It occurred to Solomon then that he had, perhaps, become far too relaxed in trusting Paddy Steadfast. He was a good man, and he had helped Solomon when he needed help the most, in a way no sorcerer could have helped him. But to do so Solomon had broken one of the magical communities greatest laws--politically and socially.
From the very beginning, he had never hidden anything from Paddy. From the very beginning, he had been open with him in a way no sorcerer would be with a mortal, in a way no Necromancer would be with anyone, in a way Solomon had never been even with Skulduggery.
He'd forgotten the things he hadn't said. That, knowing or not, Paddy wasn't used to how brutal their world could be.
Even though he couldn't meet Paddy's gaze to begin with, Solomon found he couldn't even lift his head enough to try, and wondered whether shame was something anyone got used to. Maybe only if their name was Skulduggery Pleasant.
He managed a grim, bitter smile.
"I did tell you I'm not a good man." It amounted to a confession. If he tried to change the subject, would Paddy let him? The ex-Necromancer tilted his head just enough to watch the sharpness of the sun in Paddy's soul. Probably not. There wasn't any point in trying, then. "When people die they go into the lifestream. The idea is to use three billion souls to block the link between our world and the lifestream at large, and thereby save the other three billion from death entirely. It's metaphysically possible."
Gabe's reaction had told him that. It was hard not to pay attention to an Archangel's horror.
"Three billion souls, to block this world from Heaven," he murmured in the cadence of a quote. Quoting Gabriel. "I'd have done it. I was prepared to do it. That's what I was grooming Valkyrie for--I thought she could be a Necromancer of sufficient power to pull it off. That's what our ... their ... saviour is about. The Death Bringer. A Necromancer powerful enough to kill three billion people all at once."
He didn't even try to smile this time, but he looked almost in Paddy's direction. "And no, the Sanctuaries don't know this. Only the highest clerics in the Temple know it. It's their most closely guarded secret. That's why they needed to take me back so badly."
The only other Necromancer Solomon knew who had managed to leave the Temple and not be taken was Morwenna Crow, and it was for much the same reason they had left him alone now. She'd grown too close to Meritorious, had become an Elder. She had seen the wisdom in not perpetuating a second war so closely after Mevolent, and hadn't mentioned the Temple's Passage to Meritorious. Solomon wondered if she would have, if she'd had to.
"The Irish Sanctuary knows," he said. "Tenebrae will rightly assume I told them. We can use it to control him, but only to a certain extent. If war is inevitable either way, Corrival will tell the other nations. After that there would be no stopping it."
no subject
From the very beginning, he had never hidden anything from Paddy. From the very beginning, he had been open with him in a way no sorcerer would be with a mortal, in a way no Necromancer would be with anyone, in a way Solomon had never been even with Skulduggery.
He'd forgotten the things he hadn't said. That, knowing or not, Paddy wasn't used to how brutal their world could be.
Even though he couldn't meet Paddy's gaze to begin with, Solomon found he couldn't even lift his head enough to try, and wondered whether shame was something anyone got used to. Maybe only if their name was Skulduggery Pleasant.
He managed a grim, bitter smile.
"I did tell you I'm not a good man." It amounted to a confession. If he tried to change the subject, would Paddy let him? The ex-Necromancer tilted his head just enough to watch the sharpness of the sun in Paddy's soul. Probably not. There wasn't any point in trying, then. "When people die they go into the lifestream. The idea is to use three billion souls to block the link between our world and the lifestream at large, and thereby save the other three billion from death entirely. It's metaphysically possible."
Gabe's reaction had told him that. It was hard not to pay attention to an Archangel's horror.
"Three billion souls, to block this world from Heaven," he murmured in the cadence of a quote. Quoting Gabriel. "I'd have done it. I was prepared to do it. That's what I was grooming Valkyrie for--I thought she could be a Necromancer of sufficient power to pull it off. That's what our ... their ... saviour is about. The Death Bringer. A Necromancer powerful enough to kill three billion people all at once."
He didn't even try to smile this time, but he looked almost in Paddy's direction. "And no, the Sanctuaries don't know this. Only the highest clerics in the Temple know it. It's their most closely guarded secret. That's why they needed to take me back so badly."
The only other Necromancer Solomon knew who had managed to leave the Temple and not be taken was Morwenna Crow, and it was for much the same reason they had left him alone now. She'd grown too close to Meritorious, had become an Elder. She had seen the wisdom in not perpetuating a second war so closely after Mevolent, and hadn't mentioned the Temple's Passage to Meritorious. Solomon wondered if she would have, if she'd had to.
"The Irish Sanctuary knows," he said. "Tenebrae will rightly assume I told them. We can use it to control him, but only to a certain extent. If war is inevitable either way, Corrival will tell the other nations. After that there would be no stopping it."