"I didn't say you'd be the one doing the punching," Saracen murmured -- just loud enough to be heard, not quite loud enough to indicate he wanted to be heard.

The fact that Anton could punch Ghastly back was, all other moral questions aside, a good sign. It meant he'd be fine. It meant no bones were broken. It meant Saracen didn't need to jump back and erase this from happening, as long as no one else got the bright idea of trying something more. And Ghastly probably wouldn't; Anton's no-violence rule wasn't the kind of rule you forgot except in the heat of immediate fury.

So, once the dust had settled, Saracen stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Ghastly's thick, solid shoulders.

"I'm glad you're here," he said quietly. "The last five years have been hell."