The fact that her eyes are smoky and her smirk too mischievous doesn't matter; to Ishiah, Effy is no more than a child, and her barely bridled enthusiasm is only proof of that. And annoyed though he may be, it's impossible for the peri to hate a child, or to leave a child's questions completely unanswered. After all, knowledge is the only thing that can bring them up to speed in a world where they are already sorely at a disadvantage, left largely without protection, especially on the island. Maybe knowing what a peri is won't help much on Tabula Rasa.

But one never knows.

"I was an angel, once," Ishiah continues, setting the head of his axe down on the dirt and placing his hand at the end of the handle. "Left and could have returned to service at any time, had I wanted. But I was an angel, a potentate, whose primary duty was to purge the world of demons. Literal demons."