“If it hadn’t been for people like us—the Imperial Hawks—she might have died here. She couldn’t move properly, and she has no friends who could visit and check up on her. She’s living alone, as far as most people know—and that gets risky when you get older. You understand that, right?”

“I tried to lift her,” he said, his voice much smaller and much less defiant.

“You shouldn’t try—sometimes when people are hurt, that can make things worse. Or that’s what I was taught when I was training to be a Hawk.”

“But you guys came anyway.”

“Yes—because she comes to the Halls of Law almost every day, and she missed three days.”

“I brought her water.”

“I know you care about her. I’m glad you were here. I’m sure she’s glad you were here, too—but there’s only so much you can do.”

“I’ve been practicing. To try to be able to do more.”

“Jamal, you’re a kid. I’ve been a kid, too. There’s only so much I could have done when I was your age. I don’t like to depend on others, but sometimes we have to accept that we have no choice.” She walked toward him, and he stood, waiting for her; his eyes were on her arms, and she could almost see the reflected glow of their light in his eyes.

“You can see me, too.”

She nodded. As she did, she remembered the Arkon, his private collection, and a piece of armor that had evaporated on touch—her touch, sadly, given the way the Arkon viewed his collection. She remembered the way the marks had glowed then, too.

“Jamal, why are you here?” She asked without anger. As she waited for his reply, Mrs. Erickson peeked in through the open door.

“I don’t know. I was here when I woke up. I’m here now. I can’t leave the house.” He turned toward the open door, his expression a mixture of happiness and guilt. “She was here, too. I’m sorry about the books.”

Mrs. Erickson nodded. But added, “You can’t keep doing the wrong thing and apologizing for it afterward—sometimes you have to learn not to do the wrong thing first.”

He nodded, hanging his head. Kaylin thought him between the age of ten and twelve, although he might have been older when he’d been alive. “Jamal, do you see any of the other ghosts that live here?”

Jamal shrugged. Kaylin couldn’t tell if this was a yes or a no.

“He can see the others,” Mrs. Erickson said.

“How many are there? I don’t see any others now.”

“Three more,” Mrs. Erickson replied. “But they’re not here, right now. They don’t tend to stay when Jamal is in a bad mood.”