“You wanted him to come,” she says. “If I got on the phone and sounded all weepy and needy and nerdy, he might not have bought it. But play it tough and he knows this is the real deal. Hello, I’m not very nice to him, if you haven’t noticed?” She squirms. “You going to untie me or what?”

Candlefly hesitates. Then he nods toward Sorago.

The Snakeface glides silently toward her, begins undoing her bonds.

“You didn’t need to keep me tied up in that chair,” she says.

“Yes. Well. I wanted to make sure you kept your end of our bargain.”

As she stands out of the chair, she stretches. “I did. He’s on his way.”

“A nice touch with the–” He points to her bruised face. “The makeup.”

“Good enough for a cameraphone.”

“You really don’t care for him at all, do you? Your father.”

The girl hesitates. As though she’s thinking about it, earnestly considering it. “No. I don’t know. He wasn’t a good dad.”

Candlefly chuckles. “Trust me from experience. Few fathers are good fathers. You should respect yours a little more.”

“Oh? You have kids?”

“Two. Adelina and Oscar. Twins.”

“You trying to convince me to grant my father clemency?”

“Clemency. Oh my. Such a big word for a little girl.”

She stiffens. “Not so little. And I like books. You got a problem with that?”

“Of course not.”

She looks at the floor. “Hey. I gave him chances. Chances when I was a kid. Chances when everything fell apart. Chances even now. Just a few days ago I offered to have him work for me. But once again, he refused.” She rolls her eyes.

“A missed opportunity.”

“I guess so.” She looks up now at him. She’s got fascinating eyes – pointed and gray, like the tip of a sharpened pencil. And it’s like they’re pleading with him. “You won’t kill him?”

“No,” he lies. “We won’t kill him.”

Another pause. Finally, she nods. “Good.”

“Let me ask you something else.”

“If you must.”

“It must have surprised you. To find Casimir like that on the floor. Having met a truly brutal death.”

Her gaze meets his. “I already told you, I killed him.”

“Did you?”

“I did.”

“Ah. Well! You’re lucky then that I consider his death no more than a speed bump in our relationship. Besides–” He can’t help but smile at this. “It’s nice to be working with someone so robust. So vigorous. What you did to the young man was…” He shudders, as though feigning excitement at the girl’s deception. “What a partnership this will be, Miss Pearl. A brand new day is here.”

She struggles to unlace the skates. Get them on her feet. The gobbos are coming. Clambering up the heap. Bones clatter. Goblins hiss.

One skate on.

And now they’re here.