“But sent him where, Mama?” he asked, not looking at her. She didn’t have an answer.
“I don’t understand,” Gamble said. “You mean your brother’s one of them down there?”
Wren took another step closer to the edge of the building, but Cass reached out and grabbed his shoulder. He stopped in place, just stared down at the crowd of Weir still chanting below.
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “He’s all of them.”
It was almost too much to comprehend, the very idea too much to bear. After the events in Underdown’s throne room, when Wren brought Cass back to herself and Three lay dying, Asher had been there on the floor. At least his body had been. His eyes had been open, fixed and staring, but there had been no life in him. It hadn’t been any use asking Wren what he’d done to his half-brother; he didn’t exactly know himself. But as terrible as Asher had been, and as dangerous, Wren had still never really forgiven himself for taking Asher’s life.
I just wanted him to stop, was all he would say.
Could it be that somehow, in some way, when Asher’s mind had been cast out of his body, he hadn’t truly been destroyed? Cass looked down at her hands, the slender fingers with their metal blades beneath the nails. There had been a time before that she could’ve believed it impossible. No longer. As shocking as it was for her mind to accept, she found she didn’t need to fully understand it to find herself believing.
“Spshhhh. Naaaah.”
“What’s ‘Spinner’?” Sky asked. “What does that mean?”
“It’s what Asher used to call Wren. Before,” Cass explained. “They called us different names.”
“So you’re saying your dead brother is controlling those things down there?”
Wren nodded.
“How do you know?” Gamble asked.
“I can feel him,” Wren said.
In the street below, the cluster of Weir remained pressed together. Others still wandered in and around the enclave, but no more joined the group. A number of them even seemed to be returning to the buildings from which they had come.
“He’s different,” Wren said, after a moment, “…but not.”
“What does that mean for us?” Mouse asked.
“Nothing good, I’m sure,” Gamble said. “But for now the situation hasn’t really changed, has it? I mean, if we kill all of ’em, will that be the end of it?”
“I don’t know,” Wren answered. “I don’t think so.”
There was noise back behind them, across the roof, and Cass turned to see Finn and Swoop rejoining the team. Both went immediately to Wick. Finn crouched down beside his brother. Swoop remained standing and seemed to exchange a few words with Wick, before heading over towards Gamble and the rest of them.
“How we lookin’?” Swoop asked.
“Not good,” Gamble said.
Gamble gave Swoop the rundown, as much as she could. There wasn’t really any good way to try to describe or explain what was going on with the Weir. Swoop took it all in with his usual stoicism.
“What about the rest of ’em?” Swoop asked.
“What do you mean?” Gamble said.
“Looks like about a hundred or so down there. Why aren’t they all together?” he asked.
“I have no idea.”
“Maybe he can’t control them all,” Wren said.
Finn and Able joined the group.
“Who’s on the door?” Swoop asked as they approached.
“Wick’s got it,” Finn said.
Swoop glanced at Mouse, but Mouse didn’t say anything.
“I know he’s in trouble,” Finn said, replying to the look. “He’s hurt, not dead. He’s got the door. So what are we doing?”
Everyone looked at Gamble.
“If anyone’s got ideas, now’s a good time,” Gamble said.
Swoop started off. “Blow the door. Shoot the rest. Make a run for it.”
“We’re not running,” Mouse said. “Not with Wick in the shape he’s in.”
“We can start picking them off from up here,” Sky said. “See how many we can get through.”
Gamble shook her head. “We’re not going to kill a whole town’s worth. Not before sundown.”
“I’m light on ammo anyway,” Finn said. “How about you all?”
“Same,” Swoop said.
Able waggled his hand, indicating he still had some, but not as much as he’d like.
“No chance they’re going to leave us alone, I guess,” Mouse said.
“Wouldn’t count on it,” Gamble said.
“We could go back in, start reinforcing floor by floor,” Finn said. “Start at the top, work our way down. See how far we get before they come. Try to get them choked up in the tight spots.”