The lizard Fallen went after her. Another cord. Harder to get it around Ashley’s neck, when Ashley was bent double—Ashley brought her injured hand up, and the wire pulled against her forearm, cutting into flesh. Blood welled out.

Power welled out too. The power flared, and the cord broke. The Fallen stumbled back, and became statue as Ashley turned to look at it.

“If you’re a pair and not one cape with a gimmick, you’ll both want to stand down, because my friend hits pretty darn hard.”

“I do,” Ashley said. Long, wet white hair had fallen across her face while she was bent over. It stuck there.

The lizard Fallen cackled, but didn’t respond.

She went after Ashley, instead of me. Two of her at once, but never acting at the same time. One became a statue the moment Ashley looked like she might have her bearings and be able to respond. I flew over, and the Fallen girl moved around behind Ashley, shoving her in my direction, maneuvering to never give either of us a clear shot or angle.

She hit Ashley in the midsection, and Ashley reached out, putting a hand on the Fallen’s collarbone to steady herself. She was hit from behind, one hit to the kidney.

She used her power, and it tore through the statue, ripping it apart. Ashley was thrust away by the blast, and she landed not very far from where the lizard Fallen had dropped to the mud and grass, sitting there in shock.

Ashley hadn’t been lying when she’d suggested her power could hurt me.

It had been the final test, in a way. The group of Fallen soldiers were hanging back, the Patrol block having emerged, guns held up. One or two in the Fallen still had guns as well, or had picked them up, but they were badly outnumbered.

Had the lizard Fallen won, I wondered if they would have pressed the attack, even faced with equal numbers and more guns. I wondered if they would have had a choice.

Choice. I looked for the instigator and leader. Mama Mathers had disappeared into the trees, along with the Fallen in black, the one who had conjured the blue-white wall of faces, and the beast-masked Fallen in white.

Gilpatrick’s group began to disarm, arrest and manage the Fallen soldiers, some tending to the wounded, others hanging back and keeping their guns raised.

“R is in trouble?”

“I overheard,” Erin said. “One of Bamet’s animals came to relay information. R was attacked.”

“Rain,” another of the human body shields said.

“I was leaving the full name out, Dad.”

“Don’t betray your own, Erin,” the man said.

“Our so-called own betrayed us!” Erin shouted. “Fuck! They never cared. We were only tools to use. Shields to get in the way so they could get up close.”