"Why would I want something going with my pantheon if he isn't going to be an angel?" asked Uriel, confused. "And if he does turn out to be an angel, somebody will sooner or later start calling him Braniel or something equally silly."

Then, she started to smile. "Actually, I just had a check-up, and little Bran is doing perfectly well," she told him. "Everything is about as well as it can be!"

As though to confirm this, Bran chose this very moment to kick enthusiastically.