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lost.”
    “And what happens if Simon finds one of these access points?”
    “Then I’ll go find her.”
    “Linden won’t like it—and your new followers won’t be too happy either.”
    “Why do you think that?”
    “Those people you just talked to are taking risks and changing their lives because of you. If you go back to the First Realm, you’re basically telling them: ‘The Resistance isn’t that important. I’m going to put this one person above your problems and maybe I’ll never come back.’”
    “It’s a particular person, Hollis.”
    “Maya wouldn’t want you to take the risk. You’re a Traveler, Gabe. You have a larger responsibility.”
    “I need her.” Gabriel’s voice was filled with emotion. “When you first met me in Los Angeles, I didn’t know who I was or what I was supposed to do with my life. Now I’ve crossed the barriers and visited two realms. Those places are as real as this table and this room. When you’ve had experiences like that, it changes you. Nowadays itdoesn’t feel like I have a connection to anything. Maya is a cord tied to my heart. Without her, I’d float away.”
    “You think your brother has the same problem?”
    “I doubt if Michael worries about anyone else. All he can think about is power and control.”
    “There’s nothing wrong with power,” Hollis said. “Our only problem is that we don’t have the power to destroy the Tabula.”
    “We can’t just destroy our enemy. We need to an offer an alternative. Linden said you’ve been crawling around rooftops with a sniper rifle.”
    “That’s my choice.”
    “I’m just trying to understand your actions.”
    “You don’t have the right to judge me. You’ve been protected by the Harlequins for the last year. They’ll kill anyone.”
    “You’ve studied The Way of the Sword . The Harlequins are controlled and disciplined. They only defend themselves and the Travelers. They’re not looking for revenge.”
    “I’m not a Harlequin, so I don’t follow their rules. The Tabula killed Vicki, and I’m going to destroy every last one of them.”
    “You still care about her?”
    “Of course!”
    “And you remember what kind of person she was?”
    “Yeah …”
    “Do you really think she’d want you to do this?”
    Gabriel raised his eyes and Hollis was sensed the full power of the Traveler. He felt like child at that moment. Embrace me. Comfort me. But then he remembered the stone inside his body and he covered his chest with his arms.
    “There isn’t a single thing you can say that will make me change my mind.”
    “All right. Don’t listen to me. But why don’t you ask Vicki? What if you could speak to her one last time?”
    Hollis felt as if Gabriel had leaned forward and slapped him. Was this possible? Could a Traveler make this happen? Of course not. Furious, he slammed his fist on the table. “I don’t want to hear any of that spiritual shit. Vicki is dead. I buried her on the island. She’s not coming back.”
    “I didn’t say she was coming back. When a person dies, the Light leaves their body forever. But in certain circumstances—a suicide, a violent death—the Light remains for awhile in this world. A small group of people have the ability to channel this energy. In the past, they’ve been called shamans or mediums.”
    “I know what you’re talking about. Ghosts and goblins. Gypsies and crystal balls. It’s all fake.”
    “Most of the time, you’re right. But some people really can speak to the dead.”
    “You?”
    Gabriel shook his head. “No. I don’t have that gift. But Simon Lumbroso told me about another possibility. When Sparrow was the last Harlequin left in Japan, Maya’s father visited Tokyo to see him. Sparrow took Thorn to see a traditional spirit reader who lived on the northern coast of the main island. Thorn said that the woman was very powerful—the real thing.”
    “It was probably some kind of trick.”
    “You no longer have a home, Hollis. You