It mustbe stopped at all costs!
I wasnow desperate to find the Liaison and hoped he hadn’t imbibed toomuch of the local tea to be of use. Where would they have gone now?To the right of the door was a dead-end (although marvellouslydecorated). They hadn’t had time to pass us on the way back down,so they much have gone up the other set of stairs.
My hearthammering, I pulled Sir Percival after me.
“I say, isn’t–?”
He’dseen the painting of the Russian officer, he was probably a princeor something.
“Yes, but we must find the Liaison.”
“Really?”
Understandably he seemed quite taken aback at thisinformation.
“Yes,” I forthrightly advised him.
We cameto the bottom of the stairs and I looked around for anyone, be theyfriend or foe. It was empty.
“Her Majesty is in mortal peril,” I added.
Carefully I started up the stairs.
“But I saw no penguins?”
My mindflashed back to the murderous mechanical penguins created by MrTok.
“Not penguins this time. Something more… evil.”
“Gracious!”
“Indeed.”
“Hamsters?”
I neededto cease this conversation now, and impress upon him the enormityof the danger we, and Her Majesty, were in. Making sure I was on astep higher than him I grasped his lapels, pulled him into my faceand hissed, “Vampires!”
Hisoverly hairy eyebrows climbed up his forehead and he lookedwonderingly at me as if determining whether I was telling ajoke.
“Vam–?”
“Yes!”
“Bu–?”
“We need the Liaison to help us prevent this airship fromvisiting the Royal family.”
Momentarily he was silent, looking into my earnest face,weighing up my words, then glanced down at my hands grasping hislapels. I let them go and he straightened up. “Let us save HerMajesty, Miss Lovelady.”
As onewe turned and headed up the stairs.
For anairship of this size there seemed to be exceedingly few staff. Bynow I would have expected to run into several of them even if theywere merely brushing dust from the (marvellous)decorations.
Wegained the top of the stairs and looked round. This floor seemed tohouse smaller rooms, whether reception or for officer use I didn’tknow. Where would the visitors have gone? Then it came to me in aflash – the bridge! The staple part of any visit, be it to ship orairship.
I’dforgotten which way we now faced, was the bridge to our left orright? I was unable to judge by looking out the windows, which gavea scary view down upon London’s rooftops, and couldn’t read thegold lettering on the doors so asked Sir Percival, “Which one saysBridge?”
Hepeered at the Cyrillic lettering on the doors around us and pointedto those upon the largest pair of doors. “I can’t read it eitherbut must assume the bigger they are means the mostimportant.”
Wehastened along the corridor to the large doors and I turned thehandle. They were locked. Surely they should be open so that otherofficers could gain access?
I lookedat Sir Percival to see if he had any thoughts, but he didn’t returnmy glance. Instead he was looking down the corridor.
Theother doors were opening and members of staff were exiting andheading towards us. Desperately I kicked the Bridge door but itdidn’t budge. How were we to get to the Liaison, or failing that,prevent the airship from meeting Queen Victoria byourselves?
Isuddenly realised I didn’t know the Liaison’s name so it was withsome shame that I yelled “Liaison! Sir Percival needsyou!”
I lookedaround to see if the familiar hippo-like face would appear from anydoorway. No.
Seekinga way out I began to head back towards the stairs, but came to astop when I saw heads of other crewmembers coming up it.
I triedagain, “Liaison!”
Escapefor myself and Sir Percival was now my first thought. But where?The only exit available to us were the windows. But we were sohigh!
Would itbe better to plunge to our deaths or be captured? Or would theyjust kill us anyway?
I swungmy umbrella at the closest window and the glass cracked. Withincreased frenzy I smashed at it again. The crackwidened.
Besideme Sir Percival raised his foot and kicked out at the side of it,causing the whole window to swing away from the airship letting ina blast of swirling cold air.
“Liaison!” I cried hoping he’d appear and we wouldn’t have toclimb onto the outside of the airship.
Still nosign of him.
Feargripped me as I used my umbrella to push the window the rest of theway out hoping it wouldn’t land on anyone. Desperately trying toignore the ground so far below and the cold wind trying to suck meout into empty air I held onto one side of the window with my lefthand and looked upwards for something to grab onto. Some sort ofguttering was above the window, but too far for me toreach.
“Out, miss Lovelady!” Sir Percival, said pushing me sidewaysout of the window.
Stillholding the edge of the window I shrieked in fear and surprise andswung outwards, my heart hammering. Frantically I reached with myumbrella to the guttering above me, luckily the handle caught thelip of the guttering and held otherwise I’d be falling to mydeath.
The coldwind felt like it was playing with me - plucking at my dress andtrying to blow me off the airship and into its deadlyembrace.
Bone-numbing fright filled me as I hung suspended between thewindow with my left hand and my umbrella with my right. I held theumbrella in a death grip, feeling the metal ribs brand themselvesinto my hand.
Howcould he have done such a thing! If I weren’t in fear of my lifeI’d be screaming my heart out at him!
Then Isuddenly felt arms clamping themselves around my waist preventingme from drawing breath and forcing me to release the window’s edgeand use both hands on the umbrella! I felt Sir Percival’s weightdragging me down to plunge into the yawning chasm below! Cold airswirled around my ankles and up under my dress where it had nobusiness being. What was he doing now?
“Get off
