It was no more than Skulduggery had been expecting. In fact, it was less. He would never have believed Ghastly might be able to stop himself after a single blow. He'd been prepared for more. Honestly, he'd been prepared to lose two or three limbs, break a few ribs, crack several others. And he wouldn't have fought back, no matter how terrible or blinding the pain became.
Even so, the considerable pain he was currently feeling wracked freely around his skull and the top part of his spine, jabbing angrily at his consciousness like the shadows from earlier had jabbed at the air. It grew infinitely worse when Skulduggery gingerly tried realigning his jaw, and so he was reduced to trying to hold it in place with one hand while he watched Tanith sprint out of the church after Ghastly.
It wouldn't work, but she wouldn't come back. Neither of them would. Skulduggery wouldn't have been surprised if he never saw Ghastly again.
What would Ghastly do now? Tell Guild? Alert the Sanctuaries around the world? It would be the responsible thing to do, and Ghastly was a responsible man. But he was also an honourable one, and he disliked having to deal with the Sanctuaries - and Guild - any more than he really needed to. Perhaps he wouldn't do that. But if not a blanket warning, then... what? Would he tell the rest of the Dead Men?
Skulduggery honestly did not know what to expect. He hadn't thought past this point. He hadn't thought there would ever be a 'past this point' - either Ghastly would never find out, or he would incapacitate Skulduggery into something close to death, and there would be no use in wondering.
As Gabe's wings drew closer into him and folded back into his human form, Skulduggery found himself fiercely grateful that the Archangel wasn't going to leave - for a variety of reasons, including the healing Gabe would badly need, but mainly because Skulduggery had never factored an Archangel into his imaginings of this moment. The presence of someone he trusted was already doing wonders to keep Skulduggery's mind in the fragile balance it currently occupied.
He tried to answer the simple question Gabe posed, but his voice broke off in a short gasp of pain as his jaw tried to open further against the break line. One hand still holding it gently in place, Skulduggery nodded instead and guided Gabe over to where Crux had collapsed in a quivering heap. Prave was nowhere to be seen. Whether or not he'd fled in time to miss the display completely was a mystery Skulduggery would need to solve on another day.
"Fletcher?" he heard Valkyrie ask, the deadpan tone of her own voice striking him more painfully than any amount of anger or hurt would have. "Take me home, please?"
"Sure." Without another word, Fletcher lightly touched Valkyrie's arm, and in the moment before they vanished from sight, Valkyrie's eyes met Skulduggery's gaze. The hurt of betrayal shone in them, tinged with a hint of fear, but Skulduggery didn't let himself look away until she was gone.
That just left China. And Skulduggery couldn't look at her. Not out of shame, or guilt, but out of a real concern that simply looking at her would already bring back enough of the anger to break the balance he was still carefully building back up.
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Even so, the considerable pain he was currently feeling wracked freely around his skull and the top part of his spine, jabbing angrily at his consciousness like the shadows from earlier had jabbed at the air. It grew infinitely worse when Skulduggery gingerly tried realigning his jaw, and so he was reduced to trying to hold it in place with one hand while he watched Tanith sprint out of the church after Ghastly.
It wouldn't work, but she wouldn't come back. Neither of them would. Skulduggery wouldn't have been surprised if he never saw Ghastly again.
What would Ghastly do now? Tell Guild? Alert the Sanctuaries around the world? It would be the responsible thing to do, and Ghastly was a responsible man. But he was also an honourable one, and he disliked having to deal with the Sanctuaries - and Guild - any more than he really needed to. Perhaps he wouldn't do that. But if not a blanket warning, then... what? Would he tell the rest of the Dead Men?
Skulduggery honestly did not know what to expect. He hadn't thought past this point. He hadn't thought there would ever be a 'past this point' - either Ghastly would never find out, or he would incapacitate Skulduggery into something close to death, and there would be no use in wondering.
As Gabe's wings drew closer into him and folded back into his human form, Skulduggery found himself fiercely grateful that the Archangel wasn't going to leave - for a variety of reasons, including the healing Gabe would badly need, but mainly because Skulduggery had never factored an Archangel into his imaginings of this moment. The presence of someone he trusted was already doing wonders to keep Skulduggery's mind in the fragile balance it currently occupied.
He tried to answer the simple question Gabe posed, but his voice broke off in a short gasp of pain as his jaw tried to open further against the break line. One hand still holding it gently in place, Skulduggery nodded instead and guided Gabe over to where Crux had collapsed in a quivering heap. Prave was nowhere to be seen. Whether or not he'd fled in time to miss the display completely was a mystery Skulduggery would need to solve on another day.
"Fletcher?" he heard Valkyrie ask, the deadpan tone of her own voice striking him more painfully than any amount of anger or hurt would have. "Take me home, please?"
"Sure." Without another word, Fletcher lightly touched Valkyrie's arm, and in the moment before they vanished from sight, Valkyrie's eyes met Skulduggery's gaze. The hurt of betrayal shone in them, tinged with a hint of fear, but Skulduggery didn't let himself look away until she was gone.
That just left China. And Skulduggery couldn't look at her. Not out of shame, or guilt, but out of a real concern that simply looking at her would already bring back enough of the anger to break the balance he was still carefully building back up.