Skulduggery shook his head. "I didn't spend five years as an unthinking killer because of that necromancer. He made it possible, yes, but the choice was still mine."

Just as the choice to stop had, ultimately, been his. He couldn't blame his downfall on someone else and still lay claim to the recovery.

Valdis's last question was what gave Skulduggery pause - not because he needed to think about what the answer was, but because he was trying to decide which answer Valdis would prefer. In the end, he tipped the balance in favour of the truth, echoing the tone of the rest of the conversation.

"I'm a detective," he said. "I like being able to understand things. It's a compulsion. I don't believe you'll let it happen again, just as I believe Anton would stop you if you tried. But if things escalate again, I don't need to understand anything in order to kill you. Understanding only makes it easier."