" Listen, she said, " cherubim have come to my planet before." " I know that. Where do you think I got my information?" " What do you know about us?" " I have heard that your host planet is shadowed, that it is troubled." " It is beautiful," Meg said defensively.She felt a rippling of his wings. " In the middle of your cities?" " Well-no-but I don't live in a city." " And is your planet peaceful?" " Well-no-it isn't very peaceful." " I had the idea," Proginoskes moved reluctantly within her mind, " that there are wars on your planet. People fighting and killing each other." " Yes, that's so, but-" " And children go hungry." " Yes." " And people don't understand each other." " Not always." " And there's-there's hate?" " Yes." She felt Proginoskes pulling away. " All I want to do," he was murmuring to himself, " is go some place quiet and recite the names of the stars... "