Like mine, her wings weren’t gilt-tipped. Her hybrid status tempered my vitriolic tone because, however blinded by the celestial world, the blindfold would eventually fall, and she’d realize her feathers’ lack of luster would condemn her to Elysium’s lowest echelons. The best hybrids could hope for were positions in the guilds as ophanim—teachers—or in Elysium and Abaddon as erelim—celestial sentinels. Only verities got the fun gigs: malakim—soul harvesters—ishim—soul rankers—or seraphim—the
