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‘We’re going to have to have a talk with that boy,’ Kalten said to Sparhawk

‘I’ve been told not to,’ Sparhawk said ‘My wife and the other ladies want to keep him innocent It seems to satisfy some obscure need’ He looked at Norkan ‘Maybe you can settle an argu, Sir Sparhawk It’s not aswars, but the eht, Ambassador Norkan?’ Vanion asked hied ‘You were there, Lord Vanion You saw everything I did’

‘Yes, I did Now I’d like to have it explained Did a star really fall at the height of the cereold circlet really rise from the altar and settle itself on Mirtai’s head?’

‘Yes Was there a problem with that?’

‘Impossible!’ Zalasta exclaimed

‘You could do it, couldn’t you, learned one?’

‘Yes, I suppose so, but I am Styric’

‘And these are Atans?’

‘That’s exactly my point’

‘We were also disturbed e first encountered the phenomenon,’ Norkan told him ‘The Atans are our cousins So, unfortunately, are the Arjuni and the Tegans We Tamuls are a secular people, as you undoubtedly know We have a pantheon of Gods that we ignore except on holidays The Atans only have one, and they won’t even tell us what His name is They can appeal to Him in the same way you Styrics appeal to your Gods, and He responds in the same fashion’

Zalasta’s face suddenly hite ‘Iain in a choked voice ‘We’d have known There are Atans at Sarsos We’d have felt theic’

‘But they don’t do it at Sarsos, Zalasta,’ Norkan said patiently ‘They only use it here in Atan and only during their ceremonies’

‘That’s absurd!’

‘I wouldn’t tell them you feel that way They hold you Styrics in so a God into a servant a bit impious Atans have access to a God, and their God can do the sas other Gods do They choose not to involve their God in everyday ious ceree, and a few others They can’t understand your willingness to insult your Gods by asking theht to do for yourselves’ He looked at Erin ‘It just occurred to me that your Elene God could probably do exactly the sa Hiasped

‘Not really, Sir Knight That word’s used to describe sos of his own faith I’m not a member of the Elene faith, so my speculations can’t really be heretical, can they?’

‘He’s got you there, Bevier,’ Ulath said ‘His logic’s unassailable’

‘It raises so questions,’ Vanion mused ‘It’s entirely possible that the Church blundered when she founded the Militant Orders We o outside our own faith for instruction in ht have given us the help we needed’ He coughed a bit uncoentleesting that she’s unnecessary, sheway’