"Went to sleep in a bed," Cain said, the words stressed because this wasn't a particular memory he enjoyed re-living. "Far as I know, nobody came and dragged me, seeing as no one turned up shot or beaten. But between falling asleep and waking up, I'd gone from bed to a prison," he said flatly. "That Iron Suit by the prison, that's where I was. But I checked and she's not in there, so it's not just kids playing around."

But that sort of thing happened, whether they liked it or not. "She say much to you about this Other Mother person?"

The biggest fear Cain had at the moment was that out of nowhere, the woman had turned up. Cain was bearing a wound that said just what happened when the person you least wanted to see wound up near on your doorstep.