This time, the silence was less awkwardly frightened, and more the silence of someone trying very hard not to laugh. Skulduggery was glad for that; it looked like Gabe needed it. The Archangel had told him about his wrestles with free will, but it hadn't been too much of an issue in Landel's reality. Skulduggery generally took the lead there, and any split-second decisions the Archangel made, he'd been confident about. The expression on Gabe's face just before Valkyrie asked her question wasn't completely unfamiliar, but that didn't make it any easier to see.

Gabe. How exactly did prayer work? Was it really as simple as just thinking his name? Ah. Well, maybe his real name. Gabriel, Skulduggery amended. What else? Maybe in the form of a prayer, too? Maybe it needed to sound hopeful. I pray- No. No, that was just absurd. I hope you realize they're all much stronger than you're giving them credit for.

And actually, there was one thing Skulduggery would need to know sooner rather than later, even if the others preferred to remain in the dark. Any chance Lucifer could realize you're missing and work out how to come through? If any of the Archangels could do it, they needed to at least entertain the possibility. The last thing Skulduggery needed was Satan using their reality as a vacation home.

"Arcade games and bumper cars?" Fletcher asked, unable to keep a broad smile from crossing his face. "What, you and... you just played arcade games against each other? And sat in bumper cars?" He paused. Skulduggery might have thought he was deciding on the best phrasing, if he didn't know Fletcher never thought before saying anything - and sure enough, the boy's next bluntly-put words were "Who won?"

Valkyrie and Tanith both burst out laughing.