Erskine didn't know anything about the language of magic. Well, that wasn't strictly true; he knew enough to get by. He knew enough to recognise obvious traps and seals when he saw them. But he didn't know anywhere near as much as Skulduggery did, and he could never hope to know even a sixteenth of what China did. Which meant that as China answered Merlin's question, her face creasing into a frown as she looked around at what was already on the ballroom floor and made suggestions, Erskine was immensely surprised to find that he was already growing bored.
Bored.
Corrival was right. He really was incorrigible. Erskine shook his head and, with one last glance at Merlin - at Merlin - went over to join Ghastly and the others instead.
"Where's Anton?" Ghastly asked as he approached.
"At the Hibernian. Getting healed up. Did you know Solomon Wreath gave up Necromancy?"
"Yes," came the almost unanimous reply from Valkyrie, Tanith, and Fletcher. Each had a different set of feelings about it, judging by their various expressions, which made Erskine smile in amusement.
"Why does Anton need healing up?" Ghastly pressed. Ever persistent. The problem was, Erskine didn't know how much Ghastly knew about all this, and he wasn't going to be the one to say anything. Not when events barely fell within his own understanding.
The bare basics, then. "Nearly lost control of his Gist. Did a number on him, but nothing Professor Grouse can't fix. He'll be perfectly fine. Ghastly, how have I missed the existence of Archangels for over 400 years?"
"They don't exactly come from here," Tanith explained.
It didn't take a genius to work out what the mysterious woman in leather meant. Erskine was stunned all over again, staring at the display of two different and powerful lights emanating from the middle of the chalked circle, at once surprised and not that Skulduggery was kneeling with them.
He felt... stronger, now. Better able to handle it. Erskine decided to take that new feeling at face value and stopped nodding when he realised he hadn't quite done even that yet.
"You know," Valkyrie spoke up. "China brought up a good point. Gabe almost... died, or Fell, or whatever it is angels do. Skulduggery's not going to be happy. Do we... is there something we can do?"
Ghastly looked at her. "Like what?"
"Well... stop him. From Hulking out." She hesitated. "Random question. Who would win in a fight between Merlin and Lord Vile?"
"I have absolutely no idea. Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
Erskine blinked, and found himself staring once again - but this time at Ghastly. "You know?"
Ghastly blinked and stared back. "You know?"
"Of course I know! I only just managed to drag Anton back from the brink of despair! It's part of the reason I'm here. Ghastly, and I mean absolutely no offense whatsoever by this, but how the hell is Skulduggery still alive?"
For a moment, it looked like Ghastly wasn't going to answer. But then he closed his eyes, sighed, and shook his head. "Two reasons. First, I don't have any idea how to go about it. And second, divinity."
"Divinity?" Erskine spluttered. "Because there was a pair of Archangels - "
"No. Because I met God."
Erskine stuttered to a halt.
"Really puts things in perspective," Ghastly went on. "Look at them now, for instance. Would an Archangel in that much pain cling to the soul of someone like Vile? Would his older brother let him?"
Erskine was forced to agree that, no, they probably wouldn't.
"Merlin," Ghastly mused, "has access to more varieties of magic than Vile does. He's lived much longer. He's the son of an angel. In the end, Valkyrie, I think he would, but not before a long and hard fight. And," he added darkly, "that's assuming Skulduggery doesn't trust anyone else with his true name and accidentally learn what it is."
Erskine paled. "He what?"
"He had to," Valkyrie answered. "It's a long story."
no subject
Bored.
Corrival was right. He really was incorrigible. Erskine shook his head and, with one last glance at Merlin - at Merlin - went over to join Ghastly and the others instead.
"Where's Anton?" Ghastly asked as he approached.
"At the Hibernian. Getting healed up. Did you know Solomon Wreath gave up Necromancy?"
"Yes," came the almost unanimous reply from Valkyrie, Tanith, and Fletcher. Each had a different set of feelings about it, judging by their various expressions, which made Erskine smile in amusement.
"Why does Anton need healing up?" Ghastly pressed. Ever persistent. The problem was, Erskine didn't know how much Ghastly knew about all this, and he wasn't going to be the one to say anything. Not when events barely fell within his own understanding.
The bare basics, then. "Nearly lost control of his Gist. Did a number on him, but nothing Professor Grouse can't fix. He'll be perfectly fine. Ghastly, how have I missed the existence of Archangels for over 400 years?"
"They don't exactly come from here," Tanith explained.
It didn't take a genius to work out what the mysterious woman in leather meant. Erskine was stunned all over again, staring at the display of two different and powerful lights emanating from the middle of the chalked circle, at once surprised and not that Skulduggery was kneeling with them.
He felt... stronger, now. Better able to handle it. Erskine decided to take that new feeling at face value and stopped nodding when he realised he hadn't quite done even that yet.
"You know," Valkyrie spoke up. "China brought up a good point. Gabe almost... died, or Fell, or whatever it is angels do. Skulduggery's not going to be happy. Do we... is there something we can do?"
Ghastly looked at her. "Like what?"
"Well... stop him. From Hulking out." She hesitated. "Random question. Who would win in a fight between Merlin and Lord Vile?"
"I have absolutely no idea. Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
Erskine blinked, and found himself staring once again - but this time at Ghastly. "You know?"
Ghastly blinked and stared back. "You know?"
"Of course I know! I only just managed to drag Anton back from the brink of despair! It's part of the reason I'm here. Ghastly, and I mean absolutely no offense whatsoever by this, but how the hell is Skulduggery still alive?"
For a moment, it looked like Ghastly wasn't going to answer. But then he closed his eyes, sighed, and shook his head. "Two reasons. First, I don't have any idea how to go about it. And second, divinity."
"Divinity?" Erskine spluttered. "Because there was a pair of Archangels - "
"No. Because I met God."
Erskine stuttered to a halt.
"Really puts things in perspective," Ghastly went on. "Look at them now, for instance. Would an Archangel in that much pain cling to the soul of someone like Vile? Would his older brother let him?"
Erskine was forced to agree that, no, they probably wouldn't.
"Merlin," Ghastly mused, "has access to more varieties of magic than Vile does. He's lived much longer. He's the son of an angel. In the end, Valkyrie, I think he would, but not before a long and hard fight. And," he added darkly, "that's assuming Skulduggery doesn't trust anyone else with his true name and accidentally learn what it is."
Erskine paled. "He what?"
"He had to," Valkyrie answered. "It's a long story."