n't
blow up on me at this stage after all."

"I've heard a couple of Imperials swearing 'by the Creator and all the
gods', so I can make a guess. I don't like it one little bit, but I'd
say what we agree on as the lesser supernatural beings are what they
mean by the last part of that phrase."

"Exactly right! The Omnist definition of a god is a being subordinate
to the Creator who is the proximate cause of a miracle. It's not a
judgement of good or bad; it's a simple term to distinguish those who
work miracles from those who don't. And if the Creator chooses, He can
grant a material being the powers and knowledge normally restricted to
those on the supernatural plane. From what you tell me, He loaned
Joanie those powers temporarily, and has just given them to
Keith--maybe permanently."

"Umm." Odeon mulled that over for almost a full minute. That was a
little better than the absolute betrayal he'd felt before, but not by
much. "We were promised the Final Coming of God, and His Kingdom--not
a human transformed into an embodied angel or saint."

Medart sighed. "Mike, I wish I could offer you what you really need,
but that's the best I can do. If it's any consolation, I know and
respect Sandemans very much; you couldn't get anyone better for a
Protector than one of their warriors. The only change I can see
necessary for him to function that way, besides enhancing his natural
attitudes and abilities, would be for him to be given a more open
outlook sexually."

"I think he's been given that; at least he undressed when we did, and
said he'd take my place conducting his service. But--part of the
protection is from sin. How can he do that when he doesn't even know
what our sins are?"

"How do you know he doesn't, now? Giving him that information would
hardly be beyond the Creator's power."

Odeon rubbed the back of his hand, studying the blue circled triangle
on each. "Do you know what these mean?" he asked abruptly.

"No. I'm curious, but elsewhere it's one of the symbols of the
Trinity, so I didn't think I should ask just yet."

"It is? Here it started out as the Brothers' symbol, and when you see
it burned into someone's hands, it's a mark of their particular hatred.
When it's normal skin with a blue glow, like mine, it's the Protector's
Seal--means the person with them has given up the ability to sin." He
studied them for several more seconds. "Considering what I think about
being tricked the