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Each tiged souls, he hoped for that er would be undermined by the love he knew she felt for him But she never came forward to face hinity of a proper slap in the face

"She's heading northwest," Charlie said "D'ya want to follow her again?"

"Where are we?" Nick asked

Charlie looked at his inia East of Richmond"

This was the farthest south they'd ever been--but there were Afterlights who Nick had cos even farther south than this Ru world, but in Everlost, anything was possible So Mary would not face him--and now he suspected she never would without a full-out war There was no question her soul traps were all about gathering up an arht Nick If that's what you want, then I'll play

"Head south"

Charlie shook his head "Can't I haven't charted any tracks south of Virginia Why d'ya wanna go south anyway? Nothing there but the Everwild"

Nick grunted in frustration at the mention of it "That's all I ever hear! Everwild to the north, Everwild to the west, Everwild to the south--"

"Hey, it's not my fault no one knohat's out there!"

"And to the Afterlights there, we're in the Everwild" Perhaps the living world had finally connected coast-to-coast and around the world, but Everlost was a new frontier It was just like the days when America was still the New World, and no one knehat breathtaking vistas and unforeseen dangers lay over the next ridge Perhaps the unknoouldn't have been so daunting if they had an entire crew--but unlike Mary, Nick hadn't been interested in collecting followers His job was to get rid of them, which made it hard to maintain more than just the barest of skeleton crews--nae all that

"Come on, Charlie--let's tame the Everwild! We'll chart the rails, and h Charlie was reluctant to travel to places unknown, Nick kneas te away fro old routines

"We'll need to look for a finder who can trade us the paper we'll need to make a new map," said Charlie, "but until then I can scratch the ine bulkhead"

Nick slapped hiet started, then We'll get to the southern Afterlights before Mary can!"

With the furnace blazing on the ine headed south into a vast unknowable wild

Chapter 4 The Outcast

On a warm June afternoon, two finders came to a small-town diner that had burned downworld had paved over the spot, and turned it into a parking lot for the bank next door, but in Everlost, the diner re in the afternoon sun It was the only building in town that had crossed, and so had becohts

The finders, a boy and a girl, arrived riding a horse This was unheard of Well, not entirely unheard of There were stories about one finder in particular who traveled on the only horse ever known to have crossed into Everlost--and it was said she did travel with a coh he never played into the stories much

As the kids stepped out of the diner, they kept their distance, wanting to, but also afraid to believe that this could be the finder of legend The cluster of Afterlights were young--and the oldest girl froly called herself "Dinah") was their leader She was ten when she had died, and the thing she re else was that she had long, luxurious hair--so now it trailed behind her like a smooth amber bridal train

It had been a while since finders had coan with hope, and ended with disappoint out objects that crossed into Everlost, bartering and trading the ite much crossed here The finders usually left with a sneer and didn't coot off their horse "We don't have much to trade Just this" And she held out a shoelace

The boy laughed "The lace crossed, but not the shoe that ith it?"

Dinah shrugged She expected this reaction "It's e've got If you want it, then give us so in return If not, then leave" She looked over at the girl, daring to ask what the younger kids in her care were too afraid to ask "You have a nairl smiled "If you want my name, it'll cost you a shoelace"

Dinah pulled the shoelace back, shoving it in her pocket "A name's not even worth that much here It's probably irl finder grinned again "I think I have so to trade for the lace" Then she reached into a saddlebag and pulled out a shi ornament that said Baby's first Christer kids oohed and ahhed, but Dinah kept her stony expression "That's worth s away"

"Consider it a gift of good will," the girl said, "from Allie the Outcast"

This was the asps, and the expressions on their faces Some would believe she ho she claimed to be, others would have their doubts, but by the time she left, they would all believe--because it was true, and she liked to believe that truth did hts, who had been so standoffish just aher with questions