Milos looked around the Promenade. It said so much about Mary. It was pristine, and spotless. It was full of works of art and furniture that were clearly added by her. The place was as elegant and evolved as Mary herself. There was also a sizeable collection of books in the Promenade. Not just the ones Mary had written, but dozens of others that Mary had acquired. One of those books was out, and sitting on Mary’s chair. Milos picked it up, curious. It featured a picture of a suspension bridge under construction. The title was A History of Civil Engineering.

“A hobby of yours?” he asked.

Mary took the book from him and set it down. “Every book has something to teach us,” she said, “and crucial knowledge at the right time can be a very powerful thing. “Mary gestured for Milos to sit, and so he did, stretching out comfortably on a plush sofa. Mary sat across from him. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to know a little bit about your travels.”

“What would you like to know?”

“Your friend Moose mentioned that you had an encounter with Allie the Outcast. I would very much like to know about it.”

“Allie is of no concern,” he told her. “When I last saw her, she was on her way home. It is a serious thing when a skinjacker goes home—you will be the last thing on her mind. Trust me, she is no threat.”

Mary shifted her shoulders, the suggestion unnerving her. “Did I say she was a threat?”

“No,” admitted Milos, “but she is a friend of the Chocolate Ogre. And he is a threat, yes?”

Mary leaned forward, a little too interested. “Did she say anything about him? Anything at all?”

Milos shrugged. “A bit. Very little. She had not seen him for years—since the day on the pier. I understand you were there too.”

“I hope you realize that the Ogre must be stopped.”

“From doing what?”

“From doing anything! He must be brought to justice!”

“And you,” asked Milos, “are the judge?”

And then she quoted from one of her own writings. “In a lawless world, we must illuminate truth with our glow, and create justice by the convictions of our souls.”

“So then, you are his judge.”

“I have seen firsthand the acts of cruelty he’s capable of,” Mary said. “He sent hundreds of helpless children into the light. He’d send us all there if he had his way.”

Milos found he could read her just as easily as one of her books. At least when it came to the subject of the Chocolate Ogre. He tried not to smile as he spoke. “Does he know you’re in love with him?”

She snapped him a burning glare, as if the question itself was an attack. “I see you’ve been listening to smears made against me. Probably from Allie the Outcast.”