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    “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Marcella cried. “What IS that? Where are the armholes? Where is the bodice? I want a corset! That’s just a big piece of cloth! You want to wrap it WHERE?”
    Parvati gave Carolina a wry look. “If it helps,” she said, “we could wrap your sari in such a way to give you as much freedom of movement as possible. Our warrior women even wear these in battle sometimes.”
    “Really?” Carolina said, interested now despite herself. “You have warrior women?”
    “Of course,” Parvati said, producing a shimmering length of red silk. “Don’t you want to see how it’s done?” Her smile said she knew that Carolina was now too curious to say no.
    * * *
    N ot too far away, one of these same warrior women was glaring at Jean. Her dark hair had tumbled to her shoulders and her large eyes were flashing dangerously. Jean guessed that she was a couple of years younger than he was—more of a warrior girl, really.
    “By all the gods!” she cried, stamping her foot. “You persistent, nosy pirates! Why couldn’t you just leave me alone to do my job?” She snatched the black scarf out of Jean’s hands.
    “Wait,” Jean said. “Don’t put it back on. Please. We’re sorry.”
    “ I’m not,” Jack said, leaning toward her seductively. “’Allo, love. Captain Jack Sparrow. Maybe you’ve heard of me.”
    “No,” she said. “And I don’t care who you are. I have my orders, and they include not talking to you.” She lifted the scarf to her face, but Jean leaped forward and grabbed it away again.
    “Tell us your name first,” he said.
    “Yes,” Jack said. “I can see I was rather on the wrong track before. You’re not much of a Fitzy.” He mused for a moment. “Brunhilda?”
    “I’m Jean, Jean Magliore,” Jean said. “We won’t interfere with your job. I just want to know who you are.”
    The girl kicked Jean’s legs out from under him and seized the scarf as he fell over.
    “All right, fair enough,” Jean said from the floor.
    “Pushy chap, isn’t he?” Jack said to the warrior girl. “He hasn’t had much success with the ladies in his short life. Not like me. ‘Popular with the ladies’ is my middle name.” He paused. “Well, that and ‘danger.’ And ‘freedom.’ And possibly Robert. Depends on who you ask, really.”
    She stomped back over to the door and shook out her scarf, ignoring him.
    “I have a tremendous intuitive sense of the female creature,” Jack carried on, waving one hand in the air. “For instance, at this moment I intuit that you are falling madly in love with me despite yourself.”
    The girl looked down at Jean. “Does he always talk this much?”
    “I am afraid so,” Jean said.
    “It is one of my most charming qualities,” Jack observed, beaming.
    “He might shut up a little if you told us your name,” Jean offered bravely.
    The warrior girl pulled her hair back and wound it on top of her head. As she began to drape the scarf, her eyes met Jean’s, and her face seemed to soften a little. “Fine,” she said. “It’s Lakshmi. My name is Lakshmi.” A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “And I am to take you to the feast as soon as you are refreshed.”
    Jean bounded to his feet. “I’m refreshed! I’m ready!”
    Diego poked his head in. Behind him stood Pusasn. “We’re being summoned,” he said. “Oh, hello.” He spotted Lakshmi as she knelt to pick up the odd weapon. “What is that?” he asked curiously.
    “It’s an urumi ,” Lakshmi said. “It takes a lot of training to use, but it’s very deadly.” She shot Jack a warning look.
    “No argument here, darling,” Jack said with a flirtatious grin.
    They all watched in surprise as she coiled the long, flexible swords around her waist like a belt. No wonder I didn’t spot it, Jack thought.
    “Wow,” Diego said, shaking his head. “Carolina is going to love you.”
    From the moony look on Jean’s face, Carolina wasn’t the only one, Jack