Angelology(92)

sinking into the shores of river passages—the Danube, the Volga, the Rhine, the Dniester, the

Ebro, the Seine—until every region had become filled with the spawn of Japheth. Where they

rested, settlements grew. Despite common ancestry, there remained a deep distrust between

the two groups. The cruelty, avarice, and physical power of the Nephilim led to the gradual

enslavement of their human brothers. Europe, the Giants claimed, was their birthright.

The first generations of Japheth’s tainted heirs lived in great health and happiness,

dominating every river, mountain, and plain of the continent, their power over their weaker

brothers secure. Within decades, however, a flaw appeared in their race, as sharp as a fissure

across the gleaming surface of a mirror. A baby was born that appeared weaker than the

others—tiny, mewling, it was unable to gather enough air in its weak lungs to cry. As the baby

grew, they saw that it was smaller than the others, slower, and had a susceptibility to illness

unknown in their race. This child was human, born in the likeness of their great-great-

grandmothers, the Daughters of Men.5 It took nothing—not beauty or strength or angelic form

— from the Watchers. When the child reached manhood, he was stoned to death.

For many generations, this baby was an anomaly. Then, God desired to populate the

dominions of Japheth with his own children. He sent a multitude of human babies to the

Nephilim, revivifying the Holy Spirit upon the fallow earth. In their first appearances, these

beings often died in infancy. With time, they learned to care for the weak children, nursing

them to their third year before allowing them to join with the other, stronger children.6 If they

survived into adulthood, they grew to be four heads shorter than their parents. They began to

age and decline in the third decade of life, and die before the eighth. Human women died in

childbirth. Sickness and disease required the development of medicines, and even when

treated, humans lived for only a fraction of the years of their Nephilistic brothers. The

inviolate dominion of the Nephilim had been corrupted.7

Over time, human children married others of their kind and the human race grew alongside

the Nephilistic. Despite their physical inferiority, Japheth’s pure children persevered under

the rule of their Nephilistic brothers. The occasional intermarriage occurred between the

groups, bringing further hybridization to the race, but these union  s were discouraged. When a

human child was born to Nephilim, it was sent outside the walls of the city, where it died in

the elements among humans. When a Nephilistic child was born to human civilization, it

would be taken from its parents and assimilated into the master race.8

Soon, the Nephilim receded to castles and manor houses. They built fortifications of

granite, mountaintop retreats, sanctuaries of luxury and power. Although subservient, God’s

children were graced with divine protection. Their minds were sharp, their souls blessed, and

their wills strong. As the two races lived side by side, the Nephilim receded behind wealth

and fortifications. Human beings, left to suffer under the strains of poverty and illness, became

slaves to invisible, powerful masters.

V

At dawn, we rose and walked many hours along the precipitous path to the top of the

mountain, the sun rising from behind the towering stone pinnacles, casting a glorious golden

emanation over creation. Provided with sturdy mules, thick leather sandals, and pristine

weather, we carried forth. By midmorning, a village filled with stone mountain houses arose

over a crag, the orange clay tiles layered above the slate. After we’d consulted our map, it

was apparent that we had arrived at the highest reach of the mountain in proximity to the gorge

the locals call Gyaurskoto Burlo. Taking refuge in the home of a villager, we bathed, ate, and

rested before inquiring after a guide to the cavern. Straightaway a shepherd was brought

before me. Short and thick in the way of Thracian mountain people, his beard flecked white

but his body strong, the shepherd listened intently as I described our mission into the gorge. I

found him intelligent, articulate, and willing, although he made it plain that he would take us to

the floor of the gorge but no farther. After some discussion, we agreed upon a price. The

shepherd promised to supply equipment, saying he would lead us there the next morning.

We discussed our prospects over a meal of klin and dried meat, a simple but hearty repast

to give us strength for the next day’s journey. I placed a parchment on the surface of the table,

opening it for the others to see. My brothers leaned close to the table, straining to discern the

light shadings of the ink drawing.