locked from the inside. But instead of an enemy at his threshold, the visitor was the most welcome sight he had ever seen.
It was Mary standing there behind the glass, framed by the door, the way she had once been framed by the glass coffin. He should have realized she would have awoken when all the other Interlights had. Milos had come to believe she had been spirited somewhere far away by the Neons, but he had held on to the hope that he would be able to find her once she awoke. He never dreamed she would be the one seeking him out.
Milos stood there, still afraid to make a move toward the door, not knowing how angry at him she would be… but no one kept Mary waiting. He went to the door, fumbled with the locks, and opened it.
“Hello, Milos,” she said. Her voice was neither warm nor chilly. He had no idea how to read her. Behind her was a large vapor of Afterlights, but Milos wasn’t concerned with them. “Well, aren’t you going to invite me in?”
He let her in, locking the door behind her. For a moment he was at a loss for words. All he could think to say was, “Sorry about your dress.”
She brought her hand to the tear in her satin gown, directly above her heart. “It couldn’t be helped,” she said. “But it’s an important memory to keep. It reminds me of the good you’ve done.” She paused for a moment, then said, “I heard about the train. Jill told me everything.”
Milos had played this moment over and over in his mind dozens of times, all the excuses, all the explanations he would give her… but when the moment finally came, there was nothing he could say except this: “I’m afraid I’ve made a mess of things.”
“Yes, you have,” Mary said. Then she turned to Moose, who hid his weepy eyes in shame. “Why is he like this?” Mary asked.
“Something happened to Squirrel,” Milos explained. “He was extinguished by a scar wraith.”
Mary snorted in a most unladylike way. “There is no such thing. You should read my books again and refresh your memory.”
“I’m sorry, Mary, but there is. I saw the scar wraith with my own eyes, and I saw Squirrel extinguished. I think that is what made all the Interlights wake up.”
Mary allowed all this to sink in. “So… scar wraiths are real
… and one is loose in this city. Is it seeking out Afterlights to extinguish them?”
Milos shook his head. “It just wants me,” Milos told her. “And now I think it will want you, too.” Then he added, “It is controlled by a boy who used to travel with us named Mikey.”
At that, Mary’s eyes shot to him, looking as wild as Mikey’s had, almost as if there was some sort of resemblance. It was so unnerving Milos had to look away.
“You say his name was ‘Mikey’?”
“Yes.”
“And did he have a last name?”
Milos only shrugged, but Moose, through his sobs, said, “McGill. Mikey McGill. Like the monster. He said he was the monster. He also said he was related to you. He lied about a lot of things.”
“Of course he did,” said Mary, seeming a little less confident than she did a moment ago. “Anyone unstable enough to use a scar wraith to do his dirty work would lie about anything.”
Once again, there came more pounding from behind the vault door.
“And who is in there?” Mary asked.
Milos offered her the slightest of smiles. “I’ve been reaping for you,” he told her. “You wanted more Afterlights… so I have been creating accidents, forced crossings.”
Mary put her hand against the vault door, perhaps to feel the vibrations of those pounding on the far side. “How many?”
“A hundred and eighty-three,” Moose told her. “I’ve been keeping count.”
“You did want me to gather new souls, yes?” Milos asked.
She took a long moment to consider it, looking at the closed vault door almost as if she could see through it and into the hearts of every Afterlight within. Then she turned to Milos and at last she smiled. Then she gently took him into her arms, and whispered into his ear.
“You’ve done a wonderful thing,” she said. “I can forgive you for all the rest now, because I know your heart is in the right place.”
Milos felt a wave of relief wash over him. He never realized just how much he needed her forgiveness.
“A hundred and eighty-three…,” said Mary, still pondering the vault door. “Well, it’s a beginning, but I think we’ll need to start thinking on a grander scale.”
“Grander scale?” asked Milos.
She gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek but said no more about it. “Open the door, then close it behind me, Milos. I’ll need some time to quell their fears. Do you have any of my books handy that I might give them?” But Milos sadly shook his head. “Just as well,” she said. “Things have most certainly changed in Everlost. Perhaps it’s time for me to write something new.” Then she went into the vault, determined to make these new children her own.
Jix waited with Jill just outside the bank with the Neons and their Greensouls. They had no idea what was going on inside, and Mary took an uncomfortably long time.
“What if Mary doesn’t come out?” the Bopper asked. “What then?”
Neither Jix nor Jill had an answer for him.
When Mary finally did come out, she was not alone, but came with Milos, Moose, and a huge vapor of Afterlights-more Greensouls, who looked uncertain, but clearly had already put their trust in Miss Mary Hightower.
Jill would not even look at Milos, and he had nothing to say to her either.
“Let us hold no animosity toward Milos,” Mary told Jix and Jill. “He has worked hard to create crossing opportunities, and to save as many souls as he could from the living world. Whatever bitterness is between you, it must now end.”
Jix agreed, and Jill nodded a bit more reluctantly.
“Good,” said Mary. “Now, Milos has given me some grave news. He has informed me that a scar wraith has come to San Antonio.”
The Afterlights close enough to hear gasped, and word of the scar wraith spread, blending with the rumors of the tentacled beast.
“A scar wraith,” said Jix. “Interesting. Such a creature would be a living vortex between worlds. It could explain many things.”
“And,” Mary continued, “it poses mortal danger to every Afterlight.” The next part seemed a bit harder for her to say. “Therefore… this might not be the best place for us to be.”
Jix sensed an unspoken request in her voice. There was something she needed from him. Jix knew what it was, and only now was he willing to give it. He bowed his head respectfully, and said, “I am at your service, Miss Hightower. Whatever you want to do now, I will make sure that it is done.” Then he added, “All these Afterlights are yours to command.”
“Thank you,” she said, “but I do not command, I protect.”
Jix bowed his head again. “My mistake.”
Mary looked out at the Afterlights all waiting for guidance, then she turned back to Jix, offering him a smile that seemed to him both warm and cunning. Very catlike.
“I want you to tell me about this king of yours,” she said, “and the City of Souls.”
CHAPTER 30
Something About a Chicken
T hey’re going to find your son soon,” a voice said loudly inside the woman’s head. “I want to prepare you for the worst…”
