The Alembic Plot Part 33

"A week should be about right," Bradford said. "And I think I know the ideal reporter to invite."

Cortin c.o.c.ked her head. "That expression says you're up to something, Brad. Just who is this ideal reporter?"

"Sara Blackfeather, of the New Roman Times."

Cortin stared at him in shocked disbelief. "Are you feeling all right?

She not only despises Enforcement, rumor has it she's Pope Lucius'

mistress!"

"Not just rumor," Bradford said. "You have to remember, though, that in that part of this world, an unmarried man is almost required to have a mistress. If he's faithful to her--and everything I've heard says he is, from the time he acknowledged her when he was Cardinal McHenry--it's only a venial sin. As for her being hostile, what would it prove if, say, Patrick James did a series? He's always been an Enforcement supporter. But if you can turn Blackfeather into a friend--even a neutral--she'd sway a lot of her followers. Even her worst enemies can't argue her honesty; if she does change her opinion, she'll say so."

"True," Cortin agreed. "She's done it before, two or three times that I know of. All right, as soon as I decide on a good time, I'll send her an invitation. And while we're on that subject--Dave, have you asked Betty yet if she and the children want to move here?"

"No--until this morning, I didn't understand how you really felt."

Bain smiled. "I'll call her after Ma.s.s."

"Why wait?" Cortin returned the smile. "Call now, so we'll all know.

It's a good time to move--nice weather, and the children'll have time to make friends before school starts. And if they do come, I'd like to have them here when Blackfeather arrives--I have a feeling I'm going to need the kind of atmosphere only children can create."

"Besides which," Bain said, "your secret's out, to us--you just plain like children." He went to the phone, dialed, and moments later was speaking to his sister-in-law. He explained the new family structure and his part in the first one being formed, then went into the advantages for the children even if she chose not to marry into the group--then he grinned, giving the group around him the thumbs-up, and began discussing logistic details.

"Good!" Cortin exclaimed. "Sis, Mike--we'll need a playground, and the third floor set up for children, and--a nanny, do you think, or--"

"Next weekend be okay?" Bain interrupted to ask.

"The sooner the better," Cortin said. If they could move in that quickly, it might not be a bad idea to invite that reporter for the week around the Brothers' attack on the convent. If she'd never been to a fresh raid scene, she could only have a rough, second-hand idea of the suffering a raid caused. Seeing that might jar her enough to let her really look at what Enforcement did, and why--including the necessity for Inquisitors and the methods it took to stop the terrorists. Cortin wasn't sure it would, but with Blackfeather's reputation for honesty, it seemed to be worth the gamble. "If they'll need help, fly out with whoever you need."

Bain spoke into the phone again, then hung up and turned to the rest.

"Two of us will be more than enough, she says. Who wants to be the other?"

Pritchett raised his hand quickly. "I've always been good with kids."

"I would also like to go," Chang said.

Cortin shook her head. "Sorry, Sis. Even if you weren't pregnant, it'd be too dangerous. I know you're no more worried about yourself than any other Strike Team officer would be, but with you at the top of the Brothers' wipe list, if they tried for you, the Bains would get caught in the crossfire."

"I had not thought of that," Chang said. "I would not wish to endanger others, of course. Dave and Tiny, then?"

"Right. On permissive TDY--and," she turned to the designated ones, "with orders to call me if the Transportation Office gives you any static about storing whatever she can't or doesn't want to bring along.

Not that that's likely, with both of you members of the King's Own."

"True." Bain grinned. "I kind of hope they do, though. You cannot believe how much I'd like to see their faces if Her Excellency the King's Inquisitor had to talk to them."

"Oh, I'd believe, all right," Cortin said. "I've had all the usual experiences with them myself, which is why I'm kind of hoping you have to call."

Prince Edward tapped on the King's half-open office door. "Good news, Father."

The King looked up from the papers he was working on. "Come in and close the door." When Edward had obeyed and seated himself, the King asked, "How good?"

"Colonel Cortin's just turned Strike Team Azrael into a family, and Lieutenant Chang is pregnant with Lieutenant Pritchett's son. I don't know what the new family name will be, yet."

"That's excellent news," the King said, smiling widely. "I was hoping she'd do something like that, and of course she'd take care of her own people first. Let's see--Chang was waivered with undetermined fertility, but Pritchett definitely tested sterile, so I think that can safely be cla.s.sed as a miracle. Most gratifying."

"You're not surprised?" Edward asked, a little disappointed.

"I had some information you didn't," the King said drily. "Remember at the Sovereigns' Conference, Pope Anthony called Czar Nicholas and myself to a private audience?"

"Yes, of course."

"His Holiness told us that he'd be murdered soon, and that we should take that as evidence for the rest of what he had to say. He was, and we did. I don't think I need to tell you what the 'rest' was."

"Not if it's that this is the time of the Final Coming," Edward said cautiously.

"And that the Royal Inquisitor either Nicholas or I would choose would be, without knowing it, the Protector. From what we know of Colonels Cortin and Stepanov, she's the one. Is that true?"

Edward hesitated, trying to absorb the idea that Cortin's true ident.i.ty was known--or at least suspected--outside her immediate circle. On the other hand, Pope Anthony had been holy in fact as well as t.i.tle; it shouldn't be that much of a surprise that G.o.d would lay the same sort of groundwork, through him, that Shayan had undoubtedly laid for himself. "Acting Protector, yes, until the real one manifests," Edward said at last. "Ursula and I are Sealed to him through her, along with all of Team Azrael, Colonel Bradford, and Major Illyanov. Captain Odeon and Lieutenant Chang are her priests, as well." He paused, went on. "She's worried about what you'll do with Pritchett and Chang now that they're going to be parents. And what Pope Lucius will do about the marriage."

"I'm certainly not going to take her people away from her," the King said. "Team Azrael isn't subject to the conventional Strike Team dangers, so I can justify exempting them from the sterility rules. The dangers they--and you--will face are of an entirely different nature.

One no mortal, I'm afraid, can do anything to protect you against. As for Pope Lucius acting against the marriage--" the King smiled, grimly.

"I'm sure he'll try, but considering the celebrant, I doubt very much he'll get very far. 'Whom therefore G.o.d hath joined together, let no man put asunder.' The marriage is valid under His--" He paused, with a bemused expression, then went on, "or Her--Law. Though I admit it would be helpful if it were also valid under some temporal laws as well, which I'm working on. I don't suppose she's part of this family she's just created?"

"Not yet--but Captain Odeon is working on a way to correct that."

"Very good. Let me know as soon as he does; if this is going to work, she'll have to have heirs."

"Of course, Father. Uh . . . what about additional spouses for Ursula and myself?"

"I'm working on that, too. G.o.d willing, arrangements will be complete for you a new husband and wife by the time I activate the Strike Force, and she'll perform the ceremony."

18. Revelation

Wednesday, 4 Mar 2572

When Cortin got to the breakfast table after Ma.s.s, she was amused to find a heated discussion in progress, about what the family name should be. It seemed an odd subject, she thought as she helped herself from the hot-table rather than calling an order to the kitchen--but on second thought, it did make sense. Women were used to giving up maiden-family names on marriage, though a professional with an established reputation would often hyphenate it with her husband's, but the men didn't think too highly of the idea. She listened without interfering; it was their Family, using a new system, so it seemed reasonable to let them determine how it should be identified. If their method looked as if it would work out well, she'd recommend it to His Majesty for general implementation.

It didn't take them long to decide hyphenating all the names together alphabetically was much too unwieldy to work. Hyphenation was fine, they agreed, but more than two names was excessive--the problem now was which two. Cortin favored Odeon's thinking, that everyone take the name of the senior spouse at the Family's founding, with the other spouses hyphenating their surnames, and that argument seemed to be winning, with the focus changing to whether seniority should be in age or rank. The debate was getting intense when Powell raised both hands.

"Since I don't cla.s.s as senior either way, and Joan's interest seems to be purely academic or she'd have said something before now, why not ask her opinion?"

"Good idea," Odeon said, after looking around at the rest and getting their agreement. "What do you think, Joanie?"

"Senior in rank seems most reasonable to me," Cortin said. "After all, this is going to apply to n.o.bles and royalty, as well as commoners, and you can't expect a monarch or fief-holder to change names. As an alternative you didn't mention, at least for commoners, pick a name the initial spouses can all agree on, since it only has to be established once."

"Now that idea I like even better," Odeon said. "People?"