"For the record," Skulduggery added, "and because I don't think I've ever mentioned this before, I hold no grudge whatsoever over not being rescued along with Meritorious."
"I tried to get there," Ghastly pointed out. "I would have made it, if you hadn't annoyed Serpine into killing you sooner than he intended."
Tanith drew in a sharp breath, but Skulduggery's face didn't even change as he replied. "That's not how I remember it. I remember that because you were close to rescuing me, Serpine killed me sooner than he intended. In fact, now that I think about it, I may have you to blame for being a living skeleton at all."
"I didn't hear you complaining when that man shot you in New York and the bullet ricocheted around your ribcage."
"You must have been deaf, then. I was complaining. It hurt."
Tanith couldn't help staring, and for more reasons than one. Firstly, she'd never actually heard Skulduggery joke about his death quite like that before. And judging by the expression on Valkyrie's face, neither had she, although Valkyrie could be just as horrified by the fact that she was faced by a mind-reader. Which brought Tanith to the second reason she was staring so intently.
She'd met Sensitives who could read minds before. Well, one, anyway. And he'd needed physical contact, time, and concentration. She'd assumed Descry Hopeless was one of those, at first, but when she noticed he hadn't even been touching Solomon, she'd grown wary.
It made sense. It answered a lot of questions she always used to ask her parents when they told her stories about the Dead Men. But Tanith was still wary. She had, on second thought, absolutely nothing to hide, but she was so used to keeping a good chunk of her past hidden that this came as much more of a shock than it might have otherwise.
The Dead Men trusted him. Ghastly trusted him. Right now, that was good enough for Tanith. "I like Professor X better," she decided. "Much more dignified."
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"I tried to get there," Ghastly pointed out. "I would have made it, if you hadn't annoyed Serpine into killing you sooner than he intended."
Tanith drew in a sharp breath, but Skulduggery's face didn't even change as he replied. "That's not how I remember it. I remember that because you were close to rescuing me, Serpine killed me sooner than he intended. In fact, now that I think about it, I may have you to blame for being a living skeleton at all."
"I didn't hear you complaining when that man shot you in New York and the bullet ricocheted around your ribcage."
"You must have been deaf, then. I was complaining. It hurt."
Tanith couldn't help staring, and for more reasons than one. Firstly, she'd never actually heard Skulduggery joke about his death quite like that before. And judging by the expression on Valkyrie's face, neither had she, although Valkyrie could be just as horrified by the fact that she was faced by a mind-reader. Which brought Tanith to the second reason she was staring so intently.
She'd met Sensitives who could read minds before. Well, one, anyway. And he'd needed physical contact, time, and concentration. She'd assumed Descry Hopeless was one of those, at first, but when she noticed he hadn't even been touching Solomon, she'd grown wary.
It made sense. It answered a lot of questions she always used to ask her parents when they told her stories about the Dead Men. But Tanith was still wary. She had, on second thought, absolutely nothing to hide, but she was so used to keeping a good chunk of her past hidden that this came as much more of a shock than it might have otherwise.
The Dead Men trusted him. Ghastly trusted him. Right now, that was good enough for Tanith. "I like Professor X better," she decided. "Much more dignified."