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Back Resurrection Save as PDF
Chapters (81)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Contents
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. 55
  61. 56
  62. 57
  63. 58
  64. 59
  65. 60
  66. 61
  67. 62
  68. 63
  69. 64
  70. 65
  71. 66
  72. 67
  73. 68
  74. 69
  75. 70
  76. 71
  77. Glossary
  78. Dramatis Personae
  79. Keep Reading …
  80. The Skulduggery Pleasant series
  81. About the Publisher

Skulduggery turned his head slightly.

“You know who that is?” Valkyrie asked.

“I might,” he said. “I’ve only known one Abyssinia in all my years.”

“Does she have silver hair?”

Skulduggery looked at her. “She does.” He looked back. “Doctor, what were you told about your role in all this? What do they need you to do?”

“Please call me Richard. From what I can gather, I’m to facilitate a resurrection. I’ve done it before, more or less, on patients who’ve died on the operating table, but never before on someone long dead. This would be exponentially more difficult.”

“It would be,” said Skulduggery. “For a start, I would imagine that Abyssinia is the one in need of resurrection, as she’s been dead for three hundred years.”

Valkyrie looked back at Melior. “Is that possible? Could you do that?”

“I … I guess so. Under the proper circumstances.”

“If that is the case, you’d have one further complication,” Skulduggery said, “in that all that is left of her is a heart.”

“I’m sorry?”

Skulduggery stood. “Richard, would you excuse us for a moment?”

“Uh … of course.”

“Thank you. If you try anything sneaky, I’ll shoot you. Valkyrie?”

Frowning, she followed him into the bedroom, and he shut the door.

“Right then,” she said, “you’re acting sufficiently suspicious about this, so who is she? Who is Abyssinia?”

Skulduggery crossed to the window and looked out. He took a moment, and turned. “Abyssinia,” he said, “was many things.” “Fiercely intelligent, incredibly manipulative, savagely violent. She was a mage and a murderer but also, and this is where things could be said to take a surprising twist, were you inclined to be surprised by twists, she was a …”

“A what?”

“I suppose you could call her, if you had to, if you needed to find a label, even though I’m not fond of them myself, I feel they can be far too restrictive though there are, of course, exceptions, you could possibly call her, if you desperately needed to call her anything at all, an … ex-girlfriend.”

Valkyrie stared. “What?”

32

“You probably require an explanation,” Skulduggery said.

“I probably do.”

“Would you like to sit down?”

“Do I need to?” Valkyrie said. “Yes, I’ll sit down. No, I won’t. I need to walk around for this. I feel I need to be moving. Tell the story.” She started pacing.

“Very well.” Skulduggery sat on the bed. “Where to start …”

“Start at the skeleton booty call and move on from there. Oh, wait!” She swung round. “Was she a girlfriend before you were killed, or after?”

“After.”

“Oh.” Valkyrie resumed her pacing. “Go on.”

“It doesn’t matter how I met her. It doesn’t matter where. What does matter is what state I was in.”

“What state were you in?”