After eating their fill, and guzzling cool, sweet water, Alice and Isaac sat beside the table while Soranna attended to Dex’s leg. First she unwrapped the bandage and used a whole pitcher of water to wash away the crusty dried filth, revealing a long, nasty gash that drooled a steady stream of fresh blood. Alice had to look away, but Dex stared at it with wide-eyed fascination, as though excited to get a glimpse of her own insides. After having her arm bitten off, maybe this is small potatoes.

Once everything was clean, Soranna called on one of her bound creatures, and a pale orange cream began to ooze between her fingers. She applied this to Dex’s leg in great dollops, rubbing it gently over the wound. Dex shivered every time another handful was applied, and out of curiosity Alice stuck the end of her pinky in the stuff. It made her skin feel cool and tingly, like she’d dipped it in rubbing alcohol.

While Soranna was retying the bandage, Alice looked back at the depleted table. She hadn’t even recognized half the food, but she’d been too hungry to care.

“What are these, do you think?” she said to Isaac.

“Which?” He put one hand over his mouth and belched. Alice made a face.

“These things that look like giant raisins.”

“Search me.”

“They’re dates,” Soranna said. “You’ve never had one?”

“I’m not sure we have them in America.” Alice looked back to find Soranna tying off the bandage with an efficient, practiced motion. It looked a lot more professional that Isaac’s improvised wrap. “Is this the sort of food you have at home?”

“This is food for the master,” Soranna said absently, cleaning her hands on a rag. “At home, we eat what we can catch in the forest.” She looked up and fell silent, becoming aware that the other three were staring at her. Suddenly overcome by shyness, she bent her head over Dex’s leg again, pretending to fiddle with the bandage.

“Sister Alice,” Dex said, “may I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Is it true that you only began your studies with Master Geryon a few months ago?”

Alice nodded cautiously. “Why?”

“Where did you live before that?”

“With my family, of course. My father.”

“Out in the world?” Soranna interrupted, her voice full of curiosity. “With mortals?”

“Yes,” Alice said. She remembered Isaac telling her that he had been taken to live with his master at a very young age, but she had no idea about the others. “I didn’t even know I was a Reader until my father died, and I was sent to live with Geryon.”

“That must have been quite a shock, discovering that you weren’t normal after all,” Dex said.

“I suppose it was. Why? When did you find out?”