Skulduggery released an internal breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. Solomon would be alright. Everyone else would, too. Even Bliss, eventually, because they couldn't just sit back and do nothing now that they knew his ultimate fate. Skulduggery, in particular, wasn't going to let that happen. About the only person who wouldn't be alright, in fact, was the Cleaver. As far as stupid risks went, this one had gone rather well.
Because of that, Skulduggery wasn't going to ask Solomon about his magic. Not just yet. Quite apart from Solomon not being able to handle anything more than basic questions at the moment, it was entirely possible he'd have no idea what Skulduggery was talking about. Better to bring it up when they were alone, and Solomon had recovered enough to handle possibly discovering for the first time how deep his power went.
Valkyrie was hovering, unsure whether to go closer or not. In contrast, Skulduggery was perfectly happy with his distance, and he was pretty sure Solomon would be, too. Even Raphael crouched a few feet away, giving the man his space. Skulduggery didn't pretend to know anything about the lifestream, but it struck him as odd that the Archangels were driving Solomon away like that. Perhaps this had more to do with Solomon's current state of mind than it did with what he saw in the Cleaver.
"What do we do, then?" asked Ghastly. "Bliss is in the Cleavers, and no single Cleaver is strong enough to hold him. How do we get him out?"
"And more importantly," Erskine muttered, "is there a way of doing it without getting rid of all the Cleavers entirely?"
Valkyrie stared. "That could happen?" She glanced towards Skulduggery, understandably nervous. She knew she shouldn't be feeling even the slightest bit pleased about an outcome like that, and yet she did. No one would blame her, but Valkyrie was a lot like Skulduggery in the respect that she wouldn't care. "That would be bad, wouldn't it? Explaining why would be a nightmare, not to mention how useful they are. What do we do?"
Skulduggery considered for a moment, realised something, and then tilted his head back towards her. "Why are you asking me?"
"Um..."
"I'm not the Grand Mage. I'm not even an Elder. I don't make the decisions; I just solve the mysteries. There's no mystery here. Crossword Puzzler Extraordinaire Deuce, what should we do?"
no subject
Skulduggery released an internal breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. Solomon would be alright. Everyone else would, too. Even Bliss, eventually, because they couldn't just sit back and do nothing now that they knew his ultimate fate. Skulduggery, in particular, wasn't going to let that happen. About the only person who wouldn't be alright, in fact, was the Cleaver. As far as stupid risks went, this one had gone rather well.
Because of that, Skulduggery wasn't going to ask Solomon about his magic. Not just yet. Quite apart from Solomon not being able to handle anything more than basic questions at the moment, it was entirely possible he'd have no idea what Skulduggery was talking about. Better to bring it up when they were alone, and Solomon had recovered enough to handle possibly discovering for the first time how deep his power went.
Valkyrie was hovering, unsure whether to go closer or not. In contrast, Skulduggery was perfectly happy with his distance, and he was pretty sure Solomon would be, too. Even Raphael crouched a few feet away, giving the man his space. Skulduggery didn't pretend to know anything about the lifestream, but it struck him as odd that the Archangels were driving Solomon away like that. Perhaps this had more to do with Solomon's current state of mind than it did with what he saw in the Cleaver.
"What do we do, then?" asked Ghastly. "Bliss is in the Cleavers, and no single Cleaver is strong enough to hold him. How do we get him out?"
"And more importantly," Erskine muttered, "is there a way of doing it without getting rid of all the Cleavers entirely?"
Valkyrie stared. "That could happen?" She glanced towards Skulduggery, understandably nervous. She knew she shouldn't be feeling even the slightest bit pleased about an outcome like that, and yet she did. No one would blame her, but Valkyrie was a lot like Skulduggery in the respect that she wouldn't care. "That would be bad, wouldn't it? Explaining why would be a nightmare, not to mention how useful they are. What do we do?"
Skulduggery considered for a moment, realised something, and then tilted his head back towards her. "Why are you asking me?"
"Um..."
"I'm not the Grand Mage. I'm not even an Elder. I don't make the decisions; I just solve the mysteries. There's no mystery here. Crossword Puzzler Extraordinaire Deuce, what should we do?"