Flying Without Wings

The Secret Garden Party room was as spectacular as it had been the night before. Beautiful people were still dancing around grasping each other playfully and wearing the most gorgeous clothing. Each soul had so much energy and lust for life, it seemed like the whole room swayed together as one. People bounced, twirled, kissed and laughed, it was as if the party had continued once we had left and that these people had stayed in this room all night and day. The central gold tables had been reset overnight, they were now draped with burnt orange velvet and covered in different colored glass bowls. Each bowl was filled with different exotic foods and the aroma drifting towards me was so enticing that I forgot all about my questions and worries. I could smell earthy spices and my mouth watered from the scents of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cumin. My stomach growled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten anything since the eggy muffins Audrey had brought over for breakfast, and I floated towards the tables. I felt myself being drawn to the food and drink ignoring everything else, the need to speak to Bastian about what had just happened in the entrance hall, the desire to keep Marvillo safe and the urge to interrogate Audrey all became inconsequential. I looked over and saw that Bastian too was being mesmerized by the enticing feast that was splayed out before us. He seemed to be being pulled by an invisible rope to the drinks cart, slowly he stumbled towards the little wheel-able bar that Bear was attending and that Monty had already plundered. I heard Bastian order a tequila Negroni, his favourite of the hour. Bear set straight to work peeling an orange rind and filling a shaker with ice. He was big and looked clumsy but he never spilled a drop of the precious liquids that he stirred and poured. To match his fantastic purple tuxedo he was now wearing a purple bowler hat and bow tie just like the bartenders at all the pretentious bars in Cullen, I did love how his outfits changed slightly to suit whatever task was at hand. Despite the bizarre environment he was in and the guttural grunting noises he made Bear seemed to have a kind and gentle soul. I couldn’t help but wonder if he too had lost an Angha and been tricked into staying in this place.

Tearing my eyes from him I sauntered towards the food and filled a pink glass plate with saffron and coconut rice, poached white fish swimming in an aromatic broth and a chunky tomato stew studded with chickpeas, almonds and herbs. I sat down on the mossy floor and balanced my plate precariously on my knee. I took off my shoes and felt the cool forest carpet beneath by toes, it was a peculiar but relaxing sensation. Bastian came and sat beside me, his negroni was already half gone and he had a dreamy smile plastered across his face.

“This place is strange, when I came in here I felt angry and wanted to give Zenasia a piece of my mind, but now I just want to drink this delicious cocktail, dance with you and have a good time, I feel like don’t have a care in the world.” He said airily taking another sip of bright orange liquid. The goofy grin that sat lazily on his face reminded me of the look Bear sometimes had and I suddenly felt very much like Hansel and Gretel being tricked into comfort in a strangers house with a few sweet treats, I just hoped we too could outsmart the cannibal.

“I know what you mean but I’m still a bit uneasy about being here. I can’t seem to think clearly in this room or this house, it is like something is making my mind foggy.” I rubbed my forehead with my fingers feeling tired, I probably just needed some energy and plunged my fork into my plate.

“Sorry about last night.” Evelyn was twirling behind us, she was out of breath and rosy cheeked as she had been the night before. “I must have had too much champagne and started to talk nonsense, it’s hard to keep count when it’s flowing from a waterfall.” She let out a small giggle, she was very sweet. “Don’t worry, I’ll be much better behaved tonight.” She smiled down at me and introduced herself to Bastian. I assured her she was fine and looked up into her pretty round face, she looked different tonight. Her cheeks and lips were still plump and ruddy but her eyes seemed glassy and unfocused, I didn’t have a chance to ask her if she was ok though, a tall dark haired fellow skipped over to us and grabbed Evelyn by the hand. He spun her back towards the spot of moss where people were dancing he let out a squeal of delight, the man looked back and gave me a wink. I felt like I had seen him before, I recognised that wink and his long skinny legs. His eyes shone bright under his dark bushy eyebrows.

“I can see business must be going very well for Zenasia,” Audrey said bitterly floating over to us. “That cow.”

Montgomery also came staggering over holding two crystal glasses full to the brim of an amber liquid which I could only assume was spiced whiskey. He has his walking stick tucked up under his arm and he was walking across the room with ease. “This place sure got a makeover, last time I was here we sat on rocks, drank boxed wine and ate meatloaf. This, I could get used to this.” He took a great swig and finished the contents of one of the crystal glasses. “But I won’t” he quickly added catching Audrey’s glaring eye. “Because she must be stopped.” He threw the empty glass to the mossy floor for emphasis.

“Be stopped from what!? And your sister Audrey, why didn’t you say so!? And who the hell is Gomez!? And what do they want with Marvillo!?” Bastian shouted, he had suddenly awoken from his Negroni haze and was fuming. He glared up at Montgomery and Audrey, his topknot had come out from his flailing and he pushed the fallen hairs out of his eyes angrily. “I don’t know who to trust, you all seem to know each other somehow and no one is telling us anything. It is our bloody dog this all seems to be about and no one is getting him, I’m taking him and my girlfriend home now, I’ve had enough!” he grabbed Marvillo by the scruff of his neck with one hand and grabbed my arm roughly with the other.

“Darling it’s not a dog, it’s an Angha but you already know that don’t you. I also think you know that these creatures are very powerful and they are, although probably more than even you know.” Audrey stared at Bastian calmly, what did she mean he already knew? “you’re right though, we haven’t really told you what’s going on, the truth is we are not entirely sure ourselves, but come, let us sit over there in the corner and we will tell you why Zenasia probably wants him and everything else we know.”

Bastian continued to glare at Audrey but we followed her to the corner, he still had a firm grip on me and Marvillo and dragged us with him. We gathered around the pond of bubbling champagne in the quietest crook of the bizarre room. Marvillo freed himself from Bastian’s grip and lazily curled up in the middle of us, he nodded off and began to snore softly, I always envied how quickly animals seemed to fall asleep. I continued to stare into his little moustached face and became lost in Audrey’s husky voice as she explained the magic that is Angha.

I had read a bit about Angha that morning and had picked up some clues of their powers here and there but never imagined them to be all the Audrey explained them to be. She spun a tale of Angha having the ability to enchant people, they have a sort of power that can control humans. When they beat their great, once feathered, wings the whipping produces a drumming melody that hypnotises whoever can hear it. The more Angha flapping at once the more powerful the sound and the greater the span of enchantment. I had never heard Marvillo make this sound before and Audrey knew why. We couldn’t hear Marvillo’s melody for a plethora of reasons, the most resounding being he was our Angha. He had chosen us and would therefore protect us from everything, including himself. Audrey told us that the only way a human can hear the beating song of their own Angha is when it no longer belongs to them. I didn’t understand how Marvillo could no longer be ours but didn’t get a chance to ask, Audrey kept speaking. “Even if by some miracle a human does hear the beat of their own Angha’s wings, the noise alone won’t have any effect on them, it will just make them feel calm if anything. Unless the Angha is under the control of someone else. To take command of someone else’s Angha you have to separate them from their human, this goes beyond physicality, distance and even death. The only way a person can truly be separated from their Angha is by willingly abandoning them, the human must choose to give up their Angha forever.” Audrey paused for effect and to take a sip of her drink, she eyed us and let the information sink in. “Now people like you would never dream of doing such a thing. But other people, most people, are tricked easily, they give up their Angha for stupid, fleeting reasons like fortune or fame. And if that’s not bad enough it does get worse. An Angha still won’t make the hypnotic noise when it flaps its wings unless it is flying because it is very scared, very hurt or very sad. So you can imagine the cruel ways of getting them to feel any of these emotions. It is clear to me from coming here that Zenasia has discovered a way to bottle the sound produced by the Angha’s beating wings. It is evident she no longer needs an Angha present to control people, she just needs enough of their sound. With this power and her apparent refined skill in separating Angha from their human’s means she could control anyone at any time for whatever reason. The thing that concerns me the most is that I don’t know what that reason is, she must be planning something big and knowing her something terrible." Audrey drained the rest of her glass and looked to Monty for validation, he simply nodded sipping on his own drink. Bastian had let his Negroni fall over as he listened to Audrey, ice and orange liquid were seeping into the mossy ground at his awkwardly crossed feet, he never was any good at sitting cross legged and looked like a praying mantis. My own hand was resting on Marvillo’s rising and falling chest, although I don’t remember putting it there, after hearing Audrey speak I wasn’t going to move it and let him go, maybe ever. I too glanced to Monty for some sort of support or for a sign that this was all a joke, but he just looked down into his empty glass, I had the feeling he was too ashamed to speak.

“But who would give up an Angha for something as trivial as money, they have souls, they are living creatures.” I spluttered.

“You would be surprised dear, everyone has their price, even you.” Audrey said ruefully.

“It’s not always money people abandon their Angha for, sometimes it’s to save another loved one’s life, which is really just a cruel game of chance. I guarantee everyone here has given up their Angha for something or other, everyone.” Monty whispered staring at the melting ice in his glass. “That is why they are here, to distract themselves from their awful deeds.”

I looked around the room at each person singing, dancing and laughing, they had all abandoned their Angha for something, I wondered who did it for money or fame and who was tricked, and then it hit me. “Everyone in here has given up their Angha… even you two?”

“Yes and even Zenasia, we were all tricked or conned or forced to choose to give up our Angha’s. I gave up mine to save my husband…who turned out to be with the Zimrugh Saviours.” Audrey whispered softly.

“The Zimrugh Saviours?” I repeated the words, they felt awkward on my tongue, and then I remembered the signature at the bottom of our invitations, ZS.

“And I gave mine up to save my daughter, who unbeknown to me was already dead.” Montgomery’s face contorted with sadness, or was it anger.

“Does your husband still work for Zenasia, is he here?” I asked taken aback.

“As far as I know yes he still works for Zenasia, but I haven’t seen him here, or anywhere else for many years for that matter.” Montgomery wrapped his arm around Audrey as her whole body started to heave, I had never seen two people so sad. Bastian put one hand on my knee and the other on Marvillo so that the three of us formed our own little triangle.

“Whatever the three of you do, just don’t get separated.” Montgomery grunted clearing his throat. “That’s when you will become vulnerable and easily tricked, you must stay together. Which one of you does Marvillo actually belong to anyway?”

“What do you mean? He is both of ours, he came to our stoop.” I was surprised that everyone kept asking who he belonged to, wasn’t it obvious.

“Angha have always only sort out one human, his loyalties must fall to one of you, you must have noticed.” Montgomery said gruffly.

“No really he is ours,” Bastian said firmly “both of ours and we will both protect him.”

Audrey’s face glowed at Bastian spoke, she wanted this to happen, she believed in us, I could tell.

“We will do more than protect him.” I cut in feeling inspired. “We are going to get your Angha back too, and one more thing, who is that?”