Risks were all well and good; Skulduggery had taken enough of them in his lifetime. He'd even taken a couple that he freely admitted were perhaps a little reckless, even if everything worked out in the end. You had to take risks when you were a detective, or you'd never get anything done. And when you knew exactly how good you were, most risks became a debatable issue, anyway. Skulduggery wasn't above the occasional unlawful act, for example, if it would catch a murderer.

But there was a point when the risks heavily outweighed the potential benefits. When the benefits were too small to be of any real significance, and even that benefit came with a risk. Not to mention Skulduggery didn't deserve any better than what he'd been getting over in that other dimension. An eternity of it would have been fair and just punishment.

It was surprisingly difficult to tell all of this to the Archangel, though. And it wasn't just because of the fact that Gabe was an Archangel - it was difficult because... well. Because Skulduggery was touched by Gabriel's faith in him. Touched, and on some level, grateful.

So he didn't try; just met Gabe's gaze for a few moments, and then looked away. There were more important matters to attend to.

"You said Lucifer was bound to Earth," he said, "and he wouldn't be able to reach the doorway you used. But - and correct me if I'm wrong - Merlin isn't an angel. So what did he and Raphael use? And while we're on the subject, Merlin?"