There will always be that split-second moment of hesitation before Ishiah comes clean with the true nature of his origin. Not all people share the same outlook on religion. Not all people believe that there is a single, omnipotent God who watches over all of them, and some people, in their refusal to believe, can even become violent upon hearing anyone claim to be proof of God's existence. He's been captured before, tortured, and while Ishiah knows that the people here are all a far cry from those who held him captive, still, he can't help but wonder sometimes.

What happens on the day that he finds an exception?

"A former angel," he says, keeping it brief. "Retired, not fallen."

Sometimes, he wonders whether or not word's gotten out to Caliban, and whether or not the boy even chooses to believe it.