"China, it's Raphael." The Archangel's voice came through deep and smooth, but the lack of accent indicating something serious. "I need to speak to Merlin. If he's still asleep, put me on speakerphone and I'll wake him up myself."
Rafe waited a beat for China to do that and the phone's tenor to change to the ambient surroundings. Briefly he considered just how he might have chosen to wake Merlin up if he had been there in person, but in this case, given this seriousness, he decided not to do anything more than speak the man's name. Loudly. "Merlin."
Merlin's eyes snapped open, vaguely groggy but surprisingly clear. He blinked rapidly, took a few quick seconds to figure out where he was and why he was currently staring up into the face of a rather beautiful young woman, and then cleared his throat. "What?"
His voice still came out scratchy and irritable. Rafe grinned a flickeringly amused grin which died rather quickly. "We need you at the Hibernian. Kenspeckle's laboratory. Fletcher will pick you up." He added the last while he caught Skulduggery's eye so the skeleton could pass the same message on.
"What's happened?" Merlin accepted the phone from China with a nod, swinging his legs over the couch and still trying to blink the sleep away. He didn't take it off speakerphone. Having a mobile to his ear would probably give him a headache this soon after waking. (Phones. He was half convinced Lucifer had something in their creation.)
"Solomon Wreath's been captured by the necromancers."
Merlin paused for a moment and then said a little waspishly, "You realise that I have absolutely no idea who that is. Unlike some people, I don't read souls and have the manners not to read minds without permission."
There was a soft, apologetic chuckle on the other side. "He was a necromancer, but he saw Gabe and left their Temple. Now he's been taken back. Gabe needs help warding himself to walk onto their ground."
"Ah." Merlin winced. "I'll be there soon, then, I imagine. Thank you." One hand pressed to his temple against the faint, woken-too-quickly throb, Merlin turned off the phone and held it out to China with a sigh. "Thank you, Ms Sorrows. Do forgive me for the sudden leave-taking."
no subject
Rafe waited a beat for China to do that and the phone's tenor to change to the ambient surroundings. Briefly he considered just how he might have chosen to wake Merlin up if he had been there in person, but in this case, given this seriousness, he decided not to do anything more than speak the man's name. Loudly. "Merlin."
Merlin's eyes snapped open, vaguely groggy but surprisingly clear. He blinked rapidly, took a few quick seconds to figure out where he was and why he was currently staring up into the face of a rather beautiful young woman, and then cleared his throat. "What?"
His voice still came out scratchy and irritable. Rafe grinned a flickeringly amused grin which died rather quickly. "We need you at the Hibernian. Kenspeckle's laboratory. Fletcher will pick you up." He added the last while he caught Skulduggery's eye so the skeleton could pass the same message on.
"What's happened?" Merlin accepted the phone from China with a nod, swinging his legs over the couch and still trying to blink the sleep away. He didn't take it off speakerphone. Having a mobile to his ear would probably give him a headache this soon after waking. (Phones. He was half convinced Lucifer had something in their creation.)
"Solomon Wreath's been captured by the necromancers."
Merlin paused for a moment and then said a little waspishly, "You realise that I have absolutely no idea who that is. Unlike some people, I don't read souls and have the manners not to read minds without permission."
There was a soft, apologetic chuckle on the other side. "He was a necromancer, but he saw Gabe and left their Temple. Now he's been taken back. Gabe needs help warding himself to walk onto their ground."
"Ah." Merlin winced. "I'll be there soon, then, I imagine. Thank you." One hand pressed to his temple against the faint, woken-too-quickly throb, Merlin turned off the phone and held it out to China with a sigh. "Thank you, Ms Sorrows. Do forgive me for the sudden leave-taking."