"You can always take my spot now," Erskine told Dexter as he took the papers from John. "There's no one left to fire. You wouldn't have to kill me, Skulduggery wouldn't have to arrest you. Everyone's happy."

Valkyrie could see why Tipstaff got so frustrated sometimes. She could also see why the Dead Men were such a formidable unit during the war. In all honesty, she preferred this Council of Elders - and Dexter - over Meritorious's Council of Elders. Even if Corrival Deuce was a little scarier than Meritorious was, at least this Council had fun. They joked with each other. Things were less heavy when they talked to each other, even if those same things weren't any less serious.

"Seconding that," Des added absently onto his wife's words, most of his attention still focused on everything he'd just heard. "For multiple reasons."

"It's fine." Valkyrie was growing self-conscious again, so she forced herself to stand up straight and meet her mother's gaze. "I'm not going to. I haven't, for the last few days." And not just because Gabe hadn't let her, either. Ever since the thing about Bliss came to light, reflections just gave Valkyrie the creeps. She would rather not have been the one going to school, but it beat having to talk to her reflection again. She couldn't even look at herself in a mirror nowadays without wondering what might have happened if she died while the reflection was still active.

"Why are you blind?" Des directed abruptly at Solomon. "Can't sorcerers just... fix that?"