Flying Without Wings

Audrey took the martini handed to her and sucked on the salty olive. She looked around the Secret Garden Party surveying every face and every movement. She glanced at each of the Angha Soldier that had come with her, they were dappled throughout the crowd, her eyes rested on each one but only for a moment. Audrey was searching for someone else, someone more. She was searching for a strong jaw and thick eyebrows, she was searching for the face of Gomez.

“What’s the plan love?” Montgomery rasped grabbing Audrey’s elbow, he really did love her.

“Nothing darling. We are here simply to watch, we don’t make a move unless news of the caves hits here. And if that happens, well you know what to do,” Audrey patted her clutch and turned her watchful eye back to the room, she was taken by him too, but had no time to deal with that now. Four of the soldiers; Harry, Collin, Wendy and Abigail were huddled on one side of the garden room looking terrified. They weren’t eating or drinking anything and collectively froze when any of the other guests happily approached them. On the other side of the room, near the champagne waterfall where Audrey had sat just days before explaining the world of Angha to Bastian and I stood Lydia with Pat. Pat was the most boisterous of the girls and was far from terrified, she was grabbing every bubbling glass that whizzed past her rosy face and talked the ear of anyone that even looked in her direction. Lydia was deep in conversation with Evelyn, whispering into her ear whilst Evelyn sponged splats of Johnny’s blood off her gown. Good girl, Audrey thought, at least one Angha Soldier was doing what they came here to do, even if it was after a brutal bludgeoning.

“Why are you really here?” Zenasia appeared from behind Audrey and pulled a spiced cigarette from here sleeve. “I’m sure you aren’t just popping by to say hello. Don’t think for a second I don’t know that your posse of innocents are all Angha Soldiers, honestly Audrey you are losing your touch sister.” She lit the cigarette with a silver dragon lighter, its mouth breathed fire and soon the air was filled with cinnamon scented smoke rings. Audrey had had enough, she threw her martini to the ground and screamed into Zenasia’s face.

“YOU ARE NO SISTER OF MINE!” The swing music stopped playing and the people dancing like puppets came to a sudden halt, it was almost as if the music was the only thing making them dance.

“Keep playing darlings everything is fine,” Zenasia’s sickly voice sang out. “She’s just had one too many drinks.” Audrey grabbed her sister by the arm and led her back into the entrance hall, Johnny was nowhere to be seen and his blood had been mopped up leaving nothing but an ominous wet patch. It was like he never existed at all.

“What has happened to you? You are not the sister I grew up with, the sister I know, the sister I love, where has Aurora gone.” Audrey pounded her fist onto her tinkling chest. “What happened to you?!” She screamed again.

“Audrey,” Zenasia breathe, “don’t act like I’m the only bad sister here, you are the one that left me for Gomez, not that that turned out very well.” Audrey curled her fists. “What did you expect? I lost everything. I lost my Angha, I lost my sister and yes I lost my way. But I needed you and you chose Gomez, you always put your men before me, always, and now I have the power, people look up to me more than you and you can’t handle it. Now you will know what it is like to lose your family and your way.” Zenasia pulled a bottle of silver smoke from her bosom and opened it in Audrey’s face. Audrey slumped to the floor before she had finished her inhale, jingling as she fell. “And nobody calls me Aurora anymore. Kent!” Zenasia shouted, calling to her newly promoted henchman. A great man the size of Fridge came through the front door, wiping his bloodied hands on hit vest as he did.

“Johnny is in the yard, couldn’t fit him in the bin.” He said in a steely voice.

“Fine.” Zenasia said, “Take her upstairs and tie her up.” Zenasia pointed to her sister. Kent obeyed immediately and grabbed Audrey by her delicate white wrists and threw her over his shoulder. He smacked her head on the balustrade as he roughly climbed the black, spiral staircase. “Carefully.” Zenasia hissed watching her sisters limp head bob about. Kent gave Zenasia a look that made her uncomfortable. His soulless eyes seemed to be sizing her up, she could feel he didn’t like this soft side of her. She gritted her teeth at being stared down by her henchman and turned to re-enter her party, she hadn’t even made it to the doe eyed door before Kent had finished restraining Audrey and was back.

“Ma’am!” he shouted jumping from the second floor and landing next to Zenasia with a thump. “The men, the Saviors just called, someone is attacking the caves and freeing the Angha.”

“Who, who is attacking them.” Zenasia spat, her blood boiling.

“I don’t know ma’am they said there was four or five of them, few men, few women.”

“That’s their only description, what idiots.” Zenasia threw her cigarette to the ground. “I think I know who it is anyway, it has been too long since I have seen Gomez or Bear. It was only a matter of time before they got together.” Zenasia ripped open the door to the Secret Garden Party “Get the rest of the men and restrain anyone who is or was an Angha Soldier.” She ordered.

“Ma’am that’s everyone.” Kent growled.

“Then grab everyone, starting with them.” Zenasia said pointing at Harry, Collin, Wendy and Abigail who were still huddling in the corner. Kent and 2 other Saviours advanced on the small group. Harry’s eyes watched them coming, they were roughly pushing people out there way like they were corn plants in a field. Harry’s orange moustache began to twitch as he slowly slipped his plump hand into Wendy’s purse, he closed his hand around his dagger and looked to the others. Wendy still wasn’t moving either, her smooth, long face held the same scared expression but her eyes were fierce. She slowly raised her hands in surrender and grabbed a pin from her long black hair. Kent seized her first, she was the tallest in the group by far and was an easy target, he grabbed her empty hand and she quickly plunged the sharp pin held in her other deep into his wide neck as far as it would go. He shouted in pain and punched her right in the face, Wendy screamed and fell to the ground. She grabbed another pin releasing her long black hair as she dropped and drove this one into his chunky thigh and twisted as hard as she could before she hit the ground. Two Zimrugh Saviors jumped on Wendy and held her arms to her sides, she struggled to rise but the bigger one drove his knee between her shoulder blades. Kent swore and pulled the pins out of him and punched Wendy again. “Enough” Zenasia shouted at him from the doorway, “get the others!” The rest of the Soldiers had spread out around the room and were herding the people like sheep. Harry was battling with a Zimrugh Saviors but wrenched himself free when he saw Wendy get punched, he killed the man he was fighting with a final stab to the gut and jumped onto the silver haired man who was now suffocating Wendy. Without a second thought he slit the mans veiny throat. Blood poured out of the wound and splashed onto Wendy’s pale skin. The Savior cried and fell backwards grabbing at his throat and at Pat as he went down. Pat gave a surprised shout and landed on top of him, she was slow to react after so many champagnes but was now in the thick of a brawl. She was quickly hidden by a tangle of fighting limbs. Within moments of this first fight the whole room erupted into a mad brawl. Food was thrown and glasses were smashed and used as weapons. The music had stopped and two sides had clearly formed. The people being heard awoke from the haze. The Zimrugh Saviors were outnumbered by the Angha Soldiers and the other feisty souls that had been kept in a haze for too long and they were losing. The Angha Soldiers eyes cleared as a spell seemed to be lifted from them. Each one was angrier than the last. Zenasia continued to watch the chaos unfold from the door. Even in this state of madness no one dared to fight her. She watched her own men be slain and fall to the ground without blinking. Now there were only a few left fighting. She slid her pointed black nail down the front of her dress and produced another vial. This smoke was a deep purple. She lifted the ornate glass lid and let the intoxication smoke unfurl. It curled and twisted in the air with a life of its own. Taking a deep breathe she blew the smoke over the crowd. It expanded and darkened like a storm cloud ready to burst. The smoke lowered over the fight making those it touched drop like flies. She shook her blonde curls out of her eyes and walked towards the door. She slipped through without glancing back and took a deep breath once outside the door. Useless she mumbled to herself locking the door behind her.

“Don’t move.” Montgomery growled wrapping his arms around Zenasia. “In each hand he held a glinting, gold grenade. “Where is Audrey? What have you done with her?’

“Monty you old fool. Put those down before you hurt someone. All that rum makes you shake” Zenasia tried to wriggle an arm free but Monty only tightened his grip. He was stronger than he looked and in this moment, nothing but the voice of Audrey would make him let go.

“Where is she?” He repeated squeezing Zenasia even tighter. She was starting to lose her breathe but her black lips twisted into a mean smile, if you kill me you will never find her. She said between little sips of air.

“Oh I ain’t going to kill you, but I will hurt you.” Monty grabbed Zenasia’s small white wrist and jerked it hard, a sickening snap wrung through the entrance as her wrist snapped like a twig. Zenasia let out a piercing scream that rattled the walls and ceiling. Her scream didn’t sound like a cry of pain, it sounded like a summons. Zenasia’s scream rattled the windows and penetrated the street. Bastian and Humphrey had just snuck through the front gate and stared at each other when they heard the screech.

“She must know about the caves.” Humphrey whispered grabbing a knife from his big boot, “we are going to have to speed this up.”

“You are too late.” Johnny laughed spitting out blood and shards of teeth from between the bins. “No one is getting out of there alive now.” Pete one of the Angha Soldiers muscle punched Johnny hard in the face knocking him out cold and obliterating his remaining teeth.

“What a prat,” he said wiping his hairy knuckles onto his pants, his voice with smooth as silk.

“Hang on does anyone have a pen, I’m not bringing Marvillo into this.” Bastian said grabbing a receipt from his pocket. Pete pulled a pen from his lapel. He was dressed neat and was clean shaven, his preppiness was almost off putting in lieu of a fight like this, lucky he could throw a mean right hook. Bastian grabbed the pen and scribbled out a note before jamming it into Marvillo’s collar. “Go home.” He commanded, Marvillo fluttered around the yard happily and peed on a bush from the air, “home now.” Bastian said more firmly. The Angha looked at him for a few seconds then continued to sniff about. Zenasia gave another terrifying scream from inside the house. Bastian looked up at Marvillo frantically, “go home now Bea needs you.” Marvillo’s ears pricked at the sound of my name and another scream from Zenasia convinced him to move. He took off down the street flapping his black leathery wings as hard as he could against the wind. “I hope he makes it” Bastian mumbled watching his Angha become nothing but a black speck in the distance, “Let’s do this.”