It was interesting, being able to see what China was thinking so clearly. There was definitely panic in her smile, and it definitely intensified after Gabe's comment. It was a panic she wouldn't normally have let herself feel, let alone shown to the world, and it was remarkably refreshing dealing with her when she didn't try to hide behind her magic anymore. Couldn't try to hide behind her magic anymore. Skulduggery wouldn't go so far as to say he was glad China had befallen such a fate, but... every cloud had a silver lining, as they say. This just happened to be a very silver cloud.
"Why would you want Remus Crux dead?" Skulduggery asked. "He was annoying and an incompetent fool, but those aren't reasons to kill anyone over. Not for you." His head tilted thoughtfully to the side. "You either thought he was dead already this past year, or not enough of a threat to concern yourself over. Now, suddenly, there's an Archangel. Suddenly something matters. Suddenly, you're panicking. For some reason, I very much doubt it was because he attacked Valkyrie. What changed, China?"
She didn't answer. But she didn't try to deny any of it. An edge of hopelessness crept into her eyes, which fascinated Skulduggery. Hopelessness at what? That they weren't going to let her kill Crux? Or something else? Something that honestly hadn't occurred to her before, perhaps. "Are you suddenly terrified of being damned? Is that all?" Skulduggery's eyes narrowed. "But then why kill?"
"Stop. Please."
There was a pleading edge to her tone. Skulduggery couldn't help stopping in his tracks if he wanted to. China? Pleading?
"He's not quite as incompetent as you think." Without her magic enveloping her and subtly changing Skulduggery's perception of her, China quite suddenly looked fragile. Barely held together, on the verge of collapse. Allowing a small stream of her secret through the crack in the hopes that the dam wouldn't break. "He discovered something about me last year that... would kill me, if it was ever spoken out loud. With Crux's mind in the state it is, I can't trust he won't say it out loud sometime very soon. I just need to make sure that doesn't happen."
There was an element of truth to the words, but at the same time, China was holding something back. Her face was so easily readable right now that Skulduggery could tell even more; apprehension. Trepidation. Pleading him to trust her, just for a bit.
It made a certain kind of sense, but a few things still didn't add up. Like why she'd waited until after Skulduggery came back, until after meeting an Archangel. As well as what about meeting Gabe and, apparently, seeing God, made her need to kill Crux so badly that she panicked. And as long as things didn't add up, Skulduggery couldn't even begin to trust her.
"If that's all there is," he said, "why didn't you tell us at the safe house? Why did you try to hide it?"
China laughed, and it was a bitter laugh so unlike her that Skulduggery almost flinched. "You think I should have explained I needed to kill someone in front of him?" She jerked her head towards Gabe, still refusing to meet the Archangel's gaze. "I thought people tended to be damned for murder. Forgive me for trying to be subtle."
"Panic isn't subtle." Skulduggery straightened up. "And being damned isn't quite that cut-and-dry, apparently. If we just rendered Crux unable to speak, would that be enough?"
The way China's lips tightened answered the question for her. Skulduggery could really get used to how readable her expression was becoming. "Why not? I know about magic that can tie itself to the words someone speaks, but the words they write? Sign language? Possible, but rare. No. Whatever the secret is, China, there are specific people you don't want to know. Tell me who they are, at least."
"I know I'm not worthy of your trust right now, Skulduggery, but please. Please, just this once, trust me that if Crux doesn't die soon, I will."
The others were looking to Skulduggery for what to do. Skulduggery, to be perfectly honest, wasn't quite sure. He'd never seen China so openly deperate before. And it didn't help that a small part of him wanted to see Crux dead, too.
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"Why would you want Remus Crux dead?" Skulduggery asked. "He was annoying and an incompetent fool, but those aren't reasons to kill anyone over. Not for you." His head tilted thoughtfully to the side. "You either thought he was dead already this past year, or not enough of a threat to concern yourself over. Now, suddenly, there's an Archangel. Suddenly something matters. Suddenly, you're panicking. For some reason, I very much doubt it was because he attacked Valkyrie. What changed, China?"
She didn't answer. But she didn't try to deny any of it. An edge of hopelessness crept into her eyes, which fascinated Skulduggery. Hopelessness at what? That they weren't going to let her kill Crux? Or something else? Something that honestly hadn't occurred to her before, perhaps. "Are you suddenly terrified of being damned? Is that all?" Skulduggery's eyes narrowed. "But then why kill?"
"Stop. Please."
There was a pleading edge to her tone. Skulduggery couldn't help stopping in his tracks if he wanted to. China? Pleading?
"He's not quite as incompetent as you think." Without her magic enveloping her and subtly changing Skulduggery's perception of her, China quite suddenly looked fragile. Barely held together, on the verge of collapse. Allowing a small stream of her secret through the crack in the hopes that the dam wouldn't break. "He discovered something about me last year that... would kill me, if it was ever spoken out loud. With Crux's mind in the state it is, I can't trust he won't say it out loud sometime very soon. I just need to make sure that doesn't happen."
There was an element of truth to the words, but at the same time, China was holding something back. Her face was so easily readable right now that Skulduggery could tell even more; apprehension. Trepidation. Pleading him to trust her, just for a bit.
It made a certain kind of sense, but a few things still didn't add up. Like why she'd waited until after Skulduggery came back, until after meeting an Archangel. As well as what about meeting Gabe and, apparently, seeing God, made her need to kill Crux so badly that she panicked. And as long as things didn't add up, Skulduggery couldn't even begin to trust her.
"If that's all there is," he said, "why didn't you tell us at the safe house? Why did you try to hide it?"
China laughed, and it was a bitter laugh so unlike her that Skulduggery almost flinched. "You think I should have explained I needed to kill someone in front of him?" She jerked her head towards Gabe, still refusing to meet the Archangel's gaze. "I thought people tended to be damned for murder. Forgive me for trying to be subtle."
"Panic isn't subtle." Skulduggery straightened up. "And being damned isn't quite that cut-and-dry, apparently. If we just rendered Crux unable to speak, would that be enough?"
The way China's lips tightened answered the question for her. Skulduggery could really get used to how readable her expression was becoming. "Why not? I know about magic that can tie itself to the words someone speaks, but the words they write? Sign language? Possible, but rare. No. Whatever the secret is, China, there are specific people you don't want to know. Tell me who they are, at least."
"I know I'm not worthy of your trust right now, Skulduggery, but please. Please, just this once, trust me that if Crux doesn't die soon, I will."
The others were looking to Skulduggery for what to do. Skulduggery, to be perfectly honest, wasn't quite sure. He'd never seen China so openly deperate before. And it didn't help that a small part of him wanted to see Crux dead, too.