She covered her concern and went to the chair. Gadreel tipped his head to indicate that she should sit. Faintly annoyed that by doing so he had, consciously or otherwise, assumed the dominant position in the impending discussion, she sat and leaned back, adopting the same okay, now impress me pose as she did when dealing with students one-on-one in her office. ‘You want to talk? Let’s talk.’

Chapter 26

26

Zan relayed Nina’s words through his headset, then Gadreel’s back to her when he replied. ‘Yes. I first want to, uh . . .’ He checked the computer, but it was unable to help. ‘I don’t have a direct translation,’ he admitted, ‘but I think he’s apologising for hurting you.’

Nina’s attention had not left the Nephilim while he spoke, and there was little in his expression to suggest contrition. ‘Tell him thank you,’ she replied, giving him the benefit of the doubt. ‘He’d only just woken up, and was in a strange situation, confused – I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding.’

The Chinese made the translation. Again Nina watched Gadreel closely. A moment of satisfaction, she thought – but was it because his apology had been accepted, or because it had been believed?

He spoke again. Zan translated. ‘You said those who travelled with me are all dead. Where are the rest of my people?’

‘I don’t know,’ Nina replied.

The simple answer unsettled him. ‘You have not found them?’

‘No. These people,’ she indicated Zan, ‘found one of your fortresses. But everyone was dead.’

‘What about . . .’ Zan stopped, frowning. ‘I know the words, but I don’t understand what they mean. He said “the People of the Tree”.’

‘The Veteres,’ Nina said, for the benefit of those listening in the conference room as well as Zan. ‘The Shangdi – that’s what they called themselves. It represents knowledge – it’s where the myth of the tree of knowledge originated in the Book of Genesis.’ She looked back at the Chinese man. ‘What else did he say?’

‘He asked, what about the People of the Tree?’

‘They’re . . . gone. They don’t exist any more.’

The revelation shocked Gadreel. ‘How can they be gone? What happened to them?’

‘They were driven out of Eden by . . . by us. By humans.’ The computer flashed up an error when Zan attempted to translate the word, and he looked at her for an alternative. The term the Veteres used to describe their slaves came to her. ‘By the beasts.’

Another flash of shock on Gadreel’s face. ‘You killed the Shangdi?’

‘Yes. Not us, now – it happened a long time ago.’

He considered the revelation for a long moment. ‘The beasts were always violent,’ he eventually said. ‘But not like animals, killing for food. They needed violence. It . . .’ Zan paused to find the best word. ‘It excited them. Of all their tools, it was the most powerful.’ The Nephilim leader looked back at Nina. ‘How long ago?’