"Sanity, check." Skulduggery's head tilted to the side. "I assume you keep that in one of your hidden compartments, but I'll check under the bed regardless. Do try not to tell anyone you're a sorcerer while we're gone."
Not that he could, even if he wanted to. Solomon had no way to prove it anymore. Skulduggery hesitated a moment as the full gravity of the situation hit him - not quite for the first time, but certainly for the first time while he was in the midst of a conversation with someone else.
Solomon had no magic now. He wasn't ambidextrous. Without his Necromancy, he wouldn't be a sorcerer anymore. He'd age faster. The weight of the years already behind him would have an effect, as well, not to mention the backlash of giving up such addictive magic. A painful backlash Skulduggery himself had experienced, but he hadn't had a physical body at the time. And he'd had Elemental magic at the end of it.
Solomon would have nothing.
After a thoughtful moment, Skulduggery nodded. "It's a good thing you know better, then, isn't it?"
Tanith opened the door and stepped in before the conversation could continue. "Guys? Nurses coming. This is kind of the last place we want a living skeleton to be."
Skulduggery had actually been locked up by mortal doctors before. He might have said that, but this was not the time or the place to get into an amusing story. Instead, he gave Solomon one last nod and followed Valkyrie out of the room.
"Sixteen thirty-four," he heard the teenager say as they all ducked around the corner. "He said sixteen thirty-four. Is that when you guys met?"
"It is."
"How? What was going on? How did he - "
"Valkyrie," Skulduggery cut her off firmly. "Not that I don't appreciate your growing detective's instinct, but we'd all be much better-served right now if you called Fletcher and asked him to meet us out the front of the hospital."
Valkyrie turned around to glare at him. "Promise to tell me later?"
"Yes," he answered. "Anything you want to know."
That included questions about Vile. And Valkyrie understood that, if the way her face quickly grew grim before she nodded was any indication.
Two nurses bustled quickly towards Solomon's room, buffeting the air around them as turbulently as a wave crashing on the beach. Skulduggery held up his hand; they waited until both nurses had disappeared into the ward before hurrying past into the waiting room.
Valkyrie did her best to hide that she was on her mobile from anyone they passed, but no one stopped to ask if they should be there. Most of the attention of passersby was firmly and curiously on Skulduggery, which meant all was right with the world. They managed to get out of the hospital without attracting any of the wrong kind of attention, where Fletcher - true to his word - was waiting.
"Where's Solomon?" he asked.
"He had a panic attack," Valkyrie said curtly. "We're coming back for him."
"Would you mind taking us to where Solomon lives?" Skulduggery asked Fletcher. "We have some things to pick up."
"Sure." Fletcher didn't ask any questions, barely even looked surprised. He held out his hands, and then Teleported them all to the back of an apartment building shrouded in shadow.
~~
Skulduggery had never been to Solomon's apartment before. To be quite honest, he'd never even known where the man lived. It wasn't the brightest or cleanest of places, but it certainly wasn't run down, either. Fit for a sorcerer of Solomon's caliber - livable and even somewhat pleasant, without drawing any unnecessary attention.
The building was guarded by a Necromancer Skulduggery didn't recognise, but she was easy enough to slip by. Like most Necromancers who'd never left the Temple before, she was inexperienced in anything not involving magic. She watched the front door like a hawk, never even once realising that there might be other ways in.
Tanith ran up the side of the back of the building, Fletcher Teleported up, and Skulduggery and Valkyrie propelled themselves gently up to Solomon's rear window on the air. And Valkyrie didn't waste a moment; the instant they were inside and couldn't be overheard, she began bombarding Skulduggery with questions about how he and Solomon had met.
Trying not to think about that teddy bear, Skulduggery knew. Or what it signified. Again, he couldn't blame her.
While Skulduggery answered most of those questions and Tanith went to go find Solomon's bedroom and wardrobe, Skulduggery surveyed the living room. He didn't need to ask Valkyrie questions of his own to understand what had happened, particularly since he knew Craven was the one who attacked. Valkyrie was probably already here, waiting. She and Solomon had both been by the coffee table when Craven came in through the front door. Solomon went for his gun; Valkyrie would have defended him, with either Elemental attacks or her shadows. Probably not shadows, come to think of it. The fact that she wasn't wearing her Necromancer ring hadn't been lost on Skulduggery.
What interested him the most about this fight was that most of the blood on the wall by the door had to have been Craven's. Solomon managed to get a shot in, before or probably after his leg had been speared. Craven was injured. Shot. Likely walking around with a bullet in his shoulder.
Good.
"Just like that?" Valkyrie was asking. "His whole family was killed? How could they get away with that?"
"Very different times, Valkyrie," Skulduggery reminded her. Very different times, indeed. Times when no one would ever have suspected a charming young black-haired woman they'd just met of being a sorcerer in disguise - or, rather, a male sorcerer in disguise. Skulduggery chuckled at the memory. "He helped me on some of my adventures before war broke out. Unofficial investigations, I suppose you'd call them. I was able to get him to do a lot back then that I suspect he wouldn't do for a bag of gold these days."
"You're the reason he doesn't live in the Temple?" Tanith asked as she arrived back in the living room with a fresh suit under one arm.
"I may have influenced that decision. I never asked."
"I don't get it," Fletcher said. "If you guys were such good friends, what happened?"
"Necromancy. He wouldn't leave the Temple, you see. That strained things. We'd already grown apart, and then he tried to teach my daughter Necromancy. That was the last of it. Fletcher, back to the safehouse please. Professor Grouse is probably awake by now."
He ignored the startled look on Valkyrie's face, and after a moment, Fletcher followed his lead. Seconds later, they were back in their base living room, somewhere off to the far east of the underground labyrinth that made up the safe house.
Professor Grouse wasn't on the couch Fletcher had left him on.
no subject
Not that he could, even if he wanted to. Solomon had no way to prove it anymore. Skulduggery hesitated a moment as the full gravity of the situation hit him - not quite for the first time, but certainly for the first time while he was in the midst of a conversation with someone else.
Solomon had no magic now. He wasn't ambidextrous. Without his Necromancy, he wouldn't be a sorcerer anymore. He'd age faster. The weight of the years already behind him would have an effect, as well, not to mention the backlash of giving up such addictive magic. A painful backlash Skulduggery himself had experienced, but he hadn't had a physical body at the time. And he'd had Elemental magic at the end of it.
Solomon would have nothing.
After a thoughtful moment, Skulduggery nodded. "It's a good thing you know better, then, isn't it?"
Tanith opened the door and stepped in before the conversation could continue. "Guys? Nurses coming. This is kind of the last place we want a living skeleton to be."
Skulduggery had actually been locked up by mortal doctors before. He might have said that, but this was not the time or the place to get into an amusing story. Instead, he gave Solomon one last nod and followed Valkyrie out of the room.
"Sixteen thirty-four," he heard the teenager say as they all ducked around the corner. "He said sixteen thirty-four. Is that when you guys met?"
"It is."
"How? What was going on? How did he - "
"Valkyrie," Skulduggery cut her off firmly. "Not that I don't appreciate your growing detective's instinct, but we'd all be much better-served right now if you called Fletcher and asked him to meet us out the front of the hospital."
Valkyrie turned around to glare at him. "Promise to tell me later?"
"Yes," he answered. "Anything you want to know."
That included questions about Vile. And Valkyrie understood that, if the way her face quickly grew grim before she nodded was any indication.
Two nurses bustled quickly towards Solomon's room, buffeting the air around them as turbulently as a wave crashing on the beach. Skulduggery held up his hand; they waited until both nurses had disappeared into the ward before hurrying past into the waiting room.
Valkyrie did her best to hide that she was on her mobile from anyone they passed, but no one stopped to ask if they should be there. Most of the attention of passersby was firmly and curiously on Skulduggery, which meant all was right with the world. They managed to get out of the hospital without attracting any of the wrong kind of attention, where Fletcher - true to his word - was waiting.
"Where's Solomon?" he asked.
"He had a panic attack," Valkyrie said curtly. "We're coming back for him."
"Would you mind taking us to where Solomon lives?" Skulduggery asked Fletcher. "We have some things to pick up."
"Sure." Fletcher didn't ask any questions, barely even looked surprised. He held out his hands, and then Teleported them all to the back of an apartment building shrouded in shadow.
~~
Skulduggery had never been to Solomon's apartment before. To be quite honest, he'd never even known where the man lived. It wasn't the brightest or cleanest of places, but it certainly wasn't run down, either. Fit for a sorcerer of Solomon's caliber - livable and even somewhat pleasant, without drawing any unnecessary attention.
The building was guarded by a Necromancer Skulduggery didn't recognise, but she was easy enough to slip by. Like most Necromancers who'd never left the Temple before, she was inexperienced in anything not involving magic. She watched the front door like a hawk, never even once realising that there might be other ways in.
Tanith ran up the side of the back of the building, Fletcher Teleported up, and Skulduggery and Valkyrie propelled themselves gently up to Solomon's rear window on the air. And Valkyrie didn't waste a moment; the instant they were inside and couldn't be overheard, she began bombarding Skulduggery with questions about how he and Solomon had met.
Trying not to think about that teddy bear, Skulduggery knew. Or what it signified. Again, he couldn't blame her.
While Skulduggery answered most of those questions and Tanith went to go find Solomon's bedroom and wardrobe, Skulduggery surveyed the living room. He didn't need to ask Valkyrie questions of his own to understand what had happened, particularly since he knew Craven was the one who attacked. Valkyrie was probably already here, waiting. She and Solomon had both been by the coffee table when Craven came in through the front door. Solomon went for his gun; Valkyrie would have defended him, with either Elemental attacks or her shadows. Probably not shadows, come to think of it. The fact that she wasn't wearing her Necromancer ring hadn't been lost on Skulduggery.
What interested him the most about this fight was that most of the blood on the wall by the door had to have been Craven's. Solomon managed to get a shot in, before or probably after his leg had been speared. Craven was injured. Shot. Likely walking around with a bullet in his shoulder.
Good.
"Just like that?" Valkyrie was asking. "His whole family was killed? How could they get away with that?"
"Very different times, Valkyrie," Skulduggery reminded her. Very different times, indeed. Times when no one would ever have suspected a charming young black-haired woman they'd just met of being a sorcerer in disguise - or, rather, a male sorcerer in disguise. Skulduggery chuckled at the memory. "He helped me on some of my adventures before war broke out. Unofficial investigations, I suppose you'd call them. I was able to get him to do a lot back then that I suspect he wouldn't do for a bag of gold these days."
"You're the reason he doesn't live in the Temple?" Tanith asked as she arrived back in the living room with a fresh suit under one arm.
"I may have influenced that decision. I never asked."
"I don't get it," Fletcher said. "If you guys were such good friends, what happened?"
"Necromancy. He wouldn't leave the Temple, you see. That strained things. We'd already grown apart, and then he tried to teach my daughter Necromancy. That was the last of it. Fletcher, back to the safehouse please. Professor Grouse is probably awake by now."
He ignored the startled look on Valkyrie's face, and after a moment, Fletcher followed his lead. Seconds later, they were back in their base living room, somewhere off to the far east of the underground labyrinth that made up the safe house.
Professor Grouse wasn't on the couch Fletcher had left him on.