn to Skulduggery's hand. Immediately, his expression darkened. "A rosary?"

His tone told Skulduggery all he needed to know. Short of Gabe revealing his true form, there was absolutely no way Guild would ever guess his real identity. Not that Skulduggery could blame him; it hadn't even been on his own list of possibilities at the Institute. When you knew the Faceless Ones existed, you didn't think about anything beyond even them.

But still, Skulduggery hesitated as he dropped his hand. They'd all have to be careful from here on out. "I needed a hobby," he replied with a wave of his other hand - the one holding the gun. "Did you know living skeletons can't possibly exist? I wonder if that's something you have to go and repent for."

[impudentsongbird]

Gabriel almost choked. He dropped his chin and the cowboy hat shaded his face, but his shoulders shook with the sudden laughter he was trying, very hard, not to let out. The Archangel hadn't quite managed it before he raised his face again, humour shining in his eyes and face creased with mirth.

"Well, you are unfairly biased, Skul," he pointed out, leaning on Skul's shoulder like he was lounging rather than needing the support (not that he actively needed it anymore). "But I'm pretty fond of some of those biases, m'self."

He inclined his head just slightly toward Davina Marr, catching Skulduggery's eye, and for a moment his expression flickered to seriousness. With the eye-contact and hand-contact both, telepathy was not exactly telepathy, and much easier on his head. 'Careful of her, Skul. She's already damned.'

It was important for him to know just how far Marr had fallen, how dangerous she could be. Guild was on a bad track, but there was still a chance there. Marr ... there was no hope for her. And that meant she would be unrestrained, and entirely biased, and in all the worst ways while she dealt with them.

[skeletonenigma]

'Well, I could have told you that.' There was a pause, and then a flicker of surprise as Skulduggery realized Gabriel was being serious. 'You can tell?'

Everything was spiraling so quickly out of control that it was making Guild's head spin. For some reason, calling in the Cleavers was the last thing on his mind at the moment.

Pleasant had converted? That was a joke. That was a joke and Guild would certainly have believed Pleasant was being flippant, but the skeleton was definitely wearing a rosary on his wrist, and it couldn't possibly be serving any practical purpose. Maybe the ex-detective really had gone insane. And who the hell was this American cowboy? When did Pleasant have time to make friends while getting tortured in another dimension?

Guild stared at the two of them, eyes growing even wider after the unfamiliar man's off-handed comment. He'd always known Pleasant was something of a mystery, but... he'd been married once, hadn't he? To a woman? Never mind that, he was a skeleton, how did...?

This was ridiculous. Guild shook the thoughts from his mind. Someone here was playing a trick on him, and the Grand Mage wasn't fond of being tricked like this. "Arrest them," he ordered Davina. "And find out why we didn't know there was another Teleporter left in the world. Someone's been careless, and I want that someone fired."

[impudentsongbird]

'It's hard to miss it when souls bear my brother's mark.' Even if, in this case, it was a metaphorical mark. Well, it always was, but it was in the way the souls turned and spun, their pulse and metaphysical hue. Davina Marr was damned.

Guild's shock and curiosity were so intense that Gabriel's mouth twitched and he couldn't help but grin at the sorcerer, pushing up the brim of his hat. In point of fact, it was a ridiculous thought for Guild to even entertain, even given the limits of the man's knowledge. That didn't mean Gabe couldn't have a bit of fun with it, and besides, it wasn't as if Gabe himself had a problem with the concept. (Even though angels didn't need or really even entertain the idea themselves.)

"Of course, Grand Mage," Davina said calmly, her eyes narrowed at Gabe. The Archangel's gaze slid sideways, but his grin didn't falter. She hadn't missed the unintentional inference either. Gabriel found he didn't care. "Cleavers!"

The door was already opening and two Cleavers were stepping in when Gabriel raised a finger and stepped forward. "'Scuse me, ma'am, but I just have one question," he said quite cheerfully. "Where's Ms Low?"

Marr's expression remained unchanged, and so did her gaze, though she spoke to Skulduggery. "This really is the worst rescue you've ever come up with."

In her surface thoughts, ones Gabe didn't even need to probe to hear, Tanith's location sifted: down in the cells, locked in a magic-binding cell. Gabe nodded once with satisfaction. "Yep, that's what I thought. Thanks, ma'am."

All at once Davina Marr's back prickled and she felt that unwavering certainty that this ridiculous cowboy was going to make his move. "Cleavers!" she shouted, her fingers clenching on Ghastly's shoulder and her other hand flinging out to send a wave of repelling air at the irreverent pair.

Too late. The cowboy had already taken Skulduggery's arm, and even as the Cleavers' hands fell to restrain them, they and Bespoke vanished in what had to have been--had to have been!--the same instant. Davina jerked away from the chair, staring with wide eyes down at where Bespoke had been, and then she looked up at Guild. Teleporter was one thing, but she had never heard of one who could Teleport someone without even touching them! And the way he'd spoken--as if he knew where Low was--even though Davina hadn't said anything to indicate it.

Then her head snapped around again and she moved toward the door, not hurrying, but urgent. "With me!" she snapped to the Cleavers, but she already knew that when she reached the cells, Tanith Low would be gone.

She just didn't expect to get there and find the cell still locked from the outside.

~~~

In point of fact, it hadn't been the same instant. There had been a split-second difference, too little for the normal human brain to register, while Gabriel flew to Ghastly and swept him up, and then kept going to where he knew Tanith was. In flight, he had a sense of oneness with his surroundings, just like when he extended his self into a building or an object to experience it as it was.

So he could see everything. He could see the the Sanctuary, just as he'd seen Guild's office; he found the cells, saw the resonances of the magic-binding and then the ones between Tanith and Ghastly and Skul. Only another split-second after he had Skulduggery and Ghastly in hand, the Archangel had Tanith as well.

Then they were, once again, beside Skulduggery's Bentley in a landing which was gentler for Gabe's passengers than for the Archangel himself. He couldn't quite restrain the whimper this time, but manage to make his slump against the Bentley more of a lean.

"Ow," he managed, blinking away any shininess in his eyes. This was ridiculous.

[skeletonenigma]

Skulduggery had to agree with Gabe there. This was ridiculous. The detective was torn between feeling utterly useless throughout the minute-long rescue, and wishing that he had an Archangel on his side more often. That had been so easy. Definitely the fastest rescue Skulduggery had ever been a part of. And honestly, Skulduggery didn't really see a problem with Guild and Marr being on the alert, either. That made everything worth it.

The landing was definitely gentle physically, if not quite mentally - especially for Tanith, who hadn't really been expecting it. Even so, it clearly took its toll on Gabe. The Archangel was leaning heavily against the Bentley, suddenly paler and not quite able to stop a sound of pain. Skulduggery helped him steady himself.

"Well, that was..." Ghastly faltered. "Not the way we usually do things."

"That was fast," Tanith added, still tense from the adrenaline. "I thought Kenspeckle said you can't do things like that for a while."

"He did," Skulduggery nodded. "I think I might be a bad influence. Gabe, I'm not denying that was... useful, but you're not doing any of that again for a while." Not that there was really a way to stop him.

Ghastly chuckled as he let out a deep breath. "Although, I have to say, the expressions on their faces..."

Skulduggery allowed a small thrill of satisfaction at the memory. And Davina Marr being there had been like the icing on the cake. What had she been doing there, come to think of it? Was she a loan from the American Sanctuary? That... didn't bode well.

"What's with the hat?" Tanith asked after a second.

"Never mind the hat," Ghastly shook his head. "What about the accent? Did we miss something?"

"He had an accent?"

"If Guild asks, he's American until further notice," Skulduggery informed them. Although, after that display, he was no longer concerned Gabriel might give himself away. Who would ever suspect an American cowboy of being anything more than a strangely powerful sorcerer, let alone an angel? "Ghastly, can I borrow your phone?" Valkyrie and Fletcher must have already Teleported to the gas station. It was a good thing the pair hadn't tried to follow. They would have missed each other completely.

[impudentsongbird]

"Now you're makin' me wonder how you usually do things," Gabriel said to Ghastly with a wan smile once he'd caught his breath, answering Tanith's question about the accent quite handily. He dropped it a moment later, not because it was any kind of strain, but because ... well, it just didn't seem to suit the circumstances anymore. (He kept the hat on, though.)

"There wasn't time for Fletcher to drop you off so you could dodge the Cleavers to find them," he said quite seriously to Skul. "Ghastly said that he and Tanith had been separated, and frankly, after seeing Ms Marr I'm glad we didn't wait. There's no telling what kinds of lengths she'd have gone to, just to get something out of them. Tanith was very likely in danger."

That was something else Gabe had seen when he'd asked where she was: intent. The intent, in Marr, to use Tanith against Ghastly. To hurt her, and badly, if necessary.

He also quite neatly avoided making any such promise. He'd promised Kenspeckle he'd offer help, if Kenspeckle needed it. Even if that meant getting a lecture. Still, Gabe squeezed Skul's arm. "Thank you for the support, my friend. I did need it."

[skeletonenigma]

Skulduggery didn't answer. Maybe they'd done the right thing, but that didn't change how he felt about letting somebody injured do most of the work - especially somebody so much more important than any of them could comprehend. In any case, he nodded to Tanith, took Ghastly's mobile, and stepped away to call Valkyrie. A moment later, the two teenagers reappeared beside the Bentley as well.

"See?" Valkyrie grinned upon seeing Ghastly and Tanith unharmed, and wasted no time in gloating. "If you'd done that by yourself, Skulduggery, you'd still be trying to find where they were."

Skulduggery tilted his head. "Probably. But on the other hand, I would have attracted much less attention and wouldn't have told them anything they didn't already know. Guild now knows about Gabriel, and at the very least suspects him of being a Teleporter, if not more." There hadn't been any contact with Ghastly when they disappeared, and that alone would be suspicious enough. Besides, Skulduggery couldn't trust China to stay quiet if she was asked, and the cowboy part being a cover could make things worse.

Fletcher shrugged. "What are they going to think? That we got divine help getting you back? It doesn't matter how suspicious they get, no one's going to look at that," he pointed at Gabriel, "and immediately think Archangel."

"That," Tanith replied with a ripple of amusement, "has a name."

[impudentsongbird]

'That' was still barefoot, a little dusty, and leaning back against the Bentley with his hat shading his pale face. He managed to grin up at Fletcher, though, flicking up the brim and falling back into his drawl. "Takin' that as a compliment. Undercover ain't undercover if everyone who looks at us can scream 'angel'."

Particularly in this day and age. A while back, it would have been more likely, but now? No. The scepticism Gabriel had encountered said that, both here and in his own dimension, let alone the Institute's.

"Besides," he added, "I doubt you'd have drawn any less attention, Skul. Ms Marr's got it in for yah, and bad. Worse than Thurid." He shrugged. "Thurid just feels threatened, an' makes bad choices 'cos of it. Ms Marr's evil."

He said the last matter-of-factly, as if this was a perfectly normal distinction that anyone could draw, but with an edge of resignation. One more soul, lost.

[skeletonenigma]

Gabriel had a point. It would be difficult to exist for thousands of years and not learn how to stay undercover, especially during times when people were so paranoid they would have mistaken an angel for a witch. Religious wars were certainly rampant enough.

"See, I've always said she was evil," Valkyrie insisted for what, Ghastly agreed, was easily the thousandth time. "She doesn't have a heart. Or if she does, it's really cold. Like, frozen solid."

It had a little more weight coming from an Archangel, though. Particularly when said Archangel had lost all remnants of a joking attitude with the words. Ghastly's smile quickly slid into a frown. "What do you mean? She doesn't have a conscience?" Didn't have a conscience and had it out for Skulduggery. That would be a new one. Even Baron Vengeous had his own set of morals, twisted though they were.

[impudentsongbird]

It had happened. It frequently happened, in fact, that the righteous damned saw something divine and mistook it for evil--like with Cotter and the Grail--simply because Lucifer had managed to turn their moral compasses so much on their heads.

Of course, it also helped that angels could exist without being seen by humanity at all, but that would have been boring. It was just that Gabriel's usual covers weren't intended for longevity--unlike Michael's.

The Archangel smiled grimly and rather sadly. "Oh, she does. Most people like her still have consciences. They just twist it to speak the things they want it to, or block it out altogether." He pressed his palms flat against the Bentley's side, enjoying the warmth and the smoothness. "Redemption is always possible because my Master will always give it to those who wish it. Lucifer's damned are damned because they can't acknowledge they might be wrong enough to want it, and there comes a point when you can tell, looking at their souls, that their eyes are forever blinded to such faults in themselves."

He didn't look at Skulduggery this time. He didn't really need to.

[skeletonenigma]

No, he certainly didn't.

Gabriel knew about the anger - knew better than anyone else Skulduggery had ever known, without ever having experienced anything close to it himself. But Skulduggery had to wonder if even the Archangel knew how close that dark rage came to spilling over just with the simple implication of innocent, gentle speeches like that. Because if he did, he might not bring up Skulduggery's redemption so often.

With that much raw emotion always burning under the kettle, it wasn't just difficult for Skulduggery to see that he could be redeemed right then and there. It was impossible. He was never free from the memories, or the fear that it someday might happen again, because his own subconscious wouldn't - couldn't - let him forget. He didn't look away from Gabe or make any indication that he'd understood the deeper meaning of those words, because he knew he wouldn't have to. Instead, Skulduggery fell back onto the easiest way of burying those memories - humour.

"Marr doesn't even acknowledge my obvious brilliance." Skulduggery readjusted his hat and crossed over to the driver's side of the Bentley. "Somehow, I don't think she'd ever admit she's evil."

Humour with a light touch of arrogance. Same thing, really.

"Skulduggery?" Valkyrie piped up. "We have that too-many people problem again."

"Do we?" Skulduggery glanced around. "Ah. Yes. Fletcher, take Valkyrie and Tanith somewhere warm for the next couple of hours. As far away from Ireland as you can. Come straight back." In retrospect, they should have done that from the beginning, but no real harm done. "Don't do anything reckless," he told Valkyrie, "don't talk to strangers, and keep your phones on."

[impudentsongbird]

Gabriel may not have known anger, specifically. But he knew despair, such overwhelming despair to be trapped in it, strangled by it. How the least concern from Michael had only driven him deeper into it, because such concern, even if true, had to have been misplaced.

He knew it. But he had to offer. He had to offer because he couldn't do anything less than what Michael had done for him. There would come a time, perhaps, when Gabe would have to choose whether or not to enforce his help on Skul just like Michael and Merlin had done, but not yet. Maybe never, Gabe hoped. He would much rather Skul gave up his anger of his own accord instead of having to be ripped out of it.

"Evil never realises it's evil, unfortunately," Gabe said dryly, "but how one could possibly overlook your obvious brilliance, I have no idea." He grinned at the detective and then opened the door he was leaning against to slide carefully into the seat while Fletcher delivered Tanith and Valkyrie elsewhere.

"So does this qualify as a proper roadtrip now that it's just us guys?" he asked brightly and with a bite of laughter in his voice.

[skeletonenigma]

The fact that an Archangel was garnering so much enjoyment out of driving to a safehouse in the middle of nowhere through miles of empty highway made Ghastly smile. "Sure," he answered once he was in the front seat. "A proper roadtrip. Skul, I think we're going to need snacks."

"You need snacks," Skulduggery pointed out. "Gabe needs water blessed with beads in it, Fletcher needs less of a hair stylist allowance, and all I need is pleasant company."

Ghastly grinned. "I wonder if you can buy all that at gas stations these days?"

Fletcher hopped in next to Gabriel a moment later, and as soon as his door was shut, the Bentley was off. "I left them in Sydney," he announced, instantly relaxed with his knees up on the seat in front of him. "There's a really good place for ice cream there. How much longer is this going to take?"

"Two hours at least." Skulduggery twisted his skull towards Fletcher. "And if you try to start any of that 'Are we there yet?' drivel, I swear to Gabriel that you will wish all I do is leave you by the roadside. Are we clear?"

Skulduggery was one of the few people Ghastly had met who seemed capable of making Fletcher shrink in terror. Even the teenager's hair seemed to droop. "We're clear."

[impudentsongbird]

"It's a good thing you've got yourself, then, isn't it?" Gabriel teased the detective. "Everything else we'll just have to keep." Speaking of the holy water, though, Gabe bent down to fish the bottle out from under the chair, and when he'd sat up again Fletcher was inside the car.

The Archangel laughed and turned to Fletcher. "Don't mind him; let's make our own fun. We can either talk business or start up another game. Ghastly missed the last one." Gabe grinned at the tailor and then glanced at the skeleton in the driver's seat. "Where were we up to? Oh, that's right. Skul was speaking in tongues."

[skeletonenigma]

"That still isn't fair," Fletcher continued their argument, as if nothing had happened in the meantime. "How on earth were Valkyrie and I supposed to know that adhar means 'sky' in Old Gaelic? No one even speaks Old Gaelic anymore. Except you two."

Ghastly barked out a laugh. "You were playing roadtrip games in Old Gaelic?"

"Gabe started it," Skulduggery replied serenely. "He used a language I've never even heard of. Technically, Fletcher, adhar means 'heavens,' or 'atmosphere.' All of space that you can see from where we're standing."

"See, if I'd known that before we started, I might have been able to get it," Fletcher insisted.

"Nonsense. This way, your ego is bruised and you'll never forget. Shouldn't they be teaching Gaelic in school? I'm surprised Valkyrie didn't know it."

"Can we stick to English, please?"

[impudentsongbird]

"I did no such thing," Gabriel objected primly. "I was merely making comparisons between alliterative words in other languages. Skul was the one who took it a step further. But he's right," he added, glancing at Fletcher with a mischievous smile. "This way you get to learn the language of your nation! What could be better?"

It ought to have been teasing, but something in Gabe's expression was sincere. Of course, he was biased. Language was fun. "In fact," he went on, a slow grin spreading over his face, "why don't we add that onto the game? I-Spy with a language index."

[skeletonenigma]

"I'm not Irish!" Fletcher objected. "This isn't my nation! It's like being forced to learn Latin! I'm only here because..."

... Well, because hanging out with other sorcerers had been fun, even though every waking moment was spent trying to find that skull. But Fletcher couldn't admit that just yet, especially since Skulduggery was back now and he had no idea if he would even be wanted anymore. "Besides, I'm the youngest one here. By hundreds of years. I don't know any other languages."

"I'm sure Gabe wouldn't mind teaching you a few things," Skulduggery assured him. "Want to start, Ghastly?"

Ghastly was shaking his head. His earlier amusement hadn't left his face. "Playing I-Spy in Gaelic. This is not what I pictured meeting an Archangel would be like."

"You had a scenario in mind?"

Ghastly hesitated. "Well, no."

"Can we at least start with English?" Fletcher pleaded. "Can I win a couple of times before you guys start being jerks?"

~~

Between Fletcher's decreasing complaints as Gabe proved to be an excellent teacher, and much more interesting scenery than Skulduggery had been anticipating, the remaining two hours passed very quickly. They missed the turn-off the first time, mostly because it was less a turn-off and more the exact same grass growing everywhere else along the highway. Skulduggery, fortunately, realized the mistake very quickly and turned around, eventually parking the Bentley a good distance away from the road near a sporadic grove of trees. It wasn't hard to spot the tree, which grew taller and more twisted than the scattered varieties around it.

Skulduggery was willing to bet that no book or catalogue would be able to tell them what kind of tree this was, though an expert might claim to know. Experts claimed to know everything, even the unknowable. Especially the unknowable. It was what they existed for.

While Fletcher Teleported to find Tanith and Valkyrie, Skulduggery approached the tree with a keen eye for detail. "We're looking for a sigil," he explained to the other two. "Anything China might have put in place. It should be somewhere around here."

[impudentsongbird]

"But you live here now," Gabe pointed out. "Why can't you have two nations? This way you can bond more thoroughly with your new one! Besides," he added, "there's a lot of magic in Gaelic. It's one of the earlier human languages used for sigils and spells."

Which wasn't an exaggeration in the least. The Tuatha Dé Danann, the name by which the Ancients had been known in Ireland, had been known for their magic. They were one of the reasons why Ireland was known for its myths and legends, and it would do Fletcher good to learn some of the language.

"If you don't know any other languages," Gabe said firmly, "then it's about time you did. How about you start, and we'll go on from there."

The Archangel was entirely serious, and despite the young Teleporter's initial sidelong glances of disbelief and hope, Gabriel stuck with the idea throughout the rest of the ride. He was encouraging and gentle in his corrections, and the first time Fletcher actually turned to him to ask after a word, looking mildly surprised as if he hadn't expected himself to do so, Gabriel beamed.

Not that Gabriel begrudged Fletcher's expression of relief when they finally arrived. He was young and impatient, and his talent perpetuated the latter trait, so being driven for three hours must have been difficult.

Once again the Archangel was the last out of the car, moving slowly but relaxed and cheerful. He approached the tree with curiosity and a vague sense of wariness, and while there was indeed residue from times long past it had faded quite a bit. "It's just there." The Archangel pointed at the shadow of a knot in the trunk, whose the raised edges drew the eye and hid the things around it. "I think," he added, "it would be prudent for me to establish some wards of my own. Just in case."

[skeletonenigma]

Skulduggery should really have been expecting that by now. Knowing Gabe was an Archangel, now that he was thoroughly used to the idea, hadn't colored the detective's overall opinion of him - which meant that he occasionally forgot Gabe existed on a level very different from theirs. It didn't help that Gabe had been human at Landel's, either. But of course an Archangel would be able to pick out a small magical symbol within seconds. If this kept up, Skulduggery might become unforgivably lazy.

Like the wards you left on the mountain? Skulduggery was tempted to ask, but he doubted Faceless Ones would be trying to break apart the ground around them here. It would be more than enough to keep Guild away. "Good idea," he nodded as he pressed his thumb against the sigil. "The more, the better. Don't do too much, though. You can always finish when you've gotten some strength back."

Fletcher popped back into existence with Tanith and Valkyrie in tow as Skulduggery stepped back. The tree had, somehow, grown sharper, more defined around its edges.

"This is it?" Valkyrie asked, looking around. "I was kind of picturing a castle. Or a mansion, at least. How does it work?"

"It isn't quite as big as a mansion," Skulduggery contradicted her. "But it is very roomy. And it works like this."

He stepped behind the tree, and disappeared from view. The sharpness of the trunk faded, leaving nothing but the vague idea that physics shouldn't really work like that.

[impudentsongbird]

"They won't be very draining," Gabe assured the detective. "The magic is in the sigils, not me. I just have to draw them." And he could do it in languages Ms Sorrows was very unlikely to recognise. Then again, that might be too much of a tip; best to use ones she would recognise, but in a way that would take her years to decipher. That's why redundancies had been invented.

The Archangel's eyes tracked the way the entrance sharpened and then faded again. He pressed the sigil himself and leaned to see around the tree, gaze flitting this way and that, head tilted as if to listen. Well, he was; sigils had resonances. They spoke to one another. The only visible one was the doorknob, so to speak, but there were others.

"Fascinating," he said, his eyes gleaming, and when he reached out to touch the 'doorjamb', for lack of a better word given that the door was a portal and the jamb the blank space between it and the physicality of the tree, a faint but audible hum arose. He lifted his voice so Skulduggery could hear him. "I could probably even move this entrance, I think."

And why not, since he could? It would provide a little extra protection. He figured he should take a look inside, though, to see how the safehouse was built, before he went around messing with its boundaries. The Archangel lifted his fingers off the jamb and stepped through the 'door' behind the tree into a spacious marble entrance hall, one more akin to something you'd seen in a mansion than an underground lair. A brief glance around suggested that the whole safehouse--and it was a large one--ran along the same kind of theme.

[skeletonenigma]

"Okay," Valkyrie corrected slowly once she had also stepped inside, alighting on the marble floor just after Gabriel. "I take that back. This is gorgeous."

China had repurposed it, alright. It hadn't looked anything like this before. The basic layout was the same - Skulduggery could recall exactly where he'd thrown the dynamite, and exactly where his left leg had ended up - but all the marble was a new addition, and the glittering chandelier above. Their footsteps reverberated throughout the hall, which spoke of a scale that the entire area followed. Skulduggery briefly wondered if the grandiose surroundings would make Gabe uncomfortable, or... well, if they were more suitable for an Archangel. It was amusing to think about.

"We should be on the run from the Sanctuary more often," said Fletcher with an equally wide grin, while Tanith could do nothing but stare. "I had no idea being fugitives would be so awesome."

"A little pretentious for me," Ghastly murmured as he brought up the rear. His mobile rang when the portal shimmered closed behind him, and he stepped away from them to answer it. His voice was audible in the echoing marble hall no matter how far away he walked, but the words weren't quite understandable.

"Do we need to move the entrance?" Skulduggery asked Gabe. "You don't think your wards would be enough?" China was the only person they really had to worry about, and she might get a little suspicious if the entrance had been moved by someone other than her. Skulduggery would rather avoid any suspicion on China's part. She was a very persistent woman.

Ghastly glanced over and held up the phone. "Skul? China wants to know what happened to your mobile."

Case in point. "I have no idea," Skulduggery mumbled. It had disappeared along with everything else when Landel captured him. "Just tell her we arrived safely and we're grateful."

"She'd like to talk to you."

"I don't particularly want to talk to her."

Ghastly gave the detective a grim smile. "I know. But she's insisting."

After a moment, Skulduggery sighed, excused himself, and walked over to accept the phone. He waited until Ghastly had joined the others out of earshot before speaking. "China. How are you? What could be possibly be so urgent?"

"You'll forgive me if I skip the small talk," China responded with a worrying note in her tone that Skulduggery couldn't quite place, "but I've just been paid a visit by Guild, who had something very interesting to say."

"Hm. I'll bet he did." Skulduggery's mind was already racing through possible scenarios and possible responses to each one. No one could possibly suspect the truth yet, but that didn't mean China in particular wouldn't get worryingly close.

"That man you had with you before," she continued. "He's American?"

Good. That question was predictable. "He was born there, yes," Skulduggery answered. "He's been in Ireland long enough to-"

"When were you going to tell me that you're dating an actor? And a handsome actor, too. Skulduggery, I'm offended. I would have congratulated you. Will there be a happy announcement by the end of the week?"

Skulduggery's mind stopped.

"I'll admit," he eventually said, very slowly and carefully, "of all the things I thought you were going to say, that... was nowhere on the list."

[impudentsongbird]

The grandiose setting didn't make Gabe uncomfortable, no. It wasn't exactly to his taste, but it more than sufficed as far as accommodation went. The best part about the size was that, if he needed to assume his true form for any reason--for Kenspeckle to examine his wings--there would be enough room to do so here, rather than taking the risk of returning to the cinema.

"Me as well, to be honest," the Archangel agreed with Ghastly, shoving the brim of his hat back and glancing around a little wistfully. He could have done with something more home-like. With a glance at Skul, Gabe responded, "Well, not strictly, I suppose. But it would make things more secure. I could leave some basic wards where the entrance is now, as a diversion and to pretend it's still there. Otherwise the scope of my wards might be as telling as the change in the door's location."

An argument for another time, it seemed; Gabriel smiled at Ghastly as he returned to them, noting the furrow in his brow.

"Nothing troublesome, I hope?" he asked, and glanced around the room again, his gaze flickering from here to there as he marked the invisible sigils maintaining the room's opulence. "It'd be a pity to have to leave just as soon as we got here."

[skeletonenigma]

"I don't think so." Ghastly glanced back over his shoulder at Skulduggery, but it was impossible to tell what the call was about; Skulduggery was so naturally still that Ghastly didn't notice when the skeleton grew stiff with surprise. "She sounded..." What? Amused? Happy? Maybe a slight hint of delight? It was the same sort of tone she used whenever she was having fun at someone else's expense. Certainly not worried, or like she was trying to cut her losses. And if she'd somehow discovered who Gabe really was, Ghastly didn't think she would have bothered with a phone call. "I don't think there's anything to worry about," he finished.

"The Baron really didn't skimp, did he?" Tanith's expression hadn't changed, and she was the first one to venture out to the edges of the hall. "I was worried it would be some underground shack."

"Magic is amazing," Valkyrie decided - as if she hadn't already come to that conclusion thousands of times. Ghastly had to admit, it was certainly making their lives easier at the moment.

"I wonder if I can still Teleport in here," Fletcher wondered aloud. He vanished, and then reappeared a few feet to his left several seconds later. "Yep," he beamed. "Easy."

"How long are we staying here?" Tanith asked as she circled back around to them. "And how cut off are we going to be? Are we allowed to contact family? Valkyrie still has school."

"I have the reflection for that," Valkyrie reminded her. She hesitated. "But I kind of do want to go home soon. I should probably get some actual sleep, for one thing."

Ghastly nodded. Quite apart from Valkyrie not getting nearly enough sleep these past few months, he was sure she would want the chance to be with her parents when she wasn't trying to hide a world of grief from them. "We're staying however long it takes for Gabriel to heal enough to get home. And after that..." Ghastly shrugged. "I'm sure Skulduggery already has a plan for dealing with Guild."