Book excerpt: Magic is a disease. Across the land, normal people are developing wild and unstable powers. Somehow infected by a rare strain of magic, they are dangerous and terrified. Th eir only hope lies with the Sanctuary, which is having problems of its own. Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain are needed not only to fi nd out what is causing the infection, but also to prevent the take-over of the Sanctuary by a consortium of international sorcerers. And then there's the small matter of Kitana. A normal teenage girl who, along with her normal teenage friends, becomes infected. Wielding the magic of gods, they're set to tear the city apart unless someone stands up against them. Looks like it's going to be another one of those days...