"I simply understand the associations mortals have with this kind of thing... believe it or not, I used to provide resurrections by simply swallowing the bodies and souls of the fallen myself and laying their egg afterwards."

She clasps the egg in her claws, smothering its light.

"The reactions were... strange to me. So, I simply made the experience less visceral by combining the souls and genetic material outside of my body, laying the necessary eggs in advance."

Then, she looks to Childermass.

"I know he'll be upset. I can only imagine the humiliation of having something so vital to his being stolen... but I couldn't think of any way to trap him that wouldn't be physically and mentally torturous in some other way. None that would allow him any kind of personal freedom beyond a cell or chains..."

She hated the idea.

"It isn't gone. It's still part of him. Just... separated. Temporarily. I just need time, for him to see that there's more to this, but without him unleashing his power against us. I just need him to understand why."