Flying Without Wings
Chapter Twenty Six

Lydia, Evelyn and Humphrey crept up the long metallic staircase, it twisted like a snake does when suffocating its prey. Everything in the house of number 36 seemed evil now the music and wine had stopped flowing. Every time a door creaked or a breeze blew they would freeze. An eerie presence was following them, watching them take each step.

“You will feel worse the further up we go.” Lydia said grabbing Evelyn’s hand. “The corridors and rooms up here are cold, they feel sad, and you will feel sad. Me and Johnny were taken up here the first night I met Bea and Bastian because I didn’t bring angus, even then I had a bad feeling about this place. Pity I didn’t have a bad feeling about Johnny.” Lydia paused with a pained look on her face. “I was taken to a dark room filled with a strange smoke. I felt helpless and small, I felt like all the happiness in the world was gone and I was the only human left. You might very well feel the same.” Lydia was right, with each additional step Humphrey and Evelyn took up the stairs an encasing coldness pressed upon them. Humphrey popped the collar of his jacket and plunged his hands into his pockets as they reached the top stair. “That won’t help, it’s not that kind of cold.” Lydia said with a weak smile. “I think Audrey will be down here, I hope.” Humphrey nodded and followed her down a very straight corridor. They walked down that passageway for minutes, even though the house surely was not that big.

“When does this hallway end?” Evelyn said, her voice was shaking. “I’ve been up here too, in a cold cold room. But never this far into the house.”

“I’m not sure it does end, as weird as that sounds. But this is where they took me, I remember the Angha scratched into the door.” Underneath the picture of the Angha the name Matilda was scribbled roughly into the wood. Evelyn tried the door but the brass handle wouldn’t budge. Humphrey rummaged in his coat pocket and pulled out another brass key. The handle of this key was in the shape of a skull, it looked like the skull of a dog, maybe the skull of an Angha. He slipped it into the lock and it twisted with ease. Humphrey breathed a sigh of relief and jiggled the handle. “Try not to inhale too much, I’m sure there will be a haze in this room too.” The door swung open and blackness poured into the already dim corridor. The darkness brought an overwhelming feeling of sadness which pulled at their clothes, their faces and their hair. “We have to just go in and feel our way around.” Humphrey grabbed Evelyn’s damp hand and squeezed it. They stepped inside the room and the door slammed behind them, bringing an unbearable silence. They felt for each other in the dark and formed a triangle.

“We just have to wait, I don’t think we should be walking around, I have a bad feeling. But if we just wait something will happen I am sure of it.” Evelyn whispered. Together they lowered to the ground and sat with knees touching, anchoring each other in the sea of darkness.

“I feel like I could just float away.” Lydia said gripping Humphrey and Evelyn tightly. “If you weren’t keeping me here.”

“Shh what’s that noise?” Humphrey said placing his hands on the girls’ mouths. He could hear a quiet and shallow breathing. One slow intake and a taxed exhale. “Can anyone hear that breathing?”

“I can’t hear breathe, but I can hear a ticking.” Lydia said. “Listen, it is very faint.” After minutes of silence Humphrey jumped up.

“I hear it, it’s Audrey, it must be her pocket watch!” Humphrey ran blindly in the direction of the soft breathe and even softer ticking and crashed into a bed post. He fell down and banged his head on the wall. “Ahh,” he exclaimed trying to get up, he felt around him for the bed post and found a night stand with a lamp on it. He flicked the switch and a soft pink glow filled the massive room. Lydia and Evelyn were still huddled together in the middle of the room and right in front of him, tied to the bed was Audrey. He climbed onto the bed and took her cold face into his hands and kissed a large lump on her forehead. Even in her deep sleep she winced at his touch. Evelyn ran over and started to work on her binds. Humphrey looked at the chains on Audrey’s chest and picked up the one holding her old pocket watch. He pushed the small gold button on top and it sprung open revealing a yellowed face. The watch had no numbers or markers of time. It simply had a solo hand that was ticking a quarter of the face at a time. “I can’t believe it.” Humphrey mumbled staring at the pocket watch, Mavis must be in here.” He looked around the room for another door or cupboard where the Angha could be hidden, but couldn’t see anything. Lydia was searching too, pressing on the walls and looking under the rug.

“How do you know there is an Angha in here?” Lydia said shocked.

“The watch, it only ticks when Mavis is near, I don’t know how or why but it always did. When Mavis was lost Audrey refused to take it off. I saw her starring at it sometimes, willing it to tick, but it never did, until now.”

“She must be in another room.” Lydia said amazed grabbing Audrey’s foot and trying to pry the knot. Evelyn had already freed one of her hands and was working on the other.

“What was that? Shh, shh.” Humphrey said grabbing both the girls’ hands. “I heard a flutter…” Evelyn looked him in the eye and she too heard the unmistakable sound of beating wings. Eyes wide she dropped to the floor and crawled under the bed.

“There's a trapdoor under here.” Her muffled voice called out. Humphrey dropped down too and wiggled his way under the bed. “Brilliant” he said planting a kiss on Evelyn’s flushed cheek. He slid the door open and found the lid of a cage. The barred enclosure, like the room had just been, was the darkest black and he could not see anything even with the lamp on, but he could hear little cries of excitement as he stuck his hand down between the bars. “There is more than one Angha down there I’m sure of it.” He pulled the bronze skull key back out of his pocket and held his breath as he slid it into the lock at the top of the cage.” The lock fell open and dropped into the dark cage. “Gomez you beauty.” He muttered swinging the cage door open. He plunged one skinny arm into the darkness and handed the key to Evelyn with the other. “This will probably open the lock on Audrey’s foot too.” He said, he pulled out one Angha then another. Both were beautiful caramel coloured creatures with long coats and cornflour blue eyes. They lapped at Humphrey’s face then scampered out from under the bed and bounded around the room ecstatic to be let free. “Mavis and… Matilda it can’t be? Shh grab them Humphrey ordered sliding out from under the bed.” Lydia grabbed Matilda and tried to calm her down but Mavis took flight and landed on the bed beside Audrey. She burrowed her face into her wrinkled neck and whimpered inconsolably. “Zenasia didn’t put Matilda down there, she thought she was dead. Which means someone else did.” Humphrey muttered to himself sliding down the wall. “What, who else could do that? Who else has had access to this room? I don’t think Zenasia would have let just anyone in here, it used to be her own room.”

“Gomez?” Lydia suggested still wrestling with Matilda.

“No,” Humphrey snarled rising to his feet, “my own brother? He would never! He tells me everything!”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you but it wouldn’t be the first time someone you thought was good was actually very bad.” Lydia stuttered starring at her feet.

“We have to get out of here.” Humphrey ordered not looking at Lydia. “We need to get her back to base.”

“You aren’t going anywhere.” A sickly voice cut through the dim room. “You thought you could sneak around my home and I wouldn’t know?” Zenasia shook her blonde curls and let out a hollow laugh, her wrist was bandaged in a black plaster and she winced as she shut the door.

“Zenasia.” Humphrey said carefully looking at her twisted black smile. He knew she hadn’t spotted Matilda yet, he could see the Angha was struggling to break free from Lydia’s grasp. He signalled for Lydia to turn her back on Zenasia and hide the caramel Angha.

“What.” She spat her saliva black from her lipstick.

“Zenasia, who is in charge here?” he said carefully.

“I am, I rule this house.” She said stamping her foot.

“I don’t think you do.” Humphrey said taking a step towards her. “Who recruited you all those years ago, when Matilda disappeared? “Who was it?”

“I don’t see why it matters.” Zenasia snarled. “He is in prison now anyway.” She paused. “I guess by saying that you can probably guess who the man I speak of us so I suppose it doesn’t really matter if I say. It was Dr Salem. The man who rescued the Zimrugh Saviours. He saved me when no one else would help me. And now I am doing his work while he can’t.” She laughed.

“Are you sure?” Humphrey said carefully, still slowly moving towards her. He looked nervous when Zenasia said Dr Salem’s name, but stayed strong.

Zenasia on the other hand faltered, although just for a second. “Of course I’m sure. Who else would be in charge?”

“I don’t know someone that has access to every room, someone that you would never suspect, someone that’s even crueller then you are?”

Zenasia didn’t know why but Kent’s face flashed into her mind. “Stop stalling what are you getting at Humphrey?”

“What happened to Matilda? All those years ago, where did she go?”

“She was killed in this house, in the fight that was supposed to have killed you too!”

“What if that was all a lie, just like me, Zenasia think, who told you Matilda was gone?” Humphrey was so close he could have touched Zenasia.

“Sa, Salem did.” She stuttered her eyes widening.

“Why did you trust him? Why did you leave your family? Zenasia think, what happened?”

“I don’t know, I don’t remember, I was alone, he was there.” Zenasia mumbled rubbing her head with her bandaged wrist. She winced in pain and narrowed her eyes. “It doesn’t matter now, I have the power and I have all of you.”

“It does matter; someone was lying to you then and is lying to you now. You might want to sit down.” Humphrey said gently.

“I’ve had enough of this game!” Zenasia plunged her hand between her breasts and retrieved another vial, this one was filled with red smoke, she began to fumble with the tiny cork stopper.

“Zenasia wait, Lydia now!” Humphrey yelled before Zenasia could get the lid off, Lydia let go of Matilda who was struggling and beside herself trying to get to Zenasia. The Angha knocked Lydia over as she flew from her arms. Zenasia spotted Matilda flying through the air and froze. The vial slid from her hand, luckily Humphrey knew that would happen and he launched forward and grabbed it before it smashed and poisoned them all. Matilda landed on Zenasia and knocked her to the floor too.

“Matilda” she stammered her black lips turned down. “You’re alive? What?” She felt the Angha’s snout and fur. She smelt her and looked at the brown spot on her left eye. “Where was she?” Zenasia managed to stammer.

“In this very room, with Mavis.” Humphrey pointed to the bed where Audrey lay. Mavis was licking Audrey all over in a desperate bid to heal her hidden wounds. Matilda too had started to lick Zenasia’s broken wrist.

“Where how?” Zenasia was shaking her head her mouth open.

“Zenasia we are going to leave.” Humphrey said calmly. “You should too; it is not safe here - for anyone.”

“Oh, ok.” She said starring at Matilda in awe. Then snapping out of it. “No, I’m not going anywhere. Someone in this house has had MY Angha for 10 years. I’m going to replace them, and I’m going to kill them. Take my sister with you, but this isn’t a truce.” She said through gritted teeth, rage was bubbling inside of her. She rose from the floor and held a still whimpering Matilda. “Give me that vial; I’m going to kill them.” She said again snatching the it was swirling with smoke. “You have 10 minutes to get out or I’m sending my guards in.” she spat.

“Wait.” Lydia cried, she was still on the floor where Matilda had knocked her. “We need Bastian, where is he?”

Zenasia looked at Lydia her brow furrowed, “Bastian? I don’t know where that boy is.” She hissed.

Lydia looked at Humphrey with fear in her eyes. “Whoever hid these Angha has Bastian, I’m sure of it, or Zenasia would know.”

“Who brought Audrey to this room?” Humphrey demanded grabbing onto Zenasia’s Bandaged wrist. Audrey’s pale lips fell apart and she whispered in a hoarse voice.

“It was Kent.”