Skulduggery hesitated, turning back into the alley. "I can't," he answered, acutely aware that any hallucination of his would have known that. "I tried, back near the beginning." The detective inwardly winced at the memory of that first attempt, and the pain he'd stupidly brought down on himself. "I think it's possible. Given a few more months here, I might have learned how to do it."
Pressure popped in ears Skulduggery didn't have, and for a moment the world spun away from him. He angrily reached out and pulled it back, using a technique he'd learned for sharpening his thoughts by using the ever-present anger within him, saving himsef from becoming completely useless. The instant he could think again, a shockwave crashed through the alley, breaking down surrounding walls and forcing Skulduggery back a couple of steps. A few moments of trying to pick apart the forceful air currents, and he realized as suddenly as the Faceless One was gone that the rush of wind hadn't originated from it; it had originated from Gabe.
Skulduggery had never hallucinated a Faceless One before. And he was fairly certain he wouldn't have gotten the physical effects down so accurately. But that meant...
At Gabe's cry, Skulduggery spun his palms, pushed the air down, and propelled himself up onto the nearby rooftop, hoping to catch a glimpse of anything coming from any direction. A group of five flyers were approaching from the mountain, their massive wings beating down gusts of wind and disturbing everything below them. A stream of Faceless Ones, no direction perfectly clear, and - another flyer directly behind him.
With his energy somehow renewed, Skulduggery spun around and launched a fireball right at the beast's head. It screeched and grounded to a halt mid-flight, throwing its rider off and spinwheeling away from the flames.
The rider had fallen onto the rooftop, dazed. Wishing for the first time in far too long that he still had his gun, Skulduggery chanced a quick look down into the alley to search for Gabe.
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Pressure popped in ears Skulduggery didn't have, and for a moment the world spun away from him. He angrily reached out and pulled it back, using a technique he'd learned for sharpening his thoughts by using the ever-present anger within him, saving himsef from becoming completely useless. The instant he could think again, a shockwave crashed through the alley, breaking down surrounding walls and forcing Skulduggery back a couple of steps. A few moments of trying to pick apart the forceful air currents, and he realized as suddenly as the Faceless One was gone that the rush of wind hadn't originated from it; it had originated from Gabe.
Skulduggery had never hallucinated a Faceless One before. And he was fairly certain he wouldn't have gotten the physical effects down so accurately. But that meant...
At Gabe's cry, Skulduggery spun his palms, pushed the air down, and propelled himself up onto the nearby rooftop, hoping to catch a glimpse of anything coming from any direction. A group of five flyers were approaching from the mountain, their massive wings beating down gusts of wind and disturbing everything below them. A stream of Faceless Ones, no direction perfectly clear, and - another flyer directly behind him.
With his energy somehow renewed, Skulduggery spun around and launched a fireball right at the beast's head. It screeched and grounded to a halt mid-flight, throwing its rider off and spinwheeling away from the flames.
The rider had fallen onto the rooftop, dazed. Wishing for the first time in far too long that he still had his gun, Skulduggery chanced a quick look down into the alley to search for Gabe.