“Welcome!” An older woman with a thick Italian accent greeted them when they walked in the door. She was round and grandmotherly, and Cadence got the impression she was a human. She hugged each of them and kissed them on the cheeks before leading them to the back of the building.

“I’m Nessa. Lex and Gia might be the Leaders, but I run this show.” She laughed at her own joke in a jolly chuckle. “They are expecting you.”

At the entrance of a conference room, she stood ...