Tanith caught Ghastly's gaze across the group, a look of such pure joy on her face that Ghastly didn't have the heart to try and correct Allie. Not that he would have anyway, but Tanith's expression more than made up for the way Erskine and Skulduggery were both looking at him now - a lot like the way lions eyed their prey. A little startled, both of them, certainly, but not enough to miss the implication in Allie's words.
"Are you sure we can't keep her?" Valkyrie pleaded with Skulduggery. "Come on. We need someone to make us feel better after we do stupid things. She could stay at your house."
"The house we're in for maybe five minutes every two days, you mean?" Skulduggery asked.
"Exactly! Barney can come too."
"I'd like to know how she knows Ghastly's a faery prince," Erskine cut in with a decidedly evil smile. "Is it really that obvious?"
Ghastly shot the newly elected Elder a glare. "If that were true, it would make all of you my underlings, now, wouldn't it?"
"Not Solomon or Corrival. They're the mortal heroes, remember?"
Of course. How could he forget? Ghastly glanced back over at Allie, still soaring high above them on Rafe's shoulders, now with a hot dog held carefully in her hands like she was terrified she might drop a priceless treasure. Poor kid. When was the last time she had anything other than hospital food? Ghastly's heart lightened at the sight of her obvious delight, even with the knowledge that she was still terminal.
Or... was she? Rafe, the healing Archangel. Would Barney and Allie get back to the hospital, only to discover they'd been handed a medical miracle? Ghastly sorely hoped so.
Barney, in the meantime, was looking even paler than he had before. And that was saying something. Ghastly had to fight back the urge to offer him the wheelchair. "You're... not really a faery prince, are you?"
His voice was full of such trepidation that Ghastly couldn't even laugh again. Instead, he gave Barney a gentle smile. "No. I'm about as far opposite royalty as you can possibly get. And I'm... not a faery, either."
"Then what are you?"
Ghastly hesitated for only a moment. "A tailor. I gave you my card, remember?"
"Please." Barney was back to looking helpless again. Helpless and lost. "Please, just tell me the truth. Tell Allie the truth. She has less than a month left."
Less than a...?
Before he could let himself think too hard about it, Ghastly turned to Corrival. "Grand Mage. Permission to break one of the oldest laws we have without penalty?"
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Tanith caught Ghastly's gaze across the group, a look of such pure joy on her face that Ghastly didn't have the heart to try and correct Allie. Not that he would have anyway, but Tanith's expression more than made up for the way Erskine and Skulduggery were both looking at him now - a lot like the way lions eyed their prey. A little startled, both of them, certainly, but not enough to miss the implication in Allie's words.
"Are you sure we can't keep her?" Valkyrie pleaded with Skulduggery. "Come on. We need someone to make us feel better after we do stupid things. She could stay at your house."
"The house we're in for maybe five minutes every two days, you mean?" Skulduggery asked.
"Exactly! Barney can come too."
"I'd like to know how she knows Ghastly's a faery prince," Erskine cut in with a decidedly evil smile. "Is it really that obvious?"
Ghastly shot the newly elected Elder a glare. "If that were true, it would make all of you my underlings, now, wouldn't it?"
"Not Solomon or Corrival. They're the mortal heroes, remember?"
Of course. How could he forget? Ghastly glanced back over at Allie, still soaring high above them on Rafe's shoulders, now with a hot dog held carefully in her hands like she was terrified she might drop a priceless treasure. Poor kid. When was the last time she had anything other than hospital food? Ghastly's heart lightened at the sight of her obvious delight, even with the knowledge that she was still terminal.
Or... was she? Rafe, the healing Archangel. Would Barney and Allie get back to the hospital, only to discover they'd been handed a medical miracle? Ghastly sorely hoped so.
Barney, in the meantime, was looking even paler than he had before. And that was saying something. Ghastly had to fight back the urge to offer him the wheelchair. "You're... not really a faery prince, are you?"
His voice was full of such trepidation that Ghastly couldn't even laugh again. Instead, he gave Barney a gentle smile. "No. I'm about as far opposite royalty as you can possibly get. And I'm... not a faery, either."
"Then what are you?"
Ghastly hesitated for only a moment. "A tailor. I gave you my card, remember?"
"Please." Barney was back to looking helpless again. Helpless and lost. "Please, just tell me the truth. Tell Allie the truth. She has less than a month left."
Less than a...?
Before he could let himself think too hard about it, Ghastly turned to Corrival. "Grand Mage. Permission to break one of the oldest laws we have without penalty?"