Saracen and Erskine. No wonder Saracen had hugged Ghastly as soon as he saw him. Ghastly closes his eyes for a moment, letting the weight of it sink in, letting his heart ache for those left behind.

They couldn't have lasted forever. All of them would have died eventually, after all. Probably even Skulduggery, someday. But it shouldn't have been like this, with Saracen alone and Erskine drowning in regret.

"Was there anything good about it?" he asks abruptly, focusing on Skulduggery again. "Or was it just-- war, all over again?"