It was difficult to put much force behind a punch like that when you were lying in bed, and had been for the entire day. Skulduggery was shoved backwards, certainly, but the pain was minimal and he recovered quickly. He certainly recovered much more quickly than it seemed like he did, standing alone in the middle of the room for minutes on end with his head tilted at a very specific angle.

Then he abruptly turned and left the room, came back with a bucket of cold water he'd filled from the sink in the kitchen, and dumped it over Wreath's head.