"Now, that is an excellent question." One Skulduggery hasn't even considered, actually! "We have no idea if the shades know what happened to them. They likely became aware of the situation eventually... but obviously, not soon enough."

Hmmm. Strangely, no matter how hard he tries to make out the faces, they remain just nondescript enough not to be memorable. It's enough to drive him closer to the mirror, although he isn't going to touch it. He's certainly smarter than that. Certainly!

"The actual mechanics are a mystery, but suffice it to say that our souls are in constant, mortal peril as long as the ship continues to operate as it does." Which isn't very helpful without explanation... "You and I and the rest of the passengers were taken at random, in order to serve as fuel for this ship and... guinea pigs for the Captain's magical experimentation. Are you... familiar with magic?"

He's stopped trying to guess who's from what kind of Earth, that's for sure.