Skulduggery nodded. "It's keeping you alive. A soul anchor, I believe, is the official term. Don't forget to keep it on you. It's easy to remember after the first one or two times you leave it behind, though, so I wouldn't worry too much about it."

That was about the last true knowledge-bomb Skulduggery had, so he didn't think he could be blamed for letting it sit for a moment. He couldn't remember the last time he knew so much more than Ireland's leading information broker; it was a moment to savour, even if he couldn't savour it for very long - practically or morally speaking.

So he nodded again, the rest of his skeletal frame eerily still on the fountain rim. "Just about. He drew his power from the Death Realm. He'd possessed Asti - the turtle we're standing on. Mevolent was one man; Malicant was everywhere."