o do so."

"Sis and I figured as much," Odeon said. "We talked it over, between
us and with the rest of the team, and it's necessary. There's going to
be a lot written about what we're doing, one way or the other, and
we're agreed one of them has to be accurate. So you'll get full
cooperation."

"Including an Inquisitor's help," Bain said. "Colonel Bradford's the
best you'll find at the memory-enhancing techniques we use with
cooperative subjects, but I'm no slouch; you may get more information
than you can use."

"More than I can include, maybe," Blackfeather said, "but not more than
I can use, if only as background." She turned to Cortin. "What about
you, Colonel?"

Cortin grimaced and looked pleadingly at Odeon. "Do I have to, Mike?"

"You're my Family head, Archduchess, and Commanding Officer, not to
mention the Protector's Herald; I can't say you have to. But I'd
recommend it pretty strongly."

Cortin sighed. "Mike, for someone who claims to be a subordinate, you
give the most convincing orders . . . all right, all right, I'll
cooperate." She turned to Blackfeather. "I will, too. But I don't
promise to like it--and you probably won't like what you hear if you
think you need to go into what I do in my interrogations."

"I'd rather not, but I probably will." Blackfeather made a face.
"Being both Larry's mistress and several Enforcement officers has given
me a new perspective on that, too. Especially, as I may have mentioned
before, being Dave."

Several of the team chuckled. "You did," Bain said, "and it was
flattering--but if you want to be two of the best in the business, ask
Brad and Ivan. I'm good, or I wouldn't be on Team Azrael; those two
are second only to Joan."

"I'll have to ask, then, next time I see them," Blackfeather said.

"That should be tonight," Odeon said. "I invited Brad, and he said
he'd pass it on to Ivan; if they possibly can, they'll both be at our
home Communion service."

Blackfeather smiled. "Good!" Then she sobered, turning back to
Cortin. "I don't like to mention this, Colonel, and I'll like getting
involved with it even less, but the history should definitely include
your work, too."

Cortin was silent. Blackfeather was right, inarguably so; the
Protector whose Herald she was embodied Justice as well as Love, and
Justice wasn't always pleasant. It could be, of course, when rewarding
virtue, but punishment was usually pleasant only to the punished's