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Then he painted the number 0001 on her blouse, and said:

"Chie this powerfully for a very long tier!

Let it fill hier at her for her lies, anger at hier enough to cauterize any vulnerability, burning closed the wound she had left in his twisted heart by her deception This girl had played him for a fool, but that was over

With the addition of Allie to the chi chamber, his collection was now coled theain He watched as they turned Allie upside down, so that the 0001 on her shirt read 1000

A brave man’s life is worth a thousand cowardly souls

Froo, he knehat it e for a thousand Afterlights Souls were the currency hich he could buy back his life Iine it! Flesh and bone, blood and breath For a short while, he had thought skinjacking would be better, but that option had never really existed, had it? No, there was only one way to return to the world of the living This bargain: his life for a thousand souls

Whether the bargain ith deity or demon, it didn’t matter to the McGill All that mattered were the terms Well, he had satisfied the terms He had a thousand souls for paye

So he returned to his throne rooht to the spittoon He reached in, pulled out a cookie, and s the piece of paper He held the fortune with anticipation for aupon its words The instant he saw the e, he knehat it meant, and for the first time in many years, the McGill was afraid … because the fortune said:

Your victory waits at the Piers of Defeat

Ignoring all the warnings in his hty McGill set the Sulphur Queen on a course toward Atlantic City

PART FOUR A Thousand Souls Everlost CHAPTER 24

Nick’s Journey Over a treacherous bridge, and across the entire breadth of Brooklyn, Nick marched fro that even as he crossed that first bridge, Allie was being chimed by the McGill

His mission was clear, but by no et help from Mary That was the hard part, because Allie had already told him how Mary had refused to put her children at risk before As much as it hurt Nick that Mary chose to leave him in a barrel, he admired the selflessness it implied Her motto wasn’t "Leave no child behind," it was "Put no child in danger" Ithelp frohts on his trek toward Mary’s domain Certainly there were hts hiding here and there, but he wasn’t looking for thele-minded

He marched down the center of Flatbush Avenue, cars and pedestrians passing through hi world, and he found that the nored that world, theworld was as insubstantial to hi themselves were like the movie on the screen;

only important if he chose to watch He could see how Mary had come to see Everlost as the real world The true world It would be easy to trick hi--but did he want to do that?

For a ; a child andher tiet a rap on the hood froh Even if he was not a part of it, that world was charged with a vibrant spark that Everlost didn’t have No, the living world could not be disan to wonder if perhaps Mary’s disregard for the living world was nothing more than envy

As he neared Manhattan, his an to pound in anticipation

What would Mary do when she saw hinified? Would she scold hi left in the first place? He knew he still had feelings for her that could not be destroyed by barrel or beast, but did she have any real feelings toward hiht to learn a skill from the Haunter--a skill Mary could use Well, Nick had no new skills to offer her, but he had been changed He was fearless -- or if not truly fearless, then at least no longer fearful By the ti and he didn’t stop until he reached her towers

Mary knew so She knew because of the look of anguish on Vari’s face She’d never seen him look so bleak

"Vari, what is it? What’s happened?"

"He’s back," was all Vari said Then he shuffled away, hanging his head low in a dejected defeat she didn’t quite understand Before she could ask hiht she’d never see again, standing in her doorway

"Nick?"

"Hi, Mary"

There was more chocolate on his face now than before As with es weren’t always the desired ones, but Mary didn’t care, because he was here, and beneath the chocolate there was a smile just for her

It was rare that Mary lost herself, but this was one occasion where the control and poise she prided herself on flew out theShe ran to Nick and hugged hio It was only now in this moment that Mary realized the fondness she had felt for hi she had not felt in all her years in Everlost It had been easier to suppress it when she thought he was lost, but now the e herself over to the heady smell and rich taste ofthis Maybe in his wildest dreams, but his wildest dreams had a tendency not to co li his ar the embrace It occurred to Nick that since they didn’t actually have to breathe, they could stay like this forever If it was inevitable for Afterlights to lock themselves in ruts, this was a rut he could handle

But the moaining her couess you ht I lost you," Mary said "Can you ever forgiveafter you? Do you understand why I couldn’t?"

Nick found himself slow to answer He understood, but that didn’t ive it "I won’t talk about it if you won’t," Nick said, and left it at that

"How did you escape?" Mary asked

"It’s a long story, but that’s not important I need your help"