dly to
either the nudity or the ceremony itself, it might make things harder
on them."

"She's going in too," Odeon pointed out.

Cortin grimaced. "I know, blast it! She can and I can't--so you tell
me which would be less damaging."

"In your place, I'd brief her, then let her decide whether she thinks
she can accept it as a religious function." Odeon grinned. "As I
may've said, I don't think anyone who's spent time in Hell is going to
be shocked by anything as mild as that--my only hesitation is about how
she'll react otherwise."

"Understood. All right, that's what I'll do."

* * * * *

In spite of Cortin's briefing, Blackfeather had trouble at first
accepting a nude man and woman as real priests conducting a real
religious rite. That changed quickly, though, in large part because of
the Family's obvious acceptance of precisely that, and their
equally-obvious devotion to the Protector. She didn't--yet,
anyway--share that devotion, and if it hadn't been for Larry's
certainty that the Protector was real, she thought it unlikely she'd
have believed what was going on was an act of worship.

But Larry--no, she chided herself; she ought to start thinking of him
by his real name--Shayan was certain of the Protector's existence and
imminent arrival. Or . . . Blackfeather looked sharply at Cortin. Her
lover hadn't said it in so many words, but now that she thought back,
he'd certainly given the impression that Cortin was the Protector!

Even though it had seemed pointless at the time, Blackfeather now found
herself wishing she'd paid more attention to prophecies of the Final
Coming. Nothing she could remember from them said Cortin couldn't be
the Protector instead of simply the Herald, which was disconcerting
enough. A lot of things, in fact, pointed to it, now that she began to
analyze everything she'd heard and read about Cortin and her
unprecedented, rapid rise from being a curiosity as the only female
Enforcement officer to High King's Inquisitor and Archduchess--not to
mention her tumbling of some of Enforcement's strictest regulations,
such as Special Ops' lack of close family, not only with impunity but
with the backing of all the Sovereigns. And working for drastic
changes in the social and religious systems with divine sanction that
became obvious every time she said Mass.

Cortin wasn't reacting the way Blackfeather would expect from a divine
incarnation, though. Des