“Of course,” Dex said. “The Most Favored was able to reattach the arm you so thoughtfully retrieved for me.” She held up her arm to the lantern light, showing a thick band of shiny scar tissue just above the elbow. “See? Good as new.”

“Glad to hear it.” Garret caught Alice’s expression and winked. “Sometimes these little trips can get a bit rough. But I’ll take care of you, never fear. Any sign of the others?”

“I haven’t seen anyone,” Alice said.

“Ah, but you didn’t see me, did you?” Garret grinned. “Healthy paranoia, like I said. What if I’d been something horrible?”

Before Alice could think of a response, sudden light bloomed on the other side of the cavern, followed by a girl’s voice, shouting. She couldn’t make out the words, but Garret rolled his eyes theatrically.

“That’ll be Ellen, being her usual charming self,” he said. “Come on. We’d better sort it out or they’ll kill each other before we even get started.”

Garret led the way across the cavern. Alice, walking beside Dex, couldn’t help staring at the scar on her arm. When Dex caught her looking, Alice cleared her throat uncomfortably.

“I was just wondering what happened,” she said.

Dex smiled. “I encountered some difficulty during a joint expedition into one of the Lower Third Septieth worlds.”

“She fell into a swamp,” Garret said from up ahead, “and a giant crocodile-thing bit it off.”

“Bit it off?” Alice said.

“Fortunately Brother Garret was kind enough to lend me his assistance,” Dex said. “All’s well that ends well.”

“But didn’t that hurt?”

Dex shrugged. “Pain is an illusion. The body is only a clay vessel holding the immortal essence of the soul, so it is a mistake to attach any import to the difficulties it may encounter. In fact, the whole episode reinforced my fundamental understanding of—” She caught Alice’s expression. “Yes. It hurt quite a lot.”

Garret pulled up short, shading his eyes with one hand. The light had grown steadily brighter as they approached, until it was almost too intense to look at.

“Ellen!” he shouted. “Is that you?”

A girl’s voice came back. “Garret? I ought to have guessed you’d be here.”

“You know me, I never miss a party,” Garret said. “Would you mind turning your halo down a few notches before you blind everybody?”

The brilliant light dimmed to a more comfortable level, and Alice could see the girl who stood underneath it. She was tall and skinny, with short blond hair and pale skin. Alice guessed she was the same age as Garret. Her outfit looked a bit like Alice’s, durable and practical, though it had seen considerably more use.

“Is that Dex with you?” Ellen said.

“Yup,” Garret said. “And this is—”

“Alice,” Alice interrupted.

“She’s new,” Garret added.