A few minutes later there is a knock at Nathaniel's door.

He opens it, also tentatively.

At the door is a short, soft-faced angel with wings that are almost butter-colored in the gaslight. "Um," she says. "Hello. I'm Naamah. Are you Nathaniel?"

"Yes," he says, smiling a tentative smile.

"Oh, good, I've been away from the Eyrie for a long time and barely know my way around anymore - did Isabella tell you I was coming? Can I come in, is that okay?"

"She did, and you can," he says, standing out of her way.

Naamah smiles and steps into the room. "So - how long have you known about - how very large the world really is?" she laughs uncertainly.

"Um - a long time," he says. "Since I was ten. I was... well, it's a long story, I guess."

"Will you tell it to me?"

Naamah looks around for an angel chair. There's one; Nathaniel's sister-in-law and nieces sometimes visit him. She sits down and clasps her hands on her knees.

"Well... you know who my brother is, right?" he starts.

"He's to be the angelico. Yes."

"Okay," says Nathaniel. "Do you know anything about our parents?"

Naamah shakes her head slowly.

"Well, they're... not good," he says. "So when I was just a little kid and Micaiah was meeting Isabella for the first time, and she heard how not good his parents were, she went and looked them up to see if they had any more children, and she found me. And she thought they probably weren't being good to me either, so she brought me here to join the Eyrie children's choir to sing for the Gloria that year. And when I was talking to her after the Gloria, she opened a door and there was Milliways on the other side of it, so she took me in to show it to me."

"Milliways is - I don't think I understand that one, Isabella couldn't seem to make up her mind if it was a - world hub - or a restaurant."

"It's both of those. It's a world hub, with a restaurant in it," he says. "I've only been there just the once, though, so I can't tell you very much about it."

Naamah nods. "Isabella offered to show it to me but it sounded - kind of overwhelming."

"It was," he agrees. "I didn't stay very long."

"My parents have known about all this for more than ten years - they've known about Jovah since before I was born. They kept so many secrets."

Nathaniel shrugs. "I guess I didn't really mind all that."

"I'm barely suited to living in a world the size of Samaria. I like to fly and I still never liked to really travel. And now there are so many more places than I knew about. Can I just - live how I have been, do you think?"

"Of course," he says. "That's what I do. I mean, I don't go to their parties or do much magic or - do much of anything, really."

"I just live at Cedar Hills - I tried to foster with Delilah here when I was little but the singing all the time even on through the night was unbearable; I was used to the quiet at Sinai or at least the bustle of Father's workshop. So, Cedar Hills. And I do - angel things." She shrugs. "Father thinks I must have an imagination somewhere but he's given up on finding it, I think."