ELENA STARED AT THE HACKED remains strewn across the wooden floor in Ada's quarters. Beside her Wilheim, Cat's younger guard, stared white faced at it.

'What was it?' he asked, a tremor in his voice.

Elena glanced at the boy. 'What did it look like to you?'

'Me,' he said. 'Just like me, as clear as if I looked in a mirror.' Wilheim shuddered. 'Then it changed, got all hazy, and it looked like Ada.'

'Telepathy as well as shifting abilities,' Elena murmured, ...