42. Belated Judgment (XV)

Cradling his helmet, Zabriel slowly sat down. The morning breeze washed over him, carrying messages that ordinary people could never notice. From them, he learned that the forest was awakening.

Elsewhere, describing a forest at dawn this way would have been rather strange. Nocturnal animals and plants that knew neither day nor night did not live by humanity's sense of time.

But Caliban was different. Once night fell, even the finest Hunter would retreat into his hiding place and wait for dawn.

Zabriel imagined dew sliding down leaves, drawing a small measure of peace from the image. He lowered his head and set his helmet on a boulder beside him that was temporarily serving as a seat, then began to gaze into the distance.

By now, he had reached the summit of a cliff. Beneath him, an endless expanse of deep green rolled gently like the sea. The trees and their leaves devoured every ray of light, packing every inch of space so tightly that only a few areas still received direct sunlight.

The Dark Angel stared at this utterly unfamiliar world, unable to keep himself from feeling a measure of dread.

Yes, he knew this was Caliban, but...

Without realizing it, he lowered his gaze to his right palm. An Aquila badge lay there, undergoing his inspection.

Its main body was made from some mixed metal, nothing especially fine. Its edges had faded in many places, making the eagle's wings seem almost stained with blood.

Zabriel stared at it for a long time before looking away. After his brief battle with Seraphax, the recovered Aquila had projected another golden doorway and drawn him through it.

This worried him. The task the old knight had given him rose before his eyes, word for word. The Dark Angel frowned deeply, pondering