Witness this Goodness, reader, a kind and absolute Goodness so alien to our own Maker and His iron Providence. Did you think Jehovah did not know? That the bestial desire which rules Dominic’s every thought and gesture remained secret from He before Whom this dark and craven angel cannot master his legs, let alone his lies? Dominic hungers to taste the tears of his God, broken, grieving, struck to His Heart by some unforgivable aspect revealed, in His Divine Peer, or in Himself. That is the consummation this bloodhound lusts after. Onions have proved on two occasions that Jehovah’s tear ducts function, but never since His Will gained mastery enough over His flesh to still the screams of infancy has emotion stirred His Mind enough to spill tears in our Universe. Yes, reader, He knows Dominic’s grim desire to see Him wretched, and accepts it, and… I will not say that He forgives it, since forgiveness would require Him to consider this love-treason in his worshipper’s heart a sin. He does not. He Knows Dominic’s desire, accepts it, and still He places His kind hand on Dominic’s brow, and Loves, and calls him His.

Kosala’s patience for fawning and French is limited. “Jed, you can’t have a war between yourself and every single other person in the world. I mean, I know you have some…”—she hesitated, as you might, surveying wretched Dominic and me—“… friends… but if you reject us all, all seven Hives, and alienate the Hiveless, which your world empire plan has definitely done, then you’re alone. Even Sniper has a following, but right now you don’t. You can’t change the world by yourself. Work with us. The Hive system is an incomparably flexible and effective tool. Use it for what it’s best at, that’s what I’m inviting you to do, what we’re all inviting you to do.”

“If humankind chooses the old world over My new one, that is its right, and will settle My question. But I do not believe that I am so alone.” Here I rejoiced to hear Him use time’s finite ‘am,’ confirming that the feeble company we mortals give Him on this Earth has made Him feel that He is not alone, not here, not now.

“You will be alone if you make us all your enemies.”

Silence.