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"It was a time of gunfighters and outlaws and hard living and easy dying and, of course, it was a time of mean-spirited, blood-slicked magic."
Across a Dark Plain
Across a dark plain cover
Across a Dark Plain
Author Derek Landy
Cover Artist Tom Percival
Date Published 3rd July, 2014
Date Set In 1861
Publisher HarperCollins
No. of pages 24
ISBN ISBN-10: 000756211X

ISBN-13: 978-0007562114

Publication Order
Preceded by
Last Stand of Dead Men
Followed by
The Horror Writer's Halloween Ball

Across a Dark Plain is a short story included in Armageddon Outta Here, focusing on the Dead Men.

Notably, it reveals that the reason Skulduggery Pleasant hates Solomon Wreath is because the latter prevented him from killing Nefarian Serpine.

Plot

In 1861, the Dead Men pursue Nefarian Serpine from Wyoming to South Dakota, fearing that the 300 Year War will end shortly, and that an amnesty will be signed before they are able to kill him.

They arrive in the town of Forbidden, and ask around for Serpine and his Necromancer companion, Noche. A man named Joost attempts to kill them for these inquiries, but is thwarted by Hopeless, and reveals that Serpine told him that he was heading to a church.

The Dead Men arrive at the church to find that it is empty, and are surrounded by Noche's zombies. They fight the zombies with guns, knives, and magic, but are overwhelmed, and are eventually forced to take refuge in the church. The Dead Men escape the church through the back door, and Anton Shudder unleashes his Gist on the zombies, incapacitating most of them. Skulduggery Pleasant, Ghastly Bespoke, and Erskine Ravel burn the church down, killing the rest, and Hopeless finds and subdues Noche.

Ghastly, Ravel, Vex, and Saracen interrogate Noche, who refuses to reveal Serpine's whereabouts. After being intimidated by Shudder, he falsely claims that Serpine is heading for Nebraska, but Skulduggery threatens him into giving Serpine's real destination: the Necromancer Temple.

The Dead Men pursue Serpine to the Temple, gaining on him, and manage to catch a glimpse of him before he enters. They are prevented from going in after him by a large number of Necromancers led by Solomon Wreath, and reluctantly abandon the chase.

That night, Skulduggery sits awake as the others sleep. The narration wonders what Skulduggery would do if he ever succeeded in killing Serpine, and whether he'd ever meet somebody else that would give him a new purpose. In the meantime, Skulduggery just waits, "because it was all he had".

Trivia

  • The version of this story published in the paperback edition includes amendments that correct continuity mistakes. The hardback version incorrectly stated that Mevolent was dead, and Baron Vengeous was imprisoned.
  • Until the release of Hell Breaks Loose in 2023, this was the earliest story in the series' chronology, and the only appearance of Hopeless.
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