Katelina woke, lying on her side across a yellow cushion, and rubbed her aching head. Flickering lamps illuminated a pillared room. Four men stood against the wall, their expressions frightened. She followed their gaze to find Samael kneeling on a pillow near her, frowning.

"It seems a mortal mind cannot contain so many millennia of knowledge. The old masters were not as ancient when they passed on their wisdom to their wives and children, so I did not realize. No matter. I ...