It was almost better being out there, fighting the Remnant-possessed, than waiting in here. Macha bowed and left, and Ghastly wished he was going with her. “Grand Mage –” Macha began, and Hopeless nodded to her. One of the sigils chimed and then dulled as the defenders abandoned it and fell back to another checkpoint. “Wait,” said Hopeless again, his eyes still closed. Hopeless, may I go? I have a lot to do, since, as usual, I’m far too talented for my own good.” It’s very difficult to investigate the cause of an outbreak when I’m needed in so many places.” “We should still send someone to keep an eye on them soon,” Saracen pointed out, glancing at Skulduggery. “And the other Remnants aren’t likely to pinpoint where they went. “We’ve got the majority of the Sanctuary out, at least,” Ghastly said instead. After the conversation he and Guild had not too long ago, he couldn’t. “Is this really a time to be thinking of politics?” Tanith demanded, glancing at Ghastly as though she expected Ghastly to back her up, but he didn’t say anything. Even if we win in the end, the other Sanctuaries would use it against us.” “We can’t lose the Sanctuary,” Guild said shortly. “Even Fletcher only taking a handful at a time, we should be able to pull out under their noses.” “Can’t we evacuate the rest of the Sanctuary staff?” Tanith asked. “Even if it’s not all of them pressing their advantage here, they can get through the wards in their natural form.” “Grand Mage, we can’t hold off Remnants forever,” she said bluntly. Macha’s eyes flickered and from the way she glanced at Guild she expected Guild to object, but he didn’t. It wasn’t the first time Hopeless had spoken through the little piece of magical technology Fletcher had brought with him, but it was strange, after a few years of having gotten used to Hopeless signing everything. The little disc on his temple glowed as he spoke his voice was blurred by static but it was understandable. “Wait,” said Hopeless, and it made Ghastly jump. “What are your orders?” Macha asked, but it was hard to tell whether she was directing the question at Hopeless or Guild. Tesseract was sitting in an armchair, very still, with Tanith’s sword against his throat. Tanith stood near Macha, watching Tesseract. Saracen hovered on the other side of Hopeless’s desk. Hopeless only smiled wearily from where he was sitting back in his chair, his eyes closed and his fingers moving his prayer-rope between them. “You upgraded the Sanctuary’s wards while I was gone, Hopeless.”
Skulduggery attempting to run through a fireball sprang to mind. There were any number of reasons why the suit might have gotten slightly singed. “Not so fast as we could be,” Skulduggery observed, sourly fingering a singe on his jacket and shooting injured glances over at Ghastly. There were more of them than there had been since Ghastly stepped in. Some of them would go dull, indicating areas the Remnants had taken. The rug was pushed aside to show the circle of sigils lit up on the floor, and there were strings of sigils all along the walls and door. It was pretty, in a tacky way it looked like it had been done up in terrible Christmas decorations. Ghastly had never seen the Grand Mage’s office while the Sanctuary was under siege.
#Skulduggery pleasant mortal coil over series#
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