"Maine is -- a mountain of a man, I'll grant you that, but -- " Sonia twists a lock hair between her fingers, fretting. "It's still a suicide mission, Miles. At best you'll be captured and fast-penta'd, and then they'd have more of us."

She chews on the end of that lock of hair, looking worried and a little plaintive. "Please don't, Miles. At least...at least talk to my sister first. She'd be just as aggrieved at Rani's capture."

Not that it's been easy to tell. Everything's just been so hard lately, and Sonia hasn't seen much of her sister in the last week.