Part of him wonders, with that same distant, defeated exhaustion, how Edgar will take it whenever Dejah finds him. Somebody Front lecturing a Tail-sectioner about how they just don't understand, even if Dejah's the only decent Front-sectioner they've ever met? Yeah. That same part cringes.

But she wants to help -- needs to help, somehow -- and Curtis can't deny her that. She can take anything Edgar tries to throw at her.

They reach the portal, at last. Curtis pokes one foot through and breathes a sigh of relief as he feels the gravity shift back to normal.