"What's wrong with relying on both?" Skulduggery asked. Steel and gunpowder certainly had its uses. Skulduggery himself used a revolver, and he'd managed to arrest Baron Vengeous during the war by throwing a stick of dynamite at him. He still wasn't quite clear on why that resulting explosion hadn't killed the man, but since Skulduggery finally killed him a year ago, it was a moot point.

And now he'd confirmed that there were definitely people around here who could use magic. Whether Badd had witnessed an Adept discipline, or a different form of magic altogether, remained to be seen.

"So," said Skulduggery, the fork he'd picked up a few minutes ago still clutched in his hand, forgotten. "Now that you know my deep dark secret, would you mind doing me a favor? I haven't been able to find a mirror yet, and I don't think my face is doing what I tell it to. This is one of those rare opportunities where I could use some criticism."