“So apparently when I ran off the night before the attack, going to March to try to break the connection to Mama, Erin was given some options. One of those options was that she marry Lachlan.”

“Oh no!” Lookout said.

“They’re both really nice, attractive people,” Rain said. His expression was grim. “Front-facing people to recruit others. They could become celebrities without any issue. I can see the logic.”

“Yeah,” Sveta said. “Logic, except, the brainwashing, the forced marriage, all that.”

“Mmm,” Rain grunted. “It’s an awkward thing, her helping him and him being a go-between for her and her family—who aren’t dealing well with the family mostly shattering. She might be by later.”

I noticed mostly because Lookout was bouncing in her seat, but Ashley was in view now. Double-vision. There were two of her, wearing similar dresses. The one slightly in the lead was our Ashley, our Swansong, with hair cut short. It had fanned out slightly at the bottom, and where weight had pulled it straight, it had a bit of a twist to it. Her bangs were similar, but more twisty, pushed over to one side.

Our Ashley’s hands were intact. Her darker self had knife-hands.

“So cool,” Lookout said.

Rain leaned forward, touching the intercom at the middle of the wide table. “Can the other Ashley Stillons join us?”

“Checking,” came the reply.

I was aware of the eyes on us. The visitor seating table was about a hundred feet down from the main office. Some chicken-wire fence separated sections of the greater infrastructure, but little effort had been made to make it tall or make it private.

I might’ve seen one or two more Fallen, as I surreptitiously glanced around. I got my notebook out and began scribbling down notes as best as I could with only one arm free. People, places. Suspicious individuals.

Lookout bounced out of her seat, half-running—

“No running, careful!” Sveta called out.

—and half skipping. She slowed down at the warning.

Ashley pulled her into a hug.

“How are the hands?” Rain asked.

“More functional, but the right is giving me jolts of pain.”

“Damn it, sorry,” Rain said. “Tonight’s not a good night. We’ll see about tomorrow?”

“Okay,” Ashley said. She set a hand atop Kenzie’s head. “If it gets bad, I can take it off.”

“Best not to,” Rain said.

The intercom buzzed, but no voice came through. It took three or four seconds, and then there was only a “Permission refused.”

Too bad. It had been a long shot, to bring Swansong’s sister in.

I looked at her, and I saw a reflection of Ashley, but one that casually wore the glares and haughty expressions that had been rarer or which had only emerged in times of stress. She stalked, eyes wide.