Valkyrie felt a stab of self-consciousness that she angrily resisted. "You're blind," she pointed out, as if Solomon hadn't already known that. "Plus, you had magic holes ripped pretty much everywhere. It doesn't really matter how sentimental they are, they still hurt you. I'm just trying to be gentle."
"You'll have a cane soon enough, Solomon," Skulduggery said from the other side of the car. "In the meantime, you can consider kind gestures justly earned, whether you want them or not."
He was back to being a skeleton again. For 'professional reasons,' he'd explained. Apparently, walking into a room full of sorcerers who were old enough to recognise his human face would pose a bit of a problem. Valkyrie felt oddly ambiguous about it. On the one hand, his skull was very much preferable. It was how she was used to dealing with Skulduggery, what he looked like in most of her fondest memories, and honestly, just plain cool. But on the other hand, it really wouldn't have taken her long to adjust, and she kind of loved the twinkle in his eyes when he smiled. And his face, in general. It was a very handsome face.
In the end, Valkyrie decided, she liked the skeleton better. Because while the illusion gave Skulduggery a face, it also gave him a muscular stature. A very obviously muscular stature. And that was highly unnerving.
Gabe wasn't with them this time, having decided angels couldn't interfere in the important events. Valkyrie nearly laughed when she heard that, but who was she to object? Ghastly, however, did come along, after hearing about everything he missed out on because of his shop. And Tanith. Especially Tanith.
Tanith elected to stay behind along with the angels, although she sent with them her best wishes of electing a Grand Mage whom they could all trust.
Valkyrie had to admit, though, she wasn't really looking forward to this meeting. It was going to be boring, she just knew it. Oh, she was looking forward to seeing Erskine Ravel again, because he was the kind of man you never disliked the company of. And she was anticipating the end result, obviously. But beyond that, Valkyrie couldn't really bring herself to be interested. The carnival the day before with Fletcher had been about a million times more fun. Even spending the night with her parents was undoubtedly more of a thrill-a-minute than this meeting could ever be.
But Skulduggery insisted she come. 'Mandatory ongoing training.' Valkyrie was getting sick of that phrase. It only ever came before being forced to do something she really didn't want to do.
When Solomon was safely out of the car - the car which, apparently, didn't have a soul as Skulduggery was worried about, but did have an... imprint, whatever that was - Valkyrie glanced up at the alley Skulduggery had parked in front of.
It was a narrow alley. There were a couple of trash dumpsters outside it. Nothing inside, as far as Valkyrie could tell. "This is the Grand Chamber?" she asked dubiously.
"The Sanctuary's in a Waxworks Museum," Ghastly reminded her. "Neighbourhoods sorcerers live in tend to be squalid places."
"I know, I know," Valkyrie muttered. "Magic and all that. I get it. Is this also underground?"
"In a way."
"What kind of way?"
Ghastly hesitated. "An underground kind of way."
"Like the Gaol? And the Sanctuary? Is everything underground? Can't we ever walk into a building that's just a building with some boring company name on it? It doesn't take a whole lot to make people lose interest in something, you know."
"If you're any indication," said Skulduggery, "sometimes I wonder why we ever worry."
no subject
"You'll have a cane soon enough, Solomon," Skulduggery said from the other side of the car. "In the meantime, you can consider kind gestures justly earned, whether you want them or not."
He was back to being a skeleton again. For 'professional reasons,' he'd explained. Apparently, walking into a room full of sorcerers who were old enough to recognise his human face would pose a bit of a problem. Valkyrie felt oddly ambiguous about it. On the one hand, his skull was very much preferable. It was how she was used to dealing with Skulduggery, what he looked like in most of her fondest memories, and honestly, just plain cool. But on the other hand, it really wouldn't have taken her long to adjust, and she kind of loved the twinkle in his eyes when he smiled. And his face, in general. It was a very handsome face.
In the end, Valkyrie decided, she liked the skeleton better. Because while the illusion gave Skulduggery a face, it also gave him a muscular stature. A very obviously muscular stature. And that was highly unnerving.
Gabe wasn't with them this time, having decided angels couldn't interfere in the important events. Valkyrie nearly laughed when she heard that, but who was she to object? Ghastly, however, did come along, after hearing about everything he missed out on because of his shop. And Tanith. Especially Tanith.
Tanith elected to stay behind along with the angels, although she sent with them her best wishes of electing a Grand Mage whom they could all trust.
Valkyrie had to admit, though, she wasn't really looking forward to this meeting. It was going to be boring, she just knew it. Oh, she was looking forward to seeing Erskine Ravel again, because he was the kind of man you never disliked the company of. And she was anticipating the end result, obviously. But beyond that, Valkyrie couldn't really bring herself to be interested. The carnival the day before with Fletcher had been about a million times more fun. Even spending the night with her parents was undoubtedly more of a thrill-a-minute than this meeting could ever be.
But Skulduggery insisted she come. 'Mandatory ongoing training.' Valkyrie was getting sick of that phrase. It only ever came before being forced to do something she really didn't want to do.
When Solomon was safely out of the car - the car which, apparently, didn't have a soul as Skulduggery was worried about, but did have an... imprint, whatever that was - Valkyrie glanced up at the alley Skulduggery had parked in front of.
It was a narrow alley. There were a couple of trash dumpsters outside it. Nothing inside, as far as Valkyrie could tell. "This is the Grand Chamber?" she asked dubiously.
"The Sanctuary's in a Waxworks Museum," Ghastly reminded her. "Neighbourhoods sorcerers live in tend to be squalid places."
"I know, I know," Valkyrie muttered. "Magic and all that. I get it. Is this also underground?"
"In a way."
"What kind of way?"
Ghastly hesitated. "An underground kind of way."
"Like the Gaol? And the Sanctuary? Is everything underground? Can't we ever walk into a building that's just a building with some boring company name on it? It doesn't take a whole lot to make people lose interest in something, you know."
"If you're any indication," said Skulduggery, "sometimes I wonder why we ever worry."