That brings Palamedes up short. He doesn't have to ask what she means this time. The dark and final meaning of one flesh, one end had become clear to them all as they watched Ianthe transform. Perhaps that had been the real meaning the entire time, and everything he'd ever been taught had been window dressing. The thought makes him ill.

A dozen emotions flicker across his face--surprise, and concern, and anger, and awe, and a bottomless well of sadness. Palamedes offers her a tiny smile and says, very gently, "You never cease to amaze me, Gideon Nav."