"Blocked off," Raine echoed, her focus on Skulduggery suddenly sharp. "Blocked off how, exactly? I haven't looked at the Palace in any detail, myself, but I didn't think there was much that could deter you if you were sufficiently determined." Elemental mages with enough motivation could wreak rather a lot of destruction, she knew, even if she hadn't seen Skulduggery in full-out combat before. "...that may be for the best -- I shudder to think of any of the fruits of Malicant's experiments getting out -- but it raises a number of new questions."