“He’s a quick learner,” said Skulduggery. “A very quick learner. That’s his power, isn’t it? That’s why Lethe fights the way he does. That’s why he loses until he’s learned your moves. Once he’s seen you in action, once he’s gone up against you, he uses your own skills against you.”

Melior looked up. “Is that … is that true?”

When Lethe didn’t answer, Melior’s skin started to glow.

“You’ve been here the whole time?” Melior pressed. “The last five years, you’ve been right in front of me?”

Lethe dropped the hose and grabbed him. “Kill me!”

Melior’s energy burst from him, flinging Lethe back.

Temper rushed over, but Lethe wasn’t getting up. Temper knelt by him, started working at the fastenings around his throat.

Skulduggery helped Valkyrie to her feet. “Are you OK?” he asked gently.

“I’ll live,” she said.

Temper pulled the mask away, and Melior gave a strangled cry when he saw the face of his unconscious beloved beneath.

A tremendous feeling of déjà vu washed over Valkyrie and her skin prickled with the memory of fiery coals and swirling steam. An image, a single image from her vision, of a girl struck by a searing blast of energy, and she saw Never standing in front of her and she looked up, to the tier above, where the convicts roared and jostled. She saw a fierce light growing around a prisoner’s hand, and the arm straightening, and she launched herself at Never, shoving her out of the way as pain exploded in her left shoulder.

The force of the blast twirled her, actually twirled her in place, and once she was done twirling she staggered, gasping and holding her arm, coming to a stop against the slab. Blood ran like a burst faucet. So much blood. So red. So warm. Dimly aware of Skulduggery waving his own arm, she watched as the convict with the glowing hand was plucked from his perch and tossed screaming into the lake of energy below them.

Valkyrie blinked. Temper was running over to her. Behind him, Omen helped Never back to her feet and Skulduggery was pointing. Pointing.

What was he pointing at?

She felt hands on her shoulders. Long fingers, weak but desperate. Hungry. She turned her head as Abyssinia sat up behind her, mouth open, inhaling Valkyrie’s essence, her life force, her soul, and Valkyrie gasped, aware of the heat rushing from her body.

Abyssinia’s eyes opened, locked on to Valkyrie’s.

Someone else’s hand, closing round her wrist, and the world speeded up and Temper was hauling her towards the others as Abyssinia swung her feet off the table. Abyssinia stood, gazing at her new hands, looking down at her new body, a smile spreading across her new face.

She was back. She was alive.