Corrival wasn't the only one trying to hide his relief at a glimpse of Skulduggery's old self. Ghastly carefully avoided meeting anyone's eyes as they continued on, and while he wasn't exactly looking forward to the inevitable discussion, he no longer dreaded it. Doubly so because Skulduggery acknowledged that he was ready to keep going, but he didn't mention the church or try to step lightly around the idea of talking.
It meant that the detective was just as apprehensive about any discussion as they were. That was the clinching proof Ghastly needed. Proof that Skulduggery now and Lord Vile then were different enough as to be completely different people, possible Faceless-One-induced insanity aside.
The elevator's wire, it turned out, wasn't cut. That was something they all discovered when they reached the second storey, only to meet Dusk and Springheeled Jack stepping between the opening elevator doors. A manic grin on the face of the latter and composed, yet simmering hatred on that of the former.
Dusk, Ghastly knew, would be after Valkyrie. And judging by the way she involuntarily stiffened next to him, she knew that too.
"Valkyrie, Fletcher," Skulduggery said quietly. "You two come with me."
Dusk raised his head and stepped forward, but Ghastly and Tanith both moved to barr his way. He stopped short, and a low growl rumbled deep in his throat. Getting in between a vampire and his obsession was not something Ghastly usually tried to do, but the alternative here was something he didn't even consider.
Skulduggery moved off towards the terrace Gabriel told them about. Fletcher followed after him, as well as Valkyrie a few uncertain seconds later. Good. The decision made sense on multiple levels, up to and including that Valkyrie and Fletcher were still only kids. Experienced fighters though they may be, the odds were already stacked in favour of the good guys for this fight. And Fletcher was their last hope at getting rid of the Engine, if all else failed.
The cement floor of the hallway leading out onto the field was not nearly as clean as it looked when you had a close-up view of it. Namely, when you slowly regained painful awareness while collapsed face-down on top of it.
It was not a floor that was cleaned very often.
Bit by bit, how Skulduggery had come to lose consciousness on that cement floor slowly came back to him. Guild. Thurid Guild must have somehow overheard them when Gabe announced where Scarab was, gone ahead, and fallen neatly into the trap Scarab set. He'd been about to walk out, too, and set off the Engine in order to save his family, before Skulduggery intercepted him.
The problem was, Guild had one of Scarab's old weapons. It was small, easily concealed in the palm of the hand, and released enough energy to cause several heart attacks when it was pressed onto someone's skin. Instant death. Skulduggery hadn't expected it, but predictably, it didn't kill him. Knocked him out for far too long, somehow, but if a dynamite explosion didn't kill Skulduggery back during the war, he knew something like this wouldn't either.
Fletcher was gone. And since the Stadium was still standing, the crowd still cheering, and Guild was also gone, it was fair to conclude Fletcher managed to Teleport them both away just in time. The boy was a surprisingly strong Teleporter, so Skulduggery had plenty of faith that neither Fletcher nor Guild would get caught in the blast.
Less easy to understand was where Valkyrie had gone. Skulduggery pulled himself carefully to his feet, and by the time he could stand under his own power again, he remembered that Guild's wife and daughter were being held somewhere outside the Stadium by Sanguine. Valkyrie would probably have gone back to Scarab to find out where.
... Which, all things considered, was a horrifically bad idea.
Skulduggery made sure his disguise was properly back in place, then hurried up the stairs to the second storey. With any luck, he might run into the others on the way. With any proper luck, they'd have run into Valkyrie first and stopped her from doing anything she wasn't fully capable of yet.
no subject
It meant that the detective was just as apprehensive about any discussion as they were. That was the clinching proof Ghastly needed. Proof that Skulduggery now and Lord Vile then were different enough as to be completely different people, possible Faceless-One-induced insanity aside.
The elevator's wire, it turned out, wasn't cut. That was something they all discovered when they reached the second storey, only to meet Dusk and Springheeled Jack stepping between the opening elevator doors. A manic grin on the face of the latter and composed, yet simmering hatred on that of the former.
Dusk, Ghastly knew, would be after Valkyrie. And judging by the way she involuntarily stiffened next to him, she knew that too.
"Valkyrie, Fletcher," Skulduggery said quietly. "You two come with me."
Dusk raised his head and stepped forward, but Ghastly and Tanith both moved to barr his way. He stopped short, and a low growl rumbled deep in his throat. Getting in between a vampire and his obsession was not something Ghastly usually tried to do, but the alternative here was something he didn't even consider.
Skulduggery moved off towards the terrace Gabriel told them about. Fletcher followed after him, as well as Valkyrie a few uncertain seconds later. Good. The decision made sense on multiple levels, up to and including that Valkyrie and Fletcher were still only kids. Experienced fighters though they may be, the odds were already stacked in favour of the good guys for this fight. And Fletcher was their last hope at getting rid of the Engine, if all else failed.
The cement floor of the hallway leading out onto the field was not nearly as clean as it looked when you had a close-up view of it. Namely, when you slowly regained painful awareness while collapsed face-down on top of it.
It was not a floor that was cleaned very often.
Bit by bit, how Skulduggery had come to lose consciousness on that cement floor slowly came back to him. Guild. Thurid Guild must have somehow overheard them when Gabe announced where Scarab was, gone ahead, and fallen neatly into the trap Scarab set. He'd been about to walk out, too, and set off the Engine in order to save his family, before Skulduggery intercepted him.
The problem was, Guild had one of Scarab's old weapons. It was small, easily concealed in the palm of the hand, and released enough energy to cause several heart attacks when it was pressed onto someone's skin. Instant death. Skulduggery hadn't expected it, but predictably, it didn't kill him. Knocked him out for far too long, somehow, but if a dynamite explosion didn't kill Skulduggery back during the war, he knew something like this wouldn't either.
Fletcher was gone. And since the Stadium was still standing, the crowd still cheering, and Guild was also gone, it was fair to conclude Fletcher managed to Teleport them both away just in time. The boy was a surprisingly strong Teleporter, so Skulduggery had plenty of faith that neither Fletcher nor Guild would get caught in the blast.
Less easy to understand was where Valkyrie had gone. Skulduggery pulled himself carefully to his feet, and by the time he could stand under his own power again, he remembered that Guild's wife and daughter were being held somewhere outside the Stadium by Sanguine. Valkyrie would probably have gone back to Scarab to find out where.
... Which, all things considered, was a horrifically bad idea.
Skulduggery made sure his disguise was properly back in place, then hurried up the stairs to the second storey. With any luck, he might run into the others on the way. With any proper luck, they'd have run into Valkyrie first and stopped her from doing anything she wasn't fully capable of yet.