The armour lay where it fell, crawling with black shadows that were no longer active. No longer trying to skewer people. And yet, Ghastly couldn't manage to take his eyes off of it. A nightmare, that's what this was. He'd consciously decided that Vile wouldn't ever be a threat again without Skulduggery losing control, and Skulduggery didn't lose control. He hadn't, ever since that first time. For over a century - over a century -
Ghastly found himself next to the wall without a clear idea of how he'd gotten there, and he felt Erskine's steadying hand on his shoulder behind him. "Breathe," Erskine told him, despite looking white as a sheet himself when Ghastly turned to face him. "Just breathe. It was only..." The Elder faltered, his eyes on the collapsed armour, and he shook his head. "Only the armour. No one was hurt. Even Skulduggery is as fine as living skeletons can possibly be."
Ghastly seriously doubted that. He took a few more deep breaths, waving Erskine away to the unforgiving task of crowd control, and then joined Gabe over at where Skulduggery still hadn't taken his sightless gaze off the armour.
Was that out of the same terror Ghastly saw just a short while ago? Or was some part of Skulduggery still trying to fight an urge to use it?
With the strain in Skulduggery's voice when he next spoke, Ghastly had a sinking feeling that it was the latter. "I need help."
"What happened?"
"If I knew, I wouldn't need the help."
"You said that being over in that other dimension - "
"Landel didn't do this," Skulduggery cut him off, far too abruptly and far too quickly. "I'm the one he experimented on. He never had access to the armour. What Solomon did to kill Tesseract is a form of magic very similar to the Necromantic technique of pulling souls from peoples' bodies, and I shouldn't have been anywhere near that. But I didn't - I resisted. This shouldn't have happened. Something's wrong. I need help."
Skulduggery's voice grew quieter and quieter as he spoke, until finally his tone was almost pleading. It was for that reason and that reason alone that Ghastly grew softer as well. He even, after a moment, managed a weak smile. "And all it took was the reanimation of your old armour for you to admit it."
"If Batu never opened that portal..." Skulduggery shook his head. "What happened to Solomon? Is he okay?"
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Ghastly found himself next to the wall without a clear idea of how he'd gotten there, and he felt Erskine's steadying hand on his shoulder behind him. "Breathe," Erskine told him, despite looking white as a sheet himself when Ghastly turned to face him. "Just breathe. It was only..." The Elder faltered, his eyes on the collapsed armour, and he shook his head. "Only the armour. No one was hurt. Even Skulduggery is as fine as living skeletons can possibly be."
Ghastly seriously doubted that. He took a few more deep breaths, waving Erskine away to the unforgiving task of crowd control, and then joined Gabe over at where Skulduggery still hadn't taken his sightless gaze off the armour.
Was that out of the same terror Ghastly saw just a short while ago? Or was some part of Skulduggery still trying to fight an urge to use it?
With the strain in Skulduggery's voice when he next spoke, Ghastly had a sinking feeling that it was the latter. "I need help."
"What happened?"
"If I knew, I wouldn't need the help."
"You said that being over in that other dimension - "
"Landel didn't do this," Skulduggery cut him off, far too abruptly and far too quickly. "I'm the one he experimented on. He never had access to the armour. What Solomon did to kill Tesseract is a form of magic very similar to the Necromantic technique of pulling souls from peoples' bodies, and I shouldn't have been anywhere near that. But I didn't - I resisted. This shouldn't have happened. Something's wrong. I need help."
Skulduggery's voice grew quieter and quieter as he spoke, until finally his tone was almost pleading. It was for that reason and that reason alone that Ghastly grew softer as well. He even, after a moment, managed a weak smile. "And all it took was the reanimation of your old armour for you to admit it."
"If Batu never opened that portal..." Skulduggery shook his head. "What happened to Solomon? Is he okay?"