The fact that Solomon didn't know who he was opening his door to became the final nail in the coffin. Not a trace of necromancy in Skulduggery's soul. He was clean. He was alive.

"To be honest," he said slowly, "I was hoping you wouldn't notice that. At the very least, I was hoping you wouldn't bring it up." It made Skulduggery slightly dizzy when he thought about it too hard.

"It hurts to talk," he went on. "Do you mind if I use sign language?"