by God."

"The name of God--"

"I can say that name," Jonas told the Inquisitor. "No wizard may say
it."

"It is a trick," Knupf said.

Jonas shook his head. "Not at all. I will ask you to do nothing against
the Faith; I will merely ask you to test for yourself what I say."

"You are a heretic," Knupf said stubbornly. "I can not--"

"You can pray," Jonas said.

Knupf blinked. "Pray?" he said.

"Meditate on a prayer," Jonas said. "Keep your mind open, keep yourself
ready for the gift of God. It will descend on you."

Knupf shook his head. "It is a trick--" he began.

"A trick?" Jonas said. "With the prayers of God and His Church?"

And that was the unanswerable question. For no wizard could use the name
of God, no wizard could pray. So the Inquisition said; so Knupf said, so
Knupf had to say, and so he had to believe.

Slowly, his mind opened and became receptive. The prayer hung in the air
of the smoky room. Jonas slipped in--

"Now," he said quietly.

His control slipped. The two guards came toward him, overpowered and
held him in a brief second--

"Wait," the Inquisitor said heavily. "Wait. Release him."

* * * * *

"And so," Claerten thought, "the job was accomplished."

"Naturally," Jonas thought.

Claerten's thought had an overtone of weariness. "There is no need to be
smug," he told Jonas. "After all, you did not do the job yourself."

"Unimportant," Jonas thought. "The man is convinced; he can be trained
further and join the Brotherhood."

"It will take time," Claerten said. "A few years, perhaps. But in the
meantime there will be no trials in Speyer."

"No trials?" Jonas thought. "But ... oh. I see."

"Of course," Claerten thought. "Any man who considers himself a wizard
will have his mind seen by the Inquisitor. And since there are no
wizards--at least, none we have discovered--"

"The trials will cease," Jonas finished.

"And the Brotherhood has gained a new member," Claerten said. "A member
with influence and power. It is an important step forward, Jonas."

"Of course," Jonas thought disinterestedly.

"Yet you seem bored by the matter," Claerten thought, puzzled. "I don't
see ... oh. I see the woman in your mind. The daughter. And--"

"Now, stop it," Jonas thought. "Stop it. Cut off. After all," he
finished, "there are times when even a hero wants a little privacy."

Postscript:

_In 1605-1606 (in Offenburg) there were no executions...._