Ghastly frowned. "Meritorious was," he answered Gabe softly and with a thread of disbelief. "Our former Grand Mage. Eachan Meritorious. But he wouldn't have. Vanguard was a pacifist. He was trying to end the war peacefully. Meritorious wouldn't have had a reason to frame anyone for - "
But even as Ghastly outwardly tried to wrap his mind around it, he already knew the answer to his own question.
Mevolent had been a real and dangerous threat. There was no peaceful end to the war. Ghastly himself had been one of the people to try and convince Vanguard of that. But enough soldiers on both sides had started to listen to the man's inspirational speeches, and... Meritorious would have been just as worried about that as Mevolent had been.
Damn it. It stood to reason. That didn't mean Ghastly had to like it, and... and it didn't mean anyone else should, either, he realised with a startled look towards Skulduggery.
His friend had suspected from the beginning, but didn't say anything. Why? Possibly because it was their only reason to lock Scarab up. Possibly because, on some level, the detective agreed with Meritorious's decision. Either way, it reminded Ghastly with a jolt of just how much Skulduggery had changed during and after the war. Everyone had difficult choices to make during wartime, but Skulduggery had occasionally been frightening eager to make them.
"Guild," Skulduggery explained to the others, seemingly oblivious to Ghastly's shock, "was the head of a secret group during the war called the Exigency Programme. It was the dirty side of politics. Sabotage. Dirty tricks. Assassination. He tried to recruit me and Ghastly at one point. If we're correct, he - or one of his men - would have been the one to assassinate Vanguard, cover his tracks, and frame Scarab. Which would give Scarab a very good reason to be upset, unfortunately."
"He's about to use a bomb to kill tons of people," Tanith pointed out indignantly. "I'm not really all that sympathetic right now."
"Nor should you be. But context is always helpful. Knowing a person's motivations can go a long way to predicting what they're likely to do."
"What's Scarab likely to do?" Valkyrie asked. "If he's an assassin, setting off a bomb doesn't feel right. It's not subtle enough."
Skulduggery nodded. "Precisely. And that is where we need more information. Of course, if we could find Dusk or Sanguine, that would be helpful. Barring that, I do still have a few unsavory sources I could tap."
Ah. Dusk. Vampires tended to run in packs, didn't they? Ghastly was about to suggest Valkyrie asking Caelan where Dusk might be when he remembered Skulduggery didn't know about the vampire's help yet. That... wouldn't go over too well. Best case scenario, there would be one more dead vampire in the world, and that was if Skulduggery felt like granting Caelan a quick death. Ghastly glanced at Valkyrie, who appeared to be having the same idea, judging by her expression. She caught Ghastly's look, and then stared guiltily down at the ground.
Skulduggery, unfortunately, was much too observant for his own good. He looked between the two of them, fake brow slightly furrowed. "If we have one or the other already, I would very much like to know about it."
~~
"I aim to please," China smiled. "Please do feel free to look around before you leave. I might have something you'll find useful."
She didn't really expect him to, but it wasn't an offer China ever skipped if she could help it. Her library was a point of pride, and you never knew when word of mouth would bring her a new client.
A three-hour drive to the safe house would be in order, but not just yet. China needed to prepare a few things first. Manipulating someone with their given name was so simple, she could have done it in her sleep. Controlling someone with their true name was a little more complicated, and really depended on the person. A weak-minded individual, China could control with barely a little effort right on the spot. For someone like Skulduggery, she suspected she would need time and distance - if she knew the name, and if she had the inclination. Really, though, she probably wouldn't even bother when it came to the skeleton detective. An intellect like Skulduggery's couldn't be replicated.
For someone powerful enough to be called an angel, China wanted proximity, and she wanted new symbols on her skin to help her focus the considerable amount of magic it would take. The attempt would likely come down to a battle of wits and a knowledge of the language of magic, and China's confidence in her abilities outweighed any... trepidation that she might have been feeling.
no subject
Ghastly frowned. "Meritorious was," he answered Gabe softly and with a thread of disbelief. "Our former Grand Mage. Eachan Meritorious. But he wouldn't have. Vanguard was a pacifist. He was trying to end the war peacefully. Meritorious wouldn't have had a reason to frame anyone for - "
But even as Ghastly outwardly tried to wrap his mind around it, he already knew the answer to his own question.
Mevolent had been a real and dangerous threat. There was no peaceful end to the war. Ghastly himself had been one of the people to try and convince Vanguard of that. But enough soldiers on both sides had started to listen to the man's inspirational speeches, and... Meritorious would have been just as worried about that as Mevolent had been.
Damn it. It stood to reason. That didn't mean Ghastly had to like it, and... and it didn't mean anyone else should, either, he realised with a startled look towards Skulduggery.
His friend had suspected from the beginning, but didn't say anything. Why? Possibly because it was their only reason to lock Scarab up. Possibly because, on some level, the detective agreed with Meritorious's decision. Either way, it reminded Ghastly with a jolt of just how much Skulduggery had changed during and after the war. Everyone had difficult choices to make during wartime, but Skulduggery had occasionally been frightening eager to make them.
"Guild," Skulduggery explained to the others, seemingly oblivious to Ghastly's shock, "was the head of a secret group during the war called the Exigency Programme. It was the dirty side of politics. Sabotage. Dirty tricks. Assassination. He tried to recruit me and Ghastly at one point. If we're correct, he - or one of his men - would have been the one to assassinate Vanguard, cover his tracks, and frame Scarab. Which would give Scarab a very good reason to be upset, unfortunately."
"He's about to use a bomb to kill tons of people," Tanith pointed out indignantly. "I'm not really all that sympathetic right now."
"Nor should you be. But context is always helpful. Knowing a person's motivations can go a long way to predicting what they're likely to do."
"What's Scarab likely to do?" Valkyrie asked. "If he's an assassin, setting off a bomb doesn't feel right. It's not subtle enough."
Skulduggery nodded. "Precisely. And that is where we need more information. Of course, if we could find Dusk or Sanguine, that would be helpful. Barring that, I do still have a few unsavory sources I could tap."
Ah. Dusk. Vampires tended to run in packs, didn't they? Ghastly was about to suggest Valkyrie asking Caelan where Dusk might be when he remembered Skulduggery didn't know about the vampire's help yet. That... wouldn't go over too well. Best case scenario, there would be one more dead vampire in the world, and that was if Skulduggery felt like granting Caelan a quick death. Ghastly glanced at Valkyrie, who appeared to be having the same idea, judging by her expression. She caught Ghastly's look, and then stared guiltily down at the ground.
Skulduggery, unfortunately, was much too observant for his own good. He looked between the two of them, fake brow slightly furrowed. "If we have one or the other already, I would very much like to know about it."
~~
"I aim to please," China smiled. "Please do feel free to look around before you leave. I might have something you'll find useful."
She didn't really expect him to, but it wasn't an offer China ever skipped if she could help it. Her library was a point of pride, and you never knew when word of mouth would bring her a new client.
A three-hour drive to the safe house would be in order, but not just yet. China needed to prepare a few things first. Manipulating someone with their given name was so simple, she could have done it in her sleep. Controlling someone with their true name was a little more complicated, and really depended on the person. A weak-minded individual, China could control with barely a little effort right on the spot. For someone like Skulduggery, she suspected she would need time and distance - if she knew the name, and if she had the inclination. Really, though, she probably wouldn't even bother when it came to the skeleton detective. An intellect like Skulduggery's couldn't be replicated.
For someone powerful enough to be called an angel, China wanted proximity, and she wanted new symbols on her skin to help her focus the considerable amount of magic it would take. The attempt would likely come down to a battle of wits and a knowledge of the language of magic, and China's confidence in her abilities outweighed any... trepidation that she might have been feeling.