most basic procedure in any expedition.”
“Clearly something went terribly wrong,” Dr. Seraphina said. “Father Clematis returned to Greece
in a state of distress and fell into severe confusion for the remaining weeks of his life. His entire
expedition party had perished, his supplies were gone, even the donkeys had been lost or stolen.
According to the accounts of contemporaries, particularly Father Deopus, Clematis seemed like a
man awoken from a dream. He ranted and prayed in a most horrible fashion, as if touched by
madness. So, to answer your question, Gabriella, we understand that something happened, but we are
not sure exactly what.”
“But you have a theory?” Gabriella asked.
“Of course,” Dr. Seraphina said, smiling. “It is all there in his account, dictated at his deathbed.
My husband took great pains to translate the text precisely. I believe Clematis found exactly what he
was looking for in the cavern. It was Clematis’s discovery of the angels in their prison that drove the
poor man mad.”
I could not say why Dr. Seraphina’s words caused me such agitation. I had read many secondary
sources surrounding the First Angelological Expedition, and yet I was utterly terrified by the image of
Clematis trapped in the depths of the earth, surrounded by otherworldly creatures.
Dr. Seraphina continued, “Some say that the First Angelological Expedition was foolhardy and
unnecessary. I, as you both know, believe that the expedition was essential. It was our duty to verify
that the legends surrounding the Watchers and the generation of the Nephilim were, in fact, true. The
First Expedition was primarily a mission to discern the truth: Were the Watchers imprisoned in the
cave of Orpheus, and, if so, were they still in possession of the lyre?”
“It is confounding that they were imprisoned for simple disobedience,” Gabriella said.
“There is nothing simple about disobedience,” Dr. Seraphina said sharply. “Remember that Satan
was once one of the most majestic of the angels—a noble seraph until he disobeyed God’s command.
Not only did the Watchers disobey their orders, they brought divine technologies to earth, teaching the
art of warfare to their children, who in turn imparted it to humanity. The Greek legend of Prometheus
illustrates the ancient perception of this transgression. This was thought to be the most damnable of
sins, as such knowledge upset the balance of postlapsarian human society. Since we have The Book
of Enoch before us, let me read what they did to poor Azazel. It was quite awful.”
Dr. Seraphina took the book Gabriella had been studying and began to read:
“‘The Archangel Raphael was told: Bind Azazel hand and foot and cast him into the darkness and
split open the desert, which is in Dundael, and cast him in it. And fill the hole by covering him with
rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him live there forever, and cover his
face that he may not see the light. And on the day of the great judgment, he shall be hurled into the
fire.”’
“They can never be freed?” Gabriella asked.
“In truth, we have no idea when or if they can be set free. Our scholars’ interest in the Watchers
pertains only to what they can tell us about our earthly, mortal enemies,” she said, removing the white
gloves. “The Nephilim will stop at nothing to reclaim what was lost in the Flood. This is the
catastrophe we have been trying to prevent. The Venerable Father Clematis, the most intrepid of the
founding members, took it upon himself to initiate the battle against our vile enemies. His methods
were flawed, and yet there is much to be learned from studying Clematis’s account of his journey. I
find it most fascinating, despite the mystery it leaves behind. I only hope you will read it with care
one day.”
Gabriella stared intently at her teacher, eyes narrowed. “Perhaps there is something in Clematis
you’ve overlooked?” she said.
“Something new in Clematis?” Dr. Seraphina replied, amused. “It is an ambitious goal, but rather
unlikely. Dr. Raphael is the preeminent scholar on the First Angelological Expedition. He and I have
gone over every word of Clematis’s account a thousand times and have found nothing new.”
“But it is possible,” I said, not to be outdone by Gabriella once again. “There is always a chance
that new information will emerge about the location of the cave.”
“Frankly, it will be a much greater use of your time if you focus upon the smaller details of our
work,” Dr. Seraphina said, dismissing our hopes with a wave of her hand. “Thus far the data you
have collected and organized has offered the best hope for finding the cavern. Of course, you may try