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“Poor nose. It deserves lots of compliments. ” I kissed it again.
Alex shook his head with a grin. “My nose and I both thank you. Why do I get the feeling you’re trying to distract me? You know, I did actually notice that you didn’t tell me what you were thinking. ”
“Maybe that’s because I didn’t want to. Maybe I’m busy having lots of secret, private thoughts. ”
“Hmm, very mysterious. . . ” As Alex drew me to him again, a sound came from inside the house, almost like someone shouting.
We glanced at each other, startled, and then it came again and this time there was no doubt. Sam’s voice, bellowing: “Guys! You guys, get in here! Everyone, now!”
The TV showed a reporter facing the camera, speaking in rapid Spanish. Behind him was a broad conference table with twelve well-dressed people sitting around it, though you couldn’t really make out their faces. Sam sat hunched on the sofa, his muscular forearms resting on his thighs. “They’re talking about el Consejo de los Ángeles,” he said tersely. “That’s the Council, right?”
“Oh my god,” murmured Trish.
No one else said anything. Everyone was there, including Seb, still holding his book: Sam’s shouts had brought us all running. I sank down on the arm of the sofa, staring at the TV. Alex stood next to me, frowning; I was glad to feel the warmth of his arm against mine.
From the doorway, Kara began to translate. “. . . I was brought to this secret location blindfolded, to maintain the security of the group that claims to be the Seraphic Council – the government of those heavenly beings here on earth. I’m talking now to their spokesperson. ”
A woman with intense grey eyes appeared on the screen. A chill went over me. This was actually one of the Twelve: one of the ones we hoped to kill. Yet somehow the features of her face were oddly difficult to grasp hold of; it was like you kept forgetting them every second you looked. In a daze, it struck me that I didn’t know what this angel looked like, even though I was staring right at her.
The angel spoke in apparently flawless Spanish – but her voice had a strange resonance, almost like several people talking at once. My mouth went dry. “We are speaking to the world today because statements have recently been made which are false, and must be corrected,” Kara translated. “This will be our only public statement. ”
“Okay, these are some seriously creepy angels,” muttered Brendan. The faces of the others said he’d taken the words right out of their mouths. I reached for Alex’s hand; felt his fingers squeeze around mine.
“We are the angelic ruling body. We want to let the world know that regardless of what you may have heard, things are indeed going to change. We speak for all angelkind – and we are the only angels with the authority to do so. ” She paused to let that sink in.
And suddenly I got what this was about. Raziel. He’d appeared on TV and promised nothing would change – as if it were up to him.
The reporter’s face was pale. “What changes can we expect?”
The angel gazed directly at the camera for the first time. Her chorus of voices turned lower, more deliberate. “Primarily, there will be imminent changes in how the Church of Angels is run. ”
“Do you mean—” started the reporter.
She spoke right over him. “We’ll keep on with the tradition of an angel heading the Church for the time being – and in fact, will soon appoint an angel to head the Church here in Mexico. However, this angel’s name will not be released; from now on, we’ll be keeping a much lower profile in your world. Any angel who you know by name will soon be retiring from public view. That is our promise. ”
The grey eyes burned as the angel echoed Raziel’s words. I swallowed. I had no sympathy at all for Raziel, but I was glad I wasn’t him, just then. I could imagine his impotent fury so clearly that for a second it was almost like the emotion beat through me.
Beside me, Alex’s expression was intent as he took it all in, trying to see if there was anything here that could help us. Seb stood frowning. His feelings about the angels were a lot more complicated than mine – he’d had a love-hate relationship with their fierce, powerful beauty for years – but I knew he was as disconcerted by the Council as I was.
The angel seemed to remember the reporter’s presence. She gave something I think was meant to be a smile, though it made him visibly recoil. “This is your world – we angels will allow you the running of it. Our administration of the Church is only in response to your unavoidable worship of us – beyond that, we have little interest in associating with you. ”
Kara stopped translating for a second; she let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “Man, I never thought I’d dislike any angel more than Raziel. ” Then she continued as the reporter stammered, “Is. . . is that why you’re in Mexico City – to appoint a head for the Church here?”
The eyes turned aloof. “Partly,” said the angel. “We are currently conducting other business here too – vital business for all angelkind. You humans here in Mexico City, and then also around the world, may notice certain affects. This interview is at an end. ”
“What does that mean?” yelped Brendan.
“I don’t know – but they’re already affecting humanity more than enough,” Wesley ground out. He was glaring at the screen, his normally closed-off face alive with anger. Remembering what Alex had told me in confidence, about his entire family having angel burn, I didn’t blame him.
“Quiet, you guys,” said Alex.
The final image showed the Twelve in their angel forms, their winged figures glowing brightly. “We chilangos can be proud that the Seraphic Council chose Mexico City from which to address the world,” the reporter said in a voice-over. “But for now. . . we can only wait, and wonder. ”
“God, we can’t do away with them soon enough,” Liz burst out as two commentators in a newsroom appeared onscreen, talking excitedly. “Talk about doing the world a favour!”
“At least they don’t seem to like that smarmy Raziel very much. ” Kara still stood in the doorway, her nose wrinkled in distaste. “It sounds like he may not even be holding onto the Church much longer. ”
“Yeah, but none of this matters unless we can actually get into the Torre Mayor,” growled Sam. “Alex, what’s up with that? You’ve got a plan, right?”
I glanced at him, wondering what he’d say. When Alex wasn’t taking the team on practice hunts, he’d been hanging out around the rear of the Torre Mayor, watching the service entrance. Though I’d had the sense for days now that a plan was forming in his mind, he didn’t seem to want to talk about it yet.
He obviously didn’t want to talk about it now, either. “I’m working on something,” he said shortly. “Don’t worry, we’ll get in. But first things first, guys. We’ve got to get the security info, or we’ll be working blind once we are in. ”
Seb spoke, his quiet voice searing through the room. “What I want to know is, what is this ‘vital business for all angelkind’ that they’re up to?”
“No idea,” said Alex. “But for now, I’m only concerned about it if it affects the attack. ” As he kept his gaze on the TV screen, he looked relaxed enough – but taking in the faint lines on his forehead, I knew he wasn’t.
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