“Mary’s not afraid,” Nick told him. “But she is cautious—which means she’ll only come after us when she feels she can’t lose.” He wondered if she knew where he was right now, and what he was doing.

“What d’ya think’s gonna happen when you finally come face-to-face with her?” Charlie asked. It wasn’t the first time Nick had been asked that question, and his answer was always the same.

“I don’t try to guess at things that haven’t happened yet.”

But that was a lie. Nick couldn’t deny that he had fantasies about their destined meeting. In one fantasy, he would defeat her—but he would show such mercy that Mary would break down in his arms, admit she was wrong about everything—and that admission would heal him, sending every last ounce of chocolate into remission. Then, hand in hand, they would hold their coins and step into the light.

In another version, Mary would win the battle, but be so moved by Nick’s valor, and by his passion for freeing the souls she had trapped, that she would finally listen to reason, and allow Afterlights to choose their destinies for themselves. Then together they would lead Everlost into a new age.

All his fantasies ended with him and Mary together one way or another. This was something he couldn’t share with anyone, for how could they trust a leader who was in love with the enemy?

The hundreds of kids who were now under Nick’s leadership certainly didn’t love Mary. While some of her many writings had dribbled down to the South, fear and awe of the Sky Witch and her magic was much more compelling than the written word. It was their fear of her that made it easier for them to align with the Chocolate Ogre, who, in their eyes, was certainly frightening, but not terrifying. It was a case of the monster you know being better than the monster you don’t know. The problem was, their fear of Mary was quick to turn soldiers into army deserters. In a world where ecto-ripping and skinjacking were possible, there was no way to make these kids believe that Mary Hightower had no such powers.

“I only know of two ecto-rippers,” Nick tried to point out to a fearful group of enlistees. “There’s one called ‘the Haunter,’ who’s inside a barrel at the center of the earth, and then there’s Zin, who’s one of us. As for skinjackers, I’ve only ever met one. Her name is Allie, and she’s on our side too.”