The question of Asti's potential death was one Skulduggery had only had a few days to consider, but it didn't take him nearly that long to realise the investigation would take months. "Ireland-sized," he said, "might be a little more accurate than island-sized. From what I can tell, the only reason anyone thinks he might still be alive is that they can't imagine him being dead. We're drifting through the life-current, not swimming."

It was only a matter of time before they would hit an underwater reef, or the jagged edge of a landmass.

China's answer was exactly what Skulduggery expected, and it still surprised him enough to sit forward. "I'm not sure. What tools do you need, apart from a scalpel?"