Leo stiffened. He gave her a hard look. “What about him?”

“I know that he hurt you—”

“You know that, huh? How well do you think you know that? Do you know what it’s like to have strips of your skin peeled off you? To have your belly cut open and your insides taken out and shown to you? To watch a psychopath play in your blood? Do you know that?”

Viève paled. “No,” she whispered.

“I didn’t think so.”

“But…” she said gingerly, “are you going to make him pay for it forever? Is there something you can do that will make you feel like the scales are balanced?”

Leo frowned. “I wouldn’t even do that to my worst enemy. I guess my worst enemy is a lucky fellow.” He eyed her critically. “Very lucky. I didn’t think anyone could stand his company, let alone be touched by him.”

“He’s not the monster you think he is. Not anymore.”

“And you know this after what…a day of fucking him?”

She flinched but said, “Yes. It’s only taken me a day to realize there is a good man trying to get out from under his deeds of the past.”

“It’s hard to look beyond those deeds and see what you think you see.”

“Hard, but not impossible. If you try.”

“So you want me to just forget everything that happened to me? Forgive and forget?”

“Forgive, yes. Forget…I only wish that you could. I’m sure you do too.”

Leo toed a clump of dirt on the ground. “Yeah. More than you know.” He looked at her. “So you think I should hold hands with him and sing ‘Kumbaya’?”

“No. But maybe everyone could stop punishing him and start helping him as he tries to do the right thing.”

“We are helping him. Look out at this field. This is us helping him get everyone working together.”

“Yes. And this is great. A real achievement—one that wouldn’t have happened without him. The Empress of the Mysticals will be here soon and then you will have all twelve Nightwalkers under the same roof. Finally. Thanks to Kamen.”

Leo was silent, his jaw working a moment. “I do give him credit for that.”

“You do? How?”

“What? You want us to hug it out?”

“No, I just want you to start treating him with the respect he’s earned. And he has earned it, hasn’t he?”

“Some,” Leo admitted. “But it doesn’t erase the past.”

“Nothing can erase the past. But the best thing for all of us is to leave it behind. The only way we’ll move forward is if we forgive the crimes of the past. For Kamen. For the Wraiths. For the Templars and the Gargoyles who fight with them. If we want true unity, it has to be done.”

Leo tapped out a rhythm with his fingers against his thigh. It was quick and agitated.

“I suppose you’re right about that,” he said reluctantly. “No. You’re definitely right about that. Damn it. And maybe it’s the only way for me to move on from this. To find a little peace with it. Peace I would desperately love to have.”

“I think we all could use a little peace right about now. This accord…it’s very important.”

“Yes. It is. Listen, let me think about this a little. Let me think about…about how to come to terms with this. With Kamen.”

“Of course. I’m not here to force you into anything. That isn’t going to help at all.”

“You couldn’t force me even if you wanted to,” Leo said. “But you do have me thinking. I’m not an ignorant man. A stubborn one, but not an ignorant one.”

“I would never accuse you of that.”

“But I’m running the risk of being that, aren’t I? Being closed-minded. Prejudiced. You’re right. That’s not going to fly if we’re to make any kind of peace with each other.”

“Thank you,” she said softly. “Thank you for at least thinking about it.”

“You’re welcome. Now c’mon. You gonna get out there and play or what?”

“Oh no! I can’t. I can’t use my deathtouch.”

“No, but you can touch. We’ll use the honor system. If you touch someone then they’re out of the game until that round is over. C’mon, it’ll be good practice for everyone.”

“Well…all right.”

Viève walked out onto the field and played.

—

Kamen came out onto the porch and watched.

He sat with a cup of coffee in one of the rocking chairs facing out toward the front of the property where everyone was gathered. He rocked the chair in an absentminded fashion, his attention trained on Viève and the group of fighters out on the lawn. She looked so small compared to everyone else out there. The thing about Bodywalkers was that they got to pick and choose who they were resurrected into, whose body they were going to share. True, the human had to be on the brink of death, but there were plenty of beautiful people dying all the time. So, every last one of the Bodywalkers out there were tall and beautiful, save Docia. Tameri had chosen a simple, pretty girl with extra curves to be reborn into.

As the only other Templar there, the first of their kind to defect to and be accepted by the Politic side, Tameri was the only one out on the field wielding the Curse of Ra. He should really join them, give them two targets to work against, one on each team. This way both teams got a taste of what it felt like to come up against the Curse. When they met up with the Templars, the Curse was going to be their main weapon and it was important they were battle-ready against it.

But he stayed where he was, sipping his coffee and watching Viève play. In the beginning she was withdrawn and shy, looking very awkward out on the field. Until Jackson flung a boulder the size of a Buick at her and she reacted instinctively, phasing so that it passed through her harmlessly. She took it personally. He could tell by the expression that immediately crossed her face. But then she seemed to shake herself up, she set her chin and launched into the air. Apparently, while she was phased, she could fly. It hadn’t even occurred to him. But it should have. How else had she gotten them in and out of the Doyen’s stronghold? They had “flown” up and down through the earth.

She flew straight at Jackson and before he could dodge her she solidified and touched him.