Skulduggery had to wonder how many times the Archangel had gone through anything even close to this. With the apprehension that crossed the angel's face at Kenspeckle's words and his look to Skulduggery for reassurance, Skulduggery's lack of a heart went out to him. Pain was horrific enough for anyone who'd experienced it even once before, and this was on a level even the Institute wasn't capable of.
When this was over and Gabe was healing, the two of them would need to have a serious conversation. Skulduggery was not worth even a tenth of what Gabe was going through to rescue him.
Clarabelle was her usual delightful self, welcome at that moment for breaking the tension and amusing Gabriel. But even as Gabe smiled, the look in his eyes didn't disappear, and Skulduggery realized something else had to be worrying him. Something the detective would know about, but Gabe couldn't talk about with everyone else standing there. Skulduggery was still trying to figure out what that was when he caught Valkyrie's frightened start out of the corner of his lack of an eye, visible only to those who spent most of their time completely still.
Ah. Skulduggery remembered the way Gabe seemed to sense what he was feeling at Landel's - and the way he filled Skulduggery's mind with hope after finding him among all the Faceless Ones. And of course the Archangel would know about the ring; of course that would be a problem. When Valkyrie glanced from Gabriel to Skulduggery, understandably confused, Skulduggery nodded to her.
The ring, when she looked down at it, seemed to be the only thing in the lab that wasn't at its peak beauty. Quite the contrary, it looked like exactly what it was - a ring that controlled the dead. Pale, sickly, sucking in the beauty in its surroundings and killing it. Skulduggery fully understood Gabe's worry now, as Valkyrie quietly slipped the thing off and surreptitiously placed it on a nearby counter.
Everyone took up the positions Kenspeckle specified, Valkyrie and Fletcher near the barrels now moved closer to Gabriel, Fletcher still looking offended, presumably because the Professor had called him Cupid. Skulduggery and Ghastly each took one side of the wing, and Tanith hovered near Gabriel himself, looking slightly hesitant, but mostly determined.
"So, uh..." She glanced around at the rest of them. "What's your family like?"
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When this was over and Gabe was healing, the two of them would need to have a serious conversation. Skulduggery was not worth even a tenth of what Gabe was going through to rescue him.
Clarabelle was her usual delightful self, welcome at that moment for breaking the tension and amusing Gabriel. But even as Gabe smiled, the look in his eyes didn't disappear, and Skulduggery realized something else had to be worrying him. Something the detective would know about, but Gabe couldn't talk about with everyone else standing there. Skulduggery was still trying to figure out what that was when he caught Valkyrie's frightened start out of the corner of his lack of an eye, visible only to those who spent most of their time completely still.
Ah. Skulduggery remembered the way Gabe seemed to sense what he was feeling at Landel's - and the way he filled Skulduggery's mind with hope after finding him among all the Faceless Ones. And of course the Archangel would know about the ring; of course that would be a problem. When Valkyrie glanced from Gabriel to Skulduggery, understandably confused, Skulduggery nodded to her.
The ring, when she looked down at it, seemed to be the only thing in the lab that wasn't at its peak beauty. Quite the contrary, it looked like exactly what it was - a ring that controlled the dead. Pale, sickly, sucking in the beauty in its surroundings and killing it. Skulduggery fully understood Gabe's worry now, as Valkyrie quietly slipped the thing off and surreptitiously placed it on a nearby counter.
Everyone took up the positions Kenspeckle specified, Valkyrie and Fletcher near the barrels now moved closer to Gabriel, Fletcher still looking offended, presumably because the Professor had called him Cupid. Skulduggery and Ghastly each took one side of the wing, and Tanith hovered near Gabriel himself, looking slightly hesitant, but mostly determined.
"So, uh..." She glanced around at the rest of them. "What's your family like?"