Skulduggery was right. It wasn't time for the Faceless Ones, which was why Gabriel hadn't wanted to talk about it. Well, one of the reasons. One of the two big reasons, besides the fact that he hadn't felt ready. But what could he do, when Corrival so obviously knew?
Gabriel felt the turn of shaken guilt in Skulduggery, felt the detective's gaze on him, and looked up to meet it. Far from his taking back the wing, he closed it more securely around Skulduggery's shoulders.
"I remember that night," he said quietly, and this time it was he who didn't look away. His lips quirked. "I remember the next day when you posted to the board to ask that no one attack the friendly skeleton in the halls."
He remembered Skulduggery disbelieving. Remembered him not understanding why Gabe was still there. Why he wanted to help at all. Almost not trusting that he did, except that Gabe had still approached him of his own accord to do so.
"Is there anything you can do to fix it?" Corrival asked. "You can do things with souls, can't you?"
Gabriel hesitated for a moment. It wasn't that the assumption was wrong, or the request was unwanted. In fact, it was related to something Gabriel himself had meant to bring up. It was just how to go about explaining it. "I can," he said, "if Skulduggery were willing to let me view those memories. It's just that that would just put him back to where he was before Landel's."
"But?" Corrival prompted, and Gabriel turned back to Skulduggery.
"There's something else I can do." Other than sending him on entirely. "I knew I could do it before, in the church, but you weren't in any condition for me to ask permission, and it isn't something I'd want to do without it. I can change what's holding your soul to your skeleton, Skul. Instead of being tied here by rage, you'd be tied here by something else. Memories. Good ones--ones you'd want to keep, the ones for which you'd want to stay."
The thing was that it would change the nature of Skulduggery's whole existence. He needed to redeem himself in his own eyes, and the struggle against his fury was what made that possible. To remove that, at any point ... it was something Gabriel would not do. Not until Skulduggery was ready to forgive himself.
"I could do it," he repeated, "but I will do it only when you tell me you're ready to let it go."
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Gabriel felt the turn of shaken guilt in Skulduggery, felt the detective's gaze on him, and looked up to meet it. Far from his taking back the wing, he closed it more securely around Skulduggery's shoulders.
"I remember that night," he said quietly, and this time it was he who didn't look away. His lips quirked. "I remember the next day when you posted to the board to ask that no one attack the friendly skeleton in the halls."
He remembered Skulduggery disbelieving. Remembered him not understanding why Gabe was still there. Why he wanted to help at all. Almost not trusting that he did, except that Gabe had still approached him of his own accord to do so.
"Is there anything you can do to fix it?" Corrival asked. "You can do things with souls, can't you?"
Gabriel hesitated for a moment. It wasn't that the assumption was wrong, or the request was unwanted. In fact, it was related to something Gabriel himself had meant to bring up. It was just how to go about explaining it. "I can," he said, "if Skulduggery were willing to let me view those memories. It's just that that would just put him back to where he was before Landel's."
"But?" Corrival prompted, and Gabriel turned back to Skulduggery.
"There's something else I can do." Other than sending him on entirely. "I knew I could do it before, in the church, but you weren't in any condition for me to ask permission, and it isn't something I'd want to do without it. I can change what's holding your soul to your skeleton, Skul. Instead of being tied here by rage, you'd be tied here by something else. Memories. Good ones--ones you'd want to keep, the ones for which you'd want to stay."
The thing was that it would change the nature of Skulduggery's whole existence. He needed to redeem himself in his own eyes, and the struggle against his fury was what made that possible. To remove that, at any point ... it was something Gabriel would not do. Not until Skulduggery was ready to forgive himself.
"I could do it," he repeated, "but I will do it only when you tell me you're ready to let it go."