Princess present! If that wasn't redundant, he didn't know what would
be; he'd have the proverbial snowball's chance against anything that
could get past the kind of security this place had. Still, he felt
better when he'd made a tour around the shelter and settled himself in
a lawn chair beside the door.

It was a mild night, a bit cooler than usual for this time of
year--good sleeping weather, and the smell of the roses was relaxing.
Maybe out here he could catch a nap after all, so he wouldn't be a
total loss in the morning--wouldn't want to be a zombie when Joanie
woke up! And he was a Tracker, trained to wake instantly if he heard
anything unusual. He settled deeper into the chair, closing his eyes.

* * * * *

The man approaching him was impossible. For one thing, he was
inhumanly attractive, almost beautiful--but the clincher was his
uniform. Enforcement did have some good-looking older officers; it had
never had a white uniform, or a star for rank insigne, or a Kingdom
emblem that looked like a spiral galaxy. This had to be a dream, then,
so Odeon settled in to play along and enjoy it.

It seemed reasonable to assume that a star outranked even an eagle, so
he stood, coming to attention as the man neared.

"At ease," the stranger said, smiling. "You need have no fear for your
Joanie, Michael; she'll be fully recovered when she wakes."

"Thank you, sir." Odeon had no doubt the man knew precisely what he
was talking about, and it was definitely reassuring.

"But you'd like to know how I know." The man smiled again. "I'm an
aspect of the Triune you worship, Michael, in a form I hope you'll
find--" He broke off, chuckling. "Not comforting, certainly, or even
reassuring, but at least not threatening. I'm here to give you a
heads-up, and maybe more if you want it. You've thought for a long
time that Joanie's something special, haven't you?"

Odeon nodded, glad that this was a dream. If it'd been real, he
would've been too stunned to function--because the man looked like an
older Jeshua, and that was entirely too much for him to accept as
reality with any degree of calm. As it was, he managed a nod. "Yes, I
have."

"And you're quite right, she is." The man paused. "The White Fathers
taught you well, but human interpretations do tend to modify even the
most accurate prophecies. Can you accept both that fact, and the
accompanying one that I cannot, for your own sak