Ghost hesitated a moment, as if she might say something. Then she walked over to where Sam and Magdalena were standing. She reached out her hand to touch Sam’s shoulder.

Sam jumped to his feet. The chair toppled backwards. Magdalena, startled, took a few steps back. Sam grabbed Ghost and, lifting her, ran to the edge of the roof. He hesitated only a moment, then jumped with Ghost in his arms.

The night raced by them as they fell. Sam wrapped his arms around Ghost, holding tightly and thinking about their earlier conversation. What would she choose? He thought he knew—hoped he was right. But what if he wasn’t? What if she decided to just let them both fall? He prayed she wouldn’t, but even if she did, at least the Mogs wouldn’t have his Legacies.

The ground was rushing up at them. Sam saw lights flashing blue and red. He saw tiny specks moving, then realized that they were people running. And he saw, finally, the grindles. They were monstrous, lumbering around in the street, smashing things with their claws.

Then they were gone. Everything was gone, and he once again felt as if he’d left his body. Ghost had chosen.

When he reappeared, the first thing he heard was someone yelling, “Jackpot!” This was followed by the ringing of a bell and the sound of coins falling into a metal tray. Then he realized that he was lying on the floor, still hugging Ghost, and that several people were bent over staring at them from their seats on stools that were pulled up in front of slot machines.

“Must be part of that magic show,” a woman said, taking a sip from the drink in her hand and turning her attention back to the machine she was playing.

Sam let go of Ghost, who sat up. “It was the first place I thought of,” Ghost said.

Sam sat up too, then got to his feet and pulled Ghost up beside him. “I’m just glad you picked someplace,” he said.

Ghost was looking at him intently. “How long have you been back to normal?”

“Not long,” Sam said. “Nemo gave me a shot of something. I don’t know what it is, but it seems to have worked.”

Ghost sighed. “I’ve got to go back to her,” she said. “Magdalena, I mean. Not Nemo.”

“Why?” Sam asked.

Ghost shrugged. “I just do,” she said. “That’s all. But you should go help Nemo and Max. They’re right down the street. I’d teleport you there, but I’ll be in enough trouble for losing you.”

“You don’t have to go,” Sam said.

But Ghost was already gone.

“How does she do that?” the woman playing slots nearby asked. “Is there a trapdoor or something under there?”

Sam ignored her, turning and making his way across the casino. The place was packed, and he wondered why everybody wasn’t in the streets, given the commotion going on outside the Saturn Hotel. When he neared the casino doors, however, he saw that there were police there, keeping people from leaving. Also, several casino employees were handing out vouchers for free game play and the buffet.