[...Huh. Why not? Do injuries usually fall into the categories "instantly fatal" and "shrugged off in hours"? If that's it I may owe Amariah a few extra paragraphs' worth of thank-yous for the bayleaf and its friends.]

[Yes, that's about the size of it.]

[If I'd died and there was a new Slayer now would you be involved with her or would they send someone else?] Bella asks curiously. [I assume she'd be easier to find than I was.]

[They would send someone else.]

[What would happen to you?]

She stops making him think about it. [I'll try to avoid getting stepped on again. I have a lot of squares and I'll use them if I have to, if we can't get any of the sand and they don't have other weaknesses. Are those Defender things at least difficult to make?]

[They were at the time, but no records of the process survive that I've heard of, so I don't know if that might have changed in the intervening millennia.]

[I don't suppose we know why that kind of sand dissolves them.]

[There's at least one separate theory for each of the candidate fountains. Demonologists with too much time on their hands have argued over it at length. I personally don't think there's enough information to support any of their conclusions.]

[Is there enough information to suggest any experiments on how to duplicate the effect? If there are - Powers forfend - a bunch of these, I'd rather not be down a hundred squares by the time I find the source of the problem if I could solve it with sand that was the right color or had the right ratio of diatoms in it.]

[About the only thing we're sure of is that it was a magical property,] he says apologetically.

[Well, that's irritating.] She sighs. [I think Sherlock's asleep now, do you know if he's been able to get in to visit me or not? I don't know what visiting hours are like here.]

[He hasn't mentioned anything.]

[Pleased to hear it,] says Jarvis.

[Do you know if Sherlock's been able to convince the hospital to let him visit at night or if he's tried or what?]

[He's been in to see you. I believe he skipped the wheedling step.]

[Ha. Should've guessed. They're talking about keeping me for a week, but the way I heal I'm betting I can get that down to a day or two. If I'm asleep when he wakes up will you let him know for me?]

[Of course.]

[Thanks. I'm gonna try napping off this headache now.]

[Good luck.]

Bella successfully sleeps. She wakes some three hours later, past dark, feeling significantly better.

She has a visitor!

"Hey you."