the treacherous river.
Being five in number, and all of healthy weight, my first concern was that we would not fit
into the cavity of the narrow boat. I stepped inside, holding myself upright against the violent
rocking beneath my feet. I had no doubt that if the craft should tip, the merciless current would
drag me down into a labyrinth of rocks. With some maneuvering, I achieved equilibrium and
sat securely at the helm. The others followed, and soon we set off into the current, Brother
Francis pushing the boat slowly toward the far shore with a wooden pole oar, the river
sweeping us away from the entrance of the cavern and on to our doom.
X13
The creatures hissed from their rocky cells as we approached, venomous as snakes, their
startling blue eyes fixing upon us, their mighty wings beating against the bars of their prison,
hundreds of impenitent dark angels tearing at their glowing white robes, crying out for
salvation, beseeching us, the emissaries of God, to set them free.
XI
My brothers fell to their knees, transfixed by the horrible spectacle before us. Deep in the
hollow of the mountain, stretching as far as the eye could see, were innumerable prison cells
containing hundreds of majestic creatures. I stepped closer, trying to comprehend what I saw.
The creatures were otherworldly, so infused with light that I could not look into the depths of
the cave without averting my eyes. Yet, as one longs to look into the center of a flame, burning
one’s vision upon the palest blue core of the fire, so I desired to see the heavenly creatures
before me. At last I discerned that each narrow cell contained a single bound angel. Brother
Francis clutched my arm in terror, begging me to return to the boat. But in my fervor, I did not
listen. I turned to the others and ordered them to rise and follow me inside.
The moaning ceased as we entered the prison. The creatures peered from behind thick iron
bars, their bulging eyes following our every movement. Their desire for liberation could be
no surprise: They had been chained inside the mountain for thousands of years, waiting to be
released. Yet, there was nothing wretched about them. Their bodies radiated an intense
luminosity, a golden light that rose from their transparent skin, creating a golden nimbus
around them. Physically, they were far superior to humankind—tall and elegant, with wings
that folded about them from shoulder to ankle, shrouding their tapering bodies like pure white
cloaks. Such beauty was like nothing I had seen or imagined before. At last I understood how
these celestial creatures had seduced the Daughters of Men and why the Nephilim so admired
their patrimony. As I stepped deeper into their midst, my anticipation growing with each step,
it struck me that we had made our way to the abyss to fulfill a purpose we had not anticipated.
I had believed our mission to be the recovery of the angelic treasure, but I now gleaned the
terrible truth: We had come to the pit to set the Disobedient Angels free.
From the recesses of a dingy cell, an angel with masses of golden hair stepped forward. He
held a polished lyre in his hands, its belly rotund.14 Lifting the lyre into his arms, he plucked
the strings until a fine, ethereal music echoed through the cavern. I cannot say whether it was
the particular resonance of the cave or the quality of the instrument, but the sound was rich and
full, an enchanting music that worked upon my senses until I thought I would go mad from
bliss. Soon, the angel began to sing, its voice climbing and falling with the lyre. As if taking
cue from this divine progression, the others joined the chorus, each voice rising to create the
music of heaven, a confluence akin to the congregation described by Daniel, ten thousand
times ten thousand angels. We stood, transfixed, utterly disarmed by the celestial choir. The
melody has been burned upon my mind. Even now I hear it.15
From where I stood, I watched the angel. Gently, it lifted its long thin arms and stretched its
immense wings. Going to the door of its cell, I unlatched a heavily calcified hook, and in a
burst of force that knocked me upon the floor, the angel pushed open the door to its cell and
stepped free. I discerned the pleasure the creature took in its liberty. The imprisoned angels
roared from their cells, jealous of their brother’s victory, vicious and hungry creatures
demanding freedom.
In my fascination with the angels themselves, I had failed to notice the effect the music had
upon my brothers. Suddenly, before I could perceive that a spell had been cast upon his mind
by this demonic production, Brother Francis rushed to the angelic choir. In what appeared to
be a state of insanity, Brother Francis knelt before the creatures in supplication. The angel
dropped the lyre, instantly halting the chorus of sublime music, and touched Brother Francis,