"Luckily, not too early on," Gabe pointed out, and the grin came more genuinely. He, too, turned when Fletcher appeared, giving the Teleporter a welcoming smile which faded somewhat into sadness when he followed the young man's gaze.

"He'll live," Gabriel murmured. "It won't be easy and he has some choices to make, but he has a chance, now." He hadn't had one before he'd seen all that Gabe was. Sometimes, it really did take a shock. For Solomon's sake Gabe hoped it would be worth it.

The Archangel turned toward Fletcher and took his hand, then looked innocently at Valkyrie. "Does that mean we can't meet your parents? Well, damn. I was looking forward to that."

And then he grinned as they vanished.

Behind them, Solomon Wreath closed his eyes and let out a long exhale. Slowly the Necromancer rose and approached his cane, pausing a moment to stare down at it with an indefinable expression; then he bent and picked it up, gingerly as if expecting something to happen. All that did was that he felt the ice-cold of his magic.

Somehow it wasn't as soothing as it had been. Right now, he couldn't even conceive of entering the Temple, theft or no theft, or using his shadow-walking. Gripping it tightly, his mouth drawn tight, Solomon turned away from the cemetery and strode down the street in search of a taxi.