Xas creeps close enough to see her and then stares at her for a moment, uncomprehending: she's not an angel, she's not a soul. She looks human, and she has a gun. And he can't get his mind around it, but it feels like she's everywhere, and like she's important. The closest comparison Xas can make is to God.

"Barakel and Tagas," he answers rotely, then presses a hand to the back of his head and frowns. That can't be right. Tagas has been dead for a long time, and Barakel - the thought is cut off by groaning metal from somewhere in the building, and he turns his back and his wings on the woman to face toward it. He's not afraid of the rifle. He's terrified of whatever else is out there.

"What are you?" he asks her, without looking back, and then the less important but more polite question: "Are you all right?"