When I’d first realized this—first admitted that I actually did see an "angel" shielding and hiding us from the soldiers—I’d assumed Gus to be one of those rare adepts whose magical abilities come to them via the sheer power of their religious convictions. Magic as miracle had been the subject of several trideo talk shows of late—it was currently a matter of much debate whether or not pre-Awakening Christian "miracles" and neo-pagan "faith healings" had actually been early manifestations of magic.