Nero sagged and Smoke stopped chewing leaves long enough to glare. “You fixed her mouth.”

Melior nodded. “And now I need to conserve my energy.”

Smoke grabbed his shirt.

“Hey now!” said Lethe. “Leave the good doctor alone, there’s a good boy.”

Reluctantly, Smoke released his hold. He turned his glare to Valkyrie.

“That feel good?” he asked. “It doesn’t hurt any more? I don’t think that’s fair, do you? I think that mouth of yours should be punched all over again.”

He drew back his fist and Valkyrie crunched her forehead into his face. Smoke staggered back, silent at first, hands covering his nose, but the howl grew and exploded as blood ran down to his chin. “She broke my nose!” he hollered. “She broke my knee and my nose!”

Lethe shrugged. “You probably shouldn’t be so careless, then. Limp away, Mr Smoke. We don’t have time for silliness. Memphis, Razzia, please move Mr Collup into position.”

Collup tried gamely to struggle, but there was nothing he could do to prevent being pressed up against the first X. The clasps that snapped around his ankles were bound – Valkyrie could see the sigils carved into the metal. Memphis took the shackles from the old man’s wrists, tossed them aside as Razzia secured his hands above his head.

Once all the clasps were closed, Razzia opened Collup’s shirt, then swung the curved plate across his chest, locking it in place. The plate had a hole in its centre, as big as a drinks coaster. Satisfied, she stepped back and the hydraulic arm lifted the X off the dais. Melior stood nearby, calculating angles. When it was about seven metres overhead, level with the fourth tier, Melior gave a signal. The arm stopped moving, but the X whirred and slowly turned 180 degrees until Collup was hanging upside down.

“Mr Rut next,” said Lethe.

Memphis reached out but Rut pulled away, scrambled back, ran for the edge of the dais. Right on the edge he froze, eyes widening when he saw the lake of energy below.

“You can’t escape, Tanner,” Lethe said. “This is a prison, remember? Let’s just calm down and give our lives without complaint, what do you say?”

Memphis grabbed him, hauled him back. They clasped him to the X and secured the plate across his chest, then the arm lifted him high into the air and he, too, turned till he was upside down.

“And finally,” Lethe said, “Miss Cain.”

Valkyrie glanced at Skulduggery as Razzia and Memphis came forward, but she started walking before they reached her. They stepped aside, allowing her to position herself against the final X.

“Now that’s what I like to see,” Lethe said. “A little dignity in your final moments.”