“Ain’t that something?” she murmured, and Ryan watched as Francine flickered, and he glimpsed someone underneath, someone slimmer, wearing black, with a bandaged arm… And then Francine was gone, and Mercy stood there. “That better?”

“Much,” Foe said, turning his attention back to Ryan. “We’re going to destroy the world because there is absolutely no point to its continued existence.”

There were a hundred things Ryan wanted to say. That’s it? That’s the reason? You want to kill everyone because you can’t see the point? What kind of stupid, pathetic, selfish reason is that? But he didn’t say any of it, because he was too scared. Because he wasn’t the hero. Because he was the one who was waiting for someone to rescue him.

There was a knock on the door.

“Francine?”

It was Valkyrie’s voice. Mercy stepped up to Ryan, pressing a blade against his belly.

“Francine,” Valkyrie called, “is Ryan in there with you?”

Foe looked at Ryan, and held his finger to his lips as Obloquy went to the door. The knife dug into Ryan’s skin painfully. He had to warn her. He had to. He couldn’t just stand here and keep quiet.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Mercy whispered. “I can see it all over your face. Just know that if you make a sound, I’ll kill you and cut off your hand.”

Valkyrie knocked again, and Mercy looked towards the door, and a sudden pressure built up inside Ryan until he shoved her away from him. And then Samuel was there, a hand closing round his throat and Ryan was moving with his feet off the ground, slamming back into the wall. Samuel’s fingers were like steel and Ryan’s vision clouded, dimmed, and a distant part of him knew he was about to pass out.

The window exploded. Ryan dropped. He sucked in air and his head pounded. There was movement all around him. Foe flew backwards over the couch. Skulduggery was there, flipping Mercy over his hip. The door came down, on top of Obloquy. Valkyrie, clambering over it, shouting at Ryan to run. Ryan’s legs, like concrete. Around him shouts and curses and the sound of breaking things. Samuel, hitting Valkyrie so hard she folded in mid-air. Foe diving at Skulduggery.

The floor moved and Ryan realised he was stumbling. He didn’t even remember ordering his legs to do it. He climbed over the door, slid down it, rolled out into the corridor. Got to his hands and knees, trying to get his brain back in gear.