stared up at me, bright and polished as colored glass. I recalled how Seraphina had lifted the
creature’s long arms and legs, weighing each limb as if it were a piece of wood. The creature seemed
so vital, so filled with life that I could not help but believe that it had been living only minutes before
we’d arrived. I realized that I had never quite believed that the body would be there, that despite all
my study I had not expected to actually see it, to touch it, to puncture its skin with needles and draw
fluid. Perhaps at the back of my mind I’d hoped that we were wrong. When the skin had been cut from
the arm and the sample of flesh held into the light, I had been overcome with horror. I saw it again
and again: the razor edging under the white skin, slicing, lifting. The glimmering of the membrane in
the weak light. As the youngest among them, I felt that it was imperative I perform well, carrying
more than my share. Always I had pushed myself to spend more hours working and studying than the
others. The past years were spent proving myself worthy of the expedition—reading texts, attending
lectures, equipping myself with information for the journey—and yet this had not helped to prepare
me for the gorge. To my chagrin, I had reacted like a neophyte.
“Celestine?” Dr. Raphael said, jarring me from my thoughts. I was startled to see the others looking
intently at me, as if expecting me to speak. Apparently Dr. Raphael had asked me a question.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, feeling my face burn. “Did you ask me something?”
“Dr. Seraphina was explaining to the council that you made a crucial discovery in the cavern,” Dr.
Raphael said, examining me carefully. “Would you care to elaborate?”
Fearful that I would give away the secret promise I had made Dr. Seraphina, and equally terrified
of exposing how foolhardy I had been to cross the river, I said nothing at all.
“It is obvious that Celestine isn’t feeling well,” Dr. Seraphina said, interceding on my behalf. “If
you don’t mind, I would like her to rest for the moment. Allow me to describe the discovery.”
Dr. Seraphina explained the discovery to the council members. She said, “I found Celestine near
the riverbank, the careworn sack in her arms. I knew at once by the worn leather that it must have
been very old. There is, if you recall, mention of a satchel in the Venerable Father’s account of the
First Angelological Expedition.”
“Yes,” Dr. Raphael said. “You are correct. I recall the line exactly: ‘With all haste, I collected the
treasure from the fallen creature, cradling the object in my charred hands and placing it in my satchel,
safe from harm: ”
“Only after opening the satchel and examining the lyre did I know for certain that it had belonged to
Clematis. The Venerable Clematis must have been too stricken to carry the sack to the surface of the
gorge,” Dr. Seraphina said. “It is this very satchel that Celestine discovered.”
The council members were awestruck at this news. They turned to me, clearly expecting that I
would give the account in greater detail, but I could not speak. Indeed, I could hardly believe that I, of
all the members of their party, had made such a long-awaited discovery.
Dr. Raphael remained silent for a moment, as if contemplating the magnitude of the expedition’s
success. Then, with a sudden burst of energy, he stood and turned to the council members.
“You may go,” Dr. Raphael said, dismissing the group. “There is food in our rooms below
Seraphina and Celestine, would you please stay a moment?”
As the others left, Dr. Seraphina caught my eye, giving me a kind look, as if to assure me that
everything would be fine. Dr. Raphael guided the others from the room, radiating a confident serenity
that I admired, for his strength of character to contain his emotions was a virtue I wished to emulate.
He said, “Tell me, Seraphina—did the party members perform to your expectations?”
“It was, in my opinion, a great success,” Dr. Seraphina said.
“And Celestine?” he inquired.
I felt my stomach twist: Had the expedition been some kind of test?
“For a young angelologist,” Dr. Seraphina said, “she impressed me. The discovery alone should be
enough to prove her skill.”
“Fine,” Dr. Raphael said, turning to me. “You are pleased with your work?”
I glanced from Dr. Seraphina to Dr. Raphael, unsure of how to respond. To say that I was satisfied
with my work would be a lie, but to speak in detail of what I had done would be to break the promise
I had made to Dr. Seraphina. Finally I whispered, “I wish that I had been more prepared.”