Chapter 18: From the Rafters

In the early hours of the morning, just after daybreak, the sky's colors transformed over the city of Vega. Claire was already awake, standing on her balcony and taking deep breaths as she watched the sun light up the sky. The nausea woke her again that morning and although she felt exhausted, she couldn't go back to sleep. Touching her lower abdomen, she wondered not for the first time if she was ready yet.

She missed Alex. And she wondered if she would ever see him again. The letter he had written was currently in her nightstand, hidden away among her personal things. That first night alone, she had read the letter three more times before finally putting it away to be kept safe for their unborn child. She closed her eyes for a moment, taming the unwanted tears that sprang to her eyes. The thought of Alex being at the mercy of the world out there, most likely at the mercy of the archangel Gabriel, made her want to weep like a child.

A shout roused her from her sullen thoughts and she opened her eyes to find herself looking down at an Archangel Corps troop running through the street below. The soldiers' hurried manner was unusual and it alarmed her.

Going back inside her room, she quickly changed her clothes and readied herself to leave. As she opened her bedroom door, she found Ethan standing in front of her, dressed in full tactical gear and poised in mid knock.

"Lady of the City, you're needed downstairs. A Consul was attacked," Ethan sputtered out quickly, standing stock still and eyes wide with his hand still in mid air.

Caught off guard, Claire tried not to laugh at his expression. It took a moment for the meaning of his words to dawn on her. "What do you mean a Consul was attacked?"

He lowered his hand and sighed. "You need to see this," Ethan said, quietly. His head tilted toward the hallway, silently encouraging her to follow him.

~~**D**~~

Standing in the middle of the courtyard, David Whele stared upward with his mouth slightly open. The shock on his face was clear to Claire as she walked towards him. The area was roped off by the Archangel Corps. Soldiers surrounded and secured the area, telling people to leave or keep their distance as they reacted to what they were seeing. Some people were reacting with fear and others with anger; all were reacting loudly.

Ethan led Claire to where David was standing and then stood guard nearby, acting on orders to keep the Lady of the City safe. Claire couldn't stop staring at David's pale face, almost not wanting to turn to whatever horrific thing he was looking at. She stood next to him and turned to look up at the spectacle that had made the Consul turn two shades lighter.

Hanging from the rafters of the nearby building were three bodies. Each body was strung up by the neck as if it were a public lynching. Signs were tied to each wrist with dripping red-brown ink, spelling out the ominous words: "End of Days."

Claire covered her mouth, feeling suddenly nauseated. She tried to keep her bile down, breathing deeply and willing her body to cooperate.

"Consul Graywell, Romero and Julien. All plucked and strung up like rag dolls," David said finally, after a moment of silence between them.

Claire lowered her hand after a moment of breathing normally. Her body calmed down as she wrapped her mind around what she was seeing. "Is that written in blood?" she said calmly.

"It appears so." David shifted. He still looked unwell, but he was finally pulling himself together.

"This is the same spot that the angels were hung up," Claire pointed out in a detached tone.

"Yes." David pulled at his jacket and finally pealed his eyes away from the bodies, focusing on Claire. "And we'll need to be on high alert. That is a warning. For all of us."

Claire nodded, still staring at the bodies. "Ethan, we're going to need to start an investigation, if it isn't underway already. And then I need to speak to the security captain. We'll be needing high security details for all of the Senate members."

Ethan nodded, "I'll go get him, Lady Claire."

The wind picked up, giving them all a chill. And then the bodies began to sway a little. Claire closed her eyes and turned away, opening them only to find that David was studying her intently.

"I think this may be an important message. A warning for whatever he has planned," David said, sternly.

"Gabriel?"

"Must be. We have to be open to the possibility that there may be an imminent attack," David said in a hushed tone. There was a tinge of panic in his voice that Claire was sure he was trying to control.

"It's always a possibility, David. You of all people should know that," Claire said. "Perhaps William isn't quite done with Vega."

David's eyes widened for a moment. "But William is dead, Claire."

Claire studied him for a moment, her eyes narrowing at his attempt to hide what she already knew was true. "I have my own eyes and ears in this city, David."

David shifted, weighing his options. Claire could tell the wheels were turning. He was probably wondering how much she knew about William's departure. And then he leaned in, "I do too, Claire."

She didn't rise to the bait. Instead, she leaned into him and quietly said, "If I find out that William had somehow found his way back into this city or has anything to do with this, it will be on you."

Before David could respond to her, Claire walked away from him, moving towards Ethan and the security captain. She knew it was another small power play, leaving David to wonder yet again how she had obtained her information. She didn't look back to see the frozen expression displayed on his face, nor did she see him cringe slightly as he glanced back up at the dangling Consuls on full display.