ey need looked after."

"Right." Odeon took charge, helping pull bodies off the road and
search them, while Cortin collected the horses and mounted. None of
them expected terrorists to be carrying identification, so there was no
disappointment when they didn't find any. Half an hour after the
attack, they were ready to go again, but as Cortin was taking a final
look at the blanket-covered bodies, she got an idea, reached back into
her saddlebag for one of her spare gloves, then tossed it on one of the
bodies. "Whoever finds these plaguers won't know what that means until
later," she said, "but Team Azrael has claimed its first victory, and
it won't be our last. They'll learn."

* * * * *

The repentant Brother hadn't told her much, Cortin thought as they
rode, but the little he had said was disturbing. Shannon, so afraid of
her--why?--that he'd put her off limits. That didn't make sense;
logically, he should be doing his utmost to kill her. Instead, it was
Piety--and what did that 'in more ways than one' mean?--at the top of
their wipe list. Which also made no sense.

"Unless Shannon knows something we don't," Odeon said, riding up beside
her.

"You reading minds now?"

"Hardly--but what else would you be thinking about, after what he said?"

"True." Cortin gave him a sidelong glance. "So what possible
knowledge would have that effect? Put an Inquisitor off limits, and
target a medic? The only thing she and I have in common is that we
were both his victims."

"Surviving female victims," Odeon said. "Both associated with
Enforcement, and now both, not just one, religious." He frowned. "If
Shannon's who--or what--Sis thinks, and Tony won't dispute, God won't
let him operate unopposed for long. Though it may seem like forever to
us, depending on when he started. If it's recently, there won't be a
whole lot we can accomplish, though of course we'll have to try to
fight him--but if it's near the end of his allotted free time, it means
the Protector's about to appear. With him afraid of you and targeting
Sis, I'd say the latter's more likely, and with you two playing
important parts. Maybe his heralds, maybe part of the staff the
prophecies say he may have if Shayan's strong enough to make him need
one, there's not enough information to say--but whichever, if I'm
right, you and she are the two most important people in the Systems
right now."

Cortin tried to laugh at t