19

      Lethe went at him and Skulduggery let him come.

      He started with a kick that Skulduggery swayed away from. He spun with a back fist that got nowhere near. Next he sprang, twirling in the air like a Cleaver, and Skulduggery dodged back.

      Valkyrie’s left shoulder was on fire. She glanced away from the fight, to Lethe’s friends. All of them, apart from Melior and the guy in the ill-fitting suit, were grinning, enjoying the spectacle as Lethe leaped and lashed out and Skulduggery just kept out of his way. It looked like it would only be a matter of time before one of Lethe’s attacks landed. They were anticipating it. This was sport to them.

      But Valkyrie knew better.

      Lethe was good, of that there was no doubt. As quick and agile as a Cleaver, he threw in a load of extra moves that almost caught Skulduggery out. But Skulduggery kept out of reach, watching him, observing him. Understanding him.

      And then, once he’d absorbed enough information, Skulduggery acted.

      He stepped inside a wild hook and flipped Lethe over his hip.

      Lethe hit the ground and rolled, came up to his feet in one smooth motion. He bounced on his toes like a boxer for a moment, and moved back in again.

      Skulduggery stayed where he was.

      Lethe spun with a kick and Skulduggery stepped forward, tripped him, and Lethe executed a one-handed cartwheel to avoid hitting the ground a second time.

      His friends cheered and clapped. They had no idea what was about to come.

      Lethe changed tactics. He stopped with the spinning and the whirling, and came in straight and strong. His hands flashed. Skulduggery covered up, didn’t even try to block the strikes, but when he got close enough he reached out, grabbed Lethe and pulled him in to an elbow to the jaw.

      Lethe stumbled away. His friends laughed.

      A quick shake of the head and Lethe returned to the fray. He punched and Skulduggery grabbed him again, headbutted him, kicked his knee and slammed him to the ground. Lethe thrashed and squirmed, managed to roll away. He tumbled backwards to his feet.

      Now it was Skulduggery’s turn to move in. A left jab and a right hook sent Lethe staggering. When Lethe threw a punch in return, Skulduggery grabbed his wrist, wrenched it, and only Lethe’s agility allowed him to spin out and free himself.

      Skulduggery hit him again, and again. Lethe wobbled and dropped to one knee. Valkyrie expected the others to rush in at this point, but they stayed where they were. The cheering had died down, but they were still grinning.

      Skulduggery stood over Lethe. “Where’s Temper?”

      Lethe held up a hand for Skulduggery to wait, like he wanted to catch his breath.

      “That,” he said at last, “was a good one.”

      He stood up slowly, groaning as he did so, then he dropped low, slamming a fist into Skulduggery’s ribs.

      Skulduggery grunted and stumbled back, and Lethe straightened.

      “So it’s true,” said Lethe. “Even without flesh, even without nerve endings, you do feel pain. That’s interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever killed someone as interesting as you, Skulduggery.”

      Lethe stepped in with what looked like a kick. Valkyrie was fooled. So was Skulduggery. He went to move inside the arc of the kick, but Lethe was ready for him. The kick was nothing but a feint, and Skulduggery slid straight into the elbow that knocked him back. Lethe followed it up by grabbing Skulduggery and hitting him three times before flipping him to the ground.

      Valkyrie stared, her entire body cold.

      Skulduggery caught a boot to the face that sent him sprawling. He got to one knee and snapped his palm out. The air rippled, but Lethe had already moved up beside him. He grabbed Skulduggery’s wrist and brought his elbow down and Skulduggery’s forearm broke.

      Skulduggery cried out in pain and fell back. His gloved hand hit the street, bones spilling. Lethe kicked it away.

      Valkyrie started forward, but the woman in the tuxedo intercepted her, slapping her dislocated shoulder. She cried out and the woman smiled at her.

      “We’re giving them a fair go, remember? One on one. To the death.” She was Australian. “Things are always more exciting when they’re to the death, don’t you reckon? Hopscotch – to the death. Dance-off – to the death. Fight to the death – to the death.” She shrugged happily. “It’s fun.”

      Clutching his flapping sleeve, Skulduggery tried getting up. Lethe leaped, spun in the air and came down on top of him, pinning him in place.

      “Can you lose consciousness?” Lethe asked, hitting him. “You’ve got no brain to concuss, so maybe not. But it’s fun trying, isn’t it?”

      Lethe hit him again, then reached down, forcing a hand into Skulduggery’s mouth, taking a grip. “I told you,” he said. “The world is a different place.”

      Lethe wrenched and Skulduggery screamed as Lethe pulled his jawbone off.

      Valkyrie grabbed the Australian and sent white lightning coursing through her, and she shot back off her feet and Valkyrie spun, raising her arm to Lethe.

      But everything was moving so fast. Lethe blurred and her lightning was too slow. She tried whipping the lightning after him, but he blurred back, ducking under it. Impossible. Nobody was that fast, not even with magic.

      And then Lethe was moving at normal speed again and Valkyrie stepped back, trying to work out what the hell had just happened. Suddenly the guy with the bleached hair was standing right in front of her. He hit her, square on the chin, and her head rocked back and her legs gave out and she was on the ground, looking up at the cloudless sky.

      “You shouldn’t have come,” the Teleporter was saying. “Should’ve found somewhere else to hide. Now we’ve got you.” He grinned down at her. “Bet today isn’t turning out how you hoped, huh?”

      “Don’t gloat, Nero,” said Lethe. “It’s not cool.” He looked down at Skulduggery, who was sitting up, his broken arm curled against him, his good hand clutching