Does Skulduggery feel bad about what's about to go down? No, not really. Will he feel bad about it later, when he's had time to reflect on his actions? ...Nah.

Skulduggery decides he'll try to play a fair game before he throws it, at least so Max won't feel like he's being given a hand-out.

"And if you win, I hope you'll wear it out," he laughs. "But I've got a good feeling about my lucky streak, and a bad feeling about yours."

It's playful table-top ribbing between pals, and Skulduggery does a good job of not sounding ominous when he says it.