trick him even to help him,
would it?

Finally deciding that she wasn't going to be able to solve the problem
by herself, she got out of bed and dressed. She'd accepted an
invitation to say morning Mass at the Cathedral--probably extended out
of curiosity about her stigmata, she thought, but still a chance to
talk about the Protector's coming and offer the Communion of Promise to
civilians. Lucius/Shayan hadn't forbidden it yet, to her considerable
surprise; if he didn't after today's, she'd have to do some serious
wondering why.

She'd decided to make it a Mass for Travelers, with Edward and Ursula,
Bradford and Illyanov starting for High Teton's capital, Archangel, at
noon, and she was pleased to see all of them at the Cathedral when she
and her team arrived. There was no time to talk; traffic had been
heavier than expected, and they were running late, so she and her
concelebrants, Odeon and Bain, had to go straight to the sacristy to
get ready.

Bradford had agreed with her about ruining a uniform or set of
vestments every time she said Mass, and since the purpose of her
stigmata was to show Jeshua's approval of her, she couldn't wear
bandages, so he'd given her permission to wear just the alb, cincture,
stole, and sandals. It looked odd to someone used to seeing mostly a
chasuble, but no odder than her fellow priests in uniform and armed; it
was being weaponless that bothered her most, though she didn't want to
ruin a perfectly good gunbelt and holster, either.

The Cathedral was packed, highly unusual for a weekday and flattering,
though it also made her nervous--until she got to the altar and began
the ceremony. As always, she lost herself in it, unaware of her
surroundings except while she was giving Communion. It was then she
realized there were far more troopers here than their percentage of the
population would have suggested, which pleased her.

It pleased her even more after Mass, when she explained the Protector's
impending arrival and offered the Communion of Promise, that
practically all of them came forward to accept it. Some civilians did
so as well, though most held back, their expressions either uncertain
or disapproving.

When that was over too and she'd gotten dressed, ready to leave, she
discovered that the troopers had other plans. Their spokesman, Captain
Watkins--she remembered him, the first person she'd administered
Confession to--invited her and her team to a breakfast banquet