China suddenly moved, grabbing Scorn’s leg, but Scorn just leaned down and punched her. Skulduggery took a step forward, but Scorn held up the switch. “The thing is,” she continued, “Serpine was so busy organising a whole range of assassinations and murders that week that he just didn’t have the time to go out and round up your family himself. So he sent a group of people he knew he could count on. He sent the Diablerie.”

Valkyrie went cold, and saw China sag. Skulduggery’s gun didn’t waver.

“I’m sure you remember who was in the Diablerie back in those days,” Scorn said. “There was Vengeous – before he became one of Mevolent’s Generals, of course – Gruesome, Murder Rose – delightful lady – Jaron Gallow, may he rest in peace – a few others… and China. The leader of the pack, as it were. If I’m right, and I think I am, Rose went after your child. That wasn’t much of a problem. To be honest, from what I’ve read, the biggest danger there was whether Rose would go too far and kill the kid. But for once, she obeyed orders.

“China, because she enjoyed that kind of thing, went after your wife. By all accounts, it was a knock-down, drag-out fight. There was blood, sweat, tears, hair-pulling, even some name-calling. Things got pretty heated, but eventually China emerged triumphant, and she shackled your pretty little wife and hauled her all the way back to Serpine’s castle. Then she stood in the shadows, and watched you run in, saw you scream when they died. She was there while Serpine was torturing you. Apparently, different members of the Diablerie liked to stop by every now and then to watch. That’s pretty dark, isn’t it?”

Skulduggery lowered his gun.

“Of course,” Scorn said, “this probably makes no difference to you in the slightest, does it? I mean, you’re already friends with her. You’ve already forgiven her for the things she did during the war. This is just one more thing, am I right? Just one more thing to forgive her for.”

She held up the switch. Skulduggery didn’t move. Scorn smiled, and thumbed the little red button. The windows on the top floor of the tenement building exploded, spraying glass all the way across the street. Flames licked the air. Black smoke billowed. Burning pages rained down. China shook her head slowly and Valkyrie stared, but Scorn just smiled and Skulduggery still didn’t move.

China tried to get up and Scorn drove a knee into her face. She started kicking her, lashing her boot in. China gagged and curled up.

Skulduggery turned round, started walking back to the Bentley.

People were stumbling out on to the street, staring at the fire and calling the fire brigade, looking at Scorn beating China and calling the cops. Valkyrie ran over, shoved Scorn back. China lay gasping between them.