But the sensation was swept away in the next instant as his mouth touched gently to hers. He kissed her with little passion, but with plenty of comfort. She drew in a sharp breath.

“Don’t do that,” she said, turning her face away from him. “Don’t feel sorry for me. I don’t want your pity.”

He caught her head in his hands and turned her eyes back up to his.

“I do feel sorry for you. Someone has to because you won’t do it for yourself. You simply accept it and move on with your daily life as though you don’t deserve more. But you do.”

“So do you!” she blurted out. “You deserve more too but you don’t think you do any more than I do.”

“It’s different. I’ve done terrible things, Viève. Things you don’t understand or you wouldn’t even want to talk to me. You wouldn’t want me to touch you. You certainly wouldn’t want me to kiss you. And I’m being selfish by not telling you what those things are because for just a little while I want to be around someone who doesn’t hate me.”

“I don’t hate you. I wouldn’t hate you.”

“You would,” he breathed as he touched his forehead to hers. “You would.”

A sound to their right caught their attention, as a large orange and red bird came to roost on the branch next to theirs. There was a sudden burst of blinding, hot flame and then a man was sitting on the branch. He was dark skinned, with a pair of dark brown eyes, flame-red hair, a wide flat nose, and a full, plush mouth. His skin was an even brown, the complete antithesis to any redhead Kamen had ever known. He was naked, of a wiry build and every muscle could be seen beneath the smooth dark color of his skin.

“Who seeks to speak to the Chieftain?” he asked in a heavily accented voice.

“My name is Kamenwati. I represent the Bodywalkers and the united tribes of the Nightwalker nations. They have sent me here to seek your help in dealing with a problem that threatens us all.”

The man laughed. “We have no problems here. Now go away.”

“I can’t,” Kamen said quickly before the man could turn into a bird again and fly away. “There is a creature on this earth that will seek the destruction of all of the Nightwalker races. Including the Phoenixes.”

“Who then?” the Phoenix countered. “Who threatens us in our peaceful forest far away from the rest of the world?”

“His name is Apep. He is an imp god brought forth onto this planet by a foul deed. Even now he is gathering strength. And when he is at full strength he will attack us because he knows that only the joined races of the Nightwalkers can stop him from running rampant throughout this world—he will kill or enslave any man or Nightwalker that gets in his way. So far all of the Nightwalker races save the Phoenixes, Mysticals, and Wraiths have joined our cause. The Wraiths will join, but only once all the others have. I implore you, we must see the Chieftain as soon as possible. Time grows very short.” He drew a breath. “And there is more. Much more. Would you rather live in ignorance or will you hear me out?”

The man seemed to contemplate that for a moment, and Viève held her breath. He had to say yes. He simply had to. She didn’t know what they would do if he didn’t.

“My name is Cembo,” he said after a moment. “I am the Chieftain of this Nightwalker tribe. Anything you have to say, say it now, because I am not certain yet if I believe you.”

Kamen did so, and quickly. He explained first about the curse and the two factions of Nightwalkers. Then he explained every other detail, save the one about how he personally was responsible for bringing Apep to this world.

“This sounds like a Bodywalker problem, not a Nightwalker one. You have made an enemy of this god. We have not. We will not expose ourselves to the outside world when we do not have to.”

“This is beyond a Bodywalker problem. Surely you can see how it affects all Nightwalkers.”

“I do not see that,” Cembo said stubbornly. But then, “However, I do think it deserves further study. I will send representatives to the outside world. They will make a judgment and send word to me.” Cembo called out in a cawing sound and a pair of brightly plumed birds alighted on the branch next to him.

“This is Cordo and Ceara. They will come with you to the outside world.”

“I will have to bring them on two separate trips,” Kamen said. “I can only carry a maximum of two passengers and I will not Viève behind.”

Cembo gave him a nod. “Return here and Cordo will be waiting. Take Ceara now.”

The bird on the left exploded into flame, a light dusting of ash drifting over Kamen and Viève in its wake. After the burn of the flame eased from their retinas, they could see a pretty, Amazonian woman with skin as dark as the Chieftain’s and hair a slightly fairer shade of red.

“Ceara and Cordo are my voice. Whatever they decide is what I decide. They are my most trusted advisors.”

“I understand. Thank you. They will quickly come to see the importance of this.”

“I pray not. I pray that you are blowing this out of proportion and that it has nothing to do with us. The alternative is unthinkable.”

“But the unthinkable is real. Your aides will see that. Ceara, come take my hand,” Kamen said, reaching to grip hold of Viève’s hand with one hand and extending the other to Ceara. She looked at it a moment as though she were perplexed by what to do, but then she held out her hand so Kamen could take it.

They jumped into the streak a second later.

Chapter 7

They appeared on the grounds of a sprawling ranch with several empty stone platforms lining the drive and a nicely manicured front garden. There were cacti and stone, deep red earth and well-tended flowers. The house had three stories to it at least, with great soaring windows by the front door.

Ceara fell to her knees when they came out of the streak and vomited violently. Strangely enough, this time it didn’t feel so bad for Viève. She was actually beginning to grow used to the unnerving, unsettling streak.

Feeling for the Phoenix, she got to her knees beside the young woman and patted her back consolingly.

“It will pass in a second,” she said.

Ceara merely nodded and made an obvious effort to keep from heaving again. Meanwhile, Kamen disappeared from sight, in a streak of movement. Ceara was just getting to her feet when he returned with Cordo in tow. Cordo’s reaction to the streak was just as violent as Ceara’s had been, but when Ceara and Viève went to help him, he put up a hard hand to keep them at bay. He regained his composure with a few swift breaths, then got to his feet.